We decided to do some last minute shopping today and I went to the only Tuesday Morning within a two hour drive of me.  I was really excited to see what kind of craft supplies they offered and didn’t really find much, but did find a huge pad of blank paper that will work really great for a background for my videos.  It isn’t a really white color, which actually works better on video, so I was glad to find it.  Not so happy to try to negotiate with it to try and get it to the car (where Rich was sleeping), but in the end, I outwitted the huge pad and got it into the car.  Score 1 for me!

I was in search of dog toys and treats for Christmas.  Since we don’t have kids, our dogs are just a tiny bit spoiled, or maybe more than a tiny bit.  Tuesday Morning did have some really unique toys and Rich and I had a great time playing with them.  I haven’t decided if we bought the toys for the dogs or for us since they were so much fun.

I found another Dollar Tree and it’s a really large store.  If you watch Lindsay’s videos (and let’s face it, who doesn’t,) she talks about how she always finds photo paper and the big packs of mailing labels at her Dollar Tree. I found the photo paper and thought, “this is it, I’m finally going to find the labels she says are standard at her Dollar Tree.”  No such luck.  It’s like looking for the holy grail, impossible to find unless you’re Indiana Jones (or Lindsay.)

Last but not least, I went to a larger department store to buy a pair of jeans that are so soft and stretchy, you have to love them (but of course the only store where I live doesn’t have my size in stock).  I went to the women’s department to pay for my purchases and there was a line, so I walked to their shoe department where the counter was used as a dump, so ventured to their cosmetics department where I heard the employee say something like “I’m overwhelmed, there’s just so much to learn.”  I took this as a bad sign and went back to the ladies department where the line had not changed and the same woman was still paying for her purchases.  So I waited, and waited.  By this point, one of the ladies in front of me said “there’s got to be another check out, but I came here from the men’s department as the employee there didn’t know how to handle gift receipts.”  In my mind that eliminated the last cash register in the store.  I waited a total of 52 minutes (yes, the whole line was timing it.)    When I finally got to the cash register, another employee came over and our clerk asked her why none of the other registers were open.  She said “they are all open and there’s not a soul at any of them.”  She wondered why we were all in this lady’s line, so the clerk and I told her.  She said to me (which I find pretty funny), why didn’t the man call for a manager if he didn’t know how to process gift receipts?  How would I know?  She also said if we had walked around the store, we would have found available clerks.  Really, isn’t that what we did?  If I hadn’t been standing/sitting on a display for so long, I would have given up and left, but after the first fifteen minutes, I feel committed, and going to the car empty handed is more than frustrating.  I’m not sure why our clerk didn’t call for a manager to find other cash registers open, and I don’t know why it took so long to handle five customer transactions, but it did.  I can tell you this much.  I’m not shopping there again any time soon, but I do love those jeans.

I made two videos tonight.  One was to show the great gifts I got from my friend Elishia for my birthday and also let viewers see some of the great handmade cards friends and family have made for me.

The other video was one that I’ve promised I would make for a while and finally accomplished.  I did a haul from Dollar Tree and showed a weekly planner for 2017 and said I would be making a planner/command center for a friend for next year.  I have been so far behind on my videos, trying to get all of the Christmas ones done, that I have been postponing this video.  Tonight, I finally finished it.  I’m actually pretty happy with the results and even gave people some options.  I made a section for post it notes and paper clips and another for a zipper pouch that will hold washi tape and a pen and decided maybe I also needed to include a matching pad of paper.  So I took a thick pad and cut it in half and put the same paper on it to act as a cover.  The agenda got so thick, I had to add a belly band, but that only adds to its charm.  I think this is a great last minute Christmas gift project as well as something people can make for themselves while on Christmas break, so their calendar is ready to start in the new year.  I do feel badly that it’s taken me so long to put the video up, but that’s how things sometimes go for me.  Oh, well, at least I have the video done and more importantly, got all of the Christmas family gifts wrapped and delivered today.  It was a very good day and I accomplished a lot.

I was asked by an Etsy seller named Ma’at Silk, if I would be willing to use her digital images in a video.  Here’s what I came up with to use her images on.

