Have you ever tried writing out step-by-step instructions for someone else? That was my job for the morning and it was complicated and it made my brain tired.
One of my sweet Creative Team members (I have the world's sweetest creative team) volunteered to take on posting freebies for me. God bless her! I think I am a good designer. I think I have a good eye for color. I know I don't just put together a paper pack with any old design; I carefully choose each paper design. I want it to look right with the theme but to be adaptable to other uses. I want each kit to contain things that can be used whether the scrapper is creating a masculine or feminine kit. So, yes, I choose paper designs carefully. I am at least as careful, if not more so, when creating embellishments for a kit. And, I pack every kit with goodies.
What I am NOT good at is tooting my own horn. I have a terrible time saying "Hey, look at this fabulous freebie I've created for you". And, I LOVE designing. I do NOT love the other stuff. I have a difficult time disciplining myself to do the stuff I don't like.
And, so, it is difficult for me to tear myself from the excitement and joy I feel when I'm designing something I love to do the stuff I don't like to do. I need more discipline in my life. Yes, feel free to pray about that. If it gets easier for me, I'll know you've been praying.
But, in the meantime, it was necessary for me to write out step-by-step instructions for how to preview, upload, and post a freebie on Facebook. Geez............ I did not do screen shots which was probably a disservice to my team member. I am pressed for time. Of course, I will do screen shots for anything about which she has questions. But, even without screen shots, I had a good 4 pages of step-by-step instructions. If I miss a step, I mess with her mind and frustrate her, the last thing I want to do. I surely hope I got it right!
I have taught tax law. I have been very successful at it. I have always figured if I can teach THAT, I can teach anybody anything. I THINK I have an ability to break complex material down into understandable building blocks of information. We'll see. I have enough sense to know that if I get it right, it's a gift from God. But, I certainly am not failsafe!
I am enjoying a cup of coffee. Coffee with my homemade flavored coffee creamer. It's a nice break. I need to go forage for food. Yesterday, I largely lived on leftovers. There are still some of those to choose from as well as some goodies purchased last week at Trader Joe's. So, over and out for now. I'm off to the kitchen...........
It's not like I'll be sitting in a penitentiary or anything. But, tomorrow I start a job. It is just a job job. Not a career move. My career move days are over, I hope. So, just a job. But from here on out, if I think I ought to go shopping on a specific day, say Thursday, I'll be needing to consult the schedule. Check to see if I work that day, check to see what time I start, check to see what time I finish, and all that jazz.
In the short run, I could go on living as I have been with every penny knotted up in the corner of a handkerchief and guarded. In the long run, however, that isn't going to work.
I will not be rich by any means. However, I feel like I should work while I can. I can make it from month to month now though it involves a LOT of sacrifice. If I want it, right now, I almost certainly can't have it. I have to think hard about a new pair of running shoes or the price of a gallon of paint. Even some cost saving things are not in my budget. For example, I was looking yesterday at the weekly flyer from El Cheapo. 88% fat free ground beef was over $5 a pound. But some cheap cuts of steak were on sale for $2.79 a pound. Now I might not want to try to chew those cheap cuts of steak, but, ground up, I could have some pretty healthy hamburger meat for half price. I own a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. I went to take a quick look at the price of the meat grinder attachment. It's right at $50. Eventually, it would pay for itself, but I don't feel I can let go of $50 right now. Maybe I'll find it somewhere else $5 cheaper. Well, I still don't feel I can let go of $45 right now either!
God has been good, but here is another example. I have a freezer that is still working. However, it's 35 years old. I don't know how long it will last. And my understanding is that a new freezer would only cost about 1/4th as much to run. So, buying a new freezer would make a big difference in my power bill. Over time, undoubtedly the new freezer would pay for itself. Especially if you know that my freezer lives in my garage in the heat of the summer in Vegas. But, the cost of a new freezer, well, we will put that off until the old one turns up its toes and dies!
