Random on Purpose

Need a Smile?

I can't make anything right now, 'cuz I'm up to my eyeballs in leather and suede (cushions), but I wanted to direct you to this fun card and the story behind it.  Cindy Motherway (Mothermark on Splitcoast) is so creative and clever, and her posts are always fun to read!  I'll be back soon with something of my own, I promise!

Whomp!

Today's "ways to use it" challenge on Splitcoast is to use office supplies.  My first thought was to use my "whomper" - a date stamp I used in a previous life as an office manager.  I had to stamp incoming mail, etc., with my name and the date so the powers that be knew when something was received and who received it.  I didn't want to have my name plastered all over my project, so I just used the date part on this:

 

Stamps: Whomper, Studio G sentiment, heart from Close To My Heart Made by Me; Ink: Stampin'Up! Real Red; Paper: DCWV dp, SU! Real Red; Accessories: CD, SU! tag punches, twill tape, eyelet

I whomped some 1/4" twill tape, then added some hearts in between, to tie up my puffy box.  The template for the box is a CD, believe it or not!  The tutorial is HERE, and is very simple, and very simply brilliant!  I also whomped a little strip of cardstock to go on my tag, and that's the rest of the story!

Time to go do some chasing (groceries, bank, etc.), so I'm out for now!  Thanks for stopping by! 

Maybe Mojo, Maybe No...

So, since I'm feeling a little more "Sue" instead of the whiney alien that took over for a time, I decided to do some of the Dare to Get Dirty challenges from the weekend.  This card incorporates three of them:

 

Stamps: Inkadinkado Mini Bad or Fattening, Close to My Heart Spunky Greetings; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, CTMH Holiday Red; Paper: SU! Baja Breeze, Real Red; Accessories: Sakura Souffle and Glaze pens, Offray ribbon, Provo Craft zig zag scissors and slot punch, Creative Memories cutting system, Micron pen, Le Plume marker

I started with one of the sketches, and incorporated a challenge to make your own designer paper with stamps and a challenge based around food: "good enough to eat".  If cupcakes aren't good enough to eat, I don't know what is!  I wanted the frosting to look more like frosting, and the cherries to be shiny, so I used Souffle pens for the frosting and a glaze pen for the cherries.  Here's a closeup:

 

Ach, me tummy's grumblin'...time for breakfast!  Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

Mental Health Update

Okay, I decided to put on my big girl panties and deal today... 

FIRST THINGS FIRST: Thank you to those who offered words of encouragement and all - MUCH appreciated!  It's good to know that I didn't chase everybody away during my wallow...

This morning when I woke up - after another bleak, not-so-restful night - I determined to just plow into the stack o' crap!  I started by organizing all of the various fabrics, pillow forms, work orders, etc., strewn about all over my apartment, and made sense of them and prioritized them.  Yes, there is a lot of work to be done, but it's not quite the insurmountable mountain I had made it out to be.

After I got things organized and prioritized, I started right in cutting and stacking in preparation for the sewing part, then took a break for breakfast and to check emails.  While going through them, I discovered THIS, and had a little 'a-ha' moment.  Yes, I needed to be reminded to just do something, so thanks for that, right?  I smiled a little inside, 'cuz that's what I'd just done...

With my new little attitude precariously in place, I soldiered on with the tasks of the day and got an unexpected phone call with some "better" news about the deal we're trying to close on the house that we're buying.  Later in the afternoon Greg and I met with the leasing agent of our apartment complex and got things worked out there, too.

One of my daughters called and is maybe, possibly coming out to visit for a day or two very soon, and Greg's parents called and said that they didn't need me to bring them dinner tonight, so I'm off the hook there.  I checked my mail and there was the package I wasn't expecting until later this week, AND the new Holiday mini catalog from Stampin'Up!  Happy mail!

I realize that none of these are earth-shattering, over-the-top, crazy wonderful things, but they all added up to contribute to a much happier mindset and outlook.  It was a snowball effect, brought on - in my estimation - by the fact that I had already flipped a switch when I got up this morning, and the Law of Attraction took over from there!

I also firmly believe that the Law of Attraction was operational in the downturn of my mood and mindset.  I had allowed myself to focus on the pile o' stuff and stress about it (uncharacteristic for me), and so the pile grew larger, in my mind if not in actual fact.

Basically I'm saying that we truly do get to write our story and that our imagination can be a force for good or evil!  The scariest part of this whole "adventure" was that I didn't see how I could stop feeling the way I was feeling without help, and I had no idea where that help was going to come from.  Now I feel truly blessed that I got reminders from several sources that things were not as bleak as I had catastrophized them to be, and that there were people that cared about me, too (thanks!)

I must say that that's the longest pity party I've ever thrown, and hopefully I won't feel the need to go back there!  Now I just have to go look for my mojo...anyone seen it?

First the Good News...

I actually had to make something yesterday, and this is what it was:

It's a coaster made from a marble tile from Home Depot.  I stamped three different stamps on it with black StazOn ink: Stampin' Up!'s "En Francais" background stamp, the bird from their "Carte Postale" set, and a corner flourish from Close to My Heart's "Legendary Moments" set.  There is a square of cork glued to the other side to protect tabletops, etc.  I made a set of six of them, and a set of six wineglass charms with various bird charms as a gift for Keli, one of the Fabric Mill girls who had a birthday yesterday.  I didn't take a picture of the charms (sorry!)

