Butterfly Project Day 2

I'm enjoying playing and experimenting with making Butterflies. For me personally, I'm trying to make each one unique as each child was unique and special. Here is another poem by one of the children of Terezin.

Read to the end to get a feel of what Michael was going through the day he wrote this.

ON A SUNNY EVENING

On a purple, sun-shot evening
Under wide-flowering chestnut trees
Upon the threshold full of dust
Yesterday, today, the days are all like these.
Trees flower forth in beauty,
Lovely too their very wood all gnarled and old
That I am half afraid to peer
Into their crowns of green and gold.
The sun has made a veil of gold
So lovely that my body aches.
Above, the heavens shriek with blue
Convinced I've smiled by some mistake.
The world's abloom and seems to smile.
I want to fly but where, how high?
If in barbed wire, things can bloom
Why couldn't I?
I will not die
--Michael Flack, 1944

My Butterfly for Day 2:


This is one butterfly I put it together for dimension. I used Fiskars Ultra Shape Xpress Butterfly Template.

Remember making butterflies for the butterfly project does count for the BIG Debby Dare. The link is at the top of the blog.

The beginning of a large project...

How can you not be inspired by my daughter and David's photo. This is page one of their engagement book.

Gratitude List:
1. Rain
2. my Sudie getting well
3. Tabitha's love
4. Laughter
5. God's creation

Handcrafted Butterflies to Remember

Terezin, I cry when I hear the name. My son and I studied about the children of Terezin, a unique concentration camp during WWII. This was a the fake city of safety, a ruse to fool the world.

Jacob playing the part of one of the children in Terezin's Concentration Camp.

The prisoners were determined to the preservation of music, art, education and all that creates culture amidst these appalling conditions. Two hundred thousand persons passed through there, fifteen thousand children. Only 132 of those children were known to have survived. The poems and drawings by the children were hidden at Terezin inside mattresses and stuffed in cracks between the walls of houses. They were recovered after the war. Many of these other poems and drawings are collected in a book which was published by the United States Holocaust Museum, "I Never Saw Another Butterfly."

Here is a poem by one of the children who did not survive.


THE GARDEN

Only take heed, and keep your soul diligently, Lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, And lest they depart from your hearts all the days of your life; Make them known to your children and your children's children.--Deuteronomy 4:9


A little garden,
Fragrant and full of roses.
The path is narrow
And a little boy walks along it.
A little boy, a sweet boy,
Like that growing blossom.
When the blossom comes to bloom,
The little boy will be no more.--Franta Bass



More than 1,500,000 innocent children were murdered during the Holocaust. In an effort to remember them, the Holocaust Museum of Houston is collecting 1.5 million handmade butterflies. The butterflies will eventually comprise a breath-taking exhibition, currently scheduled for Spring 2012, for all to remember.

My DARE for You this week is to make one Butterfly a day for 7 days. I will post a different butterfly everyday for the next 7 days. Post yours in a gallery and leave a link in the comment section. Make sure to read for a few restrictions in "Please Note" Help me and others to remember our children who were lost but remembered through their art.

Please Note:
Butterflies should be no larger than 8 inches by 10 inches.
Butterflies may be of any medium the artist chooses, but two-dimensional submissions are preferred.
Glitter should not be used.
Food products (cereal, macaroni, candy, marshmallows or other perishables) also should not be used..
Place your butterfly in a Ziplock Bag with your name and address.


If you are a Fiskateer there are instructions on the Fiskateer Blog to where to send your Butterflies. Everyone else can send them to me and I will mail them to the museum.

Remember our children. Participating in the Butterfly project during the month of July counts towards the Christmas in July DARE and RAK.


