Another Birthday Card

 

My dear family is away for 4 days (!!!), and I have been catching up on some things, including writing here in this space.  The last few days have been filled with things that would make most people bored as hell, but for me it has been a much-needed escape from chaotic family/work life.  I am really enjoying the quiet thinking time, and getting those things-that-never-get-done done.

On my list of things to do was to make a birthday card.  A friend recently asked me if I have been using my watercolour paint set, which reminded me that I haven't been using it, and probably should.  I painted a couple of cards since buying the set before Christmas, but neither of them turned out well.  One of the cards was particularly rushed and messy; I put it together minutes before we had to leave for the event where the card was to be given.  This time around, I went a little slower, put some thought and planning into it, read a couple of watercolour tips online, and preblended colours to get the right hues.  I ended up with these two rainbow birthday cards; a simple and sincere design with a space to write a personalized message underneath.

A Birthday Card

The last few birthday cards I made were schlepped together at the last minute.  To be honest, they weren't even cards.  They were gift tags, because making a tag is faster than a card.  Not exactly a proud moment in my card-making career.

For my niece's 4th birthday, I purposely set aside some time to work on her card.  Mainly because her gift was a magazine subscription which would arrive later in the mail, and so I didn't have anything to give concrete to give her at the party.  The least I could do was make a nice card.  I drew a cat head by copying one from a book, and asked my daughter to draw a party hat to go with it.  The result was a credible and spunky birthday greeting.  For the inside, I drew the message in bubble letters, and my daughter coloured them in.  She took her time to make it nice by carefully selecting brightly coloured pencil crayons and trying to colour within the lines as best she could.  We both felt happy about the way it turned out, and we agreed that we made a great card-making duo.

Renew

Hello.

It's been quite a while since the last time I wrote in this space.  The time flew by, and now here we are, well into the new year.  Undoubtedly, 2017 will be a time of change in many different ways, and some of it will be scary and upsetting.   I take comfort in knowing that the many can move mountains if their will is strong.  And we are many.  And we are strong.

As for resolutions, I do like the idea of making them.  Not as rules to abide by, but more like guiding principles for the year.  A few are worth mentioning here:

1. Reduce waste.  In practical terms: buy less but better, and mend the things we have.  I forsee a lot of knee patches on little pants.
2. Make school lunches more interesting.  My child's lunches got pretty monotonous for a while there, so any bit of variety will be an improvement.
3. Make time for creativity. I'm hoping to put a new set of knitting needles and an almost new watercolour paint set to good use.
4. Be a strong female role model.  This one won't be so easy, since avoiding conflict, staying quiet, and being nice are in my nature and were reinforced by my upbringing.  But with two little pairs of eyes watching me all the time, I am determined to be better.

I'm looking forward to sharing more with you on how things go.  No promises, naturally.

Photo credit: For All Womankind.