85th Birthday Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Know Where Your Main Shut Off Valve Is

I was in the kitchen yesterday afternoon when there was a knock on the back door.  It was our neighbor coming to say he had a real problem.  The upstairs washing machine was leaking and water was running down the walls to the main level!  Yikes!!!!  He said he tried to shut off the water but wasn't having any luck so Michael ran over to try to help.  It took a little time - I'm sure it felt like an eternity - to locate the main water shut off valve, but Michael finally found it by process of elimination.  The minute he came back to our house he looked at me and said, "If that happened in our house, what would you do?"  I immediately said that I would go downstairs into the utility room and turn off the main shut off valve for the water.  I'm not sure when it was that I learned where our main shut off valve was, but somehow I remembered.  So today's lesson is partly literal and partly figurative...Do you know where the main shut off valve for the water in your home is?  If not, now is a great time to learn - since you never know when you might need it.  On a figurative level I realize that it is not as easy for me to identify where my main shut off valve is.  I need to figure that out.  When I start to flood myself with negative thoughts and criticisms, I need to be able to quickly get to the shut off valve and turn it!!!!  My figurative valve may be more of a mantra - or maybe just a quick thank you to my inner critic for sharing and then an invitation for that inner critic to leave and shut the door behind him :)  Yes, figuring out where my internal main shut off valve is is just as important as the literal one :)
Today's card was made for a friend to give to his mother.  She is turning 85 and they are celebrating next weekend!  I love that he asked me to make a special card for her :)  I hope he likes this one.  I used a combination of Pool Party designer paper and Very Vanilla card stock.  The numbers are from the Timeless Type sizzlits.  The word "happy" from one of the stamps in the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set and "birthday" from Fabulous Phrases.  The "th" is from a stamp in the Bring On The Cake stamp set.  I used the Calendar Alphabet & Numbers stamp set to stamp the letters for her name.  A bit of sewing, a touch of seam binding and an adhesive rhinestone finish the look.  I hope she likes it :)