Rubber stamp pad dye re-inkers + water + a nonporous surface

If you mix drops of rubber stamp pad dye reinkers and water on a nonporous surface, you can make the coolest background. 

My friend Nancy and I spent a rainy Labor Day laughing and making fun background paper.  It was delightful. 

Craftroom setup!

As promised, here are craftroom pics:

Packing-sorting-donating-stamping-crocheting long weekend

I probably should have packed more and crafted less...however, I regret nothing.

I mastered the continuous Granny Square Baby Blanket with the final row of pink and thepicot edging left.

I made a few preggo cards since a dear friend of mine is expecting (and thank the Lord it's just a baby and not leukemia or a brain tumor). 

I donated 2 large blue IKEA bags full of stuff.

I tossed several items.

I packed bedding.

And my work week starts on a Tuesday.  No Monday-itis for this girl.

Have a fabulous day!!!!

Creative juices

Before you check out my very artsy Sunday afternoon picture, I want you to know the truth.  

The picture you are about to view is not my attempt at showing you that I, Angela Good, have my life together. 

It is not to make you think that I have arrived.

It is not to say to the world that I did my devotions today.

This picture represents a weekend of me embracing the REAL me.  The girl who needs to escape from work responsibilities.  The girl who needs to meander through a craft show.  The girl who wants to mark up and make creative notes in her Bible.  The girl who wants to know more about Jesus and journal her journey for the likes of the younger gals who come behind her. 

Yep.  That's it.

That's me.

Just a girl and God's Word and some amazing craft supplies...just growing in grace and drinking decaf coffee.

I do not own a lot of boy-ish stamps.

Hobby Lobby is having a sale on all of their rubber stamps - clear and wood ones.  They are all 40% off.

In Good Friday, I saw a cute monster set of clear stamps.  Since I had another purpose for 40% coupon, I felt I needed to walk away from all that monster cuteness.

Tonight I stopped in to pick-up the set and what to my lovely eyes appeared...but a 40% off ALL STAMPS sign.  It was beautiful.  Almost like in a chick flick when the music slows and the background fades and a beam of light shines down from above.  It was almost like that.

I was able to find 1 of the remaining monster sets and then 3 phrase stamps...

Have courage & be kind
You're pretty awesome.
You are kind of a BIG deal.

I want to be more diligent about sending notes to my Sunday school kids.

I, also, know a certain fellow who happens to reside on Georgetown Road in Lanark, Illinois who is going to find the friendly monsters absolutely fabulous!

Saturday, March 6th...

I am referring to Saturday, March 6th as a beautiful gift.  

You see - I had said "Yes!" to too many things...oh, that's my theme for the first 12 days of March.

I said yes to taking 2 friends thrifting.  One of which is a total thrifter while her sister is not.  We plotted and planned because we wanted to introduce the non-thrifting sister to a GREAT Goodwill so as not to scare her with the likes of Rockford Salvation Army.  Sometimes you have to pull out the big guns.

I'm going to stop right now and say just how much I have missed blogging about my fabulous life.  I have missed this.  I've even missed you, blog-stalker.  No more 10 days between blog posts.  That's just terrible.  

Sooooo I said yes to a morning thrift outing...knowing full well that I had a 1:30 p.m. hair appointment.  And then because 2 activities was good - why not say YES to a third.  My friend Nancy had her stamping activity at Michael's on East State Street.  I said YES! YES! YES!

*Shaking my head.*

While kinda stressing about not having any time on my DAY OFF - the thrift plans got delayed a week.  (More on that later.)

Since they were rescheduled this meant that I had the whole entire morning - up until my 1:30 hair appointment - FREE!!!!!!!  Totally freeeeee...aside from coffee and reading my Bible and getting groceries.

My hair appointment was such a wonderfully relaxing experience...as any good hair appointment should be.  I mean HELLO -- relaxing and non-stressful.  Someone else is washing my hair.  A good scalp massage...worth every penny.

After my hair appointment, I went and made 26 Thank You notes.

Plans and cancelled plans

I have gone and over-booked myself for the month of March.  If you were to walk in to my kitchen and glance at my adorable coffee calendar, you would see that every weekend has plans.  Some weekends have multiple things scribbled in the too-smallish box.

