Friday 20 March 2009

Shallow as a puddle...

Y'all know by now that I make cards as well as being a scrapbooker, and stamping is really my habit/hobby of choice. But I'm totally and completely over the need to give hand-made cards to everyone, all the time. In the early years of my addiction, I would rather have posted/delivered the hand-made greeting late than buy a card and celebrate the actual occasion on time! Daft. I also am frequently found lurking in card shops trying to suck in a few ideas. Especially Paperchase and Marks Expensive...they have lovely 'hand finished' numbers that are sooo easy to imitate. Anyway, that's a bit of a digression. Today, I had an hour to kill in Salisbury city centre. A lovely city in which to wander for sure, but I'm a frequent visitor and tend to take it all a bit for granted. So I found myself in a discount card shop. I have LOADS of birthdays, anniversaries and events coming over the next 3 weeks - truly. And to relieve some of these people I'm sending some bought cards - after a year's break, my stuff won't look 'same-old, same-old' - good theory, huh! Anyway, come with me if you will to the Female/Friends/Sisters/Aunts rack of cards. It took a few minutes to realise that the majority of them are based around images of jewellery, shoes and other lovelies. Very few florals or views or (clean) funny cards. Are we so shallow? No mate, I tell myself. Look in another shop. So I did. Lots of those cards with silly texts added to knitting pattern type pictures, but these were worse really - images from a time warp era that just allow for jokes about modern women's lack of domesticity and preference to shop. Lordy, are we really so shallow? Apparently. Some of the cards are downright funny, but by now, I was feeling a bit put out, so I stopped looking. I stamp images of lipstick, shoes, blah blah and use these on cards for particular personalities in my life, and I'm the first to dig out the text stamps - 'When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping' etc etc...so why am I suddenly so affronted? I don't know. Maybe, in those two card shops - a totally non-scientific survey reveals nothing more than the fact that the buyer is a bloke who thinks he knows what women find funny or (brace yourself) thinks he knows women. Or maybe it was just the sheer number of similar cards that made the thought pop into my head. I dunno. But to make myself feel less shallow, I rushed into Lakeland and bought a silicone muffin tin. Shopping, and Suzy Homemaker type purchases at that. Shallow and blindingly transparent I think!
Oh, and something for the weekend (!)
My friend Sally-Ann, a welcome and frequent commenter here has a ridiculous amount of blog candy to give away. Love to Doodle is where to find her. Even if you don't want the Candy, visit her, .....what Sally-Ann calls doodle is what lesser mortals call art. No wonder I'm excited about the news that some of her images are going to be made into stamps!

11 comments:

Unknown said...

What a fabulous LO - love it!

Ginny said...

wow...what an epiphany!!!!

great LO :0)

SHEN said...

fab lo, i like the torn paper effect. xx

Elizabeth said...

Love your layout - and laughed out loud at your cardshop discovery - you are SO right.

From now on no lipstick and handbag cards - but my 'I never met a chocolate I didn't like' stamps are OK aren't they? LOL

kelly said...

haha that tickled me
love the layout x

Coffeedoff said...

Lovely LO, It took me back to when ...

Nic said...

Lovely Lo :)

Digi Stamp Boutique said...

Fab LO and very gorgeous pictures...
...and thank you for the very nice link too.

Mmmm...I went to buy cards recently too (some people just dont get/like/want! handmade) and I struggled to find any that I felt were appropriate.....got to admit that I quite like the range in NEXT of all places as well as M&S and John Lewis.....cant normally go wrong there and last week taught me not to bother trawling around the other places anymore...for a similar reason....

I felt quite miserable after wasting what felt like an hour trying to find something that perhaps I'd proved before wasn't there....or I planned my time wrong that day and should have spent more time in COSTA so that I had less time for the deed. Would have got it done then.

Hope you had a lovely Mother's Day and that hubby wasnt playing golf - mine went fishing....but ahhhh...I had my day yesterday and even more time later today so I think I won!....xx

Lyn said...

I love this layout, Jules, and as usual, chuckled at your card buying comments. All so true. What is it with shop cards these days? They seem to aim them at the extreme ends of the market - either young, with toilet-humour (which I have to admit to sniggering at when browsing!) or your great great aunty type.

Lyn said...

And, hey, my first ever blog comment - I have finally managed to join the blogging community! It's taken me long enough to work it out *blush*

Unknown said...

Hi Julia - great to meet you at the workshop today - really enjoyed the cupcakes.

Linda