May 24

Normally during May 24 we pack up and head to a friend's cabin, this year we opt. to do something a little different. We had friends come stay with us for one night. ( It was wonderful to see you again Jon and Rachelle)
I made my mother- law birthday card. I have to say I was really proud of it.  It's another tri- fold card. This time I did a bordered background with 3d flowers on top. And yes I also made the envelope standing next to it. Cool huh?








We also had Aidan's parents come and visit for the weekend. Which was wonderful. And on Sat. we had friends over for supper. That was supper special as Aidan use to camp with all of them when he was a little boy. Now many years later they are visiting him in his 1st home with his wife and pets. It was a great visit.

We also got a lot of work done around the house. ( Thanks again Weldon!, and to Karen for lending us Weldon on their holidays)

We finally decided on colors it only took almost a year. We went with  pale leek which is like a soft yellow for three walls and Silver Thyme, a really really soft green, think almost yellow on the other wall. It's hard to see in the pictures but it is super bright and I think it looks really nice together.

The picture to the right show the two colors. The window wall is the Silver Thyme and the other is Pale Leek.

 This shows the two colors again. The closet also went Pale Leek. Not a lot of contrast but just even to give the room a little depth. We are working on the molding and what not tonight. Maybe more pictures a little later. 

Speaking of the molding I should show you how they were brought home and into the house. Lucky for me Weldon was here cause I really don't think I could have held onto those all the way home. 

As well I don't think I could have fit into the car the way that Weldon did. :o) 

They only got a couple of looks driving home. Tee hee. And see folks how they are in my car. The truck would not have fit the boards. Thats right another point for the car. 

The boards where just a little long. 

They even stuck out through the door of the room.

And after a long weekend of entertaining and working on the house my men all crashed. Aidan and Salem on one couch and Louie in the chair.

What a wonderful weekend!

Getting fit

I have not being creating lately busy working, doing up my scraproom, and cleaning my house for company coming this week. I also joined a program at the YMCA to develop a healthier lifestyle. This has been the largest I have ever weighed in my whole life, and the most unfit I have even been as well. I really need to change this before it gets any worst.
Tonight's was my 1st session of couch - 5K program. And oh my god if this was an indication of where I should be as a couch potato then I am in a coma. I so could not keep up with the group. I really thought it was going to take me through the steps for someone who has never ran before and ease me into becoming a runner. Yeah no we walked ( no warm -up) and then someone yell "run" after a little while she yelled "walked" and well  you get the picture. This would have been fine only the others that were running differently ran before and they were away ahead. I could not catch up and fell so far behind to the point I didn't even know which direction to walk/ run. I didn't know where they even went. It sucked! But at least I got out and started walking/ a little bit of running. It is a start, and that is the main thing right?

Just little a taste

Sorry I was away for a few days, I want to say I was busy but I really don't know what I have been doing. I have been working but I am always working somewhere so that is nothing new. I sure as hell was not cleaning (I hate to clean and avoid it at all cost. Until I know someone is coming and then I am like the Tasmanian Devil trying to get everything tidy or at least to appear that way.) Aidan has been away so it is not like I am spending quality time with him. I still have not hit my workout grove that I keep saying I am going to get into yet. So I really don't know what I have been doing with my time. I thought while Aidan was away I was going to get all kinds of scrapbooking done and I did next to nothing. Oh well what are you going to do.

I decided today was a great time to work on some things for a new class. I am planning on doing a "Tag, Distress is it!" class. I think its a cute play on words seeing how I plan on doing a tag making class and showing people how to use the Tim Holtz Distress Inks. Anyway I started playing around with the tags and inks today and this is what I came up with so far. I have not decided what ones I am going to to for class, and I am not finished playing around with them yet so I know I will be adding more. Just thought I would show you what I have so far.

 To start off with the two I am not so happy with, again I post them cause I did make them and we learn from our mistakes. I learn some cool things with these that I hope to include in other tags later on. So it was not a complete waste. 

I really like how this one turned out it has a really nice washout out look in parts and some very solid  looking pieces in others. Together I think it is really funky and give a cool finish.

I really loved how elegant this one turned out. Once again I have washout images along with crisp images but the stamps and colors used in this tag make it "flow" together very easily and the inking around the edges offer a complete look to the tag.

This tag is similar to the previous tag but I left it with just the washout image and gave it some inked edges. The result is very soft and I think it would look great done as a whole background page.

This time I gave the tag a all over washout look. I like it, but I think I smudge a couple of the flowers stamping them on and it made the tag look a little more messy then I wanted it to look. I want to try this technique again because I think it can look really nice if done right. So when I try it again I will post them together to see what you think.                                                                        

This is two techniques put together. I think it will look even better if I do different colors. We will see. 

