Hey everybody! Ah! I’m so invigorated by last night’s snowfall! It’s only a few inches but it was enough to shovel and getting out there was so much fun! I truly love winter. We didn’t get any snow last year so I was hot to trot this morning!!! Our friend next door had shoulder surgery so we did his driveway too, and an elderly couple’s driveway across the street. We got to do a little bit of a driveway two doors down too! It’s fun! I love pitching in this way so before you think anything too altruistic of me, know that it’s selfish too! The only bummer is that my watch didn’t track any of the exercise benefit! Cameron assures me that my body is keeping an accurate count but dammit I want my points!????

Okay, sorry for the digression; I am just way too happy today! So, good news for our subscribers, at long last I am learning to edit our videos. My first try is below and it’s not bad! I did it on my iPhone (turns out I had been using the wrong app last year) which Cameron tells me doesn’t offer as many editing options as my iMac would but I was already cozy in bed so…

I love making cards and established a tradition in 2020 of making valentines for my far flung friends and family as well as some who are near and dear. It’s a fun, fairly instant gratification project that is a welcome divergence from my longer term undertakings.

You’ll see though that we ran into some bumps. We had to find the optimal settings that would minimize char but still cut all the way through while minimizing flashback, which is char that results from the laser hitting the honeycomb and bouncing up. I wanted to create a decorative edge for this year’s design.

The glitter stock cut very easily and cleanly. Cameron has concerns around whether or not its laser safe so I need to contact Recollections to get their MSDS on it to know for sure because it’s gorgeous and I know I’ll want to cut more of it!

I have so much fun coming up with ideas but mainly, it’s my way of sending love to people near and far, letting them know I treasure our friendship and connection, and brightening their day even if it’s just for a moment!

The one unprecedented thing you can’t see in the video is that Cameron left me to complete the production run (we were cutting two cards at a time so it’s a lot of repetition) ALL BY MYSELF! That’s right! You heard me! And I had no warning either. He was all, you wanted to learn how to run the laser this year right? Well, come here, I’m going to gather the trash so you have to run the laser! I grant you, he started me out with something a monkey could do but it was a first step for me in a fresh new calendar year! I always set skill acquisition goals for myself as one year ends and another begins. So video editing and running Diablo have begun!

And in this spirit I want to say that I have several people in my life who are experiencing transitions. Retirement, empty nests, relocation, folks suddenly wondering what to do with this enormous gift of time that has come their way. These people are top notch, highly skilled folks who are used to doing everything well. They rightfully take pride in their well honed excellence. But sometimes, that can get in the way of trying something new and being bad at it, making mistakes, sometimes expensive ones, sometimes fairly inconsequential ones. We make plenty of mistakes here, but we embrace them. They are the best teachers. Finding what you love is a journey that stretches out far and wide, it takes you in unexpected directions and yields unanticipated physical, emotional, psychological, and intellectual dividends. These people taking their first steps in their search have inspired my new sign off mantra.

Thanks for reading, and hey, go make something!

Dana