I got a serious amount of wrapping done today and feel like I almost have a grip on everything that needs to be done for the rest of the week.  I also did a couple of videos I’ve been meaning to get uploaded, now we just need Rich to edit them.  I did some shopping as well (for myself mostly), but it was nice to get out and accomplish some small tasks, like taking things back that I’ve had in my car for a few weeks.  I’m not sure about all of you, but I’m one of those people who finds things I should have returned months after buying them.  I kick myself when that happens, but I blame it on my medicines.  They unfortunately make me very forgetful, so forgetful in fact, that I can watch an entire movie and not remember seeing it.  It’s frustrating and a little bit embarrassing.  I’ll tell Rich that I saw a promotion for a movie and think we should watch it and he’ll say, “we just watched it last weekend.”  It’s crazy how much I forget.  It’s just one of those things, though.  I can’t live without the medicines, so I have to accept the side affects that go with it.  I do think sometimes people think I use it as an excuse when I forget something important, like a birthday or a lunch date, but I swear I don’t.

I’ve got more wrapping to do tonight, so I need to get serious about it and make sure it’s finished before tomorrow as I have to deliver everything then.   I really hope the family are pleased with our gifts and that someday, when they are in a better financial position, they’ll remember that someone was there for them when they needed help, and they will pay it forward to someone else in need.  It’s a great thought and gives me a lot of hope and faith in others..

I had been contacted a while ago by a woman who sells her digital art on Etsy.  She wanted someone to do a video using her art.  I’ve put off using the art she emailed me, as I just couldn’t think of how to use it or what would make the most sense.  I finally got around to making the video tonight and it’s been a long time in coming.  I feel really guilty that I took so long to fulfill on a commitment I made, but sometimes I just lose track of time.  That, and I really struggled with how I could use the art.

I made a haul video as well and it was a remake, as I made the video then accidentally deleted it.  I wonder how many times I’ve done that and if other YouTubers also have that happen  to them from time to time.  I’m beginning to think I’m the only one that does such foolish things.  I wish there was an automated system that backs up all of my memory cards and that way I wouldn’t keep accidentally deleting things or losing the memory cards (which has happened to me on more than one occasion.)

I got a really nice present in the mail for my birthday/Christmas from my friend Elishia.  It had so many crafty things inside, plus some candy.  It was a great surprise and I was thrilled to get it.  I should share it in my next video.

I’ve been trying to make sure I cover all of the videos that I had on my list to put up by the end of the Christmas season and it hasn’t left me any time to really clean the crafty mess that’s been accumulating.  My craft room looks the worst that it’s ever been and I’m mortified that I’ve made it like this.  I definitely am starting to look like a hoarder.  It’s embarrassing and I really hope that I eventually take the time to clean it, or I may be buried alive.  I think the odds are I’ll be buried by it before I get around to cleaning it.

For my Christmas cards/postcards, I used Amy Tangerine’s postcard stamp and Sunny Studios Holiday Style stamp sets.

I used Stampin’ Up inks Old Olive, Pear Pizazz and a couple of Crayola markers in different greens on the limb and then used a a brown marker to highlight the branch on the tree limb.  I used a Hero Arts Soft Granite ink on the first layer of the bell.  The second layer of the bell I used a Memento Dew Drop called  London Fog and the last layer I used Versafine Onyx Black Ink.  On the sentiment from Penny Black called the Wonder, I used Cherry Cobbler ink from Stampin’ Up.
On the postcards, that were 5 1/2′ x 4 1/4″ high, I used silver gel ink to connect my bell to the branch.  On the cards, I cut my postcard down to 5 1/4″ x 4″ and used silver thread and used a pokey tool and punched a hole by the branch and on the top of the bell and using a needle, ran the thread through both holes and then tied a bow at the bell.  I then used tape runner to connect the top piece to a red layer that was 5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″.  I used green glitter washi on the envelopes for the cards.
I really liked how my cards came out and hope you do as well.

