I found this Jot Stitchbook at Pat Catan’s, that’s going out of business….I also found them on ebay…here’s a link to a seller whose is offering five of them. https://tinyurl.com/yywzd575

I used the design that came with the stitchbook, a zig zag pattern. I followed the directions and used a white colored pencil (Prismacolor) to draw the design on the cover so all I’d need to do is stitch it.

To stitch it, I used the plastic needle that came with the kit, and my own embroidery floss. I used two different colors of floss and used the whole floss (not dividing out two or three strands) and used the following color numbers for the first zig zag. 1114A and 906. You start from the back and stitch following the white lines. I knotted the very end of the double strand and used a really long strand and it was almost enough for the front.
I used two colors of blues for the second and fourth sets of zig zags.

After finishing the embroidery, I decided it would be fun to make my initials out of ribbon, so I found a matching ribbon and threaded it through the needle eye and started near the left side and a little above the center of the book, and stitched my initials. The middle initial should be your last name and a little larger than the other initials, but unfortunately, I forgot to make it larger..

I think you could make this book front by using a die that makes cross stitch holes or you can find these in kids crafts. I thought it would be fun to give this a try.

When I was finished, I cut paper to cover the back of the stitches and it was 5″ by 8″.. I rounded the corners with my Kadomaru Pro corner rounder that you can find on Amazon. I attached the paper to the back of the stitched page with tear tape.

I went to a rummage sale where they had lots of empty unused cd cases, so I bought around 25 of them.  Sadly, since you never know when and if you’ll find the things you need, I bought 100 of them on ebay about a month ago.  I know it was dumb, since I paid $25 for them, but I really needed them for my stamp sets, so I bought them.  You’re probably thinking I’ll never use that many stamp cases, but every time I tell myself I won’t be buying more stamps, I do….I bought 100 cd cases a couple of years ago, plus have gotten lots of free ones from friends and family, and used all of those, so clearly, I have no control.  I seriously wish I did.  The other issue I have, is that I don’t use the stamp sets I have, and just keep buying more.  I’m a crazy crafty hoarder, and I think we can all agree on that.

I finally have started getting some energy back, and that’s great, because I was really starting to worry.  I’ve made three or four videos and hopefully, will make more tonight when Rich is at basketball.  Unfortunately, Honey doesn’t like it when I go in the craft room, so I’ll have to work around that.  Did I tell you about her getting her foot caught on my embossing gun cord and pulling a bunch of things off my desk?  I’m not sure if she’ll ever feel safe enough to go there again….I really wish it hadn’t happened, but unfortunately, it did.

Yesterday, my girlfriend and I went to a craft show to help benefit the woman whose responsible for animal cruelty prevention in our county.  It’s a volunteer position (I think), and we didn’t have one when we got Honey from a puppy mill.  I tried turning them in to our humane society, AKC and our veterinarian, but at that time, no one would help.  Our vet did take down the breeder’s information and kept it on file, in case she came across other puppies from them with the same or similar health issues as Honey.

Back to the craft show….So I asked to speak with the woman who was taken on this huge task, and met her.  She seems really committed to her cause, and I asked her what she was doing about puppy mills.  She explained that there are a couple of types of puppy mills and that they have to handle them in different ways.  So then I asked if she was aware of a puppy mill in the town we got Honey…and she said, “Is it on …….Road? ”  I said yes, and she smiled and said that they are on her radar.  It was like the weight of the world dropped off my shoulders, as I have been fretting about this for over three years, thinking they would continue to keep breeding dogs to death and not caring about the puppies that they were producing…And not having anyone to stop them.  At last, someone is taking note.

It was the best craft show I’ve ever been to, and I didn’t buy anything and only donated money to the cause.  It’s a great cause.

Below you’ll find the instructions, products used and links to the 10% discount.

Arteza Link:                                                                                                                                      USA site: http://bit.ly/2PJ1Jt7
Europe site: http://bit.ly/2vCSZv6

