I like to send Thanksgiving cards instead of Christmas cards, and this is the perfect project for the Simon Says Stamp November, 2018 kit. I just joined their kit club and this is my first kit.

In this month’s Simon Says Stamp kit, I got:
Simon Says Stamp Thanks and Leaves $24.99 #SSS101894 http://tinyurl.com/y8pezju9
Cardstock in off white, orange, green, and three matching envelopes and a couple of small tags
Tim Holtz Butterfly Adornments $6.99 TH93689 http://tinyurl.com/y7q776nf
Tim Holtz Snarky Small Talk (stickers) $6.99 link http://tinyurl.com/y7hpn2ju
Small bag of gold sequins

I used Michaels Recollections Heavyweight cardstock in white and cut the paper in half on the 8 1/2″ length, then took my two half sheets and put them in the trimmer on the 11″ length and cut them to 5 1/2″ each. My postcards are 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ vs. a normal postcard that’s 4 x 6″.  I have a postcard red rubber stamp that creates the mailing address and stamp spot for the back of the card but can’t remember who makes it….Penny Black makes one and here are two places I found them.. http://tinyurl.com/y7kf7hur and http://tinyurl.com/ya3r784w
I stamped the postcards with my postcard stamp with Archival black ink from Ranger, so they would be fine when they go through the mail.
Then I used Versafine Onyx Black ink and stamped the sentiment on all of my postcards, some with a family sentiment and most without (as we have a very small family.) I used Sparkle n’ Sprinkle embossing powder in Midnight Madness link: http://tinyurl.com/y7ytjt33 It sells for $4..69
I put embossing powder on the first card, (and not a lot of powder), then moved the card around to make sure the sentiment was covered with it, then dumped the excess onto the next card, and repeated the process…..I didn’t have a lot of excess embossing powder left over, and only had to put it back in the bottle once. I found by doing the assembly line fashion (stamping all the card backs, then stamping the sentiments on the fronts, and putting embossing powder on and heat setting three or four at a time, the process went much quicker than normal.)
Along the way, I realized that I shouldn’t have used the embossing powder with the glitter, as it didn’t act as a resist when I tried to ink over it. The glitter wiped off, and I had a difficult time deciding if the embossed image was heat set completely…
To create my background, I used a white pigment ink called Frost White from Color Box link: http://tinyurl.com/yd9p86ty or Unicorn White pigment ink from Hero Arts. I used a Tim Holtz blending tool link: http://tinyurl.com/y7a6drfd and gently rubbed it over the center of the postcard in a circular motion. Then once the center of the card is covered with ink, I used Wendy Vecchi’s Make Art Blendable Ink called Sunflower. Link: http://tinyurl.com/y7rnmbq7 with a second blending tool (you can use the same tool, just be sure to change the foam pad on it between colors.)  I covered the rest of the postcard with the Sunflower ink and then blended the white ink in the center with the yellow Sunflower ink to create a nice blended look.
Then I took a damp towel and wiped the white ink off the sentiment to ensure it’s as dark as possible. I dried the background before stamping the leaves on it.
I positioned the leaves around the sentiment in the MISTI and positioned the postcard so it’s 1″ from the top of the MISTI so I can place the leaves as close to the edges as possible. I stamped it with Always Artichoke Ink from Stampin’ Up and stamped the leaves a couple of times to make sure they were dark….and then heat set it again. I found there were small gaps that needed leaves, so I used my peg stamps to fill those spots with the same ink.  Peg Stamps used:
Large Oval Leaf http://tinyurl.com/yckctk4q
Summer Leaves Set http://tinyurl.com/yaehvb7y This is a replacement set as they no longer make the summer leaves set.
Almost Beech Leaf http://tinyurl.com/y8ltttw7
Double mum leaf http://tinyurl.com/y96brroj

I stamped the peg stamps in any spot that needed an extra leaf and along the edges so it appears that the leaves are falling off the page.

