Thursday Thirteen 127: World Card Making Day

1. Started in 2006, World Card Making Day is the first Saturday of October.

2. WCMD is a holiday that allows card makers around the world to celebrate the personable and creative aspects of hand-crafted cards, and kicks off the holiday card-making season.

3. People use this day to host get-togethers with friends and family to create cards together, or can attend events and sales sponsored by local craft shops around the world.

4. The origin of exchanged cards dates back to ancient Chinese culture.

5. Card making has become a worldwide hobby, but is especially popular in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.

6. Top occasions for making cards are: Birthdays, Winter holidays (Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's), Thank You, Valentine's Day, and Mother's Day.

7. 1 in 6 US households engage in making homemade cards. Cards can range from simple to elaborate designs, and almost any materials can be used: designer paper, stamps, stickers, die-cuts, photos, old postcards or store-bought Christmas cards, etc. You can also buy card-making kits that contain all materials needed except adhesive.

8. Card makers prefer stamps (me!) and rub-ons (not me!) for making their holiday cards. 73% also use their computers in some part of their design (not me).

9. 86% of scrapbookers also make their own cards, as many of the same items can be used in both.

10. Card making get-togethers are a good occasion to hold supply swaps. Have paper, ribbon, or stamps you no longer use? Bring them along to an event and swap with friends. Or, make up gift bags for each attendee using your unused materials.

11. World Card Making Day is a fun time for friends to get together to learn new techniques, or how to use old products in new ways. It can also be a good time to borrow products friends own that you don't.

12. Many groups get together on this day to make cards for charities (hospitals, nursing homes, troops overseas). Scrapbook Superstore in Madison will have a free make-and-take project, and shoppers will also be able to make cards for Oakwood Nursing Home residents. Various church groups will be making Christmas cards to send to troops.

13. If you have never created a handmade greeting card and would like to learn more about it, contact your local craft/scrapbook stores for events being held on World Card Making Day, or other times of the year. Stores like Archivers and Scrapbook Superstore hold workshops for nominal fees throughout the year.




LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)

Kristen * Adelle Laudan * Stephanie Adkins * Alice Audrey
Elise Logan * Lass * Janice Seagraves * Felicia Holt
Colleen * CM Torrens * Shelley Munro * Ms Menozzi
Hootin' Anni * KandyBlossom * I Beati * Sophia Parkwood
Inez Kelley * Ella Drake * Lidian * Jennifer McKenzie
Paige Tyler * Kaytee * Angeleque Ford * Calico Crazy
Cambria Dillon


You can find more Thursday Thirteen participants HERE.

CAS34 -- Birthday Card for Mom

This is the card I made for Mom's birthday yesterday (Sept 29), following this week's CAS callenge at SCS, which was to use shades of the following colors: pink, blue, green, (chocolate--optional), and white/cream. The DP is shades of blue and green and much prettier than it appears in the scan. Flowers and birthday banner are 3-D stickers from a card-making kit received from a friend earlier this year. None of the floral stamps I was playing around with seemed to work with this paper, but the stickers seem to be perfection. Hot pink grosgrain ribbon across the middle serves as an accent.

Stamps: None; Ink: None
Paper: Designer paper (DCWV fall mat stack), solids (The Paper Company)
Accessories: 3-D Stickers (Royal Brush Mfg), Grosgrain Ribbon (JoAnn's)

Teaser Tuesday 2: The Third Victim

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

From The Third Victim, By Lisa Gardner:


The book opens with a shooting at a K-8 school in a small town. Officer Lorraine Connor and her volunteer police officer partner are among the first to arrive on scene, neither of them experienced in this type of criminal event.

"There are just three things to remember at a crime scene: Don't touch a thing. Don't touch a damn thing. Don't touch a goddamn thing. Okay?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

And because I like the sarcasm a little further on, same scene:

She crossed to the main control panel, and a second later the fire alarms abruptly broke off.

Chuckie blinked sharply. The silense was stunning after the noise. Stunning, and eerie.

