Messy Magic Kingdom + More Stuff = Time to Organize!

Rain, rain go away---

but at least Sharon won't go out to play!

 

Another rainy day!

But I can't walk through my much-neglected Magic Kingdom

aka my craft room...

and the magic wand still isn't working...

so I'd better get to it.

 

Yesterday I got a new stamp set in the mail.

I saw some cute cards on a blog

and wanted to be able to make them.

Now it's time to put the stamps away

until I do---

but how will I remember where to find the instructions

whenever creative mojo strikes and time allows?

Chances are---I won't

and I will spend precious crafting time

just trying to track down the image and measurements.

We've all done it.

 

Since I was filing away some more digital stamps

from last week's project-

I had a great idea!

Why not...

take the time NOW while I KNOW where the images and measurements are

on the blog I follow

and print out a pic

put the directions on the back of that-

and put it away with the stamp set?!

 

Brilliant!

I know.

It just took a gazillion years to

think of it!

Lol!

 

I may "flutter" with the Flylady system but boy,

sometimes I SOAR like with this idea.

Actually

I got two new stamp sets-

so off to do the other one the same way

before I get back to putting stuff away.

 

Next I need to organize my Copic refills.

I've outgrown the box I had them in

and I want to be sure they are stored upright.

 

Stay tuned.

Rain + raging Fibromyalgia = lots of breaks inbetween work

(which Flylady also advocates!)

 

Until next time,

Happy stamping and scrapping!

Blessings,

 



Organizing Digital Stamps: A Day Late and SEVEN POUNDS + later...!

So I promised a post yesterday

regarding organizing (some of) my digital stamps.

 

Two days

six flash drives

one external hard drive

a ton of plain white cardstock

5 packages of page protectors

one package of dividers

and one 2" Avery one-touch notebook later...

 

And my biggest collection is organized!!!

And it weighs a whopping 7.5 pounds!

And I learned---a lot!

 

For years I've used numerous flash drives

and then an expansion drive-

had computers crash (the cat threw up on the open laptop...)

and most of my data saved...

so I had files everywhere

and not always organized in the best manner.

At first I thought "gee, I will just log into the site

and print off a list of my orders...."

Well, there was only about 1/16 of them listed

and most of them had expired so that was useless.

(Insert note: anyone considering a Kindle

Amazon's site TELLS YOU if you've already ordered a book!)

So I started searching my laptop and flash and other drives.

And saving files.

But when I went back to get them---

well, some were there, some weren't.

More searching.

Some I had "hard copies" of---so that helped fill in a few gaps.

I then spent the time and went through the artist's entire site

image by image,

and rechecked my drives to fill in even more gaps!

I think I recovered all but 3.

And losing 3 out of 90+ is a darn good average!

So, from here on out-

THIS IS HOW I WILL ORGANIZE MY DIGITAL STAMPS!

This is what will work for me.

Take what you like and leave the rest!

Each image has it's own page.

The name of the image is at the top

(I pretty well know what image is by who-

but if I were uncertain, I would have included that as well!)

and then I sized it to what I am most apt to use--

and copied it three times on the page.

 

 

I LOVE pop dots and it typically takes three images

to do the layering I like to do.

I also included a colored image

(if not by me then one I liked/found--I can color-

but I can't get the "shadow" stuff down--

so I like to have something to go by)

I then put this sheet in a plastic page protector.

That way when I want an image,

I can pull out that MASTER worksheet,

copy it and go!

I got this binder

and at first I didn't think I would like it.

But after a few seconds, I fell in love love love!

My fibromyalgia is raging today--



and this baby just has that one little lever

and opens in a heartbeat.

NO PINCHED FINGERS-NO PRODDING AND PRYING!
This is NOT your average notebook of yesteryear!

I don't get paid by Avery-but I should!

 

I put all my things together one way-decided that wouldn't do-

so reorganized them all a second time.

(Actually, a 3rd-as Poppa Cat decided he was going to "help"

and they slid every which way!)