I used water based markers from Stampin’ Up and colored on a plastic lid from peg stamps.. The colors I used were Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun and Chocolate Chip markers with a Stampin’ Up blender pen to pick up the colors and color the leaves….You can find either Tombow Colorless Blenders or Dove Blending Pens to accomplish the same results as the Stampin’ Up one.  Once I finished a couple of the postcards, I realized that the markers made the colors bleed through to the back, so went with colored pencils instead. I love Prismacolor colored pencils and had a lot better results and more vibrant colors when using them instead of the markers. Then I used a Spectrum Noir Wink of Stella type marker to add sparkle to my leaves, but that wasn’t good enough, so I added Diamond Glaze http://tinyurl.com/ydekb99f or Glossy Accents http://tinyurl.com/ya9uhor6  I struggled to get the Glossy Accents on small leaves, so put it in the center, then used a micro brush link: http://tinyurl.com/yddzsaw9 to spread it around. The 3-d effect you get from the Glossy Accents/Diamond Glaze really made all the difference.
I sprayed the postcards with Aqua Net hair spray to seal the front..I also used a Workable Fixatif by Krylon, but hated the smell of it and preferred the Aqua Net. They both seemed to work the same to make the postcards waterproof..

I went to the dentist yesterday to have a crown made.  This is only the second time I’ve needed a crown and for me being almost sixty years old, that’s not too bad (in my opinion.)  If you don’t know, I hate the dentist.  I hate the smell and the sound that the drill makes, and I’m really on edge the entire time I’m there.  The first time I had a crown made, the assistant told me I should consider taking Valium before coming in, and I told her I had already taken it….Huh, no response to that….It’s not like I keep my fears a secret either, as the first thing I told the receptionist was I planned on leaving as soon as her back was turned.  She didn’t take her eyes off me from that moment on, darn it…And once I was in the chair, my anxiety level kept building, until they gave me Nitrous Oxide.  I guess it’s nickname is laughing gas, but I wasn’t laughing.  Although I will say, they scent the mask, and to me, it smells like one of my favorite perfumes, Prada Candy (of course if there’s candy in the name, I’m sold)….I was immediately happier when I smelled that….and I guess I was relaxed, but it’s not at all what I expected.  I thought I would be super mellow and laughing or giggling at everything that happened.  It was more like I wasn’t clenching my jaw and wiggling my toes, (something I do when I’m in pain or having a painful procedure done.)  The dentist did say he was going to stick a needle in the roof of my mouth and it would hurt, but only for five seconds, and he counted as he did it, so I’d know when it was done.  I really liked his honesty, as normally doctors/dentists will say something like “you’ll feel a little pinch” and then you want to scream from the agony they’ve caused.  His counting helped too, because I was focused on the number and by the time he reached four, he was done….I’m not saying it didn’t hurt….I was definitely wiggling my toes during that part, but isn’t as bad as other things I’ve had done in the dentist chair.  And when the procedure was done, I shook his hand and thanked him for doing everything he could to help me through it.  He even gave me a kid’s size block to put in my mouth, so my jaw rested on the block, and I didn’t have to hold it open by myself.  Normally after a cleaning session, my jaw hurts for a couple of days….And when I left the chair, my jaw didn’t hurt at all.  That’s the greatest thing, knowing a dentist listens to you and helps you so you don’t have to hurt in the days following a procedure….
I finished my Thanksgiving thankful cards that I’m sending to my close friends and family.  I really like the way they turned out and hope all of you do too.  I have a few more videos that were ready to go live, but somehow, parts of them are now missing.  I’m especially upset about my sister’s birthday card, as I played with the new Nuvo powders and had a really great time with them….of course that’s the part that’s missing.  I’m crossing my fingers that the memory card shows up, but no matter what kind of system Rich and I put in place to avoid these things happening, they continue to do so.  It’s a really big bummer when I spend a really long time on a project and I can’t show the video….I hope this one finds its way home.

I was asked to show the fall foliage in N/W PA while taking a ride in Rich’s Mustang. It was mid October when we tried the first time, then we ventured out again on October 30th. I hope you enjoy the leaves.

