I’ve had so many great comments about the scrap and punch card series, that I made another card, only this time I also made it a fancy fold card as well.  I could not remember the name of this card during filming, it’s called a double Z fold card.  Wouldn’t you know that the name came to me as soon as I was done with the video.  Naturally I can include it in the title, but isn’t it nuts how our minds just blank on words?  This issue is another of Mother Nature’s gifts of menopause.  I thought I was losing my mind when it happened to me in the beginning.  But one day I was telling a girlfriend about it and she said, “that’s menopause for you.”  I had no idea that in addition to sweating profusely for no reason and gaining weight, again for no apparent reason, that I would also semi lose my mind.  Thanks, Mother Nature.  You’re a real gem!  Rich can ignore the fact that I can’t remember words, but it is kind of embarrassing when I’m on video or public speaking.  I  interview graduating college seniors at the college I attended so they are better prepared for the real interview process.  I give a seminar before the interviews so they know what to expect and what they need to do to prepare for it.  Inevitably during the seminar, one word will just escape me and I’m floundering for a filler.  Then because of the anxiety, my head starts to feel prickly, the warning sign of an oncoming hot flash.  Could it just be one present?  No, Mother Nature likes her gifts to come in pairs.  Those of you who have experienced this are nodding your heads and those of you who have not are probably saying “I hope this doesn’t happen to me.”  I hope it doesn’t happen to you either, but it probably will.  Remember, it’s a gift.

I finally finished my niece’s recipe box and the video that goes with it.  I had to laugh when I was reviewing the footage, because I wear maybe eight different outfits when I’m filming it.  Each segment is around a minute to two minutes long, but that equated to at least an hours’ worth of work.  I’m not sure how long it took to finish, but probably ten to twelve hours once you factor in making the divider cards.  I really had a great plan in making the divider cards, you know the things that say “breads” or “desserts” in a recipe box.  Unfortunately, I didn’t factor in how dingy I can be.  I glued two cards together with the heading on the inside of the pieces I glued together.  I printed three cards with the words half on and half off of the page.  I jammed the printer.  I used the We R Memory Keepers envelope board to punch notches in the cards.  That worked great until I lined them up incorrectly and punched too close to the word and had to scrap that card.  All in all, I probably make twice as many cards as I needed to because of all of the mistakes I made.  I am happy with the way they look though and hope my niece will really like this box.  You never know.

I thought if I used the Christmas ornament punch with papers that were not Christmasy, that it would be a great way to get more use out of the punch as well as use up scrap paper. I only used one pattern of scrap paper on this card.

You’ll need
a Christmas Ornament punch, mine is retired from Stampin’ Up
one piece of 5 1/4″ x 5 1/4″ darker purple card stock
one piece of 5 1/2″ x 11″ lighter purple card stock, scored at 5 1/2″
enough scrap paper to punch 18-20 ornaments
Ranger white embossing powder
Any sentiment stamp
Versamark ink to stamp the image
heat gun
corn starch in a bag of some kind. I just used an old knee high and filled it with corn starch then doubled the material and knotted it at the end. It works great, but if you sew, you could make one that way or buy an EK Success Powder Tool that will range from $4 at Walmart.com to $6 at Joanns (full price, use a coupon whenever possible.)

You’ll begin by punching 18-20 ornaments.
Then, using a tape adhesive (or glue stick, or liquid adhesive,) glue your ornaments in a diagonal pattern to the 5 1/4″ x 5 1/4″ darker card stock.. I started at the bottom right corner and made sure that the first ornament is partially off of the page. Any of the ornaments that are on the edges should be glued with tape adhesive, so they stay in place when you are trimming them on the edges. Once you have glued all of your ornaments to the paper, trim them from the back. You’ll want to stamp your sentiment with Versamark Ink ($5.99 full price at Joanns). Once you have stamped the sentiment, you’ll put scrap paper under your cardstock and pour some embossing powder over the sentiment. I used Ranger White Embossing Powder ($4.99 full price at Joanns). Tap the excess powder onto the scrap paper and then pour it back into the container and close it before using the heat tool. (I own the Darice heating tool that is $19,99 full price at Joanns, but have heard the Ranger heat tool $24.99 full price, is a better tool. Start your heat gun and warm it up (maybe 10 seconds) before using on the image. Make sure you keep your hands away from the heat as this will burn you. Move the gun back and forth so it doesn’t burn the paper or the embossing powder. I start by warming the back and then go to the front. You’ll know when it is finished because the powder changes to a shiny color.
Next, you’ll want to apply foam tape to the back or use fun foam and cut a piece that is large enough to cover almost the whole back (5 x 5″). Adhere the fun foam with wet glue to strong ATG tape. If using foam tape, remove the paper lining and take a piece of organza ribbon that matches your pattern and cut it in half. Use roughly 14″ of ribbon. Stick the ribbon to the foam tape on either side of your card and then wrap it around to the front. Now is a great time to apply your 5 1/4″ cardstock to your card base that is 5 1/2″ x 11″. Tie your ribbon in a bow and your card is complete.

