I finally finished the apron design that I was doing with the Arteza fabric markers.  I started the project with rectangles and circles and decided when I was done, that it looked like a five year old made it.  I wanted to do more, and after another night of sleeplessness over a project, decided it needed fabric add-ons.  In the end, I’m happy with the apron and hope you’ll enjoy the video.  The best part about the apron, is that I won’t have to ruin any more of my clothes from glues and inks that drop onto them.  YAY!

Rich and I celebrated our anniversary last night with dinner at Red Lobster.  It’s not like other years where we’ve done a weekend away or a big trip, we just wanted to get home to the dogs.  It’s crazy when our lives are dictated by our dogs, but Honey has such high anxiety that I hate leaving her for long periods of time.  So we ran some errands, had an early dinner and rented two movies, “Antman and the Wasp” and “Hotel Artemis” with Jody Foster.  You can tell that Rich chose the movies as one is an action movie and the other kind of action/bloody.  Both were OK, and I’m glad we didn’t go see either of them in the theater.  It was a nice day and I’m looking forward to the next thirty-six years with Rich

We were at the Stamp and Scrapbook Expo and watched a demonstration at the Sparkle ‘n Sprinkle booth. We were lucky to have our demonstrations done by Beverly Cole, one of the stamp designers for them. Beverly used Nuvo Shimmer Powders and created a lovely floral background. I loved how she gives all of the tips about using the product. She used 140 lb cold press watercolor paper and embossing powder from Sparkle and Sprinkle. She used Blue Bliss and Cherry Bomb powders and here’s the link http://tinyurl.com/ybzdlga2
The embossing powder is called Midnight Madness and here’s the link to ithttp://tinyurl.com/y7ytjt33
The image she used is one she designed and it’s called Asters and here’s the link to it. http://tinyurl.com/ybzgaxv5

When I got home with the background Beverly had created, I decided to turn it into a card. I cut it down to put on a 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ card base.  It was roughly 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″. I rounded the corners of the image and a pink card base that was made from Recollections Heavyweight card stock.
I used pink fun foam and wet glue to adhere it to the back of the image. I added glue to the other side of the foam and laid it on the card base near the top. I wanted to add something to the bottom, and needed a sympathy card, so used a die to cut out “With Sympathy” and glued it near the bottom of the card. It was a quick and easy way to make a card. I used a stamp set called Heartfelt Basics from Papertrey Ink to stamp a sentiment inside the card. I used a peg stamp called a cone flower type flower to stamp on the envelope with a blue ink called Ballet Blue by Stampin’ Up.

Today is our 36th wedding anniversary, or our 22nd, if you count our Vegas one.  (But that’s a story for another day, haha.)  We got married right out of college and two weeks later, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. If not for our ignorance about the disease, we probably would have lost our minds.  We had only heard the term arthritis on television commercials.  Two women playing tennis and one rubs her hand and says her arthritis is bothering her…Her partner says she should consider rubbing Ben-Gay on it and it would be fine.  That’s what we thought we were up against.  And five years later, I had my first knee replaced, and two years after that, the other knee, and on and on…

I chose very early in my disease to ignore it, and I hoped that if I did, others would too.  When I ultimately took disability from banking, customers would see me in stores or restaurants and ask where I’d been.  When I’d say I was taking disability, they didn’t understand.  You probably think that’s odd, but it was the greatest accomplishment of my career.  I personally think my arthritis is really visible, from my hands, to my limp…the fact that others don’t see it, means my decision to ignore it did help others to ignore it too.

What’s that have to do with our anniversary?  It’s how we made it through.  We ignore it as much as we can and live our lives.  It’s the best advice I can give anyone with arthritis.  Choose to ignore it and find joy in the things you can and ignore the rest.  If people ask me how I am, I say I’m fine, no matter if I am or not.

Our great niece whose 17, just asked me the secret to staying married for so long, and I told her to find someone you have fun with, that’s your best friend.  And that even now, if Rich has been away for a couple of days, when I see him, my heart still skips a beat.  He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me and if there’s a reason for things, I’ll take arthritis if I get to have Rich.  It’s more than worth the trade-off.

Today is my mother’s birthday…She passed away in 2013.  As a kid and young adult, my mother and I had a terrific relationship, never any teenage angst…I really loved and respected her.  Then my father passed away when she was sixty, and I think she lost all sense of herself and her worth then.  She had friends, but distanced herself from those who still had husbands, and found even small tasks difficult to accomplish.  I knew she was depressed and missing my dad, so no matter how many hours I worked, we always took her out for dinner every Friday night.   My sister moved to North Carolina, and that compounded my mother’s insecurities, and she became more judgmental with me, telling me if I didn’t call her every day, I didn’t love her.  I was an area manager for PNC Bank, and worked long hours..With that and keeping my home and Rich as a priority, I didn’t have much left to give.  She started having mini-strokes, and that changed her personality even more.  By the time she passed away, I’d already been in counselling, as I saw myself as a bad daughter and couldn’t shake that I did nothing for her that made her happy.  After she died, I went to two more counselors, and none of them could help me with my guilt and certainty that I had failed her.  My mother and father never had a lot, so after my dad died, if Mom needed a new refrigerator or washing machine, we’d make sure she had one.  In the months before she died, she told me that I was always there for her financially but never emotionally.  And here it is, over five years later, and that remark still leaves a mark.

