AMANDA'S BASKETS: Beautiful but Cool, Journaling and Doodling

Friday, May 3, 2013

Beautiful but Cool, Journaling and Doodling

Today looked like a perfect day...beautifully bright and sunny. But, once again, a bit to cool to work outside comfortably. So the 2 cubic feet of filler dirt is still in the car awaiting a warmer day.

The dirt is going to be used to fill in some holes before planting grass seed which then needs to be watered. And watering on a day that requires a jacket just doesn't seem to be a great idea.

On the other hand, the dandelions are coming along fine...

As are the flowers...

There are lots of them now. AND the other bulbs that are ready to open are tulips!!! I'll be sure to take pictures of them.

I once had a pink tulip garden thanks to my oldest son. He worked for a bulb company while attending college and surprised me with all the bulbs. They were absolutely beautiful. But that was several moves ago.

Remember this background for a journal page?

I added more to it today...words to inspire and uplift...

It's not finished yet, but I have a good start.

I've been doodling again...

These are both larger than normal. I'm also trying out new patterns. (Sometimes I get into a rut.)

The other reason I doodle is that it is relaxing to me. It's a way of quieting my mind which can run a mile-a-minute in dozens of different directions. I don't know about you, but I just plain get tired and need a diversion...thus, doodling.

I used the bottom doodle to make some inchies...

First, I reduced the image to fit a one inch square and then printed it on card stock. I then applied a finish - Mod Podge (what else?). I glued a plain piece of card stock to the back - same size. And finally I finished the edges with black marker and then sealed them, again with Mod Podge. That way they will not separate.

Any plans for the weekend? I signed up for a class called 'Sticky Fingers' and now that I have the first lesson, I plan on having fun. This lesson is all about the background. It can be completely fabric or fabric and paint or fabric, paint and whatever else you want. Sounds promising. I'll post the results next week.

Be sure to have some fun yourself this weekend.

Thanks for stopping by...

See you next week...

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?