Look

I bought these at a little antique shop in Marietta on Saturday. Vintage pearls. Not an expensive purchase at all. I LOVE THE COLOR.

The little clasp is missing a sparkly stone, but the color of the pearls alone made it worth the purchase. I am going to take it apart anyway and use the beads on the spoon bracelets. Right after I make myself a pair of dangly earrings.

Did I already say that I LOVE THE COLOR? Soft and almost golden - this is going to pair wonderfully with vintage silver handles.

Looks like the south is in for snow - so it may be a good evening and weekend for cleaning and rearranging furniture and some MaggieGraceGoodies.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Oh and did I already say how much I LOVE THE COLOR of these pearls?

I have no idea....

I have no idea who I am today. I have no idea who I want to be. I just know that sitting at my desk is not the answer today.

There has not been much MaggieGrace around here. There has been a ton of MaggieGrace happening, but I can't share it, because it is directed at 3 ladies who read regularly.

See - I am having a playdate. And Jen, Lannae, and Carrie (maybe little Liv too) are headed to my house next weekend to play and hang and relax. Four very different people (including me) are gathering for lunch and an afternoon of creative fun.

Do I know what we are making? Not really. I am providing access to MaggieGrace world - art canvases - glue - and die cut tags for everyone. Me - personally - I am working on mini collages on my tags to be assembled onto the canvas. (And there would be pictures of a few of them IF I KNEW WHERE THE HELL I PUT THE ONES I PICKED UP TO TAKE THE PICTURES OF) Seriously - I had them - I cannot find them. I am trying to finish mine to have on display so I can flit about and gather and help them with their searches in my convoluted storage system.

Each of my friends has their own set of tags and I have been sending little emails with pictures for inspiration. Am I putting expectations on anyone - nope - don't wanna do tags - OK - wanna glue them down for texture then paint over them - alright - wanna look through the other dies and punch pictures they might bring for a family portrait collage - fine by me. Embellish - go for it. Shaker simplicity - good there too. Stamping - embossing - whatever they choose. I just wanna hang for the afternoon with three people I like a whole bunch. I do hope these wonderful ladies will bring some of their own goodies to use as well - I always take a bag of "stuff" to art workshops.

I am planning lunch - chicken and rice soup(stew) and a salad. Some sort of fruit dessert. Remember I am dieting. This is not a fancy affair - I'll be covering my dining table with brown craft paper and the napkins will definitely be paper. I am working on a few goodies for each of them. If possible I have asked them to bring snacks for the afternoon and music. I love being exposed to others musical interests and I want to include that love in my afternoon.

Nervous - I am. My list includes items like CHANGE THAT GRODY SHOWER CURTAIN and PLENTY OF TOILET PAPER ON HAND???? My house is old and not nearly as gorgeous as some others - but I love having my friends and my girls friends there. The laughter is contagious and I think that laughter and joy and friendship permeates the walls of a home and becomes a part of the special aura that is my house. I have no closets so there are piles of stuff in every corner - although moving things to the studio has helped that a bit.

Please ladies - put no pressure on yourself - except to enjoy the afternoon. If you finish your project - great - if not - okay (we will pack a "doggie bag" to take to finish it later.) This is about sharing - time - energy - inspiration - stories - encouragement - etc. Hell - if you wanna take a nap with the new pup - we'll let her snuggle on the sofa with you.

Remember when we were young - teenagers talking about boys - hanging out just because we liked to - there you go. That's the afternoon I want you to have.

Have a great evening everyone - I'm heading home to straighten up the pile in the hall - at least to make it into a non - life threatening stack. LOL.

I'm Back

Thank you all so much for checking on me. I am fine. Nothing is wrong. We have been busy at work. I was out of town this weekend. But now I am back and I got goodies to share.

Over the weekend - I had an adult playdate with some creative ladies. Rosalyn-Sue from Little Bluebird Diaries invited a few of us to her house for a day of fun, fellowship, and sugar overload.

Here is the sample of what we were to make.

What she didn't tell us was that she would go all out to treat us to the most wonderful day ever. There were purchased sweets to stuff our hearts with - pretty isn't it.

Oh - the macaroons weren't purchased. Rosalyn-Sue made them. Heavenly does not even begin to describe the taste.

I was not at the top of my game so I made the basic heart - using the materials she provided. I do have some additional things I want to add. The heart below is mine.

Okay here is the fun stuff. We all want to see into other people's worlds - right. Well Rosalyn-Sue and her family have a beautiful home. From an Anthro inspired master bedroom - to a vintage plane inspired room for 3 - year old Coe Polk, it was the kind of home that feels like a huge amount of love lives here.

