Captured in a Card (4)

I love it when I get chatting to someone in the family and I'm reminded of a little famiy story I had completely forgotten:

In wartime, when Grandma wanted to redecorate and wallpaper was scarce she used to smuggle it across the border by wrapping the rolls around her body and covering up with a stout overcoat

Talking of stories - it's Storytelling Sunday time again this weekend. If you'd like to join in, all you need to do is write a post with a story, let your readers now that it's a Storytelling Sunday post and then come over here and link it up. Everyone welcome!

And finally, in case it helps someone else - I've been trying to get into Blogger all day. Couldn't post, couldn't comment. As a long shot, I tried changing browsers (from Explorer to Chrome) and it worked. Hurray! I'm hitting the post button right now..



Captured in a Card (3)

Story Champion

When I was six I told my teacher we were going to Sweden for our holidays. We weren't going anywhere and I was getting a bit fed up hearing about everyone else's plans. But I got caught out when the teacher asked my mum about our interesting holiday ...
A retro look for a story from the 70's.

Regular readers will have heard this story before, but I thought it was a good one to go with a picture of a little holiday girl looking shocked. Maybe her Mum just caught her out too.

AND it's a great reminder for me to remind you that it's Storytelling Sunday next week, 5th June

Pass the Book: The Ninth

It's time for Pass The Book again. Again! Where did April go? This month there was only one kind of book I was looking for. It had to be..

a book of card making sketches. Maybe you are already a diehard card maker with a blog list of sketch and challenge sites (anything you'd recommend?). Maybe, like me, you are only venturing into cardmaking after years of scrapbooking. I think this would suit anyone. In fact,  I bet you'll find half a dozen sketches to put in your notebook before you pass it on. The usual rules apply and newcomers are welcome. Simply leave a comment if you'd like a chance to read Cardmakers sketchbook . I'll draw a name in a week's time and you will find more information here

It has certainly given me a few more ideas for my Captured in a Card series. You've been asking me questions about the cards - here's what I think:

• Would I show the inside of a card?  So far the insides are completely plain and simply include my handwritten message with no journaling stamp or added decoration. But I'd love to learn how to improve my handwriting and this might be the push I need.
• Would it work with famous quotes I love?  Definitely! The other night I heard Richard Branson on TV saying "You don't make anything if you don't make mistakes." I thought that was worth writing down and remembering, so it might end up in a card.
• What's the story behind the "chicken" quote in your second card?  Truthfully, there isn't one. The Small One made a passing, random remark which I thought was funny enough to write down. That's the thing with the cards - you don't have room for lots of text, so you can make the most of a quick story or saying.
• How are you storing them?  At the minute in a divided page protector at the front of my latest album. Paperchase has great photo albums for a collection (Lizzie suggested making gift albums). Clair suggested library drawers like the 7Gypsies ones (love this idea) and I have a little plastic Photobox mailer which might work too. Or what about an index card holder?
• Finally, have a look at how Rinda has made the plan work for her. Her heritage stories are wonderful.

So, there you go. Leave a comment for the card sketch book, have a think about making a card or two and I'll have another Captured in a Card ready for next week.

Captured in a Card (2)

I've made another one. With a quote inside this time:

"I don't like helicopters. They are big and scary. A bit like chickens."
The Small One

Turns out you like the idea of one card, one memory. (Great! Because I like it too). If you feel like playing along, leave me a link and I'll be sure to drop by. Maybe we could start a Flickr group?

Lizzie thoughtfully suggested that a collection of cards in a little album would make a nice gift. I'm thinking it would be perfect for a "Good Luck In Your New Job" present, or for an eighteenth birthday. Or what about  baskets of cards on the tables at weddings or parties? You could ask the guests to choose their favourite and write their best bit of the day inside.

Today's card is a different style and colour to last week's. I like the idea of being able to move them around in an album, swapping and rearranging to get a combination I really enjoy. It sounds a bit like playing with Grandma's old button box. Mmm..sorting and rearranging. I think my librarian genes are calling me home.

Have a good day whatever you are up to!

Captured in a Card #1

If you were here on Tuesday, you might have noticed the quick card I made. Well, I have a confession to make. I've never made cards before. Alright, I've made a couple of half hearted attempts; but the whole process never grabbed me. Until now. When the beautiful Emma's Shoppe papers appeared in my Gotta Craft kit, I suddenly - just wanted to make cards.

As I played around I thought about how much fun working on a small canvas really is. And that gave me an idea. What if I made a card, loved it, wanted to keep it? What if I made cards to fit inside 4x6 page protectors? And what if I used those cards as tiny scrapbook pages? You don't need a 12" square to tell a little story. One small moment, one quip, one quote you love. You only need a card. Maybe with space for a tiny photo, certainly with room for a favourite embellishment.

"When Grandpa Lex was a little boy during The Depression, he used to take off his shoes and hide them in the hedge before going into school, because so many of the other children had no shoes at all. This story stuck in my mind I think because he grew up to be a clergyman."

I love the thought of someone on a rainy Sunday afternoon sitting down and leafing through an album of cards. Pulling out one here and there and reading the memory inside. Like a collection of old postcards, maybe, or visiting cards. I've made one already. One card. One memory. Captured.