Today was a testament to my tenacity in crafting.  I was making a card for our niece’s wedding.  It’s about 95 degrees outside and 100% humidity.  I’m not sure if that had anything to do with my issues, but it definitely didn’t help.  I was heat embossing a large dress stamp that had the words to “I am Pretty” all over the dress.  I used detail embossing powder by Ranger (a new bottle), and Versamark ink.  The ink worked great and the powder covered the image.  As soon as the heat tool started changing the image, it became clear that I had a problem.  Instead of the image raising, it soaked into the paper.  I used black embossing powder and I ended up with a matt black image that was flat on the paper, like the embossing powder had absorbed into the paper fibers.  How that was possible, I’m not sure.  I still think it had something to do with the heat and humidity combination, but I’m really not sure.  In the end, I had to stamp and emboss the image seven times.  I should have quit after the second one, but I was not going to give up.

When it was time to embellish my card, I decided to use a thin gold rope that had matt and shiny gold fibers intertwined.  I knew it would fray, of course it would fray.  So I tried burning the end.  I couldn’t stop it from turning black (even though I wasn’t directly in the flame) and it still frayed.  I tried using the Fray Stoppa from Joanns.  It didn’t Stoppa anything.  It still frayed.  In the end, I used both methods and tried pressing the ends of each side together so you couldn’t really see the fraying.

On top of that, when I sat down to do videos today (I did two of them), I bumped my head on the camera, pushing it back on the tripod.  Because I moved the camera, both videos have some footage where I’m out of frame.  That nearly put me over the edge.  I’m seriously ready to scream.  It’s been a rough day but I persevered, and isn’t that the name of the game?

My friend Melody sent me a large box of things her husband brings home from work.  They all appear to be crafty, but figuring out ways to use them has been something Melody has struggled with.  I promised her that I would try to find ways to use them, but only gave her a limited number of ideas.  I thought I should do a video with them, but haven’t found a way to work them into one until today.  I have accumulated a bunch of items in the last few weeks from garage sales etc., and thought it was a great time to combine a haul and Melody’s items together in one video.

I’ve been finding a lot of jewelry items at garage sales lately.  I think people decide they no longer are interested in making certain craft items, so they sell their supplies at their garage sales.  I’m thrilled when I find a new craft, and although I’ve made bracelets in the past, have never ventured into earrings, which is what I’d like to make in the future.  I showed all of my jewelry purchases in this video as well.  I’m excited about making my own earrings and including them in the cards I make.  I thought it would be a neat idea and I’ve never seen any other crafter add jewelry items onto their cards.  I bought a flower pin that I thought would be really neat at the centerpiece of a card and then stamp a stem and leaves around it.  I’m going to start incorporating jewelry into more videos, especially the ones with paper crafts.  At least that’s my plan.

I was shopping with my friend Cora (from the video where we made a fleece scarf), and we made a stop at Joanns.  I really can’t help myself when I am in a craft store.  I’m like a kid in a candy store.  Everything is so shiny and fun.  If I find  a craft I’ve never heard of before, I have to read all about it and find out if it’s something I should try.  My find today was a big display of steampunk buttons.  I love steampunk mixed media, but it really never occurred to me to add it to my wardrobe.  Then again, maybe people just add the buttons to backpacks and pillows and other home décor and only use them minimally on clothing.  I loved them though, and if I had a coupon with me, they would have been mine.  I don’t know why I’m attracted to anything shiny, but I am.

Before we left my house, I showed Cora the denim and ribbon project and she helped me with a great place to add some ribbon.  Of course I didn’t think I had the perfect ribbon for this spot (and let’s face it, I probably do), so I had to buy a yard of ribbon for the project.  I also bought some fabric flowers that I probably didn’t need and a big stencil that was 70% off.  Ok, there’s another thing I have trouble passing up.  Anything that is 70% or more off.  I’m mesmerized.  It’s probably why I like garage sales so much.  I have really big anxiety if I pay full price for anything.  I’ve always tried to buy things on sale, but now I might be a little obsessive compulsive about it.  It’s definitely a good thing though, when you consider all of the crafty things I buy for my channel.  Of course, you haven’t seen my craft room since October, and if you did, I think you would be freaked out by how much I have acquired.  I really need to start using my stash and stop buying things.  I can say that now, because I bought some things today, and maybe tomorrow I’ll try not to, or I’ll break down and buy something, you never know.

Saturday,  I bought a bag of jewelry supplies for $2 and today I sorted through the supplies and couldn’t believe how much I got and the variety inside.  I’ve decided to try to make some earrings.  Lindsay, the frugal crafter, makes earring making look really simple, so I thought, why not give it a try?  My nephew Mike, has a degree from the Art Institute in product design and couldn’t find a job in his major, so is now going back to school to become a nurse.  He used his art background to make and sell jewelry so I’ll be picking his brain for ideas on how to do things I haven’t tried yet.

