Harvest OSW

Yes, I managed to make another batch of "one sheet wonder" cards Sunday afternoon while watching football -- a game I refuse to discuss out of disgust. I could have easily done another ten cards, but instead opted to work on a counted cross-stitch project (a Christmas present for a friend) while watching a movie. I used a different OSW template for cutting the pieces for this set and must admit I like it -- and the results -- much better than the one used Saturday.

I think the paper used with this set is from Hot Off The Press (HOTP). You don't want to know how many of their patterned paper books I have. Really, it's a bit scary to contemplate. Other details for the set are as follows:

Cardstock: Summer Sun and Yoyo Yellow from Stampin' Up.

Ink: Basic Brown, Elegant Eggplant, Pumpkin Pie, Yoyo Yellow from Stampin' Up.

Stamps: Quotes to Live By, Itty Bitty Backgrounds, Petite Patterns, Small Script, Peaceful Pastoral, Thanksgiving Blessings, all from Stampin' Up; small cornucopia by PSX.

Accessories: Brads, Raffia

Grateful OSW cards

This is how I spent my Saturday -- or at least a part of it. I went to the bank and grocery store in the morning...came home, started a pot of stew, then threw in some laundry before the Badger football game started (Badgers are now 3-0, yay!). Yes, all of these were made while watching football, doing laundry and cooking. I know -- I'm sooo multi-talented.

I wanted to add to my stash of Thanksgiving cards to be sent to troops overseas, and the OSW technique is great for mass-producing cards that are similar but not quite the same. This is a variation of the "one sheet wonder" technique. Traditionally, one would take a white or vanilla piece of 8-1/2 x 11 or 12 x 12 cardstock and, using a variety of stamps, create your own patterned paper, which would then be cut into different lengths or shapes to use in a number of different cards. You can see samples of such in my previous posts here and here.

For today's cards I decided to use a sheet of fall patterned paper instead of using fall stamps, which I haven't much of anyway. I have heaps of patterned paper and no matter how much I use in scrapbooks and cards, the mountain never seems to dwindle. I chose a sheet of yellow and orange leaves, which I admit to not liking very much, part of a bulk pattern pack from Current, Inc received years ago, and set to work, using up scraps of orange and green cardstock as well. All cards measure 5-1/2 x 4-1/4 inches unless otherwise noted and fit an "invitation" size envelope.

Cardstock: SonBurn and Stampin' Up. Patterned paper from Current Inc and Creative Memories.

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Basic Black from Stampin' Up.

Stamps: Itty Bitty Backgrounds, Small Script, Petite Patterns, Lovely as a Tree, All Year Cheer III, Fall For All, and Fall Whimsey by Stampin' Up; Square "Thinking of You" by Endless Creations Inc; long "Thinking of You by Savvy Stamps.

Stickers: Sandy Lion; Me & My Big Ideas.

Other: Brads; paper ribbon; diecuts from Creative Memories; deckle scissors from Fiskars.

This card is a bit smaller than the traditional sized card, measuring 3-1/2 x 5-1/2 inches, and fits a standard size envelope. It opens by lifting it to the left.

Another smaller one, measuring 3-1/2 x 5-1/5 and technically not a OSW, since it uses none of that leaf pattern paper. It does, however, use castoff bits from other cards -- those four deckled squares were cut from the edges of this card and the first one posted.

Not a bad way to spend a cold, blustery afternoon watching football, no? Who knows what I might accomplish during tomorrow's today's Packer game!

CowParade: If You Want to Be a Moosaic...

If You Want to Be a Moosaic Just Come Along With Me
Location: Kohl Center
Artist: Kari Fisher
Sponsor: University of Wisconsin

A play on a popular University song, “If You Want to be a Badger,” written in 1919 by UW professor Julian Olson and set to music by the Director of the School of Music at that time, Charles Mills. The world famous UW Band traditionally ends each pre-game performance with this sprightly melody, and it is a staple of the “Fifth Quarter” show as well. The Badger Bovine features "moosaics" of Bucky Badger, a chair from Memorial Union, and the Wisconsin "W."

Lyrics:

If you want to be a Badger,
Just come along with me,
By the bright shining light,
By the light of the moon;
If you want to be a Badger,
Just come along with me,
By the bright shining light of the moon.

By the light of the moon,
By the light of the moon,
By the bright shining light,
By the light of the moon;
If you want to be a Badger,
Just come along with me,
By the bright shining light of the moon.

