ATC - Nature

I am so very far behind with my ATC exchange. October's theme was nature. I was rather stumped and not feeling creative. Then inspired because I thought nature was the theme for December, I came up with this.

A bird flourish I had done some months ago, was color changed from black to red in PSP. The bird was printed on vellum and cut out. Torn tissue paper and holly from gift wrap were cut out. The pieces were decoupaged onto scrap Diploma parchment paper that had been marbled with starch. Ziller Midnight Blue ink, Gillotte 1068A

It looks a little flat and I'll look to see if I have some red seed beads to give dimension to the berries.

The Downside

of having a snow day off, is spending a half hour scraping 1/2 inch of ice off the car windows the following morning. Is it July yet?

Snow Day

The storm that whacked the midWest over the weekend, gave us a little bit of snow and freezing rain/drizzle. The Young One wore her pajamas inside out last night to find school had been cancelled this morning.

Work wasn't cancelled for me. That's what you get when your commute is down a flight of stairs to the basement. Have 3 envelope sets to finish and this job is done.

This afternoon, the Young One and I will clean the livingroom and will start putting up Christmas decorations.

Bright Nights at Forest Park

The Eldest had forgotten an important item. We didn't feel comfortable sending it through the mail as it couldn't be replaced if the package went astray. Since her college is only an hour or so west of our house, we decided to make a family outing.

We picked the Eldest up in front of her dorm and then went to dinner at an Outback restaurant at a nearby mall. We didn't have long to wait. Had a nice dinner and the Eldest caught us up on the activities of her week.

After dinner, we decided to investigate The Bright Lights at Forest Park. This is a driving tour of animated Christmas lights through Forest Park. We slowly wove our way to the entrance guided by police who kept everything moving and organized. At the entrance, we paid the admittance fee and then were told to tune our radio to a radio station to listen to holiday music.

The beginning of the tour was slow going, but soon most families veered off to see Santa at Santa's Village and we were able to take our time to photograph some of the displays.

Seeing the lights was a wonderful way to kick of the season and to spend some family time together. If you're in the area, it's a must see. Check out the web site for dates, times and admission. If you can't make it, you can take a virtual tour and see professional photographs and stunning displays we missed because a car or thumb was in the way. Bright Nights at Forest Park

Calligraphy School

After tracing and drawing Roman letters with pencil, it was time to put pen to paper. We were supposed to use either a fountain pen or dip pen to draw built up Romans. Those ball and stick capital letters we've been making since we were 5 or 6 years old.

I was not in a happy place for this class. I didn't get much homework done and even if I did, what most of the others in class produced was not what I heard for the assignment. I sat in my seat making a mess on my paper and just not getting it. The letters were supposed to be drawn with at least 2 strokes adding weight in the proper places. I just didn't get it. and was very unhappy.

The teacher made her rounds around the room and came to look at my compost. I told her I just didn't get it. She started demonstrating and I saw where I was making my mistake.

When she came around the next time, both of us were pleased. She even checked off two of the letters that were correctly weighted and proportioned. I added the smiley faces.

Christmas Card List

I've been busy addressing Christmas cards for a client. Boy howdy, was I nervous when I had to address this particular envelope!

I've had the pleasure of meeting, Rick Muffler, a calligrapher at the White House and perusing his amazing portfolio. Way back when I first began and didn't know which end of a nib to use, Rick graciously gave me a private lesson. It was very exciting because Rick is lefthanded just like me.

Anyway, my envelope came out nice. As I'm fond of saying, my work is pleasant and potentially harmless. Hope my envelope isn't judged too harshly when it reaches its destination.

New Turkey Recipe

My brother sent me this recipe. Thought I would share.

NEW TURKEY RECIPE You should try this!Sure to bring smiles from your guests!Here is a new way to prepare your Thanksgiving Turkey.

1. Cut out aluminum foil in desired shapes.

2. Arrange the turkey in the roasting pan, position the foil carefully. (see attached picture for details)

3. Roast according to your own recipe and serve.

4. Watch your guests' faces...

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have never a lump.

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize,

And may your Thanksgiving dinnerStay off your thighs!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!