I had bought one Plus Corporation tape runner plus ten refills from Amazon. Here’s a link to it on Amazon in case you want to see the differences for yourself. http://tinyurl.com/ybqeevvs (This is the original purchase and not the one I would recommend.)
Once I realized that the tape runner didn’t work well, I contacted the Plus Corporation (as they offered a contact card in the package sent from Amazon.) The man I spoke with (Dave) was really nice, and wanted to make sure I was happy with the transaction.. He found my original order where I’d bought the body, plus ten refills, and offered to replace them with their extra strong,
item number TG-0944. He sent them to me immediately, and I absolutely loved the new tape runner. When I tried to find a link to them for all of you, I couldn’t find them anywhere online. I contacted Dave and he said that this tape runner has been so well received, they are now making them for other companies and they are now sold under those company names. Here is a link to the new tape runners being sold by Glue Dots being sold through Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/yd4rx8ng Currently the body (with tape) is $7.65 and refills are $2.67 each. To purchase the refills, here is the link to them also from Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/ya9xa9sp
As always, I don’t make any money from these links, and I encourage you to price shop to get the best prices possible. Glue Dots item numbers are below:
Dispenser #41901 Glue Dots Super Strength
Refills #41901 Glue Dots Super Strength Refill

I worked on putting up two videos today and finally got the Dollar Tree video up.  It’s funny, because I had to go there on three different occasions, and if  you look closely, you’ll notice at least two clothing changes.  I wish the video had gone up before Halloween, but these things happen.

I’m feeling pretty guilty about poor Rich and they way I’ve been pushing him to put up videos.  We have such a back log that I haven’t made any others yet, as I’m waiting for him to upload at least five or six more videos.  It’s crazy when we get that far behind, but his back has been killing him and I didn’t really want to push the issue.  So yesterday, crazy boss Sandy came out to play and now poor Rich probably feels glued to his computer.  I’m happy though, that we have at least two ready to go up and a third that he’s working on.  If he can clean up the backlog, I’ll be so excited.  I have so many ideas, but don’t want to do anything with them yet, as I’d prefer to get the other videos done.

I got an email from Arteza today, offering to let me do another video for them.  I love playing with their products, and this time they’re letting me have a rotary cutter.  My girlfriend has one and says she can’t live without it, and I’m excited, but terrified at the same time, because I’m pretty sure I’ll be rolling it over one of my fingers…Yikes!

I think I talked about the great customer service experience I had from a company called Plus Corporation, and their tape runners.  I bought one tape runner plus ten refills, and they didn’t hold my cardstock together.  I called them and they offered to replace them with stronger adhesive tape runners and I loved them…they are the best tape runners I’ve ever tried…..So I made a video about it, and when I went to find the cost of the replacements so I can tell everyone where to get them, I can’t find them anywhere.  There’s one being sold on Amazon by a third party vendor, and they want over $25 for the one tape runner.  Who in their right mind would pay that for tape?  So I called their customer service number again today and left a message asking them for help on where people can buy these tape runners.  It would be crazy for me to put that video up if you can’t buy them any where….right?

