Chloe Asks Nice Boy to Halloween High School Dance

Chloe came home from school a couple weeks ago on a Wednesday night and announced she was asking a boy to the Halloween dance that night at 8 pm.  

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, really?  You just turned 16, don't we want to gradually work up to the dating thing?",  I questioned.

"If I don't ask tonight, he'll be asked by Friday, " she responds.  "I have to."

"Okay, well the dance is in like 6 weeks, are you sure this must be done tonight?" I doubted.

"I'm sure.  I'm just glad you are so creative Mom, I'm sure you can think of something really cool," she brown-nosed.

No pressure there.  I had the Guynn wedding the next day and she had a Young Women's activity that night, so time was of the essence.  Chloe and I speed brainstormed for 10 minutes.  The result:  Uncle Sam and his slogan, "I want you!" marry The Wizard of Oz's Wicked Witch of the West, and her finger-pointing threatening line, "I'll get you, and your little dog too!"  We discussed what the picture inserted at the end of the book should look like.  It would be the Wicked Witch of the West, and she should be pointing her long, green fingers at him (Eddie), when he opens the book.  Chloe found the perfect image online in 2 minutes, maybe less, gotta love Google.  We made a quick trip to D. I. to purchase a couple of books. Then Matt saved the day and drilled the massive hole.  I lettered, painted, glued, burned and packaged, at Chloe's request, after all, who was asking who to the dance anyway? 

After all was said and delivered, I had the sinking feeling that we had just set the bar very high for Chloe's invitations and acceptances to the potential 36 other high school dances for the next 3 years, and then there is still Elsa and June to follow ...  I sure hope he says "yes", or there is going to be one mad witch at our house, possibly two.  And we might get his little dog too.  (long cackle)

Who does he answer?
Hint:  This book belongs to Chloe Ferre.

Is she sending subliminal messages in the book titles she chose?  Quite Possibly.

A new wax seal from my recent purchase at Tail of the Yak.

Matt drilled some very large holes through the inside of the two layers of books.   Super cool.

Notice the 3-D witch finger?

Just when I thought we were done with the project, Chloe wanted to burn and distress the cover page.
Details, details, I just don't know where she gets that from ...

Eddie, I hope you have the heart of the tin man and say "Yes!"  Just follow the Yellow Brick Road up 114th, you can't miss us on the north side.  She's patiently at home clicking her heels together for your affirmative reply, but her dad has considered sending the winged-monkeys after you.

(an even longer cackle)

Book Group Roster & Schedule: Check-Out

One of my favorite clients needed her book group's roster made up for this year's schedule and member contact information.  She loves square anything, that was pretty much her only input for the project.  I had several ideas in my mind, but I was still loving the old-book style from my recent projects.

Remember checking out books at the school or city library where they stamped the lined 3X5 cards?  We even had to sign our name on some of them.  I remember in the summer going to the old Mesa Library.  I loved the smell of the stamp and ink pads.  I loved the little manilla pockets glued on the inside of every book cover with 3X5 cards inserted in the pockets.  Why was that fun?  I don't know, maybe because the summer was so hot that office work inside seemed like play to me.  I loved to play librarian at home, with my mother's stamp supplies, I'd stamp plain white cards and papers and make stacks on the roll top desk.  I'd fuss with pencils, staplers, paper clips, rubber bands and anything else I could find that represented office work.  Then after all that fussing, I'd smile at my playmate, hand her the stack of books and say, "Thanks for coming to the library today."

I guess with this project, I was still trying to play library, this time in my grown up office.  I got to stamp 10 different dates on 15 different cards.  I got my fill of stamping.

Last year my dad gave me an old black phone, at my pleading, like the ones we use to use in our house in the 70's.  They had a rotary dial.  Do you know what a rotary dial phone is kids?

Sometimes I think about the process of doing things the long way, and feel a longing for the way things used to be.  We hand wrote phone numbers in a pocket roster book, we didn't synced them to an electronic device.  Remember typing everything, including school papers several times before you submit your final draft for your grade?  That was actually in my lifetime.  I had a typewriter in college.  But mine was one of those modern ones that had auto correct on it.  Oooooh, I was luuuucky.  Don't get me started on old processes, I feel like my grandparents when I start that conversation.  Old phones and typewriters ... I think I'll save that for a later post this week.