A couple days ago I was reading a post by Klara. It really struck home, it describes that feeling of missing someone/something that you never had, missing the person that you never got to be. This poem was originally written in German, but thank heaven for Google translator!
I miss you …
You have no face,
But I miss you.
You have no name
But I miss you.
You are never met me,
But I miss you.
The longer you’re not there,
the greater is the emptiness inside me.
The longer you’re not there,
the greater the fear,
You can never hold her,
You can never show the world,
Can not give you anything to – except for my tears.
© Barbara Heinemann
Here is my second project for the challenge today. I would have loved to just work in my craft room all day, and make one inspired by every designer, but that wasn’t gonna happen! I was excited to actually make two projects.
For my second project I chose Michelle Woodersonsamazing button cards as my inspiration.
Believe it or not, this is the first time that I have used this set! I could not find the dies for the smooth edged buttons, so they are all zig zag edged. Mine are not as “scrappy” as hers, but I am pretty happy with them.
I am excited that I actually had some time to make something for the challenge! And I am also happy that I feel like these turned out pretty well! Miracles never cease:)
The challenge was to use one (or more!) of the designer’s favorite projects to use as inspiration for a project of your own.
I chose Erin Lincoln’s Pretty little headbands.
I used her idea as a “jumping off point”, I liked the way the flowers looked in the frame.
My friend Paula posted a few weeks ago about the Smash book she was going to do on vacation. It seemed like a fun idea to me, so I started talking to hubby about getting a “polaroid type” camera. He said that unless I was totally bought into that “look”, that I should just get a little photo printer that I could take with us. It is cheaper per print than the instant photos, and then I still have the digital files. So I did some research, and decided on the Canon selphy. I chose it because it is not inkjet, it is actually a process called “dye sublimation” which uses heat, and ink on a cellophane paper. I liked it for two main reasons: the photos are totally dry when they come out of the printer, AND there is no ink loss from clogged jets like there can be if you do not use an inkjet printer for a while. I figure that this printer will get intermittent use at best, so I do not want to be wasting ink. If you buy the 108 print pack, the cost is about 30 cents per print. Much higher than Snapfish, but not as bad as the instant photo film.
I got the printer, and I LOVE it! Not only does it make nice prints, but you can even do little mini collages with it! Such fun. I was seriously considering the Smash book, but my local stamping store was out of stock, and they said they might not get them in till October (this turned out not to be true, the actually got some in later that week.) I also had a chance to look at Paula’s, and I did not like that it is already somewhat “pre-decorated”. So I went to the bookstore and found a spiral bound art journal with plain kraft pages. 
I’d like it if the pages were a bit thicker, but the Smash book pages are not heavy weight either. It might get a bit “puffed out” with lots of stuff in it, but I figure I can cut some of the pages out if I don’t use them. Now I am starting to collect scrapping stuff from my stash to take with me. I know I have a 6×6 pad of paper that is travel themed, as well as some themed stamps. I’ll take some washi tape and the tiny attacher too. I am going to look for some sort of cool “vintage” (old!!) suitcase at a thrift store to carry it all in.
Life just seems to get in the way of the fun things sometimes. The past few months have been better, but for a while I was really struggling with a lot of stuff. It still comes and goes, but I think it will always be that way to some extent. I don’t really talk about this a lot, just to a few people, but for all intents and purpose I am childless not by choice. Can’t really say what caused it, neither I or hubby have ever been tested for anything. For various reasons we never pursued any testing or intervention. Adoption was not for us either.
So here I am, without kids. I never in a million years would have imagined that would be me, and it is really hard for me to deal with sometimes. I spend time reading various things online, trying to be happy with my life the way it is. But the stupidest things can come up and knock me for a loop. A week or two ago, I was looking at some comments on a friend’s Facebook page. One of the profile photos looked familiar, and after looking at that person’s page, I realized that I know her husband through a group that my husband belongs to, and that I had met her at a party. I texted my friend to ask her how she knew this person, and she writes back “from my mommy’s group.” For some reason that just really hit me hard. Why does she get to be a mommy, and I didn’t??
