Center mesh stitching

I saw this pattern and thought

it was so pretty that I made

two cards with it, but different

colours.  Why?  I don't know.

I guess because I can.

I think of the two I like the

dark pink and brown the best 

just because I like those colours 

together.  The bottom one is peach,

but I forgot what I was doing and

stitched it on a pink piece of

card stock so it doesn't quite look

like peach.  It does look more 

like it in real life. 

I am signing all 5 songs this

week and two I've never signed 

in front.  One is kind of fast.  I'm

meeting with Coleen at the end of

the week to go over them.  I'll

muddle through, make mistakes 

and God will take glory (I hope!)

anyway.   It will be interesting.

Happy Tuesday!

little boy and bear

This is one of my favourite images.

This little clown-boy is so

adorable.  As a general rule

I hate clowns, but he is an exception.

I don't know, is he really a clown?

I think he is called Pietro.  I love how

the bear is peeking out from behind him.

I'm signing three songs today.  I decided

I'm praying wrong.  Rather than praying

that God will help me  do a good job,

I want to start praying He will use my

hands as He sees fit.  Of course, that

is always what I want, but not usually

the way I pray.  The other thing I am

going to begin praying for is confidence.

I have pretty much none.  We are supposed

to pray for things we want.  Since I

believe that this is what HE wants, 

He would also want me to be confident

enough to carry out His plan, right?

Where does the confidence come from?

Trusting Him to use me as He sees fit.

That's just a big circle.  It makes total

sense to me.  I hope I'm explaining

my reasoning clearly.  I know this isn't

an instant thing.  It's going to take me

time to totally trust Him rather than

relying on myself to do a good job,

get the signs right, convey the right 

meaning...That's from my human side.

But I want to start trusting Him in

 everything  involved in it.  Well,  everything

period, but I'm just thinking of the signing

part now.   So here we go, God.  Together.

Keep my eyes upon you. 

Happy Sunday!

Tea bag folding

This is something I haven't done

in ages.  I happened to see a 

card with a medallion on it and

decided to look up some of my

old haunts.  I picked this one

up again quickly.  Some of the 

others are a little harder so I'll

save them for another time.

I think it came out pretty well.

A friend asked me to make a scroll 

box for a friend of hers who is struggling.

This is what I came up with.

These butterflies are so beautiful

but way too chunky for a card as a 

general rule.  This was just perfect

for that gorgeous little thing.  I wish the

"Faith" gems were in green, but oh well.

It still looks great, I think.

Deaf chat was fun, but wow is it busy

there with two bars, one on either side 

of the street.  I had to park on a back street.

Not the best place, but Pam drove me over

so I didn't have to walk in the dark.  Not

that anyone would want to mug me.  

 They'd probably run in fear at the mere

sight of  me, LOL.    In a little while I'm

going to meet her for breakfast and

then later today Judy graciously said

she would swing by and we can go over

the songs together so I don't have to

go all the way to Waterloo.  She has

a party she's attending here in Fremont.

Mom's birthday

My mother will be 81 next month.

It doesn't seem possible, but then

I can't imagine me being 59.  

Remember "anyone over 30 is the 

enemy"?  I'm waaaaay past that, sadly.

This is the front of the card.  I

smeared the ink on the inside and

ended up scrapping the first one

which really ticked me off.  I

usually use an ink that dries instantly

but I got some new stamps and that

ink causes them to stick to the paper

and you don't get a good image by

the time you peel the paper away.

So I used an ink that is more 

liquid and it smears when not

dry.  Good move, Marianne.  Here

is the inside.

I'm pretty happy with  it.

Tonight is coffee chat with the 

deaf.  I'm looking forward to it.  I

need to teach the coffee house 

 to make a good

frappuccino, though, lol. 

Happy Friday!

Valentine boxes

I've been cleaning house for a

friend for about 5 years now.  A 

couple of years ago his brother 

moved in as well.  Very nice guys.

So I decided to make them a

Valentine box.   I put it in their

rooms as a surprise but they came

home early and saw them while I

was still there.

They kind of look like milk cartons, but

there is no side to them.  You can

kind of see it on the white one.  I forgot to

take a picture of the sides.  Here is the

inside:

They are filled with the giant M&M's

that have sayings on them like the  

candy hearts.  I've never seen them

before.  They're huge.  Under the M&M's

 are foil wrapped candy hearts.

They liked them!

I had a hard time sleeping last night

and it didn't help that between 130 Am

and 2 AM my neighbors thought it would

be a great idea to sit in their vehicle and

blare their music.  You know, the kind

that the base rattles your windows?  

I finally put some ear plugs in.  That's

ridiculous.  I know I can't be the only

one who was annoyed.  People

have no common sense.  One of

my biggest pet peeves.  Use your

brain.  God didn't give it to you just

to fill up your empty head!  Sigh.

Happy Thursday!

happy birthday set of cards

This is the second half of

the set of 6 cards.

My favourite has got to be the first one.

