Grandmother's China

I spent the day with my grandmother yesterday, which might sound strange to some since she passed away in January. Several years ago, when she moved to a senior housing complex, she passed her china down to me. Since then, it has been packed away safely so nothing would happen to it. I’m still trying to figure out why I had it packed away so carefully when that’s not what she would have wanted me to do with it. I remember eating off that very same china as a child, so it's obvious she didn't stow it away safely somewhere just waiting for the "perfect occasion". Every day was the "perfect occasion", which is why she used it and enjoyed it on a daily basis and I finally figured out that that’s exactly what she’d want me to do. That’s why I say I spent the day with my grandmother yesterday. I cleaned out enough space in my kitchen cabinets to put my “new” china away and then I unpacked it and washed it all by hand. I pictured her long fingers, with neatly manicured nails and sparkling rings, washing the very same dishes years before. When I dropped a saucer and it broke, I caught myself thinking “Well, I swanee”, which was one of her favorite sayings. I “talked” to her all day and I could hear her telling me how proud she was of me and how I was “smarter than a whipper-snapper”. I didn’t get to see my grandmother often enough, growing up, because we lived about 350 miles away from her. As I became an adult, life got busier, and I didn’t make as much time as I should have to go see her. She was a super-duper, incredible lady and I miss her tremendously. This picture was taken during my last visit with her in June 2007. I love you, "Big Mama"!!

I managed to get one card made this weekend. Curtis needed a couple of cards for customers. He needed one sympathy card and a ‘get well’ card. I made two of the same design because this card would really work for just about any occasion since it doesn’t have a sentiment on it. I used last week’s SCS color challenge, which was Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow, and Very Vanilla. The flower is stamped in Sage Shadow classic ink and is from the ‘Heartfelt Thanks’ stamp set. The Sage Shadow panel was embossed using a Cuttlebug embossing folder. The ribbon is wide Chocolate Chip satin ribbon that was available last Christmas from SU!
Hope your week is off to a good start! Toodles!