to do list- and one thing done

Sometimes my job doesn't require all that much "brainpower." Weighing and testing samples of solution becomes automatic, leaving my brain free to flit around wherever it wants. That's not always a good thing- case in point is the list below, just some of the things that need to be done and/or bought. It's not all "chores" though- I'd like to get the books for the movies we watched last weekend, I need to get my hair cut (it's been over a year!), I want to buy flowers, etc. But, this list involves at least 5 or 6 stores, which does turn it into a chore. Hopefully I can get a few of them done this weekend.

I did, however, get one thing off the list completed. There is a monthly ATC swap tomorrow at the stamp store I found (not so local, it's about 15-20 miles away, but it's the closest, nicest one) in Chandler. The theme is Stamper's Choice. I decided to make mine Falling Leaves, one of the things I miss about this time of year in Illinois. I love the crackling sound when you walk through them, and the musty, decaying leaf smell (weird, I know). We had a huge maple tree in our backyard- it was magnificent when the sun shone through the gold leaves, against the brilliant blue of a crisp fall afternoon! So, these are my "homage" to that piece of fall... don't get me wrong, Arizona has autumn, too, it's just much more subtle. It only gets into the high 80s during the day, and it actually cools off enough to open the windows at night and the smell of the desert early in the morning is wonderfully indescribable. The background was made using a technique learned from Klaartje, a Dutch stamper I "know" through the internet. You can read about it here: http://stempelgekkie.blogspot.com/2006/09/step-by-step.html

My version was made by patting 3 or 4 colors of chalk ink onto the waxed side of freezer paper, spritzing with water, then pressing linen-textured paper into the ink. The "canvas net" border was stamped with a stamp from the Stampington "shore cliff" trim set, and the letters were stamped onto textured cardstock with the Rebecca Sower Typewriter Keys alphabet then punched out. They were "aged" using brown chalk, and applied using 3D foam tape. The leaves were punched out of metallic paper (don't know the mfr), then details were drawn in with my embossing tool. I think they turned out really nice; I was sort of "inspired" with the design- that's rare for me, to be "hit" with inspiration, but it's nice when it happens!

Tom is on his way home a few days early, because he put in a couple really long days on the jobsite in Texas. He will undoubtedly need a couple days rest, to recover and re-acclimate to the different time zone. So, tomorrow I will head to the stamp store, the pet store, the grocery store, and whatever other stores are on the way home, to get a few more of these items crossed off my list! I hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend, and Mom, I hope your snow (!) has melted!!!