Basic Grey Warehouse Sale

Did anyone get the Basic Grey warehouse box? Well I did! Actually got two of them. I forgot to take pictures of the stuff to post but man oh man there was a ton of stuff! I got to complete sets of paper, Phoebe was one of them and can't remember the other. There was a ton of single sheet paper from probably 20 different lines. Some of them I already had and others I had a few sheets and then a few I had none of. I got all kinds of embellishments from buttons, chipboard albums, rub-ons, stickers *okie makes an exception on stickers when it comes to Basic Grey* and doily paper.

My friend Carmen got two boxes as well and from what she told me her boxes had completely different things. We both got greeting card kids, mine was from Hopscotch and then a Christmas set. Carmen got Oxford and Hello Luscious. She even got a few things from some of their newer lines...making me totally jelly!

I, of course, had to immediately start sorting mine and putting it away...completely forgetting to to take a few snapshots!! Luckily I caught Carmen before she put all of hers away and was able to get her to send me pictures of hers! When I asked her to do this I didn't know she was going to go into such detail but I am glad she did so you can see what wonderful goodies were in these boxes!

Here are all the pictures Carmen sent me...now look and drool! HA HA HA

 I got a few sheets of this Max and Whiskers collection. I had a few before so this will be a nice addition.

June Bug is a collection I was never able to get my hands on. I do have a few sheets I have found here and there and I got this sheet as well along with two others.

 My doily pages were different than these, think these are prettier than mine.

I am not a big sticker fan but I do have to say I love BG stickers since they go with the collections. I got a card kit from this collection while Carmen got stickers.

 Love this layout kit that Carmen got. I didn't get any of this collection.

 Fruitcake is a line from a few years back. I got some chipboard albums but mine were not this one. I can 't believe I have absolutely NO Fruitcake paper! LOL

My greeting card kit is with the Hopscotch line. I am not sure which this one is but you can never go wrong with these. If you are wanting to get someone who isn't very crafty a crafting gift these are great since they have all the pieces to make the cards and include the envies as well!

 Another great greeting card kit.

I did get the lacy embellies but not the other two that Carmen is showing.

 I don't think I got any woolies in my boxes but the ones that Carmen got are nice.

 More embellies that Carmen got in her boxes.

Carmen said she doesn't have any of the Cupcake paper that the chip stickers go with, I might be able to talk her out of those since I do have a few sheets of that collection! HA HA HA

 I think all the boxes had sticker alphabets, I got several sheets myself. I don't use a whole lot of these but they are great for adding to layouts.

I did get both of these embellies. I don't know what I will use the baby stickers for but I do have the paper line that the Varnish stickers to with.

 Green At Heart is a collection I have and I got a few sheets of this one as well but not the same as the ones Carmen got.

 Curio are the bottom sheets and I got those as well.

 Lauderdale is a great collection that I got some extra sheets of to add to my full collection.

 This collection is Mellow and was the very first collection I ever bought and got me hooked on Basic Grey!

Origins is a good collection for more masculine layouts and projects.

Halloween Hayride

I know that Thanksgiving is Thursday but I forgot to share about Halloween this year.

Halloween is a holiday that I use to look forward to when my daughter was little. I can remember all the fun things such as school carnivals, parties, going trick or treating and all the party favors I made for each child in her class every year from Kindergarten through 6th grade. As she got older Halloween got to where it was just another day. Halloween was a little different this year and one I will remember.

McCalls was having their Halloween carnival on a day I see clients. I didn't want to interrupt the festivities by taking my clients away from the carnival so instead I scheduled around the carnival, which was scheduled from 1-3pm and decided to just hang out during that time. The residents are always wanting me to join in on different festivities but it usually works out that I am unable to do so and I was a little excited to see my clients and the other residents enjoy the carnival.

I was so excited to see all the carnival booths they had set up, everything from a basketall throw, cupcake walk, fishing game and a few others. They even had all kinds of prizes for the residents to win. I knew they had a hayride the previous evening because some of my clients were discussing it during the group counseling sessions on that Tuesday, and they all seemed to be looking forward to going on a hayride.



I went to one area and one of the residents was talking about the hayride and his room worker said he couldn't take him due to being short handed. Since I was pretty much just hanging out and helping I asked him if it would be okay if I took him. Not real sure how long I have been going to McCall's now but this one particular resident noticed me right off.  It took me two years to get him to call me by name instead of saying "Hi Momma" when he would see me. During lunch time if he is in there I always go say a few words to him about reasons he needs to eat his lunch and most of the time it is "you can't be strong enough to pick up a bowling ball if you don't eat your lunch and I know you like to go bowling" and that usually gets him to eat at least a little of his lunch. Oh how I digress, anywho, I was able to take him on the hayride. He was a little leary when we first got to the tractor and flatbed trailer but I told him I would sit right next to him and he was okay then. We had a blast riding around the campus on those bales of hay, pointing out the cottages and him showing me which one was his, looking at birds flying by, and feeling the gentle breeze against our face. After the hayride I walked him back to his classroom and he gave me a big hug and told me thank you.

On my way home I think I smiled the whole way thinking about how great it was to spend that special time with the residents and remembering all the laughter, smiles of joy and excitement they showed while displaying prizes they won at the carnival booths. I know I will always remember that day and how special it was to the residents but my favorite memory will always be the Halloween Hayride where I was allowed to share something so simple as sitting on a bale of hay on a flatbed trailer and see the happiness on that one gentleman's face.