I got an email from Elizabeth giving me her thoughts on whether or not you need a scoring board. She uses her paper trimmer and the indentation where the paper cuts to score her paper. It was a really good idea and it got me thinking about whether you really need a board to score on. I created my own score board with about a $2 investment rather than a $20 investment.

You absolutely need a “T” ruler that you should be able to buy at any Walmart/Target.

You will also need a pad of paper with a straight edge that is at least1/4″ thick.

Using your ruler, you need to make lines on your paper pad at 1″, 2″, 3″, 4″, 4 1/4″, 5″, 5 1/2″, 6″ and you can make more if you want.

A normal card size is a standard size piece of paper cut in half on the 11″ edge, so it will end up being 5 1/2″ long and 8 1/2″ wide. You will score the paper at 4 1/4″ which is one-half of 8 1/2″.

Lining your paper up with the end of the paper pad and putting your t ruler on the 4 1/4″ mark, find anything that has a point, and rub down the paper using the ruler as your edge. A knitting needle, smaller crochet hook, the eye end of a needle you would thread, a non working ball point pen, a mechanical pencil with the lead pulled inside, a butter knife, the back end of a small paint brush and idea you can come up with should work.

I wanted to make a masculine card and thought the ticket punch was the perfect way to go.

You’ll need:
5 1/2 x 5 1/2″ or 5 1/2″ wide x 11″ long cardstock scored at 5 1/2″ long, I used white.
a lot of scraps including black paper (sizes are below)
washi tape, to decorate the envelope (optional) and inside card
Versafine Onyx Black ink
More Mustard Ink from Stampin’ Up
Acrylic block or MISTI
Stamps of Life tickets2stamp–here’s the link to the stamp set
http://www.thestampsoflife.com/shop/s…
My Creative Times Many Greetings Stamps (retired set)
Xyron 1 1/2″ wide
tape runner or ATG or wet glue

The ticket punch punches a small and a large ticket with each punch. You can’t really easily avoid punching the smaller ticket, so I accumulated a lot of those in the process.

You’ll need two pieces of black cardstock that are 5 3/8″ long by 1 7/8 wide and one piece that is 4 5/8″ long by 1 3/8″ wide and another black strip for in the center, that is 4 x 7/8″ wide.

I used blue scrap and beige scrap that were 5 1/4″ long by 1 3/4″ wide and a craft colored paper that was 4 1/2″ long by 1 1/4″ wide

I have friends that adopted a newfoundland puppy.  I bought a rubber stamp of a newfoundland and am going to make a stationary set for them.  Why is it that all my friends adopt huge dogs?  First a bullmastiff and now a newfoundland.  These are really big dogs, really really big.

So a newfoundland is almost identical to a St. Bernard, only they are black.  Or mostly black with a little white spot on their neck.  How hard could it be to make a stationary set with a black dog on it?  The possibilities are endless.  So I decided to make 3 x 3″ note cards as well as full size stationary, plus cards that will have their dog on it.  I’m also making a stationary folder to house this set.  I’m planning on doing the video tomorrow so it will probably be live by Sunday or Monday, depending on YouTube and it’s quirkiness.

Hey, did you notice the new background I made for my videos?  I’m really happy with it.  I think it looks like a granite countertop.  Let’s say that’s what it is.  Or not.  It’s actually, maybe I shouldn’t let the cat out of the bag.  Geez, I wonder where that saying originated from?

Here’s the answer

Meaning

Disclose a secret.

Origin

There are two commonly heard suggested origins of this phrase. One relates to the fraud of substituting a cat for a piglet at markets. If you let the cat out of the bag you disclosed the trick – and avoided buying a pig in a poke (bag). This form of trickery is long alluded to in the language and ‘pigs in a poke’ are recorded as early as 1530.

The other theory is that the ‘cat’ referred to is the cat o’ nine tails, which was used to flog ill-disciplined sailors. Again, this has sufficient historical record to be at least possible. The cat o’ nine tails was widely used and was referred to in print many years prior to the first use of ‘let the cat out of the bag’. The ‘nine tails’ part of the name derives from the three strands of cord that the rope lashes were made from. Each of the cords were in turn made from three strands of string. When unbraided a piece of rope separated into nine strings. The ‘cat’ part no doubt alluded to the scratches that the knotted ends of the lash made on the victim’s back, like those from a cat’s claws.

Of the two explanations, the ‘pig in a poke’ derivation is the more plausible, although I can find no direct documentary evidence to link ‘letting the cat out of the bag’ to the selling of livestock. Versions of the phrase exist in both Dutch – ‘Een kat in de zak kopen’ and in German – ‘Die Katze im Sack kaufen’. These both translate loosely as ‘to buy a cat in a bag’, that is, to buy false goods.

The cat o’ nine tails story is dubious at best. It is reported that the lashes were sometimes stored in bags, but the suggested nautical punishment origin fails at the critical point, in that it doesn’t match the ‘disclose a secret‘ meaning of the phrase.

The first known use of the phrase in print that I have found is in a 1760 edition of The London Magazine:

“We could have wished that the author… had not let the cat out of the bag.”

