joyfulnana
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Posts: 3,047 
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Post by joyfulnana on May 2, 2021 13:37:18 GMT
Hello grammadee , natscraps , ComplicatedLady , angel97701 , joblackford , mikklynn , kellyr21 , justjac , sleepingbooty and welcome to May!! Lots of fun happening over in the iNSD thread and some beautiful things being shared! After a month of nearly no scrapping and NO mojo, the excitement about iNSD helps get the juices going again a bit. If only I had been able to block out the whole weekend lol. I've found the longer I stay away the harder it is to start. Do you have a special routine, or something you do to jumpstart things when mojo is low/nonexistent? Or do you just wait until inspiration strikes? Because I hosted an online crop last night, I had to get started and I think that was the trick for me. If I hadn't made that commitment, I'm not sure I would have done anything at all. I would love to hear how others pull themselves out of a scrappy funk. Here's to a fun month of creating and sharing and don't forget double points for anything you post this weekend! ETA: looking at the challenges so far this month, I see grammadee is going to make it impossible for me to have a zero point month  |
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Post by mikklynn on May 2, 2021 13:39:56 GMT
I watch Youtube videos when my mojo is low. Looking through my papers will often inpire me, too.
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Post by joblackford on May 2, 2021 13:55:35 GMT
I do enough different crafty things that I can usually find some motivation to work on something even when my motivation is low for another thing. I haven't been doing my digital photo pages for weeks but I have been coloring (100 day project) and putting together one-off (stamped and die cut) cards. Before that I was making big batches of cards with patterned paper. Each one uses different crafty muscles, if you know what I mean.
I'm trying to get back to the digital pages today. I have some gardening that needs to be done - spring is springing all over the place and if I let the backyard go much longer I'm going to have a problem. It's probably only an hour or two of work to get things ready - supports in for tomatoes and dahlias, then I have to start figuring out the irrigation piece, then I can move/plant the dahlias and see how many tomatoes I can fit in the space leftover (priorities!) and go buy them once the varieties I like become available.
Once I get that done I will wash up and work on photos. I'm getting the tedious planning parts started - I backed up and moved them to their proper folders yesterday, I'm going to try to tag the ones I want to document this morning while we watch CBS Sunday Morning. I should be able to get all my March and April pages drafted. I never really finish them in one sitting, but if I have the photos laid out on pages I'm 80% of the way there.
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joyfulnana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,047
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Post by joyfulnana on May 2, 2021 14:08:22 GMT
I really never thought about YT. I put it on in the background while I'm scrapping. I should get out some supplies I want to use and find a video using them. Sometimes looking through my paper feels overwhelming lol. Stopping shopping needs to be a bigger priority lol. I did sign up for two classes and hopefully those are going to inspire me as well.
I'm having all the kids for dinner today, so scrapping will be piecemeal today if it happens. I did try one year of just doing digital PL so that I could sort of stay "caught up" and then scrapped past photos with paper. I may need to dip into that again this year. Changing it up is never a bad thing. Have fun outside!
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Post by grammadee on May 2, 2021 14:54:19 GMT
Hello Joyful's! Hoping to join the virtual crop this morning. Have a page to do for LOAD, and have some cs I played with yesterday with stencils and inks, so I found some photos to work with that.
For me, MOJO is about inertia. What is in motion, stays in motion; what is stopped, is stuck there.
I go through times when creativity flows, and everything I see is an inspiration. I open a drawer or a tub of supplies, and my fingers go right to the exact item(s) I need. These times often happen after I have been scrapping every day or almost every day for awhile. So once I am scrapping, I am scrapping...
And. Then. There. Are. The. Times. I. Am. STUCK! When I take a break from crafting, for whatever reason, I find it takes a ton of energy just to start again. Every decision is second guessed. I want things to be perfect, even though I know nothing works that way for me. Spend my time looking for that perfect item that either I don't have or is buried under a ton of other options that I can't seem to settle on.
