To Thine Own Self Be True

Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.
Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new-hatch'd, unfledg’d comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel but, being in,
Bear't that th' opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;
Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgement.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel oft proclaims the man;
And they in France of the best rank and station
Are of a most select and generous chief in that.
Neither a borrower, nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell; my blessing season this in thee!
William Shakespeare - Hamlet Act 1 Scene iii

I am pondering.......I love that word in fact I like it so much I will say it again!....I am pondering the reason for my blog. I started out with the intent just to record what I have made and quite frankly did not comprehend the interaction that might follow........then I discovered Challenges!!.......the source of inspiration is amazing and I was caught up in a frenzy of "challengitis"......

so many blogs to visit so many people who deserve a comment.........

so many things to make..............

so little time to devote to making them......

as Mr Micawber said "result misery!".......

and burn out......which is what I think I am suffering from at the moment.

I came across the quote above the other day and was reading it whilst subconsciously thinking about blogging and it seemed to me that old Will could have been writing about blogging, challenges, commenting and the rest!!!

Is it me and my imagination........which can get the better of me LOL.............or can you see a connection in there too?

Imaginatively yours

Sioux

xoxo

Birthday - Stamp with Fun

The challenge theme this week at Stamp with Fun is birthday! So it's a birthday project on show today for me!
This was for a friends birthday and I can now post it as she has received it :)

I made the card using my own design digital papers and my Fitz digi stamp.....I made up a template for the box to fit 3 "Thorntons Chocolate Blocks".......it should have been for 4 blocks but afraid DH lost the plot in the shop and only came out with 3! LOL......The edge was punched with a Fiskars border punch......it's the only one I have but they are easy to use and I'd definitely have more if the old piggy bank would let me!!.....The papers were stamped on the edge with that little dotty border again too.The inside was decorated with more of the same papers and I stamped one of the Elusive Images sentiments from my lucky lucky win that is available at Graphicus on the pink heart paper.....I think you may have to enlarge the picture to read what it says..........The sunflower on the front uses the same template I designed for a poinsettia on this card........can't believe how different it looks inked with DI SM! LOL

Thanks for looking......happy stamping!
xoxo

Three Musketeers

I am not playing with anything at the moment........but thought I had better post something just to keep those who do visit interested!!!
This is a digital scrapbook page I did a while ago.....it features my Dad - John Whittaker (he is the one with a cigarette in his hand) and two of his friends that were so inseparable they were nick named the Three Musketeers......the one in the middle I knew as Uncle Sam (Sam Price) - even though he was not really my Uncle!........and I am afraid I do not know the name of the other chap on the end..........They were from Accrington in Lancashire so someone might recognise him perhaps......my dad would have been about 94 if he was still alive.......just as an after thought.....NO I am not that old please don't knock 20 years off and say that was when I was born!!!!!! LOL.........my mum & dad had me late in life. My Dad has been dead for 40 years but there is not a day goes by when I don't still think about him........just looking at the flowers or trees or grass or weeds brings him back as he was a gardener you see.

I am only guessing that this was taken in 1933 when they were about 18.....it could be a couple of years later......don't they look much older with the 3 piece suits? Everytime I look at this I can't help wondering if there isn't a bit of Greek somewhere in my Dad's distant gene pool.......he just seems to look a bit Greek to me!!!!!!!! LOL

Digi Elements Used; http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/ Antiquing Pack Created by Lauren Bavin: Victorian Edge Overlay Created by Suzanne C. Walker: Fall Date and Detail Chips Created by Jamie Rousselle: http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/ World Traveller by Sande Krieger

Postcard back and wording my own design.

Thanks for looking.