Or, how about this: I took the van in for an oil change in December. They did their "60-point check" or whatever it's called. Told me I need to have my rack and pinion steering worked on and the cost would be $770. Need I tell you my rack and pinion steering has NOT been worked on!
So, whether it's $50 for a meat grinder attachment, the price of a new freezer, or a $770 car repair, at this moment, it's just not happening. But, with this little job job, those kinds of things become possibilities, given some time to save up. I still have not had time to really sit down and do a budget, but, I can promise you, my plans are to save, save, save.
Truthfully, I think I am about as close to "old age" as I'm going to get. I really believe Christ is coming back for His church SOON. I MAY die between now and then, but I just kind of think I could go flying, supernaturally, through the air any day now. Nevertheless, I am not a prophet. I certainly would not attempt to tell you that He will appear on any given date. But, I think all of our futures may be shorter than we think. But, I would be being irresponsible not to try to save for the future in case I'm wrong. I don't think I'm wrong. Too many people who are very familiar with Bible prophecy say it will be any day now. THEY may have a revelation from God but I don't. So, I need to save. Even if it's only to save so that when the rack and pinion steering really does begin to show signs of old age, there will be money to fix it.
So, tomorrow, my time begins to be dictated by someone else. And I will have to be a better steward of my time if I'm to continue my decluttering process, my design work, and my other activities. I will certainly need your prayers to accomplish this. So, please, pray for me!
I am doing a separate post this week to show you my newest kit. I tell you, I am in love with this new kit. However, I can certainly show you some pretty pages to tweak your interest! Here goes..........
The primary theme of this kit is gardening/spring. However with the rich earth tones, it is perfect for just about any outdoor photos. I think SarahWhithers illustrates that for us perfectly. These photos have NOTHING to do with gardening, but they look wonderful with these papers and embellishments. I often comment when one of my team members creates a layout using lots of papers. I love when they get the chance to show off the papers in a kit. But, sometimes you are looking at little smidges of papers and I wonder if you can really get a good idea of what they're all about. Thank you, SarahWhithers, for showing these papers in a way that really allows you to see them. They are beautiful and so is this layout.
Sherry has used this kit to show off some beautiful flowers. I love the diamond shaped cut-outs on this layout. They are unusual and eye-catching. She decided to go with a "spring" theme for her page which allowed her to use one of the word arts in the kit as her title--simple and easy. You can't miss the perfect balance created with this page. "Spring", on the right, really helps balance out the journaling bit and the photo, on the left. I have to admit, tulips SHOUT "Spring" to me too! Beautiful work, Sherry, just beautiful.
Well, that's your introduction to the newest kit, called Digging in the Dirt. As usual, you'll be treated to some gardening type layouts--right in tune with the theme of the kit--and you'll see some off-topic layouts that are beautiful and work wonderfully with this kit. But, for now, I need to assemble a tax return and get it ready to leave the building. YOU be BLESSED today!
Well, I told you yesterday I was pining for some flavored coffee. And I wasn't happy with what I could find pricewise and varietywise on Amazon. So, I started looking around the internet for recipes for homemade flavored Coffee Creamer. I ended up making Vanilla Coffee Creamer. I loved that it took under 5 minutes to put together and only 3 ingredients!
Here is the recipe I tried:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups milk
2 Tbsp Vanilla or vanilla extract
There are a lot of different approaches to this "make your own creamer" thing. I thought some of them were a bit "overboard" for me. I don't want to mess with honey or maple syrup for sweetening. Other odd ingredients as well. Not odd in the sense that you're being invited to eat/drink something exotic like pickled jellyfish or chocolate covered snails. Odd in the sense that it's not what passes for a "staple" in my kitchen and I didn't want to buy it just for this.
Vanilla is probably not my favorite flavor to add to coffee. However, it was on the short list of ingredients I own. So, it was pretty much a choice between Vanilla and unflavored coffee. I voted for Vanilla.
