Mail from the Past

It has snowed off and on here for at least a week. I've lost track. This is the kind of winter I remember from my childhood. I remember more than once abandoning the car at the foot of the hill and walking up to the house. Sometimes daddy would back the car up the hill across the cross street, we would all pray there was no cross traffic coming, and he would 'gun it' hoping for enough momentum to get the car all the way up to the house.

I was trying to describe the disappearance of entire mailboxes to Sissy Judy (whom, while a native Midwesterner, has lived in GA long enough to NEED to be reminded of REAL winter with snowy visuals). Well, as they say, a picture is worth...

Judy, see what I mean???? It's CRAZY I tell you!

Tire chains...I also remember tire chains...daddy lying in the snow, a few colorful, verbal outbursts as he wrangled THICK, hammock looking, chains on to the rear tires of the Oldsmobile...

Then there was the car winter survival kit...The kit was more my mother's doing. An empty Folger's coffee, (yes - coffee used to come in a can - a three pound can) a Snicker's bar, (hmmmm..... if it was survival time?..... why only ONE Snicker bar....) a candle, and matches "hermetically" sealed in a baby food jar.

A survival kit - REALLY????? We lived in a city - a SMALL city! Not outer Mongolia! You can drive from one end to the other in less than 30 minutes....where could you POSSIBLY get stuck that you would need a survival kit!!!???

You may wonder why these particular survival items. Well since I was instructed on the use of the kit I will share this knowledge with you! The Folger's coffee can had a dual purpose. It housed all the survival items AND served as the 'survival vessel'! The idea was to scoop up some snow (the WHITE snow .... NOT the yellow snow) and use the candle (lit by the baby food jar sealed matches). Presto! Change-o! You now have WATER to wash down your Snicker bar. Mind you only a Snicker candy bar will do as it contains sugar AND protein ...OOPS and FIBER (THAT could be a problem!) Im not really sure if my mother trashed the Snicker bar each year -or the SAME Snicker bar remained year after year as it froze, melted, refroze, remelted...

Up until a year ago we still had that SAME can, candle, jar, and matches....WHO GOT THE SNICKER BAR?????? MARY.........????????

Recently, the ORIGINAL three-fifths club oversaw a slightly irreverent passing of the survival can ceremony. It was - well suffice it to say - you had to be there....

Sorry to be stuck on a family story rant - but sometimes I'm just not in control of the direction of this blog. And as I explained earlier I would be happy to just post the darn card. BOOM - there it is - and here is the card making recipe. But to appease 2/5s of the club I have to bore you poor readers with blasts from my pasts and updates on 'a day in the life of a campus career director/volunteer floor mom'.

Okay that's enough foolishness...time for the card. This was inspired by this week's Lord Have Mercy challenge layout.

Form Fitted

~Base card - Paper Trey Ink Berry Sorbet

~Layer of DCWV The Glitter Stack

~Two rows of variegated scallop trim

~Layers of purples and green cardstock with free digital image from Mel Stampz - colored in with Copics and trimmed with gold glitter

~Buttons with gold metallic thread (a ToC item from Sissy Gail)

~Sentiment Get Your Party On

This next one is a rather non-traditionally colored Valentine card. I'm always shocked when I finish a card and it is pastel... it's like my Nancy from an alternate universe takes over. The background paper for this is the same as the card above. The layout is a challenge sketch over at The Diedrich Dare Whimsical Wednesday.

Honey Sorbet
~Base card PTI
~Layer of DCWV The Glitter Stack
~Scallop circle punch - blue cardstock - small hole punches around edge with blue ink smudges and three narrow coral colored ribbons
~Circle punch of PTI Berry Sorbet with black 'stitches' drawn with black gel pen
~Image/Sentiment - Stampin' Up Vintage Valentine - colored with Copics, coated with water-base varnish
~Horizontal polka dots is actually a scrap of wrapping paper ~Small heart punches from PTI Berry Sorbet and dotted with black gel ink

You can get up close with the cards by clicking on the image.
All good wishes,
Nancy