I just wanted to share with you all this poem of thanks as we have just ended the Thanksgiving Season and are about to embark on the highly anticipated yearly Christmas Season, full of shopping and gift giving and receiving and more importantly treasured memories with family and friends.  As we look back at our Thanksgiving holiday let's also remember while moving forward to remember to be grateful for all that is around us as well as all of the new and exciting things to come in the new year. 

Poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson below:

For flowers that bloom about our feet,
For tender grass so fresh and sweet,
For the song of bird and hum of bee,
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For blue of stream and blue of sky,
For pleasant shade of branches high,
For fragrant air and cooling breeze,
For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven we thank Thee.

For this new morning with it's light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

With this card, I wanted it to be very quick, easy and simple, yet I wanted to make sure it conveyed the message I was trying to relay.  With the Fall Season in full effect and with the coming of the Thanksgiving Holiday, I decided to go with warm fall colors for the card, along with a soft purple/green fallish (is that even a word) flower in the center. 

So finally, I’ve gotten the opportunity to share with you all November Gratitude Project #2 of 5.  Next week will be a busy week.  J  I decided to create a mini book/album that consists of at least one thing I’m grateful.  This album by the time I’m finish with it will have at least 30 Gratitude’s.  Since this is the season for thankfulness, why not create a gratitude mini album.  I know many out there have gratitude journals/notebooks.  But it you’re like me, let’s take baby steps. 

Anyway, not too much was involved here.  I used all scrap materials.  The actual book is around 2.5”x4”.  I found some left over scraps from a fall paper pack I purchased last year.  I also used the assembly line method in putting this album together.  The main pages were already cut then I cut the 1” strip to put the date (Number) on each page, then I glued down the middle section of the page where I will write my daily gratitude.  Lastly, I added my faux stitching. 

I have a text message draft on my phone where I have written a daily gratitude for each day.  I will end up writing the gratitude’s inside the Daily Gratitude Album – this will more than like be during the long weekend – during the Dallas Cowboys football game and the Texas A&M vs. UT (That’s the UT – University of Texas) football game.  J

Don’t worry, for my Month of Gratitude Projects, I hope to have Project 2 of 5 up tomorrow.  Last week was a very trying week for me and there wasn’t too much I was able to get done.  This week has been a little bit better, so I’m trying to get caught up on everything now. 

So for today, since we’re all just about – ALMOST into the holiday spirit, I wanted to share a transparency card I made.  Below, you will find the steps in completing the transparency card, this would be a fun project to do possibly for holiday cards.  And speaking of holiday cards, have you all been keeping up with Kristina Werner’s Holiday Card Series 2010 – one – no, two words, AWESOME!

So back to the transparency card steps:

Materials needed: 

• 8x10 transparency folded to create a 4x5 card.
• 8x10 piece of white or cream cardstock folded to create a 4x5 card.
• Desired Stamp.
• 2 Ink pads – one should be a black ink pad.  I used Jet Black Staz-On ink it tends to stick better on the transparency.
• Sharpie Markers

 Directions:

1. Cut and score your transparency to the desired size – whatever size you would like your card to be.  I personally like to create 4x5 greeting cards.
2. Using selected stamp, stamp the image on the non-glossy side of the transparency using the black ink pad. 
3. Color the stamped image the desired colors using the Sharpie Markers.
4. Let Dry.  This should take no more than 5 minutes.
5. Get white/cream piece of cardstock and place inside the transparency.
6. Glue the back side of the cardstock to the transparency using a clear glue.  You can glue only the four corners so the glue doesn’t stand out on the back of the card, or only glue the inside fold of the cardstock to the inside fold of the transparency.  I believe I used Glossy Accents since the bond is pretty permanent.
7. With the other ink pad, ink the edges of the transparency and cardstock.
8. Mail your greeting card….or keep it for yourself.

 

Create something nice for that special someone. 

 Happy Scrappin!

Today while checking my Yahoo! Inbox, I received an article from Noell Hyman (a scrapbooking, video/podcast host; scrapbook tutor; writer, etc.)  entitled Seven Why's & How's to Keep Memories via Scrap-Journaling.   Noell, whose PaperClipping RoundTable I love to listen to came up with a fun and exciting spin on Journaling.  If you're like me, I would love to journal more.  Yeah, I have this blog and all, but I would really like to leave a piece of me behind, something that will give future generations a glimpse into my character.  I think charting the "here and now is important," and Noell had a good point that over the years, especially during her childhood, she feels as though she remembers so much due to the fact that she journaled daily while growing up.  I mean, just imagine writing in your journal only to be able to recall events easier, or read back on your journal entry and still laugh just as hard about the event today, as you did when it happened or when you wrote about it.
Noell's approach in her Scrap-Journaling is very simple and creative all in one.  If you have a chance, please check out the article.  I'll let you all know if I get the chance to try it out (The Scrap-Journaling) myself.  I personally think it's DEFINITELY worth the shot - to get my journaling challenge a try!

Today, I just wanted to encourage everyone to vote.  It doesn’t matter your party affiliation – just go out and vote.  Please just keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers today, as with the 2008 Election – there are numerous threats out there with particular political party’s main focus today to harass and/or discourage voters, to do what they are entitled to do – which is vote. 

So please everyone – let’s go out to the polls today and make our voices hear – let’s inform our government on what this country needs and wants. 

Polls close at 7pm today. 

Go Vote!  As Americans – it is our Duty!