Gratitude List
1. that I have the responsibility and ability to remember our lost children
2. my children are healthy, well and secure
3. for the strength of the children at Terezin
4. God's every moment of Grace and Mercy
5. God giving us heroes on earth

**the above information can be found at http://nonduality.com/terezin.htm.

Dare To Be Different

I am pondering styles. there are different tastes for different people. I love a hair cut that is functional. Get up and go. Tennis shoes are good on any occasion in my world. I want home decor that reflects peacefulness and also items that provoke memories of past people or events. I'd rather have a SUV (really I would!). Styles are different for everyone.

Style can be following the crowd. The latest designer, latest purse, latest product, latest color trends, latest of anything. Everyone has "it", but it is style.

While pondering these things (LOL) I thought about the subtitle of my blog "Do not Dare to be Different, Dare to be Yourself." When I wrote that I was tired of trying to be different, to get noticed and my energy often ended me up following the latest styles.

Revelation! I am different because I'm striving to be MYSELF! I am // you are a unique individual. The revelation comes with a price. You have to put yourself out there. You have to be prepared to fail. You have to be prepared for disappointment and sometimes a broken heart. You also have to be prepared to be happy, free from what other's think and say, to standout as a unique person full of creativity. You must be ready for that on slot of people wanting to know you because you are real and genuine. You must be prepared to truly live life.

Scrapbooking: styles. I'm sure some

one can put my layouts into several "style" categories. Matter-of-fact, I can do that! BUT Scrapbooking is about ...

The Stories

The Photo's that Preserve The Stories

The Journaling that Explains The Stories

Basic Scrapbooking 101! I forget that sometimes when playing with all the wonderful products and trying my hand at the latest trends.

So I'm not misunderstood....I love the style scrapbooking I create. Love, love, love it. As I go to crops or meet with people who want to get into scrapbooking they can be overwhelmed by it all. I know I was. LOL For about 2 or 3 months into scrapbooking I used nothing but scissors and knew nothing about a personal trimmer. I was the personal trimmer!

Why am I so retrospective today? I've been thinking...clear the room....I've been studying...nothing new...and I believe ... I'll share it with you later. LOL Sorry, I'm such a tease.

Do you want to be original? Different?

Dare To Be Yourself.

Gratitude List
1. God's plan for my day
2. Day by day discovery of who I'm in Christ
3. Fun Friends
4. Faith in God's Provision
5. Simple, innocent love

All About You in 52, Question 27

We are over the hump! Congratulations to everyone that has stuck in there so far. I love my book. What memories we've all brought to paper. I believe for me my book will be a treasure for me and for my family.


Doing a book about ourselves is probably up in the top 10 books that never get created. I think a sense of humility about journaling about ourselves, sharing who we truly were and have become and sharing that with others makes this a very difficult Dare. I know this is a tough creative journey, I'm right there with you. We are over the half way mark. Michelle says we should be CELEBRATING! This is for you Michelle.

This week's question was inspired by Melissa. Melissa is of a different generation than me and forgot to include what is going now in our lives. So Melissa thanks for the feedback and thanks for doing a lot of catch up work. check out Melissa's layouts at Scrapbook.com. The above link will take you to her gallery and you can see her Debby's Dare creations. If you are not a member of Scrapbook.com it is really a great place. I actually "met" Lead Fiskateer Kelly Jo at Scrapbook.com.


Today our lives are lived out on blogs, Facebook (or My Space, etc.), message boards, Twitter and more over the internet. This technology was not even a thought when I was a teenager. I do enjoy my internet mediums.


This past week I chose to document a week of my life Facebook style. I took all those snippets and put them into a layout. What a hoot it will be 20 years from now to see the technology from today.


The question this week involves documenting your day electronically. What ever medium you use via the internet. Each day make a comment someone where, then create a layout about your week. Use the style that your medium allows. If it is Twitter...short and sweet. If it is Facebook...short but more content. If it is a blog it can be more elaborate. If a message board it's up to you.


Question 27

"Using today's internet technology, what is a typical week on the internet for you?"

