M's First Sketch Challenge

I came across this sketch challenge the other day, and I just knew I had to participate! Emma is 5 years old, and she designed this sketch herself – great work, M!

The flower was cut from a gorgeous tiffany blue envelope I got at the oddest of places - the visa office! When we went to pick up our passports, it's what they were filed in - I think I was just as excited about the envelopes as I was about finally getting a residence permit, lol. The card pretty much came together around the flower - once I picked the chipboard center, the rest just fell into place. Bright and cheery, and I hope Miss M enjoys it!

Card Supplies:
DCWV pp, Georgia Pacific White cs, tiffany blue envelope; ribbon (unknown); Colorbok chipboard circle; Cuttlebug; Sizzix “Flower Layers” die; Dymo labelmaker, woodgrain label tape; corner rounder punch (small); dimensionals

China Had a Birthday

October has been birthday month around here! China had a birthday (Oct 1st - the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China); Seth had a birthday (Oct 2nd); I had a birthday (Oct 9th)…

Seth’s birthday was a quiet affair. We chose to stay in due to the crazy huge 8-day national holiday that was in progress (our city alone had over 5.8 million tourists) – public transportation would have been a nightmare! (A lesson we learned the hard way during previous holidays.) So, while the rest of the city was out celebrating, we stayed at home and had a special treat of taco salad and homemade carrot cake.

My birthday fell the day after the holiday ended, so things were much less crowded. We tried out a little Italian restaurant (it wasn’t bad, by China standards), and listened to live jazz later that evening. But I think the best part of the day was walking hand in hand around a park after dark: cool autumn breezes; city lights reflecting off the surface of the glassy lake; couples sharing private moments on secluded benches; the off-key warble of karaoke drifting on the night air. (Yes, that’s right – it’s a common sight here to see large groups of people by the side of the road, crowded around a portable karaoke machine and taking turns belting songs into a microphone. On this particular night, some of the more competitive participants had even come in opera costume – including headgear. Fun times.) All in all, it was a pretty special birthday. No fancy presents or expensive dinners, just time spent with the guy I love more than anyone else in the whole world. What more could I ask for?

Happiness Comes in a Flat-Rate Envelope

Just before lunchtime today, someone started banging on the door. Great, I thought. Probably someone here to read the water-meter in the kitchen, and the apartment is a mess – I’ve been sick, and Seth is away on business. Why does this always happen? I reluctantly went to the door, Thor (our “ferocious” miniature schnauzer) barking all the way. It turned out to be one of our complex’s guards delivering this wonderful little package from America. (Sidenote: virtually all apartment complexes in China have guards who control entry to the buildings, monitor parking, watch the grounds, etc. It adds an extra layer of safety that I really appreciate.)

Just what was in the package, you might ask? It was chock-full of crafty goodness: three new cricut cartridges (Joys of the Season, Wild Card, and Home Décor), a full set of new Studio G clear Halloween stamps, and two SEI Christmas stamp sets (Alpine Frost and Glitzmas). The USPS ships these flat-rate 9 ½ x 12 ½“ international envelopes for only $12.95; they hold quite a bit! I found great deals on everything on e-bay and had it all sent to my in-laws Stateside. They removed any excess packaging (like the cricut cartridge boxes – I don’t keep those anyway), and when it was all said and done there was actually quite a bit of room left over in the envelope.

Let me just say, clear/unmounted stamps are a life-saver when you live overseas! They’re easy to store, easy to move, cheap to ship (no heavy wood blocks), compact… When we moved back to China, I knew it would be a while before our crate arrived, so I just put a few cd cases of my favorite clear stamps in my carry-on. It hardly took up any space, didn’t add a lot of weight, easy-peasy!

Okay, enough babbling - off to go play with my new stuff!

A Little Chat Over Coffee

Boy, time sure does fly when you’re … well, let’s just say it flies. Tomorrow we’ll have been back in China for four months – I can hardly believe it! Let me tell you, those four months have been anything but routine. Setting up house in a new apartment, adjusting to a new part of town (when your city has a population of over 20 million, a different neighborhood can feel like a whole new world!), getting our crate through customs, multiple business trips, multiple guests (some friends, some business), new friends, new endeavors… And of course, things aren’t slowing down for us anytime soon. Seth has a business trip next week, then we’re going to Thailand for a few days, and then there’s a trip to Xi’an in the works… It’s a good thing we like travel!

