DO YOU COLLECT SOMETHING?

Just asking…

Do you have a hobby? How did it start, and has it been an ongoing passion?

Many folks are addicted to collecting something or continue to have activities that are part of your life.

I collect apples, because I made annual trips to The Big Apple, the nickname for New York City. When I traveled there, or for that matter, any city, I would purchase apples of any kind: ceramic, wood, plastic, metallic, you name it. Apples in red, green, yellow, brown (if wooden) and gold (if metallic); a number of red apples boast a yellow “glow.”

Apples commonly are life-size, meaning they look like what you see in markets.

But renderings range from carved, to resemble bites in the apple, some are “sliced” to depict the white fruit complete with seeds. Some ornamental red apples glow with red beads, giving them a sparkly veneer, others are striped or polka-dotted. There are no limitations; I even have a tic-tac-toe board…with mini green and red apples.

My Christmas tree used to be home for dozens of apple-red glossy ornaments.

Seriously, you need display space for these collectibles; and that is a reason I’ve toned down my apple purchases. Some are scattered to add a dash of color on bookshelves; others are assembled in glass bowls, so the variety can be seen. Still others are nestled in woven baskets.

If you have a hobby – anything from sports trading cards, vintage milk covers, Disney figurines, coins or stamps – please share your thoughts.

WILD CARDS: LET THE FUNSHINE IN

Feeling good and cheerful today. So thought I’d share a couple of my Wild Cards that reflect the funshine mood.

Enjoy. These are specimens of some of the simple make-your-own cards using

washi tape, stickers and your imagination!

HOW MY ‘WILD CARDS’ EVOLVED

So I’ve pledged to do some card /craft things on this website, if you’ve noticed.

Disclosures:

  • I don’t like to spend $6 to $8 or more for commercial notecards.
  • I am old-school and still write hand-written notes – meaning cards – to send birthday cheer or get-well wishes, or for any other occasion. Yes, emails get there swiftly; you can create original e-cards with clip art, or enlist on professional e-card companies that create wonderful graphics, animation, and music to mark any occasion. What you can’t effectively do is scribble out a note.
  • I create original handmade stationery because I enjoy the process. Started years ago, when I sought a Hallmark card to send a personal note with a precise vibe. Couldn’t find one, but the one beaut   might have bought had a message that didn’t reflect my sentiments.

That’s how my Wild Cards were born. I secured reams of assorted paper, of vellum quality so they have crisper and durability than standard paper. I sought out art paper stores on numerous trips for resources that gad more glitz and zest.

But I also do notecards relying on washi tape, colored pens, paints and various other media – wire, felt pieces, wrapping paper, rubber stamps, stick-on alphabets, and good old-fashioned hand-lettering with pens of many colors – and then work out motifs. With a paper cutter, scissors, doubled-edge tapes and X-Acto pens, I let the imagination go wild.

Here, I share a couple of simple cards anyone can create. One uses stickers of dogs, the other of cats. The exclamation point for me here are the hand-written captions.

I won’t engage in DIY make-a-card instruction here – that’s not my role — but perhaps you might find some inspiration to make your own, then send someone a hand-written note, too. You don’t know the joy you’ll bring to the recipient.