Wrapping Paper, Always a Dilemma

My Christmas party is now less than 3 weeks away! I have been busy working on projects for prizes but can't really show you guys yet because I don't want my guests to see and I know they are nosy as hell and would be checking my blog to see what this year's prizes are and trying to figure out ways to get the ones they want. I however am smarter than them *at least in okie's mind she is smarter than them, but in okie's mind she is smarter than everyone...except maybe Einstein and he is dead so he doesn't count and then thinks Stephen Hawking is bad ass smart and wonders....remembers wrapping paper!*

One of my biggest dilemma's is wrapping paper. I have to find the perfect wrapping paper so all the prizes look gorgeous under the tree. This started years ago when my daughter was very small and it all started with some Coca-Cola wrapping paper! I decided if I was going to have to have my tree up for so long that the presents should become part of the decor and give off a nice presentation. A that time I had a lot more people to buy for and I could save my daughters presents until a few days before Christmas so she wouldn't be tempted by hers.

There were a few years that I would decorate my own paper. I used Kraft paper and then stamped images on with acrylic paint or used Tulip paints to draw designs on them. I stopped that when I decided I didn't have 3 hours to spend on wrapping 5 presents. Now that I have my Christmas Party every year I want to make sure the paper is different and special for each party.

This was last years paper. I have always loved the holographic paper and think it looks so nice but it is usually so expensive that I don't buy it. At the local bargain store I was able to stock up for less than a $1 a roll. I went with blue and white tulle for bows.

Thang 1, Carmen Florida & Thang 2, Carmen Houston

Back in 2008 the presents had to be re-wrapped! The two Carmen's had come in for the party that year as well as Karen. We were doing our day before the party preparations and running around when I came across this wonderful paper and thought it was perfect for the party. Now this is a task that I would not have undertaken on my own the morning of the party, but luckily the two Carmen's jumped with excitement *okie thinks she would rather think of them jumping with excitement than moaning with despair* to re-wrap the presents. Karen opted to go clean the kitchen and mumbled something about "I am not that Pucking Stupid! I am not messing up the presents and getting yelled at! I know how she is about these things and you better make sure you get them tucked and creased right...I'm going to go find something to clean!"  Honestly I think Karen just wanted the Carmen's to have all the fun since they were new that year to the party, and she really does like to scrub my oven and stove.

I pulled out a big folding table for the Carmen's, gave them each a pair of scissors, a roll of tape and let them thoroughly enjoy themselves wrapping the awesome prizes. We didn't have time to add fancy bows or anything like that but I think the paper was ornamental enough that it was fine without it. It might be hard to see but there are images of a different girls sitting on Santa's lap. Didn't they do an awesome job??

My daughter and I went and found wrapping paper for this year, of course I can't show that to you either right now. I guess I can't show ya'll much of anything I am doing these days and gives to the reason why my posts are so far and few between at this point. My daughter loves to wrap presents as much as I do and understands that every edge and corner needs to have a sharp crease and that there should be no ripples in the paper so she does quite well. When she was 8 years old she had went home with her Godmother Andrea and her 3 girls one weekend and it just happened to be a weekend where Andrea was going to be wrapping presents. The girls were all asleep but Shiane was still awake and Andrea asked if she wanted to help her wrap the presents. Shiane was quite excited about the task until she saw Andrea wrapping the presents. I will never forget Andrea calling me and telling me "Girl...she told me 'Auntie you wrap your presents all wrong' and then proceeded to show me the 'correct way' and I have to say that child can wrap a present like nobodies business!" *okie suddenly wonders if Chuck always saying "ya'll are just alike" is really true about her and her daughter and then decides Chuck is a man and therefore has no idea what he is talking about...EVER*.

At this time Shiane has been busy getting some of the prizes wrapped and we will do bows later after I get the tulle cut into strips. Been thinking about getting a Bowdabra, any thoughts on those?

Great End To The Season!

I know I told ya'll about my love of football yesterday but let me tell ya I don't think I have ever loved watching a game as much as yesterday!

I did so much yelling during that second half that I have come down with a case of laryngitis. The kids have been laughing at me all day and while Shiane is being nice and telling Chuck to stop talking to me so my voice will heal, Chuck is saying "no let's keep her talking so she won't be able to talk at all". I contacted my boss and asked if she thought I should work tomorrow and make my clients suffer through trying to figure out what I am saying or just take the day off. She told me to make them suffer and then put LOL, and said I might want to take the day off. So I guess the day off I shall have to take.

The first half left me thinking "okay I might as well go home" since the score was 17-0 and not in our favor. That sure changed after half time the boys came out and our defense went to work! Not sure what all the coaches said to them *okie wonders if it is some kinda football player/coach cult ritual not to talk about such things to others* but it did wonders!

In the second half the defense only allowed the other team 14 rushing yards! GO TIGERS! One of the defensive players on our team recovered a fumble and went for a 50 yard touch down. That was kinda the icing on the cake for him since it was his last game due to being a senior, but likely not his last game of football since some scouts are checking him out. It also got the team and the crowd pumped and the whole atmosphere changed after that crucial play that put us ahead.

Chuck played the best I have seen him play this year and I got a snapshot of him getting the crowd pumped up after he made an awesome tackle. And yet again, I remember why I scrapbook! Even though Chuck is not my son by birth I swear I don't think I could be more proud than if he were. I could tell Shiane was a bit proud as she turned and told some women behind us "Yep, that's my boyfriend!".

I took a ton of pictures but this is one of my favorites of Chuck and a few of his teammates. This was after the game and everyone was in a good mood and there were more camera's out than at the Academy Awards! Okay maybe not but I liked the sound of that to emphasize the atmosphere.

Shiane had been wanting to get a picture with her cousin Qumain after a game but we always seemed to miss him. We knew this was going to be the last chance until next season so we made sure we found him this time. Shiane and Qumain are only a few months apart and have been in school together since headstart.

I have been buying different papers to scrap football pictures for probably about 6 months and now it's time to start sorting through and getting some layouts designed for Chuck's football scrapbook! If he gets too bored during the off season I might even get him to take up the hobby! HA HA HA

Last Game of the Season *Wistful Sigh*

Today is the last ECU football game of the season and while I know at my house we will all be grateful for a little down time, Chuck more than my daughter and myself of course, I can't help but feel like "what? It's over all ready?".

