The video of our “man” basement is finally up.  I’m really excited at the nice comments I’ve received so far and that people are asking for other rooms of the house.  I’m all about showing other rooms as we have remodeled almost every room and some of them more than once in the 22 years we’ve lived here.  When we bought our house it was really outdated and that’s saying a lot for a brick ranch.  How out of date can that be, you’d ask.  Well we’ll start with the fact that the people moved out but left their dog in the house for a few weeks without taking him outside, if you get my drift.  So all of the carpets needed to go. They had converted a porch into a family room but didn’t really care about important things like heat and building codes. I don’t know anything about building codes, but the fact that you could see sunshine through the corner of the wall would be a good indicator that they didn’t really have a clue.  They also just put carpet on the old cement patio pad without any insulation and thought a space heater shoved into the wall was a great heat source.  Needless to say, the room made me absolutely crazy.  It was darkly paneled and had sliding glass doors onto a rotting deck.  The deck was so bad that my friend Mary put her foot through it while standing still.  I was MORTIFIED! The rest of the house is brick except for this room and they used the cheapest materials for the outside of the house surrounding that room.  It didn’t match the existing brick at all.   The thing that is really sad about it is the fact that the people that owned the house before us were professionals that owned a big insurance agency and the house is in a nice neighborhood.  They just slapped things together and called them done.  My goal for the house was to make it accessible for me as I age.  So every project we did, we tried to keep that in the back of our minds.  First project, remodel the master bathroom.  Huge undertaking but results are terrific.  It still looks current even though it’s been at least fifteen years since we did the project.  Well we did change the flooring to white ceramic subway tiles recently.  PS I don’t recommend them, the grout lines are too wide and dirt shows up everywhere. Yikes!  The next major project was the small bathroom off of our bedroom.  It’s now got a cool enclosed ceramic shower stall and heated ceramic floor.  I don’t recommend the heated floors because they get HOT!  Maybe we just can’t adjust it properly, but we don’t use the heat at all.  Ok, so we changed the countertops and floors in the kitchen twice before the big remodel…I will skip the basement and go right to the kitchen and the dark creepy room that went onto the deck.  I envisioned level floors where I didn’t have to step down to get to the creepy room.  I wanted it to be light and airy and I wanted as many windows as possible.  I also hate wooden decks because of the maintenance, so wanted a huge cement patio with an awning over it.  The kitchen and dining rooms were both kind of small so I had them eliminate the wall between them.  If you can believe it, the contractor that did the basement came back and did two more major projects for us.  He’s a glutton for punishment.   I wanted a very contemporary kitchen, something the kitchen man had never seen.  I showed him photos of everything from door and drawer handles to cupboards to islands.  It took them FIVE MONTHS to do the kitchen and creepy rooms but in the end, I absolutely love both of them and I hope you will too.  The kitchen is mostly drawers and I have a couple of cupboards that open and up pops my mixer in one cupboard and my food processor in the other.  Both rooms are completely handicap accessible and we’ll have no problem growing old here.  We built another office in the basement that is now Rich’s and was mine, so is cool and travel themed to match the rest of the basement, and the little bathroom down there is really cute as well.  I absolutely love remodeling and making a house my own.  It’s my first love when it comes to art and the area I feel most comfortable in.  I hope you’ll check out my other videos as they unfold, but for now, please enjoy the man room.  It’s not for the man who crushes a beer can on his head, but a man who enjoys lounging with popcorn, a Mountain Dew and his favorite sports or movies.  In short, my kind of man.

I have finally given in to the fact that I am a ribbon junky.  There is no getting around it.  Is it a bad thing, I’m not sure.  I do know that ribbon makes me feel happy in a time when I normally am not very upbeat (after surgery.)  Is it the medications they give or the constant pain and inactivity, I’m not sure.  What I do know is that the lady I bought a lot of ribbon from on ebay contacted me last night and said her friend sent her a huge box of ribbon and would I like some.  Why bother to ask?  I’m like a crackhead when it comes to ribbon.  The lady even asked me how much ribbon could one person use on cards?  She obviously does not have the same addiction I have so I told her I use ribbon on every project I can and that I’m thrilled she thought of me.  If she had my affliction, she wouldn’t be asking how much ribbon can I use.  It’s more, how much ribbon can I look at, and think about using, and as I’ve told my friend Linda, I truly expect to be found dead on the Hoarder show surrounded and engulfed by ribbon.  Not a bad way to go if you ask me.

