Volunteering Feeds the Soul

Now that my calendar has opened up, I have the time to do some volunteering and help out some of my favourite organizations.

My Aunt works at the Preston Library and was asked to organize a Christmas Scrapbook Class.  The budget was a shoe string so she consulted me on how she might put this class together.  I suggested a paper bag scrapbook with interactive/pull out pockets, button and ribbon bits and pieces, button embellishments and lots of stamping /colouring.   Here’s a sample of the prototype.  You can see how popular it was by all the fingerprints and smudges on it.

The class was very popular and filled up immediately.  It was so popular that the Library plans to repeat it next year!  Awesome!

Beverly Central School is where my girls go to school.  I went to school there too although I remember the water fountains and then desks as bigger!  Each year the school hosts the annual “turkey skate”- the kids skate, not turkeys, but they are on the menu for lunch!  It takes place the first week of December at the local arena with this year being its 35^th anniversary!  The kids all skate for an hour or two (often Santa makes an appearance) and then they eat a turkey dinner with all the trimmings lovingly prepared by the Parents Council. 

Not all of the kids skate or have skates, so it’s the Crafty Mom to the rescue.  Accompanied by Assistant Crafty Mom, Candice, we filled one of the change rooms with a cornucopia of crafts supplies.  Candice ran the pony beads, colouring, and candy cane reindeer station, while I manned the Christmas cards, bookmarks and snowflake decoration table.  The response was overwhelming and the kids had lots of fun.  So much fun that a few did not leave my table to make room for others to “create”.   I can appreciate that kind of strategy … if you’ve got a good thing, hold your ground until the lunch bell sounds!

Lovingly coined at the “Crafty Mom” at my children’s school, I offered to run some Christmas Card Classes at the school.  The day after Megan’s grade one class had a bus trip to the Post office distribution centre to see how the mail gets processed and to meet with Santa, we assembled some cute cards with layering and stamping.  Here’s the one she made for me.

Meredith’s grade five classes did a more intricate card using a folding technique that makes it appear 3-D.  Everyone enjoyed the crafts and one young man in Meredith’s class gave me a drawing of an F-10 plane.  His drawing was very well done and the gesture was very thoughtful.  It’s nice to know that I still have it with the fellas - even if most of “it” has gone south and the fellas are only 10 years old! 

Give free Advice!

My youngest daughter has trouble reading, as a matter of fact, if you asked her to read you a book she would tell you that she couldn’t.   Of course that is not true, but she does have trouble with reading.  In an effort to help her with this, we signed her up for a class at the Preston Library “Paws 4 Stories” which is an 8 week programme that provides children an opportunity to read to service dogs.

The service dogs and their handlers patiently listen to these children and help them read their stories.  The dogs love the attention and are non-judgemental souls who provide silent encouragement to frustrated and defeated readers.  The programme is amazing and it helped Megan on so many levels.  Her reading confidence improved.   She looked forward to reading to Whisper (Sheppard cross), Jazzy (Portuguese water dog) or Mushi anticipating which one she would be assigned.  She met other children who had trouble reading and she made some new friends.

They even had a graduation ceremony on the last night.  Of course I had my camera with me and offered to send the library and the St. John’s Ambulance Therapy Dogs folks copies of the digital copies.  (Note:  waivers had been signed for the children to be photographed.)  “Marketing girl” had kicked in to high gear and I offered to provide a testimonial on the benefits of the programme that they could use on their website or in an article for the local paper.   The photos might be useful on their websites, promotional material or in electronic presentations.    Both organizations were so happy to have someone offer to help them promote their programmes without having to beg, plead or recruit.   For me, it was great to give back after receiving the benefits of the programme.  Marketing girl strikes again!

Life is like a box of Crayons

While walking in a toy store the day before today, I overheard a Crayon Box with many things to say. I don't like red! said yellow. And green said, nor do I! And no one here likes orange, but no one knows quite why. We are a box of crayons that really doesn't get along, said blue to all the others. Something here is wrong! 


