Zen Ruminations

Stamp credits: Stampin' Up!, Hologram Sparkle EP Ranger Distress Inks (Tim Holtz)
Cuttlebug texture and die cuts

Zen wanderings:
If a blogger can't post to her blog, is she still a blogger?
If a creative person can't post their dabblings online, are they still creative?

I'd like to think the answer to both of these questions is 'yes', but I'm wondering about that - I've let the lack of a computer totally leave me blocked and stalled, it's a pretty interesting picture of how technology dependent I've become, or maybe it's just that without the blog I'm not journalling. I should experiment and resurrect my pen-and-paper journalling, maybe I'd be creative and have time to create since I wouldn't be glued to a computer... One of my favourite things is when the power goes out, at night, so you get out the candles, and you have to find ways to be entertained without TV, stereo or computer. Aha! Books, board games, playing instruments, good old fashioned conversation - they all become entertaining again once we're disconnected from our electrical friends. I think my household needs a 'virtual blackout' once a week so we all assemble in one space without the conversation killers of TV and computers, no wonder the art of face-to-face communication is dying.

So hard to capture the sparkle on camera ...

Not having my own computer is forcing me to explore features of blogger that I've ignored until now - like scheduling a post to appear on a later date. We'll see how that works out when this post appears (or fails to). For now, I'm wishing my Mum a happy birthday, with my thanks for being a very wonderful mother. The older I become the more I see and know, I've always been grateful for my very loving mother, but I know now that not everyone receives the same love, nurturing and care that my brothers and I were lucky enough to experience growing up. Thanks Mum!

Stamp credits: Stampin' Up!,

Stamper's Anonymous (Tim Holtz numbers),
Ranger - Distress Ink & Perfect Pearls (pearl and green),
KaiserCraft bling
(the camera doesn't capture the pearly shimmer on the tag ...)

So, back to Zen, what IS the sound of one hand clapping? How technology dependent have you become? This post was written on Saturday, and with the benificence of the internet powers-that-be will publish on Tuesday, can it really be? We'll see.

4th of July Sushi

Part of the fun of a holiday is the traditional foods that go with the holiday, don't you think? For me, part of the 4th of July tradition is sushi. Before you think me totally lacking in the appropriate patriotic holiday sentiment, let me explain. We have a great 4th of July ceremony each year at The Korean Friendship Bell, a gift from the Republic of Korea for the American Bicentennial. It stands on the edge of our peninsula, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, in an elaborately painted pavillion, and is only rung on certain days of the year. The path to the pavillion is lined with the flags of each state, cheerfully flapping in the breezy sky, the overall effect is a dazzling display of color and charm.On the 4th of July there's a gathering of dignitaries from the USA and South Korea, a flag ceremony, invocation from a local pastor, the national anthem and several patriotic songs by local singers (including a cantor from the local Jewish temple), a benediction from a local Korean reverend, funny and moving speeches wishing the USA a happy birthday and hoping for reunification of Korea. At the end of the ceremony, the speeches, prayers and singing, the bell is rung 16 times - once for each of the 13 original states of the USA (the crowd shouts out the name of each state as the bell is rung) and three times for 'the peaceful and democratic reunification of Korea'. Unfortunately the Korean Consul couldn't make his scheduled appearance this year, one of his staffers stood in, the Consul was called to a meeting with the President thanks to some shifty behavior (aka rocket launches) by North Korea yesterday.

After all of this, a local Korean-American group hands out refreshments - water, sushi, chips and soda, something for everyone. Usually I subject the kiddos to their annual 'photo for mum' ordeal, but this year they escaped as my daughter is out in the desert dirt-bike riding, and my son had suffered enough after being dragged to my favorite way to celebrate Independence Day at an hour when he normally would have been rolling over for some more zzzzzs :)Still to come at our house - a more traditional US style BBQ, and watching fireworks from our deck (because we can see tons of them from up there, and I don't have to deal with crowds, parking, etc.). In my search for traditional fare - burgers and buns, apple pie, fresh fruit - I discovered a new fruit at Trader Joe's, well, new to me, called "Apriums" - yes, and apricot and plum hybrid - really delicious! The sun is blazing, blue skies shining, birds are singing - Happy 4th of July. Since this is truly a nation of immigrants, what better way to observe it than with a multi-national, multi-cultural, multi-faith celebration?

Speaking of the sky, check here to see what other skywatchers see when they look up and out: Skywatch Friday

This was the benediction at today's service, I'm a sucker for anything that ends with peace:

May The Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make his face to shine upon you,

and be gracious to you.

May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you,

and give you peace.

How do you celebrate the holiday?

