Rainy Day Craft

 I can multi task...as in do laundry and stamp a bunch of cards to watercolor.

The project had a number of stamps.

 New stamps that I got for Mother's Day from Jen and Andy.  

This one may or may not be a Christmas card...time will tell.  This set of stamps were $1 at a garage sale.

And one of my favorite stamps of all time. 

I love this bouquet of flowers in a mason jar, I can do all kinds of color combinations and I hope when I mail the cards out people feel like I sent them flowers! 

It was a great rainy day project and kept me out of trouble for the afternoon...I missed my afternoon nap...but I had a morning nap...so there ya go. 

Minnesota weather; High 45 F or 8 C eh  Low was 38 F or 4 C eh  It was a chilly rainy day.  What a big change from last week at this time. 

Supper was a baked chicken breast on top of a salad (mine will be on a separate plate) and fresh baked bread, raspberries for dessert.

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Cool Day

 What better activity than to color and glitter up some fronts for cards.  They will be trimmed matted and attached to cards some day. 

It was a cool day. The high was 43 F or 7 C.  

We had a quiet day, supper was steak and green beans...Far Guy sauteed a bunch of mushrooms for his steak...I do not like mushrooms so I had a baked potato. 

I organized some of my ideas for birthdays coming up...getting my ducks in a row and a few things ordered for the two great grands that have birthdays soon. 

This week three great nephews and a great niece graduated from two year programs; Hailey with a degree in Forestry, Jordan with a degree in Butler/Caterpillar Service Technology and Mason in Diesel Technology.   Always fun to see these young adults going to school, doing the work and graduating!  Onward and forward to adulting! Congratulations kids!( All are grands of my other baby brother and she who sees robins first)

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Cold and Cards

I picked a project and completed it!! Yeah me! 

We always put cash in cute cards for Christmas, last year I made my own cards and envelopes from card stock...this year I just decorated the front of the blank cards that I purchased...and the envelopes came with the cards...sweet... I am all set for Christmas 2025!   I can cross this project off my list!  In fact I can cross it off the next years list also as I made two years worth of cards!!

I wrote some notecards to people that I had been thinking about...they are ready to mail. 

Twas a cold day...the real feel temperature was -30 F the whole day.  Only Sadie ventured outdoors. 

Jen taught us a new card game called "Trash" it is a new fun game!

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Progress

 I mulched the leaves in our yard on Monday and got some mulching done at my baby brothers shop.  I still have more areas to do but it rained a bit on Tuesday.  Our weather went from nice and warm to chilly.

I probably still have time before it snows.  Most of the leaves are on the ground and not in the trees.  One big wind would help me out! 

 

I refreshed all the solar lights in the yard and took care of some odds and ends. 

 

I finished all the Christmas ornaments and they are wrapped up and ready for tins/mailers and bags for deliveries.  I will reveal the design after they have been mailed out sometime in November. 

No progress on the Christmas card yet...the paper, cards and envelopes are ready...I just need to watercolor the design and sign them. 

 

The swelling in my face has gone down, I still have one problem area where a stitch might be surfacing.

Uffda. 

Far Guy had quite a time over the weekend with all the fragrances of flowers, perfumes and aftershaves.  He struggled on Sunday and Monday...but seems better now.  Fingers crossed that we averted a hospital stay. 

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Talents

 Cards I have received lately, they are candy for the eyes and real keepers!

Jen’s painted Mother’s Day card on the right and Linda’s embroidered card on the left! They both have a special place on my desk where I can see them all the time.

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Catch Up

 Sunday was catch up time with crafting friends that live just 20 miles away.  Debbie fixed a very nice lunch and her craft room is just perfect to work in.  Debbie is Sarah's Mom and I met Sarah about 12 years ago she is one of Jen's crafty friends.  We have been on many Craft Retreats together. 

I took along stamped cards to watercolor.  We all worked on cards in some shape or form. 

It was a good outing!   I have not been watercoloring at all this winter so that was a good activity for me to do. 

Sounds like we are in for another wintery week.  On the main highway out of town there are 6 foot high snow drifts from the wind last week.  

