My exhaustion has caught up to me once again.  I didn’t think the last video that went up reflected it, but I got a call from Carol Held, a fellow YouTuber from Canada.  She called me twice today while I was still asleep (and our ringer was turned off,) then again this afternoon.  She said she watched my last video and I seemed like I might be ill.  She said she was so concerned that she was going to call me until she spoke to someone, as she thought I must be coming down with something.

I really appreciate the comments I got on this blog when I talked about my health and feeling so tired.  I am blessed to have supportive people in my corner.

So I added a commentary on the newest video that should go live tomorrow, as I had a hard time thinking and making cohesive sentences in that video.  I don’t want others to be concerned, so told my viewers the whole story.  It made me feel better telling them the truth, but still, I wish it wasn’t like this.  I’m hoping that I start feeling more energized in the next few days.  And luckily, you’ll be the first to know.

Still exhausted, but committed to start making Easter cards.  I wanted to try a mixed media card, and have been working on it for three days.  I’ll bet you think a card I’d spend three days on must mean it’s a work of art.  Not so much…It’s a work of something, but I’m not sure what.  The lady that asked for it, knows I don’t do much mixed media, and trust me when I say this, I’m not sure if this card is representative of mixed media, or a mixed mess.  I put that final touches on it last night and had Rich look at it to decide what he thought of it.  He came out shaking his head. and asked if it was for a man.  It’s pretty masculine, were his thoughts on it.  Then his next words were, “it’s got a lot going on.”  I will admit that it does have a lot going on, but the masculine part, that I’m not really sure about.  It’s glittery and has a ton of butterflies in a variety of styles and media.  It might have too many butterflies and even more glitter, and I have been alternating between putting it on my facebook page as a huge fail, or posting it on YouTube as a card I feel good about.  It’s beauty lies somewhere in between.  It might be really tacky, and that could be the perfect word for it.  Or over the top…another good description for it.   I thought about putting it on YouTube for “what to do when nothing goes the way you want.”  Or maybe I could make it a lead in to a contest for people to post their ugly cards on my facebook page.  I’ll take one more look at it, and decide which place to post it.  It’s definitely not a winner, that’s a definite.

Every once in a while, I hit a wall, literally.  I hate to admit it, but it’s a fact of life.  I’ve been on small daily dose of prednisone for about three years.  I really wanted to wean off of it, and finally was able to do so a week or so ago.  There are big side effects for coming off of steroids, and I just started really feeling them the last few days.  I’m completely exhausted and as much as I want to stay on top of my videos, I’m starting to struggle again.  So I’ll just tell those of you that read this blog,  I know we’re in this channel together, and you understand how much it means to me to keep it going.  I hope by sleeping a lot in the next couple of days, that I’ll get past it, and feel like i’m on top of my YouTube game again.  At least that’s  my plan.

Although we aren’t Irish, my sister loves St. Patrick’s Day, and I try to make her a card every year.
I started with Jolee’s Boutique embellishments that I bought at Joann’s. The piece I’m using is primarily cream colored, so I used Recollections cream colored heavyweight card stock cut to a 5 1/2″ wide by 4 1/4″ tall card base. I also cut a piece that was 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ and put it into a shamrock embossing folder and ran it through my Vagabond. I used a green pigment ink and rubbed the ink pad over the shamrock paper, then put Ranger clear embossing powder on it and heat set it. I used my Fiskars guillotine trimmer to cut it to 5 1/2″ tall by 2″ wide. I put tear tape on the back of the shamrock strip so it would stay attached to fun foam and used Tea Dye Distress Ink with a stencil brush to brush all four edges of my shamrock strip.
Putting the card base in the MISTI, I used Inspired by Stamping Lines stamps and stamped with the same ink as the shamrock, then used clear embossing powder and heat set the lines as well.  I flipped the card in the MISTI, so the lines were on the exact same place on both sides of my card.
The embellishment from Jolee’s has loops on either side of it, so I tied silver thread on both sides and wrapped it around the shamrock piece and put tear tape on the back to push the excess thread into it. I put a piece of fun foam on the back and more tear tape on the back of the fun foam and placed the shamrock piece between the lines on the card base. Sometimes the tear tape doesn’t hold it, so use a little wet glue to ensure it stays in place.
My Creative Times “I believe in Leprechauns” stamp set was used for the inside sentiment. I used the Tea Dye distress ink and brushed it around the outside edges of the card, and then used the same stencil brush to ensure there was more ink on the edges.
I used peg stamps, large and small shamrocks, from http://www.pegstamps.com on the inside of the card and on the envelope with Lucky Clover distress ink.

I have promised a viewer that I will make her a mixed media card featuring butterflies.  I started working on the card tonight, and so far, it’s a fail..Huge Fail!  It might be one of those cards that after you let it dry, it looks a lot better, but it looks highly doubtful at this point.  I wish people like Kristina Werner and Jennifer McGuire would show their fails, and what, if anything, they do to save them.  I sometimes feel like I’m the only crafter on YouTube who shows my fails.  It doesn’t do a lot for my confidence, let me tell you.  I guess I’ll let you know tomorrow if the card had to go into the trash can, as it’s pretty scary.  If it actually makes it to video, it could be a minor miracle.