It looks like a soft feather.  So delicate

and lacy looking. I was very happy

with how they all turned out.

I got my car taken  care  of yesterday.

She said I wouldn't have to wait long,

but they were out in 30 minutes to say

it was finished!  I was super happy.

 Happy Wednesday!

Thinking of you

I had to take these pictures individually

because of the thread, I guess.  It just 

wasn't coming out well as a set.  The

thread is metallic and is multi coloured.

I've  had it forever, have no idea

where it came from, and haven't been

able to find it online.  Or in a store

for that matter.  I still have a lot though.

A little goes a long, long way with 

these threads!

The beautiful colours of the thread

just don't get done justice on the computer,

but they are very, very pretty in person.

At least I think so!  :)  These are three

in a set of 6.  I'll show the other three

tomorrow.  

I got a recall card for my car a couple

weeks ago and kept putting it off, so

I am  getting it fixed this afternoon.

It said something about the seatbelt,

but apparently it is also tied to the

airbag somehow and that needs

to be fixed.  After October I know just

how important airbags are.

Happy Tuesday!

Maggie's surgery

My friend, Coleen, has a dog named

Maggie.  She just tore her ACL 

last week and had to  have surgery.

I guess this is common among  labs.

Of course, her mommy is very concerned.  

All of us with animals know that they

are more than pets, they are our people.

So I thought it would cheer Coleen up

to receive a card for Maggie.

The left side looked kind of bare so I

added a few clear sequins.  It's hard to

see them.  This is actually two cards

combined into one and it took me

three tries to get it right.  I would rather

have had the paw prints in the middle

but after three tries I wasn't about to

go for a fourth!

I just heard a huge downpour of rain!

the snow is almost melted now.  I

guess it's time for the next onslaught.

Shhhh.

Happy Monday!

Giraffes

I love giraffes and have even

gotten to feed them twice.  One

touched my  hand with his 

tongue.  It felt like a cat's

tongue-very rough.

This had to be done on a bigger

card, but they don't cost more to

send, unlike the square ones.  What

a dumb rule.

 

I have been trying forever to find

a good way to keep the cards

I already have made until I need

them.  Then I thought if I used my

card display I would at least have

a place for the smaller cards, but I

found that the square ones fit in it, too!

 

Isn't that awesome?!  Now I won't

have to worry about them getting bent.

 

I don't have to sign at all today, 

so I'm going to enjoy just watching.

Of course, I will sign from my seat

during the songs, but that's easier

because If I mess up no one sees

me, LOL.  No one minds if someone

messes up anyway.  It's a good

learning environment.  I don't think

the congregation pays any attention

 to us and they wouldn't know if

we messed up anyway.

 

Happy Sunday!

 

 

Froggy went a courtin'

Cody used to sing that song

when he was young.  I don't

remember a lot of it, but it

was cute.  So was he!  ;)

I can't tell if the frog image is crooked

or it's just the way the hearts are 

tipped.  It just looks a little weird.  

It also might be the angle the card

was photographed.  I can't do it

straight on because of the flash.

We're having a heat wave!  It was in

the 30's yesterday.  I hear it is

supposed to get even warmer.  Of course,

I have to bear in mind that this is

 still January. 

Happy Saturday!

When it rains

I haven't used umbrella man in

 a while and I really love how

this card turned out!

I need to use him more often.  Now 
for a bit of levity...

I thought this was hilarious! 

 My holter monitor results came back.

I am having premature contractions,

both atrial and ventricular.  My heart

pauses occasionally, too.  (very scary)

Apparently this is common and my doctor

said I can go to a cardiologist if I want 

(I don't) but they don't do anything for

it.  I guess you just get used to it

and move on with your life.  Thankfully

it's not something serious.

Happy Friday!

Memories

My friend lost  her mother the

other day.  She was an awesome lady

who used to listen to me cry when

my boyfriend and I broke up.  

She will be missed very much.

Those leaves aren't as easy as

they look.  I know I didn't follow the

pattern completely.  I kept getting

lost so I decided to wing it and it

looks pretty much the same.  I like it.

I stepped outside today and there was

snow all over the front step.  I thought

it had snowed again and then remembered

that I had heard the wind in the night.

it's supposed to be getting warmer

in the next few days.  The only problem

with that is the roads are getting really

bad potholes in them.  I had to dodge

quite a few when I was out yesterday.

 Indiana is really good about getting

out there and fixing them, though, 

when they are  able to.  In the 

meanwhile you just  keep dodging. 

Happy Thursday!

Meteors and earthquakes!

I saw on Yahoo this morning that

Michigan had what they are pretty sure

was a meteor strike and it caused a

2.0 earthquake!  There are pictures

of it flying through the sky from

people's dashcams.  Pretty crazy stuff.

I guess they heard a big boom, too.

 

I'm making 25 of these as a gift.