Rosalyn-Sue is an amazingly beautiful person too. Driven to give the very best of herself to her family and friends and the non-profit agency she runs, she is unassuming and kind and genererous and inspires me and so many more to keep improving themselves. I am in awe of her.

Operation Stars and Stripes is handled through her home office and craft room. Let's call the envy of the space what it really was. OMG - I AM SO JEALOUS - I WANT ONE OF MY OWN.

Look ........

Left to right -- Suzanne, Jen, and Rosalyn-Sue. This is only half of the room -- yes you heard that right only half.


Below is Suzanne's beautiful "cherry blossom" heart. In progress. Oh yes - Rosalyn-Sue opened her stash to us to mix and match with our own things.

Below is Jen's lace confection.

Now - because I am sufferring from the green eyed monster - and I want you to as well - below is the other half of the room - tables set up for us. Planty of glue gun outlets. Music. Look closely - at the back wall - a candy confection bar --

Others not in these pictures were - little ol' me, Sherry from Rose Cottage, and Jen Grenko - who to my knowledge has not broken down and set up her sweet self a blog.

There was also lunch - and shopping (in the sleet). Ending in a trip to the most wonderful little stamp store.

I bought a Spencerian Script inspired stamp and some white ink and white embossing powder. All new for me. I don't think I am in love --- I KNOW IT.

The white ink and embossing on this dark grey - LOVE. The paper is a sample from a thrift store and I simply glued a white paper to the back for a card flat.

I also made a couple of flat using the entire image of the toile stamp. I use this face for the face of my button fairies.

There was another stamp purchased and I can't wait to use it. Can you say ANGELS? I am working on an idea - more to come on that.

I am having my own crafty day coming up - I hope the ladies who are coming to see me will have a wonderful day like I did here. Check in at the links for more (and much better) pictures to come from this event.

It was wonderful - we were made to feel like princesses - I cannot tell you how sweet Rosalyn Sue is. I hope to see all these people again - SOON.

Have a great day.

Oh - I saved a few pix of details from the day - to use when I got nothing of my own - not only does she have a beautiful home and a craft room from heaven - she has way cool details too.

When I grow younger

When I grow younger. I'll wear a red velvet ruffled dress, pink and green and yellow striped tights, bright blue UGG's and a polka dot bow in my hair. I'll hold the hand of someone who loves me no matter what. And we will share a chocolate cookie at Barnes and Noble. People will think I am adorable.

And with all the charm and confidence in the world, I will let go of my Grandma's hand, break off a bite of my cookie, and share it with the redheaded lady in the line behind me. I'll tell her she has pretty eyes.......

And she will tear up and cry because I just made her day.

************************************************************************

Yes folks that's how it happened and I wanna be just like that little girl --- don't you.

Teenage Conversations

The picture above was in the archives - Softball Princess with Licorice (also known as bigdog at our house). Don't worry - yes he is in the fence, but the dang lot is almost as big as my house and his dog house is heated. He's one happy outdoor dog.

SOFTBALL PRINCESS IS TURNING OUT JUST LIKE ME. Take this conversation from the bathroom sink this morning while I was brushing my teeth.

SP - appearing at the door with a 12 page pack of papers and a pen. "HERE, SIGN THIS"

ME - "WHAT IS IT?"

SP- "SOCCER STUFF"

ME - "OK" -- spit toothpaste, move papers to sign, "WHAT'S IN HERE?"

SP - "IT SAYS COME TO PRACTICE AND BRING YOUR STUFF"

ME - "12 PAGES TO SAY THAT?"

SP - "THATS THE GENERAL IDEA"

ME - Sign papers "OK"

Yup - cut straight to the heart of - call it like you see it - turning out just like me.

Ya'll have a wonderful day.

Stash burning....

Thank you all for the encouragement on that last post. My weight issues were deep emotionally seated. The entire process has been hard, no excruciating, at times. Struggling with anorexia as a teenager after my Dad was killed causes me to be overly cautious about food and exercise obsessing. Then beating myself up, but not doing anything about it for many years of becoming fatter and fatter. Now I am very aware of my mental state when these things come up. I try to deal with them the best I can when it happens, so things don't pile up in those great big suitcases of shit we all carry around. I have unpacked so much of my mental baggage crap and I like not having all that weight to carry around. Last night found me focused and working hard at BootCamp. It was a good thing.

The bad thing about the baggage unpacking is that I can easily offend people if I am not careful. I just don't let things go that really need to be dealt with. I will generally not be confrontational, but if I think there is a problem that I need to deal with, I am going to get it out in the open. My sister is a casualty of that new mindset. She remains angry and distant from me for saying some things that simply had to be said.

Oh well -- onto the stash busting.

