by Sharon | Oct 17, 2016
Have you ever thought of something about yourself and then someone else says something similar to what you thought, but in reference to themselves?
Yesterday I was talking with a couple of my internet marketing friends.
Out of the blue he made a reference regarding the direction he wanted to focus with his on-line business.
Everything he said, echoed a similar thought I had earlier in the day about the direction I want to focus my paper crafts.
He’s interested in woodworking and has a website about it, but he hasn’t done a lot with it. He’s busy building websites for others and with his other websites. But last night he stated he was going to focus on that website more and do more woodworking projects.
The parallel for me was from the post I wrote yesterday about the Village Dwelling die cut and all the variations that were possible and how Tim Holtz made other die cuts to change the Village Dwelling into a church or with snow on the roof, also changing it to a surf shack, a manor and a bungalow. My thought earlier in the day was about focusing upon making variations of these village pieces. For example, I was wondering how many different ways I could make the surf shack different . . . different roof, siding, setting . . . decorations for different holidays and seasons . . . Maybe make it into a little market place with a restaurant, fish market, vegetable market, ice cream parlor, antique store . . .
Then, I thought, instead of using the Village Dwelling die cut, I’d use the Village Brownstone, it’s taller and has nice windows on the roof. It seems quite interesting. From the image on the right, it can be changed into a church or school, the roof can be changed . . . and you can always change the siding and remove the windows . . . even change the windows and the shutters . . . You won’t need a die cut for this, just paper scissors and imagination.
The Village Brownstone doesn’t have a base, but you can always add one . . . raise it up and make a porch in front with steps . . . you can add a garden to the side . . . or whatever would be appropriate for Halloween . . . could you make it spooky? Have a pumpkin patch in the side yard? Instead of flowers use pumpkins . . . or have a Thanksgiving feast in the side yard . . . Or decorate it for Christmas with trees and snowmen . . . I can see making it into a one room school house . . . or something for Easter with bunnies and Easter eggs . . . Or maybe a fairy tale house with gnomes and woodland critters . . .
I’ve been thinking for quite some time about doing YouTube Tutorials, but never decided upon what I wanted to concentrate upon . . . I’ve always liked making things with a purpose, but cards just aren’t my thing . . . Then I thought about boxes . . . Lots of people are making boxes and designing them . . . Then I thought of these die cut houses and the variations. I’ve always admired the work of Ray O’Bannon of Ravensblight and Ray Keim of Haunted Dimensions . . . And many talented crafters on YouTube who get a die cut and do amazing things . . .
I don’t know how amazing I’ll be, but there is something to be said about sitting with die cut pieces in front of you and how you decide to decorate them, assemble them . . . add to them and modify them . . . You can make it wider by adding another piece to it . . . add more windows . . . attach another piece to the side of the Brownstone . . . an addition of some sort . . . a greenhouse, perhaps . . . Anything and just about everything is possible . . . Just dream . . .
You could even do things with gears . . . giving it a Steampunk feel . . . or add wings . . .
I was thinking of making a matchbox-type of base for it. This would give you a secret compartment to put some treasures inside . . . or make it larger for a mini-album . . . Those are always popular . . . We always like to have our loved ones pictures close by . . . Or you could have a story about the origin of the house . . . Who lived there . . . and how it came to be part of your village . . . There is always a story to be told . . .
I don’t know how others do it, but I want to give it a try. If you’d like to join me in this venture you’ll need a Big Shot or a Vagabond to use these Sizzix dies by Tim Holtz.
Here are some links you may find helpful”
I thought I’d include some accessories to go along with the Sizzix die cutting machine and the Village Dwelling Die, if you’d like to purchase Tim’s other dies to make the Village Manor, Village Bungalow, Village Surf Shack, Village Winter and The Bell Tower. I think the more dies you have, the more variations you can make. You will need the extended cutting plates and the crease pad for the score lines to imprint on your card stock or chip board.
Thank you for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | Sep 18, 2016
Twenty, Twenty-five, Maybe Even 30 years ago . . .
I was at my favorite craft store.
This was when scrapbooks were the “in thing.”
