Winging Banner!

I asked Blake what he wanted for a winging present. He said, "I got a motorcycle." I really couldn't argue with that, after all, it's very pretty and very shiny and very expensive. He already knew I was going to make him a winging banner so we called it a present.

Thanks to Whiting Field's SOSA instructions, I knew what materials, what quantities, and directions. For a novice like me, though, there was still anxiety.



The Cutting: this was the easiest, if most labor intensive part. I spent an entire Sunday cutting out Congratulations LTJG Blake Shaffer. I couldn't cut out the helo or duty station because we didn't know those. So, it was just me, a pair of brand new Fiskars scissors, yellow cloth and Bridezillas. Those women are batshit crazy, but hilarious. At the end of the day, my letters looked awesome, but I had to ice my hand to quell the swelling in my middle finger and the pain in my wrist. Yes, I should have done the letters in increments, but it was fun and Bridezillas was funny and I just couldn't stop.

The Borders: I had to cut my borders twice because the first ones, while cut to instructions, were a bit sparse looking on the large expanse of banner. So, I recut them a little bigger and with room to fold them over the back for a crisp edge.

I also cut the blue background of the banner a few inches longer on each side to make a flap for the 1" wooden dowel I used to hang it. The dowel in the bottom was more for stability than anything.



Then I used double stick tape to tape the letters onto the banner and see what they looked like. It was exciting. :)

Then.....



The Wings: The scariest part by far. When I went to Hobby Lobby, I was directed to two types of gold lame. The nicer looking one had an obvious tendency to fray. The other was more stable. I decided to be daring. It paid off. The key was in the SOSA instructions. Before cutting the wings, peel back the wonder under a bit first. But first, the drawing.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I am the world's worst drawer. You know those pictures you make in elementary school of slanty-sided box houses with lopsided windows and a huge, squiggly tree in the yard? I still draw like that.

Yes, this is tracing, but I only wanted to do it once. So, I taped up the wings pictures (which is a pixelized mess, but definitely works for the basic outline). Then, I added an extra step to the directons. Instead of using a Sharpie and immediately tracing the wings, I turned them around, and used a pencil to trace the wings onto the paper wonderunder backing. I filled in details too. It was definitely worth it because I needed the practice. Then, I turned it around and Sharpied away. For a non-artist, I think they came out pretty good.

The real anxiety came when it was time to iron on the letters. One wrong move and the whole thing was ruined. I ironed two or three letters at a time. I freaked out during the whole word "Congratulations."

Then, a week and a half later, Blake got orders. Final destination, Japan. Once again, the ironing freaked me out, but here it is, the final product:



The whole time I made this, I said to myself, "it doesn't have to be perfect." It was stressful, but fun and hopefully, he'll have it for a very long time to come.

Deluge

You know what's a terrible thing to blog about? Weather.

Because everyone has opinions on the weather and no one wants to read about such a mundane, everyday occurrance. Well, tough nuggets folks, because this morning, I thought Milton, Florida was going to be swept away by a two-hundred foot wall of water. I thought I was going to see entire houses floating by the office where I'm temping this week.

No, I didn't see that. But, I did see a car sitting in a considerable amount of water. You know how "experts" say not to drive into a puddle of water because you never know how deep it is? Well... take heed. Take very careful heed. The poor woman missed the pavement completely and drove/floated over a three-inch curb and into a drainage ditch. She noticed neither curb nor ditch because the water was halfway up her car door.

She called into the office to say she would be late for her interview... she was at the building, but couldn't get out of her car. She was semi-hysterical. I told her to call her insurance company. They were minimal help, but did end up calling the firemen to rescue her. She's got a busted-up car that still runs and, bless her heart, she still did the job interview.

Blake called me in the midst of all this and asked if I could run the car up to him (we carpooled). He forgot his knee board and gloves at home. I said I would drive up if he wanted, but by all accounts, the roads were pretty much undriveable. He opted to borrow his forgotten items from a colleague for which I was very glad.

Things are calm once more, though the skies still look like the underside of someone's muddy boot. The parking lot is no longer Lake Milton. I would, however, like to relate one more thing. When someone is in trouble, panicking and confused, have some humanity. This being my first day here, I wasn't sure if there was a procedure if someone had an accident on the grounds or if this sort of thing had happened before. I told the woman's situation to the facility manager and he seemed more disgusted by the woman's stupidity than concerned for her safety. He didn't want to go outside and get all wet himself. What did she expect him to do? Well... I don't know. I felt pretty helpless myself, but at least I wanted to go out and have a word with her. I called her back to see how she was and offered to call the police or fire department or tow truck. Yes, she made a grave error driving into the water, but you know what? She's paying for it with her tears and her car.

Kindness is free.