Look in my sidebar and you will see the destash along button. Fun stuff.

I sat down this weekend and made these.


Cards. Blank on the inside. All made from the stash.

Papers -- stickers -- envelopes. About an hour of studio time. I love my studio. I am doing fairly well at keeping it organized and that makes it fun to work in there.

Isn't this little one cute. I loved these stickers, but kept hoarding them. No more hoarding of these - they are winging their way out into the mail system.

Last night I escaped back to the studio again. I grabbed the Sizzix, a Spellbinders butterfly die, and the scrap box. Punched wings. Then stamped and embossed pretty fairy faces. Got out the button jars and tins and matched up button bodies for the fairies.

Don't you love that printer's tray? Tonight, I will glue the fairy faces to flat back marbles, then wire the buttons and beads. An easy task while I watch Biggest Loser tonight.

STASH BUSTING TRACKER --- These projects are 100% stash

BootCamp again tonight ---- crazy to be doing in this cold cold rainy weather.

Have a wonderful day.

Exposure

No picture with this one. I have been trying to figure out just how to put this into words. Nothing is wrong - so please don't panic. This is about weight loss, health, and body image.

Count your blessings that you were not here on Thursday night. Why? Because I was frustrated and irritable after BootCamp. I have been open about the entire journey to regain my health and this is no different. The reason for the frustration, my full length mirror.

It was goal assessment time. The assignment - assess how you have done on the goals we already set and really study your body and performance in order to set a new goal structure.

I have been successful. Mile time down, more sit ups, more push ups, stronger every workout. Making pretty good decisions about food. Lost 37 pounds. Down from a size 20 to a 16 and some 14's. Sounds great.

Standing in front of the mirror, instead of seeing all of that, I was suddenly overwhelmed with how much more I had to go. All I could see was the fat legs, the roll of flab still across my stomach, the batwings that I have on the back of my arms, the muffin top around my hips. I cried. I cussed. I was completey unprepared for my reaction. In other words, my demons woke up.

And that has been bothering me. I try so hard to be upbeat. It is unbelievable how much progress I have made. My clothes fit better. I feel better. I am stronger. More fit. I couldn't believe the sudden feeling of depression and almost desperation that I was facing.

So I gave myself the time to deal with this -- I gave myself two hours to have a pity party. No food allowed though. I drank a margarita and sat on my fairly large sized A&& and watched really bad tv. Then after the allotted time, I went to my closet. I tried on skirts that used to be too small and some that are still a little tight. I tried on my favorite blue pants. Then I set new goals.

I can fasten the pants - new goal - WEAR THEM COMFORTABLY.

I can do 15 standard pushups - new goal - 25 STANDARD PUSHUPS

I can easily do 25 situps - new goal - 50 SITUPS

My new mile time goal 11 minutes 30 seconds.

Food goals - make more good decisions than bad ones.

Notice - not one weight goal. During the pity party, I reaquainted myself with the idea that the number on the scale is not the important number. The weight loss is occurring, but is not the primary goal. Being fit and healthy is the goal. Making good food choices is the goal. Relearning to make good choices in my habits is the goal.

Why did I share this? Because the frustrations occur for everyone. Because the mirror feels unfriendly to eveyone at times. Because it seems like you will never make it at times. Because steps backwards happen. Because chocolate or bread or soda or potato chips will sometimes win. Because Because Because.

Mostly because I want you to feel normal. I want you to know that because you had a bad day, does not mean you failed. Get up again tomorrow and start again. I want you to know that the next time the mirror may be more friendly feeling.

I can do this. You can do this. We can be healthy again.

On last goal that I did not state because it scares me. I want to run a 5k this spring. Why -- not a clue -- I hate running -- but it seems like a challenge and I do like a challenge.

You guys are so encouraging. I hope you are not bored with the weight loss stuff. MaggieGrace is about my life and this is a fairly large and important part of it right now. I really do want to be encouraging to you.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Happy Thursday

And I rounded the end of the aisle in the thrift store.

A massive tote of yarn and vintage crochet cotton. 25 cents per spool, skein, ball.

Yup - it is in my car.

I may now have as much cotton as MaryAnn does.

Please don't be jealous - but there were 4 bags full for 10.00. Beanie hats and more scarves in the making. Lots of trims and some flowers too.

Have a great day.

Happy Wednesday

Good morning all.

I need to send some more words to my friend ANONYMOUS.

1 -- Not only do I not give a crap what you think about my weight loss or the fact that I talk about it here, you need to be aware that I AM NOT PURCHASING YOUR IPHONE. I have a cell phone, I am happy with it, don't need a cheap IPhone from you. Especially not one with a slightly cracked screen.