"That--that's better, " Chuckie said after a moment, working on sounding confident when his face had turned the color of parchment.

"Major learning from Colombine," Rainie muttered. "The fire alarms obscured all sound. Made it impossible for the SWAT team to pinpoint where the shooters were in the building."

"You've been trained in school shootings?" Chuckie asked hopefully.

"No. I read Time magazine." Rainie jerked her head. "Come on. Keep your head on straight. Use your ears. You'll be okay."

Monday Movie Meme: School Days

Share on your blog movies touching upon the world of education and then link back to The Bumbles. And don't forget to visit your fellow participants!


I hope you will forgive me, but I'm going to cheat a bit this week and refer you all to a Thursday Thirteen I did in March on Movie Mentors, a list of thirteen movies I've seen featuring inspiring teachers. To that list I would also add Goodbye, Mr. Chips, which I finally caught over the summer.

Friday 5: Getting to Know You

Have not done this in about a month, but the questions are pretty decent this week.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

From the Friday5.org blog: Background story: Some friends and I were talking one night about smalltalk and how what most of us want is to get past it and to find out what people really care about. We figured that if you could come up with the kinds of questions that don’t violate social conventions (taboo subjects, for example, or questions that are too personal) but give you an idea of what really matters to the other person, you could jump past smalltalk and get right to the good stuff. Here are five that we thought might work! One of the questions is very similar to a question posted in October three years ago, but that’s okay!

1.What are the titles of the last three books you read all of?
Keepsake Crimes by Laure Childs
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone by JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling

2. What are the titles of between three and five magazines you subscribe to or used to subscribe to?
The Writer
Papercrafts
The Quill of Alpha Xi Delta
(I'm not a big magazine reader)

3. What’s on your night table? (we figured this one was borderline, since it involves the bedroom, but if the vibe is right and you preface the question with the background story I told above, you could make it work)
On top-- Lamp, alarm clock, radio, glass filled with pens, pencils, highlighters and bookmarks, a book I plan to read in October, Blistex
Drawer-- Flashlight and spare batteries, notebook, book light, lotion, memo pad
Open Bottom Section: About 30 books from the TBR mountain range. These are usually books I am most interested in reading at the moment, and tends to change regularly. Several suspense titles by Lisa Gardner and a couple by Nora Roberts at the moment. These will give way to mostly Christmas titles come mid-November.

4. What are the three best things that happened to you in the past seven days?
We finally had rain, after three weeks of dry conditions
Received a long letter from a friend
Paycheck!

5. What was your senior yearbook quote, and what would your yearbook quote be this year if there were such a thing?
We didn't have senior quotes, but we did have senior wills (things you will friends). As that was eons ago and my yearbooks are packed away, I honestly cannot tell you what I wrote for mine. I think I willed Angie some pens...

Thursday Thirteen 126: The Library

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month. Public libraries are a vital service to any community, granting access to many materials and resources—not just a variety of books on a vast array of subjects, but also computer access, research databases, job and business resources, free movies and music, and much more.

1. The first libraries open to the public were collections of Greek and Latin scrolls found in dry sections of Roman baths during the Roman Empire. Though anyone could access them, they were not lending libraries.

2. During the 9th century, “halls of science” run by varying Islamic sects of North Africa and the Middle East were open to the public. The libraries had strict policies, and few were allowed to remove books from site.

3. The oldest European libraries date back to around 1600, with claims of being the oldest made by the Bodleian Library, Norwich Library, and Francis Trigge Chained Library. Other early libraries of Great Britain include Bristol (1613), Ipswich (1612), and Leicester (1632).

4. Williams James Sidis claimed that the public library was an American invention, and cites The Boston Public Library as the first town library in the States, established in 1636.

5. In 1731, Benjamin Franklin and friends established The Library Company of Philadelphia as a means of settling arguments. It was a “subscription” library, which allowed people to buy shares, the money from which went to purchase books for the library. Only members or shareholders were allowed to use the library, and could actually remove books from the premises. The Library Company is now a nonprofit, independent research library.