It’s crazy how I can get so far behind in the things I need to accomplish before the holidays.  I just finished writing my Christmas cards.  I had made the video for them but so many other videos needed to go up before that one, it’s just a mess.  I’m trying not to panic, but I have to wrap all of the gifts for the Christmas family and there are a lot of them.  I try to make it easy on myself by buying laundry baskets for each member and putting cleaning supplies and things that don’t really need to be wrapped in the baskets.  This year, our family needed so many basic necessities that I bought Rubbermaid storage tubs for each of them and plan on putting things inside those that I won’t need to wrap as well.  I’m really disorganized.  I haven’t even ordered the gift for my closest friend yet.  Now that’s not good.  I’m custom making a pillow with a photo on it of her dog and I’m not sure how long it takes to make it, but I’m sure it won’t be here for the holidays.  I’ve been trying to order it for three weeks, but every time I try to upload a photo, Snapfish tells me the resolution on the photo I’m using is too low.  Geez, I have no idea how to fix that.  So Rich has been trying to find another photo and I’m trying to come up with alternative ideas for her gift.  I have another friend that I want to make a coaster set out of Scrabble letters as she loves Words with Friends.  I have no idea why I can’t seem to get them made, but it’s just one more thing I haven’t accomplished.  I think taking a vacation in the middle of December really puts my Christmas organization into the crapper.  I am trying not to panic, but there’s a chance I might go nuts before Sunday.  You never know.  I can’t imagine how people get things done when they have to buy and wrap gifts for a lot of people.  I have a friend that has 36 family members (her children, their spouses and grandchildren) that she buys for.  I can’t even begin to imagine how she gets that done.  And she’s always finished and wrapped long before I’ve even thought about wrapping.  I need to take lessons from her on time management, or better yet, just give her my list and let her run with it..

I like making holiday collars for the dogs and they needed new ones this year as we didn’t have Honey last Christmas.  I thought it would be fun to make felt cover collars with felt flowers on them.  Here’s how I made them:

Buy an inexpensive collar (I bought mine at Family Dollar for $3 or under.)  Fit it to your dog so you know you can pull it over their head to take it off.  Once you’ve done that, unclip the collar and set it aside.  Cut your felt so that it is long enough to go from one end of the vinyl to the other end of the vinyl, you’ll only exclude the clip closure in your length.
Measure the width of the collar and make sure your felt is over three times as wide as the collar.  If your collar is 1″ wide, use at least a 3″ wide piece of felt.  I used wool felt because I liked the colors better and you need your felt to be longer (normally) than the small craft pieces of felt.  Once your felt is cut to the right size, you can glue it onto the collar.  I used clothespins to hold it in place when I hot glued it together.  It’s much easier to have enough felt to completely wrap it around the collar.  (You can do the same to a headband for a child.

To make your flowers, start with a 3″ square piece of craft felt in colors you like.  Trim the corners so it is rounded.  Then cut into the felt and make a snake shape.  Once you’re almost to the center, cut a circle.  Snip off the point you started cutting and start twisting your felt in a circle shape.  Hold it as tightly as possible and keep your bottom flat and keep turning your felt until you get to the center and put a huge dollop of glue to cover the entire bottom and then lay the circle on the glue and put it flat on your craft mat and hold it there to set the glue.  I also put small dots of glue on the flower as I turned it, so I was sure the glue would hold.

If you want a smaller flower, start with a 2 1/2″ square or even a 2″ square and follow the same directions.  These would work better to attach to a child’s barrette or headband.

I made leaves by cutting a leaf shape in the green felt and made a double leaf by folding the felt in half and cutting from the fold and making a leaf shape but not cutting the entire end that’s folded so the leaves are connected.

I used a long piece of gold and red trim and hot glued it onto the center of my collar.  I hope you enjoy this craft.

Finally, the Christmas mini album video is live.  I was beginning to think we wouldn’t get it online until after the new year.  I’ve been trying to get caught up with videos I absolutely need to do before Christmas and one of them is to make my dogs their Christmas collars.  In the past, I’ve bought Christmas collars and I’ve decorated some as well.  It only seems right that this year I make them their collars and show you how to make them for yourself.  I made felt flowers for on their collars and show you how to make them and ways you can use them if you don’t have dogs (or cats.)  I like the idea of showing you a craft that works for pets or kids, so everyone can find a use for them.  I’m not sure how other people make their felt flowers, but I show you how I do it and I would bet a lot of you are thinking I could have found an easier way, but it works for me so why fix it if it’s not broke.  Hey, I wonder where that saying originated.  Here’s the scoop from The Phrase Finder..

Meaning

If something is working adequately well, leave it alone.

Origin

Humans seem to have the urge to improve things. Prehistoric hand-axes were made by repeatedly chipping small flakes off pebbles of flint with other hard objects. Million-year-old examples of these have been found that give the impression of being ruined by being chipped just one time too many. That pang of regret we have probably all felt after spoiling something by adding that unnecessary final touch was first faced by Ugg in his cave.

