Category : Crafts

148 posts

Wowsers! My ADD is in full gear. I want to try everything. So many irons in the fire but not much getting fully finished. Its a self-diagnosed condition and I am not making light of those who struggle with the medically diagnosed form. I’m with ya…I get it!

Where or where to start….

These seem like the perfect way to begin to explain how my ADD is working these days.

I pulled out my sewing box looking for a needle and button thread to reattach a button on J’s shorts. Yes, this would have been the optimal time to teach him this skill but I didn’t think of that until I was done. Perhaps I’ll have to snip a few threads on another one. *insert evil laugh*

Anyway…I noticed a few completed yoyos and several circles ready to sew. Of course, I dive full in and begin sorting through my scraps for pieces big enough to cut circles, then sit down and sew all these. I decided to exhibit a bit of self-control and actually began to tackle my to-do list.

I canned my spicy beans…although 2 jars never properly sealed so those are in the fridge for immediate consumption.

I also made Kimchi for the first time. You can see that I sampled quite a bit from one jar before thinking to document. It is so good! I sort of cobbled together a few recipes since I didn’t have the exact ingredients for any of them. I wasn’t sure if it would taste as good as the local brands I picked up at the co-op but it did! Now I have my fingers crossed that we get another Napa cabbage in our farm share box this week.

Sticking with the food theme…

The summer squash is beginning to ripen, We really enjoy these grilled. I use the grill as much as possible to cook with during the summer. No use heating up the house if at all possible not to.

I came home from my walk yesterday to find this…looks ok since you didn’t see it before. The deer ate a good 1/4 of the plant leaves and stems in addition to EVERY SINGLE tomato on the vine. There had to have been at least 15 maybe closer to 20 tomatoes in various stages of ripening. UGH!!!!!!!

Moving on…no use crying about what is already done.

My walk yesterday morning took me to the lake where I would take the kids swimming when they were little.

The water was so calm. Even the boat launch made for a pretty scene.

The rental craft are always a pretty picture but I was honestly very surprised that they are renting them during the pandemic. HMM…

This week after much deliberation, I decided to reopen my Etsy store. Mini-me said that she’d help me in exchange for a sales commission. I think that is fair and savvy on her part.

I have only gotten a few cards listed so far but its a work in progress.

More works in progress are masks for the family. J will need a bunch for school. They are required to wear them on campus while outside of their rooms. The dining center and any classrooms that require other protective gear are the exceptions. Mini-me will also need more if she will be attending community college as part of the PSEO (post-secondary enrollment option) program. She’s been accepted but her counselor quit two weeks ago. We’re kind of stuck at the moment. She may be starting her senior year at high school then transition to the college classes…who knows?!?!

Too soon? LOL I indulged in a cold beer over the weekend in my Corona glass.

Today I’m attempting to get some of the chores I really don’t like doing so that I can do a few fun crafty things I’ve been wanting to try. I’m dangling the carrot for myself…we’ll see if it works or not.

What are you doing today?

Welcome to another edition of T stands for Tuesday.  Since it has been two weeks since my last T Tuesday post, I thought I’d give a few updates on what I’ve been up to.

Let’s dive right in…

I figured I’d start with a garden update since this photo was just so pretty. Whoever thought a potato plant would be pretty. The galvanized planter holds nasturtiums and a volunteer of some sort.

Everything is growing…looking good. It is starting to make me nervous. Every time I have a beautiful garden, some sort of damage happens in the blink of an eye. Hail and pesky deer are the most likely cluprits.

At least this garden should be safe from the deer.

With the addition of the full height gate.

I can’t get over how big the tomatoes have gotten. They all have blossomed with the promise of fruit.

I got outside to water early since the heat and humidity are sky-high for today and tomorrow.

I made a bamboo trellis with little a bunting for each of the large flower pots out front. I decided to plant morning glories and cardinal climbers in the pots this year for something different. I like the height it gives the pots.

I am finally done with school. Distance learning is not fun for anyone…  Since the decision to move to distance learning was made unexpectedly over a weekend, lockers were left untouched. A group of us, over two days, emptied 1600 lockers.

It was a big task but it was awesome to be back in the building. With familiar faces. Talking to people in person.

This locker was empty save the stacks of unused condiment cups. Middle schoolers are weird.