Our new Dollar Tree opened, and as promised, I made another crafty idea video…
1. Wax paper-used with dies so the paper comes out easily.. In your sandwich, lay your cardstock down first, then wax paper to cover it, then your die facing down, then the top plate. It makes the paper come out much easier and helps the dies work better, longer.
fyi, If you add four folded new drier sheets under the paper, it will work even better.      2. Plastic wrap–to adhere napkins to cardstock..remove layers of your napkin until you only have the top layer left. Put a piece of copy paper under your project, then the cardstock, then a piece of plastic wrap just big enough to cover the cardstock, then the napkin with the pattern face up. Put another piece of copy paper on top and iron until the napkin has adhered to the cardstock.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Vbyw50KyY&t=19s
3. Coffee filters—they work great to catch glitter or embossing powder to then return them to their bottles. You can also wipe your work surface with the outside of the filter to get rid of the rest of the glitter.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMVNYO_abr8
4. Used K-cup coffees: Maremi SmallArt made a great video showing how to use coffee and tea in her art journals and mixing them with texture paste. I’ve seen other videos where they’ve used coffee grinds instead of tea to mix with texture paste, but couldn’t find that video…this is Maremi’s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiQp3f6XNUY
5. Medical paper tape: great for holding down dies and you can make homemade washi tape with it as well.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHKxllorhtE
6. Pump bottle for homemade stamp cleanser- 1 tsp. baby shampoo to rest water
7. Make Up Brushes for wiping off spare embossing powders or use for wiping excess glitter off.
8. Toothbrushes.…use your old ones for flicking paint and for cleaning your rubber stamps.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzT8KvFfLo8
9..Quick Erasers-use them to take watercolor paint stains off paint palettes. Lindsay the frugal crafter loves these for this technique.
10. 360 duster—use for wiping off excess glitter or embossing powder from your work surface.
11. Dog hair removers–use them to clean up after using glitter or embossing powder
12. Planners—remake them for gifts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8Obw7M63Gc and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DG471IwBdo
13. Paper clips— I use them with hot glue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtg9Iq3grUE&t=489s
14. Stickers like enamel dots—color them with alcohol markers to change the colors to match your project  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ10b48x0Z4
15. Small tea lights…I just made a lighted card with them.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4Lk5b4NcEY
16. Picture frames–put a decorated paper inside and glue a Christmas ornament to the glass.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdhLkp_Kk3o
17. Gift bags for inside photo frames or as a layer on your cards or to decoupage onto wood for art. Here’s a video where they did that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLvfbZefd10
18. Tissue Paper–use in art journals for decoupaging or to make into washi tape. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHKxllorhtE and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g4m-yiECXc
19. Gift Sacks for albums https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJfr-T16I8A
20. Christmas ornaments https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdhLkp_Kk3o
21. Kids wig, a mirror and a skull –best Halloween wreath ever

22. Napkins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVqcVIU7yuw or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRx4PM_ZdRY
23. Silicone ice cube trays: use them in any shape for making embellishments with hot glue or caulking or, to make homemade candies in (but don’t use the same trays for both type projects)

24. Paper towels…when you use paints or sprays and want a cool impression left behind, or for making your own mulberry paper  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Uyox2BhrR0 or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1-hG38b4gs
25. Socks—diy Gnomes not snowmen

26. Tiny Vaselines for blending colored pencils. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWIvt50DiNQ
27. Chopping mats—use with dies to make stencils or a mask

I wanted to share the new releases from Peg Stamps. http://www.pegstamps.com

Here are the links by stamp set:
Acrylic Sets
Fireside Christmas https://pegstamps.com/fireside-christmas-clear-set.html

Let it Snow! https://pegstamps.com/let-it-snow-clear-stamp-set.html

Trinkets and Wishes https://pegstamps.com/trinkets-and-wishes-clear-stamp-set.html
Gingerbread Wonderland

Peg stamp sets
Christmas Traditions https://pegstamps.com/christmas-traditions.html
Christmastime https://pegstamps.com/christmastime.html

Hello Mistletoe https://pegstamps.com/hello-mistletoe.html

Shady Pine https://pegstamps.com/shady-pine.html

I store my peg stamps in a lidded box from the Dollar Tree and I write the names of the stamp on the side in black Sharpie…One last note, you don’t have to buy whole sets of stamps, as you can buy them individually…So if you find a single stamp you love, there’s no issue with ordering it by itself.

I always recommend that before you make an order on pegstamps.com that you check on the last Lindsay the Frugal Crafter video for peg stamps, as she normally offered a discount code there…

I’ve had this idea in my head for a long time. I received a big window stamp from a viewer and wanted to make a card that has a window where you are looking inside the house, and thought it would be great to light it.  Dollar Tree now sells super small lights that were perfect for this job.

I started by using Archival black ink and stamping on acetate with the window stamp.

