Monday, December 26, 2011

Getting Ready for the New Year

Nothing like disappearing for months at a time from my blog. Actually it's always last on my things to do list and my things to do list has been pretty long lately. Toss in my daughter's emergency gall bladder surgery last month and well....life takes a left turn real quick. Plans always seem to get shifted lately but I am looking forward to a new year. Always like the fresh start it represents.

So since this week looks to be relatively quiet, I am trying to get reorganized. Hosting Cards for the Troops events means stamps and supplies are constantly being shifted and don't always get put away in a timely manner. To get me back on track and gear up for next years events, I am organizing and prepping this week.

Today was a pretty decent day. With hubby's help I got 3 cases of card stock sorted. My son works for OU Printing Services and all my card bases for the troops are donated to me from what they would send off to be recycled. I was able to sort some out for a teacher friend to use in her classroom, hubby got the remaining paper divided into sets of ten sheets for my professional Carl Cutter and I got 4 bins of card bases cut today for a bit more than 4000 cards. Yes you are reading that correctly, 4000 cards. Not quite through counting 2011 totals but looks like a little more than 7100 cards were made at all my events this year.

The reorganizing effort also has gotten my living room desk area tidy and sorted. I am blessed to have 2 work spaces.  My personal art room and a smaller area in the living room so I can work and be near hubby when he's home.  I also got some more prep work for the Cards for Troops events done and a bit of misc. cleaning and sorting. Not bad for day one. Tomorrow I will tackle my main art room. 

Now for a bit of artwork. This was my daughter's birthday card. I love the Creative Elements stamp set. I also used the Cheerful Treat Hostess paper along with Concord Crush and Melon Mambo card stock. The flower and Happy Birthday sentiment are non-SU! The butterfly is actually detail cut on the corner with a strip of matching paper on the inside backside of the card. When closed it looks like a seamless design, when open the butterfly's wings are free.