Baby Sitting, Crafting and My Sad TV

Hey guys, I am very late getting this post up this week, but it has been nuts over here.  I mentioned a few weeks ago that I would be babysitting my grandson...  Let me just tell you, a smart 3 year old makes for a very interesting day...  By no means is he a bad kid, quite the contrary, he is very well behaved.  He is smart enough to negotiate, asks questions that are very advanced, considers his options and makes a choice (FYI, because of this he doesn't regret his lunch choices seconds after they are made)...  He is very active and interested in EVERYTHING.  You can't so much as read a pattern without being asked about it, how it is made, what color it would be...  Why do you need scissors and a paper cutter?  Like I said, interesting. 

He hasn't stopped my crafting, but it is harder to get things done.  Everything is so much slower.  He found it amazing that the girl on the TV had the same product that I was using (the washi tape sheet I made) and just couldn't stop talking about it for 10 minutes until one of the cats ran through the room with a toy in his mouth.  The only other thing he said about my washi was asking if he could have a piece to tape 2 pieces of pine straw onto a ball...  If it makes you happy...

So...  Yeah...

On with the whole reason I have any readers here...  What have I worked on from my craft horde...

Lets start with my current progress on my Dr Who Scarf.  I am almost 75% done.  It is taking a long time because I haven't had much time to sit and knit in front of the computer.  I have been trying to weave in my ends as I work it up.  I am weaving in about ever 100-150 or so rows.  So that is making it slower to knit but I know I will be so glad that I did it that way when it is done.  There are A LOT of ends to weave in here!

I used Tater Tot's (grandson) nap time to work on this S'more softie.  Like I said last week, since the yarn was already down here from the Burger Hat, I just couldn't resist make him.  I wish his mouth were a little more centered, but obviously that doesn't bother Tater Tot at all!  He spent all day Monday running around with it.  He had lunch with him; he slept with him; he posed for a picture for Grandpa with it; he didn't let it go until it was time for Daddy to come and pick him up.  Grandma had to explain that he needed to be entered into a contest before he could take it home.  He was excited and asked if Grandma would win. 

The pattern for the S'more Softie is S'more Kawaii Cuddler by 3amgracedesigns.  Go and check them out, they have a lot more on their site!  I kinda want to make the unicorn one for my granddaughter (Nilla Wafer).  That way they both get to have something they like.

On to paper crafts...  So, I do get the Simon Says Stamp kits.  Mostly because I like the stamps they come with.  I am not counting them towards my annual budget because I had already subed before I started my challenge, however, I don't get every single one.  I finally pulled out the spring kit (as opposed to the Easter kit) and got some cards knocked out.  While I love the stamp sets it came with, I really didn't use them.  I used one on a tag sticker.  For the most part, I am pretty happy with how these have turned out.  I don't know what to do with them.  I might see if someone wants to buy them off of me.  I have enough scrap paper to do another card or two, but I haven't had time to get those finished as of yet.

One of the things I tend to impulse buy has been washi tape.  It is so pretty, goes on sale regularly BUT, I don't know what to use it for...  I add it to cards, envelopes and sometimes my planner, but let's be honest, that isn't using very much at any time.  I was watching a video on covering notepads with it, but to me that just doesn't seem very durable.  The tape is very low tack tape so over time I seen problems with handling coming up.  I decided that I would take some card stock (I used my Neenah 65 lb) and covered that.  I will then cut it down to turn it into covers for some pads I already have but I will laminate them first.  That way I can also have some over hang compared to the card-stock covers I did last year.  I was also thinking of turning a few into some laminated bookmarks so I can get my post-it-notes out of my books.  I am rather pleased with how these turned out and even thought I didn't finish a single roll out of what I worked with, I did use a lot of it!

As a side note.  Last year I went to IKEA twice and picked up some of their washi both times.  I used a lot of it in this project so far.  I would just like to say WOW!  It is some of the best quality washi I have ever worked with!  Not only did it not shred while pulling it off the roll, but it laid down so well!  If you are planning an IKEA trip in the near future...  Go check it out in their stationary section!


My last thing this week was starting my first ever album.  I am using the tutorial videos from MayMay Helm's Youtube channel.  Brenda Album is the series she explains the name and who Brenda is and where the style of the album comes from.  I haven't made much progress.  I just got my pages and covers...covered...?...  Yep, that is right...  Any who!  I am doing Halloween because I have boxes and boxes of Halloween craft and decor stuff in my stash.  I am using a lot of the stuff from the Michael's Recollections Dead and Breakfast set from 2017.  This is another thing that I way over bought because I didn't know how much I would actually use because I am fairly new to paper crafting and I really do love card making.  I will be coming back to this collection for my Halloween cards in the fall.  I really do like it, but I have 3 12x12 pads and 3 6x6 pads.  So, I will have a lot of crafting to do before I can feel like I have made progress on this collection in my stash!

I am excited about this, but I am leary too.  This is something that is way far outside of my comfort zone in so many ways, not just the loose way it is constructed.


Finally, I do have have a funny situation to share with you guys...  So a few of you know that even though you can't tell, I do exercise here at the house on a regular basis...  I love videos that keep me motivated and videos that are build-able.  Well, for years, I have used a giant 30" tube TV.  I have had this old analogue delight since my sophomore year of college.  This is an OLD TV...  Well, I use a cheap DVD player with it...  A few weeks ago my oldest stepson came to get the dresser this set up was sitting on.  He went to pull the TV down, but he didn't realize it was attached to anything.  My DVD player went falling down...  Like I said, this thing was cheap ($15 from Wal-Mart cheap) so it of course broke. 

My beloved, tech keen husband has been nagging me to get a small "updated" TV to go up there...  I finally relented because we had a old up convert DVD player in our bedroom that we never use...  That way I can finish fixing that room up...  Well... this old DVD player is about 5 years old...  We haven't really used it for 3 years...  Guess what...  It is dead too...

So in the end, I ended up spending $200 for what could have been fixed for $15 but would have left me 18 years in the past (this TV was old even when I bought it)...  I am still a little salty, my old TV didn't bother me...  It was also kind of funny because it just wouldn't die.  That old Samsung has been dropped, treated like crap and abused for the last...  I don't know...  15 years...  It still worked.  Just since we have been married we have had 3 new TVs die on us, but this 500 pound silver brick still worked...

I know it isn't a knee slapper, but I still think it is funny.  Not to mention that the guy at Best Buy just about had a heart attack when he found out that I was being so obstinate about this TV...  How can you possibly watch TV on a TV that old...  "Well, it works..."

Oh well, on wards and up wards! 

Take care and I pick up next week!