Thursday, June 24, 2010

The Wait is Over...

You aren't waiting for anything?  Oh!  I guess I have been waiting for what seems like forever to start a blog.  I've thought about it for over a year, took hundreds of pictures I thought would make perfect blog posts, strained my brain to come up with cute/smart/funny/creative but also available blog names, researched the perfect host, designed dozens of cute projects and tutorials to feature on the blog, and purchased super cool blog banners and backgrounds.  So the only thing I didn't do was make the blog itself.  Why you asked? In order to answer that I must let you into my head where I hide my issues, insecurities, and idiosyncrasies.  On your quest of discovery you will find the biggest hurdle stopping me in my blogger tracks is the fact that while I think I am crafty, clever, and cunning, I know I ain't a writer.  If you find my writing skills lacking, then you will really have issues with my spelling, and don't even get started on grammar and punctuation.  Decades and decades ago, my favorite professor at The University of Michigan, mentioned that spelling and creativity are INVERSELY related.  Oddly enough, that day he he became my favorite professor.


If I'm to be honest, I must admit that my writing skills have always been less than stellar, but learning to write like a nurse was the final nail in the coffin.  Medical charting and creative writing are polar opposites and it doesn't take a genius to figure out which end I am on.  I've spent years (im)perfecting my writing skills until my writing habits and charting (bad) habits are one in the same and all in APA format.  Good charting = few words, short time, cover-your-butt, clipped sentences,  as little punctuation and as many abbreviations as one can pack on a page.  So, I've forgotten basic grammer and how to use punctuation correctly?!.  Rather than refresh my knowledge of the written English language,  I use all of my creativity to make my own grammar and punctuation rules.  I love to use commas and hyphens all over the place and (I can't write a paragraph without at least one set of parenthesis).  Fun Fun Fun for me but not so fun for my readers.  Deal with it!!!!!   You can think of yourself as an archeologist reading ancient text, you know before all those nasty rules and grammatical facts were discovered.  Make an afternoon out of it: sit down with a cup of tea, chocolate, a flashlight, reading glasses, and 30 minutes of free time and read my blog.  You might learn something; not about English silly, about crafts or my cute kids, or food (local food is my new interest).  In the end it all comes down to the fact that while I can't write, I:

  • Can discuss every new product produced by my favorite companies like Basic Grey,  Maya Road, Making Memories, House of 3, and Webster's Pages.  
  • Use a sewing machine, paper punch, craft tool, knitting needle, and paint brush.  
  • Know how to use Gesso, Gel Medium (gloss or matte), and about 800 types of adhesive
  • Know a Cricut is NOT a bug, and a Slice is NOT a piece of fruit 
  • Know that Golden is the name of a fancy paint brand 
  • Met Tim Holtz AND Martha Stewart this year
  • Love to blog hop around the web, reading all the terrific blogs written by terribly creative women and and one man (Tim Holtz)

and like all good crafters, I have way too many supplies and love every one of them.


So, I got past all that good/bad grammar crap and had decided it was time to go write my first post when I was hit square in the face by another block on my trip down the Yellow Blog Road.  Unlike Dorothy or the Wizard, my life isn't all that interesting.  I fancy myself as a witty, intelligent, clever little girl and frankly, I don't want to be outed.  I guess a little creativity on my part could go far in keeping this secret locked away from your part.  If you start to catch on, I can always distract you by posting cute pictures of my children,  Rufus the bunny, or Memo, the Beta fish swimming in his wall-mounted bubble tank.  While my grammar sucks and I see no way to get around that, I can work hard to make the blog fun; second problem averted!


I have addressed at least a few of my my excuses, got them off my chest, and put them down in black and white, I'm ready to go.  So, I asked myself, "what makes a good blog?"

  1. Great Title (check) Ryann named it
  2. Great Border (check) Purchased it at House of 3, my favorite site to buy super cool artwork  
  3. Good pictures (check) Ryann and Rick take great pictures
  4. Funny Stories (check) Chase is hilarious and provides a lot of material on a daily basis. 
  5. Up-to-the-minute details about everybody we know (check) Ryann's on Facebook 24/7 (or texting, or emailing, or using two cans and a string…)   
  6. Frequent Posts (hmmmm, I edit, re-edit, and edit again so I have to work on this one).

Ready or not here I go…


Please let me know what you like, how much you like it, and how you've never seen anything as fabulous as this blog.  Negative comments are not welcome so don't bother.  




Later's baby....