SO, I DON'T NEED TO CHARGE IT?

SO, I DON’T NEED TO CHARGE IT?

Kindle can’t do that!

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It all began in 1993, when I married my now husband. I use the word “now” because he is my second and will be my last. My first decided suddenly he wasn’t cut out to be a husband or father. Fifteen years later, I met RD, who at the time, was a widower with children close in age to my own. There were three boys and one girl, the oldest child (I consider all of them to be “ours”, not mine or his) at the time was twenty-six and the youngest was twenty. The immediate blend of families was a huge sigh of relief. RD and I wondered, when we decided to marry, how our children would welcome “step” parents and sibs. Everyone was overjoyed. Whew! What a relief. To say we were blessed is a very mild statement.

Moving on …

Kaye, the girl (obviously) soon learned about my writing habits and wondered what other kind of crafty things I might enjoy. At the time, I had just gotten a computer with a hard drive (my old one ran on two floppies) and lo and behold! The internet! That was awesome. Now, all I had to do was learn how to use it. (But that’s another story.)

For Christmas that year, Kaye bought me a computer program that would enable me to create my own greeting cards. The program consisted of pre-printed papers, a few hard, square, plastic disks, an instruction book depicting their artwork and which disk it was on. All I had to do, using their disks, was decide which card I wanted to create, bring up that file, and type whatever sentiment I wanted using my own words. Viola! Done.

Through the years, as I learned more about using my computer and imagination, I began designing my own cards. That came in handy since about five years later, the company I’d been using went out of business, preventing me from upgrading it.

I bought another card program but the new one didn’t come with pre-printed paper. You would need to click on the artwork that came with the program, transfer it to the size card (poster, of whatever) you wanted to make, then finish with your design (however large, small, tilted, backward, and color) you chose. And, yes, I still had the ability to create my own sentiment.

After I printed the card, I could enhance the color with the colorized pens I bought (not markers). I found I could also use glitter glue to strengthen a specific area of the image. For instance, if I used a sunset water scene, I could use the gold glitter glue to bring out the moon’s glow on the water. Or I could use a different color glitter glue to outline an image, so it didn’t look so “bland” and dull. It almost looked 3-D.

Yes, I still make those cards however, I also graduated from that.

I’m assuming most of you know about the new card-making craze – 3-D cards. Using the machine you purchased (Sizzix or Cricut or whatever), you can emboss your paper, then using the thinlets, cut out whatever design you prefer.

Yes, I still make some of those, as well.

However . . . . .

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I was planning on attending a craft fair. Hey, I had many cards I thought I could sell so I paid my “table” fee and gathered my crafts. I had a week to prepare.

I’d planned on taking a book with me since I instinctively knew, no matter how many prospective buyers craft fairs might draw, there is always a lull. Reading would be a good way to pass the time. I grabbed an index card to use as my bookmark.

That’s when my brain’s lightbulb illuminated.

Why not make a bookmark? I can do this this. Might take a bit of ingenuity and research but isn’t that what imagination is for?

I immediately got to work.

I wanted to create a few bookmarks that might get people who look at them interested in their history. For instance, I’d been out fishing with my husband and as we were coming home, I took a photo (another hobby of mine) of a cloud. After putting the image in my computer, I realized that it looked exactly like an angel. Using that image, I found an old French proverb that said, “Miracles happen to those who believe in them.” It seemed not just fitting, but perfect.

That was my beginning. After creating about ten bookmarks, I printed, cut them to size, then laminated them, using the old laminator that sat unused in my closet since I left my position of membership director in a club to which I belong.

People really seem to like them and often will buy a few to give to their children or grandchildren hoping it might further encourage them to read paper-paged books and stay off their electronics for a while. After all, electronics need to be recharged now and then while paper-paged books do not.

So, there you have it! The story of how I went from writing short stories to creating bookmarks.

Oh, right, I almost forgot. My photography. I enjoy grabbing my camera and snapping those images I like (flowers, boats, trees, whatever catches my eye). After I download the images to my computer, I resize them, then print them on photo paper, and use those images to make my cards (birthday, anniversary, and whatever).

I have so much fun with this stuff. And …… (drum roll) since tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful day, I’ll be grabbing my camera and heading off to one of our nature parks.

My photos also give me inspiration for my writing.

Hope you enjoyed reading this and learning a bit more about me.

Thanks for reading.