This weekend is a prime example...

Friday:  Dentist appt to get double crowned.  After work thrift with Rhonda.
Saturday:  9-1 p.m. introduce 2 friends to thrifting.  1:30 hair appt.  3 p.m.(ish) go to Michael's to stamp with Nancy.
Sunday:  Teach Sunday school.  Hit the gym after church.  Sunday evening church.  Bed.
Monday....meh.

My plans totally got rearranged starting with Friday.  Crowns have to be rescheduled.  Not sure how I feel about this...relieved.  And now that I had my weepy-cause-I'm-nervous moment in the dental chair yesterday, I think the next time I will be ready to get crowned.  Twice.  I imagine the Queen of England has 2 crowns.  I will be just like her.  Sort of...

My Saturday morning thrift introduction plans had to be rescheduled too...which meant I could sleep-in and make pumpkin muffins for my overnight house guest and then send her on her merry way and I could hit the gym before returning home to gather my card-making supplies.

Speaking of card-making.  I've always wanted to be ultra-organized with my cards.  I have them crammed in to 2 photo boxes with dividers.  That's fine for a novice.  But HELLO - I'm the card gal.  The Encouragement Ministry Coordinator.  I made up that title...but I'm a coordinator of this ministry.

Sooo last time photo boxes were $2, I bought 3 extra.  This morning I used Open Office to make cute labels which identify the type of cards in each box.  Some boxes have multiple types of cards - like holidays.  How many Easter and Thanksgiving cards does one really need?  Not multiple boxes worth.

Now that my cards are divided up...I can see that I need more Thank You notes.  I just never seem to have enough and/or one handy which is sad when you take into consideration the quantity of fun paper and thank you stamps that I own.

Tonight my goal is to work only on Thank You notes.  Not sure if this will happen, but I should get credit for having a goal of some sort.

Happy Saturday!!!

Friday night

I wasn't going to go to Michael's for the $5 crop but then I received a text from Leslie and knew it where I needed to be...so I spent Friday night with Leslie and some new crafty friends making notes to send to my Sunday school kids.

I managed to avoid shopping but did pick up some replacement sheer ribbon and a single sheet of coral cardstock.

At the end of the night, I was glad I went stamping.

Girls' Night

Tonight Mrs. B and Miss B (soon-to-be Mrs. H) are coming over to stamp!!!  They are bringing snacks and plenty o'witty conversation, I am sure on both accounts. :)

Week 7 {February 24th through March 2nd}

I am thoroughly enjoying my 52 weeks of blessings...

I didn't realize how much it was encourage ME.  I've prayed that this little out-pouring of love would bless others but it has in fact blessed me as well. :)

Week #7 is preparatory for weeks to come...yet while stamping and gabbing, it encouraged me as well.

Cards from Saturday night @ Michael's

Crafting is my therapy!!!

What do you think of when I say the word therapy?  Sometimes therapy is...

coffee with your best friend
working-out and gabbing
going shoe shopping
laying on a black leather couch and talking to an actual therapist

Today therapy means creating.  Friday is VD.  For those of you who have not been following my blog for lengthy time, VD is how I refer to Valentine's day. 

So YES - Friday is VD.  The single person's least favorite day on the calendar. 

This year VD happens to land on the Friday of Presidents' day weekend...Yeah for a Monday off post-VD.  :)

The smudgy stamp

It took me four "mess-ups" to realize it's the stamp not the stamper!!!!!  Hahaha.

Seal and envelope gum

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons pure white vinegar
4 (1 ounce) packets unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon lemon extract

In a small pan, bring vinegar to a boil. Add the gelatin and stir until completely dissolved.  Add the lemon extract and stir until well blended.

Spread the gum thinly on the back of a label or an envelope.  Let dry.  Moisten to apply.

Store in a covered jar.  If the gum hardens, soften in a pan of warm water.

These are a few of my favorite things...

I've been humming These are a Few of My Favorite Things {by Julie Andrews} and trying to change the lyrics to crafting supplies.  Sooo far, this is what I got... :)

Cardstock and ink pads

Glitter and do-dads

Ribbon and crafty things

These are a few of my favorite things.