Some projects are just destined to fail.  Take for instance the video I did on making enamel dots out of hot glue.  I have made these dots in the past with absolutely no problem whatsoever, but put the glue gun in front of the camera and it was embarrassing.  The dots wouldn’t disconnect from the glue gun.  They kept stringing no matter how much I twirled them to remove the strings.  I finally gave up on making more and decided to use some new mica eye shadow I got.  It was very glittery, but wasn’t fine by any stretch of the imagination.  The glittery eye shadow wouldn’t stick to the dots at all.  Those dots went into the trash.  Used some white mica on more of the dots and they looked great, but I had to literally cut them apart because of the tenacity of the string.  I colored the rest with three alcohol inks and one of my baggies had a hole in it so alcohol ink covered me and my work area.  In the end, I should have scrapped the video but never say die must be my motto, because I persevered.   I gave Rich pages of notes on what aspects of the video needed to be cut but when it went live, it was pretty scary so we took it down and re-edited the video.  In the end, I explained in detail how to make them correctly, but I can’t believe anyone would take my advice after seeing what a catastrophe I had created.  Next time, my motto will be kill it, kill it dead.

I’m really excited about something I found that’s going to make my life a lot easier as it relates to the Misti.  First of all, if you didn’t know, Misti is coming out with a mini Misti in March, that you can preorder now at a discount at My Sweet Petunia.  It’s a little bigger than an A2 size card and is less expensive than the regular size Misti.  I have sometimes had problems stamping with my Misti and have resorted to rubbing the top of it with my foot (very gently) to get a good impression.  I don’t recommend this for other people, but for me, it works.  I’ve been thinking that maybe the smaller Misti will be easier for me to control.  (No fancy footwork needed.)  So I mentioned in an earlier blog, that I contacted the Petunia people trying to get a discount for physically limited crafters and they said it was already on sale.  But the other thing I mentioned to them was that I can’t get their magnets apart.  So they gave me a You Tube video site that showed a man who made a wooden apparatus that will separate the magnets. That might not be a big deal to you, but for me, I can’t get those things apart in a safe manner, meaning, sometimes I use my teeth.  He only charged me $10 plus shipping and I’ll be showing it on an upcoming video.  His name is Dave Hodgins and his email address is  brdad@bytethebullet.com if you are interested in purchasing one.  I’m not sure about you, but those magnets have beaten me more times than I would like to admit.  It’s frankly the reason I don’t use the Misti as much as I could, because I don’t want to be filming a video and then have to stop because my magnets have become one.  As always, I have no financial interest in this, but wanted you to know that this tool is available for those of us who need it.  I never thought I’d be in need of a magnet separator, but there you go.  Life takes some weird turns.  I have a video going live tonight with two tips and how to make your own enamel dots out of hot glue and I hope you like it.  I know there are tons of DIYs out there, but I never get tired of the ideas other people come up with for crafting.

I found another great idea today.  If you can’t move (because of surgery) for three weeks, you have to find a project or you’ll go nuts.  I know each of you has at least one box of stamped and colored images, paper scraps, loose embellishments etc.  I sat on the couch and all I asked for (In addition to the box) was my paper trimmer, my white cardstock file, scissors, two glue runners and I was on my way.  I made six or seven cards and the only thing left to do is put the sentiments on them.  I even found foam tape in the box so my cards have dimension as well.  I might even put them up in a video so you can see what I accomplished with scraps and not much else.  I even used leftover triangular shaped papers that I was going to throw away and made another sunburst card.  I feel like I really accomplished something, and that’s saying a lot considering I never got off the couch.

Sometimes I’m really happy when I recommend a product.  For instance, I was told the Easy Action scissors by Fiskars were the greatest scissors for people with arthritis.  I bought a pair and absolutely loved them.  Then I tried to cut a piece of fleece and now they won’t cut anything.  Since I recommended them I was pretty concerned with the lack of quality control so I contacted the company.  They didn’t respond to emails at all, but one telephone call and they are mailing me a new pair of scissors. No proof of purchase required.  Pretty great customer service.