2 -- I also do not need to know how to download movies or music, I have my own blog, a facebook account, and I am quite capable of figuring out how to download any damn thing I choose.

3 -- I am not a GAMER either, computer games are a waste of time in my world, see above statement about movies. I communicate with people - real ones - who identify themselves to me - who offer encouragement and add meaning to my life. Fake people made up by some socially challenged programmer sitting in a dim lit world and hiding behind the ANONYMOUS name hold no appeal at all.

4 -- I do not need your help to harness any spiritual power on my behalf. Again, I have real people in my life, I have a church that I am quite fond of, and I have a spiritual relationship with the one true GOD. But I do appreciate the offer and maybe your spiritual power (whatever) will bring you great comfort and prosperity.

5 -- I don't care if you get to Malaysia from where ever you are. I am sorry you are separated from your children by all those miles, but I got my own financial struggles to deal with and no spare change for your plane ticket. However, if you wind up with excess funds from your little comments, You could share it with me.

6 -- I am not looking for a car, a lambskin car coat, nor a sexy young thing to have a discreet relationship with. Got a car - like it - keeping it until it leaves me stranded on the roadside and I have been married to the Man at my Address almost 25 years - AIN'T TRAINING ANOTHER ONE. Oh yeah - there is no need for cheap, below market little blue pills in that relationship. We got it all covered.

7 -- Last but not least - the last BLACK HAT I wore was a tophat and it was for my Senior Prom. I would consider using on as a prop in a discreet relationship, but I am far to overweight still to consider the three song activity with a stranger. Besides - I am clumsy and that floor to ceiling pole scares the hell out of me.

Now that you fully understand where I am and how I feel, you should know why I have had to turn on that dang letter verification thingy. The really sad part of it is that there are some folks that I really enjoy having comments from and these LETTERS may keep that from being as simple for them. TO ALL MY REAL CYBER FRIENDS---- PLEASE STILL COMMENT. I do need you in my life and I am so sorry about the verification thingy.

Just a random sampler of the spam comments I have just deleted from my comments.

RANT OFFICIALLY OVER.

On to MaggieGrace fun.

Mom and Poca the Monster dog. She likes it when JulieAnn comments, because she knows there is an extra treat coming. Check out the new harness, Houdini here can actually get out of it too - she ate her rabies tag. She can get loose from her leads and runs. Free spirit like her mommy. But as you can see she is quite frequently locked in her "room" and ignored. It is so hard to be a dog in this house.

BootCamp Update - JulieAnn - it is 5.00 per visit - and yes you should move here. Apply for a research job at UGA and come on down. We will help you find a place and settle in. It is warmer here - and we would love have you nearby.


Now for the really fun part of this post. I'M PUBLISHED. Look at the spoon bracelet at the bottom.

My copy was in the mailbox last night. I came in from BootCamp and the Man at my Address handed it to me. Softball Princess and Barefoot Boy (his real name is Blake - but I don't think he owns any shoes other than flipflops) laughed so hard at me because I got so excited. I have some more things to send in, and I cannot say enough good about dealing with the editor of GreenCraft. It has been a fabulous experience.

I hope all of you are having a wonderful day. I am. Now off to get some showroom cleaning done.

Where did she go???

I'm still here. More cleaning and purging at the house, but I did squeeze in some MaggieGrace this weekend.

JulieAnn - I promise you will get a swap from me. I blinged part of it last night. Durning the torrential storm. We got 2.5 inches of rain in 45 minutes. Serious rain. I was in the studio and thought about heading in the house. NOT EVEN - the yard was completely underwater. Now, since we are in the country and on a well, the water is dirty. I'll be cleaning out all of the aerator screens in the house.

But I did spot this --- a crafter lives here. This little bit is lying on my kitchen steps. A punched scroll. Cool huh. Of course the blogger in me found it photo worthy. Because I know someone will ask - the steps are solid granite. The foundation of my house is solid granite. We live near Elberton, Georgia (Granite capital of the world) and common gray is readily available and cheap to use.


I also started on my little project for the art retreat at my house.

I punched my tags for the sketch I was planning. I will be regrouping because I do not like how that many tags lays out.

They leave my canvas too crowded. I think I will use 4 rows of 4 tags instead of 5.

I did spend a while in the studio. I want to finish these two altered composition books. Then I am planning a project for my house. I have a cabinet that is full of books - I will be moving these onto a bookshelf and repainting/repurposing that cabinet as a pantry in the kitchen.

Just a quick peek at the current work surface in MaggieGrace world.

Have a wonderful Monday all.

What the ????????

Note -the picture has not one thing to do with the post. Hurry to Michaels ya'll - that is patterned packing tape - 1.00 per roll. Yummy. And the little frames - 1.00 each at Dollar General with the Valentine stuff. I'll be using them on journals - I just picked them up so the pics in the frames are those generic ones.

