A Simple Rant

I'm feeling hormonally hostile this week, and waking up this morning to notice that I used "roll" when I should have used "role" in the first paragraph of yesterday's Simplicity post did NOT help my mood. My apologies for the error, and many thanks to any of you who noticed but refrained from commenting on it. Who knows how ALL CAPS I might have gone on your butt in my current state.

My hostility is pervasive. This week's brief essay on my Questioning blog--generally such a happy, positive, upbeat place where puppies fart rainbows and there's a saccharine saying for every problem--contains a rant about our Screen Nation...screens everywhere! Oy! I also left a stern letter in a neighbor's mailbox which I concluded with the following two sentences: "Please stop leaving your dogs out to bark. It is cruel to the dogs to leave them chained and barking for any length of time, it is disrespectful of your neighbors, and it is against both HOA rules and the law."

Yep. I'm rhetorically hostile.

So it should come as no surprise that my most favoritest card I've made in a year got me thinking hostile thoughts. (And yes, Spell Check, I typed favoritest, and you can't stop me.)

Isn't it simple? Just about the simplest card you can imagine. It's not even embossed or anything. Just SU real red ink on white PTI card stock. The beautiful font stands alone. I might round the corners of the card ever so slightly with scallop scissors for a bit more finished look before sending it, but basically, it's perfect because I've been reading a lot about minimalism lately and while I have little desire to go radically minimalist in most areas of my life, I find the style for card making irresistible.

And then I thought, "To whom do I send this?" And then I thought, "Will the recipient feel like I don't think they are special because there's next to nothing to this card? Will they get what I've done here with minimalism? And furthermore, will they appreciate it or feel like I just didn't want to put much effort into their card? Should I send it to anyone at all?"

And then I got angry at myself for even having these thoughts. Clean-and-simple cards do not need apologies. They do not need excuses, justification, or validation. Minimalism and simplicity have their place in the world of paper crafts, and those of us who enjoy them should go boldly forth and proclaim our allegiance!

Of course, not everyone will jump onto the minimalist bandwagon or even understand what we who are on the wagon are trying to do, and that is just fine.

Variety is the spice of life. I'm so grateful there are all sorts of styles out there, from the above uber-simplicity to twenty-layer card confections. How boring and scary the world would be if we all had the same perspective, the same way of seeing beauty, the same self-expressive style!!!

So, who would like me to send them this card? Who will appreciate it for its minimalist message?

The first five readers to request it via the comments or email will receive a copy of this card for Christmas this year. I'll mail them anywhere, so don't be shy if you live outside the United States. Please don't post your snail-mail address in the comments...email it to me if you are selected.

And thank you all for reading my rant. I feel so much better now.