Believe it or not, they take pretty

 much no time at all.  The big problem

is the size.  I got some invitations at

the dollar store so I could use the 

envelopes, but getting the size of the

card, mat and stitching mat are driving

me mad.  Where is John when I need

him?!  In order to score it I have found

that I have to fold the card in half, 

pinch it a little then lay it on the score

board.  Otherwise it doesn't come out

right no matter what I do.  This way I

have a fighting chance to get the 

score in the right place. 

For some unknown reason all the

white card stock is now called

marshmallow and is a very light violet. 

I did find some white at Joann's and

it turned out to be little more weight 

than printer paper!  Not enough 

weight for a card, for sure.  So that

part has been irritating, but overall

I like how they are coming out.

I may have to make another trip to

Joann's for the tiny gem stones, the

last time I looked they didn't have them

that tiny at Hobby lobby.  But since I

will be out today, I'll stop in.  Hopefully

I won't find anything I can't live without.

Happy Wednesday!

Parakeets are parrots, too!

The poor parakeet gets left in

the dust but it really is a parrot, too.

Parrots have a hooked beak and 

two toes pointing forward and two

pointing backward.  Little parakeet,

you have been vindicated!

 This is the same pattern in different
colours and with a scarlet macaw

I like the parakeet colours much better.

I was cautioned about getting a scarlet

macaw and rightly so, because they are,

as a general rule, very nippy.  Lili isn't like

that, but she has been known to crunch

down on my finger when she knows she

is going in her cage.  She never bites, though,

and knows exactly how much pressure she

can put on me without hurting me.  That's

pretty impressive considering that huge

beak can crack a brazil nut with no problem

and probably harder things than that.  

She's a good bird.

It's supposed to be very cold again

for a couple of days.  They were reporting

2 hour delays for schools last night.

But then a warm up again.  I can't keep

up with the weather changes.  I had a headache

all day yesterday because of it.  I keep telling

myself summer is coming again.  I have

trouble believing it when I'm standing 

outside in 1 degree temps.  So, stay warm

if you're in this cold weather!

Happy Tuesday!

Little girl on a swing

I love this image.  It was a bit

of a pain to cut, but well worth

it, I think.

And....when I put it on the card, the

card opened backwards!  I don't

do that very often, but when I do

it really irritates me.  So I wrote to

her "you know it's hand made when

the card front is BACKWARDS!  LOL.

Yesterday was so awesome.  We had

a girl come with her aunt and uncle

(they already attend) that Pam has

known since age 8 when she was first

interpreting for her.  her name is Parrish.

I have met her a couple of times before.

We were really excited that she came.

I don't know, I think it helped when I

signed the songs.  Pam told me I

signed them really well and that she 

thought  I had the "annointing".  Not sure 

what that means, exactly, but I'll take it! 

 I was going to sign communion as well, but

with Parrish there I thought someone

who was better able to sign it should.

Not a good time to practice.  Especially

for communion. 

We're getting snow again.  Yipee.  

We are also under a winter storm

advisory until 7 pm tonight.  I

think the only time I will poke my

nose out today is when B'Elanna

has to go out.

Happy Monday!

Last Valentine critter card

Happy Valentine's day teddy.

The other day Cody asked me if

I knew how the teddy bear got

it's name.  Yep.  Theodore  Roosevelt. 

I think he didn't expect me to know 

that .  I wouldn't have expected him to,

so I was surprised.

I think he should have had a little smile

or something, but the pattern didn't 

show that and I didn't want to mess

around with it.  I changed the tummy

from a circle to a heart which I think

looks pretty cute.

I'm signing the last three songs this 

morning and also communion.  It's

still not super comfortable for me

to do that, but the more I practice the

better I will do, so I keep  trying.

It's more comfortable for me than

signing the offering for some reason.

I keep forgetting how to sign "offering"

  Give us money!  🤣 LOL!

Happy Sunday!

Playful dolphins

Now we're back to the Valentine

critters.  There's just one more 

after this.   

I love dolphins!

I decided to go back to  pinterest

because I have so many card ideas

pinned.  Now I see that "based on

my activity" they are giving me pins

for baby toys, wedding stuff and

Korean  language .  What activity

exactly, makes you think that I 

care about baby stuff and weddings?

I can KIND OF understand the Korean

because I have a board for sign language

but that's kind of a stretch.  I wonder

what language I'll see next.  I'm

not sure why I torture myself like this,

checking out pinterest, but I do like

seeing card ideas and stitching

card patterns.  I wish there was

someone-real or otherwise-to

complain to, but apparently they

don't want to hear about it.  I wonder

if there's another site similar to pinterest.

I forgot to mention that when I went

to Joann's the other day, I looked and

they did not have the glimmer pastel

card stock.  I was really bummed.

Then I thought I'd move a few

things around because sometimes 

 people put things back in the wrong 

place and voila! there it was.  I bought

two packs.  Bonus-it was 40% off.  

Everything I bought that day was

40% off.  You can only use one

coupon at a time, but when everything

is 40% off you win!

Happy Saturday!