6. The first public library of the United States is believed to be the Franklin, Massachusetts Public Free Library. When town founders decided to take the name of Franklin, he was asked to donate a bell for the church steeple. Franklin instead made an offer of books for use by town residents.

7. More than 2,500 public libraries owe their existence to Scottish-American businessman Andrew Carnegie, who donated money for the building of both public and university libraries across the United States (1,689) and other English-speaking countries during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

8. Carnegie considered books and libraries an integral part of his life, beginning with his childhood in Scotland where he attended readings and discussions at the Tradesman’s Subscription Library, which his father helped establish.

9. As an immigrant in the United States, Carnegie worked for the local telegraph company in Allegheny, Pennsylvania and frequently borrowed books from his employer, Colonel James Anderson. Anderson allowed access to his personal library by workers every Saturday in order to improve themselves.

10. It was his personal experience as an immigrant, as a man who gained knowledge and wealth through the help of others, that reinforced his belief in a society based on merit, where anyone could become successful through hard work. It also reinforced his belief of giving back to the community.

11. Understanding the racial and economic biases of his time, particularly in southern communities, Carnegie did not insist that his libraries be racially integrated. Instead, he founded libraries of equal standing for African Americans—for example, the Colonel Carnegie Library in Houston, as blacks were prohibited from using the Carnegie Library there, thus reinforcing his belief that all people, no matter what their station in life, should have access to books and the means of improving their lives.

12. According to Walter E. Langsam, one of the important aspects of Carnegie libraries was that they contained “open” stacks, allowing patrons to browse the shelves and choose books for themselves. Before the “Carnegie Formula,” people were required to ask clerks to retrieve books for them from closed stacks.

13. Though hundreds of Carnegie library buildings have been converted to museums, community centers, office buildings and even residences as communities built newer and bigger facilities, more than half of those built in the US still serve their original communities as libraries, though many are now in middle-to-low income neighborhoods. For a list of Carnegie libraries in the US, CLICK HERE. (There is also a link at bottom of the page to view libraries built in other parts of the world, including Canada, Australia and the UK.)



LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)

Cambria Dillon * Ella Drake * Lucy Woodhull * Adelle Laudan
CM Torrens * Elise Logan * Mary Quast * Alice Audrey
Jeanne St James * Flicka Holt * Cassandra * Shelley Munro
Ms Menozzi * Inez Kelley * Stephanie Adkins
Paige Tyler * Janice Seagraves * Sophia Parkwood
Jennifer McKenzie * The Bumbles * Colleen * Raven

You can find more Thursday Thirteen participants HERE

Reading Roots

Yesterday on her blog, Bethanne was ruminating on how she came to read the genre(s) she reads, then asked, “where did you get your start? Did you do the classics? Did you pick up your Aunt's catagory romance novel from the side table and read it while no one was looking? Were you a tom-boy, reading The Hardy Boys, or did you follow SOP and read Nancy Drew? Tell me!”

I believe I’ve come full-circle in my reading choices.

I’ve loved books for as long as I can remember. My favorite moment in first grade was the end of the day on Friday, when we would get to choose a book from the class library to take home over the weekend. I always wanted to take more than one, and by end of the year had read every book at least twice. At the end of the year we had a field trip to the town library. Oh my heavens! Who knew there were so many books?! And in one place! I couldn’t wait to get my first library card. As kids my sisters and I walked or rode our bikes to the nearest branch library at least once a week , and during the school year I would cart books home by the armload from the school library.

Ironically, I have not had a library card since college, but more because I don't always read the books I get rightaway—too many in the towering TBR mountain range, don't you know—or simply because I'm not in the mood for a particular book right at that moment and set it aside. There's too much pressure to read what you've borrowed right away. Plus you're not allowed to keep those you end up liking. But I digress.