Prom & Graduation

Computer problems continue, but here's a brief interlude provided courtesy of a borrowed 'puter. Long awaited photos of Molly going to prom and graduation! Since then the summer has begun in earnest, the kiddos are enjoying their downtime and free time, life is good. I'm working full time, so my impression of summer so far is just NOT having to blast them out of bed in the morning and chase down lunchbags and homework assignments - I'm sure they don't miss me waking them up, they are certainly enjoying staying up late at night, and I'm enjoying a more peaceful morning routine involving taking care of ONE person (moi) and leaving the household slumbering when I head off to work.This is my little chica and her BF on prom night. I loved seeing Molly all dolled up like this, she loved the dress, and her BF made sure his tie matched and all that good stuff. They looked so great heading off for the night out.

The Graduate before the ceremony, I think she's saying 'enough photos already mum' at this point. Doesn't this outfit just scream 'Hogwarts'? I think it's the crest that does it :)

Molly and her friend Taylor post-ceremony - they are SO happy to be done with school!

I have to say that this whole experience has made me realize how truly 'foreign' I am - I have no cultural reference at all for all this business of 'prom' and 'graduation', there are so many inherent traditions in this process that I'm totally clueless about. Nonetheless, I did my best to get clued in and make sure Molly enjoyed the once-in-a-lifetime experiences that high school graduation brings. I'm so proud of her, she's a lovely young woman and ready for the next steps of college and career.

Bring on the future, just one day at a time please!

Apart from major computer aggravation (mine has died, RIP) things are clipping along at a very fast pace. Molly is graduating this week, work is crazy busy, and I had the most wonderful weekend taking a class with Michael de Meng (the weekend before last, slight delay in reporting due to said computer issues). This past weekend there was far less on the calendar, so I was able to spend time getting inky and painted, made a bunch of cards and finished my de Meng inspired frame.

This photo is my grandfather, he had the photo taken to send to my grandmother, who he was courting at the time. I turned up at the class with several different photos and bags of bits and pieces to play with, but this is the one that 'spoke' to me. I'm really happy with the way it turned out in the end. There are lots of little details, but the general theme is communication, love, peace, and ruminations along those lines. The toy soldiers were adopted from my son's old toy box, with a little painted magic they look a lot like scrimshaw, how perfect, sailors used to carve ivory while on their long journeys. OK, yeah, scrimshaw carving is probably somewhat before my granfather's time, but he did send home carved ivory, tea sets so delicate you could see through the china, and treasures of all sorts from his adventures.
I didn't feel the frame was 'finished' as it was at the end of the class, but now that I've added text and map pieces to the frame I'm a happy camper. Also, I needed to muddy up the poppy a little more, it was too bright. In it's new layers of ink, paint, and stamped text and crackle texture, it just looks much better to me. The hand holding the test tube is one of my son's old GI Joes, it has these cool articulated fingers, sorry Joe, but you really do make me happy in your new format, and I pledge to use the rest of your bits for other projects, OK?

My friend Mary and I had a blast, mega thanks to Michael for being so generous with information and time, and to fellow class members for being a very diverse and interesting bunch, it was a real treat to take the class. At the end of the class we 'toured' everyone's creations, it was amazing to see the variety of the pieces everyone had made, wow! Thanks also to Tamara at Zinnia, she's a very welcoming host and Zinnia is a most unique store, if you're in the neighborhood of South Pasadena at any point you NEED to check it out!
Oh, one more thing, a confession. A couple of weeks ago I waffled on about how I should be spending time cleaning up my studio, but to be honest, I don't like clean, tidy studios at all. I love creative clutter, always have. I sometimes feel that I should really desire to be a spotlessly tidy kinda gal in order to please others, but it's just not likely to happen, it's other folk's dream, but not mine. The upside of this is that I didn't have to go to one single store before the class, I had everything I needed - tools, materials, frame, toys, everything - right here in my own little paradise. AND the other people who turned up for this class had their own collections of odd stuff stored in bags, boxes, and sometimes in sorted containers - aha, the joy of finding like souls in the universe, there's nothing quite like that. I am not SO weird after all, or there are plenty of other weirdos just like me out there, either way I feel so validated :) I did find a couple of fun items for my next art journal project at Zinnia though, and picked up a few of the Golden paint colors this weekend to mix up the 'uuzsh' . Now where's that photo of my grandmother, I know there's another frame in here somewhere ... :)

The moral of this story? Never throw anything out. You NEED it :)

KISS & Tell

OK, getting tired of these yet? More cards for Cards for Heroes, using the KISS principle - Keep It Simple Stampers! Since the object of this exercise was to rapidly have enough cards to send off for the 25+2 challenge (25 cards for heroes, plus 2 Any Hero cards), instead of fussing around and complicating my own life like I usually do, working at snail's pace, I kept these cards as simple as possible while still adding enough detail to (hopefully) make the recipients feel special.

