How To Fix Your Hamilton Beach Flexbrew Single Serve

My daughter asked for a Kuerig for Christmas and since that is all she asked for I got her one and she loves it. I myself have been wanting one for quite some time but couldn't justify the cost for myself *okie thinks that it is odd how we can spend money on others but not ourselves* but I did find a Hamilton Beach Flexbrew Singe Serve at Walmart for half the price of a Kuerig and I thought I was worth at least half of what my daughter is worth *okie cracks up laughing*. 

I have had different coffee pots over the years, usually a Mr. Coffee in most cases, so this whole single serve was quite appealing to me because I didn't have to make a whole pot of coffee and if I decided I wanted another cup of coffee all I have to do is pop another pod in, add the water and push the button and let's face it...it's almost impossible to make just one cup of coffee in a large pot. There were a few other reasons I chose this machine, one being I really liked the looks of it and how it was compact. If you want you can remove the little shelf and use a travel mug. Another great option is that you don't have to use pods, it has a built in filter basket where you can use loose coffee. One more plus is that you can make coffee in several different cup sizes. I usually go with the 10 oz because the bottled water I have is 20 ounces and I know to just use half the bottle. *CONFESSION* I keep bottled water for the kids because they always come in and take it with them when they leave. I use the same bottles over and over and just refill from my fridge since I have filtered water. 

I did read the reviews and most of them were good, there were a few talking about how after awhile the water would no longer go through but I decided to take a chance on it anyway. Just a few days ago my machine got to where the water wouldn't brew all the way through and I thought "well dammmnnnn" but me being me I decided to take a looksy and see if I could find out the problem.

The first thing I did was take off this rubber gasket around the piercing needle and clean it. There didn't seem to be anything on it or anything to clean really but I wiped it off just the same. While doing this I noticed a hole in the piercing needle and I wondered to myself if that is actually where the water goes through.

I went to my craftroom and found a paperclip and poked it through the hole *okie wonders if she should mention she did unplug the coffee maker before starting her out of curiosity let's try and repair the coffee maker job* and sure enough there were coffee grounds that came out! I twirled the paperclip a little bit to make sure I was getting it all out and truthfully there wasn't even much but I guess enough to keep it from brewing right.

After getting the piercing needle all cleaned out I put the rubber gasket back on, plugged it back in, added the water and turned it on. It started making the noise it usually does as it heats up the water and instead of sputtering I saw a nice thick stream of hot water pouring out! GO ME!!! Now if the problem happens again I know it is a quick fix and I won't be thinking I have to run out and replace my coffee maker. I did go ahead and do the vinegar cleaning while I was at it and there was some build up in the little filter basket. Our city water is very hard and there is always lime and calcium spots on things. After drinking this water for years I should have bones like steel with all the calcium I have consumed!

A Little Laminating Trick!

First off let me apologize for not being here for a few months. I am alive and well. I have done some crafting but I've been lazy about getting things posted. I actually might end up losing this dang thing if I can't figure out how to update my information through Google and it would seem I might need to get some technical help to figure it out. It really shouldn't be that hard to update information but it keeps taking me to different links and I don't know what hoops to jump through. Okay enough of that...

I want to share a little trick I learned this morning while working on a banner. I wanted to laminate the banner so it can be used year after year. I had told my friend Andrea I would make her a 4th of July banner last year but I got busy with other things and didn't get it done and since I'm on-call this weekend and can't really go anywhere I decided to work on the banner.

I'll have to post the finished product later since I still have to put it together but I was laminating this morning and ran into a problem of the laminating sheets not adhering all the way leaving me with gaps in some places and also nasty milky looking residue along some edges and that just wouldn't do since I want the banner to be waterproof but also look nice. 

As you can see in the picture it was rather nasty looking and I believe the problem was due to the thickness of my banner pieces since I had 3 layers of cardstock on some of the pieces. 

I ran a piece through the laminator again but it didn't help any. I thought about maybe using my iron but I thought there might be an easier and less messy way and that is when using my heat gun popped into my head *okie still thinks she is a genius at times*. I wanted to protect my craft table so I grabbed one of the BBQ mats I had gotten at Zipp Outlet months ago. Quick note on these, they sell for around $10 for 2 on Amazon and work just as well as the craft mats that sell for $10 for 1 in craftstores. Also these are a little thicker than the craft mats and they clean up great. I got mine for $1.97 at the outlet store and I actually bought a number of them to share with crafty friends. 

The heat gun worked great for heating the "glue" up and I worked in small areas at a time. You don't want to hold it too long in one area or it will start to melt the lamination sheet. If you do heat embossing you understand how you need to move the gun back and forth a bit and this is the method I did for the lamination sheet. As you can see the milkiness goes away as the glue is heated and I was really excited about the cleaner looking edge but I did want to make sure it was going to stick together and I had an idea for that as well.

In order to get the lamination sheet to stick together I used my rub on tool, the one I have was made by Basic Grey but I'm sure there is something else you can use since BG is no longer in the paper crafting busines, to go along the edge after the milkiness disappeared. As I mentioned earlier I worked in small areas so I didn't over heat the lamination sheets and also so I would have time to press the sheet together before it cooled down too much. 