I have always loved football. I am not one of those that can name all the players, nor do I care to do so, I can't rattle off stats for teams, make calls like a ref - however I am able to spot a few penalties and call them by name and occasionally get the yardage penalty correct. Even though I can't do all that, I love to watch a good football game!

Football does, however, seem to bring out certain unladylike behaviors that would resemble a Drill Sargent yelling at his new recruits when one made some type of slight infraction. I try not to watch football around people who don't know me well and I do keep my behaviors in check when at the field watching Chuck. Shiane might tell you I get out of hand but come on...who doesn't jump up and down and scream at the players at least once or thirty times during a football game! Oh she also thinks I abuse her when I am actually only tapping her lightly to get her attention to point out a very crucial play during the game. I cannot help if she has such tender skin and soft muscle mass!

I know my love from football came from my daddy *okie wonders if it is just in the south were women always refer to their fathers as daddy no matter how old they get*. Daddy coached peewee football when I was in kindergarten and my brother was in second grade. I loved going to the practices with him and I even had my own pads and helmet and was allowed to practice with the team. It wasn't tackling the boys that made me feel like I was doing something, it was when my daddy would tell me that I did a good job and that smile would come across his face that made me feel like I was the most awesome thing ever. Imagine my disappointment when it came time for season to start and my mom comes in with this cheerleading outfit she made me, along with matching pompoms!

Oh that first game was awful. I don't remember who won or lost, or even if they kept score. I just remember sitting on the bench crying because I wanted my pads and helmet on and to be out on that field so bad. Daddy didn't tell cheerleaders they did a good job, although he did make an exception once or twice and give me a nod of his head and a little wink, but that just wasn't the same.

After that first year I wasn't allowed to practice with the boys anymore, they were getting bigger and daddy was afraid I would get hurt. I tried, in vain, to convince him I was just as tough as any of the boys but to no avail. The next best thing was for me to watch games whether it be highschool or on television, with him, it made me feel that during those times he and I had a special link and bond.

During 5th and 6th grade my PE coaches were the football coaches and I remember them making us play flag football all the time. They would write up new plays and have us run them during our PE classes to see how they would think they would work. When daddy and I would go to a football game I would beam with pride when I could tell him the play name and explain how it was suppose to work.

When I hit 7th grade we moved out in the boondocks to a school that didn't have football. I was devastated to say the least. That was a Friday night ritual for me and daddy! We did go into the nearest town a few times and go watch a game but it just didn't feel quite the same. However after I got in high school and became friends with one of the kids on the team and he was over at the house a few times Daddy would suggest that we go in and watch my friend play. I think daddy missed being around the game as much as I did.

My love of football was shelved for a few years after my daddy died. I just couldn't bear to watch without him. During my Junior College years I don't think I watched a game live or on television. Once I started at the university I did start going to the games because it was something to do with my new friends. As I became friends with some of the players I could feel that excitement charge through my body again and get excited about watching the game. As time went on and my life evolved into being a mother, having a career and life's mundane duties I stopped going to games and since I didn't want to scare the beegeebies out of my daughter I tried not to watch on television either, at least until she was older. I will say by the time she was in junior high she was rather good at soothing the fears of her friends who would be at the house during football season. I remember one time hearing one of her friends saying with a bit of panic in her voice "OMG WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR MOM". I think the poor kid thought I was fighting with someone with the string of explicits that came out of my mouth  and my daughter calmly and nonchalantly replied "Oh, mom's just watching football. You have to ignore her right now".

Now it's time to go get ready for the last game of the season and cheer on Chuck, who is quite good at being a defensive end. I know his body is tired and he is ready for a break but I can't help but think....can't we just have one more game?

OMG! Only You Shirley!

When I was at Stamp Club the last time they were all inquiring on how my daughter was doing. I told them that since the Depo Provera is all out of her system she is doing so much better. This lead to a conversation about medication side effects and how we don't really feel we are informed well enough *okie remembers trying to read side effects one time and hunting her magnifying glass so she could make out the teeny tiny print* and often don't realize the medication we are taking can do more damage than good for some folks.

I started talking about how I was going to try Chantix to stop smoking and I started reading the side effects and the important warning that states the following:

Important Safety Information

Some people have had changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions while using CHANTIX to help them quit smoking. Some people had these symptoms when they began taking CHANTIX, and others developed them after several weeks of treatment or after stopping CHANTIX. If you, your family, or caregiver notice agitation, hostility, depression, or changes in behavior, thinking, or mood that are not typical for you, or you develop suicidal thoughts or actions, anxiety, panic, aggression, anger, mania, abnormal sensations, hallucinations, paranoia, or confusion, stop taking CHANTIX and call your doctor right away. Also tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems before taking CHANTIX, as these symptoms may worsen while taking CHANTIX.

and I told the ladies "I figured I would take my chances with tobacco killing me instead of going to hell for killing myself because I was taking Chantix". Of course they told me smoking wasn't good for me and I told them I heard that from one of my doctors and began to tell them about a conversation with my doctor.

DOC: You need to stop smoking
ME: Yeah I know, I tried but look doc...I gave up drinkin, drugs and sex. I gotta have something.
DOC: Give up the cigarettes and take back the sex.
ME: Well ya know what doc...I have found that smoking alone is a lot more fun and pleasurable than having sex alone.
DOC: *turning red and laughing* OMG! Only you Shirley!

The women at Stamp Club all started laughing, a few of them started blushing and I got a few more "OMG! Only you Shirley".

Now that I think about it I seem to get a lot of "OMG! Only you Shirley" comments in my life. Hmm, wonder what that's all about!

Internet Image Searching...

Is really starting to scare me! I often look for cute or appropriate content images for my posts but lately I keep getting a lot of naked people showing up on my screen! I did a search for "old women party" and you wouldn't believe the crap that came up in the images! I didn't ask for women, none of which were old, who were naked and doing things that are probably illegal in the lower 48 states! I wish there was a way to filter out those pictures when I am trying to search for images. I can just imagine the shocked look on some little kids face when they are doing image searches.