It was really very easy to make. I just dumped the ingredients in the blender and let it whip them together. I DID end up using more milk than the recipe called for. I admit it, that was out of laziness. I didn't want to go to the bother of pulling out the measuring cups for the milk. So, I just dumped the sweetened condensed milk into the blender, scraped out the can as best I could, then filled the can with milk to get the can a bit cleaner. I think if I decided to make this flavor again and I'm feeling lazy, I'll add another teaspoon of vanilla.
What I ended up with was about 3 cups of creamer, maybe a bit more. I think, because of the extra milk, the vanilla flavor is a bit faint for my taste. However, it does taste good, and it certainly does the job of gentling down a strong cup of coffee very well. All in all, I'd recommend this to you.
I don't think I can give you a good price comparison. But if you use the flavored creamers, you probably have a better idea on that than I do. I don't suppose you save massive amounts of money, but I'll bet you save some. I happened to catch my sweetened condensed milk on sale, 4/$5. So that's $1.25. I think the milk would work out to less than $.40. No clue on the vanilla because I bought a big bottle years ago in Mexico and have been using it since. But, we're at $1.65 + the cost of vanilla for about 30 ounces of coffee creamer. I'm betting there's some savings there. If you happen to be able to supply better numbers, either for the cost of vanilla or the cost and size of your bottle of flavored creamer, please comment so we can all be better informed.
By the way, I liked that I was able to use my regular old 1% milk. With the "richness" and "sweetness" of the sweetened condensed milk, I was grateful I didn't need whole milk or half n half. And, it works out just fine with the lower fat milk.
Two hours of church later and I'm ready to take on the world. Let's see what I can do with the rest of my day.
First, I'm hungry. I have to find something to eat, soon, so this may be a short post. I'm leaning toward something simple and full of protein from eggs.
I need to print out a tax return. And once that is done, I KNOW these clients are going to ask about who should have had more withheld and who should pay the balance due. I wish they'd just decide to act like married people (at least when it comes to taxes, LOL) and pay it and shut up!
Anyplace I look in the house could use some attention. I shall get after that. I need to do some kitchen clean up. At least the "public" areas of the house need dusting. My desk needs some time devoted strictly to it. I've been trying to sort shoes from the master bedroom closet. Frankly, I'm surprised that most of what I've tried on seem to fit! So, I could at least put those back into the closet and do some neatening in there. And the list goes on and on.
Still MUST do alphas for this week's kit. Holy Toledo, I'd better get going on that immediately.
Anyway, it's going to be a busy day around here. I'm hoping to stay in the house today. Our high is forecast at 68 but the winds are really blowing! I might end up being swept away if I go outside. I wish the weather would decide what it wants to do and just do it. Our highs span almost 25 degrees, as forecast over the next 10 days. One doesn't dare get dressed in the morning without consulting the forecast! I don't like that!
Okay, off to conquer bits n pieces of my little world. I may be back with a progress report. We'll see........
First thing when I get up in the morning, I do two things. I check my e-mail and I check facebook. Then it's on to blogs. Well this morning I made it to Facebook and now I'm wrecked. My cousin posted a video about a 40th anniversary dinner held last year. It was the 40th anniversary of a dinner given by President and Mrs. Nixon in honor of the returning POWs from Viet Nam.
It made my eyes leak and my chest swell with pride. Such great men with such humble attitudes. REAL "men". I am proud simply to call them my countrymen. These men were tortured in some of the most unimaginable ways. They were starved and they were beaten.
They were young men then. Now, they're 40 years older. I thought this morning about their bodies. I know how I sometimes feel when I get up in the morning. Things ache and my first few steps are none too graceful. I wondered how their bodies, which went through so much 40 years ago, must feel when they get up in the morning. I think for a while, maybe I'll pay less attention to MY aches and pains, just remembering these guys. They are still paying the price, day in and day out, for their service to this country. I'm sure of it........