I am really thrilled with knowing now that I can laminate multiple layers of cardstock and still get a nice clean edge around the paper. The laminating sheets I was using are 5 mil thick, which is pretty thick, and I might not have had this problem had I used thinner laminating sheets but I want this sucker to be pretty sturdy. Also I got a good deal on the laminating sheets, $3.97 for a box of 100, at Zipp Outlet and since I have two boxes I figured I might as well use some of them.

Oh and since someone will ask about Zipp Outlet I will tell you that it is only in Oklahoma in a few towns here and I use to love the store but now it seems all they get in are chips and shoes, neither of which I need!

I'll try and get a few other projects I've done ready to post in the next few days. 

Let's Talk Binding For A Moment

If you are a regular reader of the drivel I post or a friend of mine on Facebook then you know how much I love to make Mini Albums. There is just a bit of a thrill for me to have a whole little book decorated with luscious papers, flowers, pearls, secret pockets, and well to be honest the embellishments are endless that can be used. Over the years I think I have only made one of a mini album maybe twice since I have the sickness that tells my brain I need to make more than one of most any item I make, except for scrapbook layouts and those I can feel okay with making only one. 

When I first started with the mini-albums I had a Bind It All and loved it but I was bequeathed a Cinch when a dear friend got the new Cinch and didn't have room for her old one. I was quite scared of the Cinch when it first arrived and just knew I was going to mess things up or break it. A few years later and it is still all in one piece and I can use that thing like a champ. Okay, okay, I'll be truthful and let you know I have to look up the settings if I am doing anything but a 6" album, but hey I can't be expected to remember every little bit of crafty information can? Anyway there is a lot less adjusting when using the Cinch so that means a lot less chance of screwing things up *okie cringes remembering the time she didn't slide a page in all the way and had to recover it*.

At one time Tuesday Morning had a ton of Zutter products in and I was able to pick up various sizes of the Owires that are used with either of the binding machines I had. Once I really started making quite a few mini albums I realized that due to the thickness of the chipboard and embellishments, I used the 1 1/4" wires the most and I have been lucky that a few people have sent me some wires but I always seem to run low. Last year I did find a site where I could get wires fairly cheap but I had to buy a box of 100 and while I do like to have a nice size stash of supplies I wasn't sure if I wanted 100, especially of one color. A few nights ago I was thinking about all the little mini albums I have to alter and remembered about the Owires and started looking for the website, I didn't have the bookmark on my new computer, and came across something even better!

So at the Binding Depot site I found they had a lot of binding supplies, well DUH huh! Anyway I got to their page of the 2:1 wires and was thrilled that they had boxes of 25 in various sizes, including my beloved 1 1/4" size! They have several colors to choose from and the one color they didn't have that I wish they did was the antique bronze oh and brown, I also wish they had brown...I like the brown ones. I did order a box of silver and a box of black and the shipping was $4.95 and I think that might be their standard shipping. I will let you guys know how the shipping and product is once I receive them. 

Once summer hits and it is hotter than Hades and I have to stay in my nice cool air conditioned house I will be all set to whip up as many mini albums as my heart desires!

Inventory and Organization - Embossing Folders

Today's organization topic is embossing folders! So many of us love to use the crafty goodness of embossing folders but there is always the issue of how to store, how to find and knowing what we have! A few years ago I decided to make a cutting file for my folders so I could organize them easily and just last week I decided I needed an inventory. Luckily I haven't ever purchased one I already had but I have benefited from some generous people who did buy duplicates and were kind enough to send me the extra they had purchased *okie is always humbled and grateful for people's generosity*.

The screenshot of the inventory list shows how I do have them broken into different categories. I have all my A2 and 5x7 folders in a list together and if it was a set, such as Honeycomb, I have them in the main list and then labeled it in the C column. Since I have several different brand of folders I added that in the D column since so many companies have folders that are the same theme. 

You can download the inventory list, Embossing Folder Inventory XLSX and edit for your own use, and once again you will need Microsoft Excel to use the list.

Here is a picture of my folders. I keep them in a drawer in my Ikea Expedit unit and in the picture the drawer was pulled out so I could get them organized. Instead of using my lovely cardstock to make the file folders for them I pick up file folders from Dollar Tree, they come 10 to a pack, and make the folders out of them. If you don't mind the crease of the folder being on one of your folders you can get 3 out of one file folder *okie wonders if that even just made any sense*. In this picture my 5x7 folders haven't been completed yet but they are now.

I have reposted this many times and will once again post the link, if you would like to make the folder you can download the cutting file in either MTC or SVG format at this location - EMBOSSING FOLDER STORAGE.

 

I also wanted to show you why I make a "folder" for the folder. As you can see in the picture I actually emboss the folder so I can easily see what the pattern is when paper is embossed with the specific folder. Sometimes it is hard to tell what the pattern might look like and now I can easily see the design and not have to second guess if I might want to use that pattern.