I’ve been working on my Thanksgiving postcards, trying to find the idea I like best.  My first mistake was embossing all of the postcards with the sentiment before doing any of the other stamping.  I realized early on that I wanted to do a blend of oxide inks and then stamp the sentiment in the center and emboss it.  The problem I’ve been having is the embossing powder, once heated, doesn’t hold up under oxide inks.  I always thought that you can emboss an image and then ink over it, then wipe off the ink that’s settled on the embossed image….not so with the embossing powders I’m using.  Maybe it’s because I’m using a glittered embossing powder, as it just seems to fade into the background.  It’s been frustrating, and I think, going forward, I’m going to have to restamp the sentiment, after inking the postcard.  I’m going to try that once and see if I get a better result.  I’m also going to change to an embossing powder that has no glitter in it.  I might go with my tried and true system of Onyx Black Versafine ink with clear embossing powder.

If you had told me that I’d spent two entire evenings making postcards and none being good enough to mail, I’d probably have laughed at you….or cried, depending on the day..But so far, I’m still upbeat about my postcards, and think that once I get it right, the rest will just fall into place.  Boy, I hope it works out like that, otherwise, I might be  crying…

I watched this done on another channel and they didn’t use Mod Podge Dishwasher Safe…so I decided to try it for myself.

I went to the Dollar Tree where they have clear glass full size dinner plates 10 1/2″ across, and bought two of them to try this out. Here’s a link to them. http://tinyurl.com/ycy8ohys

I found Mod Podge Dishwasher Safe at Target.com for $3.98 and here’s the link to it. http://tinyurl.com/ya79yjdx

To begin this project, you’ll need to wipe your plate with rubbing alcohol to remove any fingerprints/grime. I ran mine through the dishwasher then wiped it with alcohol just to be on the safe side.

You’ll need a foam brush, 1/2 yard of the material of your choice, and a good pair of fabric scissors. (I used my Tim Holtz small snips to cut the material once it was on the plate.) the 5″ micro snips are my favorite…Here’s a link to them. http://tinyurl.com/yb946teq

After the plate is clean, and before you’ve removed the seal from the bottle of Mod Podge, lay the bottle on it’s side and roll it around on your work surface to mix the Mod Podge. Then you will lay the plate face down on a work surface (I used a Dollar Tree cutting mat for under my project)….Coat the back (underside) of the plate with Mod Podge (dishwasher safe) with a foam brush, trying not to leave any gobs or uneven areas of Mod Podge.  Lay the material face down, making sure you’ve covered the plate on all sides with the material. (I didn’t trim my material until after I’d glued it to the plate. )
Once the material is laid in place, coat the material with Mod Podge all the way to the edges of the plate. Make sure you don’t have any bubbles underneath, and now’s the time to pick up the material and re-adjust it if you have an issue with wrinkles or bubbles.
I waited overnight for the Mod Podge to dry, then trimmed it from the edges of the plate.  I used Tim Holtz small 5″ scissors, and trimmed to the edge of the plate.  I  added a second layer of Mod Podge and made sure that I went around and under the edges to ensure they were well adhered… Try to make sure you don’t leave any big globs of Mod Podge, and that you’ve coated the fabric surface so you can see the Mod Podge everywhere.
I cleaned the mat with my homemade stamp cleanser (1 tsp. baby shampoo in spray bottle filled with water), but really, once the Mod Podge has dried, it can basically be pulled off the plastic mat with your fingers.
I added a third coat of Mod Podge the next day to ensure it was going to be well coated.

NOTE: You need to let it cure (don’t put it in the dishwasher) for 28 days. That means you can wash the top of the plate, but keep the underside out of water for 28 days so it has time to completely dry and set up.
I wiped the edges of the plate while the Mod Podge was still wet to clean the spots where I got a little crazy with Mod Podge….
I also made a plate using Christmas material. The Christmas material had some thicker areas that were (fake) embroidered) and those sections were difficult to adhere to the plate evenly. I didn’t have any problems with the first material I used, but I needed to cut the Christmas material around some of the leaves, so I could lay the material on the plate to ensure the material laid flat.