Click here to hear it in Real Player

CowParade: Choc "COW" late Milk

Choc “COW” late Milk
Location: Capitol grounds, north side
Artist: Matt Wilhm
Sponsor: Roundy’s / Kemps

How do you make chocolate milk? Why you feed a cow chocolate, of course! When I first saw this one from a distance, I couldn’t figure out what the heck those things were sticking up out of its back. Of course, once I got closer and could see what it was, I couldn't help but laugh.

CowParade: Town and Cowntry

Town and Cowntry
Location: N. Carroll Street on the Capitol Square
Artist: Candace Miles-Traczyk
Sponsor: Alliant Energy

Gotta love the dual personalities of this cow. Whether wearing his red flannel or black tuxedo, he’s at home in the country, or out on the town. The left flank features beautiful rolling pastures while the opposite side familiar architecture of Madison – the skyline featuring the State Capitol Building and Monona Terrace, the Red Gym, the Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Alliant Energy Center.

Frank Loin Wright

Frank Loin Wright
Location: Upper State Street
Artist: Spectrum Brands, Inc., In House Creative
Sponsor: Spectrum Brands, Inc.

Part of the Upper State Street herd….

CowParade: Cow Lloyd Wright

Cow Lloyd Wright
Location: Law Park, near Monona Terrace
Artist: Ben Bauman
Sponsor: The Capital Times

This is the third and last of the Law Park herd, named for famed architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Many buildings in and around Madison were designed by Wright, including the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, which only took 60 years to build. Not kidding. My Dad remembered them debating the building of the center way back when he was a kid in the 30s. Though it was finished four years before he died, I don’t think Dad ever actually saw the Convention Center, since by that time he rarely went anywhere near downtown.

The original plan proposed in 1938 included a depot, marina, courthouse, city hall, and auditorium – all connected to a community park along the shores of Lake Monona. The idea of a community civic center on the lakefront property would arise and be defeated numerous times over the years. In 1955, the people of Madison selected Wright as architect for an auditorium, which he later said meant more to him than any other award. In 1990, Wright’s plan was resurrected yet again, and two years later voters approved of building the Monona Terrace on the same site Wright proposed. In 1994 construction finally began on the convention center.

Though the overall design concept is purely Wright’s, the inside was redesigned to suit more modern times, and includes meeting rooms, an exhibition hall, an auditorium and banquet halls. A beautiful rooftop garden crowns the project, and is the new home of the Otis Redding Memorial, which previously sat in Law Park where the Monona Terrace now stands. Redding died when his plane crashed into Monona Bay during a snow storm. A bicycle/walking path snakes between glass front of the building and the lake shore, and the park spread out on either side is a popular spot for fishing – summer or winter.

Monona Terrace Timeline
Monona Terrace at a Glance

Remember

Shanksville, PA ~ October 2001

This evening a documentary aired on CBS on the fall of the World Trade Towers. Two French brothers had spent a couple months following the life of a probationary fire fighter in NYC for a documentary on becoming a fireman. Purely by chance, they caught many of the events that unfolded that day on film -- smoke coming from the first tower hit and learning what had happened, watching as the second plane hit, the chaos and fear as people tried to understand what was happening. One of the brothers was actually inside one of the towers with the fire department they were attached to. It is the only footage showing what it was like to be inside the towers on that day, and what is more amazing is that, even though many from the department were inside the towers, all of them made it home.

I saw a good portion of the footage from tonight's documentary back four or five years ago, when it was shown soon after 9/11, and seeing the extended footage tonight...it was just as hard as watching it all those years ago. You can't help wondering if it will ever get easier to see -- and yet, at the same time, you hope it never is.

Though I remember where I was when I first heard the news -- in the car en route to work -- and though we had the TV on all day, watched the events of that morning unfold, it's a field in Pennsylvania that really brought it all home.

A month and a half after 9/11, a friend and I were on vacation in Pennsylvania. We were in Pittsburgh for a wedding, and spent a day touring the covered bridges and other historic sites of Somerset County. Though we knew the plane had crashed somewhere east of Pittsburgh, we had no idea where.

Midmorning we drove through a small town to see one of the first bridges on the tour, the Glessner Bridge, and as we came to a T in the road and prepared to turn right (north), there across the street was a site that caught us offguard. It was a memorial for the victims of flight 93, and we were in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. We had no idea we were that close to the crash site. From the Glessner Bridge we could hear the sounds of heavy machinery, but whether from the crash site or local coal mines it was hard to tell. Had we continued down the road past the bridge we would have come upon it. I don't think either of us could have handled that.