Now the bad news: The funk is back with a vengeance...  I shouldn't even be posting, because when it passes, I'll read this and say, "what the...?"  But I'm gonna tap this out anyway, because I'm pretty sure others go through these bleak moments, and maybe there's comfort in knowing they're not alone, or something...

Strongest indicators that something is amiss:

• This weekend is the "Dare to Get Dirty" challenge blitz on Splitcoast Stampers.  This series of challenges is one of the main reasons I joined the Fan Club, and something I've been looking forward to literally all year!  There are 24 challenges that began on Thursday and wrapped up yesterday, and I haven't done a single one!  Part of me is grieving about that, part of me doesn't care at all...  Edited to add:  I was mistaken - this tile qualifies for the "Flap Your Wings" challenge hosted by eggette, so I added it to the gallery - one challenge done - woo hoo!
• I've stopped by some of my favorite blogs and looked at all the pretty new things and not saved a single one to my folders that I usually put a billion things in, and I haven't been inspired to make anything using any of their oh-so-cool ideas.
• My pile of work is getting higher and higher because I can't stay focused enough on any of it to see it through to completion (the fact that incorrect trims and/or fabric were ordered and delivered to me doesn't help, nor does incomplete work order information, but still...)
• I don't want to socialize AT ALL - I just want to go be a beach bum in Costa Rica or something, and not have to worry about or interact with friends, family, etc., etc.  Even though I went to Keli's birthday party yesterday, I couldn't wait to get home...
• My apartment is in various states of revoltingly disgusting - depending on which room you're in - because I can't seem to summon enough "I care" to do anything about it.  Clutter and claustrophobia and enough dust to write in.
• My emotions are all VERY close to the surface - I can laugh or cry or rant with very little provocation (mostly the crying thing).
• EVERYTHING hurts - my joints, my legs (wicked varicose veins from six pregnancies and a hereditary predisposition), my muscles, my stomach, my psyche...
• My short-term memory, which is a tad erratic at the best of times, is beginning to fail me altogether.  I can't remember where the thing I just bought is, whether or not I paid that bill, etc.

All of this indicates depression, and I'm aware of it, but kinda sorta don't care about that, either.  I know what I should do to climb out of the funk, and I'll get around to it eventually (probably), but today isn't the day...  Part of me is sorry to be such a whiner the past few posts, part of me is like "deal with it" - great attitude, huh?  I'm acutely aware that I will lose the few readers I have if I continue like this, but that - unfortunately - does nothing to move me out of this funk...  Further bulletins as events warrant...  Thanks for stopping by, and have a better sort of weekend!

Imagination and Play

Hi!  I'm back for just a little minute, with a project I HAD to make after I watched a clip from Oprah that brought me to tears.  Not because the subject matter was particularly sad, but because the overall effect is tragic!  Oprah visited a second-grade class at the Yearning for Zion polygamist ranch (the one that was raided and over 400 children removed).  You can watch the clip HERE.

Several things came to mind, but the overriding tragedy is that these children do not get to use their imagination AT ALL!  They've never even heard of Cinderella or the Little Mermaid or Humpty Dumpty or Shrek, let alone pretended to be one of these characters!  They claim that work is fun, and they never play ("it's not fun", claimed one little boy), and the very meaning of the word 'play' is synonymous with 'goofing off'!

Why do I consider this tragic - beyond the obvious these-kids-are-missing-their-childhood scenario?  Because the underlying tenet - that everything they do serves the purpose of becoming like God - is self-contradicting, for starters.  If, in fact, there is a God, and if, in fact, He is perfect, would he not have a perfect imagination?  Didn't He (or She or They or whatever) dream up flowers and clouds and hummingbirds and the platypus and all the rest of it?  If these people are aspiring to become gods themselves, won't they need imagination when they start creating their own "worlds without end"?

Every single thing you see around you - NO exceptions - was a thought before it was a thing, whether in man's mind or God's.  Have you ever, ever in your entire life created something with no thought behind it?  With no imagining the end result?  Yes, things evolve in the making, and the finished product may turn out different from the original thought, but the original thought at the very least initiated the making!

Einstein - brilliant man that he was - referred to imagination as "a preview of coming attractions".  It just pulls at my heartstrings to see this entire generation of children growing up without a preview, and with no concept of play!

Furthermore, I recently read an article about the importance of play to keeping our brains healthy.  I can't remember all the ins-and-outs of it, nor where I read it, but it was something along the lines of play being vital to keeping our brains fluid and supple and able to problem-solve and the like.  Isn't that a purpose well-served?