Even in elementary school I was most drawn to books that had ghosts and witches in them. I loved the paranormal elements, but have never cared for the horror genre, in books or movies. You don’t have to have blood and gore to have a good ghost story, or bewitching. Do you remember the Dorrie books? I used to love those! And one of my childhood favorites, read many times and still on my bookshelf, is The Ghosts by Antonia Barber. I even used it in a college paper on Yeats!

When I was 10 or 11, I was gifted with the first three Trixie Belden books one Christmas and inhaled the series as fast as I could get my hands on them. And yes, I still have all of the series, except for 3 or 4 that I missed before they stopped publishing them. Have you ever noticed how there are a ton of Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books in various editions at the UBS, but never any Trixie Beldens?

In middle school I progressed to Agatha Christie and Lois Duncan. It was in sixth grade that I happened upon one of my all-time favorite books in school library, Witch of the Glens by Sally Watson. It had paranormal elements, it had romance, and it was set in historical Scotland. How could I could resist? I read it several times and seriously wanted to steal it from the library. I would love to get my hands on a copy, but the book is long out of print and editions now go for a few hundred dollars. I only wish I were kidding. I am not paying $300 for a book, no matter how much I love it. Another book I loved and have not seen since high school was The Shadows of Castle Fosse by Jill Tattersal, a Gothic romance. And who could forget The Witch of Blackbird Pond?

In high school, I alternated Agatha Christies with YA romances, particularly the First Love by Silhouette series. I sometimes regret getting rid of all those, but my shelves are crammed full as is. College was busy with required reading for all those English and French classes, with the occasional romance or general fiction sneaked in when I needed a break from the classics and wanted to read for fun. This is when I discovered Johanna Lindsey, Catherine Coulter and Elizabeth Lowell—all authors who have since moved on to romantic suspense. After college I read a lot of historical and contemporay romance, and little else.

Now, my reading choices have returned where they began, back to those mystery and paranormal stories. Though I don’t mind contemporary romance, general fiction or even a classic now and then, I tend to gravitate towards the mystery, suspense, and thriller genres—with or without romance and/or paranormal elements—and the occasional historical thrown in for good measure. This is what made Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series so spectacular—it had all that in one series—both a contemporary and historical setting, romance, mystery, and paranormal elements. You couldn't ask for anything more! Some of my favorite authors these days include: Rebecca York, Lisa Gardner, Kay Hooper, Catherine Coulter, Elizabeth Lowell, Nora Roberts, Karen Rose, and Charlaine Harris.

What about you? How have your early reading habits shaped you or your current reading choices? Have your reading choices changed over the years?

If the Broom Fits

Ugh! Tired today, largely due to all the walking done yesterday. Did a bit of shopping and a lot of walking, and man was I feeling it last night--though not as much as expected. My feet were complaining the most. Definitely need new walking shoes. Only has this pair a bit over a year, but they're really starting to show it, both inside and out. Inner soles have gouges in the toes (no idea how that happens), side seam of one is split, and toe guard of the other cracked. Will need to replace those and my old boots before the snow flies, or end up with wet feet most of the winter.

Watched the ABCFAM double feature in the evening, "The Wedding Date" followed by "Dirty Dancing," while working on some more cards. Below is one of those completed. Very little accomplished today. Watched the football game, read a book cover to cover, and made homemade chicken noodle soup. That's about it. Yes, my life is indeed that exciting. (Note the sarcasm.)

Stamps: Broom (Magenta), Saying (Northwoods), Witch (Hero Arts)
Paper: The Paper Company
Ink: Basic Black, Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, Lavender Lace, Glorious Green (Stampin' Up)

SC246 / LSC238 Trick-or-Treaters

Yes, another Halloween card. Can you tell I am anxious for fall to begin? What can I say? Autumn is my favorite season! I played around with some previously stamped and colored images this evening and made up a bunch of the card below. This one fits two challenges -- this week's sketch challenge, SC246, as well as the limited supplies challenge. The LSC challenge this week was to make a card using "spooky colors" such as black, orange, green and purple, and no more than four embellishments. It didn't have to be a Halloween card, but my mind is on holiday cards these days.

