WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted.  July was a very lonely month.  The hubster travelled to Florida to help his parents move from their home into an assisted living facility.  All was going well the first week, then BOOM! everything went to hell.  Not to hold you privy to all the gory details, but suffice it to say, things did not go as expected.  What was once to be a week-long trip, lasted nearly a month.  It was a very stressful time for everyone involved and something I wouldn't wish on an enemy.  How long it'll last is beyond me.  Holding out hope that things will return to the way they should be.
While he was away, I accomplished absolutely nothing!  No crafting.  No nothing.  I slept, played with the pupsters, and watched television.  Here it is the 6th of August and I still have accomplished nothing.  At least I'm consistent!

Women's Rights

A very sad day for women.  Our rights have been stomped on, and yesterday's Supreme Court decision has virtually set women and their rights back 100 years.

Harry Connick Jr. - It Had To Be You (Lyrics) I LOVE THIS SONG

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Motivate Me, Please.

It's been some time since I wrote.  I'm finding that I am spending way too much time online--particularly on Facebook.  My husband is starting to question me about my addiction to social media.  I try to tell him that Facebook provides me the chance to have conversations with others who share the same interest(s).  Since I have no friends in the area (hell, I don't have any friends period!), Facebook has become my source of friendship.  What's even better is that it levels the "playing field."  My hearing, or lack of, doesn't hinder me in the conversations.
I decided to create a "private group" on Facebook.  There are only 15 members.  The name of the group will not be mentioned here.  One never knows who might stumble upon this blog.  We are able to speak our mind about anything with impunity.  It's been a wonderful way to vent, to laugh, to share.  I've found that these ladies have a delicious sense of humor!  I am truly blessed.
A few Saturdays ago I took a class at Scrapbooks n More.  This is a local(?) scrapbook store in New Braunfels, Texas.  "Local" means 85 miles away.  The instructor was Karin Burinston from Sizzix and Elizabeth Craft Designs.  Let me tell you, that lady is an A-lister in the paper crafting world.  I've purchased some of those big dies and some of those wafer-thin dies, but I've never used them.  I decided it was time to learn how to use them by making pop-up cards.  (I had made pop-up cards before for Halloween, but I didn't have a professional die to use.)  We made 4 cards and of the four, I love 2 of them.  I ended up spending more money than I had planned.  Now I'm hooked on this aspect of paper arts.  I hope to design some sort of pop-up Christmas house for this year's cards.
I have yet to continue work on my Laura Denison typewriter.  The hubby is insisting that I get busy on it.  I really want to work on it, but I just can't seem to get everything together and get busy.  It seems like everything else needs my attention.  {sigh}
I found Kathy Orta's source for her trinkets and closures.  I was going to post it online for everyone to see it, but then I said to myself, "Why the hell do you want to share with a bunch of women you don't know and probably can't stand, all the hard work you did to discover the source?"  I must admit that I hinted at it and my "other" Facebook message folder was bursting at the seams by women begging me for the information.  Screw 'em.  You want the information?  Find it yourself!

Memorial Day 2014

Memorial Day isn't about barbeques and it isn't "the official start of the summer season."  It's a day to remember all the men and women who died in the service of our country.  Special thoughts for Private Oscar Sauceda who died in 2007 while serving in Iraq.  Oscar was a student of mine during my final year of teaching.  He was a bright and well mannered young man who had a pretty wicked sense of humor.  I also want to remember a man who I never met.  His last name was Davis. He served in Vietnam with my husband. This wonderful man was assigned to fly in place of my husband.  Tragically, the plane that Davis was in crashed and there were no survivors.
I am ever grateful for the ultimate sacrifice these two men gave. You will always be remembered.

The Business of Paper Crafting

I've come to the conclusion that there's not much fun in the paper crafting world…especially the business aspect of it.  About two and half years ago I discovered (quite by accident) a very talented woman who specializes in 3-D projects and albums.  Mind you, these projects are made completely out of paper.  Absolutely nothing is pre made.  I was stunned, awed, impressed…you name it!  This woman has some serious talent, but what was more important, I would be given the foundation to make these awesome projects, too!
I anxiously waited to become a member of her monthly club. Sign me up.  Here's my money.  I'd get all the materials to make a project and I would also get written and video tutorials.  I didn't care about the cost and neither did my hubster.   I was in heaven.
I made quite a few of the projects.  I bought every tutorial she offered.  I was a member of her Facebook group. I watched her videos.  I participated in the discussion during those videos.  I met many very creative ladies and became very fond of a few of them.  In fact, even today I think of some of those women as the daughters I never had.  Then about a year ago, things changed.
You see, the ladies in the Facebook group are humans first; paper crafters last.  Many, including myself, became disenchanted with the products and the customer service.  Projects were delayed for various reasons, and our kits were held hostage while we waited for the trinkets used in the kits to arrive.  {Enter a visual of a slow boat from China}  People grumbled about this.  People shared their disappointment. People wrote of their problems.  Then all hell broke loose.
Word of our concerns got back to the owner.  Denial.  Anger.  Grief.  You name it.  The Facebook page was removed.  What was once a happy group of crafters split in two.  We now had a crafter equivalent of the Hatfields and the McCoys.
During all of this, I learned of other paper crafters who offered to share their creativity.  I discovered the talents of The Gentleman Crafter and Laura Denison.  Both of these creative geniuses were/are on the Graphic 45 Design Team.  Believe me, you've got to be damn good to be on that design team.  The detailing and preciseness of their creations is abso-fucking-lutely amazing!  But what's most important is that they know they're humans first; paper crafters last.  There's no over-inflated egos, no blind promises, and no "Praise me because I'm so fucking wonderful" attitude.    There's just fabulous creations…creations that they want to share with us and teach us how to make.  They inspire us.  They guide us.  They support us.  And because of that, we don't see them as a business; we see them as our friends.  Ain't that wonderful!