Journaling Craze

My December 2015 Calendar Journal was a fun month to document and attempt some more creative looking day blocks.

A creative lettering style that always catches my attention is now being practiced by me ..... a lot.  Along with other styles.  Drawing letters/words is a painstakingly slow process ..... for me.  I bravely even practice it on mail art envelopes too.  I'm not so good at it.  I'm not even going to say 'yet'.  But if you view it from, say, ten feet away, not too shabby looking.  LoL

On Pinterest I see loads of something new to me.  Bullet Journals.  From what I can figure about them is that they are just lists.  Daily lists.  And people go to a lot of work making these daily lists.

My mind is not what it used to be and it never is spending much time thinking about what I 'should' be doing.  It's always thinking about PLAYING.  This means it's necessary that I make myself lists.  On-going lists.  But I just keep a spiral journal on my desk always with the on-going list of things I need to remember to do, and dates of events that I need to remember are approaching.

The pages get flipped back and forth until 'stuff' gets crossed off.  It also contains ideas and drawing illustrations of ideas for PLAYING.  I even tape things into it that I don't want to loose.  And bits of trimmed off Washi Tapes.  All kinds of stuff really.  It's just what comes to mind at the moment that I don't want to forget.  Or a lot of things that I keep forgetting until I get it written down.  It keeps me on track and on time.

My conclusion to Bullet Journals is that I already have one in a more relaxed format.

Make your day creative!

xxx

Annie

Making Cards

Happy New Year

cards

Now that traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas are past, I am free to make Annie-style cards to send to my daughter and my friends.  The people who don't look at these cards as if I were out of my mind.   

So I had a play with postage people.  It's been a while.  Adolph S. Ochs has been patiently waiting in my stash for a body.  The man's body is a Tim Holtz Found Relative card.  Adolph went on a trip to Connecticut.

Butterfly lady is still traveling.  She came about from a long awaited play time to create in my own style.

Quiet Winter also is still traveling.  This card emerged from trying a technique I found on Pinterest.

And then lastly, I needed a Thank You note.

And now for a new year to start fresh again.  May 2016 be your best new year ever!

xxx

Annie

Christmas Postcard Exchange

Last November I joined in a Christmas Postcard Exchange with other like-minded bloggers, hosted by Sheila at Sheila's Quilt World. I mailed my postcard to Lin in Paris. 

This card seems to have taken the scenic route, as it took a bit long in arriving. But finally arrived, it did.  just as I was about to start on a replacement postcard. Sometimes all we need to do is threaten our original mail art with replacement mail art. 

I did not have the long wait that Lin had. Her beautiful postcard arrived well before Christmas for my holiday enjoyment.

I love all these perfectly made hexies stitched together with such perfect and incredibly tiny, barely visible stitches. And something I've not seen before, teeny tiny beads stitched at each inside point. All finished off with a metallic thread satin stitched edge. Thank you so much Lin for this beautiful postcard. 

This day after Christmas is a great time to look back on Christmas Day and all the days leading up to it and reminisce on the beauty of this season with a smile. I hope everyone has happy hearts. 

xxx

Annie

Christmas Greetings and Gift Wrapping

It always seems that at this time of year people are friendlier and more giving.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we were all like that all year long?  We all have our limits to being walked on, but other than that, it's not so hard to be kinder than we think we can be.

Wishing all my blogging friends and followers a very

Merry Christmas

I made a handful of special Christmas postcards for a handful of special people in my life.  I have said before I am hopeless with mass production.  (Two of anything is mass production!)  I made seven of these postcards.  I was already whining when I had six more to go.  But I'm glad I made them.

For the rest of my dear family and friends, I altered a commercially produced card.  I chose this Christmas collage card...no surprise there, eh.

And I added three glittery snowflakes.  The largest on a pop dot for a 3-D appearance.  

This too was mass production except that it was in such a simple form that I managed a whole stack without whining.....too much.

I mostly had small gifts and money to wrap.  And I love the "brown paper packages tied up with string" Pinterest photos.  So I took my lead from inspiration in those photos.

I hope the world has a joyous Christmas!

xxx

Annie

Blitzen Snowman

Don't faint... I've been sewing again.

And now I am enjoying this wonderful Winter guy this year.  

I found him at the Madison, WI Quilt Expo this last September.  I NEVER buy quilt kits.  NEVER.  But I loved the fabrics he was made up with.  I immediately asked if they had him in a kit.  YES!  And of course it was the last one.  They didn't need that sales pitch because I was going to buy it no matter what.  LoL

I thought he was wearing a ball cap until I gave the pattern a good look.  This is when I discovered he is a basket.  

I don't much care for the basket idea so I changed him up giving him his top hat.  I adore him!  I love that he's festive enough for Christmas and not-so-much Christmasy that he can remain hanging all through Winter.

The fabric collection is blitzen by basicgrey for Moda

The pattern is Sue's Snowman Basket by Jan Patek Quilts Inc.

He's out of storage now and all made up.  That fits right into my plan to get stuff out of storage and all made up.  

Happy Winter!

xxx

Annie