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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Twitterpated - Early Twitter

I am pretty old. I actually grew up in the time when we only had one phone in the house. It was a standard black rotary dial that had a cord long enough to reach the chair in the corner of the dining room.

I'm pretty sure that I had some serious conversations on that phone. You know, life changing conversations like what did you put for #9 on your math homework, did you hear who got caught smoking in the bathroom, what I was wearing to the dance and who my best friend was going with.
I'm more than sure that I had my first phone call from "a boy" on that phone and I know without a doubt that my parents were in the other room, listening intently then making me hang up once the clock hit 8 pm.

That phone sat on an old desk in the corner of our dining room that my Mom had painted yellow - it was the 70's, ok? - and it coordinated with the lime green carpet and mirrored tile room divider. I don't remember the curtains, but I might be repressing that image.
Anyway, I remember pretty well that we never answered the phone during dinner, and hold on to your hats - we didn't even have an answering machine! We knew that people would call back if it was important, and if it wasn't, well, we didn't miss anything now, did we?

What I really remember is that our lives weren't as frantic then. I'm not sure how much of that peacefulness came from the lack of phone communication, but I do know that there are days now when I'm not always thrilled to be so connected all the time.
Don't misunderstand, I LOVE my iPhone. I enjoy Facebook. I have a Twitter account, but don't really "get" it. Maybe that's a good thing??
I guess what I'm wondering is how we got to this point in the first place. This "need" to always be connected. I didn't feel like I was missing anything before, but now, God help me if I leave my phone at home. Isn't that crazy? I mean, if it rings when I'm in line at Target, I get annoyed. If I get a text when I'm driving to the rink, I can't answer it and I get annoyed. And goodness knows, if I text or call someone and don't get them, I really get annoyed. Yeah, it's true.
If it's more of an annoyance than a "convenience" why do we use the darn things anyway? Would it really kill us to miss a message from time to time? After all, if it's important, they'll call back, right?
Just a thought. I feel like Andy Rooney this morning!

So, I know you didn't come here for an essay, you want to see a card!
Well, alrighty then! Here you go:

I created this for my sweet friend Diana Gibbs' swap a couple of weeks ago and the best part was that it made my daughter laugh out loud when she saw it. If she "got" it, then I figured everyone else would too!

I chose the You're My Type stamp set to work with for this swap - it's one of my favorites in the new Occasions Mini Catalog. I think it has great creative possibilities!
I don't know where the "Early Twitter" idea came from - it just occurred to me one evening while I was pondering a design. I thought how funny it would be, so tongue in cheek.

The swap card has a base of Riding Hood Red, layered with Whisper White and then a layer of the text paper from the Neutrals Designer Paper stack. I used the Basic Gray color.
A strip of the Twitterpated Designer Fabric was torn off the piece and used for my ribbon wrap and bow -you know I don't sew, so since I love the matching fabrics we have, I have to find another way to use them!

The focal image typewriter was stamped in Basic Black onto Whisper White and it's layered on another piece of Riding Hood Red. I used the little bird from the "Best of Everything" stamp set and stamped him in Baja Breeze then trimmed him out with my Paper Snips. He's popped up on a Stampin' Dimensional and is tweeting "Hello" on the typewriter paper.

The layered punch greeting was made on my computer. I just found a font that was close to the stamp set and matched the color to Riding Hood Red as best I could. it's punched out with the Word Window punch and layered on a punch out from the Modern Label Punch.

I really, really love this card, maybe because I love the stamp set so much, but yeah, this ones a keeper.
Here's another photo with a version I did with the Blushing Bride Designer paper.

You've kind of got masculine and feminine options, right?

I'm off for another busy day today - I'll get some stamping done, no worries, but Mark and I are starting Weight Watchers today and we have skating tonight. I'm hoping to have my pieces cut so I can assemble Leadership swaps at the rink. I'm so behind the 8 ball on those!

Have a great day everyone, maybe you'll find a way to be unconnected for a while today. Might give you some time to stamp!
~~Robin

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Simply click the SHOP NOW button at the top right corner to get started!

12 comments:

  1. I LOVE THIS CARD! SO CUTE! I'm sure we all had one of those "phones" in our house! Although our kids today they won't be able to say that when they grow up!

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  2. I'll do you one older...the 1st phone I remember had no dial at all..you asked the operator to get the # for you. I took typing on that style typewriter in high school, there were 2 styles of type...Pica or Elite...yes those were simpler times...things were so different. I have enjoyed your commentary..my children are in your age group...their children's lives are so different from when times were simpler.

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  3. Robin, this is just DARLING! We had a phone like that too! I remember how excited we all were when we got a touch dial instead of rotary - HYSTERICAL!!

    Now here we all are chatting/texting/tweeting on phones the size of a deck of cards. The times they are a changing!!!

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  4. Love your card, I got it and I don't twitter. I must be related to Andy Rooney. I have a great camera, I take it to important places so I can take a picture. I don't want my camera to be a phone or my phone to be a camera. I can't get my pictures out of my phone, the kids haven't taught me yet. I have a computer that gets me onto the internet and I spend far too much time blog hopping while sitting at my computer. I don't want my phone to be a computer, I already spend too much time on the net and really can't see much on that small screen anyway. I love reading books, I like a book in my hand, I don't want a Nook, I don't want to pay that much for the book. I usually trade books with several friends so we all end up reading the same book and I didn't have to pay for them.

    Love your sweet card and I do miss the good old days even though I do use the modern conveniences. I feel like I grew up in the stone age, I'm starting to sound like my grandmother.

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  5. Love your card.....and LOVE the story! Thanks for always inspiring us, Robin.....in many ways! :-)

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  6. Amazing how phones and computers have changed our lives, isn't it? I laughed right out at your card. I love it!! I'm also old enough to remember, like Barb Gault, the telephone operator and the manual typewriters we learned on. I check your blog almost everyday and enjoy seeing your beauties.

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  7. Love this, Robin! We had a rotary phone, of course, and I remember that my grandmother had a party line when I was young. The number of rings would determine whose phone was getting the call. I find the computer is my time-sucker, not so much the phone. But I have resisted Twitter so far....but I do love this "twitter"!!!

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  8. Much as I hate to date myself...have to say we had those phones with no dials either. Not only that, but PARTY lines!! So you asked for " 407R2 " or R1. I totally love your card......so cute with the bird.......early twitter LOL.
    Joy Jones

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  9. Robin,
    What a GREAT card! I totally "get it" and I loved the essay too. Thanks for sharing the good memories and observations.

    About WW - I can say it WORKS! and Way to go!

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  10. I enjoed your little essay...and appparently I am at least a little older than you because I remember such musings about the family phone, just not in the 70's! I'm thinking mid to late late 60's. I remember party line phones (so unlike the "party" lines where you pay to call in and talk advertised on TV today!) but at least I don't remember when you picked up the phone and gave the number to an operator so maybe I'm not as old as I think?

    The card is so cute and I love the "early twitter" theme!

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