I have been working on a video for diamond painting for beginners and think it’s almost ready.  I’m so far behind on Christmas projects that I might just turn them into gift ideas instead of Christmas gift ideas.  I don’t know how time gets away from me the way it does, but there you go…I always think I have a lot more time than I do to create for Christmas, and should be starting in August or September to really be done in time.

I finally got my hot glue gun review up and have had it sitting around since the beginning of November, when I shared cards I received for my birthday (in November), but I’m pretty sure, people will think my birthday is now in December since it took so long to upload the video….Geez….

I will tell you this about diamond paintings.  When you shop for them, you’ll probably get frustrated because many of them remind me of paint-by-numbers and I wouldn’t want to own one or gift one, as they aren’t really my style.  But when I read that I could turn a photo into one, the ideas started percolating.  Since my nephew’s wedding, I have been obsessed with this photo Rich took the day after the wedding that included their small white dog (almost lost in the skirt of the dress.)  I decided that when it’s finished, if my nephew and his bride don’t want it (because they think it’s odd or cheesy,) I’m sure my sister would love it….so no matter what, I have someone who should want to have it.

I’m not sure if I’ve talked much about diamond paintings yet, but I am amazed at how relaxing this is to do.  I really enjoy it and if you put your supplies really close to where you are working, the repetitive motion isn’t as bad as you would think.  Although I will say, you definitely need to rest often, stretch, and stop before you are sitting too long in the same position, as you’ll get really stiff.  I also try to limit the amount of time I diamond paint, as once I start the process, I lose track of time and overdo it, but that’s the nature of being me.

I have done needlepoint (when I was in college) and counted cross stitch (in the 1980’s when it was a huge fad), but both of those crafts are too labor intensive for me now, and the needle is hard to hold.  Diamond painting has so many tool options, that you should be able to find (or make) a tool that works for you.  You can even take the ballpoint out of a pen, and use the pen with the wax they give you, if you have a pen that feels comfortable in your hand.  I know it sounds like I’m trying to sell something here, but honestly, I’m just so relaxed when I make a diamond painting, that I hope others find the craft.  One last note, when you buy a kit, you get everything you need inside, unless you decide you want a light pad, you can find them on Amazon for under $10.  The only thing I don’t like about the light pad I bought, is the plug only plugs into a computer or a computer outlet, not an electric outlet.  I guess they think it makes it more portable, but I find it to be a little bit cumbersome if I try to work on a project anywhere but on a desk…but, since the photo of my nephew and his bride is so large, I can only work on it at a table.  It’s huge…I’m not sure how many years it will take me to finish it, but since it’s primarily a few colors, so far it’s really going fast.

Here’s a photo of a light pad and you’ll want one that has three levels of lighting for different light settings in the room you’ll be working in, and a larger one.. I think mine is an A4 which is 12 x 9 1/4″ lit.  I paid $11 for it on Amazon..Here’s a link to one.  https://tinyurl.com/tbzzf7k         The only issue I have with using the light pad is you also need to have a light directed at the diamonds you are going to use, as it’s hard to see if they are upside down or right side up if you don’t have good lighting on them.

There are a lot of facebook groups devoted to Diamond Paintings and my friend Sherri has one…it’s called Diamond Painting for All Ages.  I joined it, but because my facebook page is linked to Rich’s, it looked like Rich joined instead of me…Sherri said she figured somehow it had to be me, so accepted me as a member.  If you like diamond painting, or want to learn more about it, you might want to learn from these wonderful talented women….

I have a lot of glue guns, but none that I truly like. I found this one at Joanns, a Gorilla multi-temp glue gun link: https://www.joann.com/gorilla-dual-temp-mini-glue-gun/16314940.html.. I used a coupon and bought it for under $6.00 with a coupon.