I think I should make a facebook contest for my viewers…Show me your worst fail…There’s a chance though, when you run a contest like that, people will make the worst card possible just to win.  But if they go to such great lengths to win, maybe they deserve it..I’m still in the thinking phase, but really think I’ll run with it.  So save your horrible cards, because you might have the winner.

I forgot to write on the blog yesterday, as we went out to lunch and then to a movie with friends.  We saw Red Sparrow with Jennifer Lawrence and I have to say, it was much more violent and gory than I had anticipated.  I have two things I can’t watch in movies, rape scenes and violence against animals.  If you’re going to see the movie, I’ll tell you this much, there’s no animal violence involved.  I was anxious by the time the movie ended, as there was so much explicit violence..torture, rape, you name it.  I was really glad when we got in the car and I could forget about the last two hours.  Obviously, I’m not a movie critic, but I wasn’t a huge fan, and I normally really enjoy her movies.

On to other topics.  I made my sister’s St. Patrick’s Day card, if I forgot to tell you.  I think it turned out fine and hope my viewers enjoy it.

Today, I read, went to dinner with friends and am hanging out with the dogs.  They prefer to spend their time with me…not because they like me more than Rich, but because they can con me into almost anything.  These dogs aren’t stupid…they know an easy touch when they see one.  We’re spending the evening trying to find some card techniques I’d like to try, and tomorrow I’ll make it.  I’ve promised a couple of viewers that I will make them cards, and want to get serious about it..

I wanted to make a springy card, so used a background size die and pulled the “guts” out of it and colored them with Prismacolor and Caran ‘dache watercolor pencils then liquefied them. The Prismacolors were light peach, blush pink, carmine red, and pink. The Caran ‘dache were Granite Rose, Raspberry Red, and Rose Pink.  The colors did not come out very dark the first time, so I waited for them to dry, and repainted them to get a more vibrant color, by using a combination of the same colors.
I used white Recollections 110 lb card stock for my card base and cut it the 5 1/2″ tall by 4 1/4″ wide. I used a new Tonic wet glue to glue my background die to the card base.
I cut three different flower dies in pink, and colored them with three Touch Five markers in 7, 16 and 137.
In the strips left behind on the background die, I added tear tape in the slots, then added some wet glue in the corners of the slots with micro brushes I bought at Aliexpress to ensure the strips stayed where they were glued.
I  cut a leafy die in green card stock, and used a darker green alcohol marker to make it darker. I also colored a hello die cut with the same green marker.
I took the flowers I colored and helped make them look realistic, by laying the flowers on fun foam and using a stylus, rubbed the petals from inside near the center of the flower to leaf tip and added a light pink pearl to the center of each flower. I used Pretty in Pink ink from Stampin Up on a sentiment for the inside of the card, then a peg stamp (www.pegstamps.com) and used a jagged petal flower and a fern stamped in Always Artichoke ink from Stampin’ Up.

My sister has always loved St. Patrick’s Day, so I like to make a card for her.  I had a great time making a pretty frisky card (if I must say so myself.)  I found some great embellishments at Joanns, and as soon as I saw them, I knew what the card would look like.  OK, I had an idea, more like a spark of an idea, for the look of the card.

I’m so glad that the card is done a little in advance of St. Patrick’s Day, so I’ll actually get the card in the mail and to her home on time.  It’s almost shocking to me when that happens, as I’m not really prompt when it comes to getting cards mailed on time.  I have good intentions, but my follow through isn’t always the greatest.  This might be the year for timeliness….we can always hope.

We got our taxes done, and if I was a nail biter, I’d have bitten my nails to the quick.  I was fretting the entire time.  Did I have all the papers I needed, would she ask me something I didn’t know, did I do everything this year that she told me to do last year when we met?  The list in my head went round and round.  Luckily, crisis averted for another year.

It did give me time to think, though, when I was trying to take my mind off of taxes.  I need to make a mini album for friends, and a St. Patrick’s Day card for my sister, and I’ve promised a couple viewers that I would make cards for them, and I’ve been trying to think of things to do for them….so something good did come out of the whole tax experience.  I can’t tell you how relieved I feel when we walk out their door.  I just want to buy myself a big “great job on those taxes” treat.  Do they make those kinds of treats?  If not, they definitely should.

 

I basically spent all day travelling back and forth to Pittsburgh, to go to my rheumatologist.  I really like going there, as there’s a great bakery not far from her office, as well as a really big Dollar Tree.  You have to love a place where you can find a great bakery and a Dollar Tree not far from each other!

I bought some toys for the dogs and a bunch of treats, so they were really happy to see us when we got home.  I always love to see them so excited when they see new treats or toys, and it makes the long trip worthwhile.

Tomorrow is the worst day of the year for me.  We’re going to get our taxes done.  I have no reason to dread doing it, other than I fret that I lost or forgot to bring important paperwork.  And to be totally honest with you, I went to college to become and accountant.  I spent my internship doing taxes and I think it warped me for life.  I definitely knew I would rather do almost anything than be an accountant, so at least it saved me from a nervous breakdown, living and breathing taxes for almost four months out of every year.  Just think how one day of taxes messes with my head.  If I was an accountant I’d start crying in December, and wouldn’t stop until way after April 15th.  Lucky I found my calling in banking…no taxes involved.