I also have recommended their paper trimmers which I use almost exclusively.  I originally bought the smaller paper trimmer not thinking I would need to cut 12″ paper when I am basically a card maker.  I wish I had really thought it through better because in the end, I bought the 12″ trimmer as well.  The only difference was that I kept having problems with my paper getting a rough edge when I cut it.  I changed the blade, I cleaned the little gully, and it still kept happening.  One call to Fiskars and they immediately told me my wire was the problem and they would send me a new one.  Not only that, but they wondered how many blades had I destroyed and I told them two.  Within a couple of weeks I had a pair of blades and the piece of the trimmer that needed to be replaced.

I realize that everything you buy is subject to quality control and expect to have some issues along the way.  The thing that really solidifies my status as a customer is exceptional customer service.  It is so rare today to find a company that stands behind their merchandise and does it without making you jump through hoops.  Fiskars has really earned my business and I’ll continue to recommend their products when appropriate.

 

 

Finally one of the videos we taped before the surgery is up and live.  Of course it’s my fault because I kept Rich too busy to be able to do his editing.  It’s a card with “peg” stamps from the Rubber Stamp Tapestry company.  I really like this company because they have a lot of clients with physical limitations and they try to tailor their products to not only the every day client, but also ones with special needs.  Their stamps are different because they are on what looks like a wooden dowel rod.  They have a line that shows you how to position the stamp before you set it down and the set I used was a lot of fun.  I’ll definitely be getting more of their stamps and am going to try my hand at stamping on ceramic.  I bought two really cool soup bowls at a thrift store that are white enamel with handles and lids and I thought they would be perfect to stamp on.  I’ve been inspired since watching the Frugal Crafter do a tutorial where she made coasters with enamel paints.  If she can do coasters, heck, why not try soup bowls?  So that’s my plan and I’m just waiting to be given the ok to sit long enough to start stamping.

Today, I also tried a new product from Faber Castell called Gel Crayons.  I’m not saying I did a bang up job with them considering I was laying down, but I gave it a shot.  I think I’ll like playing with them more once I can use some stencils and a water brush or blender pen on them.  They did take up a little bit of my day so that’s a great thing.  I seriously need to start to do something more interesting and am really looking forward to be given the go ahead to do so.  Until then, I need to make sure Rich has more free time to get more of our videos online.  I’m a horrible patient, or maybe I just have horrible patience.  Either way, it’s not easy on Rich.

I just wrote a comment to a subscriber about Christmas things you can repurpose. Now is the time to go to your local thrift stores to find poinsettias and other Christmas goodies that you can save to work into projects next year. The thrift stores are trying to get rid of this merchandise as they don’t want to hold it for a year, so they sell them at very low prices.  Remember, there are tons of great things in these thrift stores just waiting to be repurposed and the monies go to great causes.

In our area, every Wednesday, Salvation Army sells their clothes and shoes half off.  The reason I’m mentioning this is that they also bag baby bibs together so you get several when you purchase them (for usually fifty cents.)  I just left this tip on a video that I’m not sure has aired, but if the bib has a Velcro closure you can put it around the arm of your craft room chair and have a rag to wipe your hands on without having to look for one.  The tie ones work as well but not as good as the ones with Velcro. I’m also not crazy about the ones that have plastic backing on them.  But hey, if you get five or six of them for fifty cents, you can find a couple that will make you happy.

Another idea is when you put your Christmas decorations away for the year, separate the ones that don’t make you happy and put them in your repurpose pile.  Maybe by next fall you will figure out something to do to make it new again and if not, it will be the perfect time to either donate it or sell it at a garage sale.

 

 

I’m not really certain how long I’ll be able to maintain this lying in one spot plan.  In theory, it sounds great.  But, when combined with my need to constantly be doing something, ANYTHING, it’s a little tiresome.  Don’t get me wrong.  The moment I stand up, I want to scream for my mommy, but am trying to maintain some sort of dignity.  Seriously, I’m not trying for any sort of dignity, this just burns.  Not like past surgeries, where those hurt, this one burns.  A big sort of ouchy, if you know what I mean.  The ice works great on it while I’m not standing on my feet.  Once my feet touch the floor, all deals are off.

I had some visitors today and it gave Rich some free time to run errands.  I’m blessed to have wonderful, supportive friends.  I’d like to write more, but I’ve read the last couple of days blogs and am not certain my mind is completely clear.  So for now I’ll leave you with this. If you get your hip replaced, make sure they do it with the new style that is a four inch incision and then buy yourself a truckload of ice, you’re gonna need it.