When I get to a block like that, I sometimes just walk away until I am in a better mood. Or, I choose push through and JUST. DO. IT. I grab a photo that maybe was left over from an earlier LO and has no pressure to it or special significance. Grab some papers that match the colours or the theme. And just start cutting and inking and gluing. I don't expect to love the page; just finish the page...
I may come back to that starter page a few times over the next few days and add little tweaks and/or bits & pieces, or I may accept that it is what it is. Whatever my attitude to that first finished page, it usually unblocks the right side of my brain, and after that it gets easier to just roll with it.
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angel97701
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,569
Jun 26, 2014 2:04:25 GMT
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Post by angel97701 on May 3, 2021 3:44:14 GMT
I know the feeling of being stuck and having NO MOJO, as when your emotional energy is drained for any reason, then it is really hard to be creative. The last few months trying out the Sheetload of cards has worked for me. I know the thread that asked about our oldest unfinished project motivated me to work on my Wedding planning album from 2004. Actually completed 9 layouts for it over the weekend. Figure I have about 20 more to finish it up. Organized the memorabilia, receipts, business cards, contracts, etc. Some will go on the pages, other's between pages in the sheet protectors. It is giving me joy to remember how fun it was to prepare to marry my DH.
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Post by joblackford on May 3, 2021 21:42:47 GMT
I know the feeling of being stuck and having NO MOJO, as when your emotional energy is drained for any reason, then it is really hard to be creative. The last few months trying out the Sheetload of cards has worked for me. I know the thread that asked about our oldest unfinished project motivated me to work on my Wedding planning album from 2004. Actually completed 9 layouts for it over the weekend. Figure I have about 20 more to finish it up. Organized the memorabilia, receipts, business cards, contracts, etc. Some will go on the pages, other's between pages in the sheet protectors. It is giving me joy to remember how fun it was to prepare to marry my DH. That's wonderful that you were inspired to work on this project AND enjoy the happy memories again! That's one good thing about not being "caught up" on scrapping, you get to go back and revisit old events. |
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Post by joblackford on May 3, 2021 21:59:13 GMT
I didn't get much done this weekend, just a couple of blurb book pages laid out. The bigger win was catching up on backing up, selecting, and moving the photos into their proper folder. Now I can work on pages without hooking up my external hard drive so it doesn't have to be a serious desk-based session. If I remember I can work on them here and there in the evenings. I'm easily distracted though. I try to do "work" until late afternoon and then do something helpful but not work-related in the evenings. Trying to set aside weekends for "fun" and gardening. Lots of "" because I define what's work and what's fun for myself, for the most part, and it all tends to blend together a bit. Good news: I thought one of my dahlias was unhappy so I dug it up to move it. It had turned from 1 tuber into about 17 in the past 2 years underground! I didn't have space for them all. Hoping I didn't hurt it too much in the process of moving, but I had enough to share with some neighbors through our Buy Nothing Group. And I got my new tubers planted. Hoping the old ones I didn't dig up continue to be happy underground. I kill them when I lift them for winter. Here's what my newly *pre-planned* little back garden looks like. Planning is a big step for me. I actually left enough space to walk around and hang laundry (I think). http://instagram.com/p/COY7BIfAH9i |
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angel97701
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Posts: 2,569
Jun 26, 2014 2:04:25 GMT
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Post by angel97701 on May 4, 2021 4:12:39 GMT
Well back to the dentist for DS15 and myself. DS had a root canal about 3 weeks ago, so they needed to put on the permanent filling over the opening. I'm still dealing with pain from my extraction last Tuesday. Taking the max of Tylenol and Advil on three hour intervals to manage the pain. Dentist thinks I have a partial dry socket . . . painful! But he said otherwise that it is healing as it should, no infection, no other teeth involved and so on. Just annoying that I can't be more active as it makes my jaw throb! Spent part of the day continuing to clean and organize DS15's LEGO pieces. I organized all the direction books, they fill an entire hanging file box! I think he has every plane Lego has ever made, and many of the cars and other vehicles. Slow but steady!
