Observing

Observing ourselves and our environment was our charge for this week's Explore class at shimelle.com.

We took a look at where we sit, stand and lie down.  I have many sitting spots and I use them a lot!  It makes my resolution to Get Moving more important.  I've kind of let myself off the hook the last few months as I've been walking several times a week for exercise.  But there is still a lot of the day where I am sitting particularly when business is slow.  So the last few days I've made more of an effort to get up and move.

I've become much more aware of how I sit in the last year.  Last summer when I suddenly developed shoulder pain, I had to make some changes.  I soon figured out that typing with my computer on my lap wasn't going to work - either the laptop had to go up and I had to get an external keyboard or the laptop could be in my lap and I would have to have a monitor at eye level.  I did the latter for a couple of weeks until my cordless keyboard came.  It has been a big help.

During the last year, I've fixed myself a 'station' for my laptop and my most comfortable and ergonomic chair.  Also I got another chair for the living room after figuring out how few chairs I had in my house that really supported my back and neck. Now I can see how much I've learned that helped me and also helps me with design clients.

I also did the activity for class where I recorded everything I did for a day and when I did it.  The biggest thing I noticed was that I multi-task. I knew this;  I think all women do this. I just didn't realize how much.  Some of it was the day I picked was particularly busy but I know I do some of these things - like getting up during television commercial breaks to put clothes in the dryer or feed the cat - on regular days.  So there is a little of that 'get moving' going on :-)

There are things though that I just can't do together.  For example, I can't type and have the television on at the same time. I don't like background noise unless it is music and then only when I'm not trying to figure something out.  I tried to have a program on while I typed this blog post and had to switch off the TV so I'm not that kind of multitasker.  No, I'm the kind who will go back and forth between the dinner table and the sink to do dishes while my husband and I are finishing a game of Scrabble.  I just can't sit still and wait on him to take his turn.

I had another observation that will be showing up in my layout for the week, hopefully later today or tomorrow.

For this Play book page, I did a couple of things I don't normally so as we were encouraged to stretch ourselves.  I handwrote on my photos.  It was surprising how many pens worked on the photos.  Also, I took a bunch of sticker sheets and just pulled one sticker off each sheet for the title.  That is a little thing but it is unusual for me as I have to have a whole word from one type of sticker or chipboard.

It has been an interesting class.  I'm already observing a little more of my every day life.

In Color Sampler

The new Stampin' Up! In Color cardstock has been in my possession for at least 2 weeks and gone uncut!  Shameful!  I've been wanting to use the new In Colors on a card.  This week's Splitcoaststampers sketch challenge was PERFECT!  I could never have come up with a better layout for using all 5 of the papers.

Since I've only bought one of the inks so far, I used Versamark to do the tone-on-tone polka dots.  Another challenge was this week's Ways to Use It for altering ribbon.  I stamped some twill tape with lots of small images in colors very close to the In Colors.  Here are the ones I found in my collection that went really well with the In Colors:

Pool Party - Aqua Mist by Papertrey Ink
Calypso Coral - Tangerine Tango  by SU!
Lucky Limeade - Kiwi Kiss by SU!

I used Prussian Blue from Colorbox as my sub for the Island Indigo but it is pretty dark and I did buy the Wisteria color ink so I used it.  It's really nice now that In Colors are around for 2 years rather than just one.

Hope you have a great day and thanks for visiting!

Ingredients:  Stamps:  So Many Scallops, Little Flowers, Cheap Talk by SU!; Polka Dot Basics by PTI
Cardstock:  Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Wisteria Wonder, Naturals Ivory
Inks as mentioned above

A Great Start

A Great Start is ironically the last two page spread for a vacation from last year!  I'm really taking this scrapbook-in-whatever-order-strikes-me thing very seriously.  Ha, ha!  Some days of our trips I break down into lots of pages and some seem to flow together as this one did.

We had a wonderful first day in Santa Rosa looking at architecture, a gardens, visiting a winery and taking in a wonderful view of the city.  We also went to Jack London's park/museum and finally dinner out with one of our friend's mother, a very charming lady.  It was a really great kickoff to our visit to Northern California.

Project Notes:
Mostly this layout is a collage with papers filling in the blanks.  I did a little stamping using Fifth Avenue Floral to tie everything together.

And I added some bling to the pattern paper.

I'm a bit behind on the Explore class not having done anything yet with today's prompt. I need to move some frame files over from my old computer.  And I've been anxious to try out the new Stampin' Up! colors I've had for at least 2 weeks now.  I never have anything that long I don't use!  It's just been one of those busy week yet I don't seem to have gotten much crafty done and it is already Wednesday night???  I have been working on a new business website and helping my husband with a couple of things.  Today I got to visit a friend in from out of town and that was a treat.

Oh well, the weekend will be here soon enough for crafty pleasures.

Thanks for visiting!


