100 Up

Funny how one story sometimes leads to another. Leads right to another project, in fact; and it's a project about a scrapbook. This one right here:

It's the book my Mum used to collect together all the ideas for things she wanted to create, pages from magazines, that kind of thing, and that's where the hand puppets came from. A simple, cheap cuttings folder with magic possibilities.

And right up until her illness took hold she produced a steady stream of dolls and toys, wants and wishes. Now, the story of her fight with that cruel disease isn't mine to tell; but I will say that I have the scrapbook now because her hands won't stitch or sew or knit or craft again. It brings me up short every so often when I remember that her fight began when she was only a couple of years older than I am today. So I use that scrapbook; kind of carry the torch, you know? And my new project comes from that.

I've got a pack of manilla Bazzill Basics, a Bind-It-All and a pen. I'm not adding much more. It's going to be my cuttings book with the recipes from my blog, for a start, and anything else I can find. It has to be simple. It has to be written in my own handwriting. And that's all.

Today marks my 100th post, so I'm raising a glass and reflecting a little. I've forced myself to start using my camera properly; I've met some lovely, good, creative people; and I've learned that, if I try, I can make a story turn on a sixpence. I like to pick one little nugget from today or yesterday or before and when I'm telling my tale I'm leaving the rest behind. Sometimes I spend the day washing dishes and ironing shirts. Sometimes I chip plaster from a wall, choose paint colours, or argue with the planners. Sometimes I even shake a hand and make a deal. If it's a good one. But that's not really what my blog's about. It's about the little things. So, here's to the next 100 posts. Who knows where they will take us?