I've been gathering items and jotting down notes, "Don't forget to get a gallon of apple cider!" for next Saturday's ladies stamping event.  I just love this time of year and I love being able to share all my crafting supplies!!!

A hint...

Happy September 24th!!!  With this drop in the temperature - I have been thinking about crockpots of soup, warm apple cider, hot cups of coffee, fleece blankets and......you guessed it.....STAMPING AND CRAFTING!!!! 

On a side note - 3 months from tomorrow is Christmas.  There will be none of this Christmas-snuck-up-on-me-this-year nonsense.  It's one thing if Christmas was a date-changing holiday.  It's not.  December 25th.  Mark your calendar.  Mark all of your calendars.  It's the same year after year.  The trouble is we (READ:  I) wait.  Not this year.....I've been working on my list of things to sew and create and buy.  So far - so good.  Good, get it.  Angie Good.  I'm not right...and yet, YOU keep coming back and reading more and more of my nonsensical nonsense.  {I love my blog-stalkers!!!}

I've started picking up items for our card-making fall event at church.  Infact, last week - I picked a date.  Saturday, October 12th.  There wasn't a single thing on the church calendar AND I made sure there was an "off" Saturday between Ladies Retreat and the card-making merriment.  A girl needs a down Saturday every now-and-then, right?  Can I get an "Amen"?

I'm going to have doorprizes this year.  I did not have these last year - and I finally figured out why.  I was missing and mourning the moving of my crafty-stampy friend Kari.  The fall stamping event was another reminder that she wasn't here to share in the crafting jubilee.  It's been 12 months (where did a whole year go???) and I am ok with all the changes.  I still miss her and the others that are no longer in close proximity....but through the glorious means of technology, we are able to keep in touch. 

I don't want to spill the beans on the doorprizes but I will say this....I'm using felt.  (Oh, how I heart felt!!!!)  I like the stiff felt - that appears to have been starched.  It works fabulously for bulletin board letters.  I love felt-by-the-yard.  Yards and yards of felt!!!!!! 

Today I ordered a ridiculous amount of envelopes from Amazon.  However, the ridiculous quantity saved me $40 all total...and who does not love free shipping???!!!!!  Envelopes delivered right to my front door.  Well, that might be a lie.  I bet they will be delivered to the end of the driveway.  Hopefully the lady in the big house will carry the box up and put it safe-n-sound inside the cottage. 

Fallish argyle plates and coordinating napkins were snagged from the Target Dollar Bin.  I love the Dollar Bins.  Seriously - you can find just about anything there.  Last night, I saw Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle items.  I'm thinking about getting the little tins and using them to put homemade candies/cookies inside for my co-workers for Christmas.  Oh the parallels between the Ninja Turtles and us. 

I have a few more purchases to make before the event...cardstock and adhesive. 

I'm delighted to share my love of handmade cards with the gals from church...and hopefully a few visitors too!!!

Project #1

Drizzly, rainy, overcast, chilly Memorial Day weekend brought out the craftiness of the girl with curly hair. 

Project #1 - test out my new birthday present from Patty - sewing stamps!!! 

Friday and Saturday

I had the most difficult time focusing on work on Friday afternoon.  You see, I kept daydreaming about getting a pedicure.  [INTERJECTION:  Boys say that girls are difficult to understand.  Not so, menfolk.  We like pedicures, fresh cut flowers, and sappy chick flicks.  Not complicated.]  Any-who...I opted for a cross between sky blue and Smurf blue.  I must confess, the color is perfectly un-natural but totally fabulous...as all toenail nail polish should be.  (Can I get an "Amen"???) 

Pedicures.  Check. 
Errands ran for the Saturday stamping event.  Check.
And lastly it was home sweet home or in my case, cottage sweet cottage.

Saturday was a blur.  Literally a blur...  Some delightful chipper chirpers woke me up at circa 6 a.m.  How can you be upset with little birdies, right?  Well...it was Saturday morning.  Since I had a list this long (imagine my arms stretched out - full width) to complete before 10 a.m. I decided to rejoice in my feathered friend's serenade. 

