Wednesday's Wealth

Okay. So I can't make up my mind. I guess Wednesday's Wealth is whatever I want it to be. First, it was going to be the little things in life that we tend to gloss over. Then it was going to be thrift store or yard sale finds that I could turn into treasure. Today, well, today it's totally different. Today when I got up and looked out the window, I saw a very different type of wealth. The kind that brings joy in the spring and summer.

I took this through the screen on the front door. It's only the 3rd time we've had snow this winter. At least where we are. And the two previous times were gone in an hour. This is going to be around for at least a day, I think, because it's now snowing again! My granddaughter went to school this morning and they sent her home saying that school was delayed for 2 hours because of the buses. My grandson got the same thing at his school. I'm sure it's because both schools use the same buses. So, we fed them cereal and gave them hot chocolate before sending them back out into the cold.

So what is the wealth associated with this picture, besides Halena's beautiful smile? The flowers that we will see in the spring and the fruits of summer! There are so many flowers that bloom here every year and they depend on the moisture that we get in the winter. And there are a lot of wild fruits that grow here that need that same water supply. So when I see the snow or rain, it doesn't depress me, it gladdens me. And that is my wealth today.

Remember, there are no shortcuts to any place worth going. And that includes the weather. We endure the wet so we can have the beautiful. Until next time,

Edit: Okay, so it made a liar out of me. This photo was taken in the afternoon. Look, ma, no snow!

I just thought it would last a day or two! It started raining and melted the snow!

A new project

Merry Monday! I went for another 3-mile walk today, and boy did I feel it! I'm going to take it slow tomorrow. But I did finish it, so that's a good thing.

I promised a new project and I got started on it Saturday. How many of you have ever made a coffee filter book? They are actually really cute, and since the coffee filters come in more than one size, so can the books. Plus, it's the best use of coffee filters that I can think of! The filters I am talking about are the flat ones, quarter-circle shape. They come in brown and white, but I could only find the brown ones this time. And I usually use the larger size, but couldn't find them, either.

So I bought these and got started. I usually put about ten of them in a book. That's a good round number. I made these books with the Young Women at church and we did 7 pages for the YW values (back when there was only 7). I brought a bunch of papers in the value colors and we used the larger white filters, and lots of embellishments, and they turned out so cute! I wish I had kept my sample so I could show you, but I sent it to my granddaughter in Utah.

You will need at least one 12x12" sheet of heavy cardstock, or two 8 1/2 x 11" sheets. These will be your covers. They do not have to be the same and two-sided cardstock is great!  You need lots of other papers, and these can be scraps of all kinds. I like to have a theme or color scheme to mine, so I can pick out papers that go together easily. This book is all shades of blue, with a few accent colors. I also like to choose a title or an idea that will flow through the whole book, because that helps, too. This one is circles. And of course, you need embellishments and ephemera. 

My scrap tub. It's getting a little full and needs to be thinned out!

Okay. You start by tracing one of the filters, with the seam on the left-hand side, and make it about 1/8" bigger all around. Mark the seem side on your pattern, so you get things going the right way. The filters are not symmetrical, so if you accidentally turn the pattern over, it won't fit. Now, trace the pattern onto your heavy cardstock. I don't have any right now, and I'm really trying to use up what I have, which needed a little more body, so I attached other papers to the inside of the covers to give them a little extra strength.( I like to do this anyway, because it looks like end papers.) Using your pattern, cut two covers.

I do my main decorating before binding, so the holes go through the decorations, too. Sometimes I stitch around the edges and sometimes I don't. It depends on the look I'm going for. After I have the main stuff done, I punch holes for binding. This part is totally up to you. You can sew it together, or lace it, or tie it with ribbons and fabric strips.......there are any number of ways for binding books. I wanted this one to have a spiral binding, so I found a nice size piece of dowel and some heavy silver wire and made my own. I start the wire in the first hole and bend it so it won't come out. Then I lay the dowel on top of the book and wrap the wire around it and put it down the next hole. Then up around the dowel again and down the next hole. Keep doing this until you get to the last hole. Cut the wire with about an inch extra and remove the dowel. Bend the wire and wrap the end around the next coil so it doesn't come off. Do both ends, and there you have it......a book!

I stamped my dragon on the back. You can't read it but it says, "by George, You've Got It!"

All that's left to do (and it will take the most time) is to add papers, embellishments, stamps, pictures, etc. And journaling. Don't forget the journaling, because it's important.

And because the filters open up, each page is also a pocket! So make a template for the inserts and then you'll have double the space for photos and journaling. It also allows you to make some of your journaling a little more private.

Patterns for page inserts.