For me, a scrap book was not a photo album, but a book where you saved newspaper articles, ticket stubs, pressed flowers, printed programs and flyers . . . Maybe those photo booth strips of silly pictures you’d take with your friends . . . maybe even those fortune telling cards you’d get from a machine . . . or even tokens from the county fair . . . Just junk . . . but they were treasures to you at that time . . . It’s now emphemera. A fancy name for junk collected, that seemed valuable for a short time.
Back then you could buy designer papers by the sheet and there were special cut-outs and embellishments available to buy to dress up your scrapbook pages of family vacations or family holidays . . .
Papercrafting has come a long way . . .
There are cutting machines, our computers and printers have come a long way since then, as has the internet.
We can buy designer paper, still . . . or we can download it and print it out on our card stock . . . We can buy all kinds of bling to go along with our scrapbook pages or even make our own scrapbooks, mini-albums, cards . . . centerpieces, gift boxes . . . etc.
Many papercraft hobbies have become a business. It’s amazing how times have changed . . .
I shouldn’t be surprised or amazed, actually . . . Some things grow rather than die out. We do love our hobbies and paper crafts have been around for centuries . . . We always think we’ve discovered something new and exciting only to find that it has all been done before. Maybe not as easily as today, but it has been done before.
I like papercrafts with a purpose . . . boxes . . . books with secret compartments . . . 3-D Haunted Houses with a secret compartment . . . even cards with a slot for a lollipop . . .
Then . . . I started thinking . . . the pop-up cards . . . I’ve always loved pop-up books . . . even those sugar Easter eggs with a scene inside . . . or the image I saw in a book of Alice Through The Looking Glass . . . Do you remember the old View Masters . . . and the 3-D Movies . . .
We still have 3-D Movies . . . we can make our own pop-up books and cards . . . we can make all kinds of 3-D houses and whatever with paper for displaying in our homes for holidays and for everyday.
We get motivated by seeing things others have done . . . and we must try to do it for ourselves . . . We can always find instructions on YouTube . . . or we can figure it out for ourselves and create our own YouTube video tutorial to share with others . . .
And, of course, there are machines and dies and clip-art . . . SVG kits . . . things to buy and things to make from free printables . . .
What I thought about scrapbooking 25 to 30 years ago has changed . . . for the better . . .
There’s a woman on YouTube who tells a story about attending a scrapbooking workshop . . . it was something suggested by her boss years ago while she was working for a company . . . She couldn’t imagine why he suggested she take this workshop . . . Now she has her own papercrafting business in her own home . . . Probably making more money than she did out in the work force.
Even at that time, while attending the workshop, she couldn’t see the sense of it . . . but now . . . It was a turning point in her life.
I remember my cousin telling me about her new Cricut machine and the cartridges she bought . . . all the paper crafts she could make with those die-cuts. All I could think about was the expense and the collection of all those cartridges . . . But now . . . I’m thinking things through differently.
For some of us, it takes time to decide what it is that we want to do . . . to make . . . to create . . . 
I looked at the Silhouette Cameo for years before purchasing one. I’ve looked at the Big Shot for years before purchasing it, too. I didn’t know how important it was to be able to emboss paper . . . or to have templates and a machine that would cut them out . . . The Silhouette Cameo can do a lot of cutting and is great for clip-art cutouts, too. I thought this was all I really needed . . . it was a definite answer to avoid the cutter of dies, etc. But, there are times when embossing is necessary . . . yes, Silhouette has a machine for that . . . But, I wanted something else . . . something I’d been fighting . . . The Big Shot . . . especially when I discovered Karen Burniston’s YouTube Video Tutorials for making pop-ups and sliders . . .
It’s necessary to have a space in your home for your crafts . . . it could be sewing or needlework, or even paper crafts. I have a friend who is into film making. She did a lot of it with advertisements for her furniture store. She got her kids and their friends to participate in her ads . . . A forerunner of YouTube Videos now . . .
We’ve come a long way . . . or is it just an easier way?
I’ve been thinking about this for a few days now . . .
Then, looking back to all the time I’ve . . . I was going to say “wasted” . . . but it is a process . . . not a waste of time . . .
It is about learning . . . personal growth . . . deciding what it is we do need to open and fulfill that creative outlet within . . . We do need to express ourselves . . . in some creative way . . .
This reminds me of an Amazon Pilot for a series called Interestings . . . It’s an Amazon Prime Video thing . . . It’s about a group of people who got together at a camp for “creative kids” with acting, dance, art, music . . .