Ingredients:  Stamps:  Fifth Avenue Floral from Stampin' Up!
Ink:  Basic Grey by SU!
Ribbon:  Webster's Pages
Brad:  Fancy Pants Road Show
DSP:  Sweet Threads by Basic Grey
Cricut Cartridge:  Storybook

Holiday Card Series - Trees

Paper, ribbon or fabric piece some trees for a holiday card.  The tall card was one I made a few years ago.  One place to get inspiration for your holiday cards is to revamp an old idea.  For this one, I used discontinued fabric samples for the body of my tree.  For these latest versions, ribbon and paper make up the tree along with some brads and rhinestones for ornaments.

Watch at  YouTube




This is the 4th of the 4 videos I had planned for the Holiday Card series.  Did I get you thinking about holiday cards?  I've been making some and have a box ready to go to Operation Write Home and just a few for my own stash.  I'm anxiously awaiting new Christmas stamps to make the rest of mine.  It was refreshing to work on some wintery themed projects during these very hot days.

Thanks for watching!

Ingredients for paper card:  Cardstock: More Mustard
Ink:  So Saffron
Stamps:  Itty Bitty Backgrounds
Rhinestones:  Bazzill

Books on a Shelf

Last year we were under a tornado warning. According to the local television station it was coming right for us.  So in the 5 minutes I had to gather my most cherished possessions, I pocketed my grandfather's pocket watch, grabbed two quilts - one my grandmother made and one Lenny's mother made - and piled on as many scrapbooks as I could carry and headed to the basement.

Fortunately, the tornado never came.  Afterward, I wandered around my house wondering if there were any other things I'd have rather preserved.  Of course, if I'd had more time, there are more family heirlooms, a few accessories I'm particularly fond of, and some photos.  Though most of the photos have been scanned and backed up to a disk and stored in the safety deposit box - one of the many valuable things to come out of throwing my parents a 50th Anniversary party was scanning all those photos.  And I have photos of many of my scrapbook pages backed up too.

What was surprising was how quickly I went from the Tier 1 - stuff I would spend that 5 minutes or less gathering and the Tier 2 - just a few more minutes  to the Tier 3+ things I like, would save if I had a few hours, but just really aren't that irreplaceable.

My scrapbooks are more than just books on a shelf.  Every scrapbooker knows that but I bet lots of other people don't.  I didn't give a thought to gathering clothes even though I was running around that night in my bathrobe.  You can buy clothes.  You can buy new furniture.  You can't buy a photo of the hot air balloon ride that landed in the lake and the accompanying story.  These memories are precious.  A tornado isn't going to wipe out my memories.  Yet, the little nudge these books give our memories is truly priceless.

So this week when Shimelle asked us to Explore what was most perfect - things we wouldn't change, I thought first of people and then these books.

Once upon a time I gave a minutes thought to redoing some of my older scrapbooks - the ones made before I knew there was this wonderful hobby with all the accouterments to make fancy pages rather than just a photo and some journaling. But I quickly discarded the idea.  Not only would I never have time, the process I used to make those early (1990's) scrapbooks was what I had at the time.  I was creative with my computer and the 'embellishments' I could find.  I did themes to the books even when all I had to print on was an old dot matrix printer.  But even that is a memory - my first home computer and printer.

So the books are perfect just like they are.  I might take an old photo and scrap it to relive a memory sometime but I won't replace the original page.

Now for this page...

Here are my 9 circle embellishments.  I cut the background paper in strips in one corner, distressed the edges, and wove in some scraps of grid paper to create a subtle grid.

Adding the little word stickers in place of the typed words took a little trial and error but it was fun and spread around some of the color.

Thanks for visiting today!  If you are taking the class, I look forward to seeing your creations, too.

Ingredients:  DSP:  For the Record by Bella Blvd for background, various Stampin' Up! and American Crafts Campy Trail scraps for embellishments
Thickers:  Blackberry Puffy by American Crafts
Font:  Blackjack for title
Stickers:  Jillibean Soup; On Holiday from the Girl's Paperie

Summery Thank You

Thank you to all who visit!  I love reading your comments.

For this card I used my favorite October Afternoon papers and cut them with the Straight from the Nest Cricut cartridge for the banner.  The letters are stamped and punched with a half inch circle punch.

"u" are fairly easy to sacrifice out of chipboard as many fonts have the "u" and the "n" the same, only upside down, so there are lots of them.

The stamps were part of my goodie box from Two Peas for being the one drawn during a challenge recently. Thanks to Jamie for sending such great papers, stamps and embellishments!

Over the weekend I'll be working on our Explore class assignment which for me will probably be a 12x12 layout.  We are pulling together all our thoughts and photos from the week to create one project. It should be fun and probably revealing.  I'm looking forward to it.  For now, though, a busy day is ahead with work and family stuff.

Thanks again for your visit today!

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Clouds Snag 'em by Imaginese, alpha by American Crafts
DSP:  October Afternoon
Ink:  Prussian Blue by Colorbox
Cardstock:  Naturals Ivory by SU!

