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. 

Hello Cards

I have been cleaning my house all week. (We have ants... Need I say more? It sent me on a cleaning frenzy.) I just wanted to make a card or something! (I have been crocheting, too a little..) I don't know where this card idea came from. My brain. I had a stamped Hello piece just sitting there. And I started coloring it.. I looked on Pinterest for ideas but I wanted "banners", going horizontally from the "Hello" piece. I couldn't find anything except for one thing (I didn't take a screenshot of it.) This is what I came up with. 🤷

Then I started to look at other "banner" handmade cards, and "purple". I found one that was both! 😀And it says "hello". It's a Triple Whammy. This is my version. I don't have a simple "hello" stamp, all mine are with a bird, or in a circle..  But, I do have "letter" stamps and I put them on my acrylic block and hoped for the best. 😁 I wasn't very happy with it alone, but when I put it all together, I really liked it. I don't want to send it to anyone. LOL...  I only had one purple (lavender, really) envelope left. And I cut the card base out to fit the envelope. 

This is the Pinterest inspiration. I was not paying attention, and I stuck all my "banners" down all the way. And my little heart punch is a little smaller. But, I still really like my card. Usually I am not 100% happy with my cards. But this one, I am. For some reason I thought of the Purple People Eater... I googled it, I couldn't remember what it was- a cartoon? A song? It was a song...  "It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater (One-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater).

I was just sitting there and I had a bunch of scraps on the desk and I started putting them all together. Lol. I don't know what you would even call it. Abstract Art Ephemera. It's all in the garbage, now. I was just messing around...

I'm still kind of in the mood to make cards. But everyone is home today and we will probably all be doing something. Or not. But I won't be able to make cards..    I have been crocheting a Fourth of July gnome! I still have the nose, and the arms to do. (I know, I better hurry, it's almost here...) I need to get one more color and it's upstairs in my mess of a room.... (sigh...)  I want to crochet a Purple People Eater, too. 😝 Oh my God!! I just googled if there was a pattern for one and there is! 😂😂😂 I have to crochet one! I love it!!

One-Eyed One-horned Flyin' Purple People Eater 👿

There are a few patterns, but this is another free one. There's some on Etsy too. Those aren't free though obviously.  

I don't even know why I thought of that.. I have purple on the brain I guess. 

Random Things

This is the progress on my other strawberry tea cozy. Figuring out the tea cozy was the easy part. Ughh... I have about 20 of those flowers done, but probably 80 ends to weave in. Then sew them on.. I still have to crochet some strawberries and vines and leaves, too. 😟 I have a serious problem with not finishing things, and starting new things..  Sigh. I shouldn't even allow myself to look at new patterns for ideas. Right now I have this tea cozy going, the dinosaur I started. Which I don't even know what I am going to do with, because the cost of shipping things in the mail is so *&%$#@! ridiculous now!! I hate it so much! I tried to mail a handmade card (this one, to be exact). It was over $5. For a fricking card. I tried to mail four tea bags to someone in the UK last month, and he said it would cost $22 something. I said "Do you know how many BOXES of tea I could buy for $22????" So I had to carefully undo the envelope (I had stamped a bunch of bee things on it, I wasn't going to just use another one).  OMG Anyway so I am not going to be shipping the dinosaur. Sigh...  What else do I have going? Well, technically, nothing. I just have so much I WANT to crochet.

Today we are under a "severe weather alert" Heat Advisory. We were under one yesterday, too. And the day before.It got up to 94*. And with the humidity, I don't even know. I read online that the heat index was 105-110. But I don't know if that was true. It's miserable.  That's for sure. It's like trying to breathe pea soup outside, it's so hot and muggy. Welcome to summer. It can't just be average, normal weather here. It has to be bitter cold, ice, snowstorm, ice storm. Or so hot and humid, tornado warning, severe thunderstorm and wind...   Ugh... I know why I wanted to move away from here back when we did...

For some reason I started decorating the kitchen and dining room with 4th of July stuff this morning. I don't know. I need a distraction. Sigh...  Then, of course I started looking for 4th of July gnome crochet patterns.. 🙄  This is why I get too many crochet projects going! I found a couple, but one is a paid for pattern. This one is free. I already got my yarn and hook out to make it. LoL.  It's too hot to do anything else today. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Random, but does anyone even blog any more? Am I the only one who still blogs? 

 

Most Boring Post Ever....

Yesterday, I cleaned out the coffee pot with vinegar... Can I just say 🤮🤮🤮?  Some of it may have been coffee residue. But OMG. I have never seen it that bad before. Our water is rusty here. I want to start getting bottled water for the coffee pot, too! I drink water from the fridge (it has a filter, even though sometimes it is still yellow looking..) My husband went and (finally!! How long have we lived here???) got some water softener salt. Sheesh. I mean, we don't have to pay for water here, but...  😟 Maybe the salt will help.