Now - this is a random post that contains NO MaggieGrace goodness.

Last night was the church talent show. One act was absolutely amazing. My friend Melody is taking a HulaHoop performance class at a local studio and performed a routine. OMG - graceful - sensual - beautiful - stunning. Softball Princess, the Man at my Address, and I were still discussing it this morning. Has me investigating the next beginner class.

There's no MaggieGrace goodness because cleaning and purging things like old magazines and paperback books is my focus right now. I just know there is no reason to take pictures of that activity. I grab a stack of magazines (the throwaway kind) not the ones you keep forever like Victoria and Home Companion, and go through them tearing pages and pictures. Instead of piling all of those in a box to deal with later, I am gluing them into my notebooks and making notes to myself on them. Chunk the remainder in the recycling bin. It is taking a while, but I like how the cleanup is progressing.

I said something that took me completely by surprise last night. I proclaimed that "I love bootcamp". Holy -- did I just say that? WTF???? Just how did that happen?

Every vehicle in our possession has been to the shop in the last two weeks. Dang - that has hurt the checkbook - no fun money in the budget. Oh well - we will build up reserves again. I absolutely hate living from paycheck to paycheck. The great news - we have dug out of massive amounts of credit card debt in the past. All of these vehicles are paid for, so even with repair bills, the expense is not as much as one car payment would be. We may be living from paycheck to paycheck, but our debt ratio is very very small.

I am also finding some things out about perspective. I am having some friends over for a craft day in February. I am noticing things about my home by looking at it from a slightly different perspective. There are things I could go into debt and get fixed before the event, but I won't. I am hoping my friends will cut me some slack.

For instance - the bathroom floor vinyl is torn in a few places. Not going to be fixed until I can afford the tile I want. But you know, that spot by the sink is where we all stand to brush our teeth. Hundreds of morning conversations with me and the girls happened right there as we tried not to spit toothpaste on each other. That memory is priceless to me.

Same for a spot behind the door - only it is that new puppy's doing. Am I sorry we brought her home -- no way. She has caused a few issues and torn up some things, but she is there for the duration.

Go ahead - look around your house. Find a problem - my house has hundreds. Now think about how that problem happened. See if you can find a positive twist on it. Dirty stovetop = many dinners for your loved ones. Dishes in the sink = same thing. Thumbtack holes in the walls = notes and special memorablia that someone found worthy of saving. Scratches on the coffee table = someone was comfortable enough in your home to prop their feet up and stay awhile. Try my little game at your house.

NOW - try it at someone elses house. That's a little harder isn't it. Easier to look at the stuff as FLAWS. As maybe they don't care about their things. Easier to think "they should fix that" when you may not know the whole story. Me - I rarely think about my friends home having any kind of flaw. I focus on them and the time we are having together. Makes for a much more pleasnat life.

Am I going to keep people out of my home because it is not perfect? Am I going to keep people out of my life because I am not perfect? NO - I will welcome them with open arms and hope the are comfy in my home and feel loved by this imperfect person the I am.

These are my ponderings and the results of them right now.

In all of this I have come to one huge conclusion. We don't have much money, a great big decorator showplace home, drive fancy cars, take fabulous vacations and yet I can say with complete honesty -- I AM HAPPY. I ALSO ONE FABULOUSLY BEAUTIFUL LIFE.

anyone else wanna say WOW!

Thanks for the lovin'

I really am sorry if I offended anyone with yesterday's post. I was simply amused by the comment. When I saw it come across, I knew I had that old throne in the barn from an old program and I immediately knew what I was going to do. If you think I cannot be nasty myself - I have you fooled. You could ask The Man at My Address - he will confirm it for you. That behavior tends to emerge when my "buttons" are pushed or if to many people want too much from me. Oh and amazingly ANONYMOUS has chosen to remain silent for the rebuttal.. MMMM.

Let's talk about BOOTCAMP for a minute - Monday night was what we call Bleacher Busters. Steps, squats, and lunges in mass quantity, done in level and then unlevel positions. Hamstrings, thighs, butt, and even calves take a serious hit. Last night was more cardio and leg work - I hate mountain climbers. This morning it hurt to dry my toes. During the night, The Man at my Address informed me that I was snoring and needed to turn over. I whined "do I have too" because even rolling over in bed was painful - situps, pulses, planks, and crunches. The weather has improved dramatically here, so we moved outside for our workout. We (I) always push harder outside but the sunset as we ran laps was stunning.