I’ve been so excited to upload a video every day for the past few days, and have more to go live.  Sometimes Rich works in spells, and he’s doing a big push right now.  I want to make a Thanksgiving postcard to send to friends and family, and like to do that this time of year.  I don’t send a lot of Christmas cards, as people get a lot and they don’t seem to have the impact that you would hope….Saying I’m grateful to have people in my life (for me) is an unexpected gift, and maybe it’s more impactful…I’m not sure.. I just think it’s a better fit for me.  I like to send them to our college friends and our extended family, and close local friends.  It’s the perfect time to do it, and so today, that’s my project….I have anew stamp set that I got with the Simon Says Stamp card kit for November (or was it October?) that’s all about fall leaves and being thankful for friends and family.  I like using a different set every year, in case someone actually keeps my postcard…Then they’ll know it’s new and different (at least that’s how I am hoping they see it…

Yesterday I filled all of our bird/suet feeders.  I have a large bird population that depends on us (at least that’s what I tell myself.)  I don’t know of any neighbors that feed birds, and once my feeders are full, the birds are quick to follow.  Every year at garage sales, I buy several new feeders, as our area bear likes to ruin as many as possible in the spring.  He wakes up and I swear, heads to our house for his first meal.  He ruins at least three or four big feeders and two or three suet feeders annually.  This year I found some really terrific feeders and the birds are so happy with them.  When I was a kid, my parents loved watching birds eat, and had a feeder in front of the living room picture window.  At that point in my life I couldn’t understand the interest, but now that I’m retired and Honey and I spend so much time in a room that’s primarily windows, bird watching is fun for both of us.  (I think it’s like television for Honey.)

We had minor snow yesterday, but thirty minutes from us, had over a foot of snow.  That’s too much too soon, and I’m not looking forward to winter.  I do however, love Thanksgiving, and the food related to it.  My birthday falls on Thanksgiving this year (11/22), and I’ve never been fond of that.  It’s not the “getting older thing,” more I’ve had several “bad” birthdays.  My first birthday memory was age four when President Kennedy was assassinated.  It’s weird that I can remember that day, and having cake with two neighbor friends on a foot stool in front of the television, so our mothers could watch the events as they unfolded, crying.  Then mid teens when my sister had a seizure on my birthday and into college, when my mother had an emergency hysterectomy, and Rich’s mother being buried on my birthday years later.  There are so many more, ending with two years ago, when I bent over the clothes drier and my artificial hip popped out of the socket the day before. It’s not every year that’s bad, but I always breathe a sigh of relief when the day has passed.   At least this year, my belly will be full of turkey and stuffing, and that’s always a good thing…Let’s all cross our fingers that this year’s birthday is uneventful.  You’ll be among the first to know regardless.