Important things to look for in a hot glue gun:

1. For me, I wanted a dual temp mini glue gun. Dual temp allows you to put it on a lower setting for easy-to-glue projects, or high, for heavy duty projects. The high setting will allow you to pull the trigger easier than the low setting, so if you have hand or wrist strength issues, use the high setting for easier use. Mini means the size of the glue sticks you use, and I prefer the mini ones as they aren’t as heavy as the full-size sticks, and the gun is usually lighter weight when it uses only mini glue sticks. The only downside is “Mini” does mean you’ll use a lot more glue sticks per project though, as you get a lot less glue per glue stick than with the full-size sticks.

2. Movable front feet…It will allow you to move this out of the way when you are trying to do close-up work. If the feet are permanently down, which some are, you won’t be able to get them out of your way for close up work.

3. A no-drip glue gun….I always seem to find glue guns that drip glue when sitting on your work station..This one doesn’t seem to drip glue.

4. Buying glue sticks—the size of your glue gun and the types of sticks are important for your specific glue gun. My glue gun is a “mini” which means the sticks are thinner…you need to buy glue sticks that are called mini….Also, since my glue gun is a dual temp, you’ll need to buy dual temp mini glue sticks. I found a sale on Surebonder Glue Roll (I couldn’t find it on Joann’s online site, but here’s a link to another site https://tinyurl.com/wpcol8s

5. Small tip– I like a glue gun with a smaller tip so I can get into small places on paper projects. It doesn’t seem to be a problem for me when trying to glue a bigger surface, so for me, it works for all projects..

6. Price…I don’t like to spend a lot on glue guns, as they sometimes don’t work well for a long period of time (and I like a bargain.)  This glue gun was under $6 when using a coupon.

7. A swivel cord...I’ve never found a glue gun with a swivel cord (where the cord attaches to the glue gun), but would love that as my cords always seem to get kinked over time.

How to make your own enamel/crystal dots…….

Using a heat resistant surface like a craft mat, a silicone mat, or parchment paper, put your glue gun as close to the surface as possible and hold the trigger until a small circle comes out, then twirl the gun to make sure you remove it from the circle of glue you’ve laid on your surface without leaving a trail or making it look like a Hershey’s chocolate Kiss.. If you live in a hot humid climate, this might not work for you, as the hot glue becomes much more stringy when it’s humid.

This will create a clear, crystal drop….If you want to create a dot that looks more like an enamel or pearlized dot, once your dot is cooled, you can pick it off of the heat resistant surface, and put it in a sealable small plastic bag with a few drops of dye re-inkers you’d get for your dye ink pads, or a very small amount of alcohol ink.  You’ll seal the bag closed and shake it well so the color adheres to the glue. Let the bag sit until the dots are dry. You can make them darker by adding another few drops of reinkers after they have dried from the first application. You can also make a more pearlized look by using a paint brush with either Mica Powder, Perfect Pearls, or my favorite, L.A. Colors eye shadow or any mica based eye shadow.  (If it’s an eye shadow you normally wear, I don’t recommend you dipping the brush into the eye shadow more than once, as I don’t know if there is a possibility for cross-contamination.) While your dots are still on their heat resistant surface, but have cooled, paint them with the eye shadow and they should hold the color..I usually wipe mine off with a brush after letting them sit for maybe a minute, to make sure I’ve taken off any excess eye shadow.

I feel terrible that I’ve been so lax with keeping up with my blog.  Rich’s 59th birthday was the 11th and he wanted me to bake him a ham, so I did….Now we’ll be eating ham for weeks, haha….

My girlfriend and I have been working on making gnomes like other crafters, but wanted to see if we could figure out a way to make small ones for on Christmas trees…It seems like an easy idea, but so far, we’ve only made one, because you need a couple of socks and they have to be small enough (like baby size) to work.  Toddler size socks are way too big…and of course, that’s the size we bought, as we thought surely they would work…I didn’t record our session, as I wanted to perfect the ornament before uploading a video.

Today, Rich and I went to lunch with friends and then to Jumanji.  I saw the first version, and this uses the same characters, but when they start to play the game, the people are no longer the characters they were in the first movie, and that’s when I got confused.  A little later in the movie, they saw water that looked like it glowed, and after touching the water and then each other, they switched characters.  I’m telling you, I spent the whole movie wondering who each character was.   I’m sure most people wouldn’t have had an issue, but I was half asleep too, and that didn’t help.  I put myself on a burst of prednisone a couple of days ago, and I have trouble sleeping when taking it, so don’t sleep at night, but am tired during the day….It’s still worth it, because I finally get some energy back and am ready to do more, even being a little tired.  But once the movie theater lights go off, so does my resolve to stay awake….