Which also reminds me that I am tired of turning on the TV and seeing commercials for KY Jelly or Viagra, and other such male enhancement products, during times and programing that kids might be watching. I am glad I don't have small children that would be watching and I might have to explain such a thing to. I can just hear the conversation now...

Child: mom what is ky jelly
Me: Uh, you use it on long johns...but we don't buy long johns
Child: but it said it gives heat sensation
Me: thats for those people who don't have microwaves to heat up their long johns


Child: Mom, what is Viagra
Me: It helps build muscle for men
Child: what muscle?
Me: Oh honey...one of the muscles they think with

I remember as a kid I use to always be so embarrassed to see commercials of feminine hygiene products come on the television where there was mixed company in the room. Still to this day I hate it when my friends talk about their issues of such things. I just always felt it is something that shouldn't be talked about. It is gross, it is nasty and keep that crap to yourself! I do have to admit my daughter is a terrible offender of crossing this boundary and I yell at her regularly about such things and she just laughs. I can't imagine my horror if the commercials that come on today would have come on then! I likely would have never stepped foot in front of the TV!

Nugget Tin Bandwagon

Years ago when I first got my Cricut I remember hearing about nugget tins that people were making and I never bit the bullet and jumped on that bandwagon. That has now changed!! My friend Amy, aka Scraparazzi, recently did a share on nugget tins and I figured I might try some to so I could have quick gifts for minor occasions. The problem seems to be that the nuggets disappear before they make it to the tin and given to friends *okie so wishes Lucy didn't like chocolate since she knows that has to be where they are going*.

I know it is a bit late for posting a Halloween project, or it is very very early, which ever I am doing it now because that is how I roll! I made a few of these for some of the workers at McCalls, the ICF/MR where I see clients. The ones I gave them to are always wonderful on consulting and collaborating with me on the therapy of the residents on my caseload and I wanted to give them a little thank you.


Supplies Used:
CTMH Cricut Artiste
CTMH Magic Potions Stamp Set
Cricut Design Studio
Nugget Tin
Various cardstock/paper
Various Inks/Markers
Mounting Foam
Mini Glue Dots

I chose this stamp since it seemed to be rather humorously appropriate due to my job title, and the receivers got a kick out of it as well! One great thing I love about using the CTMH Cricut cartridges are the awesome stamps that coordinate with! It is super easy to line them up and the images stamp so clear.

I used Design Studio to make a shadow for the label and making the spider web border the length I needed. I pop dotted the label on the ban and made the ban where it could just slide off and on.

On another cut file I have loaded in this computer I have the strips designed for DS to cut them. For these tins I just cut them with my paper cutter. I liked using the Making Memories 6x6 pad because it allowed me to just cut 1x3 in strips from each sheet and not waste anything. I had asked on Facebook about the nuggets sliding around and one of my FB friends said she just adds a Glue Dot to the bottom of each one to keep them in place. This worked like a charm!

I got very nice compliments on the tins when I gave them away, also accompanied one of the WICKED HALLOWEEN cards that I had made last year, and I felt it made it well worth the effort. One of the ladies just kept saying "you made that" "you really made that" and I kept telling her yes. She said "well I have never seen anything quite like it. That must have taken a very long time" and I told her it doesn't really take too long and tried to explain the Cricut to her to which she replied "We really gotta find you a man". I told her "yeah I tried that, believe me I get a lot more pleasure from my Cricut". I thought she was gonna choke from laughing so hard!

Birthday Doily Card - Cricut Artiste

I am still so lovin the Cricut Artiste Cartridge!! My friend Carmen was having her birthday recently and I wanted to make her an extra special card since she has been having a really rough time lately. I knew I wanted it to be one of those very dimensional cards and I thought I might be able to use Artiste and boy did I find some great cuts.

I had a hard time naming this card, as I name all my projects that I save in Design Studio but decided on BIRTHDAY DOILY. You can click on the name if you would like to download the cut file for your use. Remember me posting about Google Drive yesterday? Well yeah, it was super simple for me to link the .cut file for ya'll to download! Can I get a "HIP HIP HOORAY GOOGLE"!!



Supplies Used:
Cricut Artiste
Cricut Design Studio
Cuttlebug Polka Dots folder
Cuttlebug Victoria folder
Pink Paislee - Butterfly Garden
Various cardstock
Hat Pin, Pearl Brad, Feathers
Organza Ribbon
Various Inks/Markers
Mounting Foam

The card is an A7 size, as I needed something  bigger than an A2 for all the embellishment. I used the Cuttlebug Polka Dot embossing folder on the base mat of the card and it gave it a nice look with the doily printed paper. I tend to love embossing printed paper for an extra little pizzazz. 

Every single cut on this card is from Artiste. I did do a little manipulating on a few of the shapes to get them how I wanted them but I still think it is totally awesome that I was able to get all I needed from just one cartridge.






The sentiment was cut out of Mica Stardream paper. The sentiment base label didn't have a shadow so I made one in Design Studio and it is on the cut file. I used the Cuttlebug Victoria embossing folder on the top layer of the label and then added a little faux stitching on the shadow layer.

I have always wanted to use a hat pin on a card but was afraid to due to wanting cards to go in the mail. Since I knew this one was going in a special birthday box for Carmen I knew I could add the extra dimension. I slid the bow on the pin and then threaded the pin through the ribbon that goes across the card to keep it in place.  You can also see where I added some Liquid Pearls to the border that goes along the side of the card.

I was going to use flowers on the card but couldn't find what I thought looked good or what I liked. After thinking about what else I could use I remembered I had some feathers from another project and thought I would give those a shot. I think they gave some really neat dimension and interest to the card.