Have a great weekend!

Stamps: Trick-or-Treaters (Inkdinkado)
Paper: Spider Webs (DCWV Fall Stack 2008), Green, Purple, Black, Orange (The Paper Company)
Ink: Basic Black (SU)
Accessories: Bat Punch (EK Success), Bat and Moon brads

Your Least Favorite Class

Disliking Gym Says You Are Thoughtful

You are thoughtful, philosophical, and downright cerebral. For you, gym is too intense and competitive. You aren't always in the mood for playing hard. You may or may not be into exercise - but any physical movement you do is under your own terms. You don't get your happiness through thrills or adrenalin rushes. Your bliss comes from quiet reflection.

What Does Your Least Favorite School Subject Say About You?

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

Thursday Thirteen 125: Where to Eat in Madison

Last week I noted thirteen things to do and see in Madison. This week's topic is a spin off of number thirteen, which was Ella's Deli and Ice Cream Parlor. If you want a good place to eat that isn't a national chain and the natives frequent, here are thirteen restaurants worth visiting in Madison.

1. State Street Brats. Bar & Grill. Two levels and a patio. Crazy crowded on game days, but a fun atmosphere any time.

2. Bagels Forever. University Ave. The best place in town for bagels and bagel sandwiches.

3. Mickie's Dairy Bar. Monroe Street, near Camp Randall Stadium. American/Ice Cream/Sandwiches. Bring a huge appetite for breakfast. Really.

4. Essen Haus. German/American cuisine, located on East Wilson St. Wednesday and Friday fish fry, free shuttles to Badger football games, and Oktoberfest coming up on October 3.

5. Gino's Restaurant. Italian/Pizza. Located on State Street, this place has been around forever (okay, since 1962). The family also used to have a more formal restaurant, Gargano's,

6. Parthenon's Gyros. I personally don't care for them, but my sisters love this place.

7. Nitty Gritty, Madison's official birthday bar. Two levels at each of their two locations. Birthday person's get free soda or tap beer. Excellent menu (American/bar food) and a lot of fun, but the downtown location often has a long wait for tables on game days or during other special events at the Kohl Center.

8. Myles Teddywedgers Cornish Pasty. Meat pies. Corner of State Street and the Capitol Square.

9. Paisan's. Italian/Pizza. One block west of Monona Terrace on West Wilson St, a Madison institute since 1950. Voted Madison's best pizza -- need I say more?

10. Nau-ti-gal / Mariner's Inn. Seafood/Steaks. I mention these two together as they are owned by the same family and are across the road from each other. The Nau-ti-gal is a more relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere, while the Mariner's Inn is a bit more upscale. Both are located on the water. They are the only two on my list not located in the downtown area, but if fish is what you're hungry for, these are two of the best places to go. Technically located in Waunakee, they are are on the far north side of Madison.

11. Lombardino's Italian Restaurant & Bar. Italian/Pizza. Casual, friendly atmosphere. This restaurant has been a Madison institution since 1954, and has been under new ownership since 2000. Menu changes often.

12. Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co. American, Bar food, Micro brewery. Corner of East Wilson and King St, a block off the Capitol Square.

13. Chocolate Shoppe. Ice cream. Founded in Madison in 1962. State Street and other locations around the city, and featured in many local restaurants as well. You can now find Chocolate Shoppe ice cream in eleven states.

(Note to Alice: I had intended to include Dotty Dumpling's Dowry, but in verifying links I discovered they have apparently closed. Bummer!)



LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)

Stephanie Adkins * Mary Quast * Elise Logan * Adelle LaudanAlice Audrey * Ms Menozzi * Shelley Munro * J-Dawg Colleen * BrendaND * Hootin' Anni * CM TorrensElla Drake * David Bridger * Inez Kelley * Jennifer McKenzieSophia Parkwood * Yvette Davis * Jeanne St James * Paige Tyler Calico Crazy * Flicka Holt * C C * Nicholas * The Bumbles

You can find more Thursday Thirteen participants HERE

Teaser Tuesday 1: Keepsake Crimes

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"We can do this another time," Granger Rathbone said as he fixed her with a hard-eyed gaze.

