Cards and Kitties

My last post was about the tote bag I was sewing....  Well I took my machine apart and cleaned it and now it won't sew at all!!! UGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!! It's practically brand new!! WTF??  I hate sewing machines.  The only thing nice I have left to say is that at least I have lots of other hobbies. 

I have been making a lot of cards, lately. Well, I've only made three. But for me that's a lot, lately. This is one I saw on Pinterest. I have that Gibson Girl stamp and I was searching for ideas of birthday cards to make with my stamp. 

I wanted to use the pink and black leopard "skin" paper I have. But I didn't even have a whole sheet left, only scraps. It still worked!! I LOOOOOOVE this card.  I hope the person I send it to loves it too. She likes "girl" things. I can't remember what it's called.... Julia Nutting? And other "girl" things, too. 

Here is the side view, it's 3D.  I put pop dots on the Gibson Girl square to make it stand out a little. My husband said he wants one of them for his birthday. 👀I said "I will have to see if there's a Gibson Guy stamp". LoL

Here's another card I did, for a girl who is turning 15 and loves "ocean" things. I went to see what "ocean" stamps I have....  I printed out the saying..  I finished the card. Then I thought "It needs some bubbles!" I was sending a scrunchie too so I wasn't worried about how bulky the card was...

These are stamps I'm pretty sure I bought when we lived in Colorado. Incidentally, both of the birthday cards/people I made them for, are the same birthday! 

This is the beginnings of the other card I did. I saw a card on Pinterest. I wanted some bigger yarn balls than the stamp I have. So I thought "What if I just punched a circle, and drew the yarn on and colored it in?" 

Here's the yarn balls. I wasn't too impressed. 

Then I was trying to think how to do the "buttons".... I thought about my smaller circle punch. Then I thought "How could I make the holes?" Duhhhh...  Get an actual buttons and needle and poke it through the paper. 

Makers Gonna Make. 😁

Here's the finished card. I really did not like my yarn balls. But, I think it looks all right. I printed the "knitting" paper out. And I typed up "Keep Calm and Cast On" and then I stamped the yarn on top...  This is for my pen pal in the UK who also knits. When it costs $7.99 for a card at the store... (Unless you go to the dollar twenty five plus store..) This card making thing is starting to pay off. I still have one more card I want to make for our daughter-in-law whose birthday is also this month. I just ordered a stamp to make it. 

These are my scrunchies I finished. I posted the link for the pattern a while back, I will have to link it again here. The purple one I sent with the "ocean" card posted above. Her favorite color is purple, too. I did the blue one for me. I want a purple one, too. I haven't worn it yet. It's really "big" for a scrunchie. Scrunchie Pattern.

And last but not least, here's a picture of Eri. Six years ago today I brought her home from the family that was fostering her, until she got adopted. 😻This was how tiny she was!

Today is my last day of radiation. I don't know what the next steps will be. I don't want to go through chemo again. 😢 I just got my port out less than a year ago. 

I have been working on my granny vest, I am on the "neck" portion of the vest. I need to get a bag together to put in my car for when I get to appointments early and have to wait. I can't believe I don't have one in my car already.   

~Until Next Time~

 

Christmas In July

This is another bag I have been working on. But sewing... We had done a "Class" in my Quilts of Valor group I was in. I kept thinking "Where are the instructions for that bag?" Well, I found them. But all it was is this picture and cut pieces of thermolam out so big to bring to class. 🙄That does not help me. I can't remember sh*t anymore. Moving 800 times, chemo brain, 8 million other things on my mind right now..... So I watched some you tube videos and some tik toks......  (To confuse myself even more, LoL). I have been mostly going off of this one, though.

I just started to sew it

And I laid out the thermolam piece and put the piece I was sewing together, on top of it...  

This is the first piece, done. 

Well, actually. This is it done. And pinned to the thermolam. 

And, I somehow finished the second side, too. I got the bottom pieces all cut and layered, too. I was sewing this for someone for their birthday. But. I should have started it months ago.... I am getting so overwhelmed. I miss my quilt group!! I don't want to join a new one here. 😩

I had to bring the thermolam upstairs and clean the table off and lay it out up here. To cut it big enough. My husband put a light downstairs so I can see better. But the space down there is not very big for quilting...   In my quilt group, we had huge tables to lay out our fabric...  Sigh...

My husband and I went to Frankenmuth for our anniversary for dinner. We had reservations at Zehnder's. It was our 34th anniversary. 

Of course we went to Bronner's.... I meant to edit the picture to crop the guy out on the left...  Oops. I got an ornament for our middle son. That says "Plumbers go with the flow". And I got an ornament for our youngest son about mowing lawns... I will have to take pictures of them. I was happy I got started on my Christmas shopping, but I actually got started back in May! I think that's a record. Unless I went right after Christmas and got something on sale.. We went in May and I went on a Gnome Hunt. I will have to upload pictures of that someday..