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joyfulnana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,047
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Post by joyfulnana on May 4, 2021 12:30:32 GMT
Great job on the planning joblackford. Can't wait to see it all in bloom, tomatoes and all lol. angel97701 I hope you feel better soon. I used to love organizing the kids legos, and games and puzzles - so they could tear it all apart again lol. Your wedding album is turning out beautifully btw! Watching Shimelle is definitely helping in the mojo department. It's hard to watch her and not be itching to follow along. I did get out some stencils and mixed media and distress oxides and just played with that for a bit. No plan, just play. It felt good to get messy for no real reason lol. |
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Post by justjac on May 4, 2021 15:07:31 GMT
Hi everyone. I'm doing Layout a Day this month so I should finish at least 31 pages. When I have no motivation, I usually wait for something involving others to give me a little push: daily pages with the Awesome Ladies Project, Layout a Day which happens 3 months a year, a birthday or holiday I need to make a card for, or an online class I've signed up for.
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kellyr21
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,002
Location: California
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Post by kellyr21 on May 4, 2021 20:15:25 GMT
Happy May! My mojo is low, too! I usually take a break and wait for inspiration to hit me. Also, I think trying another craft or creative activity helps me. When my mojo is low, it is my body letting me know it needs to recharge. So recharge, I'd say. LOL!  |
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joyfulnana
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Posts: 3,047
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Post by joyfulnana on May 5, 2021 12:24:00 GMT
kellyr21 that's what I've been leaning toward, just taking a break and working on something different, like the mixed media play. Or maybe doing some pocket pages since I've drawn to that lately. What I do know is the mojo always comes back, sometimes with a vengeance! lol
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Post by grammadee on May 6, 2021 14:14:08 GMT
Not alot of scrapping today, but I hope to take some photos to scrap later. Dd and dgs are coming to plant potatoes today. They had been planning to come on Saturday, but rain is forecast for then. The province still allows up to 5 people to gather outside, so there will be four of us in the garden. Dgs wants take out pizza afterward so someone can pick that up and we will eat on the deck. They won't be staying over, again to avoid "gathering inside".
I am madly finishing up my LOAD for today before they arrive... As far as MOJO, working on this completely separate project, a size I don't do as often, and pulling items from one bin of supplies is helping me stay motivated. I journaled while on the trip five years ago, so no need to remember details, and when journaling for an 8 year old in the voice of a toy donkey, there is not any pressure to make it sound perfect LOL.
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Post by joblackford on May 6, 2021 16:09:02 GMT
and when journaling for an 8 year old in the voice of a toy donkey, there is not any pressure to make it sound perfect LOL.  that sounds like fun! |
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Post by joblackford on May 6, 2021 16:20:05 GMT
I'm building lots of antibodies today, feeling the effects of my second vaccination yesterday (feels like I took a long uncomfortable trip on a cramped plane - tired and achey). Going to take it easy and see what I can do that isn't too energetic. Maybe it's the day to run lots of die cuts with scraps while watching nonsense on TV. I don't think I trust myself to do anything technical like heat embossing. Maybe sticking down cards that I have already 80% designed. Otherwise maybe crochet and audiobooks or reading a normal book.
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joyfulnana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,047
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Post by joyfulnana on May 7, 2021 13:35:32 GMT
grammadee I love this album you are doing about Jack's travels soooo much! It's so fun to see your pages and read the journaling. Have fun with DD and DGS! I hope things turn around for you guys soon. It feels like we have no restrictions here at all except masks and that seems weird to me. joblackford, I hope your antibody building isn't too extreme. I slept the better part of two days after my second dose. I'm so glad to be fully vaccinated. I finally get to see my mom this weekend. I haven't seen her in person since Christmas 2019.