I used a stamp set called Wall Art from Little Darling Rubber Stamps (currently sold out, here’s a link on ebay though http://tinyurl.com/yaadebbm), and stamped them on a piece of vellum near the center. The vellum is 5 ” tall by 9″ wide. (I cut it down later, so you might not need it to be that wide). I stamped with black archival ink on the vellum as I wanted a light to shine from behind it. I used dark alcohol inks to color on the back of the vellum and that’s the best way to do this so the colors show up.
I colored the frames in gray and made sure to add the darker gray so when you look at the vellum from the other side, you can see that the gray shows up.
The wall art is going to be inside my box card… I colored the wall blue and dabbed a bib with alcohol on it to make the lines from the blue marker disappear and make the walls look textured rather than lined.
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At this point, my camera cut out so you missed me scoring and explaining the house.
I took two pieces of Recollections 110 lb heavyweight gray cardstock and cut them to 5 1/2″ by 11″ long then scored it every 1/2″ on the 11″ side to create a wood look background. I rubbed several ink pads from the top of the 5 1/2″ length down to the bottom. Inks used were: Distress inks in Tea Dye, Gathered Twigs, Black Soot, and Smoky Slate from Stampin’ Up plus Unicorn White ink from Hero Arts to create an old wood look. You need to use the colors from light to dark and heat set after using the Unicorn White, as it’s a pigment ink. You might want to use a white gel pen to create more cracks in your wood. (Or nail holes.) Make small marks with the pen and rub to make them look weathered.
To make the box, you’ll fold in on the fourth score mark which is 2″ from either end. Bend the folds toward the inside so the folded parts fold toward the uninked part of the cardstock.
I took the stamp of the window and stamped on some different colored cardstock then cut them out. I wanted to have curtains and the wood frame of the window cut out, so used red for the curtains and craft for the window frame. I glued the curtains behind the acetate as well as the wood outline. I decided in the end, that the shutters and flower box should be glued to the outside of the acetate.

I stamped the window on the outside center of the front of the house, then cut it out so I could glue the acetate behind that opening.
I probably should have just glued the wall art page directly to the back of the acetate, but for some reason, I wanted more dimension, so created another wall.
The center piece that I attached the wall art to, was 5 1/4″ tall by 9 1/2″ wide, and scored at 1″ from either end. I used an oval die and cut out the very center of the cardstock, then adhered the vellum to the center of the opening so the wall art shows through the opening. The vellum is glued behind the gray wall. I folded the scores on the wall art portion, toward the back (toward where the vellum is glued on) and then I put strong adhesive on the outside of the 1″ flaps on either end. I took the back of the house that should have a 2″ flap facing toward the front of the house and laid my center piece inside and laid the 1″ flaps against the side flaps of the back portion so they were adhered together. You’ll want to do this on both sides.  Use a strong adhesive and put it on the  inside of the front flaps and take the front of the house and line up the side flaps with the back side flaps and align them so they are glued in place. I can’t stress enough how strong your adhesive needs to be to hold this house together.
I stamped the shutters and the flower box on gray cardstock and cut them out to adhere to the front of the acetate. I used a black marker to edge them so when you look at the sides, all you’ll see is black. I put foam tape under the shutters so they are 3-d.
I took a white piece of scrap cardstock and put the flower box on the paper and made a mark on the farthest left and right side of the box so I would make sure my flowers covered the whole box. I stamped a variety of greenery and flowers in different colors to create a big full box of flowers.
The peg stamps I used were fern, peeled flower, chamomile sprig, blinky flower, one from the Floral Filigree Wreath collection and three ripply flower stamps from http://www.pegstamps.com.
I used water based markers to color my stamps and cut out the whole flower image so I could adhere it to the front with foam tape..
I cut a piece of white cardstock for the back that was 4 1/2″ tall by 6″ wide and stamped a sentiment on it, then adhered it with tear tape..
I put Glue Dots inside behind the vellum to hold the small lights so you can see the wall art when it’s lit.

I finished the card that I’ve been working on for at least two days.  I wanted to play with the new Nuvo Powders, and boy did I!  I had so much fun with them, and found that they were even more fabulous in combination with Ken Oliver’s Liquid Metals.  I thought the floral surround I created on the card was really pretty, and if I had only used one of the two products, I don’t think I would have gotten as vibrant results as I did.

I have so many plans for videos, and Rich has been working on one that’s taken him all day to upload.  I feel terrible when I make incredibly long videos and when my instructions are vague, and in this case, the video is both.  I should write the notes directly before Rich edits, as that would ensure one of us would know what the explanations mean.  I think I make perfect sense, but a week later, I have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about.  And then to have to decipher it and explain it to Rich, it’s terrible. Like I said, I should write the notes then hand the book to Rich to do the edits, and that way I’d remember what I was trying to say.  Sometimes, neither one of us can read my hand writing either…..These are the difficulties of being a YouTube sensation (in my head, haha.)

