I’d like to do a small rant about customer service.  I think you know how crazy frustrated I get with YouTube and the fact that sometimes a video that I upload does not show up in the list of videos for almost two days.  Other times, they appear immediately.  I can’t find anyone who can tell me why, or how to fix this, and it’s really been an issue for me.  Imagine my surprise when I got a note from YouTube saying they wanted me to participate in a survey about how they could improve their processes?  I was thrilled.  I immediately stopped everything so I could participate in the survey and give them my two cents. Wait, we better find out where that phrase originated from before we go on.

From Quora:  There’s an episode in the Bible in which Jesus praises a poor woman for giving her only two pennies to the Church, amidst a crowd of people giving much larger amounts. Her two cents was more meaningful, valuable to her and therefore to Jesus, than the fortunes which were only small portions of larger fortunes being given by others.

Thus, “my two cents” is the relative value of one’s own opinion in a conversation- it means literally everything to the one giving it, but its value to others may be dubious.

Great information, now back to the story.

 The first question asked to describe what type of YouTuber I am.  For example, a comedian, a gamer, a vlogger, etc.  I chose the closest I could find to arts/crafts and clicked the “next” button to get to the next question.  It immediately came back with something like “thanks so much for participating in our survey, we have enough feedback from this category of YouTubers.”  Geez, that was helpful.  I think maybe YouTube just gave me their two cents worth.

The second part of my rant pertains to the opening segment of my videos.  I am sure if you watch any of them, you are also frustrating by the fact that you rarely hear me say “Hi, it’s Sandy Parker, and welcome to Crafting for Almost Everyone.”  Sometimes you’ll hear a portion of it, sometimes nothing,  and rarely, you’ll hear all of it  Rich bought this “great state-of-the-art” software program specifically for creating videos.  You’d think that it would be able to capture both the opening video and audio instead of just capturing the video.  Rich has tried everything to correct the problem, including buying a new desktop computer.  He’s watched videos on how to use it and read the information they provided.  As a last resort, he called their technical support.  They asked him a bunch of questions and they had no idea how to correct the problem.  They told him it must be his computer.  And that was their two cents, priceless!

I found more fun and crafty things today at garage sales.  I’m going to go again tomorrow and then I think I’ll do a haul video of all of the things I’ve purchased.  It’s fun when I find things that look interesting and could be used for something else.  I’m thinking the best part about a haul video is getting ideas from other people.  I have a subscriber, Melody, whose husband brings home unusual things from work.  She emailed me and then sent me a box full of these things.  Some of them I can think of uses for, and other, I’m not so sure.  I thought I’d show those in the haul video as well, so both Melody and I can get ideas of what to use these things for.  I also have a small piece of clear plastic that I get with some medications I use.  Another subscriber, Elizabeth, gets the same pieces of plastic and we’ve discussed uses for them.  It’s funny how I have these things (or other people do) and you don’t want to throw them out, but can’t find uses for them.  This will be a great chance to come up with a plan.

Another great video idea was given to me today.  The friend who has the Newfoundland puppy was over visiting and we gave her a bag of the dog treats I make for our dogs.  I make them because one of our dogs used to get ill from the ones you buy in a store.  I was telling her that I’ve never had a dog (no matter how picky they are), turn one of these biscuits down. She just retired so I invited her over to make a batch of them with me.  She said, you should do a video on how you make them.  What a great idea.  Genius!  I really like to share this recipe because dog biscuits are expensive and with my recipe, you can use inexpensive products to create a biscuit that people can eat, so you know it’s good for your dog–at least it’s better than what you buy in a store when you have no idea what’s in those.   We just made a big batch, so we’re probably good for a couple of weeks before we’ll need to make more.  I can’t wait to do this video.

I talked to a friend of mine last night and she’s getting married.  She’s sixty and I think it’s a wonderful thing when you find love at sixty.  She says her wedding is going to be on the family’s farm on a hilltop with just immediate family.  They are using bales of hay for seating.  Her theme is going to be denim and lace.  Such a cute idea for a man who is a farmer and spends his life in denim.  He did say he’s not wearing jeans to get married in though, which is quite a concession for him.  So today I made a congratulations card for them.  Of course it’s denim and lace, but I also incorporated my scrap and punch cards into it as well.  I really liked the end result and hope you will to.  It’s denim and lace and scraps and heart punches.  The best of everything!

