Comfort and Joy!

 

Day 1 of Comfort and Joy is my cover page. I used Eileen Hull scoreboards pocket notebook die. Supplies: Graphic 45 and Hobby Lobby stamp, Distress Oxide vintage photo, Dylusions paint pen.

Day 2 I used a prompt to used a recipe. Lisa Hoel shared how she used her children in her pocket. I gave her credit using her idea with a photo of my 95 year old mother with one of her recipes. My sister took this photo of our mother November 30, 2020. I used my laser printer to copy photo and then used soft pastels to highlight mothers face and hands. 

I'll be adding more photos here as i get them made, 

Taking Care of my Mother

September 21, 2020 I got a phone call from my sister saying my mother was at the ER. At that time they were only letting two people to see her. My younger sister and I had the two purple bands on our wrist. Ten days later they told her she could go home. Within a few hours we were back at the hospital because of her throwing up. The first week in October mom was operated on, she was full of adhesions and was diagnosed with Ileus. I would go up around 7 to 8 am at hospital and go home around 6:30 to 7 pm. Sometimes it was 8 or 9 pm when nurses needed my help. A few days before she was operated on, they put a Picc Line in her arm with three ports, and then started feeding her with nutrition. Each night they would hook-up a new bag. Gail my sister got an ok to spend the night with mother. Around the 17th of October my two brothers came in, one lives in Wyoming and one loves in Arkansas. They got an Ok to stay with mother too. They took over part of my day and Gail's night shift. After her 95th birthday they went back home. My mother was released from the hospital October 21. She had been in the hospital 31 days. When she came home I was there to cook and be with her full time, even to start her Picc line. The bags came and took up a big portion of her refrigerator. When home health nurse came to check on her she said take her to hospital as she might have a blood clot from her Picc line. Loyd and I rushed her to ER, she did have a blood clot and started mother on Eliquis. Mother was so happy to rid of her Pics line they wanted to keep her but she insisted to come home because she was afraid she might get Covid.

Sunday, November 15, 2020 started out like a regular day, after breaskfast she said she wanted pumpkin pie, I got out supplies and mother and I started making the pie, she told me I've got to sit down I don't feel well, she went back to her rocker and when I got the pie in the oven I came back in living room, she said I have bad headache, I gave her tylenol, just a little bit later she was talking but not making sense. I called for an ambulance and within a little bit she had 6 or more guys and a nurse in her living room. She is back in the hospital and this time I can't be with her. Closed campus due to Covid 19. With mother in the hospital we decided to go home. 

I had been away from my home 56 days and came home on Monday, November 16, 2020. 

While I was taking care of my mother in the hospital my painful headaches came back. They stop me from doing anything til they pass, I have Trigeminal Neuralgia.

The ride home gave me back and leg pain. 

 

( For mothers 95 birthday they let my two brothers, my husband, two grandsons, my sister and me have a small birthday party on the 3rd floor waiting room. It was a short birthday party.)

Due to Covid mother has requested for us to stay home. 

Making Fabric Mask

Although I'm not going out that much I started making mask for family and friends. Many are reversible in different colors, I made the men mask with solid colors and a print. Each of the mask was washed and clean but I told everyone to wash them after they came through the mail. Women mask were two colors of polka dots.
I purchased three quilt squares in solid colors before we were told to wear mask, and the rest of the mask were made from a full grocery sack of polka dot cotton yardage in all colors. Since the 26 of March, 17 mask were sent out to family members. I made hubby and I a couple mask each. I sewed 10 days making mask and then put my sewing machine away.
Hubby and my mother wants one like I made two of our nephews, so they can put a coffee filter inside the mask. It's really for an N95 mask.
Each of the mask like the one pictured was made using wire to shape across nose and round 3mm elastic to go around ears. I made the N 95 mask holder with 1/4" elastic. It's a good thing I had these elastics on hand because they are not available anywhere.
Update: I made 12 additional mask in three days and then closed my machine away. Several of the mask were made like the yellow mask you see at doctors offices with elastic I had in my stash. Some were made with long ties made with a new XL white teeshirt cut with a rotary blade and ruler in
1 1/4" strips and pulled, they made perfect ties.

Sample of one of the four pattern designs I used.

Handmade Soap

And then I made soap!

Swirl Soap

 I'm making for us and a few family members.
This batch of 12 bars was cut this morning. Each of these bars looks different. They will be ready to use in 6 weeks. On the 22 of March I made Calendula handmade soap and they will be ready to use the first of May. I can't wait.
Early in March I made hot process soap. Hot Process is ready to use in couple of weeks instead for 4 to 6 weeks. I made four bars, I gave my mother two white bars with no scent. I've been using these to wash my hands at bathroom sink. My hands have never been as soft as they are now.

 Just wanted to share what I've been up to lately.

"Love and Heart" Happy Valentine's Day 2020

I made another project using Eileen Hull's Thinlits and #664346 display stand scoreboard xl die. I used spray glue to apply printed scrapbook paper to matboard and then die cut scoreboard xl die, after folding it, I didn't like it--- so instead of tossing it out I took distress oxide worn lipstick and covered up the edges that would be seen.

