I have an OLD recliner in my office. I bought it ten years ago or so for $45 at Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I bought out from under and another couple. I had no guilt. This was the perfect chair for my office. Luckily, it is old and janky so I didn’t mind when the kitten started scratching at it. Only piece of used furniture we’d let her do that on. The material feels like corduroy so it’s held up very well. Anyway, while I think it’s perfect for crafting, playing video games, watching a show or just sleeping in when I don’t feel well, baby girl thinks it’s her chair for naps.
Last night I tried to sit down and get ready for a restless night since I haven’t been feeling well. I gently tried to coax her out of the chair for a minute, I started recording at about 30 seconds. Finally, I got tired of waiting and used a bit more of a forceful pat to finally get her out of the chair. She was for sure being a little shit about the whole thing.
I have joined the Cricut cult. I’ve wanted to for years but couldn’t justify the price for the limited space I had. Now I have oodles of space (comparatively). I still didn’t want to make the investment into a huge monstrosity that would cost a ton of money and a ton of space. So I decided to buy a Cricut Joy.
I chose to purchase from Amazon so I would get it within a day rather than a week. I received it yesterday and within an hour out of the box I made this.
It would have been much faster but as I knew nothing, I had to do a little trial and error. The machine worked perfectly out of the box but I had to learn how to use their design space (not that intuitive of an app. Might switch to my laptop in the future.) Then I had to learn how to use the vinyl. I bought a kit with test materials but it didn’t have all the answers. So, a little trial and error and within an hour I’m hooked. Next I’ll test making cards!
I’ve been bit by the embroidery bug again. I’ve missed it so so much. I’ve been stitching and watching Sailor Moon. The 7 completed squares I finished a couple of years ago. Sailor Mercury is the current work in progress. The end goal is to create a quilt. It’s a daunting task. It would be the third quilt I will have created. I don’t measure or use the sewing machine well or even have the patience to create a quilt, but that’s never stopped me before.
After my great grandmother passed away, they went through her house. A lot of stuff just went to the estate sale, but they kept a few things. Everyone in my family knows I love to craft. I got that from my mammaw who got it from grandma. So, when they were going through her things, they found this book that they thought I would love. And they were right. An entire book on pantyhose crafts.
Have I tried any of these? Absolutely not. Am I horrified by some of these, absolutely.
The best part of this book, and the part that made me sob, was a doodle grandma made. She loved to doodle on pieces of scrap paper. This one was on the back of a grocery list.
On the way to the apartment yesterday, we saw a rainbow over Waffle House. I argued it was a sign and we should stop. That was vetoed 😂
Better view of the rainbow. After the nasty weather and tense drive due to damp conditions and stupid drivers, it was a nice sight to see.
Before anyone has thoughts, both of these were taken from the passenger seat by me. Justin remained focused and kept driving. Though, he might have thought I was crazy.
I have always been interested in collage or more specifically speaking taking magazine or other ephemera and putting it in more aesthetically pleasing way (to me obviously, everyone’s opinions about what is pleasing to the eye differs especially in collage.)
It started with my mammaw. We’d cut things out of construction paper and make little scenes in a notebook. Then in my late tweens/early teens, I would destroy Seventeen, Glamour, and Teen Bop magazines. Cut out the interesting bits and reorder them into new outfits, or more pleasing room decor. Then over the years starting into my thirties, I picked up the hobby of destroying magazines again. I would cut out my favorite parts to glue into journals. This continued off and on till I was 42 and found junk journaling. I dipped my toes in and found I really liked it. For whatever reason I didn’t keep it up. A couple of months ago I picked up the hobby again. I blame Insta and Reels.
I’m still finding a groove/style. And it’s hard to be consistent in the practice because I keep jumping back & forth in living locations. While this hobby uses less resources than say painting, I still have created a large stash that would be too difficult to carry with me.
I’ve found a shop I love for specific, detailed and themed ephemera. Cora Crea Crafts is the name of the shop. https://coracreacrafts.com. I rely on Amazon for the filler pieces. I use a multimedia spiral sketchbook for thick paper and room to expand. Layes of paper on a page adds up and will make for a thick journal.
Best of all, through the shop, I found a very active Discord group. They are super supportive. There are daily and monthly prompts that challenges you to be think out of the box. It makes me try themes I’d never think of otherwise-like the Olympics or journaling a spread about my favorite book.
Here are a few of my favorites.
Can you guess the book?Would never in a million years think I would have used sports stickers.Tolkien ThemeJungle ThemeLemon ThemeRandom one I made inspired by some pics a friend sent me.Mg first themed spread of a 1950s kitchen vibe. This was the first time I stretched my stash and made me think in a different, specific mindset.
The woman who lived here before us, loved gardening. I want to at least take the time to pull all the weeds after the move is over.?(
Walking around the house everything is in bloom or blooming. I had to look each up. The tfirst is a hibiscus, the second a hydrangea bush, and the third one I’m really excited by because it is a calla lily.
I don’t know why but I’ve been putting this post off. It’s been a few weeks and I’m out of IOP and my time off work is over. Right away my hours went almost back to where they were before I left. But I had a “rest” and with my coping skills I’m able to set more boundaries and handle the added stress more than I would have. Plus I’m not in a manic episode and working 70 hours a week. So, I won’t get burnt out so quickly again.
I think taking the time to stop, question my mental health, take its pulse and decide to ask for help is one of the smartest, honest, and bravest things I’ve done.
To celebrate I took mom out to one of my favorite restaurants, The Melting Pot. We did the full shebang, and had a blast. The waitress asked us if we were celebrating and I told her I graduated. She made this plate for me. I especially love the rice treat heart.
My Plucky Life 