The thought may be Stone Age but the phrase ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it‘, which sounds as though it might come from the Roosevelt or Truman era, is more recent than that. This one is widely attributed to T. Bert (Thomas Bertram) Lance, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget in Jimmy Carter’s 1977 administration. He was quoted in the newsletter of the US Chamber of Commerce, Nation’s Business, May 1977:

Bert Lance believes he can save Uncle Sam billions if he can get the government to adopt a simple motto: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” He explains: “That’s the trouble with government: Fixing things that aren’t broken and not fixing things that are broken.”

Lance certainly did popularise the term but it seems to have been a colloquial phrase in the southern states of the USA before his celebrated use of it; for example, this piece is from the Texas newspaper The Big Spring Herald, December, 1976:

“We would agree with the old Georgia farmer who said his basic principle was ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.'”

Several correspondents from the southern states of the USA have commented that they recall the phrase from well before 1977 – some saying the 1930s. That may be misremembering (which is commonplace in the dating of recently coined phrases) or it may be that the phrase existed in common parlance but not in print. It would be surprising for a phrase to exist in the spoken language for the best part of 50 years before it appeared in print. The Internet has changed the way that new coinages spread and these days a datable record of a new phrase will be apparent within a day or two. Even in the days of newsprint, 50 years is hard to swallow. Here is an barchart of the hits that a search for ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ finds in an very large archive of 20th century newspapers:

I would suggest that the notion and possibly a variant of the phrase may well have been around for some time before the 1970s, but that the present-day wording of the phrase began then.

George Bernard Shaw’s ‘two countries divided by a common language’ comes into play here. The phrase has to be American. In England things don’t get broke, they get broken. I know that ‘ain’t broke’ is intended as a knowing southern yokelism, as opposed to ‘proper’ American, but it is one that wouldn’t have originated anywhere else.

<grumpy old man mode>When US websites ask ‘Forgot Your Password?’ I always mutter “No, but I have forgotten it”.</grumpy old man mode>

In a few short years, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ has, even in the UK, become so established a part of the language as to have become a cliché, which is an unusually quick ascent and descent. Nevertheless, it’s a close call as to whether Lance is now best remembered as coining that phrase or for William Safire’s pithy description of him as ‘Carter’s broken Lance’ after his resignation in 1977, following the Calhoun National Bank corruption scandal.

I used the Christmas bags from the Dollar Tree haul and red and green paper to match.  I had a pack from a garage sale to create a scrapbook page and used that.

I cut my bags to make sure they would fit  4 x 6″ photos so made my bags each 6 1/4″ long.  I used a bone folder to really make the bags flat.  I cut an inch off of the ends of each of my bags, but you should check yours to make sure yours are the same size as mine.

You will need to put tape runner under the bottoms of the bags to make sure they are adhered completely to the bag.  After I did that, I folded the bottoms toward the bag so the blue bottom shows and then glued two bags together with wet glue on three sides of the blue bottoms facing each other.  Hold them in place until the glue holds.

Each bag has two places to create a pocket and I didn’t like that, so I cut the top and bottom edge of the bag and then folded it back and cut the top and bottom edges closest to the center of the bag and then folded those two papers down and glued them together and folded the top layer on top of them and glued it down.  It makes for a nicer finish with only one pocket instead of two.

I used tear tape to put may book together and put wet glue on top of the tear tape so I could move the book if it was uneven.

I’m not going to give you the measurements for the papers I used to cover the book because every bag is different by a small amount and you’ll need to measure your bags and determine what the size will be based on your book.  You should make your bottom paper 1/4″ smaller than the size of the bag and the designer paper should be another 1/4″ smaller.  If you bag is 6 1/4″ and you want to fit a 6″ photo on it, change your measurements to 1/8″ smaller than the book.

I used a green ribbon that matched my book that was about 20″ long.  I put tear tape on the middle outside of the book to attach the ribbon to.

I used the embellishments that came with the scrapbook page kit for my decorations and they came in really handy, but you can always buy embellishments to match the paper you use.

I cut small matching red and green papers and decorated them to go into the small pockets and cut bigger red and green papers to go into the big pockets of the album.  Again, you’ll want to measure your bags to make sure the pages slide in and out easily.  I punched holes in the smaller papers so they are easier to pull out of the small pockets.  I didn’t think it was necessary on the bigger pockets because the papers are easier to grab since they are big enough to hold a 4 x 6″ photo.

I hope you enjoyed this video and if you have any questions, please let me know and I’d be happy to answer them.  I apologize it’s taken so long to get this video up, but it is a long one and took Rich a long time to edit.