Just because

Hey, remember that card kit I was working with? In the instructions (above) is pictured a perfectly good "just because" note card, right? Uh-oh, here it comes. I wasn't warming up to that metal buckle and that twill ribbon used like that, so...

I took a little detour and made this card instead. In the embellishments trade-off, I acquired a metal buckle/tag, but I got to use up a round tag, a flower and a chipboard photo corner. Advantage: me. It's all done in micro-inchies, doncha know. One tiny brad or eyelet at a time... {evil laugh}. winkwink

I'm actually happy to acquire the metal piece because I've had a set of Making Memories steel stamps (the kind that you whack into soft metal with a hammer) that I have used only like once or twice. So, I see some practice taking place and the metal is better than thick foil like I have the most of. That's the game plan right now anyway. Tomorrow, who knows, what with my insane imagination. I am just glad to not have used the tag like the kit card sample did...maybe too dated?

Why ever I made that choice I couldn't say. It's like this book I read once, called Blink. I trust my gut a lot and don't really analyze it. He says that for certain people, who have had a long time in a skill set that requires repetition that reaps excellence (as opposed to working on an assembly line), you can probably be right in the gut trust. It has something to do with having developed and sharpened innate decision-making by developing certain skill sets. Some skill sets do that, some do not. The book is an anectodal rambler so I don't know as I'd recommend the read, but I was reminded of it so there's the mention.

This is what I am reading right now (shown above, along with my lumpy well-used cotton gauze purple pillow that was cushioning my neck while I was reading). The author's point of view is very original. Not sure about why he is sooooo insistent upon the requirement that the successful person be a wolf (and endure loneliness), but the book is definitely recommended as worth a read, if only at the least to present a fresh perspective on keys to creativity. His big thing is, your choice is to be a sheep and endure boredom, or be a wolf and endure loneliness. (I'm still not sold on that being your only two choices, but for the sake of argument, we'll assume it so.) For me, no contest. I'll be the wolf any day. I always choose to be alone with interesting things to pass my time, rather than not be alone and be bored. If the book were any longer, it would start to be a pain, but it's not and thank goodness.

Enough for now. I'll leave you with my newest lurker infatuation: a scrapbooking kit club that's fake...er, um, you create your own kit at home using your stash. It's called the Counterfeit Kit Club. It's a challenge blog. Every month they take a real kit club kit and then everyone replicates it as much or as little as each wants. They even have tutorials to help you knock-off the embellies that are in the real kit. Then you use up your kit during the month on cards and layouts you were otherwise gonna do.

Okay, as you would expect, it was love at first sight for me! At last, a challenge blog where the challenge parallels my own stash challenge! But, lemme tellya, it ain't quite so easy to replicate without investing hours and hours of pulling out papers and matching them, then same for all the other piece elements. I suppose if I had about a tenth of what I've got, it would be easier as I could remember more of what I have. But the few times I tried to compile my own kit, I failed. I have a new appreciation for all those kit club put-em-togetherers. It's hard!

My full participation in Counterfeit Kit Club will have to wait until I get moved into my Playroom and can pull out all the stuff without a nuclear meltdown occurring. But I plan to do some form of it as soon as I'm able, because it's an awesome premise. Check it out here.