After making the onesie card, I started thinking about how to make a card that is a bridal gown.  Not just any gown, think Cinderella.  I bought 8 inches wide of material in two types, one that you can’t see through but is kind of silky, but not silk (way too hard to work with), and a see through material with  rhinestones already on it. I bought them in the bridal section of Joanns.   I did embellish the waist with three small rhinestones on the belt I made.
I started by drawing a template on 5 1/2″ square white pre-made card and cut it out.  I kept that template to use in the future.  I used Beacon Fabri-Tac as my glue.,and glued the first material to the dress form and trimmed it out then did the same with the sheer material.  I did lay the dress template onto the fabric and traced it with a pencil, but I don’t recommend that as I couldn’t get the pencil mark off of the fabric.  I’m sure they probably make a pencil for fabric, but I don’t know how to use it so just put glue on the back of the material and glued it to the card and that worked well.  The paint brush didn’t work well with the Fabri Tac as it’s too sticky.  With the second layer of fabric, I just used the Fabri-Tac and squirted it around and rubbed it around with my finger.  The rhinestone material had swirls of gilittery embellishments so I made sure when I laid it on the dress form that I put it where the embellished areas were where I wanted them.  I covered the back of the card with both materials as well.  I took a scrap that was as long as the skirt and glued the center into the waist of the dress and then moved about halfway to the edge and pulled the fabric into a pleat shape and pushed it into the glue until it held.  I did it on the other side and then did the same at both edges.  I glued the edges to the skirt on both sides making sure it was billowy like Cinderella’s dress.  I took a thin 1/8 thick satin ribbon and laid it on a piece of paper and put glue on  it then layered the sheer material on it and wrapped it around the ribbon so it was more three-dimensional.  I glued it to the dress and added three rhinestones to it.  I bought the sentiment at the stamp show I went to and used Blushing Bride from Stampin’ Up ink to stamp it and used a rock-a block to stamp the image with.

Rich should be uploading the card I made for our niece’s bridal shower tonight.  I was really proud of it.The idea came to me after I made the onesie card.  I thought, heck, I could make a template of a dress and then put material on it and decorate it like Cinderella’s ball gown.  I used a square 5 1/2″ card and cut the template out of it and then glued one fabric to it, and then a glittery fabric, and then put more glittery fabric inside the skirt so it’s really puffy.  I think it looks like Cinderella’s gown, and I have to say, I have never seen anything like it.  Originally, her colors (I thought for the wedding) were supposed to be foam green and coral. I bought those colors of material  and was going to make a silhouette of a bride gown and have one bridesmaid dress on one side in one color and another on the other side in the other color.  Luckily, she decided against those colors so I didn’t have to figure out how to make that work and went with the bride’s gown alone.  I found a really lovely sentiment at the stamp show we went to, and I was really happy with the results.  I can’t wait for you to see it, I think it’s the best card I’ve ever done.  It definitely took a long time because I finished it and then spilled a glass of iced tea on it and had to start over.  I almost cried, but held it together and actually, the second dress came out nicer than the first.  I guess it was fate that I’m clumsy.  I hope you’ll let me know what you think of the card.

I saw Patty Bennett make this note card folder on her YouTube channel and thought it was really cute.  It’s really easy to make and requires only a 12 x 12″ piece of double sided paper as well as a score board.  I also used washi tape on the edges of mine because my paper cracked and I didn’t want it to look bad.  The paper is from Stampin’ Up as was the washi tape. Both are now retired.

On the score board, score at 2″ at 10″ as well as 5 3/4″ and 6 1/4″ then turn it one turn and score at 2 1/2″ and 8 1/4″.  Make sure you turn it back to the original position where you scored four places.  You will need to fold diagonally on each corner to the vertical score line but don’t try to fold up to the score line that is horizontal.  You’ll do this fold on all four corners.  Once the corners are folded, fold in both sides and flip the paper over and fold the top and bottom in toward the center.  They should overlap and you will tuck your centers under the paper below it.  Fold your center score lines so it now looks like a book.  This will fit four 3 1/2″ x 5″ note cards and their envelopes.  You can also put more on the outside if you choose, or you could put some sentiments in the outside slots so the receiver can create whatever card they need.

I can’t remember the YouTube person was that made this folder and I apologize for that.  It was one of the first videos I ever saw and just remembered how to make it.  It’s really a simple folder to make.  You take double sided 12 x 12″ paper and fold it in half then turn it one turn and fold it again in the center to create a plus sign in the middle of your paper.  Take the bottom right corner and fold it toward the center fold and middle center fold about 1″ from both.  Do the same with the left side.  Then take the center of the bottom and fold it up to the middle and crease.  Fold the left side to the right side and your folder is complete.  I like to close mine with a ribbon.  Take 18″ of ribbon and put a glue dot under the center of the ribbon and lay the ribbon on the outside of the folder with the glue dot as close to the fold as possible (on the back side of your folder.)  Tie the ribbon in a bow .  I like to use a thicker taffeta ribbon as it’s easy to tie and also easy to work with.

To make the stationary, I took copy paper and cut it in half on the 11″ length.  I then stamped the dog I’ve been using on my projects onto the top left side of the paper (or the center top of the paper, it’s up to you.)  Fold the stationary in half and make matching envelopes by using washi tape that coordinates with your stationary.  I used twelve pieces of stationary plus ten extra pieces with no stamp on them and twelve envelopes.  They fit easily into this folder.  The paper I used was from Stampin’ Up and the washi tape I found at the Dollar Tree.  I used Versafine Onyx Black ink on the dog stamp.