The pix below is a sneak peek of a WIP. Another baby blanket. Worked on during Biggest Loser last night. I have not picked a favorite contestant/team yet but I have decided who doesn't really want to do all they can to regain their health and life. I did like the ribbon game - that might be fun to do with a group of youth.

I love this yarn - it is Bernat Baby Jacquard in the Berries and Cream 06412 color. I was doing a different pattern on the blanket, but I did not like how it displayed the color, so after some 25 rows, I frogged it and started a granny square and I love it. Yes I said 25 rows - I kept hoping I would pick it up and love it. NOT.

I will confess, it is incredibly difficult to crochet with a 50+ pound, long legged, squirmy, wanting to help, critter in your lap. I usually give up on the crochet and just snuggle the dog.

Hope this finds all of you having a wonderful day.

Abdicating the throne....

abdicate - the give up formally; to surrender

Yes, I am abdicating my throne. What throne you might be wondering? Well the throne to be the biggest BITCH or meanest, most unhappy, vindictive person in the cyber world.

Who am I abdicating to?

Well of course the person who left this, now deleted, snide and hateful comment on yesterday's post.

Just who do you think you are? Professing to be this new and beautiful person. Even posting pictures like you think some of us would like to see them. You may have lost a lot of weight, but you are no fitness expert. You even rattle off numbers and claim to be so healthy. A size 16
still qualifies you for the term overweight. You may not be obese anymore but you are still a FAT GIRL.

Any of my cyber friends want to guess who left this lovely comment --- yes, you are exactly right. My lovely friendly commentator telling me some things I already know uses the name ANONYMOUS.

Well ANONYMOUS you have officially taken my title, you know the BITCH one, but you have not stolen my joy, my better health, my smaller pants size, my support network, nor my real friends. You also were completely unable to steal my power. You invaded MaggieGraceWorld - which is my turf - then cowered behind the ANONYMOUS title yourself. Sorry to disappoint you, but your words did nothing but amuse me and then, much like the Queen in Alice and Wonderland, I did away with you. Only instead of "off with her head" I chose the "permanently delete" option the power in my world allows me.

However - I gladly give you the throne - since you so obviously earned it. I will no longer consider myself the Queen Bitch of anywhere.

See I even moved your throne to a highly visible location --- in the barn. Enjoy the view from your seat, my dear. Hope the dog poop smell doesn't offend you.


To my cyber friends --- have a wonderful day --- I'm laughing and I sure hope you are.

Warning - traumatic pics ahead.

My weekend was spent cleaning and purging and generally puttering around the house and studio. I have this tendency to hoard things I might need, then I have to buy them when I do need them because I can't find them.



I did squeeze in an aerobics class on Saturday morning.



Then I aquainted myself with one of my scrap paper boxes.





All cardstock scraps - these are all cream colored and I saved them from trimming on a past project. I grabbed this box - my Sizzix die cutter and a tag die and proceeded to cut what seemed like thousands of tags of assorted sizes. Many of these will be used as the project tags for my little art day with my friends. But some of the assorted sized blank tags are just good to have around. Plus - that is one box off the crammed shelves in the studio.


We fixed the dog several places around our property with runs and tie out locations. We live in the country and she has started scavenging roadkill and bringing the treasure to mommy on the kitchen porch. So restraint while unattended outside became a requirement. Her favorite place is a 50 foot run between two barns - add the 12 foot clip on leader to that run and she can play to her hearts content. Plus she can get into either barn if there is bad weather.



Now for traumatic pictures. These are update pictures on my weight loss. Last week the doc confirmed 37 pounds lost. I cannot describe how much better I feel. I am eating right, exercising, and generally doing what all the experts tell you to do. It really is the only way.

This picture was taken on the dock at work. Notice the tummy far exceeds the boobs. The pants I have on in that picture are a size 22 and the shirt is a 1x from the "big girl" section of the store. I weighed 220 pounds in this picture.

The picture that triggered the sudden crisis. Taken at the en le jardin art workshop last may. I love this picture - I was having a great time. I was incredibly happy and it shows in my expression. But as happy and joyful as that weekend was, I felt fat and I looked fat. That is because I was fat. I weighed 220 pounds in this picture. at 5'5" tall that is way too heavy.

Taken this morning. The curves at last are going the correct direction and it appears that I actually have boobs. I have also lost at least two chins. The sweater is a plain old size large The skirt is a size 16. Readily available in normal stores - no looking for the big girls stuff. I weigh 183 pounds as of this morning.

I really want to lose another 25 pounds. Many more laps. Many more calories counted. Many more sit ups. But now I know that this is not a diet - this is a way of life. I have changed so many habits and have many more to change. But I am well on the path to making this happen.