For Carmen's card I cut out her age *okie wonders if Carmen is gonna kill her for saying that is her age and figures it could be worse and okie could say that was Carmen's birth year, making Carmen a lot lot more older than what she is* and put it on the top layer of the little tag. On the bottom layer of the tag I hand wrote a little special message. If you use the file and want the age you will have to add it in there as I don't think I left it.

I really did have fun with this card and I am glad I finally took the plunge to do a "heavy embellished" card! I might have to make more in the future.

If you don't have the Close To My Heart Cricut Artiste Bundle you can order it from Melanie who will be more than glad to help you out.

OMG OMG OMG!! Google Drive!

Okay so I already made a post today but I had to come on here and post this!!

I was going to check on my Google Docs, where I am storing my Design Studio cut files these days to make sure it was all there since I haven't done anything with it lately and I noticed "Try Google Drive" and it said it would sync your files.

One of the reasons I never finished relinking all my files was because of the time consuming tedious task it was going to be and to be frank *okie wonders why we would want to be Frank and thinks she much rather just be okie* it was boring me to tears. ANYWAY....I downloaded Google Drive and was able to upload every single stinking DS cut file on my computer, yes that means even the ones I made back in the old days *okie wonders if 5 years ago really qualifies as old days but figures in the world of electronic paper cutters it does*!

Of course ya'll know I am busy with other things right now but I will be able to go back and relink the files so much easier now when I get the time!!

Oh and in case anyone is curious about how many files this might be, granted there probably are some duplicates but the folder shows 965 files...taking in account for duplicate or yucky design files, I would say I still have probably easily 750 cut files. That's a lot of dang files!

Okie dokie, back to work now....

FIVE WEEKS! WTH??

Oh my good grief where has the time gone? I only have 5 weeks until my Christmas party and I am not nearly as ready as I should be! I know I totally stress over this event but it is my one event to my friends that I like to make so special that they will remember it for years. And now...I am running out of time!

I have been so busy with work, the two adult toddlers (ie, my daughter and her boyfriend), and planning and working on party projects that I haven't had time to think. So far I have had one guest who has had to cancel this year due to family issues and I am still believing my friend Carmen won't be able to come either. Her husband went through a quadruple bypass recently and I don't think she needs to be leaving him home unattended *okie shakes her head just thinking of the trouble Nick might get into if not supervised*. I thought about telling her we would make an exception of the "no men allowed" rule this year but figured if he is not in good health enough to shake his money maker at the party then well....

Finding new projects for prizes is becoming a concern of mine. I don't want to keep doing the same thing over and over and over but then I think they all seem to like it and then I think *okie thinks she thinks a lot and wonders if anyone's brain has ever exploded from thinking too much and decides if anyone's brain would do that it would be Albert Enstein or Stephen Hawking, whom both had or have intact brains and then realizes SQUIRREL just occured* "IT'S MY DAMN PARTY AND THEY SHOULDN'T COMPLAIN ABOUT FREE SHIT" but then I go back to worrying again. Are ya'll understanding my dilemma's here?

Guess I better get back to working on this dang project that is all over my table! My daughter is suppose to help me today when she gets home and I want to get most of the pieces cut that we will be needing to put together.  Hmmm, maybe a Twilight Marathon while we craft!

You Decide!

I also want to give a shout out to all of you who were able to bear with me during the tough months of the summer while I was having problems with my daughter. She is still doing very well, still very unemployed at the moment, but emotionally and attitude wise she is better than she has been for years. Her actions and words lately remind me of her pre-teen years when she was a very grateful, respectful and thoughtful child. I just keep thanking God for blessing her with the sense to come around and start being that awesome person I always knew was in there.

I know so many of you have said you like my commentary posts as much as my crafting posts and I always feel bad for not posting something crafty and I think that is why I haven't posted anything. There have been many times where I thought I would do a commentary but didn't want to bore anyone so I just haven't posted at all. So I guess I am asking, do I just continue to neglect this place or do I at least write commentaries every day even though it might be awhile before I post a crafty project? Believe my life is filled with commentaries, mostly rather amusing these days, so that wouldn't be a problem.

Ya'll know I have always had a love hate relationship with this thing anyway but I really do know it has been the best therapy during different parts of my life and here I am neglecting the one thing that probably helped me keep my sanity a few times. And now I am going to go insane due to the stress of getting crap ready for some ungrateful women who will be pounding my door step in just a matter of weeks. Oh wait, maybe that should have been a private thought *okie bangs head on desk laughing very menacing and maniacal laugh*. Okay see what I mean????

Okay, I totally know that is actually a "NO PARKING" sign but for this occasion we are gonna pretend it is a "NO POSTING" sign! Use your imagination will ya!!

So what do ya'll say? Post daily even though it will likely be mindless drivel or just post occasionally during this super busy time?

ECU Homecoming Weekend

In the whole commotion of not making blog posts for awhile I have forgotten what all I have told ya'll and what I haven't so if I start repeating my stories like your great aunt does please just nod your head and smile and act like you haven't heard it before!

I thought I would share some pictures of the ECU Homecoming weekend when Chuck's family came to visit. Now I did warn them that I have a website and I told them I post a lot of stuff on it and I hope they understood they could become a part of this...uh...need to for me to share my life with anyone who can do a search on the internet *okie suddenly thinks it might be a good idea to carry around release of information forms with her and have people she knows and meets to sign said forms*.

Chuck is from Mississippi, the delta area I believe, I don't know really but that sounds really cool so I will stick with that, and evidently his idea of cold and our idea of cold is very different. I told him to call his family and let them know it was going to be cold the weekend they were to be here and he said he did. After they arrived his mother told him "YOU DIDN'T TELL ME COAT COLD" and they only brought some very light weight jackets. Needless to say this caused a trip to Walmart for some sweatjackets and hoodies so they would have appropriate apparel for the football game.

Luckily I hadn't done the iron on vinyl on the t-shirts yet so I was able to quickly make the change to the sweatshirts. I know I posted a picture of them hanging up but here you can see them on his family. I didn't get a picture of them showing the back but they each had his number and then said things like "mom" "sis" "nephew" etc. They were all thrilled with the design and being able to show their support for Chuck.

