Iris Cards...

Hi, All,

Mentioned about the Iris cards on Sunday but I didn't have time to put  them up then. Here they are in their finished glory. After making a few of them, I thought of other ideas I could do with them but 20 variations were more than enough. I'll save the ideas for next year's cards.
Here is the poem I included:
Whether your birthday was before mine
     Or comes later in this year,
I'm sending hugs and kisses to you
     And wishes most sincere.

Hope you had an awesome day and tomorrow is even better.    Nite.

Today is My Birthday....

Funny how things come together.
I'm most times a mother hen. I like to send birthday cards (homemade) to the staff at the Library where I work. I'm forgetful or I don't have the right card made up or don't have time to make one- I can give you 10 good reasons why getting a card to them doesn't work. So, a few years ago I came up with a brilliant plan; why not give each of them a card on my birthday. My day is half way through the year,  each card would only be a few months late or early depending on their individual date. This year I actually implimented my plan. Made 20 cards using an iris image as the focal point, each colored a little differently and then the cards evolved into individual creations. The project took months.. with me spending a few hours here and there to design, stamp, color, cut, paste each face, inside and back. Even wrote a little poem. Loved doing it, but I did get tired of seeing that iris image and I started in early spring so by the time I got to July iris flowers were not as appropriate to the season as maybe poppies or marigolds might have been. I handed the cards out on Thursday and they were a big hit. I certainly had fun celebrating everyone else's b'day.

What I didn't know was there was a plot afoot. The staff had taken up a collection for my birthday, bought me a beautiful pin (a musical staff with a pearl because I bring music into their lives at work {I hum alot}) and a gift certificate to Michael's. I was given my presents at a Dept. Head meeting along with other goodies.I was so surprised and thrilled with their thoughtfulness. They are nice peeps to work with, especially Carol whom I think orchestrated much of the surprise.

Here's hoping that whenever your 65th birthday gets here you have as many great memories of the day as I have.
Thanks for stopping by. Lov, Me

Birthdays...

Sunday is my birthday, a rather significant one. Got to work through a lot of angst with this particular year. In the good old days, I would be able to collect full SS this year, now I have to wait til next year. Until recently, I thought I would retire this year-  I'd like to retire next year, but my knowledgeable girlfriend, Carol, says I should collect at least one year of SS to help get debt free before I leave the workplace. Sigh!

Wrote a poem a few years back on this subject. Thought you might enjoy it.

On my 61st birthday

The summer sun warms my soul
My thoughts begin to sway.
I'm lounging in my hammock, dreaming
The tension drifts away.

I'm thinking of the carefree days
When I was just a child.
The days when I spent hours playing
And I would run half wild.

Sigh... I open weary eyes to work
The office chatter loud.
My daydream of the simple life
Shattered by the crowd.

A few years to go is all I've got
Til retirement's in sight.
I'll be in my hammock, crafting
If my plans all come out right.


Last year I added a stanza:


Update on my 64th birthday

Life took one of its funny turns
And knocked me to my knees
My husband got the hammock first
He says retirement's a breeze.


So, on that retiring note, I'll be retiring to my bed. Good night.

Last week of classes... too short.

My card for week 4. Maybe I'll get noticed by Jenn or Kristin tonight. I am up against tough competition. The suggested colors were a pear green, teal, turquoise, sky blue and crisp white. So cooling - especially in the 100 degree weather we are having in NY right now.
The 4 weeks flew by; can't say I learned that much- I had just attended classes with Jenn McGuire in May (yeah, I know, I'm lucky). Starting a blog is what this workshop made me do.

Just some thoughts today...

A little history. My sister, Alison, lives 6 1/2 hours away. She is my paper crafting partner and she has the best craft store near her. Several times a year, I make the drive to attend wonderful classes at her store or to do marathon shopping with her. We both work full time, so sometimes these trips are rather quick and jammed full of  activities and half finished conversations. Many times we say we need a visit where we just sit around the craft table and play with our own stuff. This visit is just such a one.