Recently someone on a message board was asking if experienced stampers ever make mistakes - um, yeah! Even on the simplest project those 'oops' moments happen, and mostly they are recoverable in some way. So I'm sharing the card below - how can you stuff up something so simple? Believe me, I can do it :)
Rather than abandon the card, I switched into 'how can I fix this' mode, and the fix was super simple too - stamp the same image on another piece of cardstock and fix it over the mistake. I think this card is actually the stand-out of the group, in a good way.These next cards are deliberately neutral. I wanted to make something that could suit almost any occasion, would work for both men and women, something the sender could adapt to their need. Although I did add ribbon, I think the colors still keep the cards masculine enough to work for the guys, what do you think? I see these cards working for almost anything - wedding, birthday, hello, thinking of you, or even sympathy in a pinch.
So that's the story behind these cards, keep it simple, git 'r done! Are you good at keeping things simple, or do you complicate your own path like me? As always, thanks for stopping by.

Stamp Credits: Border stamps - Judikins, text - Stampin' Up!

Texture embossing plates - Cuttlebug

Ponderings on Motivation

Wow, can you believe this stack of cards? I can't! I'm a one-card-at-a-time kind of stamper, except for the occasional one sheet wonder happening, so this is a LOT of cards for me. They speak to a lot of time spent in PJs with inky hands over Memorial Day weekend, and are going to Cards for Heroes, for their 25+2 challenge.

This experience prompted me to reflect on motivation. If I can make this many cards in one weekend, what else can I achieve if I set my mind to it? Just about anything, that's what. How about a tidy home? An organized craft room? More pages for my art journals? Finding time to exercise on a regular basis? Finished quilt blocks, perhaps even finished quilts!! Using my time to achieve instead of drifting through weekends? My work week is spoken for, but the rest is an open book these days - no more weekend sports tournaments or dance classes/events, no scouting groups, no regular commitments after the Monday to Friday routine is complete. I need to get motivated, need to gather myself and get moving. It's time for some serious list making :)

Stamp Credits: Stampin Up!, Nestabilities Die-Cut flowers

I love lists. Whenever I'm planning something large, taking a trip, or just feeling overwhelmed, it's time for a list. Somehow the act of writing it all down is calming, and checking items off the lists is even better - done! Achieved! Finished! A list tells you where you're going and how far you have come, love that. A list is a map of life's details.

Stamp Credits: Stampin' Up!, Judikins (border bollio)
I made two of these - they are the 'Any Hero' +2 cards

Having said my weekends are unscheduled, this is actually a busy weekend for me - my daughter's prom tonight, some work to take care of, and tomorrow I'm taking a class - with the incomparable Michael de Meng no less! So I have a triple list going - a list that covers all three heads of the monster weekend. My friend Mary and I have been making lists (started with the class supply list) and checking them twice - assembling supplies, what do we have already, what do we need to pick up. Just can't wait. A list is a great way to countdown to an event.

Stamp Credits: Stampin' Up!, Judikins (border bollio)

Hope you have a great weekend, what's on your list? Are you a list maker? Am I an obsessive compulsive freak? Yes, I am - but I'm a motivated obsessive-compulsive list-making achieving mama-bird class-taking hard-working freak :) I'll post more of the CFH cards in the next week or two. Thanks for checking in!

CFH Blog Hop!

Stamp Credits - Stampin' Up!, Cuttlebug background,

Spellbinders Nestabilities Die Cut Frames
(Tie a Yellow Ribbon ...)

Welcome to the Cards for Heroes Blog Hop! I first heard about Cards for Heroes through Sandy Allnock, she's a tireless volunteer sending cheer to all corners of the world. Sandy's efforts motivate many others to join in. So, what is Cards for Heroes? I think their own website tells the story best, and today you can visit their home page to start the blog hop, along with your own CFH journey, there's a link further down in this post. All of the cards featured on this blog post will be mailed to CFH, I have made multiples, and will be working on more over the weekend. Cards for Heroes will mail the cards overseas to serving units, and those serving will be able to choose cards to send home to their families and loved ones. It's Memorial Day weekend, and this is how I will honor those who are serving.

My maternal Grandfather served in the Royal Navy, sneaking off to join up at only 14 years of age (they didn't ask a whole lot of questions back then), my Dad served in the Royal Air Force, back in the day when National Service was required of every young man, and my brother served in the Australian Army. I have a cousin currently serving in the Royal Engineers.

Grandad, circa 1923
(He had this portrait taken to send to my Grandmother,
who he was courting at the time)

The card above came from thinking about all those yellow ribbons tied in home towns waiting for their loved ones to come home. Let me fess up - I'm a pacifist, I want no wars, in my ideal world, but I acknowledge that we're in conflict right now, and I feel that it's important to support people who are risking their all. This is about supporting fellow human beings in difficult times. I'd like them to come home, and in the interim I'd like them to be able to communicate with their loved ones while they are posted far away. There are no card stores, no local grocery or pharmacy with a card rack, no easy solution for those who just want to say Happy Birthday, Happy Graduation, happy Mother's / Father's Day, Happy Holidays(all of them), With Sympathy, With Love, and my personal favorite in all situations - Thinking of You.