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Post by joblackford on May 7, 2021 15:59:24 GMT
I hope your antibody building isn't too extreme. I slept the better part of two days after my second dose. I'm so glad to be fully vaccinated. I finally get to see my mom this weekend. I haven't seen her in person since Christmas 2019. Oh wow! I hope you have a good weekend together. That's too long... I didn't have a very strong reaction to either dose. I had a slow day, feeling some fatigue and aches and pains, but I was feeling better by the end of it. I didn't try to do anything too energetic. My husband got his second shot yesterday and says he can't feel any pains besides the usual. lol. He did sleep in this morning though. I actually got some crafty stuff done yesterday that I had been putting on the back burner for too long. Yay! |
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joyfulnana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,047
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Post by joyfulnana on May 9, 2021 18:33:49 GMT
Happy Mother's Day!! I hope everyone is having a relaxing Sunday. That is the one day when I always want to do nothing but relax. I saw my mom yesterday and we spent the afternoon eating and shopping and chatting and didn't take one picture. Both my kids just left today and again no pictures. I don't think I could be considered a scrapbooker anymore  |
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angel97701
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Jun 26, 2014 2:04:25 GMT
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Post by angel97701 on May 11, 2021 2:19:44 GMT
Well I had a "weekend" for Mother's Day, DS15's FASD brain was in full on melt down mode. Really hard weekend for all of us. DH did help with some big things I put on my "wish list" mostly related to the garden and picking up my hanging flower basket.
I did make a card on Friday and finished Saturday morning that goes live on my blog tomorrow morning so I will share that tomorrow.
Dry socket from the pulled molar is still a bit sore, but not as severe as last week. I am weaning off of pain medication, and I can feel the hole is getting smaller.
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joyfulnana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,047
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Post by joyfulnana on May 15, 2021 13:05:59 GMT
Good Morning team! I feel like I've neglected my duties here this month. angel97701 I'm sorry you have so much going on with DS lately. And a dry socket to boot! That's good to hear that it's feeling better. I haven not scrapped much at all this month although I signed up for 2 classes  Good thing they are self paced and I have forever to finish them. It will probably take that long! lol. gramma will be opening up a virtual crop this evening if anyone is interested. I'm jumping in tonight. I have to find a sketch for next week and I need the boost to my mojo and my week. I can't think of a better way to end the busy work week than cropping with the ladies from this board! |
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Post by joblackford on May 15, 2021 18:22:46 GMT
I've been plodding along making a few cards, panicking a bit realizing that father's day cards should've already been in my shop, gradually tidying up my desk and figuring out all my WIP storage, and getting back to my digital projects. There's one scrapper I follow - Shannan_pages - who always makes me want to work on my digital pages and get them printed out. She just posted the printed books she got in the mail recently and they're so cool, I'm going to try and get my half-finished ones done. I am working on a size and format that I've never done before so all the pages saved on my laptop are completely theoretical. I've never even test printed one! (which is silly). I guess I should fix that right now and print one, at least to check that the font is legible/looks good at this particular size. I'm also starting to catch up on my yearly blurb book for my family. The weather is beautiful but I'm an indoor cat, so I will open the curtains and enjoy the sun from my happy place, alone inside |
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joyfulnana
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Post by joyfulnana on May 18, 2021 14:02:19 GMT
joblackford, I'm an indoor cat too. Always have been. But I love having all the sun and natural light coming in. When I peek in on the PL app FB group, it makes me want to throw myself into digi pages, but as I like to say, I'm married to paper  I should make more time to watch YT videos for inspiration and a kick in the mojo. But looking through the sharing thread and our gallery inspires me so much as well. I have my sample for Saturday's sketch *almost* done. It needs some exacto knife work, and that's definitely not a strong suit of mine lol. I'm going to try and finish that tonight. oops, no, tonight is This Is Us so no scrapping will be happening lol. Maybe Thursday which would be cutting it close and more inline with my M.O. LOL
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angel97701
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Jun 26, 2014 2:04:25 GMT
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Post by angel97701 on May 20, 2021 3:56:51 GMT
At least I've scrapped a little this month. Finished 2 page layout this morning at 6:00 AM. Oh you ask why so early in the morning? Well couldn't sleep past 4:30 or so, got out of bed just before 5 and wrote some emails then finished the page. Just as I am healing up from the dry socket I wake up Sunday morning with full on vertigo. I had a vestibular head injury in 1994, and it took a full two years for recovery of 98% of my balance. Some of the symptoms are similar, but not all. Called my doctor on Monday morning and she thinks it is a combination of having a dry socket, allergies, and possibly my sleep medication, oh you could throw in a mildly sprained ankle for the past month or so too.
