it's all about the details

paper crafts magazine: the inside scoop!

There are so many exciting things happening at Paper Crafts magazine this summer! Even though many of our minds are on summer and vacations and relaxing, at Paper Crafts we are forging into 2010! I am about halfway done writing my articles for January/February, and yesterday we concepted the March/April issue. Before this month is out, the September/October 2009 issue will be on the newsstands. It's exciting!  And sometimes confusing when I am writing checks. :)

The year 2010 marks a new era for Paper Crafts. For almost 5 years, Alisa Bangerter, Wendy Johnson, and Susan Neal served as the Paper Crafts Pros, guiding and inspiring our readers. But now the three of them have decided that the time has come to pursue other avenues. Their departure resulted in a search for some new designers to fill these very big shoes. In the next two and a half weeks, we will be revealing the identities of the Paper Crafts Go-to Gals. Check our blog - Paper Crafts Connection - and be one of the first to know the identities of these SIX talented ladies. It's going to be exciting!

Another cool thing that's happening with Paper Crafts is our Gallery Idol contest. Twenty INCREDIBLY talented ladies are vying for your votes to be crowned your Gallery Idol. And remember, you can't complain about who gets "sent home" if you didn't vote! :) 

Oh, and one last thing... It's Paper Crafts. Two words. With a space. :)

Susan

festive fourth and a western road trip

Last summer was our official first 4th of July in Utah, but we were still in the process of unpacking and getting our house into livable (and cute) condition. This summer we vowed to do something a little more celebratory than stand outside and watch fireworks from behind the clubhouse. We discussed options like heading to Denver (for a little Container Store fix) or an overnight stay in Park City with spa treatments. But in the end, we opted for a fun (and more financially sound) day road trip into uncharted portions of our state.

With an atlas, a cooler, sunglasses, and patriotic music on the XM radio, we headed north with no real destination in mind other than Logan, UT. We had read that there was a restaurant there - The Bluebird - with fantastic milkshakes. And we had also heard that east of there, the drive through Logan Canyon was very pretty. And I'd have to agree that those old-fashioned milkshakes were pretty darn tasty. And our walk along the Logan River Trail in Logan Canyon was almost as refreshing.

From the other side of the canyon, we headed toward Bear Lake which straddles the Utah/Idaho border. What a picturesque spot it was! We enjoyed seeing it from the scenic overlook and then driving south along it.

Next, the adventure took us south and then east again on scenic byways. We came within miles of the Wyoming border, but stayed in Utah all day. Eventually we meandered to Park City (which seemed quite familiar to us after hours of new territory).

Park City was all abustle with tourists in patriotic clothing and moods - a real jolt of civilization after traversing the mountains and valleys of rural Utah. We had heard of a restuarant owned by Robert Redford called Zoom, so we stopped for a burger and salad and a little vino before heading back home.

We still haven't figured out the fireworks situation here in the Beehive State, yet, but I'm sure we'll get our chance someday. We're just so spoiled by our hometown fireworks, we don't want to be disappointed.

It was a fabulous day. We loved having the moonroof open (which resulted in some pretty fun sunburn marks), the radio blaring corny, majestic, and rockin' tunes, and having the capability to just get in the car and go!  God Bless the USA!

Susan

I think my Facebook status really put our fun day in a nutshell - "Mountains, milkshakes, nature, nostalgia. Scenic byways. Great Salt Lake, Bear Lake, Utah Lake. Aaron Copland, John Phillip Sousa, Lee Greenwood. Sunshine. Gingham and polka dots. Summer hair. Park City. Zoom. A very happy 4th!"

 

 

it's better in bay city

Fourth of July weekend. I've spent it in Chicago, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Nashville, Detroit and Salt Lake City (and probably a few other places I'm not recalling). But the BEST place for an Independence Day celebration? My hometown. That's right--little Bay City, Michigan, does it like no other. For years they've boasted the Midwest's best fireworks, and people, if you've never lain on a blanket in Vets Park with those huge multi-rocket blasts seemingly raining down right on you, you haven't lived. They actually put on three nights of fireworks shows. Yep, some of those big cities may have fancier displays, but give me good old-fashioned explosions perfectly choreographed to go off in rapid succession, culminating in a simultaneous climax of light and sound...ahhh, heaven!