We’re off to date night…every Friday night, we have take out from a different restaurant and then watch movies with the dogs.  We all love it, and since our “theater” is in the basement, all we have to say to the dogs is “date night” and they come running…ready to jump up on the couch between us and sleep until the popcorn is popped, then suddenly everyone is wide awake and ready for a kernel or two.

I promise I’ll get Rich to upload  a video this weekend, and hope it’s a good one.

I went to my rheumatologist appointment in Pittsbugh on Friday….and we stopped to get gas at a chain called Sheetz…they have food and a convenience store as well as gas.  We were stopped at the pumps and a car started backing up from the store, and got closer and closer, until finally Rich started beeping the horn, and basically laid on the horn, until the car hit us.  An old man wearing one of these type hats, got out of the car.

Somehow that seemed like a bad sign.  He said he couldn’t see out his back window so didn’t know our car was there….and then when Rich said he had laid on the horn, the man cupped his hand by his ear like it would allow him to hear Rich…..And said, he forgot to wear his hearing aids so didn’t hear him.  Huh…..

Luckily, there wasn’t much damage, just paint from his car on our car.  But, it made us run late for our appointment.  They don’t like you to be late and if I had been 15 minutes late, they would have cancelled my appointment…Oddly enough, after hustling me into an examination room as soon as we got there, we waited almost an hour for the doctor…Too bad we can’t hold them as accountable as they hold us.

My doctor has me do semi-annual drug tests because of the medicines I’m on…She seemed almost giddy when she said I tested negative for “marijuana, cocaine and heroine.”  I have to say, I was a little surprised that she thought I was taking any of those drugs.  I’ve been her patient for probably close to ten years and have never tested positive for anything I shouldn’t be on, so it did seem strange that she seemed surprised.  I thought maybe it was only my impression that the doctor seemed overly happy about the test, but as soon as the doctor left the room, Rich mentioned how thrilled she was that I tested negative for them, so it wasn’t just me.

I had planned to go into my craft room and make several cards this weekend, but honestly, after my doctor’s appointment, I was too exhausted to do anything but sleep, yesterday and today.  I’m not sure why a small road trip is so tiring, but let’s just say I don’t know when I’m ever going to get those cards made… Most of them should have been made and sent in November…I’m running so far behind that their birthdays might come around again before I ever get their cards made….Bummer.

I wanted to find a use for Tic Tac gum containers since I’ve been chewing a lot of their gum, and wanted to do something with the empty boxes… First step, remove the lid by using a long pointy tool (or the end of a paint brush) to lift the inside of the lid and then pull it off with your hands. Put the lid aside to insert once the box is finished.  The red container was one I painted with cheap red craft paint and let dry overnight. Then I took a napkin and removed the back of it, by putting a piece of washi tape on the back so it extends off the side of the napkin, then pull, and it should separate the layers. Use the back layer for clean up or other projects… I put a lot of Matte Collage Pauge on the container and laid the container on the napkin with the top of the container even with the top edge of the napkin. I bought Matte Collage Pauge from Hobby Lobby but couldn’t find their online link.        Here’s a link to the same product at Joanns. https://tinyurl.com/ucp8kmy I laid the napkin over the side of the container and trimmed off the excess, then did the same to the other side.  After trimming the sides, I laid the napkin to the side of the box to make sure it was well adhered and that it covered the entire side.  Trim the excess napkin that extends over the top of the container too. I added another heavy layer of Collage Pauge to the outside of the napkin and let it dry overnight. Ultimately, I put three layers of Collage Pauge on this container. I covered two more containers and one had a white napkin with flowers on it. I decided to use alcohol markers to color the flowers and used my Touch Five Markers to do this. Make sure you don’t get any Collage Pauge inside the top opening of the container or you won’t be able to close it once it’s dry..