If you have a few minutes to spare (and maybe some tears to spare too), you can watch the news coverage of this event here: http://www.youtube.com/embed/LemllfcAY8A
It will change your perspective on today! Be BLESSED, one and all.
Yes, I am. Uploads have finally finished! It was only about 3 hours today and I've had worse,but my butt feels like it's been in this chair for days without a break. Last time the whole kit failed to upload. This time it was "only" the paper pack. So, of course, I uploaded it all again............
In the meantime I fielded a couple of phone calls. I've been working on my mother's tax return. With the infomation I was initially provided, I had no choice but to take the standard deduction on her return. Then I got to thinking about it and about how everyone has said how very bad her eyesight has gotten. I began to wonder if she would qualify for "legally blind" which would allow me to claim a larger standard deduction for her.
Well, she had her eyes checked yesterday after arguing with the office staff at the assisted living place over the time of the appointment. She said it was 11:30. They said it was 2PM. She finally challenged them to call the doc's office, and sure enough the little ole 93 year-old lady had it right and the youngsters behind the desk had it wrong. Yes, she DOES qualify, according to the eye doc. She won't be rich, but it does increase her refund by about $235. Hooray!
So, she took the results to someone at the office and asked them to send it to me. Instead they decided to e-mail it to me. Well that was nice but, although they said they were going to e-mail it, nothing arrived. Besides, they don't have my e-mail address and I'd take most any bet at any odds that my mother doesn't remember it. So, the question becomes "To whom did they send it?????" Certainly not to me. But, I really would like to have it for her tax file.......................
So, yesterday, I needed to place an order with Amazon. And, I ended up ordering another box of 50 k-cup pods from them. I really considered ordering some flavored coffees but balked at the varieties available and the cost. In fact, the availability of flavored coffees at Amazon was my primary reason for not organizing an expedition to Costo where the regular coffee pods are available and cheaper.
So, today I am searching for home made flavored coffee creamer recipes. I have used flavored coffee creamers for a long time, but the store-bought kind. Well, the more I research, the more those scare me. I just do not want to put a raft of chemicals into my body. So, that stuff that's put out by the food industry is pretty much off my list of things to buy. They are full of artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, refined sugars, high fructose corn syrup, and hydrogenated oils.
So, in my search, I wandered through numerous blogs. Apparently most of the people who make their own creamers are either extreme foodies or going "raw" or going "gluten free" or.............. Well you get the idea. Here are some recipes I found that actually just use ingredients I own (except the extracts. Don't own those............)
Measure all ingredients into a 32 ounce container (with a cover), seal container and shake vigorously. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Anyway, if you read the labels on the pre-made coffee creamers and the whole experience scares you, maybe you and I should collaborate? I'll make the top half of the list and you can make the bottom half and we'll swap some. As far as I'm concerned, you can skip the hazlenut, but other than that, you're on!
I will probably try the Vanilla first because, of course, we ALL own vanilla extract, right???? Yeah!
Don't worry, I'll report back. I pretty much love anything with sweetened condensed milk so I should be bringing you good reports. Gotta run...........
Well, this whole past week, all the way back to Saturday has been a week of feeling bad. However, not a single bite of solid food passed my lips yesterday. And I actually put myself to bed for a good part of the day. It seems to have helped so today should be better. I'm not exactly flying, but I'm at least kind of skimming the ground. So, maybe we will actually have something achieved by the end of the day. I hope so!
I really didn't get much done yesterday, not even in the design studio. It's really hard to be motivated, even for something you love, when you just don't feel well. Today, I need to make the alphas for the Easter kit which I think we're going to plug into the schedule for release next week. I'm not seeing a whole lot on the market that's Easter-ish yet, but by next week, I think other designers will be putting stuff out there.