6.5.5×8.5″ Watercolor Pads, 30 Sheets – Pack of three link: http://bit.ly/2PJ1b6j
Discount Code: CraftingForAlmostEveryone2 valid until the 10th of June
I cut the watercolor paper from the Arteza pad to 4 3/4″ x 6 3/4″..
I used Prima Floral stamps item 980313 at Scrapbook.com link:
https://tinyurl.com/y2qd9xwv
with Versafine Onyx Black Ink in my MISTI and used my Baren from DickBlick.com link: https://tinyurl.com/y5b645rn to make sure I got a good inked impression of my stamps. I used Sparkle n’ Sprinkle glitter embossing powder in Midnight Madness link: https://tinyurl.com/y7ytjt33
and heat set it. It’s difficult to determine if glittered embossing powder is heat set, as it doesn’t change from a powder to shiny look because of the glitter. I just try to make sure I’ve heated it enough so it’s set, but run my hand over it after it’s cooled down to make sure the powder doesn’t come off. If it comes off, it isn’t heat set, so heat it again.
I used Kuretake Gansai Tambi set of 36 watercolors link: https://tinyurl.com/y47qvewv
and first wet the whole background, then used a light blue to color my background. Then I used a variety of reds and oranges so the poppies have some dimension and then finally added red and yellow to the centers of the flowers.
I used a red card base that was cut to 5 x 7″ and put a white piece of cardstock inside the card with a sentiment for a wedding that I got from a stamp show and now don’t know what company I bought it from. Sorry…
Beside the sentiment, I stamped Peg Stamps, http://www.pegstamps.com from Rubber Stamp Tapestry from the Poppy Wreath and Poppies for Remembrance sets.
Links: https://pegstamps.com/poppy-wreath.html
and https://pegstamps.com/poppies-for-remembrance.html
I stamped them with real red ink from Stampin’ Up and then used a Black Sharpie to color the centers and a green marker to draw stems, then used a leaf stamp from the same stamp sets with Olive Green ink from Stampin’ Up.
I used a Hooray die and cut out two Hoorays out of the watercolor pad scraps from trimming down the paper for the card front. I used Versamark ink on the Hooray with more of the Midnight Madness embossing powder after gluing them together, and heat set it…I put it in the Onyx black ink and added more of the Midnight Madness powder and heat set it again.
I glued the card front to the red card base with foam tape I bought on Aliexpress, and then glued the Hooray to it with Tombow Mono Aqua glue and added some red enamel dots to the front of the card…
I stamped the back of the card with “I made this for you.”

The nice people at Arteza sent me the watercolor pads at no cost, but I do not make any money from any sales that result from my use of their products.  I’m really fortunate that Arteza allows me to try their products at no cost and am thrilled that they offer discounts to my viewers.

I’ve finally gotten back in the craft room and have made a couple of video.  I was asked to do the measurement video and I really struggled with an easy way to explain things, and did the best I could.  I’m obviously not a teacher, and know that measurements and working with fractions comes easier to some people than to others.  I’ve always just looked at a ruler and known what the dashes meant, but many of us either struggled with fractions in school or are used to the metric system, and in either case, it makes using these tools difficult.

I also bought a small journal that is made (I think) for kids to use to create a pattern on the front cover with embroidery floss and a plastic needle.  I had a lot of fun making my pattern, using first one of the patterns that came in the kit, and then adding my initials to it with a ribbon instead of with floss.  I think it came out the way I envisioned it, but Rich looked at it like it was a big fail.  I’ll wait to see what any of you think about it when it goes live.  I’ll try to find a link for the journals online, as I found mine in the dollar rack of our Pat Catan’s, a craft store that’s been bought by Michaels, so is going out of business.

 

I wanted to do a video where I went into detail on determining measurements for crafting. I was asked to do this video and hope it’s helpful for those who are metric users or are new to determining measurements.

When using any measuring tool, count the number of dashes between the inch mark (don’t count the first large line) and the next inch mark. It should have either eight or sixteen notches. Often times, the quarter inch, half inch and three-quarter inch will have a longer dash than the marks in between for ease of use.

You should first count the dashes, and if there are eight between one and two inches, then the second dash is 2/8th of an inch (or 1/4 of an inch), the fourth dash is 4/8th (or 1/2 of an inch), and the sixth dash is 6/8th (or 3/4 of an inch.)

When using a tool with sixteen dashes between one and two inches, you’ll count them and the easy numbers to remember are
4 is 1/4
8 is 1/2
12 is 3/4

If you need to find 5/8 on the tool that is in 16th, then you multiply the 5 x 2 to get 10 and then 8 x 2 is 16 so you are going to count to the 10th dash (not counting the first dash that has the inch number written on it). You’ll also note that often your tool will have longer dashes for 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 and with a tool in 16th, will have a small dash for 1/16th (or the first line after the inch mark) and then a little longer dash for 2/16 or 1/8….Always remember that if you can divide the top number into the bottom number, you can reduce it to the smaller number….For instance, if you have 8/16th, you can divide 8 into 16 and that is 1/2.

I hope this helps those of you who struggle with measurements or are new to them.

Martha Stewart Score Board-This tool is no longer available, but the most similar tool I’ve found to it is the Stampin’ Up Score Board.

