Happy Mother's Day

To all the moms in my life I wish you a day of wonderful memories,
love, relaxation, appreciation, hugs and kisses.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Poppy and The Bard

Due to my lack of knowledge, otherwise known as ignorance, of the world of blogging I find the above cartoon very appropriate. Wouldn't it be interesting to know what the great writers in history might provide the world of literature via their own blogs? My guess is that they would be overwhelmed by the possibilities just as I am. Of course, they would figure out all of the intricacies of the blogging world far faster than have I.

After months of searching I have learned how to add an email subscription option to Poppylovesaparty.blogspot.com. To most people this would seem a simple task. To me, a person whose only true computer education was three days in a computer science class in 1975, the possibilities might as well be presented in Martian language.

Oh yeah, the three days in computer science was shear misery. I dropped the class, added Art History and remember only that the computer was in an entirely different room than the classroom due to the size of the computer. I suppose I should have paid closer attention to the professor for those three days. I'm sure every bit of what was taught would be pertinent to today's computers. Or not! My art history knowledge does help me answer the occasional Jeopardy question. Obviously, I made a wise decision in my drop/add choice.

If you would prefer to receive up to date blog notices via email please enter your email address in the appropriate space on the blog page.

Thanks for your interest in Poppy Loves A Party. Each of you has helped me learn something new today.

Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks

For more than 25 years I have used Fimo clay to create detailed jewelry and Christmas ornaments. Unfortunately, being a huge procrastinator, I found that for eight months of the year I was not in the mood for making holiday items. I remembered a customer from years ago who had told me that she framed my work so that she could enjoy it year round. At my age it's hard to remember my name much less something I was told years ago. That dim lightbulb in my head had a power surge and that memory gave me the inspiration to try something new. I would love to hear your thoughts on the new framed miniature art sculptures. I will be adding more on my Etsy shop soon but I wanted to give you guys a little preview. Thanks for looking.

Party Planning for April 29, 2011

If you're in the mood for a good royal wedding celebration be sure to check out the blog Design Editor at http://designeditor.typepad.com/design_editor/2011/04/free-royal-wedding-party-printables.html

Everything you could possibly need for a royal celebration except perhaps some royals. Maybe this will help.

Ladies start your printers!  Thanks to Design Editor for the terrific free printables.

I'll Share I Share

If you are unfamiliar with I Share this is the perfect time to check it out. Free spring and Easter printables and craft ideas. I love when I get an I Share email! It means I'll be on the computer for a while downloading all kinds of great freebies. Be sure to sign up for the emails.

http://www.isharecrafts.com/

http://www.ishareprintables.com/

Don't Know Much About History or Where Did That Saying Come From?

 And Etsy




They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families
used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken &
sold to the tannery.......if you had to do this to survive
you were "Piss Poor"
But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't
even afford to buy a pot......they "didn't have a pot to
piss in."  They were the lowest of the low.

The next time you are washing your hands and complain
because the water temperature isn't just how you like it,
think about how things used to be.

  Wedding bouquet of clay flowers

                                       by simplybybex on Etsy
 
Most people got married in June because they took their
yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by
June.. However, since they were starting to smell,
brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor,
hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting
married.

 Wash tub available from

                                      honeyandbee on Etsy

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man
of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then
all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the
children, last of all the babies. By then the water was so
dirty you could actually lose someone in it, hence the
saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water!"

 Print by 3crows on Etsy

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no
wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get
warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs)
lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and
sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof,
hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the
house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs

and other droppings could really mess with your clean bed. Hence a bed with 
big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how
canopy beds came into existence.

 Dollhouse miniature bed
                                      by huesdesign on Etsy

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other
than dirt, hence the saying, "Dirt poor."

The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the
winter, when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to
help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added
more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all
start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the
entrance way, hence, a thresh hold.

(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

 Peas Porridge Hot painting by
                                       hyfunda on Etsy

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big
kettle that always hung over the fire.. Every day they lit
the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly
vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the
stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold
overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew
had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence
the rhyme: Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas
porridge in the pot nine days old

 Bacon soap strips by
                                    Michellesthisandthat on Etsy

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel
quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up
their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, "bring home
the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests
and would all sit around and chew the fat.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt
bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests
got the top, or the upper crust.