I work at a hospital, and one of our physicians, a cardiac surgeon, has just been called up, he's a reservist. He's leaving his family, walking away from a very busy medical practice, suspending his life to serve others. My friend Nancy has seen her son go off to serve more than once, spent her days and nights in agony of worry, hope and prayer, while he risks his life, every day. What dedication this speaks of, what selflessness.

Stamp Credits: Stampin' Up!

So, how can you get involved? Start at the Cards for Heroes Home Page - from here you can find all sorts of information, I recommend the 'Get Involved' pages - there are lots of opportunities, and they don't all involve hand-making cards yourself. If you'd like to write to someone who's in need of supportive words, you might want to look HERE

If you're not a card maker, and just don't wanna be, or you're looking for a way to make a difference that fits your availability of time and energy, maybe you'd like to make a donation to help with mailing costs? Here's the place to do that: Donation to Cards for Heroes

If you're not USA based, check into local organizations that are doing similar projects - or start a group yourself within your community. Whatever you do, don't do nothing. Please consider reaching out in the most appropriate way for you. Oh - and let me know what you plan to do, I'd love to hear about it!
Thanks for visiting - for the next stop on the CFH blog hop, visit Stacy at Scrappin' Everyday Life - Stacy comes from a service family and has made a beautiful 'Thank You' card in red, white and blue!

Start the hop at the top - to see the Blog Hop from top to bottom, over 100 bloggers, start HERE

Miraculous Mail

Stamp Credits: Tree & text - Stampin' Up!, background by Judikins

Where exactly does time go? Where are my 'rollover minutes' for life? I'm thinking we really do only get each day once, better make it count, there are no rollover minutes at the end of the day. Inbetween rushing here and there like the white rabbit, I did make this card to launch off in global post. It's winging it's way South, and West.

I have little contretemps with the postal service now and then, items lost, or taking tooooo long to get where they're going, but overall I have to say I find the whole process nothing short of miraculous. Don't you think it's amazing we can just drop a little envelope in a mailbox and it can travel around the whole world, ideally arriving at just the very place you intended it to? In Australia our postie travelled by motorbike, large saddlebags full of mail. Here in the USA the local mail carriers glide around in little white jeeps. Quite magical, thanks postie (that's 'mail carrier' to those of you Stateside)!

Happy Mother's Day!

Stamp Credits: Tim Holtz for Stamper's Anonymous, SU! (text)

Wishing a Happy Mother's Day to all! I'm so grateful for my Mum, lucky for me she is the nurturing, home-cooking, crafting, laughing, caring, gently strong, patient, industrious, nesting person that she is, because that makes her a wonderful mother. They say women grow more like their mothers as the years pass, and I can only hope that's true.

The art of mothering is
to teach the art of living to children.
Elain Heffner

A Mother holds her children's hands
for but a moment,
their hearts, forever.
Source unknown

Skywatch Friday - Trellis and Tags

The Getty Center, Los Angeles, CA

I took these photos a year or two ago at the Getty Center, I still call it the 'new' Getty, being a great fan of the older Getty Villa in Malibu. I like the way these tree trellis 'umbrellas' shaded a patio and framed the sky. The gardens (and the buildings) at the Getty seem very casual at first glance, but as you walk around the campus you begin to see that they are brilliantly planned in such a detailed way. Lots of little nooks to sit and reflect, paths, pools, sculpture and fountains, and of-course some amazing artwork inside the buildings too. The center sits high on a hill overlooking LA, I loved this outdoor 'window' over the city (below).To see what other Skywatchers are looking at around the planet, visit Skywatch Friday. Back here on Earth, some more birthday tags in tie-dye colors, these were fun to make. Lots of ink and water, a little ribbon, and your-card-is-a-bookmark :)The little snippet of Browning - The Best is yet to be - a very reassuring message for those of us past the first bloom of youth, encouraging at any stage of life I think. These cards were made for "T" who just celebrated her 50th birthday, and "C" who just left a job where she had worked for 25 years - major milestones, and the best is yet to be.

Grow old along with me!

The best is yet to be, the last of life,

for which the first was made.

Our times are in his hand who saith,

'A whole I planned, youth shows but half;

Trust God: See all, nor be afraid!'

Robert Browning

Stamp Credits: Tim Holtz for Stamper's Anonymous
Text - SU!, Alpha & Sari Ribbon unknown mfr
Ranger Distress Inks, SU! Grossgrain Ribbon