I gave that lever a workout

but had it been a regular notebook-

no way I could have handled it today!

 

Once I got all my MASTER SHEET IMAGES together

and divided in a way that suits my pea brain

I then gathered the odds and ends of images I had already printed

in days gone by.

Each like image went into its own page protector as well

and I simply filed that in after the MASTER IMAGE SHEET.

 

So now I can go pick an image,

if there's a copy ready to go just pull it out and get craftin'!

It's not a big deal if there isn't---

I just pull out the MASTER IMAGE SHEET

make my copy

(sizing it as needed)

and start coloring!

I have also kept/printed copies of variations on the images

I've seen and liked-color combos to try, embellishments, etc-

and stashed that in there, too, for future FYI)

 

This book was HEAVY!!!!

I had to weigh it---

a whopping 7.5 pounds!!!

I may have to divide it out into smaller books-

but at least I KNOW where all that brand images are!

This took hours and hours---

and even after saving it three times

in three different places

before I closed my file

I lost the last 25 pages (on the computer?!)

BUT I HAVE THE HARD COPIES NOW!

 

Only 4-5 more artists digi's to go!

Lol.

Not nearly as many tho-thank goodness!

 

I am just going to get in the habit of doing this

each and every time I order a stamp.

Be forewarned-

if your computer crashes-

or the time frame "expires"

or the artist retires the image

the artist has no obligation to replace your lost image.

Some are nice-and will.

Others-not so much.

I also found that I was able to pull up about 3 different sites

for the same artist

and saw different stamps on each one---?!

And the organization by catagories

wasn't consistent between the three...!

So having the hard copy-or the external hard drive--

CYA (cover your ART my friend!)

 

Until next time,

happy stamping and scrapping.

Blessings,



A Whole Crop of Thank You's and Washi Tape: it's not just for crafting!

Hi there!

I have a lot of pictures today and a lot to share!

So grab your fav beverage and settle in for a few....!

 

First, I will give credit where credit it due...

the images used in today's cards are from

Mo's Digital Pencil.

The idea (technique) for today's card was cased from

Dawn's Stamping Studio and can be found here...

 

My pics look dark in Blogger-no clue why....

 

I needed thank you notes and not 5 minutes after I thought,

"Gee, what am I going to make?"

I saw Dawn's post and was stunned!!!

WOWZERS!

This was soooo cool!

And I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to do!

I love this image from  Mo...

and it has nothing  to do with the fact that

there's a CAT in the chair with her...hidden by the flap!

 

The other image I wanted to use was Mo's "shucks"

It just called out SWEET corn to me!

 

And since my birthday gift to myself

were some new Copic colors-and they came the same day--

sitting a coloring was a good way to continue to celebrate!

 

 

In case you are wondering how I did the chair---

I put the image in Publisher and cropped out all but the chair.

Then I duplicated it on the page x 6

cut my dp to 8 1/2x11" and ran it through.

I repeated the process with just the girl and the cat

(although A LOT more of them fit on one piece of cardstock!)

and then fussy cut it all.

Of course I popped it all up!

I want to try adding some mini mini bows to her pigtails next time!

 

 

 

So!

Those are my cards!

 

On to new unexpected uses for Washi Tape!

Poppa Cat as you know if you've followed my blog

has had a number of health issues

and we are still fine-tuning all his medicines

and the pharmacy we had been using closed

so that changed things up as well.

So now I have two almost identical bottles

and two identical syringes

and of course each have different meds and dosages.

Not wanting to confuse myself-

and that is so easy to do lately---

oh-and one is 1x a day

and the other 2x a day....!

when I needed a solution I headed for the craft room.

One med is super oily

and the numbers soon rub off of the syringe.

I had used a piece of duct tape to mark the dose

on the old syringe---

so why not try some WASHI TAPE

for the new ones?!

