|
Post by joblackford on Jul 31, 2024 19:32:59 GMT
I checked the TT link and scrolled maybe 4-5 dozen videos and almost ALL of them have something to do with "facelift" in the title. Good Lord! How do you make your entire indentity on a facelift? So bizarre. Can you affiliate link a facelift?
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 31, 2024 19:29:14 GMT
I don't know if I'll ever get a robot vac but now I know for sure what I want to name it!! We got off to a late start this morning after staying up until 11pm to watch the women's gymnastics on TV. It's already lunchtime and I haven't done much, but I'm sitting down to do some quick computer things and then I'll get some food and watch some YTs and then I'm going to try and make finish lots of cards. I went for a long walk yesterday and was too tired to glue down more than 2 cards afterwards.
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 30, 2024 22:33:43 GMT
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 30, 2024 21:57:50 GMT
QOTD: What, if any, are your scrappy plans for this week? I'm hoping to finish up the last few lessons of Shimelle's half & half class - but I need some energy first. DH did indeed manage to share his covid germs with me despite our best efforts.Question for everyone: What’s the easiest way to incorporate logging points for specific challenges into your workflow? I don’t want to power on my computer each time and printing out the challenges results in several sheets of paper to go through each time I complete a page. I’m wondering if I should print out a list focused on the challenges I think I’ll meet and log those. I print the challenges but don't log points until the end of the month (last round, I didn't until the end of quarter - not reccommended). I share all my projects in the sharing thread and when it's time to count, I go through the thread one layout or card at a time. I do flip through the challenges for inspiration through the quarter. Oh darn! It’s hard to avoid once someone in your household gets sick… Hope you feel better soon.
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 30, 2024 21:54:52 GMT
My partner moved to start his new job today so I’m a bit brokenhearted over here. He didn’t want to take it but I encouraged him to do it anyway because he’s been on a 2 year struggle to find well paying employment related to his degree. After speaking to several providers in the new state I decided to stay here longer than anticipated to avoid astronomical medical bills. We’re making plans to move me there in a year or so when my health is hopefully 🤞🏽 more stable. After a decade of seeing each other whenever we want this will be quite an adjustment. Oh wow, that will be a tough adjustment. I hope the time until you can move flies by. And of course wishing you better health.
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 30, 2024 3:04:30 GMT
I don't actually even try to meet challenges for the most part. I mostly just do my thing and take photos of each project to get the sharing points. At the end of the month, I read through the challenges and flip through my photos and see how I did. I do always do the sheetload of cards challenges and usually try to get the bonus points. That's how I do it too. QOTD about seasons: I don't mind the season as long as there is some sunshine. We have a lot of very grey days here and it's the worst for taking cheerful photos. Somehow there's still a ton of glare even though the sky is featureless grey. I love sunshine and flowers, sunshine and snow, sunshine and fall leaves and wet roads. QOTD about plans: I'm working through that classic cozy Christmas collection, seeing what cards I can make. I've been a bit slow the last couple of days but I'm hoping to choose another Sheetload and get a bunch done. I have one paper to make a decision about how to cut - very busy little birds on one side and 12 cut aparts on the other, the same as the ones I've already used. Trying to make sure I don't run out of paper for bases or run out of focal points. I might have to * make a plan * !!
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 29, 2024 15:41:39 GMT
Oh my goodness, I'm dying laughing over here... that's a lot
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 29, 2024 15:36:46 GMT
I plan to head over to Flickr in a moment to look at your lovely cards. Thanks for all the love. I'm not sure if my reply worked but the sentiments are printed on the back of the cover sheets of Paper Rose collections. I love the convenience and it reduces waste too.
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 28, 2024 21:32:48 GMT
Switched to a different Sheetload to work with some busy papers (back and front of the same sheet) July share by jo.blackford, on Flickr and some landscape designs to use sentiment strips too long for portrait orientation July share by jo.blackford, on Flickr
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 28, 2024 1:31:52 GMT
Guess we need a Saturday question… QOTD: what are your three oldest tools, and do you use them still? I have a small cutting mat I brought back from Japan 20+ years ago that I still use whenever I pull out my craft knife. Other than that I’m thinking 10yo-ish Tiny Attacher which I use here and there, and some acrylic blocks which I use all the time.