My book isn't done, but you can see where I'm headed. These books are really easy to put together and so much fun to make. And there is no wrong way to make them. You choose your colors or just go with the flow. A theme makes it easier for me, but you may not want a theme, and that's OK, too. Just enjoy yourself and create a book that is all you. Kids love to make these, too, and because they're cheap and easy, they make a perfect kid's craft.

So there's a new project for you to try. If you have any questions about anything, just email me and I will do my best to help. Until, next time, remember, the memories we make follow the road we take, so choose the high road.

Friday Friends!

Friday has come again and I'm actually on time today! I have been working on some more swaps, and I found some good blogs while roaming the internet for information.

The first one is a re-visit to one of last weeks friends, Hani at Craftionary. She has a post with 60, that's right, 60 St. Patricks Day FREE printables! There is everything from signs to cupcake toppers and goodie bag toppers to subway art. You have to see it to believe it. And there are cute ideas to go with each one. Go to  http://www.craftionary.net/2012/02/60-st-patricks-day-free-printables.html and see what I mean.

There's even a cootie catcher!

I've been looking to the future for holiday inspiration, and I found this post that's for a holiday near and dear to my heart......the 4th of July! I know, I know, it's a ways away, but if you want to have a neighborhood parade, you might want to start thinking about it now. Jo-Ann gives wonderful parties and she shares her ideas on her blog, Pumpkin Petunia. She invited the neighborhood kids over and turned the whole thing into a part.y They decorated the bikes and had lunch and everything! So much fun. I really like this idea.   http://pumpkinpetunia.blogspot.com/2009/06/independence-day-bike-parade.html . Go check it out so you can start planning yours.

Over at i am very mary, Maryann is making some phenomenal jewelry! I love jewelry, but don't wear it as much as I used to because I have neck problems and necklaces give me headaches. But I might be willing to take the risk for some of her designs. I had a hard time picking just one to show you, so go to http://averymarydesign.blogspot.com/ and see which one you like best. I bet you can't pick just one, either!

To finish up today, we have a beautiful-looking brown sugar body scrub. Jessica is the mother of two gorgeous little girls, and she'll be able to keep them that way if she keeps coming up with recipes like this! I am going to try this right away, and pass it on to my daughters.
http://www.craftinessisnotoptional.com/2012/02/diy-sugar-body-scrub.html

I hope you'll visit these blogs and look for other great ideas. Everyone loves comments, so be sure to leave one and tell them you saw them here.

Are you looking for any particular ideas? Anything you want to learn? Leave me a comment and tell me what it is, and I'll see what I can do. I'm always willing to be of service. :) And remember......be today who you wish to be tomorrow, because tomorrow will be here all too soon. Until next time,

Swapping and Relief Society

I can't remember, but I think I told you about a web-site I found called swap-bot.com. You swap different things, like cards and craft items, with other people. It's a lot of fun! I signed up for my first 4 swaps at the beginning of February and sent off what I was supposed to. I've been waiting patiently to get mine back in the mail and I finally got three of them! Such good stuff, too. Here are photos of what I recieved. (I forgot to take pictures of what I sent, darn it!)

I signed up for a Valentine's Day card swap and here is the card I got. Inside was the cute little doily as a bonus.

I don't know if you can tell, but the paper is handmade and the heart is machine embroidered!

I signed up for a Big Fat Stuffed Envelope swap and look at these goodies!

The two clear envies at the bottom of the photo have papers and ribbons and vintage ephemera in them!

I signed up for I {heart} Mail Art - February and I got this cute envelope with hand-drawn pictures on it. I love it! And inside there was some goodies, too.

Now all I'm waiting for is my Whimsey Jar. I can't wait to see what's in it. If you would like to join in the swapping fun, go to swap-bot.com and register. Registration is free, and the rewards are plentiful!

Now, I have the promised pictures of the Relief Society party. We had a good turn out, good food and great companionship. Take a look......

We had a make-yourself-a-croissant bar. YUM!

We had displays of sisters' talents and interests. This one was mine.

This is crocheted! Isn't it beautiful?

Beautiful photography.

Hand-knitting.

Embroidery.

Needlepoint.

Jewelry making.

Woodworking.

Lovely afghans.

Knitting, baking and reading. She also plays the piano.

She wrote the book on display.

A talented sister who does a lot of different things.

Needlepoint or counted cross-stitch. I can't remember.

Decoupage.

Organizational training.

Home remodeling.

This sister grows beautiful orchids, as well as doing needle work.

We had a different hat on each table, along with a program and a little hat favor.

I spent $23 total on the decorations, and it turned out pretty good. Everyone seemed to be pleased and all had a good time.

I will show you how to make those little hat favors another day, but for now, that's all folks! Hope you have a good day and I'll see you tomorrow for Friday Friends!

