Day One

I am excited.  

Today is the first day, Day One if you will, of my new blog.  I never thought I'd have a blog.  Blogs were something other people did, people who made things or had something to share.  Not me, I have a regular, ordinary life as a SAHW and do my thing, crafting, taking care of a husband, traveling on occasion, but not much else.  I retired from a hectic, fast-paced job at an investment bank one year ago (almost to the day!) and have enjoyed playing with my toys ever since.  My DH and DD are delighted.  I have a lot of "toys": knitting needles, gardening tools, fabric, and sewing/embroidery machine, etc.  So that was the plan, to take life easy.  DH was happy - no more stressed out wife who tried to cram her activities into the weekends.  DD was happy - more time with her mom during the week.  (She's 24 but loves to come and hang out with her best bud, ME!)  The hectic holidays came and went, and then shortly after Christmas, I discovered the art and fun of making cards.

It's all my DD's fault, actually.  She made beautiful, 12x12 mixed media journals for me, my mother and my DH for Christmas, and after everything holiday-related had subsided, I decided to try my hand at making a card.  Nothing big and glamorous like her journal pages, just a card.  How hard could it be, I asked myself.  A little glitter, a little glue, some paper.  Easy peasy.  "Just throw on some embellishments," said DD.  So I did.  "No need to measure or plan, just place at your whim and whimsy."  So I did.

And this is what I wound up with (hold the laughter to a dull roar, please).

 And somehow, instinctively, I knew I should do something with the inside (what was left of it, that is). 

 Bless my heart.  I didn't know any better.

So, being terribly unsatisfied and knowing this wasn't the look I was going for, I tried another.

OK, this was better.  It looked more finished on top.  Wasn't sure how I was going to mail it with those big plastic hearts on it if I even WAS going to mail it (um, not a chance), and I used a black Sharpie to edge around the hand cut (unmeasured) centerpiece, but yeah, this was it.  I'd made a real card!  And I've been hooked ever since.  

Fast forward to today, 8 months later, and I have learned so much.  No lessons, no classes, no crops, no friends who craft, just me, magazines, and the internet.  Thank God for the internet.  It fuels my need to learn and allows me to shop for many of the supplies I can't find in local craft stores.  I'm happier with my finished products but am constantly trying to learn more and more.  Why, I'm not sure, but the desire to create in most of us is strong, and so is the desire to share.  And hence, my blog, where I will share my creations, not just of paper but also of plants, fabrics, mosaics and anything else that strikes my fancy.  This is the adventure.  I am so excited.

Welcome.

BTW, here is a more recent card.  The rose was painted with varying strengths of coffee.  Good old Folger's instant.

Happy crafting!!