On the way to Frankenmuth, I wanted to bring a project to crochet in the car. Then I thought, "What about that snowglobe ornament I just printed out?" So, I combined a Road Trip Crochet Project with Christmas in July!  Hee hee.  

I actually finished it, too. But, I forgot to bring a yarn needle (and scissors!). So I couldn't weave in the ends. (I did that yesterday when my husband took me to my radiologist appointment, though...) And on the way home, we stopped at Walmart for a couple things. And I bought some Santa buttons. To sew on to it. I will have to take a picture of those. The cashier said "Christmas!? Already?" Like it was a bad thing. Lol. I said "It's Christmas in July". She said "That's crazy".  Yes. Maybe for some people...  Not for crazy crocheters though!! We get out Christmas projects started early.  Anyways, This snowglobe ornament is from Repeat Crafter Me.  And, I started a Red Truck Ornament, too! These are both projects I had wanted to do last Christmas but I never got to..  The snowglobe is for my (middle son) daughter in law, and the Red truck is for our youngest son. Although I don't know if he is still into red truck things..... His truck has been a big headache, and is all tore apart in his driveway. (He is borrowing our truck for now...) So I don't know if he would like it. 👀 I finally started a Christmas in July project, though, yay...  I want to do another snowglobe for our tree, too. 

The day after my husband and mine's (how do you say that?) anniversary, I made some chocolate covered strawberries. I had some leftover chocolate which I didn't want to just waste... I was trying to think what else I could cover in chocolate. Then I said "Oh! What about peanuts!?" Duh...   I haven't made chocolate covered strawberries in a while. 

Bag is Finished

Well, my whole life is a dumpster fire. But, I finished this bag. I clicked on Joaniebologna's linktree and found her TikTok page. Part two was on there. And in the comments, there was three different people asking where Part One is.....  Why would someone do that? Part two was posted a while ago on TikTok, and Part one was just posted last week on Facebook. Not a very good creator in my opinion. Won't answer anyone's questions, can't even post a full tutorial. But she wants people to buy her patterns and pay her to teach them to crochet. Anyway, this is the finished bag.

And Eri was my helper all through it...  

Yesterday I was sitting here trying to crochet, and Cosmo tried to jump on the chair (kind of). He put his front paws up. Well his claw got stuck in the fabric on the chair. I cannot lift him up, I just had surgery two weeks ago. I'm not supposed to lift anything 20 lbs. Well I don't know if Cosmo weighs that much (my husband got on the scale with him last week and it said he weighs 16 lbs, which can't be right because he is bigger than he was when we got him and he weighed 16 lbs when we got him..)  Anyway, I kept trying to get his claw unhooked without lifting him and he was getting mad and trying to bite me because he thought I was trying to hurt him.....  Well he got loose eventually. But then a little bit later we saw a claw on the carpet. 😿Poor kitty....

I was in a Christmas in July mood to crochet... But I finished this bag and now I want to crochet another one I saw on Facebook.  <- Link to her website and pattern...   And, I don't know why, but I am in the mood to crochet scrunchies again. I know I have crocheted a bunch in the past, but I can only find a couple I posted on here. And, I never posted a link to the websites where I found the patterns, either. Sigh...   I finished one scrunchie last night and I started another one. I haven't taken any pictures of them yet. But this is the website where I found the scrunchie pattern. I went and got some hairbands yesterday when we went grocery shopping. My hair is actually long enough to wear a scrunchie again. I don't want to do chemo again and lose my hair again. What if it doesn't grow back this time...

 

Bags in July

Well I was going to take a picture of the bag I started. But Eri is laying on it. I can barely even type, she is laying right where I would put the keyboard. But if I try to pet her she tries to bite me. Ooookayyyy...   The bag is a video tutorial from Joaniebologna something on Facebook. "Part One". I have commented twice on it to see if there will be a part two and what size hook....  No reply. So I don't know if I'm wasting my time crocheting this.

I bought two more big skeins of yarn for it too. If she doesn't post a part two I guess I will have to rip everything out and do a different bag with it. 

I looked for my snowmen I started, and the styrofoam balls I bough to do them with. I couldn't find them anywhere. Sigh... To do a Christmas in July project (or, finish one) with. So, I started this bag. "Bags in July"..  LoL I used my Bloomin Bag when I went to the doctor the other day. And one of the girls loved it. She said she can only crochet squares or easy things. I printed the pattern out, and I am going to take it with me to my next appointment.  I kind of want to crochet another one. In purple...   Maybe I will. Because Joaniebologna isn't posting part two of the tutorial...  I bought a new shirt that matches this yarn almost perfectly and I will have enough to finish it 

The color seems a little off in this picture. It's more of a warm light purple in real life. And the pattern doesn't actually say how much yarn to use. I'll have to look back through my posts to see if I mentioned how much it took...  This post shows I had three skeins of Red Heart Soft, and they were 5 ounce skeins. So these two skeins are 7 ounces. I should see if I can find one more skein... Just to be safe. Actually. I should just get a bunch more, because I wanted this yarn to do the vest I was working on...  