"Better phone ahead," suggested Carmela with as much sincerity as she could muster. "Things tend to get a little crazy around here." She turned to leave him, then hesitated. "Oh," she said, as though the thought had just popped into her head. "Next time, instead of stalking in here, trying to intimidate everyone in sight, why don't you call Seth Barstow's office first. Perhaps you've heard of his law firm, Leonard, Barstow and Streeter? Well, the thing of it is, Seth is my attorney. And if you have any more questions, I'm sure Seth can arrange a time when we can all sit down together and talk."

. . . . . . . . . .

Jekyl hardy was five minutes early. In any other hotel in any other city, a man dressed in a red sequined Mephistopheles suit, complete with a tail and carrying a matching pitchfork, would be regarded as highly suspect. In New Orleans it was
de riguer.

From KEEPSAKE CRIMES

By Laura Childs

A Scrapbooking Mystery

Monday Movie Meme: On Location

This week's movie topic is all about Regional Representation...

Share on your blog movies set in your part of the world and then link back to The Bumbles. And don't forget to visit your fellow participants!


Movies set/filmed in Madison, or Wisconsin in general:

* The Boy Who Drank Too Much (1980) -- An Afterschool Special filmed in Madison and LA. One of my older half-sisters was an extra. Scott Baio plays a high school hockey player. He is well liked and well respected among his coach and teammates...

* The Blues Brothers (1980) -- The car chase scene with the Nazis was filmed in Milwaukee. Jake Blues, just out from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and brother Elwood were raised.

* Back to School (1986) -- Filmed on the campus of the UW-Madison. To help his discouraged son get through college, a funloving and obnoxious rich businessman decides to enter the school as a student himself.

* For Keeps? (1988) -- Filmed in Madison. Darcy, editor at her highschool paper, and her long-term boyfriend Stan are in their last months of school and already have found places in good colleges. Recently they started to sleep with each other and, surprise, surprise, Darcy gets pregnant. Neither of their parents are very supportive...However Darcy's and Stan's love is so intense, they could imagine to have a baby, but this would mean to give up their college carriers.

* Major League (1989) -- Scenes shot in Milwaukee, at the old Milwuakee County Stadium, General Mitchell Intern'l Airport, and Whitefish Bay. The new owner of the Cleveland Indians puts together a purposely horrible team so they'll lose and she can move the team. But when the plot is uncovered, they start winning just to spite her.

* Wayne's World (1992) -- Though the majority of the movie took place in Illinois, there is one scene where Wayne and Garth drive up to Milwaukee for an Alice Cooper concert, complete with a "LaVerne & Shirley" segment and history listen on how Milwaukee got its name. Two slacker friends try to promote their public-access cable show.

* I Love Trouble (1994) -- Scenes shot in Baraboo and Madison, including a scene where they are walking up King Street towards the Capitol to a restaurant off the Cap Square. Peter Brackett and Sabrina Peterson are two competing Chicago newspaper reporters who join forces to unravel the mystery behind a train derailment.

* The Deep End of the Ocean (1999) -- Some scenes filmed in Madison. Based on the book by Jacquelyn Mitchard. The Deep End of The Ocean is a film about a family's reaction when Ben, the youngest son is kidnapped and then found nine years later, living in the same town, where his family had just moved.

* Public Enemies (2009) -- Scenes shot in Beaver Dam, Columbus, Madison, Milwaukee, Oshkosh and Manitowish Waters. The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.