I also made muffins yesterday, I didn't take a picture of them. 😱 The recipe is in the Muffins & Cupcakes by Larry Rosenberg cookbook.  He says to preheat the oven to 350*, but then bake at 325*. I used to always forget and bake them at 350*. 🤷 Well, there's less than half of the muffins (I made 15) left. 😒 And it's only three of us now... 

I need to declutter this house. I've been going through dresser drawers (because nothing fits me anymore, since my surgery and GAINING ten pounds after??? 😭😭😭) How depressing is it when your drawer is completely empty..  I have since gotten a few more pairs of shorts. But I have bags and bags of clothes that don't fit me any more. And I haven't even gone through my closet. Or sewing/craft room or the computer room. I also have way too many books. I took a big stack (9, I think?) to a used book store and I still have at least three times that many I don't want any more. I am so tempted to just get rid of everything. How did I get so much stuff???..    Sigh..

 

Plants, and Puppies..

 

In the interest of decorating my kitchen in strawberries (but not having the $$ to go out and buy everything I want), I turned to crochet (of course! 😁) to make some things. I googled "Crochet Strawberry Tea Cozy" on You Tube. And I used this pattern to make this adorable tea cozy! I think I should have made the base bigger, you can barely see it (I had to pull it over a little so you could see the little "leaves")...  Anyway I still think it is super cute. 

Another picture where it doesn't look so washed out. I was trying to think where I could put it to "display" it...  Because our counter space is limited. If I put it on top of the fridge you couldn't see the whole thing.  I've been thinking about getting one of these for my plants. Maybe that could work. I already know my husband would just complain about it though...  Maybe I could get something to put on top of the dishwasher... 

Anyway. I made some cookies for my new cookie jar. These are long gone and I need to make some more. But I have bananas waiting to be made into muffins today. These were cranberry white chocolate chip cookies (but I made them with regular chocolate chips). The recipe I have is typed out, no website or information where the recipe came from. You could google your own.

I have been potting and re-potting plants. I repotted the purple wandering jew plant I got at a garage sale a couple weekends ago. I will save you 20 pictures of plants. I want new pots for my plants. I just used what I have in the garage.  I also repotted a spider plant. I was going to plant a cutting I have been rooting forever, but I got wore out after two plants. And I can't do it now because I just mopped the kitchen yesterday.  

I seriously need help cleaning; and I want a house cleaning lady. Funny. I used to be the house cleaning lady. I cannot keep up since I got cancer and my surgery... 😒

I'm crocheting another strawberry tea cozy, too. I saw one on Instagram, and I went on Pinterest to try and find a pattern... This was all I could find.  I am totally winging it. I used the chart to get started but then I 1. Can't read the directions, 2. I hate charts and I was just getting totally confused. 3. Half of it is in Chinese or some other language. I actually started this one before the one I posted up above. Because I am trying to figure it out as I go and find flower and strawberry patterns to use.. 

Oh. The "Puppies" part of this post... (She is two years old though not a puppy... 😜) Update on the vet visit.... "Allegedly", Elsie has Lyme. 😕 (Why is there no eye rolling emoji on here, I need it!!) Which is ridiculous. I mean we do have ticks here. But, she has been on Nexguard all the summer months. The only month we missed was last month, and I have been using this, AND Fur Life dog collars since May. And they both have been getting a bath (with flea and tick shampoo). Elsie only got one in May. Jaxson got one in May (by me), and I gave him one last week.  And, my husbands boss said "They tell everyone that here".  All of which makes me think they are lying, just to get more money. That's why I say allegedly she has Lyme.  I know they don't actually care. Because they still have not called me back to let me know when I can give her her Nexguard and Heartguard meds.... They said "Wait until we get the results".   I think it's time for a new vet. I told our son, since it's "his dog".  Even though I take her...  

Well that's about all for now.

Dogs and Chickens..

Well, Elsie went to the vet yesterday. She is really good in the car. Doesn't try and jump up in the front, waits until you open the door to get out of the car. She kind of growled at a person who was going to come in the vet (he wouldn't come in the lobby, he waited- thank God. The vet tech said that dog was 90 lbs and I couldn't understand the rest of what she said..) Anyway. Elsie gained 3 lbs since last year and has to go on a diet. 😒 I was like, "Yeah don't we all?" Gimme a break. And one of her teeth has a little chip in it, try to tone down the frisbee play. OMG.... (Yeah, I can't even afford to go to the dentist?...)  And she had a tick on her. ??? Yeah, that's literally why I'm here? We have ticks all over our back yard, and I pulled three off her the day before. UGH...  All that (which was what? She looked at her, felt her looked in her ears and at her teeth, gave her three shots) cost almost $300 and I only got one flea and one heartworm pill each. SHEESH!!! This is why I can't take Jaxson...  I don't remember us EVER taking our animals to the vet when I was a kid. We couldn't even go to the doctor, ourselves. It's ridiculous. Who can even afford groceries now, let along take their animals to the vet.. I feel like, it's not enough to feed your dog, brush them, and love them, and play with them; you have to monitor their play and brush their teeth check them for ticks (I do that),  they need to have their blood tested, their poop[ tested, give them all these pills so they can be around other dogs, measure their food every day (do you know how hard it is to keep track of that with two dogs, and they keep going to each others food bowls and you have each one measured out different?)... It's just a crooked money making scheme. And now I'm irritated. LoL