I realize that she had emotional issues from the strokes, and losing my dad devastated her, but it’s my failure that still bothers me.  I’ll say this, I gave as much as I could in the way of emotional support.  I know it wasn’t enough for her, but it was what I could give.  In the final days of her life, people who came to see her would mention how good her family was to her, and she’d respond with “Until a few days ago, I didn’t even know that they loved me.”

So what do you say to that?  And five years later, I’m still wondering.  I loved my mother, and I failed her.  It’s the people who are closest to us who leave the biggest marks.  My mother’s death came as a relief to me, and that also makes me feel guilty.  Three counselors and I can honestly say, sometimes you just need go give yourself a break.  You can’t be everything to everyone, but you can do your best, and that’s all anyone can ask of us.   On my mother’s birthday, I’m remembering the mother who made my favorite dinners for my birthdays and who showed me how to appreciate giving back and adopting strangers for Christmas.  (I’m not sure what to do with the rest.)

I’m starting to think about all of the different social media that is attached to a YouTube channel.  Since my channel isn’t monetized, (meaning I don’t make money from it,) do I really need to have the other social media?  I’d really like advice from those of you that read this blog.  I do the blog because I always thought you had to have a blog if you have a YouTube channel.  I have an Instagram account, but only because (at the beginning) of my YouTube channel, A C Moore contacted me to discuss using my social media for a possible link to their company’s social media, and specifically Instagram.  I had almost no photos on Instagram then, and still dread uploading photos to it, since I postpone until I have a bunch of videos that need uploaded there.

Since this is a hobby for me, exactly what elements of social media are necessary?  I think a lot of my posts here are repetitive, and wonder if there’s a benefit to those of you who read it.  Do you enjoy it and should I continue doing it, or would you rather spend your time doing something else?  I don’t really know what the answers are, I’d just like to get some input.

I saw a foam pumpkin at Joann’s that was covered in felt and was so cute. I decided to give it a try….

I bought my pumpkins last year at Joanns after pumpkin season for 80% off. The pumpkin in this video is a normal size foam pumpkin. To cover it, first I used the scalpel under the stem and removed it and laid it where I wouldn’t lose it. I bought 1/2 yard dark orange felt from Joanns, and cut it to about 2 1/2″ wide by 12″ long strips–I counted the ribs and that’s how many strips I needed. I trimmed the sides of both ends so they were more narrow than the middle of the strip.   Next, I cut slits in the edges of each pumpkin rib with the scalpel…I didn’t cut all the way through, just needed to make a place to press the felt into…I used Fabri Fix Glue from Beacon that I also bought at Joanns, (couldn’t find a link for Joann’s though) link http://tinyurl.com/y7q45es7  and it worked well for holding the felt on the foam. After cutting slits with a disposable scalpel that I was sent from a viewer, link http://tinyurl.com/yag4eb7t, I took the long strip of felt and using a pokey tool, here’s a link to some at Amazon, http://tinyurl.com/ycgzemct   I shoved the side of the felt into the slits I’d created with the scalpel the length of the pumpkin (on both sides of each rib)…When I got to the top and bottom of the pumpkin, I cut off excess felt and made sure it would glue flat on both ends.. Then I continued to the next strip by doing the same process, and cutting off any excess felt that would not fit into the slots I had cut. On both ends, if cutting off the edges of the felt didn’t work, then I cut a “V” into the center of the end of the felt piece so it lays flat. I continued until the pumpkin was completely covered. I used a large circle die to cut the felt for the bottom of the pumpkin so it would make it flat and give a more professional appearance.

