A Herd of Smooches

Last night I had the opportunity to watch my chorus rehearsal via a private Periscope. Twas very cool, I must say. I was able to go about and do what I had to do, and not miss a minute of the singing. Unlike with Facetime/Skype, the sounds from my driving, or the dogs barking, or talking to Princess A, did not transmit to them and cause disruption. Awesome!

As a thank you to the one who made it all possible, I whipped up this little Smooches card. I could only use one layer for the card, so I stamped many layers of cows.  

The theme and the Paper Smooches stamps were chosen because today starts a new challenge over on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog, which I found completely by accident while searching something else.

Serendipity I think.
Or is it kismet?
















Card Details:

Image: Paper Smooches, Stampendous

Sentiment: Paper Smooches

Cardstock: Hammermill, SU

Ink: Memento, Tim Holtz Distress Ink
Coloring: Copics

Tools: Homemade masks

Embellies: Unknown ribbon

Happy 50th Birthday, Joe!

Another big event at our chorus retreat, was a celebration of the 50th birthday of our coach, Joe Connelly. I needed to make a card that was roomy enough for everyone to sign, and was special enough to double as a "gift"

Here is what I created:

I used images of items from his childhood (well, except for the big-wheeled bicycle) and followed a sketch from Freshly Made Sketches (#177)

 The inside is an exploding box with a cupcake in the center. It is supposed to be a cupcake anyway, but I had attached the base to the base of the card before I realized I had forgotten to run it through my crimper; it does not have that cupcake wrapper feel, but I was not about to take it apart to fix. 

The images from the outside of the card were stamped inside with Versamark, so it would not be so plain, but would not impede signatures. 

The frosting is embossed and the candle is a drinking straw. The flame was made by tying different lengths of orange ribbon and securing them with a brad (so they would not shift) then stuffing all of that into the straw. 

Other than the crimping mistake, I am quite pleased with how this came out. 








Card Details:

Image: SU

Sentiment: SU

Cardstock: Bazzill, SU, unknown dp

Ink: Memento, Versamark
Coloring: N/A

Tools: Nestabilities, embossing folder, unknown brad

Embellies: unknown ribbon, drinking straw

Baby (Doctor) Who

At our Retreat, my chorus had a baby shower for one of our members. I was asked to provide a card for everyone in the chorus to sign. The soon-to-be mommy is a HUGE sci-fi geek. She loves all things Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, etc, but how do you get any of that into a baby card? 

It took me several days, but I finally stumbled upon an idea. I used the phone booth from the SU set, 'Feeling Sentimental', to produce a Tardis. By googling "Tardis images", I found a background I could recreate.

Coming soon from a Galaxy near You...

I sliced around the edges and adhered it to a panel underneath, using Velcro to keep it closed. Underneath, the image of the baby on the moon seemed just right for my sci-fi theme.

 

 

The next Doctor!

The whole card then opens up for everyone to sign. The party was great fun, and I am proud to say my card was a hit!













Card Details:

Image: SU, PSX

Sentiment: Made with individual unknown letters

Cardstock: SU, GP

Ink: Memento, Kaleidacolor
Coloring: Copics

Tools: Reinkers and alcohol, cotton balls, SU punch, Velcro

Embellies: Embossing powder, unknown ribbon, unknown brads

Quartet Coaching Part I - The Outfit

This past Saturday, my quartet had the honor of coaching with Kim Vaughn (formerly Hulbert), Sweet Adelines International Faculty, International quartet champion (several times over), International Chorus Champion director and all around amazing singer and teacher. Though shaky in the week leading up to it, I had a blast on stage. Oh right, did I mention our coaching took place in front of many of the regions quartets?

During our weekly rehearsal we discussed what to wear. Our chorus director (who happened to be there) said she was going shopping that afternoon and would keep her eye out for some tops. The following night at chorus rehearsal, she had a bag full! (Not to mention a perfect pair of earrings) We chose two sets (everything must be bought times four, remember) and sent one back. We wore the more casual (and slightly cooler; it is summer, all) top for our big day.

The lead and tenor went shopping later in the week and found necklaces, bracelets and bangles to match




Kim complimented us on our appearance and talked to the other attendees about how your impression on stage sets the judges to expect good (or not so good) things from you. 

On Sunday while blurfing (I have been trying to do a better job with keeping up with everyone's blogs), I came upon The Deconstructed Sketch (#112). Immediately my "All Dressed Up" dies came to mind, and a card was born. This one will go to Marion (SONE director), our personal shopper.

Card Details:

Image: N/A

Sentiment: SU

Cardstock: GP, SU

Ink: SU
Coloring: N/A

Tools: SU Framelits die

Embellies: SU button, SU Bakers twine, SU Dimensionals

Thank You to Yoda

When Princess A was just barely three, she liked to sing into the microphone on my computer and have me play it back for her. I decided to use this opportunity to my advantage and had her sing Happy Birthday to various people and then I would email them the track. One of them was to Laura, but Princess A, being just three did not pronounce Ls or Rs very well. The resulting line was, "Happy Birthday Dear Yoda". Laura has been Yoda ever since.

Fast forward to 2013. Yoda is now on the Management Team of my Chorus; her position being Corresponding Secretary or Communications Manager or something like that. Anyway, she was talking after Contest about needing to send cards, and I jumped in and said, "What kind of cards do you need? I will make them for you".
She said she needed three congratulations and one thank you and that she would need more in a few weeks to send a "love gift" to the chorus and quartet competing in Hawaii. When I got home, I remembered this as she needed multiple thank yous and one of something else, whose theme I could not recall. Oops! What can I say it was a long, busy weekend and I was tired. (But I won some pretty medals )

As soon as I realized that the thank you image was flowers, I decided to make lots (16 to be exact) so I could send them for a swap as well. (Soon after I had signed up for two spots in Barb's Fabulous Flowers swap, the hostess for May/June in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Cards picked flowers as her theme as well. That is a lot of flowers!) It is hard to tell in the scan, but the center of eight of the falling flowers is a pearl. Without further ado, here are the cards that Yoda will be sending and will also go to the SOTC swap: 

Card Details:

Image: Stampin Up!