Layered Circles

Two projects to share today!  First off a layout that has been laying around my craft table in various states of completion for a week.  I didn't know if I could make bright red, yellow and orange work but I'm tickled with the finished product.

The truth is my husband is really the old softie of the two of us. 

On the first warm day of spring, I opened the door of the sunroom to dozens and dozens of lady bugs!  They had been hibernating or maybe they just moved in.  I don't know but I wanted them out.  When the ceiling fan didn't move them around, I wanted to fog the room. My husband wanted to save them and moved them out one bug at a time.  They were trying to escape out of the skylight but couldn't figure out how to get out so he gave them a hand - or a broom, actually.  

I realize after yesterday's post about bats you are going to think my house is overrun with critters but it isn't, really.  It's just life in the country.  And if you ever see my cat with a spider web stuck to his whiskers, he got that outside somewhere. Truly.

The chipboard is painted and then stamped and embossed with Versamark and clear embossing powder using Hero Arts wood grain stamp.

For the chipboard letters, I painted them and then sprayed with clear acrylic.  Next time though I think that should be done outside and not in my upstairs craft space.  Ugh!

And these layered circles fit right in with today's assignment in the Explore class.  We are working with maps and shapes.  I don't want to reveal too much in case you decide to take the class later on.  Of course, maps make sense for a class called Explore although it isn't about travel.  And I think the quote I found for this page does really fit the class:

"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it." - George Moore

We are exploring the world around us.  I love to travel and put a lot of effort into my travel pages but more of life happens at home.

Hope you have a good, adventurous day!

Ingredients for deBugged page:  DSP:  Campy Trails by American Crafts; Happy Go Lucky by Pebbles; Sweet Summertime and A Walk in the Park by Echo Park; various solid DSP's by Stampin' Up!; cloud paper by American Crafts
Stamps:  Big Flowers and Scallops by Stampin' Up!
Ink:  More Mustard, Bashful Blue, Riding Hood Red
Undressed chipboard:  Basic Grey and Stampin' Up (circle and bars)
Stickers Pink Paislee and October Afternoon

Today's Adventure

Today we had an adventure.  In our Explore class, we are supposed to reflect on our past adventures and I haven't had time because I've been helping Lenny install a bat box and take 3 showers in one day!

It is ironic because one of the reasons I'm taking this class is I feel my life has become so hum drum, spending too much time dwelling on a lack of work and the aches and pains that ironically started 1 year ago tomorrow.  For that was the day I got out of bed and didn't feel quite right and I haven't been able to fully turn back the clock yet.  Anyway, today I had little time to fuss over aches and pains and fortunately they left me alone.

We have bats.  They are in our chimney.  We don't want bats in our chimney; however we love, love having the bats around.  Why?  They eat mosquitos - apparently they feast on them as this is the first summer ever that I can pick flowers or even water my plants on the front porch without covering myself from head to toe. Last summer I couldn't even walk onto the porch barefoot without getting a bite on my foot.  So I'm delighted the little chirpy critters are gobbling up the mosquitos. Still I don't want them in my chimney forever.

The process as we understand it for evicting them is to make them a new home, put the home up in July so they can get used to it as they fly around and then run them out of the chimney come November when their young are ready to leave the nest.  Promptly we should cover the top of the chimney so they won't return.

So Saturday we began Phase 1 of this project by constructing the bat house - or Bat Palace as Lenny proclaimed it.  It was really simple, taking only about an hour to put together.  I then painted it black - black so it will keep the bats warm.  With the paint dry, we set out today to put up the house.  Lenny wanted to put it in this particular tree that he plans to kill and use as basically a pole for the bat house, ah Palace.  So he mowed around the tree and then cut off limbs.  My job was mostly to fetch and carry and to hold the ladder.  After a few sways and screams, he fussed that no one ever taught me how to hold a ladder.  Well, duh?  Why doesn't he teach me?  And really, is all that shaky ladder coming from my improperly anchoring it or that he outweighs me by nearly double?

Anyway, we went through two ladders, utilized a pulley system and a variety of screws but the bat house is up.  Oh and if you were wondering about the showers, I had dressed myself in my traditional working outdoor in summer gear of pants, long sleeve shirt and socks over the top of my pants to keep from being bitten - I figure even the bats can't eat everything.  It was miserably hot and when we were almost done I spotted it - poison ivy! I'd scanned the area earlier and didn't see a spot right under the tree!  Fortunately, it is my only allergy but the stuff just loves me.  So I've showered with dish detergent, put the clothes in a garbage bag and set my shoes aside not to be worn for a few days until I see whether today was a lucky as well as adventuresome day.

Now I'm not sure if figuring out how to lift a heavy handmade box up about 14 feet onto a tree and anchor it there constitutes an adventure for most people but it was definitely not an every day thing.  Thank goodness.