I have been watching a French show on Netflix lately. I am not necessarily recommending it. If you're subject to depression, avoid it like the plague. It is something of a cop show and it definitely shows you the ugly, dirty side of a big city. The city in question in this show is Paris, which, according to what I've heard, has had it's share of ugliness for a long time. Oddly enough, it is my faith in God that has kept me watching this show which, by the way, is called Spiral. I watch it and I see characters spiraling out of control, spiraling down, down, down. And I think to myself over and over "That's what life would be like without Christ". The show is in French and comes with subtitles. So, it is not one I can just put on and listen to. I really have to pay attention or I get lost very quickly. The main thing that has held my interest is a bird's eye view into the French criminal justice system. I am sure what I see is not factual. But it is informative and stands in stark contrast to what you might see on a US cop/courthouse show. In this particular show, it seems as though the good guys, the ones trying to "do right" do not think twice about whether or not the means should be compromised to achieve the ends. Their long term goal is usually right but trickery and even illegal methods don't seem to bother them. And, it seems as though those well-intentioned folks are ALL on that downward spiral. Even ignoring all that, I have decided I am quite happy I am not likely to find myself in France subject to investigation or civil or criminal charges. With all its imperfections and peridy, I think I prefer the devil I know........ The other thing that watching this show threatens is a person's view of relationships. Even the relationships, whether romantic or simply friendly or relationships with co-workers, all seem to be on the same downward spiral. It is most disheartening to watch everyone tearing at each other, even when they are "friends" or lovers. And lying to each other seems to be just fine. Kinda makes me happy to be somewhat of a recluse, LOL.
I ended up spending $100 yesterday. I finally ordered some new panties and I bought 2 pairs of black pants. For this new little part time job, I can only wear pants that are khaki or black. I KNOW I own one pair of black knock-around pants, but I'll be darned if I can find them. I do have 2 pairs of pants that are really too light to call khaki, but I'm going to try to do that til I can convince myself I can actually afford to buy more pants. I would have loved to find pants that were less expensive, but I've bought this brand before and I know how they fit. I don't want to buy something and then turn around and donate them because they don't fit properly or are uncomfortable. Not when I have to look forward to wearing them for hours, day in and day out..........
So, today, I just need to try to catch up with life. I am behind on many fronts. I have a tax return that just became a priority. My desk, though I've worked on it every day but one this past week, isn't getting any better. I made NO progress on design yesterday. And, the house needs LOTS of attention. And, I'm afraid to eat! But, I know the worst must be over so I will tackle all of the above and see what I can accomplish between now and 5. I have a dinner date with a client this evening so that will cut into my available time.
I'm not going to linger here. I need to move on. YOU be BLESSED today.......
Well, my digestive system is still in an uproar and it's getting old. This has been going on since Saturday. I have two to three candidates for the situation. I know that as of Saturday, the problem was the introduction of coconut oil to my diet. Last night I threw myself into a tizzy by the re-introduction of Vitamin C. I take 2000 mg of Vitamin C daily--except when I'm out. And I was out of the stuff for 5-7 days. I thought I had at least one more bottle of 100 pills hidden away and I did not............. Anyway, it came yesterday and anxious to get back into the routine, I took 2 pills, just like I do everyday. I completely forgot that My system does not love Vitamin C and I have had to ease my way into that dosage. Could the 5-7 day gap be causing some part of this? Additionally I have been eating better, more veggies, more roughage in the diet. Maybe that has soemthing to do with all this.
I am uncomfortable sitting here as my gut is fighting back at whatever is doing this. And I'm getting plenty of exercise, running up and down the hall. And, I now realize it was a miracle that I was able to go run around to all those places on Tuesday. I was okay during the day and the craziness started back up after I got home. Anyway, if I owned a hot water bottle, I'd be most happy to go to bed (just about 15 feet from the restroom) with a hot water bottle clutched to my abdominal area. I don't own a hot water bottle, so that's not going to happen.........
Well, let's talk about something else before I make myself feel worse. I just got my work schedule for next week. Hallelujah, I'm on the clock! 20.5 hours between Tuesday and Friday. About 5 hours a day on average. That, for me is ideal. I'm really happy with that. And, while I am certainly not going to get rich, every little bit helps.