I also showed you how to trim a napkin that has a pattern stamped into it. If there is a waffly look to the edges of your napkin, trim it off with a guillotine paper trimmer or cut it off with scissors. I wanted to add a little embellishment to the tops of the containers, so took some beige ribbon and colored it with alcohol markers and permanent ink pads then let it dry. I hot glued it to the top edge of the containers. I thought that made them look a little bit more finished. After the glue is cool, reattach the lid you removed earlier.

Below you’ll find links and the discount code for the products shown from In Love Art. The discount code is FSUNSANDY and is good for 15% off the products using the links below.   As always, I do not receive any monies from product sales, as I prefer to pass the discount along to all of you.

The product links are:

Snow Decoration Dies SKU: DMZH770 http://bit.ly/2NsiUQg

Christmas Matsueda & Bow Decor Dies SKU: DMZH624 http://bit.ly/2NOww7j

Halloween Specter Dies SKU: DMZH584 http://bit.ly/2NPfYvU

Stackable Lace Butterfly Dies SKU: DMAL510 http://bit.ly/32lmkbC

Christmas Tree Dies SKU: DMZH711 http://bit.ly/32vDDGN

Circle Pattern Backgroud Dies SKU: DMZH583 http://bit.ly/2pQJsBz

Halloween Spooky Boo Stamps SKU: STZH172 http://bit.ly/2JYbQse

Halloween Horror Elements Stamps SKU: STZH318 http://bit.ly/2Q0KeGL

I have been working on a small diamond painting.  I wanted to try out this hobby with a size “canvas” that I knew wouldn’t be overwhelming.  Here are some things I’ve learned along the way.  This is such a rewarding and calming craft.  There’s no guesswork, and you don’t have to use your imagination.  It’s not complicated like card making can be, and basically, if you can move a “diamond” from one point to another and adhere it to  contact paper, this hobby is for you.  I struggled with keeping mine in straight lines, but then decided that maybe all of my diamonds, (or drills as the expert diamond painters call them) are not the same size, or frankly, shape.  Because of that, even using the checkerboard pattern to help ensure straight rows, my rows were still not straight.  I’ll show you all of this in my video demonstrating the technique.

There are lots of tips from fellow crafters on YouTube, and some of them I appreciated and others I’m still not sure about.  The one that the big diamond painters recommend is a light pad.  I have to say, I’m not sold on it yet, but maybe I will be at some point in the future.

If you’re looking for a gift for a crafter in your life, I recommend you going to https://victoriasmoon.uk/ and look at their painting options.  The one I got was the custom print, where you email them a photo and they send you back the diamond painting of your photo and all of the tools necessary to create it.  I can’t imagine any craft being more self-contained, as you get everything (except the light pad, and I’m not sure you really need it.)  I saw a woman who did a portrait of her dog and it was amazing.  I didn’t see the actual dog, but the colors in her diamond painting were so lifelike and the dog looked spectacular.  It’s why I chose to have the custom option vs. one of the designs they created.  Just think about your favorite photo and how much you’d love to have it made in diamonds…The light does catch on these resin pieces like a diamond, and I think it will make a nice keepsake for whoever you have it made for.  You can actually do the work or give the kit and have the recipient do the work…Either way, I think it’s a nice gift.

Honestly, I was surprised by how addicting this is, and how much I enjoyed it, and how relaxed it made me.  If you want to help someone relax, I think this would be a great idea.  I know you think I’m selling these, but I’m not…When I find something that is as easy as this and still makes me feel like I’m accomplishing something, I really like to share the idea with others.  If you’ve been on my channel or blog for very long, you know I don’t make any money from anything I do.  The only thing I receive are crafts to try, so we all can decide together if we like it or not….and more often than not, the company that gives me the craft, also pass along a discount to all of you, which I love.  I’m not affiliated with any company, and if you’re not familiar with that term, it means that for every sale that company gets from my channel, I would (if I was an affiliate) receive money.  If you see links below a YouTubers’ video, and it says anywhere on that screen that they are an affiliate, that’s what it means.  YouTube does require all affiliates to put that information on their videos so you know they are making money from their viewers sales.  I don’t know how I got off on this tangent, but always like to make sure you know where I stand when it comes to making money on YouTube..

