First off, never label a post as 'I'm back' unless you are actually home. How to send people into conniptions... I was back on the grid but several weeks from returning to Amsterdam when I posted last and it prompted a few emails including at least one frantic one!
So I am back in Amsterdam and reflecting on the joy of being back in the space one is comfortable in. Visiting home is strange... I love seeing my family - they are one of the main things I live for - yet seven weeks as a guest gets old no matter how gracious one's hosts. As I live alone and am, by nature, an introvert I am a pretty solitary being, so weeks of co-habitating while lovely in one sense are a challenge in others. I experienced moments of absolute joy at the communion with those I love while, sometimes simultaneously, experiencing 'I need to get out of here for a few minutes' to just be and breathe feelings. Hermit, loner or human? I think probably a combination. Certainly there are times when I prefer my own company and I can amuse myself for several days without the need for input from others, yet at the same time I yearn to belong which suggests to me that my preferred state is not alone. And I do cherish EVERY minute I get to spend with loved ones even if sometimes it may appear to the contrary!
And of course if I am honest I don't really live alone. My two naked feline friends were here to greet me at the door upon my return to my apartment in Amsterdam. Healthy, of constant weight (not the case on previous trips), and happy to see me and cuddle after the requisite 'where the hell have you been we are not acknowledging you' hour. Love my funny cats!! I was also have to share that I was picked up at the airport by another friend (or should I say angel) who did not comment on any odor or non compos mentis moments when I emerged post trans-Atlantic flight that included a four hour layover in my 'favorite' European airport and had stocked my fridge with a few necessities and had a beautiful bouquet of flowers waiting... did I mention angels?
Okay on to sharing... my beautiful older sister arranged a crop with her scrap-booking buddies in Milwaukee while I was down in the states - greetings to that Milwaukee group of wonderful talented ladies!!! I had a great weekend, laughed lots, widened my eyes a few time while these gorgeous unassuming women let their hair down, and got a fair few layouts done. These ladies have an annual crop that I have so far been unable to join but hopefully some day I will hit Madison with them. These two layouts were created that weekend. The first was serendipity when the paper that looked like corn appeared in my sister's scrap container. I often create my own 'diecut' when I don't have something that will work and created my own corn cob here. Loved the larger font so much (turned out it is a discontinued Ellison font) that I had to go searching ebay to see if I could find a set looking for a new home. The second layout uses a technique I was introduced to by one of my inspirations, Debbie Olson. She used the curved word on a card I pointed out back before my holiday and I finally was able to integrate the idea into a layout. TFL!