I wanted to make a double slider card with a gnome, and started by making a frame for the center.  (A double slider means it slides in two directions.)
I used 4 1/4 x 4 /1/4″ white card stock and centered a 3 1/4″ circle die to create a stamped frame around the die, then drew the center circle with a pencil and removed the die.  I used peg stamps from the following sets: Christmastime, Fairy Garden (I’m not sure why I kept saying Party Garden as I have the name written on the sides of the stamps), and the Shady Pines set.  I stamped the images with Memento Dew Drops in Pear Tart, Olive Grove, Northern Pine, Espresso, and Desert sand.  Start with the largest image when stamping a wreath. and making sure you’re stamping both outside primarily of the circle drawn   I used the pine boughs first, then added in some pine cones, smaller pine boughs, and mushrooms to create a circular wreath frame that a gnome would appear out of..  I took a 3 3/4″ and  3 1/4″ circle dies and laid them over the wreath I’d created and cut out the wreath. I stamped and cut out several mushrooms https://pegstamps.com/fairy-garden.html from pegstamps.com and attached three on the bottom edges of the inside of the wreath frame to add to the dimension of the frame and to highlight the gnome when he appears.
I stamped and colored my gnome from a stamp set I bought from Aliexpress. Here’s a link to it. http://tinyurl.com/y97k36nn   I originally saw this stamp set free with a magazine, and didn’t buy it at the time, so was happy when I found them on Aliexpress.
I used a circle die that was 3 1/4″ across and placed my gnome below the die on a piece of white heavyweight Recollections cardstock that was 4 3/4″ wide by 6 3/4″ tall. You want to make sure that there is 1/4″ gap below the circle for the gnome and 1/4″ from the bottom of the card to the bottom of the gnome. If you need to use a smaller circle die or move the die up to accommodate the gnome, now is the time to do this before you die cut the paper.
Once you are sure your gnome has enough room and the circle is in it’s proper placement, make marks where the circle will be by tracing the inside of the die, and removing the die. You’ll need to make two slits in the cardstock.  One about 1/8″ below the circle die and about one that’s 1/8″ from the bottom of the base of the card, both in a straight line. I used a Mulwark craft knife to cut slits in my cardstock that were about 1/2″ wide and 1/8″ high. You’ll need to make both slits the same size.
Next take a thicker plastic bag and cut it so it’s 3/8″ wide (and cutting it on your paper trimmer for ease of trimming)…This strip needs to be long enough to be threaded through the slits you’ve made and then glued together to form a loose circle that is on the back and front of the cardstock. I used redline tape to adhere mine, but it was recommended in videos that you use a stapler. I couldn’t find mine, so went with red line tape. Don’t make your circle of plastic too tight when you attach the ends together, as it needs to move freely.
Before I put my plastic in place, I die cut the circle. I made sure my plastic moved easily and was well adhered to itself before going any further, as this is the most crucial part of the project.
Take another piece of white cardstock that’s exactly the same size as the first piece 4 3/4″ x 6 3/4″ tall, and using the first piece as a template, draw inside the circle so you can die cut the other piece so the circles are in the exact same spot on both pieces. The new piece is going to be the front of our card and the piece with the baggie mechanism is the next layer of our card (just to clarify.)
Once I die cut the circle on the front layer, I decided to use some Distress Oxide inks to color it. I used a Blending tool from Tim Holtz and used Twisted Citron, Lucky Clover, then Peeled Paint. I went around the bottom of the circle with Fossilized Amber, then Broken China and went over almost everything with Faded Jeans.
I went back to the second layer and attached my gnome by putting red line tape almost to the bottom of the plastic so the gnome could move as high as possible. I flipped over the cardstock and took a strip of white cardstock that is 1/2″ wide and attached it to the very top of the plastic baggie strip with red line tape. This piece of cardstock needs to be long enough so it sticks out the bottom of the cardstock about 1/2″. I put foam tape on either side of this strip as close as possible without touching the strip so it doesn’t adhere to it. I added foam tape to the sides of the cardstock so there is foam tape surrounding the circle on the top and sides but not so it gets in the way of the movement of the paper strip. Flip the cardstock over and put tear tape around the top of the circle and on the sides close to the edges and on either side of the gnome, making sure the gnome doesn’t adhere to the foam tape if it gets too close to him.
I used a stamp set from MayMay called “Action” http://tinyurl.com/yd3en99k for the word “Pull” and stamped that at the bottom of the 1/2″ strip and rounded the corners of the strip.

After the distress oxides dried, I took the wreath frame and attached it around the circle with foam tape.  I stamped, colored and cut out the gnome’s house and put that below the circle.  (This is now the front of the card.)  I glued this on top of the cardstock with the gnome, and made sure the pull tab is on the back of second layer. I added a card base that was 5 x 7″ in olive green (making sure the card base opening was to the right.) I also cut out a sign that came with the stamp set, colored it and adhered it inside the circle cut out on the 5 x 7″ card base.

I thought the front of the card needed something else, so I stamped with Old Olive Stampin’ Up ink a couple of pine trees and some grass strands to make it look like a hillside behind the gnome house. I added a couple of the mushrooms I’d stamped and cut out from pegstamps.com on either side of the house, to make the house more cohesive with the rest of the card.

Today we went to lunch at a friend’s house then to a movie.  We saw “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” and let me tell you, it’s suspenseful.  I enjoyed it and so did Rich.  Our friends didn’t seem to like it as much as we did, but we aren’t deep thinkers when it comes to movies, we’re there for the entertainment.  I think that allows us to enjoy movies for the experience and not the deeper meaning that a lot of movie goers expect. With that being said, if you are looking for a movie like “Silence of the Lambs,” this isn’t it.  It was entertaining, but probably won’t win any awards.

