My New Mantra

For the last month, I have been doing a different job at work.  It's called "holiday relief", and let me tell you, it will be a relief for me when it's over.  It's not that I don't know how to do the work, it's just that it's outside my comfort zone a lot of the time.  So when the telephone messages and referrals start piling up, I start to feel a little panicky, like I'm losing control over the situation.   To settle myself, I have starting chanting this little mantra...."Keep Calm and Carry On".    It does help somewhat, although the mountains of paper are still there, and the telephone keeps ringing. 

I decided to make this to put in the office.  I may leave it behind for the regular gal when she gets back from vacation.  The words and background were made using my Silhouette.  The paper is plain black cardstock and Basic Grey Marrakech.  It's pretty bright, and a little goes a long way.  The butterfly is a metal thing I picked up at Micheal's.  You can't see it, but there are Stickles in the flower centres.

This weekend I'm going to an all day crop.  I'm very excited about it.  I'm planning on working on my Mexico book, provided I don't forget to bring my photos.  I always seem to forget something.  I'll tell you about some of my great faux pas sometime.

Until next then.....



A New Use for an Old(er) Die

 I was working on my Mexico book (in fact I had scheduled a "play date" my friend to get some pages done) when I realized that the photos I needed were inconveniently glued into last years Basic Grey Calendar.  Not sure how that happened.  Anyway, I dragged out my yarn, and crocheted another pair of slippers  to keep myself busy while my friend merrily cut, glued and created cards.

Once completed, I thought they looked a bit plain, and needed a little flower or something.  I was tired of crocheting, and suddenly realized that I could die cut flowers from felt, using my Big Shot and Tim Holz dies!  I think it took almost as long to DECIDE what flowers to use as it did to crochet the slippers.  These are the Tattered Florals.  In the centre is a button from Basic Grey, secured with yarn.  I had so much fun with this, that I cut out some Hello Kitty faces with some Sizzix dies for a pair of slippers I made my daughter.  That was a little harder cutting the felt.  The bigger, thicker dies definitely work better.

These things are always a learning experience, and here is what I learned.  There are more yarn colours that felt colours, so choose the felt flower colour first, then get the yarn to go with it.  Either that or crochet your flowers!

Now not to worry, this is not turning into a knitting and crochet blog, I now have my Mexico pictures, and will hopefully be starting on that again.  Unless I get distracted, of course.

Until next time...



Meanwhile, back in Mexico....

Actually, these phots were taken at Sea World in San Diego.  We had a few days in California before we got on a cruise ship to Mexico.  Ahhh, memories!

So it's hard to see here, but I was quite daring with this page, and got rather experimental, which is not something I usually get.  The paper is Graphic 45 (you were expecting something else?!?), from the Boardwalk collection. 

Experiment #1 - the large flamingo is covered with Glossy Accents, and then ultra fine glitter was sparingly sprinkled over top. 
Result - while the flamingo looks quite stunning, the rest of the page warped. 
Conclusion - Glossy Accents is best left as that:  small accents created separately and then glued on.

Experiment #2 - I really jumped out of my comfort zone, and cut an image out of a photo because the background wasn't very nice.  It  was hard for me to cut around my image in the photo, because I'm a straight lines kind of girl.
Result - well, I kind of like it, although I hope the flamingo doesn't poop on my shoulder.
Conclusion - I may try this again in the future, but I will be more careful with picture placement.

Until next time....

UFO Update

I am very pleased to report that I have completed a couple of pages in my Mexico album (photos to follow in a day or 2 or 3, depending on how things go).  However, I have also been looking through some knitting projects, and pulled out another forgotten creation.

I started this dog sweater a long, long time ago for our dog Lucy, pictured here looking like she would rather be somewhere else.  Since I was in a finishing things up kind of mood, I sharpened my knitting needles, and got right to work.  I did run into a couple of snags.   I had no idea where I had left off, so had to guess where to start.  Also, because doggie sizes are a little like human sizes, and nothing quite fits like it should, I wasn't sure what size I was making.  I had to to just plunge ahead.  One other question I had was, What was I thinking when I chose these colours?!?

I was so happy about finishing this sweater, that I decided I was going to USE UP my yarn scraps, and make some crocheted slippers.  Can you see where this is going?  I had a pattern, but the wrong size crochet hook to get that oh-so-important tension correct.  While I was in the store, I thought maybe I'd get the yarn suggested in the pattern.  (I did some other shopping, but we won't go into that).

After successfully completing a pair in dark blue, I thought maybe I'd use up the partial ball of red yarn left over from making fingerless mittens at Christmas.  One and a half slippers later, I discover I am out of yarn.  So now I will be going back and getting another ball of red to finish the pair, leaving me with yet more scrap yarn.

And this is just the problem with using up leftovers.  Somehow, it always ends up that I'm back at the store, getting more yarn, or paper or ribbon, because I need more of whatever it is I'm trying to get rid of.  How can this be?

On a more upbeat note, I see that the CHA has been going on, and many blogs are all a-twitter about the wonderful new products coming out.  Wouldn't it be grand to go to the CHA?  I feel a bit like Cinderella, wishing she could go to the ball!

Until next time.....

Now What? (or, How Does she get Anything Done?)

This was my desk a few days ago, as I was wildly finishing my BG calendar.  As you can see, when I'm working, things get messy.  I can't tell you how many times I lost my glasses in that jumble.