Seriously, buy yourself a small diamond painting and we’ll play together…I think you’ll really enjoy it…

I’m so sorry we haven’t been uploading videos, but Rich uploaded one since his hip surgery, and in doing so, put his lower back out of place.   I know, if it’s not one thing it’s another.  I’m hoping he starts feeling better, and will keep you in the loop.

Thanksgiving was a nice day…Rich and I spent it with our college friends and their daughter (whose newly pregnant) and her husband.  They were making an offer on a house, and being first time home buyers, wanted my input, being an ex-banker.  It was nice to be asked my opinion for something banking related…it’s been a long time since anyone has done that.  The house this couple have chosen is really lovely and I’m hoping they’re able to win it in the bidding war they are in.  I never lived in an area where the housing market was so volatile like Virginia (near DC), so had no idea the lengths these people have to go to, in order to get the home of their dreams.

I’ve been working on a small diamond painting and was sent a huge one, of one of the photos Rich took of my nephew and his bride after their wedding.  The one I’m doing now is about 5″ x 5″ and the one I’m going to do is at least 11 x 14″ so I wan to make sure I have a clue.  Currently, it’s pretty clear that I don’t have a clue as the square diamonds in this small painting are not in straight lines..I don’t know how you can screw that up when the diamonds and square and the spots they are adhered to are also square, but my rows are off and the lines are all wonky.  I hope that I can hide the problems…I saw someone add clear glitter to theirs and wonder if that hides the issues….I really hope it does.  You’ll be the first to know if it works.

Tomorrow is Cyber Monday and I normally really love shopping then, but I’m not sure if there’s anything I need to buy or should buy…so might not buy anything.  Obviously I’m staying away from craft sites and am hoping I can be sure that I don’t break down and go crazy and buy things.

Ever since Rich’s surgery, time has gotten away from me.  It seems like the more I want to accomplish, the less actually gets done.  I should be keeping you updated on the videos I’ve made (and there have been quite a few,) but I have a small problem, and one that most of you will struggle understanding.  Since I use a camera with a memory card for videos, I take the memory card and insert it into my laptop to write notes for Rich….for instance, the name of the video, the edits I want to make sure he does etc.   With that being said, the memory cards are inserted and removed from the laptop repeatedly and over time, I broke that unit that the memory card is inserted into….Luckily, there is a way to work around this problem.  It’s called a memory card reader, and it looks like this.

The problem with using one of these, is you insert it into the side of the laptop you are using and as long as it’s inserted, it sticks out the side of the laptop….Herein lies my problem.  I keep forgetting that the card reader is there, and I’ve broken three of these in the last few months…Luckily they aren’t expensive, but why can’t I remember to either remove it when I’m finished?  I did remember that it was there yesterday (when I broke another one,) but placed the laptop beside me in a reclining chair and then sat the chair upright, bending the card reader….It didn’t just bend, part of it is now stuck inside my computer.  I told Rich I broke another card reader, but haven’t broken the news to him that a portion of the card reader is still inside my laptop.  This hopefully won’t be the end of my laptop, but I’m a little bit worried that if Rich can’t safely remove the card reader, I won’t be able to use a card reader on this laptop, making it useless for making videos.

I know, it’s so stupid that I can’t seem to wrap my head around something as simple as taking a piece that’s clearly sticking out of the side of my laptop, and removing it before I break yet another one.  But this is where we are today…Geez….

On a brighter note, Rich felt like getting out of the house today, so we went out for lunch and to a movie with friends.  We saw Ford Vs. Ferrari…it’s long, but a good movie.  There was more car racing than necessary (in my opinion,) but otherwise, well worth going to see.  For some reason it didn’t occur to me that it was based on a true story, with embellishments of course.. It was more activity than Rich was really ready for, and he made it home in time to ice his hip and take a nap.  We might be waiting a while before he’s up for editing another video, as the one he uploaded was too much for him, and the twisting and turning he did to get comfortable while editing, put his lower back out of place, so he’s struggling with that as well.  It’s not easy getting older…Did I mention I turned 60 on the 22nd?  Yikes…

I’m Back!! Rich’s surgery went well and he’s finally been released to edit videos again!! Below you’ll find all of the instructions and products used.