Cricut Paper Trimmer Link: https://tinyurl.com/ycev5wbq

We had a warm day today, the nicest day so far this year…Around 70 degrees…You have to love that.

I decided I needed to get rid of a lot of clothes I don’t wear, so went through my drawers and am donating a lot…I’m serious about it this time.  If the material feels uncomfortable to the touch, or wrinkles too easily, it’s going.  I have this thing about sticking my hand in my drawer…If I touch a t-shirt and it’s thick or wrinkled, I won’t wear it…so might as well pass it off to someone who might like it.

I’m back in the craft room and hoping to come up with a few great videos, or a couple of decent ones.  I want to play with the big box of glitter that was sent to me by Arteza.  I’m really lucky that companies are allowing me to try their products for free and that helps me try more techniques.  I’m going to try making simple earrings on an upcoming video…I’ll let you know when I get up the nerve to give it a try.  In the meantime, I still have more craft monthly kits that I need to do videos on, so I can finally do the wrap up video comparing the values and policies of each company.  I can’t wait to get that done.

I went into the craft room last night and made a pretty fun engagement card for my nephew and his new fiance.  I have new Prima stamps, one is a huge poppy and it comes with two smaller ones.  I’m not sure what it is, but I’m really into poppies right now, so I’m sure this is only one of many cards with poppies I’ll be making in the near future.  I used new watercolor paper from Arteza, and I had so much fun using it.  The people of Arteza are giving my viewers a discount and I love it when that happens, but almost dread it, because it seems like every time I have a discount to offer viewers, the codes expire before the video goes live.  I think we’ve got an answer to it, and that’s to let them know when the video is ready and then they can give me the codes, rather than giving me codes and not telling me when they expire…without a video being made yet.

While in the craft room, Rich was not home and Honey was nervous..She came into the craft room and got caught in the cord to my embossing gun and pulled a bunch of things off of my desk and scared herself really badly.  If she’s not anxious enough, now she’s afraid of the craft room…

Today, Rich and I went out to lunch with one of our college friends and then to see the new Avengers movie.  While we were at lunch, we were talking about the movie and that we’d heard a couple of the main characters die….And of course, I said the character I was afraid would die, and that if that happened, it would ruin the series for me…Naturally, that’s one of the characters that’s gone….DARN IT!  I told Rich that I have no reason to see any of the upcoming Avengers movies, as I only went to see them for this character.  I’m trying really hard not to ruin it for those of you that are still planning to see the movie…I know I wouldn’t want to know…

After the movie, we made a quick trip to the Dollar Tree and I bought some of their small poster board that I’ve heard other YouTubers use with alcohol inks…So I thought we’d give it a try.  I might make the cover for a small album with alcohol inks for the background…or not (if it turns out badly.)  I have a lot of ideas, just need to get into the craft room and stay there until I’ve made some videos.

I’ve been busy helping Rich clean the yard of sticks and corn cobs.  After a winter of feeding deer, we have a lot of corn cobs to get rid of.  A lot of people have asked us why we don’t feed deer corn already off the cob, since clean up would be a breeze.  Deer have a tendency to Hoover corn off the cob, and we never can seem to keep ahead of the game.  I think it’s like humans at Thanksgiving…we eat so much so fast, we don’t realize we are full until it’s too late.  Deer eating corn in a pile can eat it so fast, they have no idea they are full, and that becomes a problem, as some deer don’t get to eat anything.  When it’s on the cob, they have to eat slower, allowing more deer to get fed.  It’s not a scientific method, but it’s what we go by.  We’d rather have a lot of deer have something in their stomachs, than a few deer really full.

After doing yard work, I realize how out of shape I truly am.  The backs of my thighs have been hurting for three days and that’s nothing to brag about.  The weather has been changing so much that my arthritis has compounded the pain, so I have been exhausted and only went to garage sales yesterday, (and didn’t buy anything), cancelled going today, and slept until noon.  Yep, that’s me, sleeping until noon.  I feel embarrassed by it, but what can I say, that’s how I roll.  Oh, and the temperature this morning was 56 degrees and now at almost 5PM, it’s dropped to the low 40’s.  And tomorrow it might snow…welcome to lat April in N/W Pennsylvania.