Bay City is Midland Street, the Sage Library, City Dairy ice cream, Madonna (born in BC), Center Avenue historic district, the State Theater, the Bay City Rollers (named after BC), Saginaw Bay sunsets, Mill End, softball games and the Riverwalk.

 

Summer in Bay City abounds with fun things to do: the Tall Ship Celebration, the River Roar, the Pig Gig, concerts in Wenona Park. Oh yeah. And the fireworks.

 

Every time I've gone to another city's fireworks display, no matter how hoity-toity the metropolis, the story's the same. As we head back to our cars, toting coolers and lawn chairs and blankets, we take up the inevitable chant: "Bay City's better...Bay City's better...Bay City's better..." Not loudly. Not rudely. But quietly and firmly, to ourselves, but also to our home sweet home.

Beth

i like that boom boom pow

Seriously, what is it about fireworks? Last weekend we ventured out to a local festival, which was good for people watching and getting some of that summer vibe. We sat for awhile and listened to the band Abraxas, a Santana tribute band whose drummer Joe is also the drummer for Susan's band Natural Causes. But I digress...

 

It was a little chilly, and there was a karaoke place we wanted to check out, so we didn't stay too long. As we were heading back to our car (which I had masterfully parallel parked in a very tight spot, I might add), the festival fireworks began. Now, I must mention (because this seems to be a tangent driven post) how amusing it was to me that LOTS of people were trying to snap photos of the fireworks with their phones. Pretty sure those won't turn out. ANYWAY...

What I wanted to say was that, to a person, all eyes were riveted on the show in the sky. Rough-looking dudes with menacing dogs, young families all aglow with fluorescent light sabers and rubber necklaces, elderly couples in matching t-shirts---everyone was smiling and ahhing and just lovin' the sparkle and crash of the pyrotechnics.

As we drove away, we passed many clusters of folks on blankets or lawn chairs or pickup beds checking out the show. A little further south, another community was shooting off fireworks, too. Moonroof open, classic rock on the radio, summer Saturday night. And this is really just the start of fireworks season. It's just a happy time. A few weeks that remind us to look up. :)

Beth

emotional

I've always been quite in touch with my emotions. I really resented a guy who suggested once that my inablity to squelch my feelings was a sign of emotional immaturity. I beg to differ. Those who push their emotions down in an effort to present an "appropriate" face to the world are not allowing themselves to experience the full glory and agony of being human. Now, I'm not suggesting that we let it all go without editing ourselves. But I don't think that wearing your heart on your sleeve is a character flaw. At all.

One of my favorite movies of all time is Sense and Sensibility. Kate Winslet plays Marianne, the hopeless romantic who loves and feels with reckless abandon. Conversely, her sister Elinor, played by Emma Thompson, values propriety to such an extreme that she nearly denies herself her soulmate. In the end both come to realize that dignity and emotion are equally necessary and healthy.

 

This has been a rather emotional week for me, as it has been for a lot of us. Though our parents didn't allow us to watch "Charlie's Angels" (sorry, M & D, but we did sneak it on when you were at choir sometimes), I always considered Farrah Fawcett to be such a gorgeous creature, a true California beauty. Her struggle with cancer has been well-publicized, and her bravery in the face of overwhelming odds will be her lasting legacy.

 

And then there's Michael. His death really hit me hard. I know that nothing changes because of it...I can still listen to his music and appreciate his genius. And yeah, he was an odd one. And possibly was guilty of some yukky things. I'm not excusing it, but that's not what I'll remember about him. Maybe it's just about a part of my life ending. The author of the soundtrack of my formative years is gone.

So I'm gonna watch the retrospectives and let myself be melancholy for awhile. And I'm not gonna apologize for how I feel.

Beth

an epic collection - the conclusion

To round out postcard week at it's all about the details, I've saved some of my very favorite collections within the collection. These are the cards that make me keep collecting after all of these years.