After some time in Psalms and Proverbs, a mug of steamy coffee, and a shower - I felt more prepared for the day.  As I started pulling stamping supplies out willy-nilly, I had an epiphany....oh, it was an epiphany about an epiphany.  Stay with me!  You know when cartoon characters have epiphanies and light bulb bubbles appear over their heads????  Well, wouldn't it be cool if when I had crafting epiphany if a glue gun appeared over my head. 

This crafting epiphany about epiphanies caused me laugh for a solid 3 minutes.  Non-stop laughter.  I am not right.  The cat just stared at me all the while probably wondering which of my relatives would adopt her once they locked me up in the nuthouse. 

Four trips to Rosie about about 1/2 of what I normally take the church stamping extravaganza and I was on my way out the door...and I was on time.  I wanted to walk about the door at 8:30 and a quick glance at the clock revealed that it was 8:29.  This one is for the record books. 

8:47 a.m. arrived at church and began setting up.  This required several trips up and down the stairs so I am going to count this towards my cardio total for the day.  Wow!  What a great workout -- hauling banquet tables up and down the stairs and then there was the trip down / up for the coffee. 

Eight stampers (counting yours truly) showed up.  If the envelope box is any indication, we made 91 cards.  I didn't take envelopes out for me -- so 91 plus 24 = 115 cards.  We were quite diligent and dedicated to our card making.  Several times the cost of cards was brought up and how we were actually saving money by stamping.  This is the exact reason why I would rather stamp...besides I love making cards for others.

After the stamping extravaganza, supplies were loaded in to Rosie and headed for the cottage.  (Many thanks to Lauren for staying and helping me with the clean-up!!!) 

Stamp Enablers

Several people in my life are what I like to refer to as my "Stamp Enablers."  They are those people who know me oooh-so-well and who find me cutesie stamps.

My #1 stamp enabler...my Mom.  Cherry stamps, knitting stamps, hedge hog stamps...and the list goes on an on...

My #2 stamp enabler...my friend Nancy.  The owl stamps (pictured above) are from her.  She said, "When I saw these, they screamed your name."  I hope by screamed, she means they called out in an owl-ish way "Angieooooooo....buy these for Angieoooooooo..."  :)

My #3 stamp enabler...Trudy.  Trudy is a garage-sale fiend and she is forever picking up stamps for me.

People ask my why/how my stamp collection is ridiculously large and I have to tell them -- "Because of my stamp enablers." 

Brownie & Sewing Disasters

I suppose I shouldn't call the brownies a "disaster" - as they taste delicious.  They just don't look pretty.  WAIT (epiphany moment!) -- my brownies win the Miss Congeniality award!!!  They are fabulous tasting but lacking in presentation.  Thankfully, my crafy friend Nancy won't judge me (or the brownies).  Afterall, we love chocolate in any way, shape or form.  They are made out of Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Gluten-Free Brownie mix.  One egg, 1/2 cup oil, and 1/4 cup water - mixed with the mix and baked at 350 for 30 minutes.

My sewing story...it has a tragic ending.  Be prepared.  Sooooo I finished the springy skirt and I was kind of confident in my abilities to stitch...I decided to tackle a knit infinity scarf.  It was a free pattern at Simplicity's website and I think it said "Easy."  Easy----schmeesy.  It wasn't easy for me.  The good part of sewing with knit -- I researched online how to sew knit and I know to use a zig-zag stitch and watch out for clumpy stitches.  The bad part of sewing this pattern -- I didn't quit comprehend the 3rd step...therefore messing up the scarf.  Instead of an infinity scarf, it ended up looking like one of those arm floaties you put on a child. 

Since I completed my skirt and we still have 5 classes left, I have to find a new project for Tuesday night.  I'm going to make the summery t-shirt from my first pattern AND I am going to buy more knit to learn how to make this infinity scarf.

Next weekend JoAnn Fabrics has their Simplicity patterns 5 for $5.  I intend to purchase my 5 wishlist patterns --> in hopes of making a 4th project...a ruffly blouse. 

Aside from the arm-floatie-infinity-scarf debacle, I really do love sewing.