AMANDA'S BASKETS: A New Journal

Thursday, February 28, 2013

A New Journal

Last day of February...wow!!!

A NEW CREATIVE PROJECT:
I created something new and different for me today. I made this journal...

First I created an accordion spine out of heavy weight drawing paper using a ruler, a stylus to mark the folds and a bone folder...

I then added lots of different papers, envelopes and paper bags. I attached them using double sided permanent tape. Here are some pictures of the contents...

I plan on using this journal during the month of March for writing, painting and a bit of collage.   I've never used one of these before so it will be a treat.

FEBRUARY GOALS:
So, how did you do on your goals in February?   I did fine on some things, not so great on others.

For instance, I did begin my exercise routine once again and only skipped two days.   Beginning in March I will be upping both the time and strength of the exercises I do.   Two miles walking a day instead of one mile.   A longer strength training routine and a longer yoga routine.

I have also done well on my writing.   This year's large assignment is almost complete and I have begun a project that I have wanted to do for some time.

I did not do so well on copying my pictures or documents.   Actually, I did not get any copied but I did finally find a good scanner.   This coming month, I plan on making copying and notating pictures and documents a regular part of my day.

Sorting boxes was so-so.   I did get some done but not as much as I had hoped.

The storm just kind of fell apart...we did get snow and slush yesterday but that's about it.   Fine with me for now.

Are you ready for March? I'm still looking for February, but guess I have to continue into March!!

Thanks for spending some time here...

Enjoy yourself...

CRAFTING IDEAS

I am always looking for a small piece of paper to write down something which will later be disposed of. I decided to use some of the scrap paper of which I have a ton. I mostly use the paper for glueing projects. I decided to cut the paper into a small size. (Six pieces from a piece of copy paper.). But just having them sitting on my desk would get messy without a container. So, using a cardboard box, I cut it down to size and using a hot glue gun I glued the ends together. Using a picture from a magazine cut into pieces and stick craft glue, I glued the pieces to the box inside and out. I also used some decorative tape for the outside edges. And to finish the top corners which were not covered, I used straight pins with colorful tops. Looks nice and works well.

MAGAZINE IDEAS

(New) One article in the Farmer's Almanac 2024 is a list of trends. One I knew about is the trend to downsize in just about every area. Another trend that I was surprised about was called ''The Human Library' which offers people on loan to talk about specific subjects. Finally, more folks are adding pets to their family and as a result, stores are adding more pet food, toys and medication to their offerings. There's also a nice garden article which suggests mixing vegetables and flowers together for success.

RECIPE IDEAS

Have you every made Cherry Dump Cake. It calls for 2 cans of Cherry Pie Filling (21 ounces), a white cake mix, 1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted & 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. In a 9 by 13 pan, spread both cans of cherry pie filling. Add the melted butter to the cake mix and break apart the resulting mixture and crumble it evenly over the pie filling. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Fast, easy and very delicious.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What if you want to establish better habits, then decide what habit you want to work on. Again, try an easier one first for that good feeling of success. Let's consider more exercise. Start small. Don't try to run a marathon right away. Set the amount of time, the type of exercise and when to do it to begin making sure that it is within your reach. If it works for you each week add a bit more. Walking is one of the best ways to get good overall movement but there are many exercise videos on YouTube of varying lengths and difficulty to check out. Change your exercise routines to eliminate getting bored. For hardcore exercise with weights, give yourself a day in-between to recover. Even on days you would rather not exercise, do it and see if you feel better. It takes an average of 66 days to establish a habit. Just think 66 days to establish a good habit for a lifetime. Sounds like a good thing to me...how about you?