When picking out these fun cards, I found that many of them were sent by Beth to me or my brother Kurt when she was living in Los Angeles in the 80's. The Opel card top left is actually made of metal, and my friend Kari bought it for me when she was serving in the army in Germany. And that Far Side one still gets me. The Susan card is from my 8th grade class trip. Good stuff. Fun. Uplifting. An inexpensive mood lifter, no?

 This collage of postcards  which hangs in our entryway above the piano came about because of an assignment for a TN Marketing DVD to use memorabilia in a project. LOVE how it turned out. I bought the frame at Hobby Lobby and then we cut foam board to fit the frame. My collection is a treasure trove of cards with maps (I must take after my dad who has an extensive collection of vintage maps). To add some depth, we used extra foam tape behind a few of the cards, four of which happen to be states we've lived in (IL, IN, MI, and AZ). This has actually inspired a travel theme in our living room.

And my favorite FAVORITE little collection!  I call it skylines and sunsets. Look at the mighty Twin Towers before 9/11/01.  Gives me chills. I love that I have been to almost all of these fabulous destinations (not Charlotte, Juneau, or Seattle), and I've actually lived in/near four of them (Las Vegas, Chicago, Fort Wayne, and SLC). I just love the gorgeous and inspiring photography and the way that each image seems to capture the vibe of the destination.

Thanks for taking the time to take a look at this little friend of mine. 2500+ strong. One card from each state in the union. Cards as old as 1901. Cards from places I've been and places I've only dreamed of visiting. Cards from family, friends, and former students. Cards that connect me with the past and cards that inspire me to travel.

Susan

an epic collection - the sequel

On Monday, I told the story of how my 2500+ postcard collection came into being. Today, I'd like to share some more of my favorites from this vast and storied collection.

I 've been all over the USA, and I tend to enjoy visiting historic sites (as opposed to camping or amusement parks). Pictured below are several fabulous places I've visited in my travels.

One of my favorites here is Alex Haley's home in rural Tennessee, not far from Memphis. We got a guided tour from the cutest little southern lady. To see a picture of THE Chicken George on the wall - pretty amazing. And of course I'll never forget visiting Laura Ingalls Wilder's home in the Ozarks. Crossing the threshhold of the home where Laura wrote the Little House series was a defining moment in my life. I mean LAURA lived there! (I think we are seeing a little American literature theme here). And I have to confess that though I've been to Louisville, I've never been to Churchill Downs, but Beth and Paul were kind enough to get me a postcard when they did! And how profound it was to be in the room where Lincoln died, outside the room where MLK, Jr., was shot, and on the battlefield in Gettysburg where countless lives were lost. Some pretty intense stuff!

Yes, I've seen lots of the US, but so far Canada and Mexico are the only two foreign lands I've visited. But with my postcard collection, I've been able to travel all over the world. Take a look at some of my favorite cards from around the globe!

Thanks to my friend Wendy who went to Europe not too long ago, my cousin Andrew who served in Iraq, my cousin Janis who is always on the go, my brother Kurt who currently resides in Istanbul, and many other family and friends, I have amassed this gorgeous and wanderlust inducing array of postcards. But you know what postcards seem most precious to me? These five from my home state of Michigan.

My alma mater with Corky the Cardinal, Tiger Stadium (may she rest in peace), the U of M marching band in block formation, and Saginaw's Fashion Square Mall back in the days of the fountain in the center. Several of them have newsy little notes from loved ones. These cards say home, nostalgia and memories.

Thanks for letting me share.  I'll be back with more on Friday!

Susan

an epic collection

As a child and even into adulthood, I've been a collector. I've collected Grovers, pigs, Miss Piggys, chili peppers, Americana and Meijer receipts throughout my 40 years, but there's one collection that I still have and cherish. I collect postcards, and I have over 2500 of them. This week I will be sharing some favorites of this collection that I've been adding to since 1977.

In the summer of '77, my parents packed up my siblings and me in our Galaxie 500, and we embarked on a journey out east. I was 8 years old. Beth was 18, Paul 17, and Kurt 13. We set off for Toronto (loved Casa Loma), Quebec, and then we ventured into New England. It was quite a memorable trip for our family! Mom and Dad had carefully planned out our schedule, and we explored many historic sites. As an 8 year old, I wasn't able to appreciate it as much as I would now. All I could think about was getting back home to my bike and my dolls. But as we traveled, I began to pick up postcards as souvenirs. Think of postcards for a minute - inexpensive, colorful, and fun to get in the mail, right? After the trip, my small stash of postcards sat in my messy little childlike area in a blue plastic bag. For a while, they were forgotten.