I was able to get quite a few pictures after the game and of course you know I gotta scrapbook them! I love this picture of Chuck and his mom with Chuck's friend Blake and his dad. Blake hung out at the house a bit this summer while the boys were going to summer school. He is a great kid, although he won't share his food...at all...never *okie giggles remembering Blake taking his plate of Monkey Bread out the door with him and bringing the plate back later*.

Chuck and Deon camping in the living room

When I first talked to Chuck's mom on the phone about them coming for homecoming she wanted to know what motels we had here because her sister, who didn't get to make it, could get a discount if we had that chain. I told her "OH NO GAIL! I can't let you stay in a hotel! My Momma would roll over in her grave if I did that". I told her it might be a tight squeeze but they were going to stay here at the house and that way they would be able to visit with Chuck the whole time. As you see even the living room floor was taken! There was also a queen size blow up mattress in there for the younger boys.

When they first came in and all the introductions were made I told everyone "there's the bathrooms, there is the kitchen...if you want anything you will have to get it yourself because I don't wait on no one. You gotta make yourself at home here or you will starve".

I honestly think his mom and sister would have liked to stay longer just so they could look around my craftroom some more *okie cracks up laughing remembering them going from one thing to another asking what it was for*. Oh and the little boy in the football helmet in the first picture, his name is Tink, he was mesemerized by the Cricut and all my supplies. He came in while I was cutting the vinyl and asked "do you sell stuff". I told him "no, it's all stuff for me to use". Tink's eyes got really big and he scanned the room slowly and said "WOW! You got a lot of stuff".

I was a little nervous about having them here because I wondered "what if they don't like me" "what if they don't like my cooking" and that kinda stuff but there was no need for concern. We all got along fabulously and had a wonderful time. I only wish they could have stayed a little longer, but maybe NEXT TIME!!

It's Fall Break

So someone please tell me why in God's Creation am I up before 7am and typing a blog post! I would love to say that it is my love and dedication I have for my blog and my readers that has me doing such a silly thing but come on ya'll we know that ain't true! Well not that I don't love ya'll or my blog *okie thinks blog....hate, love, hate, love* but who gets up before 7am when they don't have to work? Well I guess I do, and it's my parents fault!

As teenager I had a curfew of midnight and I was to be at home by then, not a minute after. Now I will be honest and say a few times *okie thinks more than a few times* I was at home by midnight but in the driveway sitting in Gary Keith's truck until much, much later and I reckon I felt I still made curfew since I was technically at home. I didn't make it one time and grounded myself for a week. *okie notices the odd glances, scratches to the head and the WTF looks on some faces* You might be wondering why would I ground myself and wellllll...ya'll aren't going to believe this but - I WAS A GOOD KID! There was nothing that could crush my soul like the feeling that I disappointed my parents. My parents got up an hour before the butt crack of dawn to head to work so I wasn't allowed to awaken them and tell them I was home. They always told me "once we wake up we can't go back to sleep". Anyway, I came in 15 minutes late and the next day when they got home from work I announced "I'm grounded for a week. I was 15 minutes late". I can still see the looks on their faces as they said "well, okay". Oh how breaking their trust could cause such guilt in my young mind *okie wishes kids were like that today*. Oh and the point the this whole little story is that I have become my parents...once I wake up I generally can't go back to sleep!

But back to Fall Break, or are we just now getting to it? I have great plans for this weekend! I gotta get cracking on my prizes for my Christmas Party since it will be here in a mere 6 weeks. So far I have nothing ready and that just isn't like me! I did sit down last night and make out a list of prizes for the auction and I think I totaled something like 48, which might be too many so we will see how that goes. I also got a list started for the swag bags. Some of ya'll might remember last year I gave each guest a Santa hat filled with goodies, if you would like to see what they got last year you can click -->HERE<--. Not sure what I will use this year but I will think of something *okie thinks she hopes she can think of something*. I do have a few things for the bags and did start working on another item last night.

I always stress about the party and wonder if I the prizes are good enough, if the swag bags have enough items, if the house is decorated enough, etc etc etc. Linda always tells me "you know you put way too much into this. You could just have us play Dirty Santa and everyone would be happy". But come on ya'll....we know that's not how I roll! I gotta make each party special and make sure all my guests are happy and having fun and I think they usually do! I am going to have a new guest this year, my friend Helen from Arizona, and I am so excited! We have talked over the internet for years and did meet in person a few years back when I was in Phoenix with my sister and she has always talked about coming for a visit and finally she is gonna make it!

I guess if I am going to get anything done I better stop typing and get to working. I gotta get some paperwork done this morning, drop Chuck off at the field house so he can leave for the away game, go by the office, run a few errands and then back home to craft craft craft! WISH ME LUCK!

I Use To Craft

I don't know how many times over the years people would ask me how I was able to find so much time for crafting and I thought that an odd question but I would always answer the same..."I'm not married, my daughter is grown and I do what I want when I want". Well that has changed!

Right now my life has changed so much and I often long for the days when I could come home from work and dive into my crafting. Now days I feel so tired and run down most of the time from my multiple jobs that I have to do every day. I still have my full time job of course, but now I am also a taxi driver, a referee, a life consultant and I don't even know what else. With Chuck and Shiane living here there is little quiet in the house. I am always yelling for them to turn down the tv or "shut the hell up" when they get to playing around too loud or arguing to loud. My house use to stay spotless because I rarely cooked and the only other room in the house that was used regularly was the bathroom but now I am constantly repeating myself of "pick up your stuff" "I'm gonna throw that shit in the trash" "OMG! where did all this laundry come from?" "who used the last of the toilet paper and didn't change the roll?" "Stop being mean to Lucy!!" etc, etc, etc.