Yes it is hard work. Yes I have to think about my choices every time I plan a meal or go eat out. Yes - I falter and stumble on occasion, but then at the opportunity for the next choice, I just make sure I make a better one. I refuse to beat myself up over a bad decision.

There is no magic formula for becoming fit. For so many, myself included, it is years of personal neglect, bad food decisions, lack of exercise, and maybe even some mental and emotional demons. But every time you take control, you are a small step closer to being healthy. Do not cash in on the pills, potions, and propaganda that is the media. Spend your money on good healthy food. Drink lots of detoxifying liquid - this is free - it is called WATER. Spend your money on a good pair of shoes. Maybe even spend your money on an exercise program that fits your lifestyle (and encourages rather than discourages you). That money will be better spent than the latest concotion. No matter what you do - move your body. You will be amazed at what happens.

In all honesty, there are times when that small voice in my head is questioning my sanity (running outside when it is 28 degrees is one of those times). Sometimes that voice even sounds like a teenager (why are you asking me to do this??????) But I just tell that voice to shut the hell up and I keep going.

I am on my way folks.

Have a wonderful day.

Big Trouble

I bought the dog a stuffed squeaky toy.

I may be divorced because of it.

Have a great weekend.

This Little Light of Mine

Good morning. I have blogged about the UHU Glue product Samples before. I sent an email responding to a product sample post at the blog and they sent me the January sample and other goodies to try and report on my experience with the UHU GLUE ROLLER with the permanent adhesive. The sample also included some papers, a "candy" box, and a few embellishing goodies. You will see in a few why I put candy in quotes.

I opened my sample and was immediately apprehensive, see I have a problem with other tape/glue rollers. Apparently I am not coordinated enough to get a clean break at my stop point. When I read the packaging it shows an enlargement of the microdot system which is supposed to help with the problem I have.

I already knew what I was going to attempt - even before I knew I had been slected to receive a sample. So here we go. I took these last night and everything is so dark - I apologize for the picture quality in advance.

I took my blank box box apart at the glued seam. Then using the UHU roller I covered the outside of the box with one of those really pretty papers. I went around each edge and then a few lines in large spaces on the box. Then using my brayer I smoothed the paper.

Product Review note. YES YES YES the microdots eliminate the problem I have had in the past. Clean stop points were effortless.

After covering the box, I trimmed everything. Then using my Sizzix die cutter and a Spellbinders die, I die cut a hole in each of the longer sides of the box. (I kept the little pieces I cut out to use later.)

Then I experiemented with an idea. Nothing like experimenting after you start a project - right? Using an ink color that coordinated with my paper and some sparkle embossing powder, I stamped LOVE on a piece of lazer jet transparency film and embossed it. (it worked like a charm).

Cut out my words and mounted then to the wrong side of the box using the UHU GLUE ROLLER.

Product Review Note: the roller adhesive worked wonderfully for the acetate transparency too.

Fold the box up again and reglue the little flap.

Product Review Note: initially I tried the roller adhesive for this task -- not very effective. (If I had read through the notes on the GLUE WITH UHU blog post about the sample, I would not have made this mistake.) So then, I grabbed the UHU TWIST AND GLUE and used it for this part. Error corrected.

See the Love in the little clear window below.

Using more of the paper and the little reserved punch out from the window, I made a little tag for my package. I attached the little paper with the UHU GLUE ROLLER. I stamped a matching LOVE on the tag and embellished with one of the bits included in the sample. I used the UHU TWIST AND GLUE to attach the "bling" . I used the same adhesive to attach a heart bead that was also included.

The back of the tag has my handwritten message on it.

Now for the reason I put the word candy in quotes. I had some of those LED VOTIVES in my stash. We used these for an event and I had them. I punched another strip of the lace edging using the same red paper as the tag. Ran a strip of the UHU GLUE ROLLER across it and attached it to the side of the votive base.

Product Review Note: Again the adhesive worked wonderfully attaching the paper to the plastic of the candle.

Turn the candle on. Drop it in the box. Close Box. Using ribbon I had that coordinated with the paper, I made a hanger for the closed box. Because the intended recipient is a crafter and I know she will hang onto the ribbon to use, I simply ran it through the opening underneath the closure. I ran some bakers twine through the hole in the heart bead and tied it to the ribbon hanger.

My message "you light up my life."

Below you see it hanging from my mantle.

A better view of my little tag. (below)

And in this last one you can see the little flicker flame really well.

I love my little "light" package. You can do this type of thing with any little box. Fun isn't it.