Anyway, here's a recipe for doggie ice cream treats. Now that Elsie is on a diet, I'll have to use "fat free" yogurt and peanut butter.. (Where is the eye rolling emoji??)  I made some treats in the ice cube tray for them last summer. I think it was similar to this one. I know I used banana and peanut butter.

Why did the chickens cross the road? I don't know, but when I was coming home from the vet, a chicken ran across the road in front of me. I had to slam the brakes on. Then I noticed there was a bunch of them on the other side of the road. This is just a couple houses down from us. They shouldn't just let their chickens run free like that, someone is going to hit one. And if they come down to our yard, Elsie will kill one for sure. It's all clucking crazy. 🐔

Sunday Drive (And Strawberries, Of Course)

Yesterday we went grocery shopping early. We got home and I was just like "UGHHHH I need to just get out of this house!" I asked my husband if he wanted to do anything. "Long boring drive?"  "Let me get something to knit"  I couldn't think of anything I wanted to bring. (Sigh...) So I just grabbed this dishcloth I had started, I don't know when. Or who for. Sometimes you just need to go for a long boring drive and knit to clear your head.  Since we went on Sunday I guess that means we're Sunday drivers, and officially "old". 

We did stop at the gas station and got a latte. Coffee and knitting. "Road trip". I guess life is good.

Look, the state flowers are blooming...

I was (long story) thinking. LoL I have a pattern for a Chair Caddy? I don't remember what it's called. It's called "Camp Chair Cozy".  Did I ever post a picture of the one I crocheted? Well, I was thinking, "I should crochet one of my fruit can cozies, and do a caddy with it. Because one of the versions is for a pineapple. I have a grape and orange can cozy pattern (in an old issue of Crafting Traditions) that was published. Well, I was thinking, "I could use the grape pattern for a strawberry cozy!" I tweaked my pattern a little, because it doesn't work. Maybe I used to crochet really loose. It looks too short, too. Maybe I should add another round.  Okay, I didn't post the chair caddy I finished. I posted that I started one. 

I noticed that the phone part is "inside out". With the wrong side of the work showing. I was reading through the pattern and thought, "No that's how she said to do it".. I will have to look again. I got two skeins of red ILTC at Hobby Lobby, to do a strawberry one. The can cozy above was a trial run in acrylic. It still is super cute though and I will probably use it. I don't know what happened to the grape and orange ones I crocheted. Probably never used them. I was thinking about those orange drinks that came in an actual plastic orange. Did you ever have those when you were young?

Something like these? 

Let me see if this will work, this is more like what I remember:

 I was thinking about them one winter and came up with the idea to crochet a pop can cozy like it. Then I thought of the grape one.. To be a kid in the 70's again...  Look what showed up on my news feed... A strawberry one at Kohl's. Proof the internet is spying on you.

We got some strawberries when we went shopping (of course!). Look how big they are! 🍓

This morning I made a strawberry lassi. That isn't actually the recipe I used. The one I used was just (for one): 1/2 cup chopped strawberries (I might use more next time), 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt, 1/4 cup milk, some honey (I didn't measure it), a few ice cubes and blend. The recipe I originally used to use is no longer available online, it used honey instead of sugar.  

Elsie has an appointment today for the vet, to get all her flea and tick meds...  And a check up. Eon is paying for it. (She is "his" dog, so...) I am just taking her. She loves going to the vet, and everyone there loves her. I want to take Jaxson, too but... 😞💸  I got them some collars, from Getfurlife. They're natural essential oil collars? If you get them, make sure you go to the correct website. I don't know. I think it's get fur life dot com. No spaces, and an actual dot not the word..  I think there is a couple fake sites, from what I read online.  Well, I guess we will see if Elsie has fleas today when we go. LoL I did pull three ticks off her fur the other day. (That's why I want to take her, her fur is so thick and long, and it's black and you can't see any bugs in it...) I used the "flea" comb I have, and was feeling around everywhere that was how I found three ticks. Jaxsons fur is white and tan and short and you can see any big bugs. But when I gave him a bath a couple weeks ago, I still saw about three ticks in the bottom of the tub. Ughhhh... I need to give him another bath. I'm paranoid about fleas and ticks, I don't want them to get in the house. We have enough bugs that get in the house. 

Fleabag One

Fleabag Two 

😂 I love them, I just call them that for fun...