So there ya go...now you have no reason not to get your embossing folders organized and inventoried! I think this will be the last of my posts with inventory lists for a little while. I go through spurts of getting organized and I think I'm done with this spurt...but then again who knows I might just decide to get my craft closet organized!

Inventory and Organization - Graphic 45

One of my favorite lines is Graphic 45 *okie hears someone in the back say "DUH" and throws a bottle of Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive at their head and wonder if the nipple will stay on the bottle when it hits the intended target* and my friend Carmen recently found papers from several of their collections at Tuesday Morning and sent me a box full of paper. For those who don't know, Carmen is one of my BFF's and lives in Houston and has access to many things I do not and she is generous and kind enough to pick up things for me quite frequently. I always try to send her money for such said shopping excursions but she make me pay her in cards and other items I make. Anywho...yes I meant anywho, she went to another Tuesday Morning and found some other sheets from those collections and couldn't remember what all she had gotten the last time. Luckily my paper was still out on my table and I was able to quickly go through them and let her know what we did and didn't have. I knew at that moment it would be so much easier if I had a list and went about making a spreadsheet inventory.

Last year on Black Friday I got a Brother P Touch PT-D200 for $10 and I absolutely love that thing! I order the refills off Amazon because they are a lot cheaper than getting them at Staples or other stores, I'm thinking about half the cost if I remember correctly. I also ordered the cord because it is not very economical to keep batteries going in this thing. There are a lot of options for fonts, sizes, etc in the label maker and I sometimes forget what settings I used for labels. The reason I am telling you this is in the next paragraph.

The first line that says "Labels for collections" is actually just a reference for me in case I need to make new labels in the future. 

As you can see I have the collection name in the first column and then the name of the specific sheet. You may wonder why I did that for the Graphic 45 and the reason is that when you get the paper at Tuesday Morning it comes in packs of 20 of the same sheet so I have multiple sheets. And NO, I am not so OCD that I am going to count the sheets and put that in there but of course if you would like to do so there is column space for it. 

If you would like this file you can download it here - Graphic45 Inventory XLSX

Here is my Graphic 45, or at least part of it, in my Cropper Hoppers. I have divider between each collection and they are in alphabetical order as is each individual sheets. I will be able to easily add to the inventory and put the paper away now and know exactly where to find the collection. There are a few of the collections that are in packs and those are inventoried as such in the list. 

Tomorrow I will be posting my embossing folder inventory and will share the file for it as well. Now go get to organizing!

Put a Nipple On That Bottle!

First off let me apologize to all the mothers out there who have babies on bottles. There will apparently be a shortage of silicone nipples starting immediately...now for the rest of the story.

My friend Linda posted a Youtube video NO PLUG GLUE TOPPERS FOR PAPERCRAFTING in the OCC group on Facebook with this fabulous idea of how to keep your glue bottles from clogging and of course after watching I knew I had to try it! The premise of the idea is that you use a silicone baby bottle nipple and it keeps the glue from drying out, which is one of my pet peeves, and also allows you to apply a thin line or thick line of glue. I generally have to dig out the glue from my Scotch Quick Dry because of this and I also hoard the old style bottle because it has the smaller tip *okie wonders what freakin idiot decided to change the bottle tip and would like to give that person a HUGE smack upside the head* and the new bottles have a tip that, well to be honest, isn't worth a chit because it is just too big!

After watching the video I made plans to stop by Dollar Tree, as my friend Pat mentioned that they carried the said nipples, the next day and pick up a package. My Dollar Tree indeed had them and there were 3 nipples in the package. It is suggested that you look for the 0-3 month silicone nipples but the ones I got were marked 0-3 years. The opening of the nipple needs to be small. I knew I already had mounting foam *okie wonders how many watched the video and how many are scratching their heads right now wondering why the heck okie would need mounting foam* so I didn't need to get any of that. Okay, for those that are wondering about the mounting foam, it is to wrap around the top of the bottle so the nipple will stay on, actually you wrap twice around the top of the bottle.

It didn't take long to replace the tips with the mounting foam and nipples but my skepticism was more about how it would do to keep the contents from drying out and being easily usable for the next time. Since I did these yesterday I couldn't wait to get up and try them out this morning to see if the glue dried out or not.

I thought I better use a black piece of cardstock so the lines would show up clearly and as you can see from the photo it worked great! I just wiped the tip of each nipple with my finger to get rid of the dried dot at the top, it is suggested you leave a small dab to help the glue from drying out, and it was good to go. How much glue you get depends a lot on how much pressure you use and how fast you move to make your line. I actually think it is easier to make more uniform sized dots with the gloss accents, which is on the left in the picture, and it was easy to get different sizes. Also one thing I noticed is that when I was doing dots with the Scotch Quick Dry there was a larger dot at the end of the nipple but I was able to just dab the end to the paper for very small dots...that will be extremely handy!

Now I need to see if there are any other adhesives hanging out at my house that need nipples! If you are tired of your glue drying out then just put a nipple on that bottle!