Not on the Bucket List

I don't even have a Bucket List......officially.  Of course, I have lots of things I want to do before my time's up, but I try so hard to "stay in the day" that I sort of take life as it's thrown at me.  Grabbing opportunities here and there.  Like my trip to London and the arts and craft adventure called Silver Bella.  I didn't go looking for either of those trips.....so they weren't on a list.....but I can look back and say they are definitely highlights of my life...

and would have been on a Bucket List if I had one.

Silver Bella was a whirlwind weekend of food, shopping, fun, conversing with other artists and just being around so many talented people.  I got involved in a few artists' swaps in the months leading up to the big weekend....and this is what I really think of when I think of my Silver Bella experience.  

I wanted to try a swap.  A. Swap.  One.  But I wasn't sure how to sign up for one on the Silver Bella site, so I asked my childhood friend, Doojies, to sign up for one for me.  Or maybe two if she couldn't pick just one.  She so graciously did....but every time she clicked on one, it wouldn't show up, so she would go to another one and click it as "me" and again, my name wasn't showing up.  Eight clicks later....I was signed up for EIGHT swaps!  To say I was overwhelmed and challenged and scared and excited would be an understatement. 

I know now that I could have backed out of one or two of those swaps but I'm glad I didn't.  It was a challenge but I loved every single swap I was involved in.  And after all Doojies put me through, I still speak to her. (Just kidding D.)  I don't think Chuck ever figured out where all our money went that fall...but Hobby Lobby and JoAnn's had a record year. 

I didn't even know back then about all the other fabulous places to find incredible paper arts and such.

Okay...honestly, I didn't even know what a swap was

or what an ATC was at the time.

Do you?

One of the swaps was to create a page for a book of the 12 Days of Christmas.   The colors and the size of the pages were given to us by the Swap Hostess Gina Grable....as well as our "day"...I was Day 8.

 And the book was to be called

 The 12 Sparkly, Vintage Days of a

Most Glittery, Glamorous Christmas

so I knew I would need lots of glitter to complete my page.

Fifteen books were made, if I remember correctly, so that means I made the same page 15 times.  I sent my pages to the Swap Hostess by a certain deadline and she bound all the pages together into an unbelievably beautiful book. 
Twelve days of pages
 and the glittery cover
plus a couple of extra for the leaders
of Silver Bella make up the 15.

One of the other artist in the swap is Kim Allistair Caldwell.  She submitted the details and pictures of our finished book to Somerset to be put in their Holiday publication.  This swap was done in the fall of 2008.  She submitted in the spring of 2009.  They turned her down.  We were all a little disappointed but were so appreciative of Kim for even trying.  It was a huge undertaking for her. 

Oh well, it wasn't on my Bucket List

 to be published in a magazine anyway.

But

guess

what?

The 2010 Somerset Holidays & Celebrations

 just came out. 

And guess what is on Page 17?

I would love to show you the picture of my art on Page 21....but I really want you to get your own issue.  I will send you back to my blog post about it and if you go to Gina's blog, you can see all the pages there, too.  Not all of the pages were featured in the Somerset issue but I was one of the lucky ones that got chosen.

So I'm feeling very proud.  Very appreciative.  Very lucky.  Thanks Gina for your incredibly cute idea and to Kim for getting it published for us.......and to Doojies for signing me up for this swap.  Now I know how those Oscar winners feel.  There's way too many people to thank.  I really need to thank my mom for always allowing us to paint and glue at the kitchen table.  And Chuck for supporting my habit.  And my 7th grade Arts and Craft teacher who I have long since forgotten her name or face. And of course, my ...............

Time's up.  Go to commercial.  Actually.....go get the magazine.


POST SCRIPT:  You can find this magazine at JoAnn's or Barnes & Noble.
This publication includes Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter and 4th of July
projects.....you will not just look at Page 17 -21, I promise!