My Answer

Journaling:

June Mon. 29
… waiting on blogger to blog...tick toc, tick toc
Ruth Adam: Got the chocolate and the candy mold for the crop and we are having Christmas Bells :)
10:10pm June 29 … I love it. I've started to put together
.... hmmmm not telling.
…wants a good night sleep and a very productive day tomorrow....
　
Tues. 30
Tabitha Lewis: Thank you for helping me make the invitations last night. Love you.
　
Wed. July 1
…I'm sticky!
Pauline Rogers at 7:25am July 2 Why??
…at 7:44am July 2 Using a lot of liquid adhesive on a
project. LOL I'm still a bit sticky this morning.
　
Thurs. 2
…end of the first day on MY vacation! I finished an altered chair, cleaned and almost finished a new shirt for my Orlando trip...good day
　
Fri. 3
…Can you be Santa for a child in July....see Debby's Dare
… It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day in
the neighborhood....won't you be my neighbor. Day two
of vacation.
…Update on Debby's Dare..I Altered a Chair..that's a first for
me.
…cleaning, sewing, cleaning sewing...cleaning up the sewing
It's been a wonderful 2nd day of vacation!
　
Sat. 4
…The end of my 3rd day of vacation and it is sweet! The
fireworks are about to begin. Happy Independence Day, USA!
…Fireworks: Round one was wonderful! Scared Bailey...he
didn't want to go outside to watch.
　
Sun. 5
... Humid outside. Hopefully we'll get rain. Even the Pine Trees are turning brown.

Ingredients

Pattern Paper: Basic Grey

Cardstock: Bazzill

Stickers Title: American Crafts Remarks

Ribbon: Fancy Pants

Date: Tiny Letters from Making Memories

Acrylic cover: from Build A Memory album form Nicole

Embellishments: Tim Holtz idea-ology, Prima Flowers, Making Memories

Sakura gel pen

Tools: Fiskars Desktop Rotary Trimmer, Singer Sewing Machine, Tim Holtz Tiny Fastener, Fiskars Micro Tip Scissors

I want to thank all of you that are working so hard during the busy holidays and summer vacations to continue with the Dare. Big Kudos for those catching up. Melissa, Angie, Scrappy Rat I loving what I'm seeing.

Remember the Christmas in July BIG DARE and BIG RAK. We need 100 stories by the end of July to be able to give away the BIG RAK.

Before I end the post I just have to show you something....Fiskars Sneak Peek

Gratitude List

1. quiet

2. sound mind

3. all who visit DD and share with me

4. people who are willing to reach out and help

5. God, who continues to amazing me with His blessing in my life.

Big Project Finished

Remember you can be a Santa for a Child this Month. Christmas in July RAK is happening here on Debby's Dare. See the post for information and photos of Debby's Dare Biggest RAK ever. Matter-of-Fact there are two of them. Share with your friends so we can meet at least 100 stories. Another idea....it's a new school year soon so why not donate school supplies, art supplies, lunch boxes, etc. to a local school and don't forget our homeschool families too.

Take a look to the right of the blog post. Do you see County Fair Crop Donations? It is growing as well as the Fiskateers coming together to have a blow out of a crop in Columbia, South Carolina at Sesquicentennial State Park. The cost is only $30.00 and it includes food, a table to yourself, over night stay and the best fun you can have. If you would like to attend or have more questions email me at my cropping addy Debby_Crops@live.com. Not a Fiskateer? You can take care of that easily. Go to Fiskateer and click on "how to join."

I've been working on a challenge to altered a chair. For me this is huge. I love collages, painting and altering...but I've never done a chair. Here is the story.

As I thought about the altered chair my mind first went to what do I have around the house that I can use. My husband had saved a 30 year old restaurant Cherry wood chair and it was just out in the shed. Out it came. I took the seat off and used the plastic seat cover as a pattern for making the new seat. The fabric is Heidi Grace and can be purchased at JoAnn's. Of course no altered item is complete without Grungeboard and Grungerpaper.

