Anatomy of Cards, and Cat Talk

I got a new stamp when we went "antique-ing" 4th of July weekend. I don't know if I posted a picture of the stamp I got. I don't think I did. But you can see it stamped, here. I was sitting here, stamping a bunch of them on some card stock, one day. And then the other day I was thinking of what punches I could use with it... I liked this punch. It has little ~ type things on the top and bottom of the punch. But I just used the basic middle part. I went on Pinterest and tried to find some more inspiration..  I am really liking "Hello" and "banners" lately. Well I have always liked the banners. I found one I liked and tried to copy it. 

I didn't have a flower punch. But I remembered a card I had made a long time ago, that I had an outline I used for a flower... The dictionary flower card. So, I went through my drawer with all my different envelopes for making cards. (Do I sound so organized? I'm so not!) 

For the center of the flower, I had written, "Trace around a quarter for the middle of the flower". Well, I since then have gotten a circle punch that is the exact size I need.

This is the finished card. 

This was the Pinterest inspiration. I made mine without any bulky 3D or gems, because the last time I sent a handmade card (literally, just the card) it cost over $5 to send and I got SOOOOOOO irritated with post office!! (I am still irritated with the post office).  This is the card I sent (first picture), that cost over $5). 😡😡😡  ~Anyway~ Moving on..

I had another card I pinned that I wanted to try. But (of course) since I don't have any Mason Jar punches or die cuts or whatever they used (it was just a picture, it didn't link to a tutorial to make the card or anything), I got another envelope out of my drawer with some mason jars and I put one together to trace.

Paper and pen, people....

These are two I have done so far. I didn't upload the screenshot of the pin for this card I am copying. But, the center scalloped circle part had a "straw" in it, then the "straw" comes out the top of the jar. I am improvising. The whole reason I got into card making was because I wanted to save money on buying store bought cards.... Well... I am not going to go spend $80 to get supplies to make cards so I can save money. LoL. So I have been trying to use what I have. 

I did actually finish crocheting a project. This mouse. I have had it laying here undone, forever. Because I was trying to find the catnip bag I used to have... I couldn't find it anywhere. And I this morning said, "Screw it I'm just going to stuff it."  

Cosmo could care less!!! He was sleeping in my chair for my card making table. Right next to me. Because he wants to sleep in the computer chair. I shouldn't have woken him up! Because he has been driving me NUTS for the past half hour, meowing! He keeps walking around doing his little trill noise (meowing), and pawing at whatever he can find to paw at, because he wants food. (The cat food is in the computer room now in a bin, off the top of the dishwasher- it did not take him long to figure out we moved it, either!). I keep ignoring him (even though he is driving me nuts!!). I tried to play with him. I didn't upload a picture of it (did I?) but I made a "toy" for him out of yarn pieces. I had a bunch of smaller pieces and one long one and I made a tassle for him. He doesn't like the mouse, but he will play with a long piece of yarn dangled in front of him.  He needs to lose weight!! I don't even know how much he weighs now. But I know just by looking at him he needs to lose weight. I could take him outside, but I don't have flea stuff to give him, other than a spray I have. And he gets all stressed out if I spray him. I will have to spray it on my hands and rub it all over him. Then wrap the leash, so it's a harness.... Then take him outside and walk around with him for an hour, while he eats grass and rolls around. Then clean up his puke later, when he pukes up the grass...   Maybe I just won't take him out.   😂 I'm getting too old for all that. It's too much of a pain.  He finally fell asleep on the chair again. I am not waking him up again this time! 😂

I went to the hospital yesterday for a colonoscopy (I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad that's over with!). I HATE the prep! And starving myself all day. (Last year when I did a colonoscopy, the prep made me throw up.) And yellow jello is so gross...  Well, (if you care about a cancer update on me), the colonoscopy was clean. He did not find anything to biopsy, and didn't see any polyps. So, I don't have to have another colonoscopy for three years. And the discharge nurse who was rolling me out, her cousin has the same kind of cancer, same thing happen to her as me!! How weird of a coincidence is that? Her cousin is only 34 though. 😢 She has a 7 year old little boy.  Anyway, that was a relief (besides the prep and all of the pain it was), I was worried about what they might find, too.

~Until Next Time~

💜💜💜

Dinosaur and Antique Store Finds

I have still been crocheting the Purple People Eater. Slowly, but still crocheting it. These pictures are a little older. I took them for future reference, if I ever decide to crochet another one of these dinosaurs. The first and probably only one I ever crocheted was about 19 years ago. So..  This is the mouth part..

And after finishing the head.

Then you crochet the pink mouth area, and sew it onto the hole. Stuffing as you go.. (What a pain that was.) But I did it. I also crocheted the eyes. 

And the legs. I just have to stuff them and sew them on. That will also be nerve wracking. I still have to crochet the "spots". That will be easy. I just need to decide on what color to make them. 

My husband andI went antique-ing, I think I mentioned in my last post. These are some of my buys. A strawberry (obviously painted on) sifter.  

A strawberry jam jar. I don't really like jam jars or collect them, but it's strawberries, so... My husband found this for me, too. 

And another strawberry jam jar.  My husband "built"? me some shelves for the kitchen wall. I put all these things on there. 