So as you can see I still have a lot to learn but I don`t think it was too bad just starting out. What to find out when I will be hosting this class? Check out our facebook site and keep posted on when we will be hosting classes. 

Oh and I also started looking at the layout I did this weekend. And I was not fully satisfied with it so after playing with the inks today I decided to add a little bit more.  Check it out

All day craft day

I worked yesterday but it was really, really dead so I practiced doing the paper designing that I will be teaching on Tues. I still don't feel overly confident doing this technique, but I am getting better. I am not going to walk you through all the steps here as I do want people to attend my class, but I will show you some of what I did.  

This is one I did but I didn't like how it came out so blotchy. I think I made a mistake with the iron but mostly I didn't like how the smooch spritz made such big blobs all over the sheet. I know a lot of people like the smooch but I just can't seem to get it to come out in even sprays. I can't tell what I am doing wrong with it. I did practice it a bunch more times and founds ways around it but it still not consistent and I hate the idea of wasting product, time and something you likes at 1st because a product sprayed a big blob onto your work. I know I don't have to use it but I really like the look of the lighter mist on it. Hey I wonder if I could take it out of their bottle and put it into my mini mister by Ranger would that work better I wonder? But how will I get it out of their bottle hummmmmmmmmm something to think about.
Anyway here is some more sheets I made

See they are a little better with the spritz, not my fav but not bad. 

These are the two that I really like. 

I had a lot of fun doing them and once I got the hang of it it didn't even take long to do them. However it was not nearly as much fun as I had last night . 

After I got off work yesterday race home to go onto Skype where I had arranged to met a friend. We are both into art (although she is way more talented and is a professional I loved work with her last night. So much fun.  Go check out her site Visit Lori's Art Blog) We were missing each other and working with others so this was our solution. We sat with our laptops on our craft tables pointing at our work and sat and crafted the evening away. It was so nice, it was like having her sitting in the room right next to me, only I didn't have to clean the room and try to make room for her and her stuff in such a small room. When my mom called she thought Lori was visiting me, she was coming in so clear on the phone.We talked, shared ideas, showed each other our work that we have been doing the last little while, asked each other for tips and help, and just enjoyed each others company. It was awesome! I can't wait until our next craft night.  I can't show all I did last night cause it for a gift but here is the main project I worked on. 

Floor is finally finished!

Yes folks the floor is finally finished! Aidan did the last bit of coating (sorry can't think of the right word right now, lack of sleep) And it looks fantastic!










1st coat

2nd coat

And finally the last coat. And here is a few more angles now that I can walk on the floor

Isn't she pretty? I know you can still see a few dents in the floor but I have know idea how to get them out as they were in so deep. Dents and all I still think she looks wonderful. Now to prime the walls. Am I brave enough to tackle that task alone? The way this week is shaping up I don't think it is going to be about braveness, but about how tried I am going to be.

Diary post (sorry)

I know I said I was going to use this blog for my crafts and various projects I am working on, but I really need to write a small blog about me. I don't have time to make a new blog for this so it is going here. (New blog to come titled :failed woman)

We all have those "Ah Ha" moments in live, and most of the time they are good moments right? Well today I had an Ah Ha moment and it left me feeling really crappy. My Ah Ha moment came while looking in the mirror, followed by a "shit your fat."

I have known for quite a while that I am over weight, that I could do to lose some weight, larger then average however you want to say I am carry more fat then I should be. But for some reason I have not been obsessed with it, yes I tried to lose weight every now and again to feel healthy and what not but I have really thought of myself as ugly. Today I was trying on clothes (you know taking out the summer stuff) and noticed that it all seemed a little snug. It was not until I went to the mirror and saw I looked like did it hit me. "Damn girl, your really, really fat, and it kind-of makes you ugly."   I was shocked, hurt and let down. WH always tells me that I am beautiful, sexy ... What is wrong with him does he not see the blob I have turned into?

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh o.k even self pity for one day. That is all I am going to allow myself to think about this today. Now I am going to have to do something about it. I am going to change this!

Sorry for the non craft/ project blog but it was really bugging me.

Red Handed.

So as you can tell by the gloves we have just finished our staining. We did not think it was going to come out reddish ( "ish" by the way "is not a word we use these days" as I was told today by a grade 3) we thought we had a very natural looking stain bought by again we are learning. Don't go by the sample apparently.  

It did not turn out too bad just not the way we wanted it to go. Oh well what are you going to do? We sure as hell are not going through the whole process again. So I will learn to live with. We are hoping it will dry differently and will lighten up with the varnish like they say it will. I am not holding my breath. 

 Aidan opening the stain. 

Me staining the floor

The floor almost all stained. See the rag on the floor? That was white when we started, that is the second one we used. 

All stained, the lighting is really off in this one. I will try to take a better shot tomorrow in the sunlight. This room as wonderful light in the day time, another reason it is going to make an awesome craft room.