I wanted my chair to say something about telling stories. I used Fiskars' Stamps, Kaiser Craft butterfly, buttons, lace, inks, wax, findings, Colorboc letters and Maya Road to create a little plaque. I think I fell in love with the wax. LOL

I love buttons. I had to incorporate lots of buttons. I added color to the top of the chair with all sorts and sizes of buttons. Of course you must add some crackle paint from Ranger...it would not work without it.

Another of my number one favorite parts of the chair are the crystals hanging on the back of the chair. The crystals at the bottom of the chair are antique teardrop crystals from a chandelier that I found at an antique store. I wanted this most of all to be part of my chair. I love the movie Pollyanna. I love her attitude about life. One part of the movie Pollyanna wanted to cheer up a gentleman that seemed dark and very sad. She took crystals and hung them from the window so you could see the light dance through the prisms. See the dancing lights behind my crystals?

If you put it all together this is my first effort at a project like this. Thanks to Fiskateers and the folks at KomfyCush for the challenge.

Gratitude List 1. safety for my Jim and Jay
2. God's Comfort at a time of homecoming
3. family, smiles, laughter and stories
4. quiet in the house
5. God's every staying hand on my life and the path He leads me

Christmas in July and A BIG DARE

We are having Christmas in July. At the end of the month I’m hosting a Charity Crop for Toys for Tots. All the crafters will be bringing a gift for us to donate to the local Toys for Tots. I’m always busy at Christmas time and often don’t have what I would like to give. July is designated on Debby’s Dare as Christmas in July! Before my children hit me up for Christmas presents I’m will be purchasing Christmas for those in need.

Here is YOUR Month Long DARE: Help our children. Volunteer to read at the Library or children’s hospital. Give a gift to Toys for Tots. Host a crafting party for children. Make cards to send to children that are in hospitals during Christmas. Be a Secret Santa to a child in need during the month of July. What ever you can imagine that would help our children you do it…I DARE YOU.


The Dare opens today and closes on August 1st.


Share your story on this post. If you have a layout or photos of what you are doing post your link (2 chances to win).


I have two prize packages that are nearly identically. One is an overall random drawing. The other is for the most creative opportunity a crafter participated in that helped a child.



Fiskars Rock, Paper Trimmer..plug in for your MP3 Player
Fiskars Chip Off the Block corner squeeze punch
Fiskars Fingertip Craft Knife
Fiskars Fingertip Swivel Knife
Cloud9 Rain Dots and Christmas paper
Graphic 45 Christmas paper (not the whole line!)
MME Christmas paper (not the whole line!)
Prima Christmas flowers
Melissa Frances chipboard book
Kaiser Crafts board book
Maya Road chipboard book and letters (Jonathan)
American Craft Christmas Ribbon
Fiskars Tape Runner (not pictured)


This is the largest RAK Debby's Dare has ever given!

Rules:
Your Act of Kindness must take place between July 1 to August 1
The Act of Kindness must to be geared toward our children

If you work with other crafters, each crafter can count it as their story.
In order for winners to be chosen there must be at least 100 stories

I can't ship internationally.

I will use the Random.org to choose a winner. Make sure to tell your friends on your blog, email, LSS, Facebook and Twitter. Share the passion of a Crafter that Cares!


Please Note: During July I will not be posting Fiskars Friday on Thursday. It will start back up in August. Check out FiskarsCrafts.com for great idea on how you can use your tools.


Gratitude List
1. God’s Grace
2. God’s Abundance
3. God’s Love
5. God’s Protection

It's a Zoo Out There!

My son and I went driving around, stopping to shop and to just have some fun. Here is our adventure at a local pet shop. The owners got into my videoing the critters and birds. I just caused a stir all away around.

TOMORROW BIG JULY RAK/DARE!

Gratitude List
1. all creatures
2. God's unlimited creativity
3. pleasure of an afternoon of fun
4. smiles
5. Friendly people