December "Theme"

Wishing you and yours a very Merry and Blessed Christmas from our family.

Here are the options for this month’s theme (the bold one is my choice): First Day of Winter (December Solstice), Christmas, Traditions I chose Christmas as my theme tag.  I know, boring AND predictable! I went “shopping” in my stash and found the ornament that I had cut out in a previous year. I also used a piece from Craig’s mother’s jewelry as an embellishment on the bottom of the ornament. Last year, I purchased some Frosted Film on sale and never had a clue on what to do with it; I was so excited to see the possibilities with it and cut it out and adhered it to the upper right corner.

Journaling on the back:  This is the first tag I created for our monthly swap. I went searching (shopping J) in my stash and found the ornament that I cut last year. I also used the frosted film that has been in my cabinet many months now. I am proud to say that I didn’t need to buy anything!

December "Person"

Sister sent me three photos, and she was “sure” that I would use the one of the limo. Yes, I was definitely interested in it, but I saw a lot more design possibility in the one that I chose (the little girl). I saw the bubble wrap in the picture, and knew immediately that I would use Tim’s bubble wrap stamp.  Rather than trying to imitate the girl’s dress, I used Tim’s dress form and cut out a pink, white and black dress from one of the (numerous) paper pads that I purchased at convention. I had just purchased the Cricut Graphically Speaking cartridge, and the word “girl” was included in it.  I cut it out of plain cardstock, colored it with Hickory Smoke Distress Ink and then added several layers of UTEE to give it a glossy shine. The dress form is mounted on an Action Wobble because I imagine that the little girl was all fidgety while shopping. Journaling on the back:  Sue thought I would use the picture of the limo. It did cross my mind, but I decided to use the girl instead. See the bubble wrap dots on the tag? They mimic the bubble wrap on the shelf. This was a fun one for sure!

Here is her original photo:

November "Theme"

The theme choices for the month of November were (my choice is in bold): 

Daylight Savings Time Ends / Election Day / Veterans’ Day / Thanksgiving / Black Friday / Cyber Monday

For this tag, I used some of the features of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2016 November edition, even though I am not going to enter it into the competition.  You see, all of these tags are a surprise.  (I'm writing the blog posts ahead of time.)

When I was going through my stash to find something to use for the flower centers, I came across the numbered brads.  The 12 and the 26 are symbolic because they are the days of our parents' deaths.  Of course, the lucky token is because sister and I were truly lucky to have wonderful parents who raised us in a loving atmosphere.  We might not have been financially rich, but we were definitely rich in our parent's love.  I used some copper alcohol ink to color the brads and token. 

The "We Give Thanks" banner was written and cut on my Cricut Explore.  Love that machine!

October "Theme"

 

These are the options for the theme for this month (my choice is in bold): 

 Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Halloween

 

I used Tim Holtz's October 2016 tag of the month for my inspiration on how to create this tag.  It's hard to see it, but there is some glittery fabric covering the entire tag.  I did some wonky stitching with black thread around the perimeter.  The tie is seam binding that I stamped with alternating spiders and spider webs then colored with Distress Inks.

 

 

September "Theme"

Here are the options for this month's theme (the bold one is my choice):  Labor Day, National Grandparents’ Day, Dodie’s Birthday, First Day of Autumn (September Equinox)

 

 

I was stumped with this month's theme choices.  Then I saw someone's blog who used a stamp on paper which she then cut out with a die.  Aha!  I don't have any stamps related to Autumn, but I could print on paper.  So that's what I did.  I went to my good friend, Google, to search for Autumn sayings.  I just typed a bunch of them, printed the page and then cut out leaves with my Cricut.  I then colored them with puddles of Distress Ink and crumpled them to dry so that they would look like crisp fallen leaves.

 

 

 

I didn't do too much else with the tag except for cutting the word fall from grunge paper and adding a piece of autumnal paper to a Fragment (after writing the word Sept. on the paper).

 

Some Distress Stickles really put this tag over the top.

