Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Time to Move On!



Move on from 2011 that is!!! I think I flunked all my last years New Years Resolutions, so I'm going to be careful what I commit to this year! I'm trying to find some sort of challenge for me to be a part of...I belong to a group that mails cards out and so far, I have not fell behind my committment. I have so many fun cricut cartridges that I have never even registered let alone ever put them in my machine!!!!


I have stamp sets galore....and I'm afraid my inks are going to go dry because of lack of using them!!!! I want to find a challenge out there that is open to a wide range of supplies...not one that is exclusive to a particular company....


I'm going home early tonight from work...as soon as the employees leave for the day...I'm heading home .... I'm going to clean the craft table and start "something"....so many ideas...so little time....and a few too many little boxes of 80% finished projects. YIKES!


Going to bed and catching up on much needed sleep sounds good too!


Picture: This was a project we were contracted to do over the holidays. Not working direct with the buyer, I'm not 100% sure what it is for...but, I think it involved an executive meeting....our claim to fame for the day....this was the "last big" day for us...(December 9)...I shipped these out (about 600) the same day we shipped a 70 gift basket order out. I came home in tears that night...it was a meltdown day for me....so much stress/business/activity that leads up to our final days before it all comes to a quick end....this year, it was December 9th...(we still had Christmas business...but not the huge stuff....the Nike order wasn't huge...the basket order was and it about killed me...these were HUGE baskets....)


Anyhow...now for some fun again and rejoining the land of the normal people...whatever that is...I'm convinced I'm far from "normal"!


Trudi



Friday, December 16, 2011

Believable/Unbelievable

My first thought was to start this posting out as UNBELIEVABLE...because relating to "crafting" and the card that I have pictured here...it is unbelievable that I made a card in less than 10 minutes. Any of you who have ever received a card from me will/can testify...that "less than 10 minutes" in NOT my way....I have to tweak and add and embellish until it's the Las Vegas showgirl of cards...(I almost put a famous singer's name in that...but thought twice...afterall, this is a public board and I want to show NO disrespect...just envision a famous singer who has lots of bling bling...definitely a country singer, been around for a LONG time...and one of the most talented "legendy" singers I know...)


So...when I thought...I'll title this post..."unbelievable"... I started reading more into that "title"....Because...of the image I stamped. How can I say "unbelievable"...when the image is a "believe" image?!


For unto you is born this day

in the city of David a Saviour,

which is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:11


This is not an "unbelievable" type card....it's one that brings us back to the beginning...to what Christmas is about...not that commercial stuff that my business world revolves around. I was raised with faith and I'm glad that the warmth of this is part of my value system...so...that's my "believable" part of this post.


That being said....I LUV Santa...and red and green and all of that too. I LUV the fact that my kids still believe that Santa sneaks into our house and leaves presents....that at the North Pole the elves are busy making toys for kids and even thinking about what "pre tweens" might want to find under the tree on Christmas Day. The "commercial part" of Christmas...if you want to talk economics....(which IS my background)...plays an important role in keeping our economy moving....when someone buys from me...I make money, pay taxes, employ people who spend money elsewhere (more taxes are paid by them and ME again...yada yada yada....)...you get the picture....


I also like Santa because he's INNOCENT...it's innocent and magical and it keeps my kids still young and innocent....my son covers his ears when I watch the nightly (local) news...I never really paid attention to it...but, he's right...the first 10 minutes is filled with car accidents, shootings, gang busts, meth labs, robberies...stuff a 10 year old doesn't want to know is going on in the very same city, sometimes only 5 miles away from his very own house....so...I'm open to Santa sticking around in our lives for a long long time...


Yet....I have close to my heart...."for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Chirst the Lord." Luke 2:11


I didn't intend for my post today to go down this path....but, it did...and after glancing over what I wrote...thought I'd keep it. I'm still surprised with the card...My original thought was to make this look like a "sign"...like one you might see at the Inn in Bethlehem...but, the "sign" die I have for my big shot what not big enough to stamp the image...If you look closely, this is the "wood" sheets (I bought mine from SU)...I've kicked it around to do this simple card now for a couple of years now and have never used my wood sheets! Next option was to "tear"...hahaha...be careful on that....that was the hard part of the card...I felt like I was getting little "slivers"...so if you try...be careful....beyond that....I intended on putting some warm toned designer paper behind the wood image...but, I kept thinking I wanted this SIMPLE.....I stamped the verse in gold encore (too much to emboss, plus, I don't like to emboss...I like to see it...just don't like doing it!)....the more I thought about the card...the more simple it got! I did stamp the Chocolate Chip card base in Canvas....I thought Canvas reminded me more of what textile would have been available back then.


So....believable/unbelievable...now you know...


Trudi





Sunday, December 11, 2011

Completed Project






I have something to share this week!!!! I don't have a picture of it yet, I like to take pictures at the factory and I'm taking the weekend OFF! Christmas is on the decline for us, thank goodness...I had a meltdown on Friday...worked so hard I was almost crippled when I came home. The herniated disk in my neck is acting up, and I think it's time I find out what's wrong with the lower back....unfortunately, learned some hard lessons this year about not getting things looked at "timely".


In the meantime, this picture is from years and years ago....my :) and joy...my 2 kidlets.....I will always beam with pride that they are so close....hopefully, forever and ever, always and always.


Trudi