This group or certain members of the group are still together and meet up years later . . . which is kind of a regular thing for them — not a reunion thing. It’s how their friendships formed over the years . . . You may have a different “take” on it . . . It all depends upon one’s perspective at the time . . .
This all seems applicable to life . . . In the beginning there is a quote . . . Life if understood backwards . . . But we have to live it forwards. I may have messed up the quote a bit, but the concept is there.
And quite applicable with hobbies and papercrafts.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
Oh, if you haven’t jumped onboard yet with papercrafts . . . you may want to check out these links:
Thanks again for stopping by! Be sure to bookmark this website . . . we’d love for you to visit us again . . . and tell your friends.
Until next time,
Sharon
by Sharon | Sep 9, 2016
Have you noticed all the strange things that happen in small towns?
It’s mostly in movies and fiction.
It seems a wonderful theme for a series of books or a series for cable. There have been particular sections of towns or streets that have been made famous on film and in literature. There’s always a secret . . . or some mysterious disappearance . . . and the return of someone after 15 years . . . and things start happening again . .
Everyone knows everyone’s business . . . and the family secrets . . . or individual secrets . . .
I do love books and series about small towns.
It makes it easy to keep track of the characters . . . and the interlocking nature of relationships and interactions.
I wouldn’t like everyone knowing my business . . . not that my personal business is all that interesting . . . We’ve all . . . most of us at any rate, have gone through “embarrassing moments” while growing up. They’re not a big deal anymore now, but I wouldn’t want others to remind me of them.
I’m sure you or someone you know did something stupid or embarrassing years ago . . . There are many fortunate people who have gone through life without any “embarrassing moments.” I’m truly happy for them.
But these small town secrets or mysteries stem from all sorts of things . . . ghosts, UFOs . . . family legacy . . . And authors capitalize on them and the public eats them up.
I like the ghost angle, not so much into UFOs, but anything is possible. The family legacy or a family curse is interesting . . . I’m not into real creepy stuff, but many times it involves woods and something out in those woods . . .
So, I made a mental note not to live in or near “the woods” or in a place or even a street name that is suggestive of a known legendary place.
I’ve been watching this series about a woman who returns home . . . not on purpose, but because she was drawn there . . . missed time . . . found herself in her hometown where an “incident” happened.
The town folk don’t want her around, but she’s staying . . . to find out what’s going on. And what happened 14 or 15 years ago . . .
I got sucked in . . .
This got me thinking about “small towns” and the many books I’ve read and movies I’ve watched.
It is kind of creepy when you stop to think about it.
With an Amazon Prime Membership you’ll be able to see if the Kettering Incident is something you’d enjoy watching . . . or there may be other series you may prefer . . . I also got hooked on American Gothic and can’t wait for the new season. You can sign-up for a free trial of Amazon Prime and, if after 30 days you find you like it, you’ll pay $99. annually. You get so very much more than video streaming . . . there’s music, free second day delivery of products you order and an early look at discounted items . . . Great for this coming holiday season.
Click the image above to see if this is for you.
Thanks for stopping by . . .
Sharon
by Sharon | Jul 26, 2016
Trash is on my mind because I’ve been wrestling with the barrels.
In front of every house on the street is a house waste barrel, a yard waste barrel and perhaps the recycling barrel. 
This signifies the bulk of your eating and cleaning up your yard for the week.
What conclusions can be drawn from this?
I don’t go into the barrels on the street. Once in a while you do see one that has been dumped . . . do you look or glance away? Of course you look! You see the egg shells, a bacon container wrapper . . . a frozen dinner or two carton . . . a frozen pie container . . . cereal boxes . . . You may learn they use soy milk . . . or other interesting things.
Have you noticed that when two barrels have been dumped side-by-side, one is yours and the other a neighbor that you can distinguish your trash from that of your neighbor . . . egg shells pretty much look alike . . . but you know . . . you just know!
It’s all those subtle things . . . pancakes . . . what do they put on them?
Do they make them from a mix or buy them frozen?
Are they a nut-free household?
These aren’t things you discuss with your neighbors . . . but their trash is a fountain of information.
Then, there’s the recycling!
The soda they drink . . . regular or diet . . . which cola?
Maybe not cola, but root beer or Orange Crush . . .
Maybe beer and wine . . . or hard liquor . . . Those bottles get recycled regularly.