One of my favorite quotes is from Jerry Seinfeld:  "It's good to play, and you must keep in practice."  Amen, Jerry!  I used it on this:

It's a little wall hanging to remind me to play.  I used two other quotes besides the Seinfeld one.  They are all from the same "Simple Thoughts - Laughter" stamp set from Cloud 9 Design.  The paper is from Sassafrass Lass, and has my old high school colors (red and gold - go Corona Panthers!), so it qualifies for last week's "Limited Supply" challenge on Splitcoast to use either our high school colors or the colors from our wedding.  The other guideline was to use either staples, photo turns or clips of any kind.  I dug out my spiral clips and tied a ribbon or two around them.  The pattern behind the sentiments was the "Petals" wheel (that isn't a wheel anymore) from Stampin'Up! stamped with Summer Sun.I can't get a decent picture to save me today - too cloudy and bad light or whatever - and so the colors are a bit off and the words are harder to read here than in real life, but at least I made something and shared, right?  That's it for today - I've got sewing to do! 

Maybe you can tell that my mindset is improving...  told ya the funk never lasted long!  We'll see how this week/weekend goes from here...  Hope yours is going fabulously, and I'll be back (hopefully) soon!

Critical Update...

Yeah, it sounds all dramatic, but here's the scoop:  I am in a MAJOR funk right now, completely mojo-less and motivation-less, and could really care less...  Any of you who know me AT ALL know that this is SO NOT ME, but there it is!  I've had a few 'life' things thrown my way the past couple of weeks and I'm more or less just going through the motions in my life right now...

No need to worry or try to help or whatever - these funks rarely show up and rarely last long, but I just wanted to give you a heads-up that I'm aware of my absence here and that it will continue for a bit longer, most likely.  I have lots of new stuff, new ideas, new plans, etc., etc., but ZERO desire/ability to execute them right now.  Further bulletins as events warrant...

Thanks for hangin' in there with me, if you do.  If you don't, joy on your journey and I'll miss you :)

Still Inspired...

I loved so many things on the Chasing Fireflies website that I had to do one more project for the challenge.  Here's the inspiration:

  

I really liked the allover pattern, so that was my starting point for these Friendship Notes:

 

Stamps: Close To My Heart Solo "V" and Little Licenses, Sandylion Girl Clear Stamps; Ink: CTMH New England Ivy and Garden Green; Paper: CTMH Garden Green, white; Accessories: Eyelets, ribbon

My colors and flowers are slightly different, but still pretty similar in feel, I think...  Just good old-fashioned random stamping here!  I started these yesterday, but wasn't able to finish them until this morning, and now I'm mojo-less and don't want to do the Featured Stamper challenge until later, if at all (what a brat, huh?).

Here's the rest of the story:  We found out Friday that our mortgage is approved, and we're going to need appliances and kitchen flooring in a couple of weeks when we close, so we're probably going window shopping for those this afternoon, and Blues Fest is going on downtown (hosted by Dan Aykroyd) and tonight they're doing a tribute to Roosevelt Dean, who was a very prominent and influential blues guy in this area, and who passed away last year, so we're probably heading there later, as well.  That doesn't leave much crafting time, even if my mojo decides to return.

I've also got a tidbit for those who subscribe through Feedblitz:  I was having issues with the blogs that I subscribed to through Feedblitz, so I moved all my subscriptions over to Google Reader.  I'm going to try to add a Google Reader button to my sidebar if any of you want to switch over, as well.  I haven't quite figured that out yet, though, so it may not be for another day or two...

Okay, gotta jet - have a great afternoon and thanks for stopping by!

Hello Again!

I've been up and at 'em for a good long while this morning (it's just noon now...), so I had plenty of time to play in the Splitcoast inspiration challenge.  We were directed to a very fun website - Chasing Fireflies - which is a children's boutique (clothing, bedding, toys, etc.).  TONS of really great stuff!  I was inspired by this pillow:

  

I thought it was totally adorable, and I'm a sucker for pink and green, and also for scallops, so...  I wanted to do small-sale and simple for this one, so I decided gift tags would be a good way to go:

 

Paper: Stampin'Up! Certainly Celery, Melon Mambo; Accessories: Marvy scalloped square punches, EK Success small folk heart punch, marker, clear glaze pen, eyelets, ribbon

I used two different sizes of scalloped square punches, scored a border around the smaller one, drew a dragonfly body with a marker and punched two small folk hearts for wings.  Set an eyelet and loop some ribbon through - done!

I've saved more pics of more inspiring schtuff from this website, but that's for another day - groceries, oil change, laundry - all the usual Saturday stuff is on tap this afternoon!  Hope you get to do something more fun with yours!  Thanks for stopping by!

At the End of the Day...

... my bed calls to me, and I'm going there VERY soon, but I just uploaded my card to Splitcoast and thought I should take a little moment to add it here, too!  The challenge was to "crop" an image and use just the cropped portion, but use it at least three times on the card.  I did this:

 

The image on the 3" x 3" note card on the right is the entire image (CTMH Santa's Helpers).  As I was looking at it, I decided that without the mailbox, the little elf looked like he belonged in a chorus line, so I made an "Elf Revue"!  I used more of the fun "Rob and Bob Studio" papers that I've had on hand for a bit, including some pre-made tags.  I took my color cues for the elves' outfits from the paper.  I added some buttons and ribbons and called it a day!  And that's exactly what I'm doing - calling it a day!  Have a good night and great weekend, and see y'all next time, ya hear?