Once again, ours was packed with cross country running. And I loved it! Both our high school and middle school teams went to one of the largest invitationals in the Mid-West (5000 runners) and it was exciting.
I've been a runner for almost 30 years. I competed in track and cross country in high school and in college; raced in local 5Ks post-college; finished 7 marathons; and ran just for health and the sheer joy of it. Then two years ago I developed problems in my left foot, severe enough that I have not been able to run trouble-free since and eventually I realized the wisdom in giving it up. That was a hard pill to swallow.
God is good, though! Just months after I began experiencing problems, I was asked to coach middle school cross country. As one door closed to me, God opened a door that allows me to not only stay involved in the sport of running but to be a mentor and a cheerleader to up-and-coming runners! Working with middle schoolers is a privilege and a joy - they lift my spirits with their goofy antics and while as a Christian I am to seek God's approval only, I will unabashedly confess to feeling a thrill when someone tells me how much one of my middle school runners loves having me as a coach. Do you know how hard it is to get the seal of coolness from a 13 year old?!?! I just love how life works and how God works in life.
Today's project matches my elation.
It's not fall- or Halloween- or Christmas-themed, but it's happy and bright and celebrates something we all have in common. It's FUN to celebrate those who add pizzazz and love and meaning to our lives! And it's FUN to be on the receiving end of the attention!
Can you guess how I made the multi-colored, polka-dotted background? With masks!
In a previous post, I showed how to heat emboss using the Basic Pattern Decorative Masks (item #150697 pg 35 in the Holiday Catalog). This time, I experimented with using Stampin' Write markers to color in the masks. For this background, I did not follow a proscribed pattern. Rather, I used the colors of Grapefruit Grove, Call Me Clover, Lovely Lipstick, and Basic Black to randomly color in the dots. Occasionally I'd lift the mask to see what color I felt there needed to be more of, then I'd align the mask again and fill in more dots.
Try coloring in the trees with a white chalk marker for an eerie Halloween effect! Or how about adding a fall border to a card edge by using Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, and Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write markers on the top right stencil? Gorgeous!
Stampin' Write Markers collections
White Chalk Marker
Basic Pattern Decorative Masks (holiday catalog)
Pattern Party Decorative Masks (annual catalog)
Thank you for stopping by today! I hope you learned something and were uplifted in the pursuit of your creating. I so appreciate your business and you choosing me as your demonstrator.
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