Valentine’s Day approaches!
This year, inspired by simple instructions found on the Internet, I decided to create thoughtful, exquisite handmade cards. Yesterday, following breakfast clean up, I carefully organized the recommended supplies on my kitchen table. Scissors, glues, red and gold glitters, card stock in variegated pinks, matte and shiny reds and creams, thin rosy ribbons, red and black stamp pads, requisite stamps (all Valentine’s Day appropriate), a heart shaped hole punch, sparkly red stick-on trims; everything I needed sat in beckoning piles. Encouraged, I began.
Shortly, I learned that despite using a ruler and pencil, I seemed to be incapable of cutting evenly along a straight line. Further, something in me confused directions and resisted following instructions. I learned that I could find no good use for a red doily! Nothing I made looked like the carefully photographed Internet cards! Frustration and negative self-talk reigned until I shredded the downloaded instructions and began fiddling with the combinations of coloured papers, cutting out paper hearts and generally ‘fooling around with’ the myriad craft supplies on my table.
I cut and folded a pale pink piece of card stock (making a smaller card than the instructions had demanded), cut some ( not too straight) cream rectangles, punched out five (not so even) heart shapes, and sewed a (decidedly crooked) darker pink heart with a tiny gold bead onto the (not quite) centre of the card. Et voila, an exquisite handmade card.
I liked it! By golly, I - loved - it!
The card was imperfect, but I had had great fun creating it! Hmmm, what else could I construct? Several hours and a dozen cards later, I surveyed my handiwork. I loved them all! This rosy glittered gallery appealed to me. I had learned to accept and appreciate my own distinctive artistic sensibilities.
This year, inspired by simple instructions found on the Internet, I decided to create thoughtful, exquisite handmade cards. Yesterday, following breakfast clean up, I carefully organized the recommended supplies on my kitchen table. Scissors, glues, red and gold glitters, card stock in variegated pinks, matte and shiny reds and creams, thin rosy ribbons, red and black stamp pads, requisite stamps (all Valentine’s Day appropriate), a heart shaped hole punch, sparkly red stick-on trims; everything I needed sat in beckoning piles. Encouraged, I began.
Shortly, I learned that despite using a ruler and pencil, I seemed to be incapable of cutting evenly along a straight line. Further, something in me confused directions and resisted following instructions. I learned that I could find no good use for a red doily! Nothing I made looked like the carefully photographed Internet cards! Frustration and negative self-talk reigned until I shredded the downloaded instructions and began fiddling with the combinations of coloured papers, cutting out paper hearts and generally ‘fooling around with’ the myriad craft supplies on my table.
I cut and folded a pale pink piece of card stock (making a smaller card than the instructions had demanded), cut some ( not too straight) cream rectangles, punched out five (not so even) heart shapes, and sewed a (decidedly crooked) darker pink heart with a tiny gold bead onto the (not quite) centre of the card. Et voila, an exquisite handmade card.
I liked it! By golly, I - loved - it!
The card was imperfect, but I had had great fun creating it! Hmmm, what else could I construct? Several hours and a dozen cards later, I surveyed my handiwork. I loved them all! This rosy glittered gallery appealed to me. I had learned to accept and appreciate my own distinctive artistic sensibilities.
This year, I hope that everyone who receives a Valentine’s Day card from me ‘feels’ my genuine love for them (and remembers that it is the sentiment that counts).
2 comments:
The cards were beautiful and so thoughtful and we loved our treats. Thank you so much! We love you! J
Everything was such fun to create. Thanks for your words. love to you, Carol
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