Once up and moving around I was generally OK, I know how to accommodate for lack of balance . . . wide stance, touch the wall as you walk, etc. I'm very sensitive to noise like before and both DH and DS can be loud. Dogs barking is loud too. I cannot see my Doctor until July 1 and am on the cancellation list, I see a new acupuncturist on Wednesday, and have an appointment as suggested by my primary care doctor to see an ENT PA on Wednesday too. I had chiropractic treatments on Monday and Tuesday and that really seemed to help. Still have pressure in my Eustachian tubes, tinnitus, and swollen lymph nodes by the evening even while I'm on Zyrtec.
Just in case it is my medication, I'm trying to wean off of it and it's not going to be easy. Hence the early wake-up time. The medication has helped me sleep since everything hit the wall in April of 2020. Prayers appreciated!
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Post by grammadee on May 20, 2021 15:32:48 GMT
Hoping you got some sleep last night, angel97701, after your early morning start. Glad you got some scrapping done. I made the mistake of checking out today's LOAD challenge and watching Shimmelle's latest video just before bedtime, quickly pulled out some photos that would work, and went to sleep thinking about what I could do with them. Bad idea. Went to seep right away, but I was WIDE awake at 2:30 AM. Should have just got out of bed and scrapped the page. Instead I worked on relaxation and finally lulled myself back to sleep. But this morning I am moving in S. L. O. W. motion... ITA joyfulnana, that the Gallery and Sharing thread here is really inspirational. I find classes and videos either inspirational or intimidating depending on my mood. Hoping all the Joyfuls are, well, JOYFUL as this week comes to a close. Canadians are heading into a long weekend (Victoria Day Monday). Not that long weekends matter much out here on the farm. Might get some fun photos this weekend, as dd & family plan to stay in a TENT on our yard, and help with gardening. We HOPE to be gardening this weekend. Had snow and rain over the last few days, so hoping the garden plot is dry enough for dh to work up with the rotovator and for us to plant the seeds. |
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angel97701
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,569
Jun 26, 2014 2:04:25 GMT
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Post by angel97701 on May 20, 2021 21:32:44 GMT
Hoping you got some sleep last night, angel97701 , after your early morning start. Glad you got some scrapping done. I made the mistake of checking out today's LOAD challenge and watching Shimmelle's latest video just before bedtime, quickly pulled out some photos that would work, and went to sleep thinking about what I could do with them. Bad idea. Went to seep right away, but I was WIDE awake at 2:30 AM. Should have just got out of bed and scrapped the page. Instead I worked on relaxation and finally lulled myself back to sleep. But this morning I am moving in S. L. O. W. motion... Hoping all the Joyfuls are, well, JOYFUL as this week comes to a close. Canadians are heading into a long weekend (Victoria Day Monday). Not that long weekends matter much out here on the farm. Might get some fun photos this weekend, as dd & family plan to stay in a TENT on our yard, and help with gardening. We HOPE to be gardening this weekend. Had snow and rain over the last few days, so hoping the garden plot is dry enough for dh to work up with the rotovator and for us to plant the seeds. Did sleep a little better last night, but was still wobbly this morning and have a slight headache. Oh well!
grammadee we had a freeze last night, so my flowers came inside. Everything else stayed cozy in the greenhouse. I plan on starting my outdoor garden soon, well peas, kale, and lettuce are in the raised beds. I will do green beans and cucumbers in straw bales. But I've not started their conditioning the straw bales yet . . . this weekend I will start. HOPE you get to start the garden while you have help!