Well, I bought that box of crayons and took it home with me.  Laid out all the crayons so the crayons could all see.  They watched me as I colored with red and blue and green and black and white and orange and every color in between. 


They watched as green became the grass and blue became the sky. The yellow sun was shining bright on white clouds drifting by.  Colors changing as they touched, becoming something new.  They watched me as I colored. They watched till I was through. And when I'd finally finished, I began to walk away. And as I did the Crayon box had something more to say... 


I do like red! said the yellow.  And green said, So do I! And Blue you are terrific so high up in the sky. We are a Box of Crayons. Each of us unique.  But when we get together the picture is complete. 

Colour Psychology 101

I love colour.  I think colour makes the world a more interesting place as it can influence our mood or impulses.  The meaning and strategies each colour conveys makes for some interesting observations.  Here's my attempt at Colour Psychology 101.


Hot Colours:  red, yellow and orange
Cool Colours:  blue, green and violet


Bright or highly contrasting colours draw the eye more quickly and are easier to see than pastel or low-contrast colours.  They can define moods.  Colours indicate energy, either active and outgoing or receptive and introspective.  Let's take the colour red as an example.

Bright colours - fire engine red
Meaning - extroversion, energy sportiness, attention seeking behavior, aggressiveness


Shade - red + black = Moroccan red
Meaning - conservatism, masculinity, sexiness, suppressed physical energy

Tint - red + white = hot pink
Meaning - naughty, innocence, teenage quality, assertiveness, energetic, fun



More Tint - red +  more white = Baby Pink
Meaning - physical innocence, sweetness, softness, vulnerability


Let's look at the meaning behind the individual colours.


Red catches our attention and symbolizes energy which is why it is used so often in advertising.


Orange because orange is the combination of red "energy" and yellow "intellect", orange is therefore energy that is focused by the mind.  It is warm, stimulating colour.  Less intimidating than read, but more active than yellow.  Often fast food restaurants incorporate red, orange and yellow because the orange promotes appetite, yellow helps in the decision process and red gets the customers in and out the door quickly.


Yellow is associated with the mind and intellect.  Bright yellow is conveys joy, light and laughter.


Green is the colour of balance, harmony and sympathy.  Bright green indicates positive, practical, generous outlook.  Dark green can indicate jealousy, envy and lack of self esteem as well as resentment.


Blue can be relaxing, calm, represents loyalty and sincerity.  It can represent conservatism and a sense of self control. Navy is often used in uniforms because it conveys a message of authority.


Violet  intensity, royalty and sense of spirituality.


The bottomline is that no matter how you use colours, the effect and the message is the same whether applied to decor, fashion or advertising.  I am reminded of the little girl in the Great Wolf Lodge commercial when she shows her manicure to her mother.  She has a different colour nail polish on each finger and says "10 different colours are 10 times more beautiful."  I think she's right!

Creative, adjective
1. Having the quality or power of creating.
2. Resulting from originality of thought, expression, etc.; imaginative.
3. Originative; productive

Creativity, noun
1. The state or quality of being creative.
2. The ability to transcend traditional rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to creative meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations etc., originality, progressiveness, or imagination.
3. The process by which one utilizes creative ability.

Creative Girl, person
1. A female of any age, ethnicity, or religion with creative urges.
2. A female with creative, imaginative thoughts.
3. A female who craves a life full of creative fulfillment.

My first job as a marketing professional was as the Advertising Coordinator at a non-profit agency in Hamilton.    I was a creative girl  in the sense that I needed to designed, create and orchestrate advertising and promotional programmes on a shoestring budget often charming, negotiating, and networking to draw attention to our events and causes.

Spending the next several years promotion construction products for the civil engineering market was a completely different direction but required the same innovative and creative solutions.  I have been challenged with making culverts and many other buried structures "sexy."  To a civil engineer or technologist with a drainage problem, a culvert can be a "thing of beauty."


I am a creative girl. 
Afterall, there is no such thing as a dull product, only dull marketing professionals!