Sentiment: (SU)

Cardstock: SU, GP

Ink: SU

Tools: Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page (Corner)

Coloring: N/A

Embellies: Viva Pearl Pen











On a related note, I posted this to Yoda's Facebook Wall this morning:

 

New Year's Resolutions

It is that time of year to be thinking again about New Year's Resolutions. Well, actually it is a little bit late to just begin thinking about it, hence the need for a change...

I like resolutions that are quick and easy and then I don't have to think about them again. One year I decided my NYR would be that I would drink more, as in alcohol. This seems strange, unless of course you have the detail that I don't drink, well rarely anyway. Every once in a while I will go on a binge. A binge for me being that I might have a single drink two nights in a row! So anyway, this particular year I decided I will drink more. I don't know if it was metaphoric for have more fun or get out more or what (clearly this is a theme for me as you will see in a minute), but as I told my partner at work (yes this was a long time ago) since I did not drink anything, all I had to do was have one beer and my NYR was complete! Quick, easy, painless. And so totally not in the spirit...

This year I have several thoughts. One idea is to find a hobby that gets me out of the house. You may be thinking, but what about SONE and Tuesday nights? I do leave the house for that. But I am thinking perhaps something with more of a social basis. Although I get to see some wonderful friends there, we are not supposed to talk during rehearsal. And as all my riser mates know, I never do ... Reading is another hobby that gets me out of the house, but alas, going to the library is not exactly social. Shopping for stamping supplies probably would not count either.

Resolution #2 may actually happen. Honor my commitments in a more timely manner. No more turning in swaps at the last minute, or answering emails several days late. I am going to keep my web projects (SONE Facebook and Members Only) updated within days of the request, rather than a week or so later. And this blog, lets see, shall I aim for posting cards within one day of their assembly? (Perhaps start thinking about NYRs before the new year?) You will know as well as I how well this Resolution is working...

My final thought of a NYR is to keep my mouth shut, even when asked for an opinion. ... Yeah, I don't think that one is going to happen either. I guess I will just have to keep getting into trouble. Besides some of my favorite people would be very upset if I went quiet; and since I see them every Tuesday and the others who would like to see my mouth closed much less often... Oh wait, I just remembered we are not supposed to talk on the risers...

Cake Wrecks

Thanks to my sister, I have discovered a new and hilarious way to spend more time on the computer. Not that I needed more time online, but I just cannot resist. She posted a link on my Facebook wall asking if I still did cake decorating. (I don't do much decorating anymore - not that I did all that much in the first place - for it is far too painful for my hands [Have I ever mentioned that Lupus sucks?!])

Anywho, I was never a great cake decorator, but I was (thankfully) not as bad as the ones featured on Cake Wrecks; and they are from 'professional' decorators! What I like best about this site is not so much the cakes themselves, but the blogger's critique. Think about this... When you are with someone and something funny happens, you tend to glance at the other person and nod, smile or somehow connect to show you think it is funny, too. You laugh louder and harder if you are around who shares in your mirth, right?

Here I am, all by myself, laughing uproariously. There is no one here to egg me on, well, except for Darwin, who eventually will cackle right along with me, but as he is a parrot, I don't think that counts. Sometimes Princess A will be here and ask to see; inevitably those are the times when I am laughing at the ones totally inappropriate for the eyes of a 10-year-old. (Not so much the photos, though there are a couple, but the language used in the commentary)

The more entertaining the post, the more comments that have been attached. Most of which are just as risible. (Hey Mom! I used that word just for you - did you like it?)

(Did I happen to mention at the beginning that this is going to be an excessively long post? I didn't? Oops!)

Are you ready? It's my VERY OWN CAKE WRECK! (OK, not mine, exactly. It actually belongs to Shelley)


You may find this hard to believe, but this cake is, in fact, what was ordered. It is beautifully decorated - there is amazing dimension and attention to detail though I know it is hard to tell from this photo (Ack, I did not have my camera with me, only my cell phone, and I don't know how to send it straight to my blog, so I had to save it from my Facebook posting, hence the really bad resolution. Sorry) . Kudos to Waldbaum's in West Hartford for their superb undertaking of such a bizarre order.

Ah yes, you are wondering WHY someone would order this particular cake on purpose...

My chorus is soon to compete in the Region One Contest for Sweet Adelines International. Should we win (cross your fingers!) we will then be eligible to compete in the International Competition in Seattle, WA. Part of our preparation is to have coaches come for a weekend and show us ways to garner a few more points. One coach in particular, Joe, suddenly stopped during our rehearsal and asked, "what's that smell?" Not knowing where he was going with this we suggested perhaps he was smelling the coffee in the next room. He then followed up with, "is it salmon I smell? Salmon from Seattle?" Throughout the weekend, he would stop us every once in a while and sniff to get people thinking about earning our way to Seattle. (For me however, as this is a chorus of all women, I think a coffee reference would have been more appropriate...)

This past weekend we had another coaching session, but different coach. One of our members, Shelley, stood up and announced that her birthday was coming up, but since it was during Passover, she did not think her 80 best friends would appreciate eating chocolate covered matzoh. She brought this cake instead so we could all celebrate with her and at the same time pay homage to the reason we were all together that day. Happy Birthday Shelley!!

I wish I had a better photo so I could send it in to Cake Wrecks, for I am curious to see just what she would have to say, and what comments it would generate. Anyone out there have one you could send me?