Tuesday, March 25, 2008

A Great Idea

OK, it's official, I'm a terrible blogger..but I am determined to do better...meaning post more frequently. That said, here is a little inspiration for you. At the last meeting of the Not-Your-Ordinary-Book-Club which we had here at the store, Teresa brought back in her album that she had shown us the month before so I could take a few photos.She also explained what she did and I am paraphrasing here.

This is an "Entire Family" project, as Teresa says, and people are disappointed if they have failed to send in their entry. It is a yearly Family Recipe and Activity-Update album. Teresa tells everyone in the family, well ahead of time, to send in a recipe of their own along with whatever happened to them that year. So everyone gets to choose what to say about themsleves. Then Teresa puts it all together in an album (12 x 12) and decorates all the pages. The album makes its yearly debut on Christmas Eve when everyone is present. Teresa keeps the original and makes color copies for everyone to take with them. So, these guys not only have all the treasured family recipes, but also an ongoing history of everyone in the family, year by year.
Below are some photos of some of the pages in Teresa's album.


Saturday, March 1, 2008

It has probably happened to all of you at one time or another. You are explaining to your ______fill in the blank-husband, wife, children, parents, neighbor, college roommate, best friend, mailman (Wow...if you are telling the mailman, maybe you should try to get out more and make a few friends.)....anyway, you are trying to tell them exactly what it is you do with all these art supplies you have....and they are looking at you like you have three heads (not that there's anything wrong with that, for those of you who really do.) It is truly each other within this art form that really understands and "gets" what it is all about for each of us.

To illustrate, I will relate a little story about what my children (all in their 20s) think we are all like. They think we sit around and tell jokes and funny stories about our art supplies, using language known only to us! We would probably say something like (according to them)..."So, you guys are NOT going to believe what happened in my art room the other day..." and on & on the story would go, until by the end of the incredibly captivating story to all my listeners, with everyone on the edge of their seats waiting to hear the next word...I arrive at the punchline of the whole thing...and blurt out.."it was...it was... (now tears of laughter are forming in my eyes, and everyone else is ready to explode)...it was the EMBOSSING POWDER!!!""....at which point everyone within earshot screams with delight, some people even falling off their chairs in hysteria...

Yes, this is how they see me. I mean, really, embossing powder??? How funny has embossing powder ever really been?. .Now, glitter...that's a whole different ballgame...