Degree's of Seperation ~ An Experiment

My link to this experiment was Sonjia Bradshaw from her blog Living Above Neutral

Will you join me in an experiment? I will answer the question: What was I doing 10/20/30 years ago...Then, you answer this question on your blog or here in the comments section. Tag as many other bloggers as possible & have them link back to http://www.relevantblog.blogspot.com/ (Mary DeMuth) who started this little social experiment!

Ten Years Ago (1997) - I lived in Northampton, Massachusetts and my daughter was a 1.5 year old. I was a single Mom and worked full time at The Moore Corporation in Hartford Connecticut. That was a long and horrible commute, but I took the time every week to attend my knitting class and then had friends over afterwards to watch Friends. I can't believe the time I had to do things...where did that time go? Six days a week I'd put my daughter into her stroller and we'd fast walk for one hour on the bike path out behind our house. I had purchased my first home...a town house. Zia & Zio were in our lives back then. Where are they now? Sweet Memories for me at that time were listening to my daughter play in her room while I sat on the couch and knit, the smell of the New England Fog and the pure enjoyment of holding my daughter in my arms. My reason for being!

Twenty Years Ago (1987) - I lived in Flagstaff, Arizona on the Northern Arizona University. I was a Graphic Design Major.(...er maybe not at that time as I was only a sophomore). My roommate was probably Wendy. She was my closest friend at the time. She probably knew me better than anyone, but it would be secrets I kept that broke our friendship. I still miss her today. I drank too much caffeine, stayed up way to late, smoked like a fiend (I'd quit in 9 years - cold turkey - to have a child) and had a ton of energy. I was a full time student and was part of a work study program that allowed me to work in another dorm and study while on duty. I was discovering who I was for the first time. Sweet Memories for me at that time are sitting on my couch in my cramped dorm room, walking to class in shorts in the winter and living in one of my favorite spots in the world, Flagstaff Arizona.

Thirty Years Ago (1977) - I was 10 years old, only a year and a half younger than my daughter is now. I was in fifth grade and lived in Haslett, Michigan. It was a different life, a time I care not to remember but do nearly every day. I dreamed of moving away, running away, getting away from my home and family. It would take 3 more years until we did in fact move away from Michigan. Moving away was the beginning of the end of my worst years. I lived in a four room house with my younger sister and my parents. My Mom worked full time as a nurse for an orthopedic surgeon at the hospital I was born in. My father seldom held down a job we always would refer to him as dabbling. My father was a dabbler! I thought I was an ugly overweight girl. I was a beautiful "just right" 40 year old in a 10 year old body. I lived to spend time with my friend Tammy and riding horses in Mason, Michigan. Sweet memories for me at that time were playing with Tammy and her dog, doing anything with the horses and being by my self!

So here are my "tag your it":

Emily Giovanni ~ Stamping and Stuff
April Driggers ~ This is what it's all About
Erin Grotegut~ Inky Smiles
Julie Chandler
Denise Babcock
Deborah Cariker

Tutorial ~ Paper Folding - Pine Cone Ornaments

Supplies Needed

• 50+ Pieces of paper cut into 2"x1" strips - I like to use a variety of background and texture paper. Do Not Use Cardstock as it is too difficult to push pins through.
• 2" Styrofoam Ball
• 150+ Straight Pins
• 8" to 10" of ribbon
• Thimble - Optional...but saves your fingers
  

Step One
Lay your one of your 2"x1" strips on the table and fold the left corner down and to the center.

Step Two
Fold the right corner of your strip into the center to meet up with the left corner. This makes a Triangle shape out of the strip.

~Repeat Step One & Two until all 50+ pieces are folded~

Click Here for First Visual Show Tutorial

Step Three
Hold your Styrofoam ball in your hand and place one of the triangle pieces onto your ball (flap side down to the ball) and pin in the tip of the triangle piece.

Step Four

Butt a second triangle up to the first making 1/2 of a square and again pin the tip of the triangle piece.

Step Five
Do this two more times until you have created a complete square out of four folded triangle pieces with four pins holding them onto the Styrofoam ball through the tips only.

Step Six

Pin two of the triangles in the center of the longest straight side. These two triangles should be apposing triangles.

Step Seven
Cross two corners of two triangles over each other and pin. Repeat this for each triangle's remaining corners. This completes the first layer of your ornament.

Step Eight
Now you will be putting on your second layer of paper. This layer is applied differently than the first layer. It is a good place to alter your paper color. These triangles will be applied half way over the first layer. You will place the tip of the triangle down pointing toward the pins in the center of the Styrofoam ball. The longest straight edge of your triangle will span over the overlapping corners of your first layer. For this layer you will need four triangles to make it around the first layer. Pin each of these triangles at each corner only. The second layer corners will overlap.

Step Nine
Following the same process you did in Step Eight, offset the next layer of triangles so your longest flat edge of your triangle is spanning over the overlapping corners of your second layer. The tip of the triangle is once again pointing down and will be positioned in the gap created between the first and second layer. Again, you will be pinning the corners of the triangles only and they will overlap.

~Repeat this step for two more layers~

Click here for the second visual show tutorial

Step Ten
Place one edge of your ribbon in width parallel with your last layer of paper triangles. Pin it down into the foam ball. Pin the other end of your ribbon onto the foam ball on the opposite side. This creates your ribbon hanger. You will be pinning your triangle layers over the ribbon. Continue repeating Step Nine until you begin reducing in size and are at the crest of the top of the foam ball.


Step Eleven
Continue repeating Step Nine until you begin reducing in size and are at the crest of the top of the foam ball.

Step Twelve
The top and covering layer will either be two or four triangles. Depending on what size space you have left to cover. You will start out with your first piece by opening the flaps and pinning only the bottom layer. Once pinned on one side you will refold and cover the pins with the top layer. This step is the most tedious step and requires some dexterity. You will continue doing this meeting in the center with the flat sides of each triangle creating a square peak on top of the pinecone.

Step Thirteen

I like to finish it off by tying the ribbon into a bow that comes down tight onto the last layer of the paper triangles. This helps to cover up any gaps or showing pins. I leave a long piece of ribbon extending in the middle. This will become your hanger.

Christmas Cards

These cards were created using some OLD "retired" CTMH papers and the October SOM (Magical Season) I used flocking with liquid glass for Santa's Beard.

I have these and other Christmas single cards and card packs for sale on my Virtual Store.

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