I started working on the first video for “Making something old look new again.” I mentioned this in an earlier post, I’m pretty sure.  Anyway, I’m taking a very unusual looking expense ledger and turning it into a wedding album for my friend’s wedding in a couple weeks.  So far, the paper pack I found from Amazon, called Denim Stack, from Die Cuts with a View, is not what I expected.  It’s got a very shiny appearance so it’s hard to videotape and I’m not sure how great it will look once I try to add embellishments to it.  I do like the way the outer box looks as I found paper that is a replica of half of the top part of a pair of jeans.  I’m not sure how else to explain it, but I think it really looks great and am not planning on putting much on the outside, it’s there to protect the three ring binder inside.  I found a piece of the paper pack that has a big”&” on the jeans.  I can’t imagine what the plan was for that symbol on a jean background, but I’m thinking it will work perfectly with some chipboard Mr. and Mrs. on it.  I’m liking this project better and better every time I think about it.  I really hope it lives up to my expectations.

 

I started with a piece of 110 pound cream Recollections card stock and cut it and 10″ high by 7″ wide and scored it on the 10″ length at 5″. I cut a piece of orange lightweight cardstock to 5 7/8″ x 6 7/8″ and layered it onto the cream card. I cut thin royal blue cardstock 4 1/2″ square and layered another identical piece on top of it and glued them together with a Glue Glider Pro tape runner. I poked a hole in the center of the blue paper and made a tassel with orange embroidery thread using a bow jig. Take a piece of string 3″ long and tape it to the length of a dowel on one end of the bow jig. Then place another dowel the length you’d like your tassel to be. Wrap embroidery thread around the dowels until you like the thickness then wrap the thread around the thread about 1/2″ from the top dowel that has the tape on it. Wrap the thread as many times as necessary to produce the desired width of thread, then tie a knot and cut the ends so you can’t see them. Then remove the tape from the end and tie the thread around the top and make a knot. Then remove the whole piece from the dowels and cut the bottom so the threads are separated and trim to make it all the same length. I stamped “Happy Graduation” from Hero Arts set called Celebrate Everyday. I used Ballet Blue Dye Ink from Stampin’ Up (and thought I was using the pigment version of the ink instead) and Ranger clear embossing powder on the ink. You should use either a pigment ink or Versamark if you are heat embossing, which I am. I heat set it and it came out ok but the embossing powder did not stick well because of the ink mistake.. Then I used fun foam under the graduation cap and put a matching brad through the hole in the center and attached the tassel with the brad to the cap.

You know those light weight fleecy throws that we all have about a hundred (slight exaggeration) of?  Maybe you don’t know what I’m referring to and if not, here’s a photo of one, or eight.

I’m not sure how many you have, but I know I have several.  I was thinking about another idea for a dog video.  If you have a dog, you probably have a dog bed.  For bigger dogs, these can be fairly expensive.  With my dogs, often the covers get kind of worn or just yucky, and need to be replaced.  I can’t sew and if you read my blog, I’m sure you’ve read about the incomplete I got in sewing in 7th grade Home Ec.  I couldn’t finish a tablecloth and napkins.  Actually, I never finished even one napkin.  So with that dirty laundry being aired (once again), I thought of a great way to make a replacement cover for our dog beds.   I think I’ll use one or two of these fleecy throws and using Stitch Witchery or Fabri-Tac (or both), I’ll cover a dog bed.  Genius?  I sincerely doubt it.  But it will be an inexpensive way to cover the bed and make another video at the same time.  I’m fairly excited about this idea and am putting it into my idea book before I forget about it.  Hey, that’s another thing I could make a video about.  My idea book. The video ideas are just flying out of me today.  Flying might be an exaggeration.  Dripping out of me is probably more appropriate.

I had a very good crafting garage sale day today.  Well, maybe others wouldn’t see it that way, but I did.  I found a lot of things that I can repurpose, like a set of brand new really ugly plastic coasters that a lady gave me.  I’m sure with the right paper on them, they will be really cute.  I also found a complete “make your own gingerbread man ornament” kit.  I thought that would be perfect for me to create for others to make.  I’m going to make the same thing I bought, not put it together.  I thought it would be fun to give as a Christmas gift for a crafty person or older child to make for themselves as there is some sewing involved..  I thought I would print the directions on a pdf file and attach it to the video, so if others want to replicate my process, they won’t have to type anything out as it will already be done for them.  I bought an unused can of cinnamon scented bath salt that was nice but the packaging was kind of boring.  It would be a cute project to decorate the container and give it as a gift as is, no wrapping required.

