Misplaced Joy

TGIF!! Really. Last weekend at the 48 Hour Film Festival was really fun, but as I learned when I received my (I'm not gonna tell you how many years) College Reunion postcard today - I'm too old to have that much fun and not be really tired all week. So I'm looking forward to catching up on neglected work, walking, and sleeping this weekend.

It's been a strange few weeks in the news, and I just have to say this before I go on.

There are a lot of people who have some misplaced joy in this world. They feel joy when other people suffer. Why? It sounds horrible, right? All of us would say "I don't do that!" But do we?

Instead of the real examples, I'll give you small ones. Slowing down to look at a car wreck. Slowing down to look at Reality TV.

You know what my advice is?

Don't look.

Sometimes people make money when you look.

Do you know what a credit default swap is? You've probably heard it on the news and no one has explained it. In simple terms, it means that you make a bet that someone is going to default on a mortgage. When they do - you make money. So people make money when families lose their homes.

When I explain it like that, I think everyone can agree that it is sick and there's tragedy underneath the money. The same is true with much of reality TV and lots of news stories.

Every time people look, they subsidize tragedy. So I say don't look. I don't. I watch kitten and bunny videos on YouTube and re-runs of the Office.

Look in the direction of uplifting, funny, cute. The people who provide uplifting, funny and cute to the world should be the wealthiest and happiest among us. Well, those people, teachers and

firefighters.

Here endeth the lesson.

And begins the art. :)

I thought since I was being so serious I should give you some nice bright colors. This is the new Crushed Curry cardstock and ink. Pretty, yes?

I used an old Golf Magazine for the background. It has slick pages, so it's less desirable than Food & Wine which is my fave magazine to recycle. But if you're careful, it doesn't smear.

However, it needs a little definition once you get it on the page. While this color is more saturated than So Saffron, it's not as dark as it needs to be to stand out on print.

So I took my handy dandy Micron pen and outlined it. I went double thick on the underside of the leaves to give a little shadow.

Then I added highlights with my white gel pen.

The magazine panel is punched with the Sizzix top note die, and then I added a rub on for the greeting.

For the circles, I used the Circle Circus stamp set and my 1.25" punch, along with the flowers from the same Razzle Dazzle set (a Shelli Signature set) also accented with my white gel pen. I stamped the little circles from Circle Circus in Crushed Curry on top of these.

After I tied the ribbon around the card, I tacked the loops down with mini glue dots - this really helps make your bow look perfect.

Now - it's time for me to go find a bunny video to watch before I go to sleep. :)

If you want a little real joy, right now, then watch this.

LOVEYAMEANIT, BYE.

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