There are holes in the wall from the previous tenants, and it looked horrible and I hate it. I hate this whole kitchen to be honest. (This house is an antique. LoL.) But... 🤷  I wanted to try and decorate. It looks like an old person lives here. One who doesn't know how to decorate. LoL. Sigh...   The picture in between (was hanging up before, but my husband moved it. There is a lot more holes in that wall, now.) is a poem- the "dirty dishes" poem. My husbands' late Aunt typed it out and drew the artwork on it. I just finally got a frame for it, in a lame attempt to try and decorate the kitchen more. (Sigh..) The plastic it was in was ripped and starting to get bent.   

Eri killed her first mouse this morning.😳 She woke me up, thrashing around. I sat up a little and said, "What are you doing, Eri?" My dog Jaxson was in there, too. He was looking down and then looking at me... I leaned over and saw the mouse. UGH!! Then I don't know what I was doing... I laid back down for a second, thinking "Ugh here we go..." (I didn't know it was dead, usually she chases them around and it goes on for days... Again, this house is an antique... and a stone/dirt basement...) Well my ear plug must have fallen out or something, I felt something on my neck and I let out a little scream. I thought it was the mouse, up on the bed trying to get away from Eri. LoL (Funny, NOT funny...) I sat up fast and saw it was my ear plug... Then I looked over the side of the bed again and the mouse was still there. Meanwhile my husband was coming up (because I screamed probably)... I pointed down. He got it and took it outside.  What a lovely way to wake up in the morning...     🙄  And, I feel like I have a bladder infection... 😭 I don't know if I can take anything for it, because I have a colonoscopy appointment this coming up week and I'm not supposed to take any vitamins, any ibuprofen, anything except tylenol. And of course it's Saturday, so the doctor office isn't open for me to call them...  Ughhh...    I think I'm just going to try and crochet and not think about anything.

Purple People Eater

Yes, I have lost my ever lovin' mind... "When I grow old, I will not only wear purple. I will crochet a Purple People Eater." 😈 I have been wanting to start this since my last post, but I have just been so scatterbrained. And by the time I am done doing house chores I need to do, and finally sit down; I'm about ready to fall asleep (and I usually do). I finally yesterday, went and found the pattern I had printed out, and my yarn and I grabbed an H hook and sat down and crocheted, damn it. The pattern says to use bulky yarn and a bigger hook. But I hate bulky yarn and bigger hooks, and I'm doing it with worsted weight and an H hook. I almost wanted to use a G hook, but I wasn't going to get up and I wasn't going to rip out what I had started. Damn it. 😝 

Yesterday my husband and I went to a town about an hour away and O.M.G. It's called "antique Capital" of the state. I can see why! There's the biggest antique mall. Beside that, there are three or four other antique stores. And one restaurant. All in a row. And, there are three or four (maybe more?) other antique stores, down the road! We went in all of the stores in the little (biggest, I should say) mall area. I was about ready to drop. And we went to an antique barn, before that. I only got four things. I couldn't find ONE Shelley tea cup in all those stores! I couldn't believe it! That was literally the whole reason we went. But I did have fun. I will upload the pictures of what I got (I still have to unwrap everything and find somewhere to put them, and take the pictures..) later.  My husband has a four day weekend. I don't know what we're doing today. He said "We'll go to the antique stores, go fishing, go to Frankenmuth. And one day just relax.."  😜  

 

Hello July

 

Well it's already July. 😳 I have a bunch of doctor appointments this month.. 😭 I have to go tomorrow for blood work. Sigh... At least I don't have to go every two weeks for chemo and radiation every day, any more. Sigh...  This is "Survivorship Care". 🙄 I just want to be done with doctors!!  

Anyway, I finished the 4th of July gnome yesterday. I wanted to get it done. Because. Well, 4th of July is almost here. And, I wanted to start a Purple People Eater. 😁 All I had left to crochet were the arms, and the nose and tie. And stuff and sew everything together. Which was a little nerve wracking.. But it all looks all right. The hat was a pain getting on, then I had to tack it all down (like around the nose, and to the arms. I tacked it down in the back, too). I think he is cute! 

I was trying to get a good clear picture... I guess it didn't help. I was thinking he needs a little flag. 😁 I looked for some yesterday, I couldn't find any little tiny ones. Last night I was thinking I could make one. With a toothpick. I don't know how I could do the stars, though... 

I "decorated" for 4th of July. Something to keep me (and my mind) occupied.. 

I got all my towels and I don't remember where or when I got that banner. I think Hobby Lobby. Who knows. I know I had it on the front door last summer or the summer before, and it kept knocking against the door from the wind and it was irritating so I took it off. I just stuck it on the wall. 🤷

And my little patriotic gnome salt and pepper shakers. 😁 I was thinking, I should crochet a 4th of July table runner..  Maybe I could find one somewhere to just buy. I have too many crochet projects going right now, or in mind to crochet..

And, I decorated my flower pot, too.  We also got a new flag for the front porch, I don't know if I ever blogged about it. It was a couple months ago? Our old one was all ripped apart from the wind. 

I know I crocheted a Patriotic Banner, but I don't know where that is... My sewing room is such a pain to try and get to anything.