August "Theme"

Here are the options for this month's theme (my choice is in bold):  Back to School, Admit You’re Happy Month, National Fresh Breath Day, Anniversary of “Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it”, Senior Citizens’ Day; National Truck Drive Appreciation Week, American Family Day, National Smile Week, Friendship Day, Mustard Day, National Night Out Day, Elvis Week, Presidential Joke Day, Blame It On Someone Else Day, National Rehabilitation Week, Women’s Equality Day, MTV Premiered

This is an old photograph of some of my aunts, uncles, cousins, sister, grandmother, mother, and some unknown man.  I followed several of the lessons that Tim Holtz taught during the summer's Creative Chemistry 103.  In addition, I had made the word family on my Cricut several months ago, and this was the perfect time to put it to use.

 

 

July "Theme"

Here are the options for this month’s theme (the bold one is my choice): Independence Day, Parents’ Day, Sister’s Birthday Quite some time ago, I asked Sister to write out how she signs her creations.  I wanted to figure out how to use it in my Cricut Explore.  I was successful on my first try (and included “creations” to the sig line); I decided to add it to a tag.  Her favorite color combination is royal blue and lime green, so I did a color wash/combination of colors close to that.  I decided to outline the title to make it pop a little more. Everything had a spray of Biscotti Tattered Angles spray. The tag went into my pile of “someday” projects.  Well, shortly after that, we came up with the tag theme project.  Her birthday is in July, and I thought about making a t-shirt using the SuZeQ Creations as an iron on.  Then I had a better idea:  I decided to make a tote bag with that on it.  I figured she would use it more than the t-shirt. You can see my post about her gift here. So, now July tag time came around, and I thought, “hmmmmm…I can use the tag!”.  I used my Cheery Lynn Designs Build a Flower 1 and Sweet Williams Strip dies to create the flowers.  The flourish under the flowers is Sizzlits Lovely Flourishes. I used turquoise Stickles for the flower centers as well as adding a just a touch more bling to the open spaces on the tag. Since I wasn’t using a ribbon at the tag hole, I decided to use two layers of cardstock to “frame” the tag.

Anyone looking at this tag wouldn’t know that it goes with the theme that I chose, but Sister certainly got the connection! And that’s what matters!

June "Theme"

Here are the options for this month’s theme (the bold one is my choice): Flag Day, Father’s Day, First Day of Summer (June Solstice)     Since my idea for the May theme tag worked so well, I figured I would follow that same idea for the June tag, and again I went into my stash of scanned slides, this time for one of Daddy. I would imagine that Mom took this photo, although she was notorious for cutting off heads.  Maybe Daddy had set it up on the tripod so she couldn’t decapitate him.  It also appears that this was taken at the same time as Mom’s photo which makes this extra special.   Once again, I made a small envelope to hold a printout of Sister’s Facebook post, this time from Father’s Day of 2016.   This is what the note inside reads; this is long, and I apologize for the formatting as it didn't come through very well from the online post.

From Your Blog on November 26, 2015

 

Daggett.

He was my father.

His name was Don.

After I outgrew "Daddy" he was known to me as Daggett.

That's what I called him.

 

I think he got a kick out of it, too.

Didn't consider it disrespectful - instead, a term of endearment.

I give thanks to him for this.

 

You see, six years ago this Thanksgiving evening, he took his last breath.

A massive stroke took his life at age 84.
It was on that night that my sister and I lost our father.
And the grandfather of our children.
I give thanks that they were able to know and love him. 

 

We buried him on the third anniversary of my mother's death.

Oh, how he missed her.  He could barely survive alone.

I know that he just couldn't wait for the day he could reunite with his Babe.

I give thanks that he could finally be with her.

 

They were married for 63 years.

Wonderful years.

I give thanks to have been a part of those years.

 

He was a cute little toddler and grew to be a handsome man.

Growing up, he played baseball, basketball and football.

Football was his first love

and he could talk about each and every play like it happened yesterday.

I give thanks that he had such great memories.

 

There weren't too many things that he could not do.

He loved to putter in the yard.

At one time, he had his own landscaping company.

His business cards said "Don's Lawns."
I give thanks because he helped my yard look good, too.

He was pretty good with a hammer and a saw.
He turned an empty attic into a beautiful bedroom for me.
I give thanks for such a nice room to lay my head each night.

 

He told jokes and always messed them up.

Rarely could he remember the punch line.

He laughed more at the jokes than anybody else did.

But that didn't bother him.

I give thanks for his sense of humor.

 

He loved to go camping.

First at Barney Google in Sheffield, Pennsylvania.
Once my parents were empty-nesters,

he bought a truck with a camper shell on the back.