Sometime later, I unearthed these relics, and I looked at them again, conjuring up that trip that we had all made together, and it was a good feeling. As I visited new places around the US, I added more to it. And so the collection began. Pictured below are some postcards purchased on that trip so long ago.

 

Once people heard of my collection, they began to help me add to it. When they went on a trip, they would grab a couple of postcards and send me one. Nice way to get some mail, right? Sometimes as they were cleaning out areas of the house, they'd come upon some postcards and save them for me. In this manner, I began a collection of antique postcards like the ones pictured below.

 

I love the vintage handwriting on the "After the Ball..." card and the Woodward Ave. in Detroit card has a postmark of 1901. The bottom left card captures Concordia College in Seward, NE, where my dad and brothers attended. And the vertical card on the right makes me laugh with its sentiment, "I am tickled to death."

Postcards are travel, history, photography, correspondence,  a snapshot of life. And with my collection I can travel the world and travel through time.

Susan

PS  At Paper Crafts this week, we are all abuzz with excitement about our newest and most fabulous EVER special issue, Card Creations 7, which goes on sale Tuesday, June 23 (click the link to purchase a copy!).  Be sure to visit Paper Crafts Connection and Moxie Fab World all this week to be inspired and to win some cool stuff. This issue is SMOKIN' hot!  Oh, and Beth and I have cards in there, as well as our cool girl friend Joni Lynn (it's her first time in a Paper Crafts publication)!

poppies and pop

Poppies grow wild here. In little bunches or fields. In the valley or on the side of the mountain. It's so exhilarating to see these vigorous, bold splashes of color along the side of the road. Magical little surprises from God to color our world. They have these delicate stems and fragile blooms that look so easily crushable, yet there they are en masse, commanding our attention.

(Searching madly for a clever segue but coming up empty...) We don't call our dad "Poppy" or "Pop" and never have. But we love him uncontrollably. He is arguably the best father ever. I know people always say that, but it's not just a flippant platitude. He is solid, sensible, supportive, and a little silly. He taught me how to field a short hop and manage my finances. He gave me a strong work ethic and a passion for travel. He showed me the value of organization and the power of prayer. And he loves my mom unreservedly, exemplifying everything the committed Christian husband and father should be.

So Happy Father's Day, Daddy! Wanna go to a Tiger game with us on August 30?

And for all you blog readers, just TRY to tell us why YOUR dad is the best!

Beth

midwestern girls kickin' it western-style

In honor of one full year living in Utah, I bought Beth and me each a cowgirl hat. While you'll never take the Midwesterner out of us (you know - the nasal accent, the appreciation for flat farmland, and the fact that we "get" hockey), we have embraced and become more accustomed to our surroundings.

Because we are crazy like that, we decided to do a photo shoot with our new hats and the decidely western scenery here in Utah County. Here are some of the results of Beth's photo shoot:

 

There are definitely a lot of things here in the west that we wouldn't have encountered back in the Eastern Time Zone, like

• Roads called Pony Express and businesses with names like Bank of the West.
• Bosses who ski (in June) just to get in one last time.
• Taking the scenic route over Traverse Mountain to the grocery store.
• Kicking a tumbleweed away from the front door at work.
• Seeing signs that say 75 mph once you get out of the city limits.
• Foreign plates being from Idaho, Wyoming, and Nevada.
• Fantatical bikers riding up VERY steep inclines.
• Local festivals with names like Lehi Round-Up.
• Using the mountains as a built-in compass.
• The inability to use your hand as a map. ;)
• Being a part of the LCMS Rocky Mountain District.
• Having only 2 ways to get from Point A to Point B (rather than the 75 options you'd have in Indiana).
• Wearing a cowgirl hat and not looking at all out of place!

 

Yee Haw, Utah!

Susan