Scratch off cootie catcher

Now isn't that a catchy title?

Last year, Lynn sent me a fantastic birthday gift - a cootie catcher with a scratch off heart.

One pick at a time I got words of wisdom on how to start a new decade:

Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. | When planning for a year plant corn. When planning for a decade plant trees. When planning for life train and educate people. | Happy people plan actions, they don't plan results. | Success is often the result of taking a mis-step in the right direction.

A lot of sage advice to mull over, pal; good thing we have a decade to do so.

Lilypad pop

At times, Lynn has been apologetic about not following the postcard 'rule,' but I love her pop up cards. I will admit they mystify me and it takes a lot of willpower to not dissemble them so I can figure out how they pop - especially when they are small. I love pocket size art. This one is as big as my hand when opened.

I may be posting this a week or so early because she was preparing to go to Canada for her mom's birthday right before this was mailed. A great break after a long spring. She was also quizzing me on what I had planned for my upcoming birthday, and preemptively reacting to birthday complaints by reassuring me that I had a lot under my belt to be proud of - be forewarned Lynn, I am going to need more reassuring soon! And vice versa?

Hoo. hoo. who's there?

Lynn wrote last January that a book her mom got purchased for her at the Paper Source inspired this card. It is hard to tell, but the card is long enough to fit in a legal envelope (at some point it became folded, which you can see in the second picture), and inside it has three owls with little pop-up beaks down the middle. I love that somehow the eyes make the owls have personality. She wrote inside that she felt uninspired when it came to writing a catchy tag line although she did brainstorm a few ideas.

Unfortunately, I have a feeling if she made this card this month the tag line would be obvious:

Who's there?

Because, lets honest, I have been rather poor at communicating and didn't manage the promised drive-by hug on my way north from DC (my dad and I passed the Flint area around the time that night becomes morning and I didn't think I should wake her... which I regret in retrospect). But I believe that communication will be easier now that things are beginning to settle. So my response to all those hoos: I am here, pal!

Pop!

Following Lynn's lead, I am skipping a week. This card was inspired by a website that teaches people to make pop-up cards. I have tried to capture the pop as the bird flies out of the house. Fun. The card was posted just before the Obama/McCain election last year. She wrote, "Also, our schools mock elections are in and McCain won by a few votes. I am not sure the kids are an informed measure, but it is still making me nervous. Hopefully, if you are opening this card Nov 4 we are getting better returns!" All that worry for naught!