It was already 'camp-ready' but not the way he wanted it.

He completely re-did it and off they went.

 

Later, he upsized and bought a real camper.

Many weekends (mostly rainy ones) were spent in that camper.

He often took us with him.

I give thanks for including me in those weekends.

 

His passion, later in life, were making airplanes out of soda and beer cans.

I give thanks for his creativity - and for passing those genes down to me.

He was a fidgety one!

And sometimes (okay, lots of times) was a grumpy one.

I give thanks for the times he was sitting still and happy.

 

But he would give you the shirt off his back

and never think twice about it.
I give thanks for his selflessness and his generosity!

He was so very blessed to have lived a long life
where he was able to fulfill so many of his passions.
He was able to do some traveling - especially to Las Vegas.
Ohhhhhh, how he loved that place.
I give thanks for his long life.

He taught me so much during my years.
Lessons of value, about being kind and generosity.
I give thanks for those lessons.

I know in my heart that he was proud of me
and loved me from the bottom of his heart.
I give thanks for that love.

I miss you, Daggett!!!!!!

 I tried to make this tag similar to (but not exactly like) the May tag. I used red and black on this one because it “went with” the colors of his jacket and pants.

As the rub on says “this makes me happy” because my dad was special to me, too.

 

May "Theme"

Here are the options for this month’s theme (the bold one is my choice): Cinco de Mayo/Kentucky Derby, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day     For this tag, I went into my stash of scanned slides to find this photo of Mom.  She was always cold, so it’s interesting to see her smiling with several feet of snow all around her.  Probably because Daddy was taking the picture. I made a small envelope to hold a printout of Sister’s Facebook post from Mom’s birthday on February 13, 2014.  I also included responses from a number of family and friends. This is what the note inside reads; this is long, and I apologize for the formatting as it didn't come through very well from the online post.

From Facebook – February 13, 2014

My mom ...

She was kind, considerate, fun and funny. She could laugh at herself more than we could laugh at her - which happened often!

She could cook and bake up a storm and she was a loyal friend. She loved to say "horses ass" and kept a clean (immaculate!) house. She smoked cigarettes for years but wasn't a drinker.

She grew up on a farm, her house burned to the ground when she was 12 years old and she used to cut the heads off chickens. And I guess that's why she never really enjoyed a chicken dinner.

She was a fantastic dancer and taught me how to dance when I was a preschooler. I can still feel her rhythm as I stood on her feet with my arms wrapped around her legs as I moved with her.

She sat with me at the little table and chairs my father made me and taught me how to print my letters, learn my times tables and checked my homework. She quizzed me on my spelling words and taught me my prayers. She taught her mother everything she needed to know to obtain her citizenship - but not at that little table and chairs.

She loved my father and there was no other love for her - ever! She loved my sister and me and she loved her grandchildren with every fiber of her being.

She was not artistic. Once in a while she'd go out on a limb and polish her fingernails but never wore make-up - putting on lipstick was a chore. To watch her do this was comical. She never plucked her eyebrows but once in a while she'd let me do it for her and cried every time.

She loved the color pink - all shades - and hated the color yellow. Learning how to properly walk (heel-toe-heel-toe) after her brain surgery and after shuffling for so many years was something she worked on but never really grasped.

My mother and father eloped but had a church wedding with window washers as their witnesses. The renewed their vows on their 50th and 60th wedding anniversaries.

She was born at home, spoke Slovak and loved watching football. Many times she would watch one game on the television and have another game tuned in on the radio.

She was unselfish. My mother loved to watch the monkeys at the zoo. She was not rich but she would give you the shirt off her back. And she loved to fish! She was prom queen and didn't like the gardenia corsage my father gave her ... and years later, she said she could still smell that awful flower.

She was small in stature, was always cold and could be seen sitting in the sun wearing a sweater. Her coloring was olive and she always had a great tan.

She loved to camp and said her prayers every day. She cared for her mother in her home for many, many years. She was the baby of the family, had only one brother but five sisters.

She collected eggs from the hen house. She was afraid of thunder and lightening. She worked her fingers to the bone and had endless energy.

She was a good neighbor and everybody loved her. People congregated on our stoop every evening after dinner. She played with the kids in the yard and put crackers on the end of her fishing line and taunted the birds as she cast out into the air.