SC245: Skater's Waltz

Switching gears, from Halloween to Christmas, here is a card for this week's SCS sketch challenge, SC245. As soon as I saw this sketch on Wednesday, I knew I wanted to use the skaters from Winter Post. There wasn't an appropriate greeting in that set, so I grabbed one from another SU set. Churned out for of these (in addition to four of yesterday's card) in one night. I am sooo far behind in my holiday cards this year it isn't funny. I might catch up before December. Maybe.

Stamps: Winter Post, Snow Swirled (Stampin' Up)
Paper: DCWV, Wausau Paper
Ink: Ruby Red (SU)
Accessories: Snowflake Punch (Marvy), Red Brad

SC241

Another card for Halloween, this one fitting the SCS sketch challenge SC241 from a few weeks ago. I had these cat and pumpkins images stamped and colored and my mind immediately wandered back to this challenge I had not yet done.

Stamps: Studio G

Paper: DCWV, The Paper Company

Ink: Basic Black

Accessories: Purple Grograin Ribbon (JoAnn's), Bat Punch (EK Success), Colored Pencils, Blender Pen

Thursday Thirteen 124: Things to See & Do in Madison, WI

Thirteen things to see and do in Madison:

* The Capitol, patterned after the Nation's Capitol in DC, but a few respectful inches shorter. It is the only state capitol built on an isthmus. Beautiful marble halls inside, with murals, statues and mosaics everywhere. The grounds host a ton of events in summer, including: Saturday farmer's market, Concerts on the Square, Art Fair on the Square and The Taste of Madison. If visiting in summer, make sure you make your way up to the observation deck for a panoramic view of the city!

* State Street. Trendy boutiques, over-priced cafes and restaurants, and plenty of opportunities to people watch.

* The University of Wisconsin -- Go Badgers! Stroll the grounds, follow a lakeside path up to Picnic Point, or relax and enjoy the sunset over Lake Mendota from the Memorial Union Terrace. Don't forget a juicy brat and ice cream from Babcock Dairy.

* Camp Randall. Originally a Civil War training ground and later a POW camp, Camp Randall is better known these days as home to the Wisconsin Badgers. There's no better place to be on game day!

* The lakes. Five of them. Not to mention a couple marshes, the Yahara River and a few streams and creeks. With all this water, there are plenty of opportunities for swimming, diving, fishing and boating -- not to mention ice skating in the winter.

* Vilas Zoo, one of the few completely free zoos in the country. Free as in no admission, and no parking. 

* Monona Terrace. Based on a design by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Monona Terrace sits on Lake Monona, where Otis Redding's plane went down. There's a memorial to him in the peaceful rooftop garden. Great place to sit and watch the boats out on the lake on a warm summer day.

* Olbrich Botanical Gardens on the east side. Includes the Bolz Conservatory, rose gardens, and a gorgeous Thai temple.

* Allen Centennial Gardens on the University campus. Features nearly 30 different gardens and serves as a horticultural classroom for the university. 

* UW Arboretum, west side. Like nature a bit more wild? Walk, cross country ski or ride your bike through the Arboretum. Includes shaded forests, a prairie, and wetlands.

* Museums. Chazen Museum of Art, Madison Children's Museum, Wisconsin Historical Museum, Wisconsin Veteran's Museum, UW Madison Geology Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art inside Overture Center for the Arts -- there's bound to be something for every taste.

* Forest Hill Cemetery, established 1858. It was laid out as a pleasure park, with lots of shade trees and winding paths--families used to picnic here on weekends, up until around WWII. Contains Union Lot (a Civil War graveyard), as well as the northern-most Confederate graveyard, Confederate Rest. One of my favorite events is coming up Oct 4, the annual Talking Spirits Tour. Despite being located on such a busy road, Forest Hill is quite peaceful; I love walking here!

* Ella's Deli & Ice Cream Parlor , East Washington Ave. Children of all ages will love the vintage toys and gadgets found throughout this hidden gem on Madison's east side, not to mention a ride on the carousel. Featured on the Food Network.





LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)

Adelle Laudan * Stephanie Adkins * Alexia Reed * CM Torrens Hailey Edwards * Shelley Munro * Ms Menozzi * David Bridger Inez Kelley * Ella Drake * Sophia Parkwood * Elise Logan Cambria Dillon * Paige Tyler * Janice Seagraves * Alice Audrey Hootin' Anni * Rosetta Stone * BrendaND * Colleen Calico Crazy * Americanising Desi * Nicholas * Annie * The Bumbles

You can find more Thursday Thirteen participants HERE.           

Halloween Cat

It's never too early to prepare for Halloween...

Stamps: Sweeter Treaters (small cat) (Stampin' Up), Paper Inspirations, Inky Antics
Paper: DCWV
Ink: Basic Black (SU)
Accessories: Black grosgrain ribbon (JoAnn's), Marvy punches

Thursday Thirteen 123: Quotes from WILD MIND

Thirteen quotes from Natalie Goldberg's WILD MIND: LIVING THE WRITER'S LIFE.

People come and go with writing. I understand. Writing is hard, but eventually if you are serious, you have to settle and be steady, even though your individual emotions change from day to day about it.

I own my own mind. I claim my thoughts. My mouth and the words I say with it are mine and no one can take that away. I can’t write like Dostoyevsky or Henry Miller. I write like myself.

It is good to feel connected and close to our characters, but it is also important to separate. It allows us to move on to the next chapter.

Sadness comes from the knowledge of impermanence. Everything will eventually pass away. Why be sad? Because we love and no matter how dispassionate we become we are not ice bricks. We are human beings with feelings.

There is no excuse. If you want to write, write. This is your life. You are responsible for it. You will not live forever. Don’t wait. Make the time now, even if it is ten minutes once a week.

We are not our writing. Our writing is a moment moving through us.

Writing is elemental. Once you have tasted its essential life, you cannot turn from it without some deep denial and depression. It would be like turning down water. Water is in your blood. You can’t go without it.

We have to accept ourselves in order to write. Now none of us does that fully; few of us do it even halfway. Don’t wait for one hundred percent acceptance of yourself before you write, or even eight percent acceptance. Just write. The process of writing is an activity that teaches us about acceptance.

The initial subject matter might not have anything finally to do with what we really need to say. Just keep your hand moving and let whatever is about to happen unfold. Let writing do writing. Don’t manipulate it with your ideas about what you think should happen.

I am not waiting around for anyone from above to give me the signal. We just have to step forward with our hearts and act. That’s also the best place to come from as a writer.

To learn the act of writing is to obtain magical powers. They are a secret. No one can give them to you. You must work at them yourself.

Look around you. There’s no one there. No one cares that much whether you write or not. You just have to do it.

I often say to myself now when writing is hard, “There is no such thing as failure.” The only failure in writing is when you stop doing it. Then you fail yourself. You affirm your resistance. Don’t do that. Let the outside world scream at you. Create an inner world of determination.



LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)

Stephanie Adkins * Adelle Laudan * Alexia Reed
Lucy Woodhull * Emily Ryan-Davis * Mary Quast * Yvette Davis
Alice Audrey * Rosetta Stone * Flicka Holt * Hazel
Janice Seagraves * Ella Drake * David Bridger * Unplugged
Hootin' Anni * Desi * Inez Kelley * Angeleque Ford
Sophia Parkwood * Chrissea * Paige Tyler * Jennifer McKenzie Susan Helene Gottfried

You can find more Thursday Thirteen participants HERE

SC244: Pink Plastic Flamingo

A postcard for today's sketch challenge, SC244, at Splitcoaststampers -- my card was inspired by this article in today's paper.



You have NO idea how difficult masking the legs of those birds was so I could draw in stakes instead. The flamingos are from one of my favorite retired sets from Stampin' Up, Tickled Pink. Designer paper is from the Indian Summer paper stack by DCWV. All other paper from The Paper Company. Writing is done freehand, as computer is out of black ink and who knows how long it would have taken me to get the printing right anyway.

This is the most fun I've had playing with a sketch in ages! *grin*