Back at home, I decided to try my hand at pickling eggs. I’m not even sure we’ll like them but time will tell. They need to sit for at 2-4 weeks in the fridge to absorb the flavors.

On Friday, Mini-me had her wisdom teeth removed. She was supposed to get them out 2.5 months ago but…COVID-19 happened, lockdown happened…

She was having a hard time on Saturday so I picked up this beautiful bouquet at the local farmers market to brighten her day. It brightened her spirits but didn’t lessen the swelling. Poor baby…her face was a square. It is still fairly swollen but the pain is lessening.

I’ve been working on some more art journal pages for Art Journal Journey. Did you know I am guest hosting this month? The theme I have chosen is A Stitch in Time.

I’m going to be spending as much time as possible indoors over the next 48 hrs to avoid the heat and humidity. There certainly is plenty to keep me busy.

What are you doing today?

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been sending more cards. This, in turn, depletes my stash. Over the past week, I’ve been having fun creating some new designs using some scraps as well as previously created card bases.

I have an index card box full of precut layering pieces for cards. This comes in handy for quick card making. I also have a wooden cigar box filled with mini collages for cards or journal pages. Doing some of the mindless prep work ahead of time leaves more time for the creative process and doesn’t interrupt the flow of ideas.

I am also starting to pre-make some sentiment pieces. I grabbed my tag and mason jar punches to start. The mason jar is so darn cute. The punch itself is a bit finicky. It jams almost every single time. UGH!!!!

I am willing to put up with it though because…look how cute this is!!!! After I stamped the pale seafoam green I realized that it was beginning to look like an old-fashioned blue mason. I used a cosmetic sponge to shade in two colors of blue dye-based ink. Then rubbed the top of the jar on a gray pigment ink pad to act as the zinc lid.

I used foam tape to lift it off the page so I could add some sticker flowers to the jar. So fun!

I can 100% guarantee that you’ll be seeing more cards and postcards. They are really quite addictive to create.

Welcome to another edition of T stands for Tuesday. The only post I seem to do lately.

new H mug

One of the teachers I work with surprised me with this H mug last week, It’s so pretty and holds a copious amount of hot beverage.

new H mug

I was admiring the new to me ledger. It will provide me with lots of great background papers and junk journal pages. So cool!

new supplies

Speaking of supplies. I picked up some goodies at Michael’s on clearance. Super excited about my new supplies.

book stack

I have made one crafty item lately…this book stack home decor item. Makes me laugh every time I look at it!

What are you doing today?

This post will be a jumble…so many things in so many directions. That’s my life right now. Some days I feel a little more scattered than others. When I’m having a scattered day I am trying to be mindful and prioritize, slow down when possible and forgive myself for not vacuuming.

I finally set up my sewing machine in J’s room. Not really sure what took me so long to get back to it… perhaps lost creative mojo.

Quilting

marvin being helpful

Now that my machine is in a usable space I got out the scrappy quilt top I made before Christmas. I settled on a tie-dye fabric from my stash for the backing. As soon as I laid the quilt on the floor for basting, my helper showed up.

marvin being helpful

Making the bed is pretty much his favorite activity…well maybe eating and sleeping are tied for first then making the bed.  Of course, he doesn’t understand that laying the quilt out nice and flat and smooth, keeping it all inline are an integral part of the process.

Teaset pincushion

Since this desk overlooks the front yard, it’s a perfect spot for Marvin to do a bit of bird watching. With that in mind, I decided that the standard tomato pincushion wasn’t the right choice…looks a little too much like a ball.

teacup pin cushion

I made this teacup pincushion a while back and have finally put it to use. I love that the cup sits slightly off-center on the saucer. When I first noticed this mistake I was upset but now I realize that this is a good thing. The off-center placement allows for more useful space for sewing tools at the ready.

Week of appreciation

para appreciation week

Last week was declared Paraprofessional appreciation week by Governer Walz. Our school went all out making us feel appreciated in so many ways. Puny gifts, signs on our lockers, cards, and breakfast but honestly, the most meaningful one was drawing and note from a student that I wasn’t sure I was making an impact with.

Archery

Archery season is upon us. I love this season even with the distance we travel most Saturdays. It gives Mini-me and I some quality time in the car.