Wednesday's Wealth

I've decided to make Wednesday's Wealth about recycling. It could be things I find at yard sales or thrift stores, or things that are made from stuff we normally throw away. And it could be something that I haven't used for a long time and just re-discovered or re-purposed! My family loves to go yard sale-ing/thrift store shopping, so I should have plenty of fodder for this feature. Especially now that the weather is getting nice and the yard sales and garage sales are starting up again.

My husband and son have gotten hooked on the TV show, Storage Wars, where people go to storage places and bid on the contents of storage units that are not paid for. They get some really good deals, and they also get some real duds. Well, there was a storage auction in Eagle Point last Sunday, so they went to see the action in person. Boy, were they disappointed! There were only 2 units up for auction and neither one looked like it had anything good in it. But they enjoyed the outing and got an idea of what really happens when there aren't any TV cameras watching.

Later that day, my son and his wife went to a couple of thrift stores and came home with a like-new Rival pasta machine! It has all the attachments but one, and it's in really good shape. It didn't have the measurers or the manual, but I went online and found a blog that gave me all the info I needed plus a recipe! So it's all good. Now, THAT's wealth. Brand new it cost $100 or more, so for $15, they got an excellent deal.

Isn't she pretty?

Up there on top of the fridge with the pasta maker, you can also see what I think is my last bottle of very expensive Asai Berry Juice, given to me by a good friend. If you haven't tasted asai juice, it is very strong! So I mix it with another juice, like apple or blueberry, and freeze it into popsicles. They are the best tasting popsicles, and they are totally good for you. Now that's free wealth, thanks to Shelley.

I want to leave you today with the promise of a new tutorial coming up, which I think you will really like, and this picture I snapped on the way home last week, coming down the freeway. I love it here in Oregon. Everything is so beautiful and the sunsets are gorgeous!

I hope you find joy in your world, too. Aesop said that gratitude is the sign of noble souls, so maybe I'm doing at least one thing right. Have a good day, and see you next time,

Friday Friends!

Well, it's Friday again and I'm late to post. I missed last Friday totally because of doctor's visits. But I'm here now! The kids don't have school today, so we all slept in. I'm usually up really early in the morning finishing up this post, but not today.

Last night was our Relief Society dinner and we had a nice turn out and some very nice displays of sisters' talents and interests. I took lots of pictures, and I mean LOTS, but I gave my SD card to the RS president to take to Wal*Mart to get the pictures printed, so I can't show you any photos until I get it back. So that will be coming in the near future.

Okay. Our first friend today is Hani at Craftionary. Every week, on Wednesday, she has the Wednesday WordPlay linky party, and this week the word was Magnetic board. OK, so that's two words, but it's all good. The are 15+ tutorials on how to make your own magnetic boards, and some of them are stinkin' cute! Go to http://www.craftionary.net/2012/02/best-diy-magnetic-boards-tutorials-w.html and check them out. I know you'll find at least one that you like, probably more, and you will want to look at other stuff, too. She has a LOT of ideas on her blog.

This is one of my favorites. Try to guess what it's made from.

 Next on our list comes Kim over at too-much-time on my hands. She did a post on projects using old springs - bed springs, furniture springs, etc. Talk about cool stuff! And with each photo is a link to the source, so you can go right to it to view the original post. I love the spring chicken, although it doesn't look much like a chicken, but I think it fits me so well (hehehe). Go to http://too-much-time.com/2012/02/rusty-bed-spring-crafts.html to see all the great ideas.

 Over at Shaken Together, Keri is celebrating Girl Scout Cookie time! She has a delicious-sounding recipe for Thin Mint Pudding Trifles that I am going to have to try! She also has a long list of other recipes that sound really good, too. And she says she has more GS cookie recipes coming, so stay tuned at http://shakentogether.blogspot.com/2012/02/taste-this-thin-mint-pudding-trifles.html .

And again, last but NOT least,  is Kaysi at Keeping It Simple. She says this about her blog: "If you're looking for simple, easy and cheap crafts then you have come to the right place. I have realized that the more children I have, the less time and money I have to do crafts. I used to go all out with my crafts, put lots of embellishments on everything, but I find that takes time time that I don't always have. So I now have a new motto: keep it simple." She has a lot of cute ideas, and here is one I really like - an Angry Birds game! So simple and so fun. I'm going to let the kids make this because I know they'll have lot of fun trying to set it up for each other so it can't be knocked down. Go to http://craftskeepmesane.blogspot.com/2012/02/whatever-wednesday-angry-birds-cans.html and check out the fun.

Doesn't that look like fun? Well, that's it for today. I'll try to be earlier next week. I usually do most of the post on Thursday so all I have to do is finish it up on Friday morning, but yesterday was spent finishing up last minute RS things, going to lunch at school with my granddaughter, and then setting up and decorating at the church, plus practicing the song a group of us sang, so there was no time for blogging. {sigh} Life happens, and we just have to go with the flow. Until next time,