It's Officially Christmas in July

Now that the 4th of July is over, it's officially Christmas in July!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🎄🎅🤶Not. Even. Kidding. I was trying to think of what to crochet....  (Like I need to start another new project...) But then I thought of one I had started, that I could finish. The Mr. & Mrs. Snowman . I started them at least a couple years ago. Okay, I went and looked. Three years ago! Sheesh.  Well, a lot has been happening since then. I know I bought the styrofoam balls and I was trying to put the snowman on one and it was too big....   And I got irritated and put it away.  I just printed the pattern out again, so maybe I will start a whole new one with a G hook.  I actually have white yarn right here, too. And my G hook. 😁

Happy 4th of July/250 Years America

Happy 4th of July America, and Happy 250th Birthday. I am patriotic and I love the USA. But, I do not love neighbors who pop off fireworks that sound like a bomb going off. I just had surgery. And Jaxson is terrified of thunder. Fireworks make him even worse. Last night he was pacing back and forth, and he laid right on the floor by my bed with his head under the bed. I can't wait until this weekend is over. And I hope the neighbor is DONE after this weekend!! 😡

I tried to decorate a little. I got my 4th of July gnome salt and pepper shakers out. And I got some flag napkins at the dollar store. They are not very absorbent. They would probably be good for crafting though...

And I forgot about my 4th of July gnome towel topper.

                                                        I finished the American Pie Guy. 

This is the back. I had some red white and blue variegated yarn in my stash. I think I got it at Hobby Lobby, a long time ago. I don't know.

My husband bought me some  strawberry tongs. 👀 I don't know..... Um. Thank you? 😏 I did see these but I didn't get them. But, the only pair of tongs we have are like three feet long and akward to try and get salad out of the bowl with at dinner. LoL

He bought me some flowers, too. They are kind of purple. They're pretty. 💜

The oncologist office called me with the biopsy results. It is metastatic cancer spread from the colon cancer. I am supposed to go to radiation this week. That didn't take long to spread. 😒

Hello July (Fair Warning: some medical stuff in first paragraph)

I can't believe my last post was Hello June. Now it's July already... A lot has happened since my last post. Stinking doctor appointments. CT scan, then a PET scan... Then a lung biopsy because they think some nodules in my lungs may be metastatic. I had my lung biopsy last Thursday. I still hurt. It doesn't help that I can't stop coughing. I don't know if it's still trying to clear all the gunk out of my lungs. After they took the drain tube out I started coughing up a bunch of stuff.... Ewww...  I am supposed to go back next Tuesday to get the biopsy results and for a post op check up.  Well I didn't even tell you everything. But this is supposed to be a crafting blog...   

But where did June go?  I couldn't wait all winter long for it to be summer and it's already going too fast!!

I guess that means Fourth of July crafts...  I didn't realize it was coming up so fast. We were coming home from grocery shopping one day, and I said "I should probably decorate for Fourth of July". I don't have much in the way of  "decor" for the 4th. But I do have some stuff. And I went and got some napkins. I put my little Fourth of July gnome on the hutch, and hung a banner up. 

Someone posted an "American Pie" stuffie they made, on Facebook. I thought it was so cute!! (Of course, she adds to patterns and makes them even cuter-she put legs with shoes and arms with "hands" it was adorable...)  I wasn't asking for the pattern, but she posted the link for it. And..... I bought it. 😁😁American Pie Crochet Pattern.

I got yarn out last night and I actually finished the first side. I have had the red white and blue variegated for I don't even know how long. I'm using that for the back piece. Do I even know what I'm going to do with it? No. Do I care? No. It's cute. 

I was working on this before I got the American Pie pattern. A vest. This is the first side. I started this in March, I think!  I had about a half skein of lighter purple, but I didn't think it would be enough. I was going to go to the store with my husband last night but I really didn't think I should. It hasn't even been a week since my surgery. I showed my husband the yarn I had and said I didn't think I would have enough. I cut a little piece and I don't remember how I said it.....   But...

He bought me some lighter purple yarn!! That's the first time my husband has ever actually bought me yarn. 😝  He even sent me a picture to see if it was a good lighter purple one.... (I asked him if he could.)    I think he really does love me... (LoL)   I've been trying to crochet tops because nothing fits me anymore. (Even though it's mid 90's and 74% humidiity right now.... Who wants to wear a sweater top?)  

This is another top I have been working on. The Hexi Twist Tee. I'm doing just scrap colors. I started the second side to try and match them up to see if it will be big enough. 

I did lose some weight but....   My NP said I am probably stuck in Fight or Flight Survival Mode is why I gained so much weight.  I started an "Anti Cancer" diet and lost a few pounds... 

I think I am going to just crochet and try to not think about anything again today...