Birthday Boy

reading to friends

J turned 20 years old today!! TWENTY!! So crazy. It was hard not to be with him today. I was very distracted with thoughts of him throughout the day. I just wanted to hop in the van and drive to Duluth. I’ll be calling him shortly when his class is over…but it’s just not the same.

What else…oh yeah…I dyed my hair…mostly the underside…purple. Well…technically eggplant. Yep…totally went for it. It’s really fun and I love it. The family had a bit of a hard time getting used to it but I think they have now. If you take a peek at my about me page, you will see the new look.

What are you doing today?

Hello and welcome to another edition of T stands for Tuesday! You may have noticed that I’ve been gone a while. I talked about my back saga in the previous post so we are moving on to something more festive and fun!

Since we were hosting Christmas (because I love it!) I had to lean on the rest of the family to do all of the heavy and not so heavy lifting.

Even the simple things like getting a cake in and out of the oven.

The past few years I’ve made a rum cake for Christmas but this time I went for a Fireball Whiskey cake. It was so good. I forgot to take a photo of it with the icing…likely because it wasn’t very pretty.

We had overnight guests on Christmas eve…Mini-me gave up her bed and slept on the couch. Of course, this meant that she was up even earlier than she usually is. She is my early bird kid.

It was a long wait…even with me making all kinds of noise in the kitchen.

This was my favorite present under the tree…it’s hard to wrap arrows. Mini-me needed a new set for archery season which is just days away.

Marvin had to be a part of the chaos…bows are his favorite.

I suppose the whiskey cake could have been my “beverage” for T stands for Tuesday but instead, I thought I’d share the tiniest cocktail I’ve ever seen. My BIL brought this over. It wasn’t anything I cared for but the can sure was cute.

I’ve been working on purging my rubber stamps. I was so frustrated digging through them trying desperately to find a Happy Anniversary stamp since I had promised my MIL that I’d make her some cards. I had a bunch of bases completed they just needed a sentiment and the also requested “shiny butterflies”. Thankfully I have a very crafty neighbor who is willing to share. Thanks, KW!

The “shiny butterflies” have the big wow factor but are pretty easy to make. I stamped each butterfly on white card stock with black Staz-on ink. I used watercolor paint to colorize each. After completely dry, I fussy cut each and placed on a non-stick surface. I coated each one with Diamond glaze. As they dry a slight curl happens quite naturally giving them an even more “lifelike” appearance.

I have now looked through every single one of my stamps and alas…I never even had a Happy Anniversary stamp. ugh. Well, now I do…I bought a set of sentiments at Michaels. I’m sure you’ll be seeing some cards in the near future with these words.

Today is Mini-me’s 17th birthday. I can hardly believe it. 

I was planning to go out and get her favorite meal… Chipotle…but we are getting a snowstorm. It remains to be seen if we venture out or not.

Speaking of crazy storms and slippery conditions….have you seen this video?

The video was taken a few miles from our house. Mini-me had friends on that bus heading to a girls’ hockey tournament.

What are you doing today?

Since heading back to school I think perhaps I’ve done more crafting than I did all of August. It always works that way. What’s that saying?… Busy people get things done.”  There is whole lot of truth in that statement.  Grab a cup of coffee or whatever and stay awhile…I’ve got lots to share.

I think I’ll start with the travel journal I made with ephemera from our trip. It’s still a work in progress but here’s a sneak peek at the journal with some of the goodies tucked inside.

I’m still sewing like there’s no tomorrow.

In fact this photo was taken 10 mins before I had to leave for my first day back to work.

No games will be played at the game table anytime soon. I’ve kind of temporarily taken over. I’m nearly done with the paper foundation stitching on all the blocks…at least I think so. Once I start doing the layout I’ll know for sure.

I also did a bit more cleaning and organizing in my art zone. I wish I could call it a studio but that would be like putting lipstick on a pig. It’s functional…just not pretty. 

Check out my new washi tape organization….

Mini-me has yet to do her color organization on the washi…I know she will though and it will be much prettier.

While I was organizing I decided it would be a good idea to make some more card bases or backgrounds..which ever you prefer.

I picked up the paper pad above at Tuesday Morning (no affiliation) and was itching to use it. So many pretty patterns.

I have a nice stack of cards started now just waiting for the right sentiment or occasion.

I’m heading back to the sewing machine to finish up my blocks. Can’t. Stop. Sewing.

What are you doing today?

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