I used Eileen Hull #662812 journaling heart, #662813 journaling words, and #662811 journaling flower dies. The word Love was die cut using black chipboard. The journaling hearts were die cut using two colors of pink/red and then some heart opening were covered with pink, some heart openings were left out to show white background and some heart openings were covered with  red hearts. Journaling flowers were using on top of rubber stamped image.

The lace die is a Crafters Companion die I purchased a few years ago. The heart collage is a rubber stamp my mother bought years ago. I covered up the word "forget me knot" using a sticker by Tim Holtz. 

Using Re-inkers as Watercolors

In a disposable palette tray add one tiny droplet of Distress Re-inker 
in the following colors: 
Dusty Concord
Spiced Marmalade
Peeled Paint
Broken China

These four droplets were used to make my watercolor page

using a ½ inch angle shader brush and a little bit of water. 

I used 140 lb cold press Watercolor paper pad.

( There is lots of color left to make several more projects 
from the tiny amount of re-inker. )


 I made this project two weeks before Tim Holtz started one of his online classes. Just a odd thing that Tim shared something similar to what I was sharing on another blog; April 27, 2012.

Smooched Background

Smooched Background

Cover your work surface with several layers of newsprint or kraft paper. Place one piece of card-stock on top of your newsprint. Squirt a generous amount of paint on the card-stock, randomly or in a pattern. Place another piece of card-stock on top of the first, folding up one corner about an inch (you will use this to move the pieces around, spreading the paint.)

Smooch the pieces together. You could use a roller, but I just use my hands and press down firmly. 

Holding the corner, wiggle the two pieces in opposite directions until the card stock pieces are covered completely. The "wiggle" makes the design unique. 

Option: add glitter to paint while its still wet. 

Place on a protected surface to dry overnight.

Finishing : The image was stamped and watercolor. For You was made with my Cricut tool and applied to the smooched background. 

* 2 piece of white or light colored cardstock 4" x 5 1/4"
* 3 or 4 colors of glitter paint or acrylics
* newsprint or kraft paper to cover your work surface
* Rubber Stamp
* Digital tool
* Watercolors
* Folded card

2020 Calendar

I'm ready for February thru December 2020 calendar using the display stand die with a few flowers and leaves from the thinlits flowers and leaf die. I also used a metal bow and lace die. I'm down at my mother's house. I used her calendar to reduce to the size I needed using her printer. Since the first is only a day away, I started with February 2020. And added a heart over the 14th. 

Supplies: Eileen Hull Display Stand 664346 and 

Eileen Hull Thinlits flower and leaf die 662811 

Eileen Hull heart over 14th 662812.

Other Supplies: Tim Holtz Adornments bows trim 

Other Supplies: Die'sire metal lace die

Scrapbook paper unknown

Big Kick tool

 Littles Sizzles mat board

To Someone Special

I made another piece using Eileen Hull scoreboard xl display stand die and love  thinlits die on this piece. The love was inked with archival black after it was die cut. 

The stamps I used on the display stand was made using a retired 1998 stampin up! set.

I used distress crayons to color the heart stamp. The paper used to ink the heart stamp has a luster. The background paper and background display stand was made with mat board and scrapbook paper. 

Thanks for Looking and come back soon.  

Display Stand

After purchasing the display stand die i used one piece of mat board with one half of 12 x 12 inch scrapbook paper and then finished this piece. 

I couldn't decide what to put on the smaller piece in the foreground. In second photo I chose a decorative embellishment "The Perfect Getaway."

Normally the stand would close to be mailed to a family member or friend but I made it closed by wrapping gold thread around the background piece. 

Get Well Soon

I sent this Get Well Soon as a message on my iPhone to our daughter, she has influenza.
I'm so glad she didn't have Pneumonia. Our daughter has had a lot of health issues since last August and has been struggling to get back her good health.
I used two oval and a round die cut piece. Largest oval 3"x 4"
Tiny flowers cling stamp was inked with archival black ink and then watercolored. I made a background and foreground scene using watercolors with my water brush. I had the die cut butterfly on my craft table and this was applied to the oval.
This cling stamp set is by Will 'n Way by Dianne J Hook
The tiny "get well soon" sticker by Teresa Collins

Blogspot from June 3, 2012 and Winner on Tim's blog!

I was thrilled to see I was one of 12 winners on Tim's blog for June 12 tags of 2012: here is the link to Tim's blog: http://timholtz.com/12-tags-of-2012-july/
And here is my June blogpost here: https://timholtz.com/12-tags-of-2012-june/
Here is my umbrella tag using a photo of myself when I was around 8 years old.

This blogspot had 760 hits as of December 28, 2019

Thanks Tim and Mario, I love all the details you used on your June tag of 12 Tags of 2012.
 http://timholtz.com/12-tags-of-2012-june/

I loved that umbrella! This photo was taken at my grandparents home, they lived up the road from us.

I printed a copy on gloss paper. Color was added to my dress using Tim's nib with fired brick distress ink.
I used Tim's stamp in the background from the stamp sheet Photo Studio #013, Tim's tiny tabs die cut for the tab, his word bands and the pen nib on this tag. To give the look of metal, I painted the tiny tab with silver dabber paint. Life Journey number 8 was added to the tab, I'm guessing that was my age.

Update: I asked my mother if she knew my age when she took this photo, she said I was around 8 years.