 Three tomato plants available
                                      on Etsy from JBFFarms
                                    
Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high
acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food,
causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with
tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were
considered poisonous.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination
would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days.
Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and
prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen
table for a couple of days and the family would gather
around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake
up hence the custom of holding a wake.

 St. Mary's Church, Goudhurst
                                      print by boodlyhead on Etsy
                                      
England is old and small and the local folks started running
out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins
and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the
grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins
were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they
realized they had been burying people alive... So they would
tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the
coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell.
Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night
(the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone
could be saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.

How's that for some fun history? School's out. Have a fun
weekend wherever you are!

 The I Want to Have Fun Bowtie
                                      is available on Etsy from
                                      AnnaLisaTitolo

Friday Giveaway on Children Inspire Design

I love giveaways and Children Inspire Design has started offering a giveaway each Friday. Check out their site. There are loads of cute items and the possibility of winning a prize!
                                                   http://childreninspiredesign.com/blog

A Spectacular Party

THE CUTEST PARTY, EVER!!!!

I adore this Night Owl Party idea!!! Would it be inappropriate for my 55th birthday? I think not! Let the planning begin!!! Be sure to check out Snowy Bliss' blog.

How to Create a Birthday Party

How to Create a Party with a Theme You Know Nothing About

In my ongoing attempt to determine what career path lies ahead for a 54 year old woman with a degree in Interior Design and experience only as a mom and crafter I have offered my services in a number of different LEGAL ways. It was with great surprise when a young mom I know called asking my help in planning her daughter's ninth birthday party. The theme - The Sisters Grimm. Hmmm, I pondered and finally asked "who or what are The Sisters Grimm?" It seems they are the direct descendants of the Brothers Grimm living in today's world and encountering the many characters, with a few modern day twists, included in the stories of their ancestors. Never being one who learned to say "no", I agreed. 

I researched the series of books by reading every, and I do mean every, review of each book on Amazon.com taking copious notes as though I were preparing for the best term paper of all time. With each tidbit of information I determined that yet another task should be added to the plan. I might say that by this point I had long since stopped making any money and had not even created the first item for the party. This became a labor of love, a mission to be accomplished, a party to beat all parties, and the lowest paying job I have had since I tutored for my dad at the unbelievable hourly rate of 50 cents an hour. The week before the party I went 31 hours without sleep and then two nights later 34 hours with no sleep. I decided at that point that this was not a wise career path. My husband did note that I seemed to be having fun creating my masterpiece party and he was right. I delivered the decorations to the mother of the birthday girl on the Wednesday before the Friday evening event. She didn't seem overly enthusiastic and I felt very let down. On Friday afternoon I delivered the cake topper and was invited in to see how the house had been decorated. The birthday girl and her sister more than made up for the mom's initial reaction to my offerings. The excitement was palpable. The younger sister asked every ten minutes, "how much longer until the party". As The Sisters Grimm series does have mystery, danger, and adventure some of the stories can be a bit dark and so the color scheme was black and white. The birthday girl wanted only to be assured that there would be a "Pin the Tail on the Wolf" game. Is it wrong that the wolf I created had eaten Red Riding Hood? The menu for the evening was equally as interesting "Squid Ink Pasta with Green Gravy" and Ada's Happily Everafter Dream Cake. I have yet to receive a report on how the black pasta (food coloring) and green gravy (Alfredo sauce and more food coloring) was received. I based the cake topper on the cover picture of one of the books and included the "birthday girl" with the Sisters Grimm from the illustration. Hopefully, my party design caused no traumatic psychological damage to the party guests. 

My biggest fear now is that the younger sister is going to want a party "just like her sister's!" Aaarrrggghhh!!











Squid Ink Pasta and Green Gravy, YUM!!

The Party!

The Sisters Grimm - Book 8
Cake Topper



Pin the Tail on the Wolf Game



A Story to be Shared

As I was creating a polymer clay treasury for Etsy I discovered this profile of D. Antonia Truesdale. For some reason I began reading her profile story and am compelled by something much more than myself to share it with you. While you read and cry your heart will become full of appreciation of this lovely young woman and her young friend. Please feel free to share the story with others.

Why I Sculpt Child Angels

Christopher Brown was really little. In a class of third graders he was teeniest among all of us. He was also the most spirited. I adored him, so we fought constantly. I was a masochist for those bickerings and used to stare at the small gap between his front teeth as his mouth moved around them proving me wrong in little bursts of animation.

