I was a crazy crafting fool today and really had some fun.  I had always wanted to experiment with alcohol inks and boy, did I.  What a mess and I loved every minute of it.  Alcohol inks are not for the faint of heart.  Messy isn’t even close to how great these inks are. Now that I have found them, I may never let them go.  I was going to do one ornament that turned into two and in the end, I have a video of three ornaments with alcohol ink.  There is no limit to what you can achieve with them.  I felt like I really created something worth owning and for me, that’s a big statement.  I hope I can inspire others to try them, if they can get past the mess.  Think, Sharpie explosion on your hands.  It was definitely worth the mess.

I have a new sense of purpose today.  Rich and I adopt a family for Christmas every year because we really don’t have anyone else to buy gifts for and we like to do it.  We never know the family, just the gifts they want.  This year is different because the agency we go through thought it would be best if I connected directly with the mother.  She has a two year old and is giving birth again in February.  She works, takes the bus, and would be thrilled with Lemon Ice for a treat.  I’m writing this because I forget how lucky I am and how I never have to think about being warm or buying clothes or food.  When I offered her whatever she wanted, she wanted Lemon Ice.   I have replaced my thoughts about surgery with ideas on how I can help this family.  I have a renewed sense of urgency because I have to be ready for her Christmas before my surgery and I will not fail her.  When I spoke with her today, she wondered if I could give her the used rugs I promised because her floors are tile.  They are newly in subsidized housing that doesn’t allow for much heat and they are cold.

They will not be cold tomorrow, we’ll make sure of that, but tonight, I worry.  Life is not always fair, I know, but it breaks my heart to know so many people have so little.  She is a good mother and a good person and this year Santa will find her and give her the one gift that she may be missing, hope.  Isn’t that all we can ask for?

 

Today the other shoe fell.  I thought my hip was ok after it was relocated, but apparently not.  The orthopedic office called and want to schedule surgery on it.  At this point I don’t really know the details, but will update the blog as I am informed.  I’m disappointed because I was really enjoying both the You Tube channel and the blog but will be on both as much as possible until I can’t be.  Right now I’m not allowed to walk or bend more than 90 degrees from the waist, so I am not able to do any crafting and I have so many really great ideas to share.  In the immortal words from the “Terminator,” I’ll be back,

Yesterday I discovered bending over the clothes drier can and will, dislocate your artificial hip.  Since I’ve had this hip since 1992,  I’ve never really thought about my hip coming out of the socket on it’s own.  If I had a choice, I wouldn’t have chosen to make that error in judgment, but I did.  So two hours on the floor with the paramedics trying to find a way to get me out of the small enclosure I was in, we made it to the hospital.  I won’t bore you with the grueling details, but let’s say, it wasn’t particularly fun.

The only reason I’m putting this out, is to let you know that once I’m on my feet again, I’ll be creating a lot of really great videos.  So stay tuned.

I think I am a pretty organized person.  I’ll admit that occasionally I put things in odd places, but sometimes I think I might be a little insane.  Take for instance the shopping list I made and then immediately lost.  Rich found it for me and then within ten minutes, it was lost forever.  How do things like that happen?  I had it in my hand one minute and the next, gone.  Where do things like that end up and why do they never materialize?  It’s a strange phenomenon to me but it happens more increasingly with women of a certain age group, let’s say.  As if we haven’t been through enough for the last 35-45 years, now we lose our minds?  There are words that just disappear the moment I’m going to say them.  Where do they go and how have I known these words all my life, only to forget them now?

And lastly, the case of the missing pompoms.  I made a video that came from a combination of things, one being a project from Michael’s.  They had sparkly pompoms on their project, (I know, I can’t believe I even said the words), so I thought I’d put them on mine as well.  I bought them, saw them go into the bag, never to be seen again.  Are they with the list from the same day?  Will either ever be seen again?  One last note about them–today I went to a different craft store to replace said pompoms and had no idea where to find them.  I asked a worker where I could find them and with a straight face, the employee said, “In the pompom aisle.”   “Are you kidding me,” I thought, there couldn’t be a whole aisle of them.  Of course there was, and it had a sign above it saying, (you’ll never guess), pompoms.  I guess I never realized the sales appeal of said pompoms. Then again, maybe the big demand for them is because of women like me, who lose the first bag,  only to have to replace it later. Or maybe it’s a pompom conspiracy, when you only think you bought them or saw them go into the bag.  And that list, it’s still in the void, never to be seen again.

I finished a project today that involved using four tubes of glitter.  I think my pants and the floor hold at least two of those tubes.  It’s a really cute Santa hat and I think it will be a big hit because it’s pretty simple and has big appeal.  I’m not saying that because I made it, but because I saw that Michaels had a Mason jar turned into something similar and I thought it was really cute.  It’s my own slant on it.  But I made a huge MacGyver like find today.  I think many crafters have heard that Swiffer Dust mop sheets make great glitter removers, but I found a new and cheaper way to wipe off glitter and it really works.  Dry baby wipes work like a dream!  I couldn’t believe how much glitter they picked up off of really difficult surfaces like the sticky part of an inexpensive silicone mat.  I always end up with part of a baby wipe sticking out of my holder so naturally I have some dry pieces.  I’m so excited that it worked because it’s one less thing I have to keep buying when I use my stash.  Yay!  So a very big day for me.  I feel like I had a moment of Einstein. (Maybe I’ve taken it too far.)  MacGyver it is.