There are several other literary references to the phrase in the 1760s and 1770s, most of which place it in quotations marks – a sure sign of it being not commonly understood and consequently, newly coined.

Cats feature very often in English proverbs:

A cat may look at a king – 1546
All cats are grey in the dark – 1596
Curiosity killed the cat – 1921
There are more ways of killing a cat than choking it with cream – 1855
When the cat is away, the mice will play – 1607

This routine appearance of cats in the language is no doubt a consequence of them being widely kept as mousers and pets in domestic houses. As to ‘who let the cats out?’, we can’t be certain; but it probably wasn’t a sailor.

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I’m not really sure I understand the meaning of the first explanation, but we’ll go with it.  The bottom line is that I could have saved us both some time by just telling you that I covered a piece of poster board with contact paper that looks like granite.  The cat is now truly out of the bag.

I had another video stall before going live.  It’s frustrating when I put a video up (or Rich does), and it doesn’t show in my list of videos.  It sometimes takes two days before you can easily find a video.  Yikes.  So the easy set of note cards stalled as did the “Do you need a Score Board?” video.  Sometimes I just want to pull my hair out.  Huh, I wonder where that saying originated from?

Finally I have found a saying that I could not find a true origination of.  In this case apparently people just find comfort in pulling their hair out in times of stress.  Is that it?  I guess so.  No big answer to it.  It is as it sounds.

I did make another card in the scrap and punch series and it is one of my favorites.  I think it’s because I used ribbon and I love ribbon.  Of course that is no secret, but I missed using it on cards.

I’m just glad that all of my videos are now up and available to view.  Geez, this can be frustrating.  You don’t hear Lindsay saying, “Crap, I can’t find my video online.”  I really wish I would hear her say that and then I’d know I’m not alone.  Wouldn’t that be a hoot?  Ok, so for now, I’m the only one saying crap, but if any of you know of another YouTuber whose videos get hung up when going from private to public, please let me know.  I’m dying to know the answer as to why.  If you read my blog posts, you know I’ve already tried researching this myself with YouTube, but to no avail.   So if you can find my answer, I’d love to have it.

I’m in what I will call a creative slump.  It’s not that I can’t think of things to make, it’s that I think the things I make aren’t good enough.  I watched a Q & A between Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner once, a long time ago.  Someone asked them about their creative process.  I was kind of surprised that they will spend a lot of time coming up with a design and then scrap it if it isn’t “perfect.”  I’m not sure why I thought of that interview, but the thing that struck a cord with me was that idea of “perfect.”  More importantly, what do I consider perfect.  I have to admit, I think my standards are much lower than theirs.  Maybe it’s my lack of experience, or that I’ve set my bar low enough that I am satisfied with the things I produce.  I’ve scrapped videos before, but only when the end result was unacceptable.  And unacceptable is much different than perfect.

Today I tried to do some water coloring with markers and followed a format that I had seen an artist do on a video.  I couldn’t get my marker ink to move like she did, even though I was using a similar type of marker.  In theory, the artist made it look so easy, but it never seems to be as easy for me.  If I want my YouTube channel to be great, then I need to be honest with the watchers.  This isn’t always easy for me and it might not be easy for them either.  It’s a matter of not giving up or giving in.  I’m going to power through, because failure is not an option.  I hope my viewers will do the same.

I love doing videos that are product comparisons, but I’ve been thinking of ways to branch these videos into a series called “why buy” and then the product name.  I believe newer crafters spend money on things unnecessarily, I know I did.  Of course, I bought so many things trying to find “the one” that was perfect and that’s where the series originated from.  In this case though, I think I can help the newer crafter make the decision of whether they should spend the money on a product, or use it for something else.

I’m going to start with a score board and/or score tool.  This is an investment of up to $20, depending on the tool you choose.  I’m pretty sure that I can bring this cost down to under $3 with the right tools.  So that’s my plan for today.  Find the right tools to replace a score board and show people how to score for less.  Wish me luck.

Happy Mother’s Day!

I’m finalizing my reorganization of my craft room today.  It has been a real work in progress and I’m thrilled that it’s as organized as it is today.  Once the room is completely clean and organized, I’ll be ready to work on the gelli prints.  I think I’ve been honest about my uncertainty in using a gelli plate and my obsessive need to have a purpose for the things I produce.  In this case I’m not sure about the  uses of gelli prints and hope once I produce them, an idea will spring to mind.  I know I’m going to use my art journal for them. I am going to begin by using magazine paper and computer paper so if the prints are horrible (which I’m assuming first prints probably are), that I won’t feel bad throwing them away.

I bought contact paper yesterday that looks like marble and thought I would cover a piece of poster board with it for my video background.  I’m not crazy about the bright pink cutting mat that I’ve used or the white paper either.  I’m hoping this will give it a more polished look.  I also bought a couple of very inexpensive photo frames that I’m going to use to produce my own recycled paper.  I’ve had a request for this and I’m looking forward to giving it a try.  If it’s a big fail, I have very little invested in the process, other than my time.