I don't think I mentioned that I ran to Trader Joe's yesterday and bought more food. Under normal circumstances, I rarely buy prepared food, but I did yesterday. And I sampled some last night. I had Chicken Gorgonzola for dinner. At first, I was a little disappointed in the serving size, but I quickly realized that most folks would be planning on having that as a main dish with appropriate sides. So, they would have been happier with the serving size. Essentially, I think I will have two meals out of the package with servings in the 4 oz size. Since 3-4 ounces of meat is a recommended serving, it seems right on point. And it really was delicious. Chicken cooked with basil, tomato, mushrooms, and gorgonzola. No soy, no wheat. Olive oil. Yeah! I am operating from memory here, but I think it was about $6. $3 a serving is about at my outside limit for meals, but I made up for it with a much less expensive lunch or so I'm telling myself. By the way, I should probably tell you that the Chicken Gorgonzola is sold under the Trader Joe's brand name so subject to some fairly stringent quality standards.
I worked on re-constructing that kit I lost last summer. Oddly, I started with elements, knowing I would want to do at least 2 themey papers with this kit. Anyway, I have 14 elements completed and 5 papers. I think all but 1 of these elements come in the form of templates, so I did pretty well doing that many. I am not feeling as successful today as I'm fighting with the shadowing on one of them, changing out "costumes" on some of the figures (or in some cases changing out body styles). It's a challenge but that keeps my mind amused.
Well, I think I'm going to give in and go lie down. If this stomach thing is a bug (a 5 day bug????) maybe sleep will help. If it's something I ate, it may do me good to sleep through lunch. At least I won't be putting more solid food into my digestive stream for a while............. YOU be blessed today!
I made a quick run to Trader Joe's today. And, for "lunch" I am eating baby carrots dipped in hummus. And the hummus is roasted garlic hummus and it is STRONGLY garlic flavored. I honestly think you could take plain hummus in an equal amount, mix it all together and still find the result remarkably garlicky. I'm pretty well convinced you could smell me from outside the house with the doors and windows closed! Phew!
I had never really thought of dipping baby carrots in hummus til I read about someone doing that. In my mind hummus belongs with pita bread or pita chips. And, I've learned from my oldest DGS that carrots go with ranch dressing. However, here I am attempting to eat as few carbs as possible so, and I want to cry at this thought, pita bread is pretty much off my list. IF I HAD to have a sandwich, I would perhaps choose Pita bread over regular bread because there's less bulk to it and therefore I could have a sandwich with fewer carbs. But............
So, I'm hoping that carrots dipped in hummus is a pretty healthy choice. Particularly since both came from Trader Joe's.
I read an article the other day that said that pretty much ANY baked goods you buy in a store contain hydrogenated fats. The writer of the article picked on crackers. Seems you can sweep the whole cracker aisle in your grocery store and find nothing without hydrogenated fats except Wassa crackers. Wow. Just wow. My world crumbles more every day.
Here's a challenge for you: go to ANY grocery store and find any even moderately processed food that doesn't contain one of the following: hydrogenated fats, wheat (or modified food starch as it's sometimes called), or soy. It's a REAL challenge. In fact, it might just win you a trophy if you could find a cartful of edible food given those limitations.
I do have to say for Trader Joe's, I read a LOT of labels and did not find the words "Hydrogenated fats" on a single one. The biggie there seems to be to find a product without soy. Soy is death to thyroid meds so, something to be avoided. But, it seems there is some soy in just about everything.
Well, my mother just called and just had a jabbering good time. I'm not too sure I got to finish 3 complete sentences on any subject of my choice. It is kinda funny that she does tell me the same stuff several times. I think she tells so many people the same stories she forgets to whom she's already told them.
I have a headache which has been haunting me for several hours. I'd call it allergies because it is EXTREMELY windy here, but I don't really think that is to blame. I tell you, I almost needed a dog to lead me around out there. My hair is down today and there was so much of it being blown over my face I could hardly see where I was going, particularly since I had a grocery bag in each arm.