I had planned on taking pictures of the layout I made on Sunday and getting it posted today but by the time I finally got home, which was after 6:30 and got my notes done which was 9pm, I was just too dang tired to hold the camera and take pictures. Maybe I can get it done tonight....maybe....

While my life has changed I and I miss those quiet peaceful evenings I will be thankful that my daughter is a better person now and Chuck seems happier as well. I know we have to trade things out sometimes in our lives and right now I am making my trade I guess. Soon enough, at least I hope. there will be time for me to get back to doing what I love to do and have the time that I use to spend playing with all my toys and paper.

I know I use to craft and I will again one day. But for now I will just thank God for blessing my life with these two grown azz folks, who act like toddlers half the time, and remember that one day I will have more time for me again.

I May Be Going To Hell...

Well if sinning against ProvoCraft makes one go to hell that is. First off let me say I have been a very loyal and strong advocate for ProvoCraft over the years and I still feel they have the right to protect their company, products and interests

Now...about my sin....and how it took place...

I have had the Make The Cut software for a long time, way before the big lawsuit took place. I had opened it a few times and since I didn't know how to use it and I want to just make my chit and not have to look up how to use a program I never messed with it...UNTIL NOW.

I have never knocked anyone for using the "software that shall not be named" *okie cracks up remembering everyone saying that when referring to MTC or SCAL* and I have some very wonderful crafting friends that I disagreed with about the whole lawsuit thing, and we just agreed to disagree at that point and went about being the happy merry friends we were and still are.

I am not sure if everyone is aware but there was a long wait for quite a few of the new carts to get updated in Design Studio. I had a few that I couldn't use because as we all know I am rendered useless with my Cricut without my beloved Design Studio. Okay, I'll be honest and say I did use CCR for a project but only because I had no other choice. That LITTLE PROJECT that should have taken me about 15 minutes to get laid out and cut ended up being an ordeal that took a few hours. It also required a lot of curse words as my friend Linda can attest to since she was on the phone with me.

Discussing the whole dilemma with my friend Carmen and me telling her that I decided if I needed to start looking for another program to learn I wanted one that must meet a few requirements...
1. NO INTERNET NEEDED
2. NOT GLITCHY
3. IMAGES DO NOT JUMP AROUND
4. I CAN SEE THE IMAGES AND SCREEN CLEARLY
Well this lead Carmen saying "You've had MTC for a long time why not try it".

Anyway long story short *okie thinks it might be too late for that*, with the help of Carmen and a little finagling *okie is so glad that spell check knew that word because she had it all jacked up*  I was able to get my MTC up and running. So far all I have done is play around with the fonts on my computer and I did a title for a layout that I will hopefully get posted tomorrow.

For now I thought I would share a picture of the title. I was able to do the double layered shadow very easily and I do love that! Of course if ya know anything about me ya know how I love my shadows on images. I just think it makes them go POP! I could have spent hours looking for a font to use since I believe I can now cut with any font on my computer but I didn't want to take time looking forever. Now ironically enough, the name of this font is Hurry Up. My friend Amy got a kick out of that irony. Amy is a big time MTC user and has been from the get go I do believe. I know her and Misty probably have some kinda evil drool running down their chins and rubbing their hands together maliciously as the salivate at the idea of me "turning to the dark side" *okie suddenly thinks she might have some pretty weird friends, shrugs and figures they think the same about her*.

Now I want to be clear about this whole thing, as I think my friend Joy, aka HappyHappyJoyJoy might have had a slight heart attack last night at my announcment on Facebook...
I STILL LOVE MY CRICUT
I STILL LOVE MY CARTRIDGES
I STILL LOVE MY DESIGN STUDIO

However, if it gets to the point where ProvoCraft doesn't support Design Studio then I believe I will have to find a high powered divorce lawyer and  file for a divorce on the grounds of neglect and abandonment. At that point I sure hope ProvoCraft remembers I never signed a prenup!

Little Sewing Project - Bathroom Curtains

Almost a month ago I shared a post NEW AND IMPROVED...IS IT BETTER? about my sewing dilemma and how I loved my old Kenmore machine but was afraid it had seen it's better days. Linda has since brought the machine to me and she believes her husband might have fixed it but she didn't test it. I have yet to get it out to test it. I have however tried out my new sewing machine!

Since I was going to have some company in I knew the little bathroom would have to be used quite a bit I got on the ball *okie thinks it was a slow ball but a ball none the less* and make a shower curtain and curtain for the bathroom.

I did the shower curtain first and tried out which was fairly easy, or you would think it would be. I measured out the size and folded the hems for the sides. I measured out the top and bottom hems and then was quite puzzled on how to get rid of the bulk in the corners. You would have thought I had never sewn before! I guess it is one of those things that after you haven't done it in so long the information leaves your brain *okie wonders how much information has made it's round within her extraordinarily large brain* so other information can come in. After I was able to get the bulk down I was quite proud of myself!

The machine of course has some nice stitches built in but most of the time I always used a straight stitch. This time I decided to use the blind hem stitch. After some practice I had it down to a science as well. The next problem came using the "Easy One Step Buttonhole Feature". It took me over an hour and a half to use this super easy feature and if hadn't been for a video on the internet that I could stop, rewind, replay 50 times I likely would have never figured it out. The first one or two button holes were a little difficult but by the time I got to the last one I could whiz through them.

I had enough material to make curtains but I wasn't sure what type of curtain I wanted. I decided to just go with the split curtains that ties in the middle. I thought about using some ribbon or making bands out of the material but since the theme in the bathroom is beach I thought the jute would work as it looks like some rough rope. My daughter will tell you it was her idea, I just held it up and said "hey this might work" and she agreed. She is good at trying to take credit!

I know you might be admiring how well the lines of the material line up but I will be honest and tell you that the material was very wide and I just had to fold it in half and cut it down the middle and it was the right width to give a good gather. I did blind hem on the sides of the curtains as well.