It was quite a sobering moment in our trip, and one I will certainly never forget.



Story from the Chicago Tribune on United 93:
Telling story of hope and story of sadness

Shanksville Photography:
September 11: Bearing Witness to History

CowParade: HoneyBee Cowmb

HoneyBee Cowmb
Location: Law Park, near Monona Terrace
Artist: Dale Marsden
Sponsor: CowParade Wisconsin

Another of the Law Park herd, of which there are three. There were supposed to be four, but one of them – Cow Crossing – was apparently never completed. In any case, this one sits between Sundae best and another, which I’ll share another day. Oh, and I couldn’t resist photographing the udder on this one, just to capture the bee, as well as the stinger at end of the cow’s tail.

Carroll College

1846 - Carroll College Opened On this date Carroll College, Wisconsin's oldest college, opened with an enrollment of five men and two faculty members. [Source: History Just Ahead: A Guide to Wisconsin's Historical Markers edited by Sarah Davis McBride, p.67]...

Yup...that's my alma mater! The University of Wisconsin at Madison was founded two years later, with the first freshman class beginning February of 1849. I confess I have not been back to the campus in some years, and with all the building and reconstruction that has taken place the past decade, I probably wouldn't even recognize it. Or much of it. And that includes the professors. A great many I knew have retired -- or, unfortunately, passed away -- since I graduated, and others have changed so much over the past (mumble mumble) years that, when I saw the photo of one of my favorite profs in the recent Pioneer, I didn't even recognize him. It's been almost ten years since I've been back, and nope...not planning to attend Homecoming again this year. That weekend always seems to coincide with other plans.

Sundae Best

Sundae Best
Location: Law Park, near Monona Terrace
Artist: Aaron Wilbers
Sponsor: Culver’s Frozen Custard

Backbone of America

Backbone of America
Location: Upper State Street
Artist: Ruthie Vosberg
Sponsor: Midwest Family Broadcasting / Q106

This one seemed an appropriate choice for Labor Day – I hope everyone who had the day off enjoyed the holiday!

As you can see, this one features a waving American flag flying over an open prairie. As you can see by the bottom picture, there is a flying eagle on its left flank, and a raccoon peeking out from behind the tail on its rear right leg. There is another eagle (not in flight) on the other side and, of course, there is another painted on the forehead/horns and top of the head.

If you look at the second picture, you’ll note that there is writing inside her ears. Inscribed inside of them is the “Pledge of America.” I tried to get close-ups, but they didn’t turn out very well.

As noted above, today is Labor Day in the US (and Canada). Labor Day was first celebrated one hundred and twenty-four years ago, on Tuesday, September 5, 1882. Meant to celebrate labor unions and to recognize the achievements of the American worker, it was the idea of the Central Labor Union in New York City, which organized a parade and a picnic featuring speeches by union leaders.

Twenty thousand workers crowded the streets in a parade up Broadway, carrying banners that said, "Labor creates all wealth," and "Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for recreation!" Afterward, people held picnics all over the city. They ate Irish stew, homemade bread, and apple pie. When it got dark, fireworks went off over the skyline. The celebrations became more popular across the country in the next ten years. Congress made Labor Day a national holiday in 1894.

For most Americans, Labor Day now marks the end of summer and, in some communities, the last day before the start of the school year. It’s the last chance to fire up the grill and enjoy a three-day weekend with friends and family; the weekend most pools and beaches close for the season, and campgrounds are at their fullest – a final hurrah to summer….

Looking For Bucky

Looking For Bucky
Location: Kohl Center
Artist: Paul Muckler
Sponsor: Learfield Communications, Inc.



Let’s go Big Red!

CowParade: On WisCOWnsin

On WisCOWnsin
Location: Langdon St, in front of the Red Gym

Artist: Sue Medaris
Sponsor: University of Wisconsin

In honor of the Badger football team’s season opener this weekend. The team plays Bowling Green Saturday night and we’re hoping for better results than when the two teams met last year. It’s also the first game under new coach Bret Bielema, Barry Alvarez’s successor and former defensive coordinator for the University of Wisconsin. Alvarez retired as head coach after last season and is now concentrating fulltime on his position as UW athletic director.


This Bucky-esque bovine is located in front of the historic Red Gym on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, right next to the Memorial Union and on the shores of beautiful Lake Mendota. Built in 1894, this castle-like structure has been used as a military training facility, gymnasium, infirmary, art exhibition space and convention hall, and currently is a student and visitors center, welcome all to Madison and the University campus. It was nearly torn down a number of times over the years, and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1993.