Alison is here. She came Wed. evening and will leave Saturday afternoon. We are devoting large chunks of our time to finishing a few projects and trying out some of the new products that we bought when I visited her in May and June. Exclusive sister time.

My husband is very ameniable to this plan and occasionally feeds us. I am not worrying about laundry, work, dust bunnies floating down the hall or what my hair looks like- I am just enjoying her company. The longer I live, the more I know that memories are built out of these times and I don't want to miss a minute.

So, I m off to grab a toasted bagel and go make a card and a memory or two. Hope you enjoy your day. Thanks for stoppin' by.

I Dream of Rain

This poem was created several year ago when our local libraries held Big Read- celebrating the Grapes of Wrath. The community read the book, many libraries held programs that pertained to the time period depicted in the book and patrons were encouraged to submit their own pieces of work.

Dried out, parched, barren, broken, stripped of life....

I dream of rain...

A drop, from a cloud, maybe three

Maybe a little more or less or maybe a heavy dew.

A mist building over time, soft on my earth, caressing, coating all in its finely dampened... misting...

A change in the air, a heaviness, thickening...

A charging between the molecules, thunderous crashing in the sky, forked lightening climbing up from the ground, up, up the ground/cloud highway, piercing the cloud, thrusting, forcing.... a gushing of water pouring forth, pouring forth, pouring forth....

The mist, the drenching, the wetness, cooling the dirt, sinking into the dry, reaching through the layers, giving, giving the liquid, the life, feeding the roots, roots drinking the water...

A growing... a small trickle, a small running over the dry, over the dirt, the rocks, a gathering of other drops together...

Washing away the dust, lifting the dirt, moving the dirt, moving the dirt, moving the soil, this pebble, this rock, this leaf, this branch...

Moving all in its path, its path spreading out... spreading, spreading to reach other trickles, other rivulets, other creeks, rivers... pouring, moving, moving the dirt, the layer, the fragile layer of growing soil, the fragile layers, tumbling over the rocks, over the leaves, over the stumps of dead trees, over the land...

Flooding over the ground, one drop, many drops, hundreds, thousands... millions upon millions...

The earth a sponge, a sponge, soaking, soaking in the wetness, overflowing with the wetness, stealing the soil, stealing the layers, flooding, flooding the land... giving, giving and taking my layers, my cover, my skin, my precious life.

I am Mother Earth and before, during and after the drought...

I dream of rain.

By Suzanne W. Skeels

 

Monday, Monday...

 Just got the new colors for this week's classes at Summer Camp, Monochromatic Neutrals featuring browns. I like it. Gotta think of what to make with that grouping of colors. You'll be the first to see what I come up with, good or not so good.

In the meantime, I'll go back in time a few months. Loved making this card the first time. Made quite a few for Valentine's Day 2011. Mix of products. SU, PTI, Michael's. Used Copics to color the In Bloom stamp and then layered 3 times.
Thanks for stopping by.

Thought for the day...

It is a diamond of a summer day & I sing with the beauty of it. Suz

Another Card for Week 2.

Yeah, it's Friday and even though the day was rainy, I got to spend time at my craft table rather than out mowing my sections of the lawn after work. Gary, my hubby, and I share the yard and house duties because he is retired and I am still working full time.

When I looked at the colors that had been chosen for Summer Card Camp, Week 2, I thought immediately of Nasturtiums or Nasty Urchins as we call them. Perfect colors for a prolific summer plant.

I used a older Flourishes stamp set, Nasturtiums, coloring the image with Copics. The background paper and cardstock are from SU.

I am very happy with the results and I am on my way to post it on the Camp Gallery. Enjoy the rest of your Friday night and live your dream.

Welcome to my blog. I've been creating cards, scrapbooks and poetry for many years, but with the help of my daughter, Heather, I now have a spot to display some of what I love to do and possibly share it with friends old and new.

Iris Greeting Card

Made this card for the Summer Card Camp 2011, week 2 Student Gallery. This camp features the wonderful talents of Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner. Having a wonderful time following along with their and guest artists' cards and tips and techniques.