The After Christmas Decorations

You know the way you pack a suite case when you are leaving on a trip? You make everything fit. But when you go to re pack your stuff to come home it's hard to make it work. You didn't even add anything and all your stuff just won't fit. This is my story of my Christmas Decorations.
I had my hubby take all the boxes down the first part of December. I sorted through each box. Tossing things that were beyond keeping or donating. I gathered boxes to give some ornaments to the kids that are now out on their own. I made a very big pile to donate. Why is it that I can't put the few things that we used back into the boxes? It might be that when I am done with all the decorating and want to move to next phase of the season I start taking things down and put them in the boxes that are handy. So now I'm left with two strings of garland this little Swedish angel chime thing and a Santa candle holder. They will go into a box soon but not sure if they will fit.

    What to do with all the Holiday cards? I use to keep them until the next year. They were always in a box that was handy that I could get to. I'd go through them in November and do a head count so I knew about how many cards to make. I have been making my Holiday card from the time I took a block printing class in high school. When the kids were small and we didn't have much money I'd make our cards to send out with the fronts of the cards we received the previous years. This year they will go in the recycle can. They are very pretty or cute but I am getting to the point where I want to minimize this kind of thing.

A friend and I were talking and she said someone told her that the time after Christmas and before New Years is a bummer of a week. All the stuff with the Holiday, good or bad has past and she just wants to get to the next thing: New Years. She starts taking decorations down right away and then makes the most of this kind of blah week waiting for the new year to begin.
I feel at a loss during this week. It doesn't feel right to start another project. But I just want to get back in my studio. I did have a burst of creative energy just before Christmas. I took some of my pages that are altered with CitraSolv and worked on some faces.

Happy New Year to all. May you have good creative juices flowing in 2012.
Create something every day.
 

A Day At Trails End Ranch

Friends love you no matter what. You can be away from them for a long time and when you get back together you pick up right where you left off. It's been awhile since my friend Laura and I have got together. 
Today I went to Laura's place. I say place because she lives on 52 acres in the hills above Claremont. She lives there with her husband, 2 warm and loving dogs, all the wildlife you can imagine in our foothills and some horses. I love going there. It's like leaving the rest of the world behind and going on a retreat.
Most of the time Laura and I get together we have lunch, and create. We make journals, resin papers, paint, tear paper and laugh a bunch. We were to create today too. I had some ideas of things to try. And Laura was going to help me with my blog posts. I brought lunch. She had dessert waiting. We ate, talked, laughed and pet the dogs in her warm and cozy kitchen. It's so relaxing there. Laura has her art work all around. From sculptures, to journal pages to collage artwork hanging on the walls. She also has artwork from friends on display.
After lunch and a yummy dessert we moved to the work room.  Laura showed me some things on Blogger. It was a good lesson on how to post pictures to my blog.  Then...we sat and talked and laughed some more. Out the large windows we watched deer walked through the yard and a big old owl flying around. We never did get the art supplies out. But that's okay.
The sun was setting and I really didn't want to leave. I took one last look out the windows at the beautiful view of the valley, watched a large deer wander though the back yard and said good-bye.
"It's a long and winding road that leads to your door" and I am so grateful to have you in my life Friend. Thank you for sharing your life and beautiful surroundings with me. You truly live in a sanctuary.
Now I will try and post a photo.

Not bad. It took me awhile but I got it.