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New Toy

 I enjoyed using Jen's die cutter so much, I ordered myself one...mine is smaller than hers. 

It is a Spellbinder Platinum 6, it cuts very intricate dies. 

I am having fun playing with designs for cards. 

I got the desk partially straightened up....only to begin another project! 

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Card Club

 In the Winter I go to Card Club with Jen.  I know several of the gals that attend. 

We made some real pretty cards.

The designs are bit different from what I usually do...change is good.  I am discovering that different is not all bad.   Discover was my one word intention for this year. 

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Card Club

 This week I went to Card Club with Jen.  I knew two other gals from scrapbooking so it was a good get away.

I made a couple of these cards and a Valentine's Day card. 

I ordered some new stamps so I am anxious to try them out.  I colored on cards one day this week whilst watching Sadie.  It was a day when she was real sleepy.  We are working on the command "down" she is silly as sometimes she remains down and expects a treat for that too!  She comes in the doggy door now...this week maybe she will figure out the out part. 

Far Guy is about the same...not much better but no worse either. 

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Flowers and Cards

 Ha!  It was cooler yesterday.  Only 90 F or 32 C

My flower garden is showing some color. It is one week post transplant.  With the warm weather they should have made great roots. 

We got some wonderful cards in the mail.

Thank you friends for thinking of us! 

Far Guy is still just a bit better.  No huge improvements.  He fussed with his new/old car a bit and did some woodcarving.  We heard that the Woodcarvers group will start meeting again soon.  We will join them when Far Guy is feeling better. 

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Zooming

 We see a number of health professionals via Zoom.  During these Covid times it is a necessity.  Far Guy occasionally has a group from High School that he zooms with.   We also Zoom with friends. 

I attend book club via zoom.   It works for me! When the opportunity to attend a card making class via Zoom cam up I signed up and ordered the kit that was required...the class was free...and given by long time friend and fellow crafter Sarah.

Then our internet went down.   I was so looking forward to the class.  So I asked my other baby brother if I could use his office...and he said "sure."  He even cleared off a section of his desk for me! 

Everything needed was in the kit and it made 16 cards.  They are bright and cheerful cards.  We did four or five cards together over zoom and the next morning I finished them up, added a bit of glitter and when that was dry I added the cards to my new greeting card organizer.  

It was a fun project a little bit different from my photo cards or the watercolored cards.  At the same time that I purchased the card kit a new stamp just jumped into my cart.  

A very Spring like project in the dead of winter! 

We got 2 plus inches of snow Tuesday night, but the sun was quite warm yesterday and the walk and patio are almost clear of snow.

So far so good with the Internet, TV and landline phone...we have fiber optic service...sometimes equipment is just old and needs to be replaced.  Far Guy has been complaining to them for several months to no avail.  So hopefully we can put that all behind us!

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Hibernation

 It is turning downright cold...freeze your butt off cold....sub zero cold with horrid wind chills.  So we are hibernating at home. 

 Grocery pick up was great, just a brand swap on bread.  

Far Guy made a list for groceries...he said he may as well cook up some Seafood Gumbo.  Miracle of miracles everything he needed was available.  I am not a huge fan of Gumbo...I will have it once the day he makes it...maybe with some fresh bread!  It is one of his favorite freezer meals.

Book Club was a good discussion on the trials and tribulations of pioneer life in 1877 North Dakota;  An Untamed Land by Lauraine Snelling.  The book to read for the March meeting is My Life with Martin Luther King Jr by Coretta Scott King. 

For something new this week, I took out the cards that were a gift from Jen. 

Can you see the faint design?  It is there...it is a new kind of stamp that allows you to see the outline of the design. It is called Fadeout, no line coloring detail ink.

This one was created with Prismacolor pencils and a lot of glitter.

This one was created using Tombow watercolor markers and just a bit of glitter. 

I have some Arteza water based markers and some good old pan watercolors to try the next time I decide to play with these cards. ( Jen pre stamped ten cards for me, five different designs.)

Stay safe and warm out there! 

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