She had the best patch of parsley behind the garage. She was always ashamed of her nose and covered it all the time.

My mother was awesome. She was easy going, loved to 'spot deer' and she was incredible. She never learned to swim. She always did without so that her daughters could have everything we needed.

She raised me in a remodeled chicken coop and we visited the little house at the end of the path during the day. In the evening, porcelain containers were brought in from their airings and placed under the beds. It was in the front yard of this home that she picked peaches off the tree. One time she disturbed bees and they went up the leg of her shorts so she stripped down to nothing.

She canned apples, made applesauce and apple pies. She loved to play softball and volleyball and play BINGO!

Her mother lived to be 103 and that gave me such a false sense of security. I figured since she was so like her mother that she'd live to be 103 and quite possibly outlive me. That didn't happen. She died way before her time.

She waited for me to get there before slipping into a coma. I'll hold that memory close to my heart for the rest of my life.

She was all these things and more and anybody that knew her would have to agree. As I wrote this I smiled, and I laughed out loud at a few of the memories and I had to blink to release the tears that formed in my eyes. I miss you, Mom. Happy birthday - I just wish you were here so that we could sing and watch you blow out the candles just one more time.

What are YOUR memories and how would YOU describe The Babe?

Marianne Silvestro Drenik I sat on her stoop and ate Popsicles with her she taught me how to fish and I still have the pic of she and I together with my fish as she tried to hide her face
I have wonderful memories of Babe!

Alescia Kretschmer My gramma Daggett was the best! If it weren't for her and my mother, I wouldn't be the woman I am today. I love them both very, very much!

Alescia Kretschmer I have lots of memories. But, my favorite is kneeling on her davenport and watching the squirrels. Which I now do every single day. We have a tree directly across from our right, front room window and the same squirrel visits me every day. I always think of her when I see him.

Karla Mramor Your mom was precious...always so gentle and kind to me from the time I was a little girl. She'd watch me till my mom came home from work if I happened to get sick at school during the day...no sooner would I arrive than I'd already start feeling better, just being with her. Her laughter...her way of making anyone feel "at home" in her presence. I have such a vivid memory of being in her kitchen while she was getting dinner ready...the radio playing a Letterman song..."Never My Love" and her and I humming along:) She and my mom would talk on the phone for so long sometimes...and it must have been very important stuff because when I'd try to interrupt, my mom would merely make eye contact with the drawer that held the wooden spoon-I knew better than to bother her. After all, she was talking to her very best friend, Babe:) We both still miss her so much. Our lives were better because she shared some of hers with us:) sending love and hugs to you, Sue-always.

Nancy Fish I was very your when we spent time together, but I remember Aunt Babe as always laughing and happy! Now your mom and dad, and my mom, among other family members, are reunited and laughing together again! Miss them all!

Sue Daggett Kosec Karla, I'm so glad you saw this on FB because so many of the things I wrote involved "the Burkhardt's!!!" (Please share with your mother.) All of you were such an important part of her life for so many years. I don't know that she had another friend like your mother. I think they loved each other like sisters. And that she was with us at the end was just perfect - like it was supposed to happen. Our lives were better because of The Babe, I just know. Thanks for sending me your love and hugs ... it means a lot-always!

Karla Mramor Sue, I did share with my mom and she loved it! She misses your mom so much...we all do!!! We were in Cape Coral to get our hair done this morning and visited Annie's...a little restaurant your parents always went to when my mom and dad visited. Oh and the really wild thing that happened while we were getting our hair done was that the Letterman song I mentioned in my earlier post came on the radio! I never hear that song anymore. Felt like your mom was letting us know she was near:-)

Sue Daggett Kosec OMGosh, Karla! YES - she was there with you two. Just never know when/where The Babe will show up, do we? How ironic that the Letterman were singing YOUR song, too! Thanks for letting me know all this! Just one thing ... they never took ME to Annie's when I visited. Hrmph! Haha.

When you see the tag for June, you will notice that the two tags are similar.  That’s because I used the June theme for Father’s Day. Both tags, for example, have the envelope as well as a little card in the upper left corner that has to do with being in my heart.  Both tags, also, have a rub on that says “this makes me happy” because my mom (and dad) really did make our lives happy.