And with that, I'm gonna put a cork in it. Later, maybe........
I do need a short trip to 7-11 today to buy milk. Other than that, I don't have to go anywhere. I don't have to drive with the crazies. I don't have to stand/sit in line waiting for anyone. I don't have to smile for the camera. Just here where I belong.........
I have 3 "mystery" tax returns on my desk. One is my mother's. I got all the 1099's a few weeks ago. What I didn't have was the other stuff--particularly contribution and medical receipts. Well now I have 3 folders of that stuff. I need to do a sort and try to match receipts to documents I've already data-entered then see if what's left over makes a difference.
I have one where I have "part" of the info. The client wants me to input last year's numbers just "to see". Well, I'm telling you, that's a PITA. I will end up with a mixture of real and last year's numbers in my file and I don't want to sit here and try to sort which is which. I decided last night finally that the way to do this is to print what I have now, the "real" numbers, then add the other junk in. At least I'll leave myself some breadcrumbs that way, breadcrumbs to lead me back to "real".
For the third "mystery", I have everything entered into the computer except on one subject. Quite honestly, we've kicked around so many legal approaches to that problem I no longer remember exactly what we decided to do with it for 2013. I know how we decided to approach it for 2014 but 2013 is blurry. I'll have to have a convo with the client about that before I proceed.
I think I'll try to tackle the first two mysteries today. It's been a few years since I've had to sort my mother's tax receipts on the floor (because the table wasn't big enough) but I think we've come full circle, LOL.
I did a big load of light colored clothes last night. I need to get those out of the dryer and put away and wash the darks next.
I did do a bit of ironing last night. Progress is very slow but at least I'm not at a standstill. And, I could stand to spend some time on this desk. With the time I've been allotting, the stack of "unopened and I need to do something with it mail" goes down by two or three pieces a day and up by more. So, it's growing and that is not good. I did pay a couple of bills last night which will make a few vendors happy. But I think I'll work some extra on the desk today.
I decided to try to re-do that kit I lost. So, contrary to what I usually do, I started by working on some elements last night. I normally do papers first and I'm actually kind of itching to do those. But, somehow I thought I ought to see how many of the original embellishments I could actually find. I actually have a pretty good assortment of stuff to work with. Yeah, it's just the process of figuring out WHERE on my EHD I might find that "assortment".
I also finally started backups for March. I really needed to do this. I kind of shined it on for February--not good. So, I'm pushing hard to see how much I can get done in that area the next few days.
I will be happy when the extra stuff in my life slows down a bit or assumes some sort of routine so I can get the regular stuff back into place where it belongs! Under normal circumstances, today would be clean the bathrooms day and errand day. Well, one would hope, after yesterday, that my little brain cannot conjure up more places to go today!
Hey, let's do some eye candy and I'll get a running start on things.........
Laura and I have a deal. I give her some paisley paper and she gives me a layout featuring Paisley, her Golden Doodle. I rarely recolor papers and ONLY for a purpose. But, this particular paisley design was so spectacular I did it in two colors in JoyfulJoyful. It's also available in green. I really like that Laura chose to create her own layered flower, layering up a doodled flower and a paper flower. Hey, that's what they're there for, folks! Just do it! This is a fairly simple page, as far as embellishments are concerned. The paper is bright and complex and the simplicity of the embellishments is just the right approach! Love it, Laura.
Here is Deanna'a contribution and it's a good 'un! I can't help but notice this morning the many and varied color combinations achieved with this kit and the fun layouts we're seeing. To me the colors here just seem to say "spring" and heave a sigh of relief, LOL. I love all the layered papers in the design and the clouds scattered about. I think Deanna might be the only one of my CT artists to use that fun sun element. Great job here, Deanna!
Alrighty, time for me to get going on the day. I hope YOU have a BLESSED day! That's certainly what I'm expecting.
