Thursday's Thoughts...

How many times have we wished that the world was just a little bit gentler, a bit nicer, a bit kinder?

I have, lots of times.  But then, one day, it hit me.  It actually hit me.

It begins with ME.  Nobody else.  Me.  What a funny thought.  

Kindness begins with me.

How often have you walked down a local street, or even a busy city footpath, and wondered...  are these people happy?  are they sad?  

I often wonder what people are feeling.  Right now.  And, then I wonder if there is something that I can do, right now, to make even one person feel better.

There is.  (and you can do it, too)

Smile.  Just ... smile.  At someone.  Make eye contact.  There, that wasn't too hard, was it?  And maybe, just maybe, you lightened that one person's load today.

I'm smiling at you right now.  

Pass a little kindness on today.  It starts with me, and you!

"Time Flies"

I made these cards whilst thinking about my best friend's daughter - lovely little Eilish - who is turning 18 in a couple of weeks.  Where did the time go?  It feels like last week, she was a giggling little 3 year old, and now she's almost an adult... 

thoughts on buying greeting cards

I can't believe the price of greeting cards these days!

$4.95 for a very simple, lacklustre card in the newsagency - pretty much the cheapest you can get there.

Or you can go to the discount shop/reject shop/tobacconists and pick up a 3-for-$2.00 deal.  Which I must admit, is CHEAP.  But, so are the cards.  I have tried, but I just don't like any of them.

I remember, as a child, making my own cards for Mum's birthday, Dad's birthday, my brother's birthdays, and making Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day and Christmas cards.  And cards for friend's birthday.

That was more out of a need for frugality, but I did love making them.  I'd cut pretty flowers out of Mum's magazines, action pictures from catalogues, and spend ages crafting the card, and then hand-writing a sentiment or message inside.

And then I'd make an envelope, too.

I remember a Father's Day card I made for Dad one year.  I cut out pictures of tents, fishing rods, tackle boxes, fishing lures, even a motorbike! and glued them down onto a folded piece of paper with my trusty Perkin's Paste glue.

Dad loved it.

I'm back into making cards again.  Mainly because of the cost involved in buying a ready-made.  

If I'm going to spend that much money, I want to get some enjoyment out of it!

Making cards for family and friends doesn't have to be an expensive hobby.  As long as you enjoy what you do, and let's face it - it's lots of fun, and you don't spend more on one card than you would in the shops, then I'd say, you're doing it right.

Okay, setting yourself up with paper, cardstock, bling, stamps, ribbons, bling, adhesives, bling, stickers, have I mentioned bling yet??  can be daunting, but you don't have to get everything all at once.

Start small, but start with heart.  I can guarantee you'll have fun.

  

I made this with the stamp set "A Chocolate Affair" ($24, Stamp of the Month, Close To My Heart) and some old scrapbooking papers I had.

Check out my web-page:

sharondelpol.ctmh.com.au

It's my Close To My Heart shop.  Yes.  Shameless plug.  But go an have a look.  And, if you're in Australia, create a user profile (it's free) and feel free to browse through the Shop and order online.  Or you can contact me through the various ways detailed on the website.

xx

Sharon

SCRAPBOOKING & CARDMAKING - Close To My Heart

I love scrapbooking.  I have since I was about 14 and started taking my own photo's, developing them and placing them in the old "magnetic" style albums - the ones with hundreds of sticky lines across the page, with a protective plastic sheet over them. Does anybody still actually use these albums anymore??

I remember getting my supplies together on my desk.  Sticky tape. Check.  Colouring pencils. Check. Paper, scissors, stickers, ticket stubs and other miscellaneous paper embellishments. Check, check, check.

I didn't know it was actually called "Scrapbooking".  I called it "Putting my Photo's in an Album and Decorating Them".

I'd write names of who was in the photo in a silver or gold texta pen (gosh I had to save my pocket money for those expensive pens!), where it was taken, why we were there, etc.

To me, it was Memory Keeping.  I'd thumbed through my Mum's albums and wondered who all those people were (well, the ones I couldn't identify), where they were, what they were doing (if it wasn't completely obvious).  I decided I wouldn't leave photo's that didn't complete the story the picture was telling.

Sometimes, I'd just cut out a picture from the paper that I liked, and write down what I thought of it, if I dreamed of going there, doing that.  Other times, it was a cartoon strip that made me laugh.  Lots of times, it was the latest pop group I was into.  But it was all there, ready for the next generation to learn something about me.  To learn that I wasn't just "Mum", or "Sharon", or "Dorothy's/Clarrie's daughter".  That I was somebody, and I had dreams, ambitions, laughs, loves and to be honest - weirdness, too!

In 2013, I decided to join the crafting company "Close To My Heart".  Now, I get to play with a whole heap of scrapbooking, cardmaking and crafting supplies AND get paid to help others leave their own legacy to the future through creating wonderful items.

And, besides.  It's a lot of FUN.

 I made this card for a friend's birthday last night.  No more buying cards - my gosh - have you seen the price of greeting cards these days?  Nearly $5.00 for a card!  Or you can get the cheap ones from the Reject Shop and places, but I really don't like them ... they really aren't that personal ... and my friends all tell me they love it when they get a hand-made card, makes them feel special.

And doesn't everyone deserve to feel special??