Tasks and Memories

I'm trying to keep stress minimal right now despite a crazy work schedule and a pile of things I want/need to accomplish in the next fifteen days.  But things are actually progressing well.  I have a nice listing of friends (and some relatives - LOL) who will be receiving my Solstice Cards and the design is also progressing well.  Dropping by Dick Blick Art Supply store on my way home last night, I got the markers I needed and also a new blade for my Silhouette cutter.  I'm thrilled that they are now carrying supplies for my machine because as frustrating as it sometimes is, I truly love it.  So I now have three markers that I needed for my cards, AND a new blade to play with for cutting what I need for my shoes...yes, my shoes.

I'm not getting a chance to do much about painting my shoes until after the holiday madness is over and done, but I'm not allowing it to sit on the back burner either. I want my shoes painted, and I have figured out how I need to do it.  The easiest way for me to accomplish what I want will be to pull the design into my cutting machine and let it cut the Frisket for me.  If the term Frisket is unfamiliar to you, it is an artist's material, often used in painting, that is available in liquid or sheet form.  It adheres to the surface, blocking part of a painting off, and then can be removed.  The silhouettes of the nine walkers, the lettering, and other items I want on my shoes will be cut from Frisket to allow them to remain black or unpainted while I am working on the background colors or other sections.  I am really looking forward to playing with the shoes but it's a January project.  I need to finish my holiday cards and a single gift first.

I will be sending a few more queries out today to finalize my address list and start addressing envelopes. Hopefully I can do some of the detail work today at the shop if we're not super busy.  I can also do some work on the cards on Sunday while I'm at work.  Sundays are usually fairly slow days.  By Wednesday I want my interior text to be finalized and ready to print and my final address listing complete so that I can print and complete that part and begin the final embellishments.  Dang!  I really LOVE being able to play with my art again, even if it is something so mundane as designing a Solstice card.

And a couple of events of historical note that happened on this date.  First, in 1941 the Pearl Harbor attack occurred, a serious attempt by the Japanese Empire to destroy the US Pacific Fleet.  It was an aggressive attack that came close to success, but America did what it had to - pulled themselves back up. Within a few months America had entered the war as a front runner, bringing the war back to Japan and at the forefront joining the tired and decimated armies of the European nations.  I'm NOT a fan of war, and I know how many really horrific things happened in the Pacific theatre, but I do want to remember those who died in the Pearl Harbor attack and what it led to.

The second event was much prettier.  On this date, while on a trip to the moon, the picture commonly known as "The Blue Marble" was taken.  This picture suddenly brought the planet into focus to many people throughout the world.  Suddenly the idea that we were living on a limited biosphere that we all shared responsibility for came through with clarity.  This was the beginning of global planning and opened additional talks into world planning.  Unfortunately, too many people see nonexistent political boundaries instead of the beauty and wonder of our world.  So I post it once more to show how truly fantastic our planet is.