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Post by joblackford on May 22, 2021 17:50:38 GMT
Sorry to hear about your sleep and other troubles angel97701 and your early morning wake-up too grammadee ! I was stewing at 2am the other day too. We're having our roof replaced - today is day 3, they should be done soon, but my mind was spinning with concerns about the process, even though the specific part I was most worried about had (unbeknownst to me) already been done. I knew just to trust the professionals but telling your brain anything sensible at 2am is challenging. Anyway, only minor damage to the garden, and the crew seems to be doing a great job. It's just very loud in our little bungalow... I vacated completely the first day when they were ripping the rotten decking edges off. I'm back to crafting today. Puzzling through some design challenges with Doodlebug die cuts. I finally realized I needed to use big die cut letters to create the sentiment and anchor the little limes... I tried to stamp and fussy cut but I have ordered some alphabet dies. I think they almost qualify as a "need." They should get plenty of use. I bought some fun papers while I was hiding from the roofers at Joann. Bright and cheerful, Hawaiian inspired designs. I made sure to cut into the most beautiful ones right away so I wouldn't overthink how to use them. I'm making a bit of a mess but I'll try to tidy up this afternoon. Have a nice weekend |
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Post by grammadee on May 25, 2021 23:08:39 GMT
kellyr21 and joblackford , I think reno's and similar disruptions are some of the most frustrating experiences! It has been 13 years since we had to replace flooring due to water damage, and I still shudder every time I think of that time. Hope everything gets back to normal soon. joyfulnana , I saw your pages from this weekend. Gorgeous! I have been keeping up with LOAD, but some days I am feeling less than inspired. But I finally have some newer photos to scrap. Dd & family camped on our yard on the weekend, and helped with garden. This time, I remembered to take photos. Already have a couple of garden pages finished. For tomorrow, I think I will pull out my camping paper and supplies to play with.
And I am finally figuring out my POINTS! I know I shouldn't have left it this long, but today I transferred to the May Points thread some of what I had calculated on scrap paper, and did the scoring on additional projects, so I just have a few more to catch up on.
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kellyr21
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Posts: 3,002
Location: California
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Post by kellyr21 on May 26, 2021 3:31:43 GMT
kellyr21 and joblackford , I think reno's and similar disruptions are some of the most frustrating experiences! It has been 13 years since we had to replace flooring due to water damage, and I still shudder every time I think of that time. Hope everything gets back to normal soon. Oh, thanks! It has been an unexpected stress having to clean almost everything! SMH! But we almost have all the main things back in place. Still have some dishes to wash and other bigger things in the kitchen. The good thing is our place got "spring cleaning" mega style! LOL! I have missed all the fun here but hope to be back on track soon. |
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Post by joblackford on May 28, 2021 5:00:46 GMT
Our roof took a couple more days than I originally expected but it was done by Sat afternoon and we were very relieved to have some peace and quiet. I got some cards done and got some elements for cards ready, worked on some digital scrapping on the weekend. I don't know where the week went. I don't think I talked about my 2020 blurb book - I had forgotten that I hadn't actually ordered the book I made for last year. I sent my parents the pdf proof and we all forgot that I was waiting for a coupon to order paper copies. It was pretty funny - my mother swore that she remembered getting it a few months ago but that was actually January 2020. lol. Anyway, it was great to finally see the book on paper. I put a lot of work into it and it was really chunky! http://instagram.com/p/CPURitdAOLD |
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