I decided I don’t like any of the pick up tools I have for sequins etc., so bought as many as I could find on Aliexpress to add to my collection.  I’m going to find “the one” so all of us have a tool that works.  At the Stamp and Scrapbook Expo, one vendor was selling a pick up tool for just under $30., and I haven’t been able to get that out of my head.  I know there’s another one that one YouTube uses, that’s also around the same price point, and that’s something that really bothers me.  I truly believe that we should be able to buy or make a tool that picks up sequins, (or thin die cuts), for under $5, and I’m not going to give up until I find that tool and make a video showing it…

We aren’t normally social butterflies, but yesterday we went to lunch and a movie with our college friends that love movies.  We saw “Night School” with Kevin Hart.  It was all you would expect from the title, but there was a scene that was so funny, we couldn’t stop laughing.  If you have an experience like that at a movie, it’s worth the price of admission.  In fact, we laughed about it all afternoon.  If you’re feeling a little bit like the weather, rainy and dreary, you might need to take a small trip to the movies.

When we got home, I wanted to finish a birthday present for a close friend.  She’s had a tough year, losing her mother that she was very close to….so I wanted to try to make a special day for her.  I covered a glass plate with a vibrant fall material and used a Mod Podge safe for dishwasher’s to coat it.  It came out better than I expected (you’ll see the video), and I made chocolate covered pretzels and strawberries for on top.  You need to let the plate set for 28 days, so I covered both sides with plastic wrap so the smell or any residue didn’t get near the food….Then I bought her some cute presents and found a pin I had from her mother, and attached the bee pin to one of the presents.  I think it will make her happy…she may cry, but only because of her loss, and that’s to be expected.

She’s the last of her husband, Rich and I, to still have a parent, and now we are the family that we celebrate holidays with, as we don’t have any relative nearby.  It’s sad once you lose your family nucleus, but we are so lucky to have each other…I know Thanksgiving won’t be easy for her, but we’ll make it as light as we can.  We’ve all been through it after all, and know how hard it will be.

Some days you feel like you don’t accomplish very much, but today, I actually did.  I finally found and listed all of my 2017 Hero Arts Monthly kits that I had never opened.  Not one of them.  I’m so ashamed that I bought them, didn’t like them enough to use them, and just stacked them in the basement.  It’s embarrassing and so stupid.

So I put them on Ebay.  I hadn’t listed anything there for years, and it’s changed so much since last I put something on.  Now you are supposed to link the listing to your facebook page, which I did, but then felt kind of dirty about.  I know some viewers might be interested in the kits, but I don’t want anyone to think I’m desperate to sell them..I just want them out of my house.  And since I did “Buy it Now,” Ebay sets the prices that they think the items should be listed for and I just went with what they said.  Maybe I should have lowered the prices to something more reasonable, but the suggestion was to start with their number and ask for offers…So I did that, but now feel a little bit slimy.  I sometimes wish I didn’t have such a huge guilt complex, but there you go.

It took Rich and I three hours to list six or seven things.  We aren’t the greatest at copying and pasting images, especially when ebay sets a minimal limit for pixels…at least that’s what I think they called them.  So I’m giving my self a pat on the back for actually following through and doing something useful for a change.  I have accumulated so many things that I need to part with, and this was a good first step.

Yesterday I went to the dentist, who told me I needed to get a crown on one of my teeth.  You probably don’t know this, but i hate the dentist and anything related to him, so this was not news that I was looking to get.  So I went into a state of funk and ate a bunch of Halloween candy and then worked on a Double Slider card that was a total nightmare.  I probably should have spaced out the dentist and a card that was difficult, but that’s not how I roll.  I had finished the card the day before and showed it to Rich, and somehow the mechanism came apart so I was trying to fix that…not very successfully so far.  Darn it.

So today I decided to do laundry and run errands.  I ran a couple of errands and came home.  It was really rainy and not the best weather to do anything outside.  In the end, I spent the day finalizing the editing on several videos and contemplating ones I need to do tomorrow, since I accomplished virtually nothing today.  Some days just go like that.

And since this afternoon, my computer lighting is off and I can barely read what I’m typing.  I’m not in the mood to shop for a new laptop, so am hoping it’s just having an off day.

Every year Rich dresses up for our trick or treaters. He likes to decorate the front porch so it’s a little spooky, so I included that.
He only gets between 5-10 kids, and this year, sadly, only five, but he loves it and so do the kids. If there are any small children, he takes out his teeth and tells them he’s not really scary, and he always feels badly if one starts to cry…But the next year, that same child is ready and will try to scare Rich first.
I hope you laughed at the craziness that is the Parkers….

I bought the bat at A C Moore last year.
The door mat came from a store called At Home last year
The pumpkin Rich carved came from Joann Fabrics and he learned to cut the skeleton from a carving book we bought at Big Lots.