I made my own anti-static pouch by using corn starch and putting it inside two knee highs placed inside each other (after filling the first with about one-two tablespoons of corn starch)..I then knotted them as close to the top of the corn starch as possible, and then cutting off the excess knee highs and discarding them. You can use either corn starch or baby powder, both will work.

The second is and EK Success embossing powder tool and here’s a link to it at Amazon. https://tinyurl.com/t2zn3ya But, I always recommend that you price shop elsewhere so you get the lowest price. This is the only powder that smells…I think it smells like baby powder..

Brutus Monroe Magic Powder Bag link: https://tinyurl.com/y57y7bzk

Michaels Recollections Anti Static Pouch link: https://tinyurl.com/scxv276 (make sure you use a coupon at Michaels)

There are other brands, but I did try to give you a fair comparison.
I used a stamp from Brutus Monroe called Bite Me, link: https://tinyurl.com/y5o9gv97
Brutus Monroe Embossing Ink link: https://tinyurl.com/y4n9n4lh
Michaels Recollections Heavyweight Cardstock (white and black) link: https://tinyurl.com/qpuoowl
Sparkle N Sprinkle Black fine detail embossing powder (now called Glitters Galore) link: https://tinyurl.com/t59zamp

After using the black fine detail embossing powder on white cardstock, the only tool that didn’t seem to work was the EK Success tool. It seems to splatter the powder, even after I started heat setting from beneath the paper.

I used Brutus Monroe’s Icicle embossing powder that I thought was their white….it was not..It’s their clear (and the name leads the average person to believe that, but not me…) Geez!!  I left this comparison in, even though there isn’t much to compare.  At the bottom of this information, you’ll see how I recommend you using clear embossing powder for everything (except silver, gold and copper, as I think they still look best using those colors of embossing powder.)

Nuvo Fine Detail white embossing powder link: https://tinyurl.com/r76rq9g

White embossing powder on black paper…None performed well…all seemed to have similar results.. I decided to try again using Versamark Ink which is the ink normally used for embossing. link: https://tinyurl.com/rnyrmku
Using Versamark with white embossing powder, the Recollections pouch and my homemade pouch seemed to work the best with Versamark.

I was asked about dust and if the tools create much dust...I pounced each tool aggressively on the black paper and I definitely saw dust with the Brutus Monroe pouch and the others I’ll leave to your judgement…

As an fyi, when you use a stamp with a fine line image, the best product should be a fine detail embossing powder, otherwise you’ll get thicker lines (which you don’t want.) You should also use a fine detail embossing powder when working with sentiment stamps, as the letters should be crisp using a fine detailed product.
If you use a stamp with a more filled-in image, I’d recommend using regular embossing powder…..but for me, what I prefer to use for best results, is to use an ink that is the ink color I want the end color to be and then use clear embossing powder over it to make it look like you embossed with that color. You can do this a number of ways…
1. Use a pigment ink or distress oxide ink that stays wet longer and then you can add your clear embossing powder directly onto the ink and then heat set it.
2. Using a MISTI, stamp with any dye based ink in the color you choose, then stamp again with your embossing ink, and then add clear embossing powder.
3. If you are super fast, you can sometimes stamp with a dye based ink and immediately put clear embossing powder over it. If you’ve done it quickly, the powder will adhere, and if you are too slow, the embossing powder will fall right back off and you’ll need to try something else.
4. If you don’t have a MISTI, but have a Stamp a ma jig, link: https://tinyurl.com/rj7vekw, you can stamp with your colored dye based ink and then holding the tool to make sure you stamp in the exact same spot, use your Versamark or embossing ink, and stamp over the same image, then use clear embossing powder over it..