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 27, 2024 16:23:26 GMT
This layout is for Linda 's Wild Animals theme team challenge. I've been wanting to scrap this story for a while, and this challenge was the perfect prompt. Just a heads-up that the link is glitchy - it still works if I click on the broken image icon but it's not showing up in the thread. I left you some love for this cool spread on Flickr.
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 27, 2024 16:16:37 GMT
Here is the cell phone bag crochet project I should've refused to do and complained about in the chat thread (nothing compared to my curse-filled internal monologue, lol) but it came out OK in the end and is on its way to my SIL's coworker in Hawaii. I used some leftover yarn and a tutorial from YT that I'm happy to send to anyone else who wants one! July Share by jo.blackford, on Flickr
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 27, 2024 16:06:38 GMT
Zero issues on the way out! It was a direct flight Canada-->UK. On the way home, we flew UK-->New York-->Canada, and I wonder if that extra check (to get into the US) screwed things up. Very puzzling. We did 6 days in London, then a 5 day mini-bus tour of Wales. The tour was *brilliant* - so engaging, 13 people total so it felt like a big group of friends, and the tour leader/driver was also so friendly and knowledgeable. Alas, "Rosie from Melbourne who stops to pat every dog she sees" got really sick on day 3, and now DH and I have covid (as does the tour leader, I contacted him) so I'm guessing the whole bus-load of us will get it given our close contact throughout. Oh man... what a way to end a great trip! And to be dealing with the check in hassles while you were presumably getting sick I hope you feel better soon. I bet you took lots of great photos. Hope you're feeling well enough to go through them and remember all the fun bits. Are you planning a special album just for this trip? Will you include the virus at the end?
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 27, 2024 15:59:08 GMT
Another afternoon of Christmas cards using the die cuts and the plaid paper with a big tree/window/door scene: July share by jo.blackford, on Flickr
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 27, 2024 3:33:53 GMT
These Winnie the Pooh b-sides have me wondering.... Years ago, I'd take some versamark, and stamp on cardstock and it would change colors... If any of you did that.. how has it held up over the years? Did it eventually bleed or blur? I specifically am interested if you didn't emboss it. I forget what that "technique" was called. These b-sides look incredibly easy to create with a couple stamps. I have tried it a couple of times but don’t know what it’s called. One cardstock I used looked great at first but after a few weeks it was like it soaked in and got all blurry, very disappointing (especially because it was a background on a card I had finished, photographed, and was trying to sell!) I would probably heat emboss and then use a little tone on tone ink blending to make the design stand out a little more if I wanted that look. Stamping in white pigment ink might be another way to get a similar look but that also benefits from heat setting.
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 27, 2024 0:36:39 GMT
I haven’t bought their Halloween collection in a few years - don’t really need it, but there are always some cute elements. I like the black cat in the pumpkin patch. Interesting that they’ve switched out the usual purple for pink. That will be divisive!
I’m interested to find out more about the albums even though I’m not really in the market for any. But I’m sure there will be people interested if they’re made from good materials and have wide spines. I don’t see much detail in the listing but some of the colors would work well for Dec projects if they hold enough pages.
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 27, 2024 0:28:54 GMT
I'm home from my England trip: it was amazing, and I didn't even *think* to check the boards which is very unusual for me. Our flights home yesterday were...a trial. We had to literally run for both our flights even though we had given ourselves ample time. DH and DS have the same first name/last name, and we think the ticketing system was marking one as "invalid", so every time we would get a "valid" boarding pass the other one would then not be accepted! Oh my goodness! That sounds like the last thing you would want to deal with on the trip home. It didn’t happen on the way out? Glad to hear the rest of the trip was good. Did you go to London or travel around the country? Were you there for a special reason?