Rich and I are going to Akron, Ohio, tomorrow for Adventures in Stamping, a stamp show that I love attending.  I try not to buy much at the show, but love watching the demonstrations and recording them for future videos.  I learn so many interesting tips, and hope I’ll be learning new ones tomorrow.  Rich, on the other hand, loves sitting near the food concession stand, contemplating what treat he’ll be trying next and listening to the ladies discussing the great bargains they’ve found.  He holds the bags of goodies I buy as well, leaving my hands free to video.  He’s quite the guy…

I love listening to the women shoppers too, and have offered a lot of money saving tips to them.  These women are spending lots of money (often on things they don’t need, but definitely want.)  I try to keep my mouth shut, but sometimes I can’t stop myself from telling them about alternatives they could be using and saving themselves a lot of money along the way.  I get a lot of odd looks, but just can’t help myself.  The last time we went to a stamp show, a woman stopped me to find out if I have a YouTube channel, and that’s the first time I’ve ever been recognized…It made my day….

 

Rich and I spent Easter with friends and had a quiet day.  I hope all of you had a nice day as well, and maybe you didn’t eat as much as I did.  I kind of lost my mind and ate a lot more than I normally do and felt so full late afternoon and evening, and that feeling never really went away (darn it.)

Today I have plans to get into the craft room and make a video or two.  I’ve been wanting to make a video comparing a bunch of silver embossing powders to see if there is a difference in quality, reflection, etc.  I also need to do a video showing the different types of embossing powder and what you can create with them.

This upcoming weekend is a stamp show in Akron, Ohio, and I’m hoping Rich and I feel like going.  He’s been having issues with his lower back and hip, so walking around on cement floors doesn’t help him with his pain level.  I wish they made shoes that leave you feeling like you’re walking on marshmallows instead of cement.  Wouldn’t that be so cool?  I know they make inserts that are supposed to make you feel that way, but trust me when I tell you that’s a lie.  I feel like I’m walking on shoes with inserts….there’s no marshmallows involved.

I’d like to make more videos, but I’m lacking ambition, and hope that feeling goes away soon..You’ll be the first to know when it does.

I bought the clip board and showed it in my last haul. It has a waffly plastic front that I didn’t like, so decided to cover it with cardboard and then an extra-large gift bag from the Dollar Tree.

Clip Board link: https://tinyurl.com/y6p6voar
XLarge Shopping bag link: https://tinyurl.com/yy48uubt

I wanted to make sure you couldn’t feel the waffly outside of the clipboard, so took the back cardboard from 12 x 12″ designer paper and laid it over the front of the clipboard folder, then opened the folder and using a pencil traced the opening for the clip. I also used a pencil to draw the outside of the clipboard and cut the cardboard so it would fit the front of the folder.  The cardboard was not as tall as the folder, so I relied on the gift bag to cover the folder all the way to the top.  I did the same for the back, and used my corner rounder to round the bottom right corner that’s already rounded on the plastic.. The corner rounder is a Kadomaru Pro and here’s a link to it on Amazon. https://tinyurl.com/y2zez32o
I used red line tape to adhere the cardboard to the outside of the folder. link: https://tinyurl.com/y3jyydby  That didn’t work as well as I had hoped, so added wet glue and eventually, some hot glue on the outer edges.

I wanted to make a pocket for inside the folder and used a cutting mat to mark the spots for an angled pocket.

The Cutting Mats are from Ecopecoart.com and are environmentally friendly, recyclable. They are PVC and BPA free. Non-toxic. Odorless. 5-layered, self-healing design for less waste and safe for children.

Here is the link to them on Amazon:
https://many.link/ecopeco.art.usa

To receive your 15% discount on any size cutting mat, please leave me a comment below asking for your discount, and I’ll be sure to give it to you.

As always, I don’t receive any money for the sales of the cutting mats for for promoting them…I was given the mats and really think they are great quality and terrific for the environment.

I used the 45 degree marks on the cutting mats to make marks on cardboard that would ultimately make the pocket for the inside..After making a mark on either side of the cardboard, one near the bottom and following the 45 degree line, made a mark on the right side of the cardboard, and then put it in my paper trimmer lining the marks up so that it would have a diagonal top edge and cut the cardboard. Next, I put the cardboard in my score board and scored at 3/8″ on two sides and the bottom but not on the diagonal side. I used a bone folder to fold the scored areas under. I put a piece of red line tape on three folded edges to adhere it to the inside of the folder. I put red line tape on the front of the pocket and laid the excess gift bag on the front of the pocket and adhered it, then cut off the excess gift bag.

I used Tombow Mono Aqua wet glue to adhere the gift bag to the cardboard.

I used a scalloped edge paper punch to cut the edge of the paper that wrapped around the binding of the folder, and the punch I used was from Stampin’ Up.  I used hot glue to adhere this to the folder and added hot glue to the paper underneath, so it would stay adhered to the plastic folder.