Thankful!

I'm headed to Connecticut in the morning to spend Thanksgiving with my fabulous family. As you probably have guessed, I've been looking forward to this day for weeks (months?).

I'm so thankful that I have a wonderful brother and sister-in-law, cousins, aunts and uncles to share this day with. We'll be enjoying delicious feast, great company, laughter (and knowing us, probably a few tears as well, as we remember those who aren't with us) and lots and lots of joy!

I'm thankful for my wonderful friends, who make every day as special as the holidays.... enjoying a latte in Starbucks, a sandwich in the mall food court, or a long chat on the phone can be perfect when shared with a good friend.

I'm thankful for my creativity... it brings me joy to be able to spend time creating delightful cards, yummy desserts, pots of soup, and so much more. Tomorrow I'll be showing my creativity with the leaf-shaped sweet potato slices topping my contribution to Thanksgiving dinner.... sweet potatoes Anna.

I'm thankful for all who support me in my business - my family, friends and customers, my online support group of paper peeps, indie business owners and bloggers... all of whom keep me moving forward.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Art!

Lori from Paisley Wallpaper shared this wonderful youtube video, and I found it so inspirational, I wanted to pass it on!

Enjoy, and be inspired to create!

Warm and Wooly....

now in my etsy shop!

I just love these sweet designs - they remind me of my childhood, winter days, and playing in the snow. I first designed the mitten card several years ago, inspired by my grandmother. Gram loved to knit, and I was lucky enough to always have hand knitted sweaters and hats and mittens. Each year, she would knit me a new pair of mittens, the pair was tied together with a long yarn that you'd thread through your jacket sleeves, so you'd never lose them!

Gram taught me how to knit when I was a child, but it never really held my interest for long enough to make anything bigger than a doll blanket or potholder. I'm thinking I might like to give it a try now, I probably have enough patience to at least end up with a scarf, and with all the lovely hand dyed yarns out there.... hmmmm, I'm talking myself into it!

We have a winner....

... in my first blog giveaway. First, thanks to all of you for entering and sharing your stories. I love to hear about all your traditions and favorite holiday foods. One of my cousins entered as well (although remained anonymous in the comment - it's not like anyone in my family to be shy!) but I recognized our Thanksgiving day pretty easily from the note.

One tradition I didn't share with all of you yet is the tradition of Thanksgiving day #2. Yes, after the big family get-together on Thursday, we do it all again at my brother and sister-in-law's house on Friday. We celebrate the day with friends, some of our family, and my SIL's family and we generally have 2 turkeys, deep-fried, and all the trimmings. The past couple of years, our pies have been accompanied by my SIL Dawn's homemade ice cream... just what we need after 2 days of feasts!

Well, now that I've shared all that, I bet you want to know who won... I made a list of all the entries from the 2 comment sections, and used random.org to select the winning number... #12 which was Jessica from Funky Finds! (I'll be emailing you to find out your coaster choices!)

My most memorable Thanksgiving... and giveaway reminder

.... for you to enter Artful Sentiments giveaway! All you have to do is share your favorite Thanksgiving tradition, food or story in the comments on the post below and you'll be entered into our drawing! And if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, I'd love it if you'd share another holiday tradition or story!

As I had mentioned earlier, most of my Thanksgivings have been very traditional, but there is one year that was definitely not traditional, but was certainly memorable - the year I was a clown in the Macy's Thanskgiving Day Parade.

Michelle (on the right) and I - ready for the day.

My friend Michelle has a family friend who worked at Macy's and signed us up to participate, and I have to tell you, it was magical! We took a bus into NYC from Macy's in New Haven, Connecticut, very late the night before Thanksgiving, and arrived in the city in the wee hours of the morning. We were taken into Macy's for our wardrobe, instructed on where we would be in the parade and what time to be in place, and then we headed out with a few hours to spare before the start of the parade.

Our group of Clowns, from Macy's New Haven

We wandered the streets and watched with wonder as the parade came to life. It was magical. The balloons were amazing - they are so much bigger than I would have ever imagined! We watched as they were being blown up, starting out flat and then expanding bigger and bigger, tied down by huge sandbags. And we watched as they were allowed to float up, controlled by dozens of handlers.

Michelle and I, and Superman, of course.

Me and Underdog.

Finally, we took our places and the parade started. We marched through the streets, exhausted from the long night and lack of sleep, but energized by the crowds, the spectacle of it all, and by being part of something that is such a a part of holiday tradition.

At the end, we shed our costumes, got back on the bus, and headed to our family celebrations. I got home at about 5PM, and my family was waiting, turkey and all the trimmings ready to go, but honestly, I was so exhausted, I don't really remember much else.

So, that's my most memorable Thanksgiving - what about you?

My Love List - part 3

Melissa at Operation Nice gave another love list assignment - this one is to write what we love about ourselves. This assignment was so much more difficult than the first two (posted here and here), but I was inspired to do it since I did the others, and it felt so good once I completed them.

I love that I have both a technical side and a creative one, it gives me balance. I love that I had the courage to really embrace my creative side a few years ago by starting Artful Sentiments, after focusing on my technical side for most of my adult life. I love that I am a loyal friend, and am rewarded with loyal friends in return. I love that I have talents and skills to share, and that I share them openly. I love that I'm not afraid to admit what I don't know, it's so much easier than faking it. I love that as I have grown older, I've become less worried about what others think of me and more focused on my own thoughts and feelings. I love my sometimes corny sense of humor. I love that I make myself giggle, and sometimes I even make other people giggle too (that's a bonus). I love that I have one of those laughs that people can recognize from across the room, and that I laugh enough that lots of people know it's me. I love that I cry at sad movies (and sometimes even sad commercials) and I love that I'm able to admit that here. I love that I am sentimental about my family and our history and traditions. I love that I look like my mom.

Vote!

This beautiful poster from Amy Jo was a part of the Poster Offensive, a nonpartisan show promoting peace and democracy.

Remember its inspiring message of hope as you stand in line at the polls today, and as you make your choice for President, for the other important offices on your ballot, and on issues that will shape our future.

(Amy Jo's poster is available for purchase here.)

Happy November, and a give-away!

Happy November - the month of my favorite holiday is here! I'm so looking forward to Thanksgiving - a wonderful day filled with family, tradition and amazing food! For the past several years, my cousin Patty and her husband Dave have been our hosts for our family celebration - such an important role for a favorite holiday! Patty cooks the all-important turkey among other things (her mom, my aunt Doodle, trained her well!)...the rest of the family brings appetizers, desserts and side dishes. They're nearly the same every year - John makes mom's mashed pototoes, I make sweet potatoes, Snooker brings peas and pies, Dimpy brings creamed onions and squash , and the list goes on. (Oh, and yes... my aunts really are called Doodle, Snooker and Dimpy, but that's a story for another time.)

But enough about the food - back to the host and hostess! Because it's such an important job, I thought it would be fitting to celebrate hosts and hostesses in my first give-away here on the blog. One lucky winner will be able to choose 2 sets of Artful Sentiments coasters, one to bring to your Thanksgiving host or hostess, and keep one for yourself! I'll even send along a hand block printed Turkey card, so that you can write a little note of Thanksgiving to your host or hostess.

Just leave a comment describing your favorite Thanksgiving food or tradition, and I'll randomly draw from all the entries! Wouldn't you like to bring a little something special to your host in thanks for a fabulous holiday dinner?

(I will choose the winner after 5PM, Friday November 14th.)