Make a Paper Chain. Book Launch Countdown!

My sister and I made paper chains to count down to any exciting occasion. Gracie Lee and her little sister made paper chains, too. With so many things to count down, including lots of family birthdays, I decided it was high time I reinstitute the paper chain countdown. I’m starting today and counting down to the launch date of The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee.

January 28, 2016 is only 71 days, y’all!

This chain is fancier than the regular construction paper ones my sister and I made. Cooler paper choices = one of the benefits of being an adult in 2015 compared to a child in the seventies. I was a little bit ecstatic to use all the paper scraps I’ve been saving.

And now for a small sermon…

We live in an instant gratification society, right? Unlike Gracie Lee’s day, kids no longer have to wait until Saturday morning to watch cartoons. I record The Voice and watch it whenever, skipping right through all the commercials (not that I’m complaining). But bottom line, learning to wait for things isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Watching for things. Counting down to things.

Making a paper chain is a simple, visual way to enjoy the journey.

All that’s needed is paper, glue, and scissors. You can fancy yours up with embellishments (more on this later) or not.

Cut strips into uniform sizes. My strips are six inches long. Tip: If young kids are doing this craft, I recommend longer strips for easier handling.

I loosely arranged my strips, color coded by months. November = fall colors; December = Christmas colors; January = fun/modge-podge of colors for Gracie Lee. (Turquoise is her favorite, but oddly enough, I didn’t have much by the way of turquoise paper…)

I used tiny clothespins to keep my links together until the glue dried. (Scrapbook paper is heavier than regular construction paper and the links wanted to pop apart.) You could use a hot glue gun as well, but I went old school with Elmer’s. There’s just something fun about getting dried glue all over your fingertips.

I added embellishments to special days. The next few weeks are full of occasions in our family. Thanksgiving, Momma’s birthday, Kelsey’s birthday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, John’s birthday, New Year’s Eve/Day, wedding anniversary, BOOK LAUNCH!

I used part of my manuscript for the final link which coincides with my book launch date. And I added a smiley face because that’s what Gracie Lee would do.

Are you counting down to a special date?

See the sand in my grasp
from the first to the last
every grain becomes a memory of the past.
Life’s an hourglass.
~Mindy Gledhill

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

p.s. Soon you’ll be able to preorder, and although you won’t have the book in your hands by Christmas, you can count down and wait for it, right?

[tweetthis]Make a paper chain and countdown to the good things in life. It’s what #GracieLee would do. #NewRelease #DebutNovel [/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:
Mindy Gledhill, Hourglass