The weather here is beginning to cool down a bit; not quite fall weather, but it’s a start! Today it’s barely above 80 degrees, overcast, with a slight breeze; we’ve got the windows open and some B&BW Pumpkin fragrance oil wafting through the air. In keeping with the theme, I’ve started making some fall cards. I realized the other day that even though fall is my favorite time of year, I hardly have any related stamps! Luckily, my Slice has been a huge life-saver – I’ve been using it to cut out pumpkins, leaves, even turkeys. For example:



I’ve got a few other cards in the works, plus in a week or so I should be getting a couple of packages from the States with some crafty goodness. I’m just a TAD excited about that, in case you were wondering. Not that I’m going to be stalking the mailbox or anything…

Card Supplies:
Stamps: SU So Many Sayings; Ink: SU Chocolate Chip craft; Paper: watercolor paper, My Mind’s Eye pp; Accessories: Making Memories Slice, Fall/Back to School design card

Live Life to the Fullest

So I just had to participate in Travelingmama’s latest Inspiration Challenge. She and her little “traveling tribe” are truly living life to the fullest in their Moroccan adventures, but what’s most inspiring to me is their new endeavor to make life better for the children of Morocco. Check out their story here.

My card design is a combination of several of Travelingmama’s pictures - the long strands of thread that stretch through the medina and the shimmering beads that fill jars and dangle from hooks. I thought that this particular sentiment summed up the idea behind the card perfectly – “live life to the fullest:” to make the most of every day, always remembering that each one of us possesses the ability to make a difference in someone else’s life. Some days we may have to look a little further or work a little harder, but the opportunities are there if we want to find them.

Card Supplies:
Georgia Pacific white cardstock; Studio G stamp; Brilliance Graphite Black ink; embroidery floss; beads; dimensionals

Anywhere But Here

I’m having one of “those days” today. The kind of day where you can’t stop thinking about the things you’re missing out on back in the States: friends, family, the whole “back to school” flurry, your home Community… and of course that leads to missing more specific things, like going (in your own car!) to Wal-Mart, that big wall full of (English) magazines at Barnes & Noble, the $1 stamp bin at Michaels, music departments packed with every imaginable genre of English music, a Turkey Artichoke Panini & Turkey Chickpea Chili combo from Panera Bread… Even though it’s only late August, I’m jonesing for all of those iconic American “autumn” things: pumpkins and mums and scarecrows and leaves and yards decorated for Halloween. Yesterday I even bought a set of Studio G Halloween stamps on e-bay. Really, what in the world do I need Halloween stamps for?! I don’t have any children; China doesn’t celebrate anything remotely like Halloween; in fact, my family really didn’t even do the whole Halloween thing when I was growing up. But for some inexplicable reason I feel compelled to find even the tiniest way to participate in that little bit of Americana.

I think it’s just that fall has always been my favorite time of year. The crisp, cool air; the smell of burning leaves; wonderful rich colors everywhere you look; cardigans and caramel apples and warm pumpkin bread. It’s birthdays and bonfires and new clothes for school. It’s costume parties and warm soup and long walks outside. A few of those things can be replicated here; most can only be tucked away as a lovely memory to be relived over a cup of coffee. In four years I’ll have my chance at another American Autumn, and I’ll relish every glorious moment. But until then, I’ll just have to find my own little ways to celebrate the changing of the seasons.

Don’t get me wrong – I love China, and I know this is where we’re supposed to be. But life isn’t always sunshine and roses (no matter where you live), and this is just me being transparent, putting a little of myself out there. I wouldn’t give any of this up for the world; but it’s good to be able to vent a little every now and then.

Friends

This card is for a special friend who is coming to stay with us for a few days. We met her soon after we first came to China back in 2004, and our friendship has continued to grow ever since. I always love it when friends from out of town come to visit, as it gives us an excuse to get out and do some of the more touristy things that we always seem to put off. It’ll be a week of walking till our feet hurt, shopping, trying new restaurants, and of course lots of pictures. I just hope the rain clears up!

I followed through on my vow to use my Slice more often; I actually used three different design cards for this project (the frame/label, flourish, and flower were all cut with the Slice). I even pulled out my Cuttlebug to emboss the pink frame. And it may be hard to see in the pic, but I added some subtle Versamark stamping to the flourish diecut (it just wasn’t popping enough on its own). It actually all came together pretty quickly; I already had the basic layout in my head, so all I had to do was pick out the papers, cut and assemble. A little Gilmore Girls in the background, and it was quite the relaxing evening!

Speaking of the Slice, have you seen the new design cards they just debuted at CHA? I think my favorites are Vintage Findings and Mix & Mingle. Their designs just keep getting better and better.

Now I’m off to finish tidying up the guest room (which doubles as our office)… I can’t wait till our guest gets here!

Card Supplies:
Stamps: Friends ‘Til the End (Papertrey Ink), Bridgeport (SEI); Ink: My Mind’s Eye pigment (brown), Versamark; Paper: K & Company “Contemporary Papers,” My Mind’s Eye (pink), Georgia Pacific (white); Accessories: Making Memories Slice/Noteworthy/Basics 3/ Just Chillin’ design cards, Cuttlebug/Swiss Dots folder, corner rounder punch, ribbon, rhinestone, dimensionals.