My big find, well big in my eyes, were brand new white tennis shoes that my generation thought of as Keds.  I found two sizes that will work for myself and a granddaughter of a friend.  I thought I would either tie dye them (or one of them) with Sharpies.  I saw it on Pinterest.  The other idea is to use the new fabric sticks I found a few weeks ago that are supposed to work like dye.  I guess we’ll wait and see.  Both could be a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to trying them out.  They both could be a huge fail, but then again, I’ll never know unless I try and try is my middle name.  Or maybe it’s Lee.  Probably Lee.

I decided today was the day to try the recipe I have for dog soap.  I haven’t used the melt and pour soap for at least ten years so wanted to make sure I didn’t make any big mistakes on video.  I put the soap into a plastic dish and thought it would be fine to microwave in, since I was only using it for maybe thirty seconds.  It did work ok, until I tried to stir the soap (to remove any lumps), and the molten soap splashed over the top and onto my thumb.  You know how melted wax adheres to your skin?  Same thing happens with soap.  It really hurt and unlike wax, didn’t come off the same way, so I had to literally wash it off.  Left a pretty nice burn that I failed to mention in the video, as I didn’t want people to see how clumsy I can be.  I will be discussing safety measures today when the soap is set.  I couldn’t believe I made such a rookie mistake.  I’ve made this soap so many times, well not the dog version, but people soaps.  It was frustrating and a mistake I won’t be making for at least another few years (until I forget about it again.)

Besides the thumb mishap, the soap smells really nice and unlike ten years ago when I had bubbles on top of my soap, I know now to spray the top with alcohol to remove them.  I found the recipe on a soap site and the woman who made it did not have any measurements for the essential oils, so I kind of guessed.  Ok, I guessed and then the bottle that I bought from Amazon has a defect  The spout that normally allows you to only drip into your project is stuck in the lid, so doesn’t stay in the bottle but rather in the cap when you open it.  Long story short, the essential oil is now a “pour spout” and I “poured” some into the soap instead of putting a few drops.  I’m a little bit concerned about the scent being too strong, but figure with the rest of the ingredients being in larger proportions, it still should work well, just a little more lavender”y”.  That was funny.  I typed in lavender with a “y” at the end and was going to ask if that was a word, and the system corrected it repeatedly, so no, it’s not a word.  The soap has a distinct lavender smell.  Much better.  The soap maker also recommended tea tree oil in her soap and I refuse to use it as I really don’t like the smell at all.  I’ll make sure to give her recommendations at the end of the video.  All in all, a typical Sandy project.

We are going to finally put the garage sale behind us today when we take everything that didn’t sell and donate it to our local family charity.  I have to say that it will be a huge relief to get it done.  I’m not a saver, so anytime I have things that I need to get rid of, I’m thrilled to do so.  I have a lot of boxes of things that need to go and I’ll feel a huge sense of relief once I’ve done it.

I’m also going to start working on the album for my girlfriends’ wedding and am looking forward to pulling out a lot of stash to make it look cute.  I think I’ll use a lot of different things for embellishments.  I have a ton of old pearls and want to use them in some way. I’m using paper roses I bought at the Dollar Tree that should really work well with the other items I’m thinking of using.  I may use gold chain and definitely lots of lace.  It should be a lot of fun to make.

I also bought a new video camera and am crossing my fingers that it will work with Rich’s software, so that he doesn’t cut out the first sentence on every video.  I know it’s a problem with the software, but I keep thinking it has to be something else.  It was the main reason I thought I needed to buy the camera, that, and the camera has an internal battery so I won’t have to keep replacing rechargeable batteries at every turn.  I’m hoping to give the camera a whirl with the videos I’m going to be recording today.  Cross your fingers for me, this could be the answer to our audio issues.

A couple of months ago, I was at a church rummage sale and found a really unusual piece and had to buy it for a quarter.  It was an old expense tracker for a business.  It had twelve small envelopes, one for each month, inside a long (but not tall) three ring binder.  The binder was fabric covered and was housed inside a fabric covered box that has an open end to slide the binder in and out.  At the time, I just thought it was interesting.  Now with my girlfriend getting married, I’m thinking I can convert it into a photo album for her.  The envelopes would be terrific for tags and the small envelopes are the perfect size to cover with a photo.  I thought I would put some longer pages between the small envelopes for more photo space.

Her wedding theme is denim and lace so I thought I would use denim style paper for the album.  I found one pack of paper from Die Cuts with a View called Denim Stack.  Unfortunately, it’s been discontinued so I had to buy it from Amazon and pay full price for it, which didn’t really thrill me.  The paper came today and I’m getting ready to start working on the project.  I have three weeks to finish it and I’m sure that will be plenty of time.  Her wedding is for the immediate family and we will be going to the reception.  I think it will be a cute project and will be a great first video to take something old and make it new again.