Every once in a while I decide I might be losing my mind. I try to attribute it to menopause or the medicines I take, but seriously, I feel like I am missing something upstairs.  Take for instance three stamps I sold on ebay.  They were background stamps, so should have been easy to find.  After hours of searching, I threw in the towel and let Rich give it a try.  After another hour, he conceded defeat.  I couldn’t believe that they were gone and I mean gone.  I bit the bullet and contacted the buyers and told them I lost their purchases.  One buyer thought I was lying.  She obviously has not been through menopause.  The other was incredibly nice about it and although she was disappointed, was very sweet.  She told me she collected “Stamps Happen” stamps and of course I have every one of their bird stamps, so I offered to stamp a bunch of my bird stamps for her, to thank her for being so nice about it.  That was last week.
Yesterday, I sold a package that I needed to put something else in the envelope before I mailed it.  Today, it disappeared.  GONE!  I couldn’t believe it.  How could this happen when I just had it yesterday.  So I decided to gut my basement and I mean gut it.  I destroyed everything in my path.  You’ll never believe where I found the package I lost yesterday.  In a box with the stamps I lost last week.  How is that even possible?  I’m seriously worried about my sanity.  At least all’s well that ends well.  Hey, I wonder where that saying originated from?

Meaning

A risky enterprise is justified so long as it turns out well in the end.

Origin

This is, of course, best known from the Shakespeare play, but it was a proverb before it was a play title.

John Heywood included it in A dialogue conteinyng the nomber in effect of all the prouerbes in the Englishe tongue, 1546:

Lovers live by love, ye as larkes live by leekes
Saied this Ales, muche more then halfe in mockage.
Tushe (quoth mine aunte) these lovers in dotage
Thinke the ground beare them not, but wed of corage
They must in all haste, though a leafe of borage
Might by all the substance that they can fell.
Well aunt (quoth Ales) all is well that endes well.

Shakespeare was well acquainted with Heywood’s work and wrote All’s Well That Ends Well in 1601. It is not only as the title of the play, but line appears in the text too.

HELENA:
Yet, I pray you:
But with the word the time will bring on summer,
When briers shall have leaves as well as thorns,
And be as sweet as sharp. We must away;
Our wagon is prepared, and time revives us:
All’s well that ends well; still the fine’s the crown;
Whate’er the course, the end is the renown.

Alas, I have no idea what Shakespeare is talking about, but I am thrilled I found the missing items and can sleep better tonight.  Until I lose something else tomorrow.

I think I will do a haul of my garage sale finds.  I’m not really sure of the reasons for hauls, other than to see what people have purchased.  Does it matter if no one else can purchase the things I’m showing?  That’s my confusion.  I think it would be fun to show some things and explain what I plan on doing with them.  Will other people be interested in seeing something they can’t buy unless they pay retail for it?  I’m not sure.  But I like the concept and I haven’t even bothered to look at YouTube to see if any crafters do hauls on garage sale finds, but why not?  It seems like a really cool idea because the things you find are so random.  I’m into it.  I’ve been buying a bunch of stuff lately, which is why I need to have my own garage sale.  Alas, I’m a crafty hoarder and proud to be one.  I just need to get a little bit organized and maybe not go to any garage sales for a couple of weeks and maybe I’ll be able to get control of the mess I’m making.  I’m a little embarrassed to admit that my crafty things have spread into the basement, the garage and the kitchen.  I need to get a grip!  The problem is that I’m having way too much fun buying all of these new and different things.  I just can’t stop.

I’ve been diligently working on getting rid of things that are keeping me from finding anything in my craft room.  Unfortunately, at the same time, I keep finding great things at garage sales to craft with.  What to do?  Stop buying things even though they are great bargains or get rid of a lot more things?  I’m going with getting rid of a lot more things.  I’ve decided I definitely need to have a garage sale to get rid of as many things as possible in as short of time period as well.  Where to begin?  If I could only find some flat empty spaces to start prices and boxing up things, that would be fantastic.  So far, I can’t seem to find the space.  I have been selling some things on Ebay, but it doesn’t seem to diminish my mess.  And I’m so disorganized that I photographed things for Ebay months ago, and finally took the time to put those items online.  Unfortunately when they sold, I couldn’t find them.  There are three background stamps that are completely gone.  How do these things happen, you might be asking?  I have no idea.  I’ve looked for hours for these stamps to no avail.  I feel really foolish because I normally am not so disorganized.  I refunded the buyers their money and apologized profusely but I think one buyer thinks I’m scamming her so she is ready to give me negative feedback.  I really don’t blame her because I’m so absent-minded, but on the other hand, I did refund her money and apologized.  What more can I do?  So now I just need to get rid of about a million more things and I’ll begin to feel like I have a clue.  Maybe not.