Here is a picture where you can see both curtains together. Don't they look lovely?  I think they really brighten up the bathroom, especially with the bathroom being a mocha color. Enough sunlight still gets in the window and privacy isn't a problem since the window faces the neighbors wall and neither of us really go between the houses.

It really changed the look of the bathroom and it finally looks decorated after all these years!

Iron-On Vinyl and the Cricut

I was finally able to get the video uploaded to Youtube. I was actually going to post it yesterday but when I gave up and went to bed Thursday night it still had like 25 minutes left on the upload so that put it off until today.

I would first like to say I got my vinyl at Signwarehouse.com and I have done business with them before as that is where I order my regular vinyl that I use with my Cricut. They have some other iron-on available other than what I ordered such as patterned, glittered and metallic. I now have a contact there and it will make it easier for me to make my orders. If you are wanting to order you can use the information below and tell em "OKIE SENT ME" and Clay will be more than willing to help you out.

Clay Cecil
Supply Sales Consultant
Signwarehouse.com
Clay.Cecil@signwarehouse.com
903-462-7700 EXT. 2066

The vinyl seems more expensive but you are getting a larger quanity by buying the rolls of 15" x 5' and if you have someone to split with it would work out even better. I ordered a roll of orange, black and white since that is the colors of the university. Most of my designs have been a good size and so far I have done 7 sweatshirts and 5 tshirts and still have some left left where I might be able to do a few more. For me to go to the T-shirt place here in town and get items customized it likely would have cost me well over $300 as they charge by the design and letter/number.

Here is the video tutorial. I will try to answer any questions that are left in the comments and I might not get to them right away today as I will be at a football game, but will be sure to check the comments when I get home.
 


Here are pictures of Chuck's hoodie completed.

I used Team Spirit for the Tiger head. It is the decal feature and as I showed in the video I used the hide contour feature for the black layer to get the black strips.

Varsity Letter was used for the "ECU" and "91". I did the block in black and then on the outer outline layer I used hide contour feature that gave me just the smaller inside for the orange. I found it easier to layer this way rather than having the orange be the bottom block layer and then the black be the top outline. I didn't have to worry about trying to line up the letters and some orange showing through. I showed in the video how that happens sometimes.

Chuck was very specific about what he wanted on his hoodie. He really liked the tiger head and he wasn't as picky about what font I used but, he was about size and placement for the words and his football number. I did put his name down a little further than I normally would have on a sweatshirt but I wanted to make sure his name would be easily visible when the hood is down.

He is quite proud of his newly decked out hoodie and said "Yep I got a one of a kind" and kept saying everyone is going to be jealous. Chuck is such a kid sometimes! LOL

 
TIPS TO REMEMBER:

~Flip Image

~Spell Words Backwards and Then Flip

~Blade setting at 2, Pressure on Low (this might vary by machine)

~Use Cotton Setting On Iron - NO STEAM

~Use Hard Surface For Ironing

~Use Sheet of Heavy Paper On Top of Transfer Tape

I'M HERE! I'M ALIVE!

Oh my goodness! I can't believe I have neglected my blog like this! But I do have excellent reasons for being away. I am not even sure quite where to start with an explanation but I shall just start typing and see where it leads.


My daughter has been absolutely wonderful since moving back home. She is now the person I remember from years ago who was grateful, appreciative, funny and most of all HAPPY! I can truly say I enjoy her company and having her around. Of course this summer it was touch and go a few times if I would choke her to death when I would see her or just go in a shell and ignore that the hateful person that was in front of me was my child. Luckily God is good and has brought her back from the brink of...hhmm, what to call it...I guess for the lack of a better term "self destructive insanity". She did get back with Chuck, the young man that was here all summer *okie wonders if she should mention that Chuck announced just the other day he is never leaving*, and was her boyfriend last spring and early summer. Here is a picture of them getting ready to go to a party after a football game.

I am extremely overjoyed that God listens to my prayers and brought my daughter to her senses and had her ask to move back home as the house she was living in was busted for drugs just last week *okie sighs deeply, closes her eyes and gives another thank you to God*. Even though my daughter was not involved with the ordeal she would have been arrested just the same for even living in the house. No one can ever convince me that God doesn't listen to my prayers!

Having one vehicle and 3 people needing to go places leaves me playing taxi quite a bit. I told my friend Linda just the other day "it's worse than having a bunch of toddlers", I mean at least with toddlers you can give them a little Dimetapp and put them out for awhile. I have found that with young adults you need large quantities of alcohol and since my daughter isn't of legal drinking age I don't think I can go that route quite yet. However, she does turn 21 next month...I think the kids might be getting a jumbo margarita with supper every night!

Shiane and I had been busy for two weeks getting the house ready for company and that was taking up quite a bit of our time. Chuck's family was coming in for homecoming at the university  last weekend and the house was looking like something off hoarders due to Shiane moving in and me having stuff boxed for a possible garage sale. After some thought we decided the heck with the garage sale and hauled it all off to Goodwill! There is still some things I want to go through and get rid of but for now at least my house is resembling my home once again!

A lot of my time was spent getting ready to do some t-shirts for Chuck's family and that was changed slightly when the weather got cold and they decided they wanted sweatshirts. I am glad I had waited to do them or I would have been in quite a fix. They did turn out great and everyone loved their sweatshirts. And what made it even better was that ECU won the game, 41 to 3! It made it worth sitting out in the freezing wind to see a victory on homecoming!



I gotta get busy on my projects for my Christmas party as it will be here before I know it. Hopefully I will get some crafting done soon. I will be making a post showing you guys my new shower curtain and window curtain I made for my small bathroom. I am so glad I have a working sewing machine once again!

Final note, I do have a video that will be posting tomorrow on how to use the iron-on vinyl with the Cricut! I got the video all done, was almost done editing and the dang program closed on me. I had to go back and re-edit the whole thing. Ya'll better be glad I love ya'll or I wouldn't have went back and done it...just would have canned the whole project! *okie cracks up laughing*.