You can even find out their brand of pickles . . . and condiment . . . the very basic stuff of their life . . .
Do we judge?
I don’t pay attention to what others buy at the grocery store, but I’ve noticed some interest to what is in my shopping cart.
Do I feel guilty?
Sometimes . . . when I’m buying frozen stuff and junk food . . . not when I’m buying fruits and vegetables and healthy stuff . . .
I do like a blueberry muffin and buying them from the bakery section is so much easier than making them from a mix. And that goes for cookies, too. We find what is good and easy and what our family likes . . . There’s no mystery to that.
I have a grocery shopping day coming up . . . so that’s why this is on my mind.
I have to decide what I’m going to put on my list and not go crazy once I get to the store.
I try to eat healthy, but I also like to have something to snack on from time to time . . . and a bit of variety is always welcome.
I’m sure none of us have a shopping cart full of healthy stuff we’d we proud to display on a website. Maybe . . . depending upon the topic of the article . . . In reality we have a mix of healthy and fun food . . . and easy food to make . . .
We may not be winning any awards for our shopping and the meals we make, but we’re healthy and happy with healthy and happy families. We’re real . . . some people go to fast food places to fill in the gaps of their grocery shopping . . . I can honestly say I can’t remember the last time I bought fast food . . . it’s not that it’s bad, it’s just not on my regular route.
Well, all I can truly say that trash day and shopping day are highlights . . . at least I highlighted them here. I’m sure you have an opinion about this . . . please leave me a comment.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | Jun 11, 2016
Once again my thoughts are rambling.
Just wanted to give you fair warning.
I was at my local “neighborhood market” a few days ago. I had to feed my ice cream craving. I bought a couple of boxes of Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars.
I knew in the past the store was having trouble with their freezers . . . so I was boycotting any frozen stuff until that inventory was gone . . . but, they didn’t seem to fix the freezers . . . Yep. I had the most pitiful looking ice cream bars you could ever imagine. They melted . . . and were refrozen . . . but they couldn’t be eaten . . .
I could have returned them and made a big stink about it. The box they were in looked perfect . . . I had no clue to the alien-like mutations I uncovered in the sealed wrappers. I was truly disappointed . . . and really sad . . . not for myself as much as for the store . . . the neighborhood market . . . They must really be in trouble if they have to sell food that isn’t for human or animal consumption.
I’ve noticed business has been down . . . I stayed away from them for about 6 months, but I did drive by on my way to another market . . . and their parking lot had only a few cars.
I’ve learned to look for due dates on canned goods . . . They don’t discount them . . . and when they do . . . you know they’re old.
Over the years I’ve noticed employment has gone way down . . . some of the checkers and deli people aren’t working there . . . they have new people and once in awhile someone I remember is working. The “old guy” who I assume is the owner makes an appearance from time to time. He’s always ready to give you a smile and a welcoming hello . . .
But . . . is my neighborhood market dying? Will it soon be boarded up . . . weeds growing through the cracked asphalt? An ugly eyesore in the center of an upscale neighborhood?
I don’t want to see that. I like the store . . . some of the changes I could have done without, but . . . those changes may be keeping them afloat. And we may all be chipping in from time to time, stopping by and picking up items . . . to make sure that they will meet their payroll . . . and not returning and complaining about old and ruined food . . .
This got me thinking about other stores and buildings in town and in nearby towns . . .
We don’t shop “downtown” as in the days of old. We go to malls . . . but many of the malls have died . . . and there’s a huge strip-type mall or center with hundreds of stores and restaurants out near the freeway. It has everything!
But, then, do we really want to drive out there? Or would we prefer to order on-line?
I do a lot of shopping on-line. I try to support my local merchants . . . but it is easier to go to my laptop . . .
I did buy a new printer recently . . . but I had to order it through the store . . . and it was delivered to my door . . . I do like that. I didn’t have to wrestle with a box getting it into my car . . . and wrestling it out and getting it up the steps and into the house . . . then into my office . . .
I avoided a lot of hassle. And I think I may not be the only one who thinks like this . . .
There is something to be said about going out and getting what you need . . . and there is something to be said about ordering it on-line and having it delivered to you . . .
I don’t like the idea of stores closing . . . This means loss of employment . . . which could mean the dying out of towns and cities, too . . .