. I kept calling the glue Fabric Tack which is not the name of the glue I used. You’ll use almost a full bottle of glue for this project, so you should be prepared to use a lot.
After the pumpkin was covered with felt, I had to figure out how to get any glue off the felt that I had accidentally left..I took some rubbing alcohol on a rag and gently dabbed at the dried glue and it came off..I noticed that if I pressed too hard, I would basically melt the foam underneath, so needed to be extra careful.
To cover the stem, I used another piece of tan felt, and cut it so there was a thinner section on the top…I ended up cutting it so it looked like a bold “I”. I placed the center of the felt on the top of the stem, then folded the ends around the stem until they covered it. I trimmed the felt so there wasn’t any excess, and made sure there was enough felt to cover some of the bottom of the stem. I used hot glue to glue the felt on the bottom and not the foam, as I was pretty sure it would melt the glue. I put a toothpick in the top center of the pumpkin and inserted the stem with hot glue under it and held it in place until I was sure it was tightly adhered. I had some berries on a floral spike that I used alcohol inks to color the berries, then used Collage Pauge matte (sorry Rich spelled this wrong in the video) to seal the berries, and inserted them into the top of the pumpkin.  Before pushing in the floral spike, I used the scalpel to cut a slit in the pumpkin to make it simpler inserting the spike.   I used Adirondack Inks in Sunset Orange and Butterscotch with an alcohol ink paint brush link: http://tinyurl.com/y9s862rb to color the berries. I got alcohol ink on one of the leaves, so cut that leaf off with Tim Holtz scissors, and glued another leaf in its place. The dark berry is all sunset orange ink and the lighter berry is butterscotch.

I’ve been cleaning and organizing my craft room for the last couple of days and I finally feel like I’m getting somewhere.  I love to organize, but no matter how much I have tried in the past, I just haven’t felt like I organized to the point that I could find things easily, and that’s not really organizing….it’s more like moving things around.  So I bought ten photo storage boxes at Michaels on sale, and I started putting wooden stamps in them and writing the types of stamps in each box on the side with a label maker.  (If you didn’t know this already, my handwriting is atrocious.)  Once I had them labelled, I put them on a lower shelf so I can easily reach them.  I thought I liked the idea of being able to see all of my wood stamps, but now when I’m in the craft room, my nose runs, and I think it’s from the dust that’s accumulated around and behind them.  It was definitely time for a change.  I need to do something similar with my pens..I have all kinds of markers in different boxes and all do basically the same thing.  I think if I can find the ones I really like, then I should be able to donate or gift the rest.  I’m also creating a box of things to get rid of, and you know I have a lot of that.

So honestly, this is the first time that I’ve felt good about my organization, and feel like I can make this work in the long run.  Every other system I’ve had, hasn’t felt like that…more like a temporary fix to a really big problem.  Wish me luck, as I’m hoping tomorrow I can finish the job unless I run out of boxes…then I’ll be making another trip and delaying my organization until another day….darn it…

I’ve been contemplating cleaning my craft room, but every time I get there, I am distracted by something that I want to try.  I’m sure it’s happened to all of you.  You think you’re going to get organized, and you find a stamp set you’ve been meaning to make a card with, and two hours later, the card is done and the mess is bigger.

So I’m going to go back in there after dinner and do something to make my mess look smaller.  I did put some stamp sets away that I’d bought, but then more came in the mail.  It’s a never ending cycle..I’m not kidding…..

I’ve been working on a card that’s a lighted box…I decided it was done twice before, and am going back to add more to it tonight.  I can’t stop myself.  I think it’s done, but it’s missing something, and at the moment I don’t know what that is…so I’ll try to finish it so we can get the video up before winter’s done…I realize it’s the beginning of fall, but I’m giving myself some time to get it the way I envision it…And no, I don’t really have that vision yet….darn it….I may never finish it…And I want to give it to a friend whose been helping me with an upcoming video.  I decided to buy some of the monthly card kits from a variety of companies to see which ones are worth the money and which ones aren’t…I thought she would really appreciate this card, as I’ve never seen anything like it.

I’ve been working on several pumpkin/card projects and finished one today.  I’m so proud of how my pumpkin turned out.  I didn’t have any videos to go by, just decided how to make it and did….Here’s what it looks like…The video is one of at least eight that Rich has to put up…He’s doing a great job of staying on top of things, and I’m happy that he is.  This pumpkin is a normal sized pumpkin, not the little ones like from the Dollar Tree.  I know you can’t tell the size from the photo, so I wanted to make sure you knew how big it is.  

While at the Stamp and Scrapbook Expo in Akron, Ohio, I stopped at the Sparkle N’ Sprinkle booth and watched several demonstrations.    Here’s a link to their site.  https://sparklensprinkle.net   If you are a new customer, they will give you five free glitters.  Here’s the link to take you there.  https://sparklensprinkle.net/collections/5-free-glitters-new-customers

This demonstration is done with Nuvo Mousses in four colors, then going back over the entire image with the last color .Lavender Lilac (catalog number 801N, Aquamarine Catalog number 807N, Cornflower Blue catalog number 806N, and Citrus Green catalog number 823N

Beverly Cole, who did the demonstration, used a Tim Holtz Media Mat (catalog #1914e) as well as the Nuvo Dual Tipped Blender Brushes (Catalog #979n)…both available through Sparkle N’ Sprinkle. https://sparklensprinkle.net

I believe the embossing folder that was used in the demonstration was from Darice and is called Dainty Wildflowers. I couldn’t find this embossing folder in the Sparkle n’ Sprinkle site, but did find it online at Walmart.com.