I just try to pick myself up over and over again and remind myself that although it has not turned out the way I visualized, I don’t have a bad life. Actually it is a good life, a lot better than a lot of other people have.
So, that is some of the stuff that has been swirling around in my head. I will try to get to some fun crafty posts in the next day or two.
So I am going to try this again! I need to make a couple cards for Papertreyink challenges, so I might as well post them here, rather than just on flickr. Right now I am going to go shower and address and mail some Valentine’s Day cards, since I did make them! I will be back later with a card or two for some challenges.
I have not gotten in the groove of posting here. I have made a few cards that I need to photograph and post. There are probably any number of other things that I could write about as well, but heck if I know what they are!
I want to try for a contest in one of the card magazines (can’t recall the title, and am too lazy to get up and go look!!) So I guess I need to get to crafting! Not only would it be fabulous to have something published, I could win $600 of free product. That would be great fun.
As I mention in the title, hubby and I are on vacation. We are staying home at the beginning and end, and spending a few days at the beach in the middle. I am REALLY looking forward to the beach, and the weather looks like it will be great. We also really enjoy just hanging out with no particular agenda or time line.
My next door neighbor took some amazing sunflower photos last week. I uploaded them to snapfish and made a really cool collage poster. I gave him a poster, and he made me a frame for mine! Love the barter system! Here is one of the photos. It makes me smile every time I look at it.
I am trying out a couple free “note” apps for my i-phone before I buy one. I am sick of the simple app that comes with the phone – it keeps acting up. It will randomly start deleting entries on a note (if you are making a shopping list and open the note to write in another item) or it will keep putting items back that you have deleted. (Like when you are taking things off the shopping list while shopping.) It can make things pretty confusing, so I am going to get a “real” app, actually pay money for it! They are $4, so I want to make sure I get one I like.
Maybe I will post a card or two tomorrow?!
This is just a quickie for the challenge! I really struggle with circle cards, as well as symmetry can stress me out sometimes too! but I gave it a shot.
I used Waltzingmouse stamps to make the little scene, from the Halloween party stamp set. I used the Martha Stewart bat punch to make the bats, and the black star paper is from Papertreyink’s “Halloween Prints” patterned paper. The edge of the circle is a Fiskars punch, not sure which one!
This will be quick, cause I need to get it posted and linked to the challenge post!
This is fairly simple, cause I had to drag each bit of supplies out of “storage”. Everything was put away two weeks ago to prepare for my stepdaughter’s visit. I need to really work hard to get my room organized so I know where all my supplies are, and can get to them!
I did not really have anyone in mind to give tea bags to, so I figured I’d make this into a generic “gift” container!
I was excited about the whole blogging thing, posting photos of cards I make etc. But life seems to have a way of getting in the way of the things we really want to do!
i am just going to write quickly now so that I can say that I updated, and then I need to get out and work on the garden a bit. The post and string method of holding up the tomatoes is considerably less than optimal, but there is no going back at this point, so I just have to suck it up. And then start saving money for some really cool spiral tomato cages I saw on another person’s blog!!
Last night Jake killed a poor baby bunny… well, at least I assume he killed it. I saw him out back at the end of the yard with his head in the Hosta plants, and then a while later he brought in a poor bunny and dropped it on the kitchen floor. Oh well, not much I can do, just feel bad for the bunny.
Garyth managed to fall down the basement steps again last night. We have the door latched with a space big enough for the cats, but I went down to change over some laundry. I have not been latching the door, cause it is really hard to unlatch when I am at the top with the laundry basket, but now I am going to have to. At least he was not hurt. He gathered himself together and started wandering around trying to eat the cat food. And then growled at me the whole time I was carrying him up the steps.
Okay, now I need to get out to the garden.
See you later!