FINAL PRODUCT REVIEW NOTES. (PART OF THIS KEEPS THE FEDERAL FOLKS HAPPY) My sample was sent from the UHU people at no charge for the purpose of my review of the adhesive. The UHU GLUE ROLLER design addressed the one issue I expected to have (the microdot system allowed for much cleaner terminations. )I tried it on several of the surfaces listed on the applications information on the package and found it to be effective for the all of the ones I tried. Definitely an adhesive I will add to my arsenal of goodies.

If you try a little light of mine package, please let me know. I would love to see other folks take on this idea.

Have a wonderful day.

Linen and Lace

Linen and Lace Pincushion
Originally uploaded by jennadesigns

I really have nothing this morning. I worked out. I watched biggest loser. I went to bed. I have a doctors appointment this afternoon to see what we can do about my asthma. I had a terrible attack on Monday night during bootcamp and it scared me enough to call the doc. We will see.

But even with nothing of my own, I have really pretty pictures in my flickr favs. Click on those linen and lace pincushion above and go see some beauty.

Have a wonderful day.

sketchy ...

image above from Sarah Lugg.

(Please - if you know who's image this is, please let me know so I can give full credit.)

Sounds like a bad thing. It is not.

I often sketch ideas - layouts - etc. Here's the latest one.

I have invited 3 friends to my house for a crafty afternoon in February. Karla has posted about this kind of thing. Also, I kinda want a day just to play myself. This is gonna be really informal. I asked them to bring snackies - I am making veggie beef soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. We are going to do tag collages. I love Sarah Lugg's work (see above) and have collected images of tag collages from many sources. I love to work in paper and since I am the hostess with the mostess for this little gathering, that will be our medium.

I am also opening my studio stash to my friends, a way to clear out a few things and maybe help with some hoarding issues that we all know I have.

I am die cutting each of my buddies 25 tags and I have told them to think about what they will do that day.

I most likely will not get much creating done myself, so my collage will be the "sample" for the afternoon. (I will be making a smaller one that day for myself. )

Anyway - here is my sketch for the sample collage. My friends are not "paper" creators per se, so I'll be doing a series of posts about the process as we go. It will also help me (and them) get their ideas and material together. I can't wait to see what they come up with.

Have a wonderful day all.

It was cold outside......

11 degrees on Saturday morning when I pulled out of the drive for aerobics. That's COLD. I have four left feet - dance aerobics is going to be a coordination challenge for me. It will also be entertaining for those around me.


I have a couple of tidbits to share before I get to MaggieGrace accomplishments. I teach 3 and 4 year old Sunday school - love it and I love my kids. Even when they grow up and leave my class, I still love 'em. During our worship service we have a time for sharing and greeting. Yesterday one of my favorite former students gave me a smile when I went to hug him. Walker Johnson was "tattooing" his hand (and arm) and gave me a smile to take home with me. Isn't this a great note to have on your hand?


Now - this shot is for Jen. She adores shoes like I do. Look at these tiny tiny fur boots. Wish I could carry the snow princess look - Carley was all dressed in white with a fur collar and cuffs and these adorable boots.


Now for MaggieGrace accomplishments.

My kitchen is small. Light filled during the day, but when I am at the stove or sink at night, I work in shadow. The ceiling mounted flourescent fixture is behind me. (I am begging all of you to please overlook all the clutter in these pictures. Focusing on my home this year is going to work on some of that.)

Well several weeks back, I was thrifting and saw a light fixture. It was hideous - brass chain mounted. I left it at the thrift store. But that dang light fixture had decided it wanted to live at my house. I could not get it out of my mind. I finally gave in and went back - fixture still there - and at 10.00 it was a huge bargain. It was a quality branded light and the globes were intact. It did not look like anything I would have selected. Must have been either swagged or high ceiling mounted because the wire and chains were 6 feet long. Did I mention it was hideous brass?

See......

So Saturday, I dragged it out and brushed it clean. Cut the chains off and taped the parts that did not need paint on them. I left the wires long because I had decided to use this as a lamp over the sink area. Living in a 100+ year old house makes it complicated to really wire a new fixture.

I spray painted that baby gloss black - using paint I had. I mounted a box to the ceiling. The Man at my Address wired it into a switch with an outlet and voila ----- one hideous brass light fixture now illuminates my sink and stove area. I love it......

That is condensation on the windows - they are dirty - but not THAT dirty. I swagged the two globes one lower in the back and a higher one to the front.

That shelf is next in here. The man can reach it easily (I can't) so he tends to stick shit up there. I also have a shelf purchased to make a pantry of sorts.

I loved the globes on this fixture from the second I saw them Look - beautifully frosted glass too.

Long term plans include fixing that rough spot on the ceiling (I want to put tin tiles up there.)


Last night I cooked dinner and cleaned up and was really happy about how 20.00 total including the ceiling box, switch, and wire could make such a huge difference.

Have a wonderful day ---