The AM med (1x a day) got bright yellow

(sunrise--it will  help when my eyes aren't quite open

and coffee hasn't had time to kick in!)

and the nighttime med got black w/white polka dots

at the dose line

(since it gets dark at night---)

along with the yellow above it

(since he gets it 2x a day)

 

 

So---we'll see how the crafty nurse does with med rounds

with washi-tape coded syringes!

Lol!

Last week-end I was home alone

and med duty fell to me alone.

Have you ever tried to pill a cat?

Have you ever tried to pill a cat followed by

doses of liquid medicine?

I have my technique down pat!

I take a large, heavy towel

and wrap the cat up snuggly in it

so just his head is sticking out

(you need to have those paws covered-trust me!)

Next I sit down with my legs spread open,

place the towel-wrapped cat with his butt up against my body,

head facing my feet.

Then I wrap my legs around the front of him

so he is in a secure hold-with my legs!

I am right-handed, so now I get his head into the crook of my

left arm,

facing semi-forward and semi toward the right.

This gives me the advantage of prying the bottom jaw open

with my left hand and the pill-popper and/or syringe

while I shove the medicine in with my right hand.

Repeat the above process as often as necessary.

Preceeding  said process with a treat-

followed by more treats after the process

(providing there has not been any blood shed)

is highly recommended.

Now---it's not as hard as it sounds.

We had Bad Cat to practice on before Poppa Cat

so I feel like I am a cat-wrangling expert!

Hey, is that a category in the Olympics?!

Tomorrow

I will post my tale of my digital stamp organization.

So stay tuned.

 

Until next time,

happy stamping and scrapping!

Blessings,

 

 

O Happy Day!

Happy Belated Easter!

 

Not only was it Easter week-end

but I also celebrated a milestone birthday

on Friday.

Can't believe I am that old young!

Lol!

And just remembered TODAY

that I was going to blow bubbles that day-

and forgot!!!

Lol!

Oh well-add it to today's list!

 

Easter.

I typically go to our local sunrise service

but I went to bed with either allergies/cold/both and...

and decided being out in the cold

with the wind and water and pollen

were not in my best interest

even tho I was awake in plenty of time.

I contemplated the significance of the day

in the comfort of my covers!

 

When I did go to church

I parked in my usual spot under some trees.

I stepped out from under the tree cover to cross the street

and looked up into the clear crisp crystal blue sky

and saw something free-floating down.

Not a bird in sight

nothing it could have fallen from

except the sky.

My first thought was,

"is that a feather?"

then

"Or a piece of plastic?"

But when it landed

and I walked over to it

it was pristine white feather.

Now Psalm 91 is one of my favorites-

it talks of how God will protect us

we will be covered by His wings...

it was given to me at a particularly difficult time in my life

and I found a lot of comfort and reassurance in it

so much so

that when we built our new sanctuary

and the foundation had been laid

everyone (that wanted to) was given a Sharpie marker

and told to write their favorite Scripture on the cement.

Even tho it was carpeted over

we KNOW we are standing on His promises-literally!

I know exactly where mine is!

Going through another difficult time now

and I guess God wanted me to be reminded

that He has this!

I am indeed under His wings and care...

Not sure why that verse is all blurry---but it says....

"He who dwells in the shadow of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty....

He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge..."
Psalm 91:1, 3 (NIV)

 

 

I was "home alone" this week-end

well, other than the 5 cats...!

And I spent Friday hanging out with my friend Theresa

and her husband Bob

at a local craft show she was a vendor at

and she gave me a beautiful necklace with a charm that says

"In Christ alone my hope is found".

Pretty aqua color-I will post a pic later on.

I got a free Tropical Smoothie-my fav/only one I've tried! - is Kiwi Quencher

and then enjoyed a quiet evening

and some coconut wine said friend's husband made!

Yum!

 

Speaking of YUM

I tried a new recipe last night-

crock pot - super simple

and HEAVENLY delicious!