When we came home, I finished the tape runner video, as Dave, the customer service manager, whose been so nice to me, gave me the information on the tape runner so I could give you links in case you’re interested in buying them.  He said this tape runner has been so well received that it’s now being sold by Glue Dots as their extra strength tape runner….Who would have guessed?  I’m glad I finished the video and uploaded it.

As for the second Dollar Tree idea video, it seems like people aren’t as interested in it as they were the first.  Maybe I should see what I called the first video, and rename this one similarly, so people know what to expect.  The first one went over so well, that I hope this one isn’t a disappointment.

As for tonight, it’s date night, so we’ll be having dinner and a movie with the dogs in Rich’s man room downstairs.  The dogs get so excited when Rich goes downstairs and says it’s date night…they come running—because it’s all about a night of snuggling between us on the couch…those dogs have it made.  If you’ve never seen the video I made on Rich’s room, here’s the link.  I think it’ll make you smile….

I had bought one Plus Corporation tape runner plus ten refills from Amazon. Here’s a link to it on Amazon in case you want to see the differences for yourself. http://tinyurl.com/ybqeevvs (This is the original purchase and not the one I would recommend.)
Once I realized that the tape runner didn’t work well, I contacted the Plus Corporation (as they offered a contact card in the package sent from Amazon.) The man I spoke with (Dave) was really nice, and wanted to make sure I was happy with the transaction.. He found my original order where I’d bought the body, plus ten refills, and offered to replace them with their extra strong,
item number TG-0944. He sent them to me immediately, and I absolutely loved the new tape runner. When I tried to find a link to them for all of you, I couldn’t find them anywhere online. I contacted Dave and he said that this tape runner has been so well received, they are now making them for other companies and they are now sold under those company names. Here is a link to the new tape runners being sold by Glue Dots being sold through Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/yd4rx8ng Currently the body (with tape) is $7.65 and refills are $2.67 each. To purchase the refills, here is the link to them also from Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/ya9xa9sp
As always, I don’t make any money from these links, and I encourage you to price shop to get the best prices possible. Glue Dots item numbers are below:
Dispenser #41901 Glue Dots Super Strength
Refills #41901 Glue Dots Super Strength Refill

I worked on putting up two videos today and finally got the Dollar Tree video up.  It’s funny, because I had to go there on three different occasions, and if  you look closely, you’ll notice at least two clothing changes.  I wish the video had gone up before Halloween, but these things happen.

I’m feeling pretty guilty about poor Rich and they way I’ve been pushing him to put up videos.  We have such a back log that I haven’t made any others yet, as I’m waiting for him to upload at least five or six more videos.  It’s crazy when we get that far behind, but his back has been killing him and I didn’t really want to push the issue.  So yesterday, crazy boss Sandy came out to play and now poor Rich probably feels glued to his computer.  I’m happy though, that we have at least two ready to go up and a third that he’s working on.  If he can clean up the backlog, I’ll be so excited.  I have so many ideas, but don’t want to do anything with them yet, as I’d prefer to get the other videos done.

I got an email from Arteza today, offering to let me do another video for them.  I love playing with their products, and this time they’re letting me have a rotary cutter.  My girlfriend has one and says she can’t live without it, and I’m excited, but terrified at the same time, because I’m pretty sure I’ll be rolling it over one of my fingers…Yikes!

I think I talked about the great customer service experience I had from a company called Plus Corporation, and their tape runners.  I bought one tape runner plus ten refills, and they didn’t hold my cardstock together.  I called them and they offered to replace them with stronger adhesive tape runners and I loved them…they are the best tape runners I’ve ever tried…..So I made a video about it, and when I went to find the cost of the replacements so I can tell everyone where to get them, I can’t find them anywhere.  There’s one being sold on Amazon by a third party vendor, and they want over $25 for the one tape runner.  Who in their right mind would pay that for tape?  So I called their customer service number again today and left a message asking them for help on where people can buy these tape runners.  It would be crazy for me to put that video up if you can’t buy them any where….right?