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 27, 2024 0:25:40 GMT
My very late QOTD is a "this or that" question: Stripes or Polka Dots? Stars or Hearts? Patterns or plain? Stitching or Inked edges? I really want to say "all of the above!" But if I had to choose, it would be: Stripes Hearts Patterns Stitching I think I’m with you. Sometimes I’ll go with polka dots and stars but mostly I’m stripes, hearts, patterns and stitching. I spent half of the afternoon getting my work done (listing some milk glass for sale) but I finished 5 more Christmas cards before calling it a day. Happy that I found a Sheetload to work with some busy patterns
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 26, 2024 20:11:04 GMT
Ooh, yes, you're right! I hadn't noticed. They're lovely. Tagging jeremysgirl who IIRC is a Pooh fan.
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 26, 2024 14:48:15 GMT
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 25, 2024 20:09:30 GMT
Yeah, I've had sets of die cuts where the printing and cutting was "off" by a few millimeters. On some pieces it's not very noticeable, but sometimes it drives me crazy. These would bug me. Some people wouldn't be bothered, I know, but uneven borders is something I'm always going to see.
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 25, 2024 20:05:54 GMT
QOTD: if you create a CAS project (clean and simple) page or card, limited to just 3 elements, which three would you choose? White cardstock base, patterned paper panel, bold die cut sentiment If the base doesn't count then I'd add a cheerful die cut too.
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 25, 2024 17:11:47 GMT
Maybe some of us should wrap little gifts to ourselves now to open as an advent calendar - I'm thinking stamps and dies that we hardly ever use but wish we did. By Dec we'll have forgotten all about them and then as we open them we can be reminded to use them (or put them in the donate box!)
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 25, 2024 17:08:23 GMT
was it the Bonne Maman jam calendar you got? That's on my Wishlist for this year. I will for sure actually use that one! YES! I got it mid-year from Amazon. The little jars were just enough for 2 of us to each have on an English muffin and it was fun to try all the different flavors. A nice treat, for sure. We lined the jars up on a windowsill until the New Year and then I gave them all away to people for crafting and/or organizing. So so cute, but so many!
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 25, 2024 17:04:50 GMT
July 2023 sketch with Paper Rose Christmas supplies: July share by jo.blackford, on Flickr July share by jo.blackford, on Flickr July share by jo.blackford, on Flickr I mixed up the sequence of a few of the strips to keep myself guessing, moved the sentiments around a bit, and the plaid backgrounds are not a sheetload, just a panel from a big 12x12 design.
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 25, 2024 16:58:56 GMT
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 25, 2024 3:42:38 GMT
those are lovely - I'm not familiar with Paper Rose but will be checking them out. joblackford They're an Australian company but also sold at scrapbook dot com. Their paper is good quality, quite a heavy weight, but it has a coating on it that some people don't like.
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 25, 2024 1:52:26 GMT
I'm making some Christmas cards and hoping to keep up with posting them as I finish them. Here are the first 6. The collection is 12x12" from Paper Rose, a very nice classic cozy kind of Christmas theme. I used an older Sheetload for the background to get started, but two of these (the plaid ones) are from one side of a big 12x12 design. Paper Rose has sentiments on the back of their cover sheet so I'm using those on most of the cards. July share by jo.blackford, on Flickr
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 25, 2024 0:35:53 GMT
I used to stand but I was gifted a beautiful vintage desk so I sit now. But I have a table behind me that’s standing height and for some tasks or on some days I prefer to stand. Both sitting and standing can be hard on the body in different ways so it’s good for me to switch. I also have a low table with a special little kneeling stool (gets my butt/weight off my heels so everything doesn’t fall asleep) and sometimes I digiscrap or do projects there for an hour or two but that hurts different parts of my body… lol, everything hurts!
|
|
|
Post by joblackford on Jul 25, 2024 0:26:14 GMT
This is also a good reminder to watch out for other people in the store who might be targeted and maybe warn them. A lot of people let their guard down when they’re in a familiar happy place and unfortunately people who steal have a great sense of who to target and how to distract them. We can all look out for this happening to other people around us. Thanks for the heads up.
|
|