Crock Pot Chick Burrito Bowl

here's the recipe

I did cut back a little on the chili powder

as I just like a little kick

and then after I melted the cheese on top

I added sour cream and guacamole.

OHMYGOSHISTHISGOOOD!

And so easy to do-and easy clean up...

my kind of cooking!

 

Backing up a bit---Saturday I made a birthday card

for a special girl turning teen-ager!

My friends I mentioned earlier-Theresa and Bob-

it is Theresa's neice.

And at the top of her birthday wish list

were Copic markers.

Well, gee, some new colors of those were MY birthday gift to myself!

So I fully understood her desire!

I told Theresa I wanted to give Jackie 3 markers to help with her collection.

Back when I was first getting started in stamping

my husband was ill, money was tighter than tight

and a gal who owned the local (and I mean on our Island!) stamp store

took pity on me and blessed me with tons of stamps

as she went out of business and moved.

I have never forgotten that act of kindness

and this was one way to pay it forward.

I wanted something with a  "wish" look in it-

not too baby-ish but not over the top trampy as the other extreme

sometimes look

and I think I found the happy medium.

Just as I was putting the last finishing touches on---

I managed to get a glue glob right where that orange banner piece is.

Hence the banner!

Oh well-it covered it and saved my image!

 

Everyone needs a little sparkle---

so I dusted her wings and wand with

hollographic embossing powder.

Oh-my trick here?

For whatever reason the pen I have

that is supposed to lay down clear embossing fluid

leaves a distinct blue effect and smears my colors.

So I use a q-tip and just roll it over my Versamark pad

and then dab it on the area I want to emboss.

I am not the greatest at shadows and colors---

but I am learning.

And growing my Copic stash as well

(of course my order arrived after I did her card! Lol!)

Oozak offers excellent customer service and free shipping

on orders over $ 50.00.

LOG IN to get the best deals when you order.

 

I am off today (Monday)

and headed to my craft room

to clean and make some cards

with the images I colored last night

and a cute z-flap card that I found

on Dawn's Stamping Studio

so stay tuned!

 

Until next time,

happy stamping and scrapping!

Blessings,



Thank You...whoever you are!

 

So last week I was in a meeting

and it was mentioned that two ladies from another group

had volunteered to do something that would benefit our group and,

before I knew it, I had opened my mouth and out popped,

"Oh! I will be glad to make two thank you cards for them"

and they jumped on it! Lol!

Well,

I didn't anticipate

how hard it is to make two cards

(really-I've done this for YEARS....)

for people you don't know.

At all.

Zip. Nada. Zippo.

No favorite colors, no likes/dislikes...sigh.

I spent hours on Pinterest and blogs

and a few more in my craft room

with a ton of "I really don't like that, either" cards.

Until one morning

1/2 hour before work...

I came up with this idea...

and was happy, happy happy!

I love this aqua color (that's my work counter at my office-notice

the similarity in color choices! I think it's called "wading pool")

The "thanks" is stamped with Staz-on on vellum

and popped up with pop dots (of course)

The dp behind the thanks is from a small pad I picked up at Hobby Lobby

and love!

The floral band is washi tape.

The thanks and light aqua ribbon is Stampin' Up

and I ran out of the ribbon so had to substitute on the second card.

 

I liked the slightly off-center and then the three little sparkles.

Hope the group-and the two recipients-like them!

 

Well, today is a be-nice-to-me day.

It's my birthday!

I am planning on doing nothing I absolutely do not want to do!

A few chores have to be done but beyond that---

it's my day to do as I please!

A meeting (I enjoy), my friend Theresa has a beautiful day

for a local craft show so I will go see her booth and poke around

at the competition (really, there isn't any!)

sort some things I want/need to,

maybe order a (gluten-free) pizza

and even go see a movie...

who knows!

Hoping my order of Copics shows up from Oozak!

Hmmm! Those would be fun to play with, too!

Oh.

and blow some bubbles.

A must!

 

 

Until next time,

happy stamping and scrapping!

Blessings,