But now, it's done, and my workspace is clean (ish) again, and I am contemplating that age-old question that scrappers, quilters, knitters, cardmakers, etc. ask themselves whenever they finish a project.  NOW WHAT?

Do I start something new and exciting?  Or should I tackle one of my UFO's?  (For those of you who don't have any, because you never start another project until the current one is complete, UFO means "UnFinished Object".  I have several).

Usually, I take out all my UFO's, the kits I bought for "someday", and scribbles I've made about ANTICIPATED IDEAS, and make a decision from there.  This usually takes a few days of deliberation, because as you know, I have a few issues with decision making.  But I'm pleased to tell you that I am now working on my Mexico book again, with real hopes of finishing it THIS TIME.

Not that I wasn't tempted to start a new project that came to me a few weeks ago, and which I will tell you about.  I was shopping (who, me?) with my accomplice (I mean friend), when I came across a paper punch that I really wanted.  But wait - didn't I already have this one?  Or did I?  Now it could be that I am getting forgetful ( I am 50, so it could be happening), or maybe it's because I have too much stuff to keep track of.  I like to forget about my age, and think that I just have an abundance of fun stuff. 

Then I thought, Gee, I need a little book or something with all my Distress Ink colours, Copics, punches, etc in it so I don't have to 1) buy something I already have or 2) not buy something that I need because I don't know if I have it or not.

Then it hit me.  I could MAKE a little book, with all my lovely papers, and use my punches to edge the pages, and Distress them,  and colour some stamps with my Copics, and, and ......  Well you get the idea. 

Nope, I'm going to stick to Mexico, for now.
Until next time.....

BG Calendar Finished!

Yes, it's true, I have actually finished my Basic Grey calendar BEFORE the end of January. And here is December's page:

Now I do love BG, and all the lovely papers, but I gotta say, when they are designing these calendars, they should maybe leave out some of the cutsie sayings. Not everyone has photos of someone "tip-toeing through the tulips", or being "precious". This year, I was using photos that I took while we were on a Caribbean cruise with our children, and I must say, it was a bit of challenge to choose pictures that kind of went with the theme of the month.

When my husband was looking through the calendar, he stopped at October, which features him and my son about to go rock climbing. There is a caption that says, "I Pick You" above the photo.

"Why does it say that?" my husband asks. "I pick you for what?"

"I don't know, " I reply, "but the caption goes with that month. If I leave it off, there is a big blank space."

"Well it doesn't make any sense, " hubby insists. And I must agree, but I meekly suggest, "I pick you to go rock climbing with?"

(I suspect the folks at BG envisioned a photo of a cute little kid picking apples to take to the teacher on the first day of school).

Next on his criticism list is August. The photo is of our 2 adult children in front of a cruise ship we were on. "Why does it says "Friends"? They're not friends, they're relatives". (I could go on another tangent about that statement, but I won't). "The sticker goes with the page. And they are kind of friends, you know".

May: "Sunshine makes me Happy? " he queries. "Don't the kids look happy in that picture?" I counter.

So, Basic Grey, if you are listening (and I suspect you are not,) please leave out the sentiments, or at least give us choices. Either that, or I'm going to have to get some pictures of someone standing in my neighbour's tulip patch!

Until next time, when I may have cleaned off my desk, and started something new and exciting (rather than finishing off something old and no longer exciting,).......

Photo-less

So here it is, mid-January, (Blue Monday, according to the news people, the most depressing day of the year) and I realize that I have not posted to this blog for a while. And my EXCUSES are many. 1) I was working. 2) There were all these holidays. 3) I was working (oh, I already did that one!) 4) I have been busy with my New Years Resolutions (Ok, that 's just a lie).

I read back, and I see I promised to post some PHOTOS of the lovely gifts I made for some people on my Christmas list. I don't have those photos, because I wrapped the gifts and gave them away, and then it just seemed awkward and weird to say, "By the way, can I take a picture of the present I gave you to post on my blog?" So you will just have to take my word for it that I actually COMPLETED 3 gifts in time for Christmas. I knitted 3 pairs of finger-less gloves (so easy, without those digits to consider!) and a rather clever picture frame. I hid a gift card for a photo session in a picture frame I decorated.

Anyway, on to those New Years Resolutions, I didn't bother making any, as I knew I would break them before the month was out. Oh yes, I had a few planned out, by why kid myself? I make the same ones every year, anyway. I'm sure you know what they are, they are the same one every crafter makes, be they quilters, scrapbookers or cross stitchers.

NUMBER ONE: Finish up those unfinished projects. The reality? Create more unfinished projects you can make resolutions about next year.

NUMBER TWO: No buying anymore new craft stuff until you use up some of your stash. Yeah, right! With all those after Christmas sales? I broke that one in the first week, and I enjoyed every minute of it!

NUMBER THREE: Schedule crafting time in your calendar, so you can work on Resolution Number One. Okay, as soon as I make the bed do the dishes put another load of laundry in pick up the kids call the vet pay the bills sweep the floor.... We all know the reality of that one!

Whatever your Resolutions are (or as in my case, were) I wish you a Happy New Year, and many happy creative days. And now I'm going to work on my Basic Grey Calendar. Yes, for 2012!

Until next time....