This is not a story about childhood love. It is not a story about friendship. Despite the presence of these things, this is pure ache and a lesson I wish I never learned. I will not go into sharing the details of what made Christopher a spectacular being wrapped up in the package of an 8 year old boy. I trust you find me credible and will believe this. I also ask that despite the longevity, in Chris' honor you read this.

On the first day of summer vacation in 1989, Christopher was playing baseball with his brother, sister, and babysitter in his back yard and the ball went over the fence into a neighboring construction site. He climbed his swing set onto his father's shed, then jumped from the shed roof over the fence to get the ball. I cannot picture this in my head (either because the logistics are not clear or because my mind is protecting itself from this visual) but when Christopher jumped the fence his hand hit a latch on a crane which released two cement highway dividers. He fell and they fell on top of him. A very cherished 8 year old lost his life that day.

There was no closure. My mother felt that attending the services would be too traumatic and kept me from saying goodbye in person. I understand, but still. I agonized for years about this, even into young adulthood. So many blanks I could not fill in. I did not know where he was interned, when his birthday was. The specific day he died. Every milestone I had, I wished for him. On first days of school I would find his seat in class and then mentally spite the child who sat there. On last days of school I would be sick at the excitement around me. I'd imagine Chris's thoughts as the final bell rang and he dreamt of ponds and trails and popcorn at the drive-in, not knowing he would die by next nightfall. For years I just carried him with me. The night before my high school graduation I dreamed of him approaching through the crowd, as grown as I, and hugging me. In tears I type this.

In my second year of college I became desperate, not for closure, but for closeness to Chris and wanted so badly to connect with his family. With such a common last name they felt impossible to find. All I could do was speak of him often and hope someone connected. One day this exact thing happened, and by fate a woman scrawled an address on scrap paper and sent me away with it. I finally had a portal to his family and despite years of longing for contact, I had no idea how I could begin to express my heart to them.

Honestly I do not recall the specific details of the sentiment that I poured into 7 handwritten pages, but my message was strong and clear. I missed Christopher, I loved him still, and I REMEMBERED. Always I remembered him. The letter I received back I held with trembling hands, but never could I have been prepared for what Christopher's mother would share with me.

She spoke of the myriad of emotions that my letter brought forth, and I expected that would be the case. She broke me down entirely when she went on to write that receiving my letter was a true miracle that had breathed new life into their son. She shared that tragically, the loss of Christopher was so painful for others that he became rarely spoken of.

To hear that Christopher not only lost his life but also his legacy was the greatest shame imaginable. My small but bursting childhood friend had become lost to the world. Was truly buried. I cried for days. She later wrote that the greatest gift I had given them was sharing his memory with other people and allowing him to live on in this way.. Mary and I stay in touch and I am smiling this moment over the profound friendship I found in Christopher's mother.

I visit his grave when I am happy and seek to share that with him. I go there when I am hurt so I can have solitude but not be alone. My husband and I picnic with our young daughters there and they like the bells that softly chime in the fir overhanging his grave site. He is truly my forever friend, and my gift to him is ensuring that despite his life being stifled, his legacy never will be. Now you know Christopher. He was small, mighty, and magnificent. I would be beyond humbled should anyone repost his story as daily I fear that in his 8 short-lived and bittersweet years of childhood, not enough people had the chance to know his name.

Christopher's mother shared with me that one of the greatest gifts I gave to them was sharing his goodness with others and allowing the memory of him to live on. This was a gift I could not stop giving to Chris and his family, and with it I achieved the opposite of closure. It burst open a door for me and truly inspired fire in my heart, because it was then that I saw a very clear window into the lives of bereaved parents. One of the things that stood out profoundly to me was need. The need for their children to be acknowledged, celebrated, spoken about. The need to know others remember. The need for a LEGACY.

Sculpting the ever-present bond between parents and children who touch the stars too soon is truly my heart's work and daily I startle at the extreme honor of being so blessed to be able to do this. My goal was to create something for parents to display for others which would then evoke conversation. I really wanted to be able to create some tangible way for parents to show others that it is okay to talk about their children and for my sculptures to be a “starting place”. In my heart of hearts I pray that people see these pieces and realize that despite the overwhelming pain in losing a child, there is healing for parents to simply know people remember.