I’m very old fashioned at heart. It’s uplifting to see families shopping together for holidays and back-to-school and also for vacations. There is a special thrill in the air that is only created by people who are giving off that positive excitement . . . it is an excitement that brings a smile to my face and the faces of those around me . . .
You don’t get that on-line . . .
And there’s the clerks who assist you . . . or another shopper who adds their two-cents while you’re shopping . . . We do need that human interaction. No matter how impersonal it may be . . .
Yes, I’ve rambled on for quite awhile . . . time for me to stop and allow you to digest this . . . You’re welcome to add a comment. I just ask that you’re polite and thoughtful . . .
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | May 31, 2016
I don’t know about you, but after a Monday holiday my week is messed up.
I’m always a day off . . .
The same with the weekend — did I have two Sundays?
Well, it seems that Tuesday is upon us and I’m trying my best to keep up with the week the best I can . . . with my irregular sleep schedule — that may be more of the reason than a long weekend.
I do love writing during the wee hours of the morning . . . There are no interruptions . . . no telephone ringing . . . no neighbor noises . . . just pure silence that is relaxing allowing me to write without distraction.
I had to renew my security software on my computer.
It’s a bit of a bother, but necessary . . . or so I’ve been told . . . It does make you wonder if it really is doing what it’s suppose to do.
I can sometimes get on websites with a virus that takes over my computer . . . I didn’t even see it coming! Aren’t we supposed to be protected from that?
And I do wonder about the hacking that is going on . . . not that I have such important documents on my computer . . . but what I have is important to me. I do wonder how secure we truly are on-line . . . but I’m hooked on the internet right along with millions of others . . . and we’re not going to stop using it.
It’s like when my new security software was installed and my bandwidth was diminished . . . I restarted my computer to fix the problem. Sometimes the magic wizard of installing new software doesn’t prompt you to restart . . . I think it is necessary to do so . . . it solved my problem. And, why would that software have anything to do with my bandwidth?
Strange things do happen in the wee morning hours . . . you’d think I’d be the only one on-line . . . or with a few night owls . . . but maybe they do cut back a bit or do those things they do when we’re supposed to be asleep tucked securely in our beds.
Well, the good news is that I have a whole year of security on my computer.
The Unofficial Start of Summer.
It’s interesting how Memorial Day unofficially announces summer and Labor Day unofficially brings it to a close.
Memorial Day was indeed warm here . . . let’s hope Labor Day brings us fall weather. I can only hope.
I’ve been thinking of those who went camping this weekend . . . and how many s’mores they consumed . . . and how many ghost stories were told. This is truly an exciting time of year. The fair to hot weather brings on thoughts of being carefree.
Some people use their vacation time to get into their favorite hobby . . . or do something new. It’s just a welcome break from the regular daily routine of work and related responsibilities.
Some people pack their vacations with activities that keep them and the kids busy . . . doing something fun and different from the norm. It’s nice when there are vacation plans that include a variety of activities for the whole family to enjoy.
I remember some vacations that were quite exhausting from all the things planned . . . and when I did get home, I enjoyed sitting on the front porch or balcony or patio (depending upon where I lived) and relaxing . . . yes, it was home, but I had to recharge after such an exciting vacation.
But the memories were absolutely priceless . . . something I can fondly think about for years to come . . .
Life is full of precious “treats” to savor.
I remember going to this lake, not far from my home.
It was quiet even when a lot of people were there. It was one of those places that was completely serene . . . and once you entered that sacred ground, you could feel the calmness and the weight of the world lift off your shoulders.
I’m sure you’ve found such places, too. It is necessary to unwind from time to time . . . relax and allow yourself to just enjoy the peaceful solitude of your thoughts . . . or no thoughts at all.
I remember watching others sitting in their portable chairs . . . sitting still . . . and some women would be doing needle work . . . a man would be reading a book . . . but mostly people were quiet.
It seems to be the perfect setting for a Stephen King novel . . . but it never really spooked me . . . thinking about it now . . . I wonder if something paranormal was happening . . .
I believe it’s good to get out in nature from time to time . . . dig in the dirt . . . sit calmly . . . have a picnic . . . just relax and enjoy either alone or with friends or family . . .
I think we are all drawn to certain places . . . some to the desert, others to the beach and some to the mountains . . . it is their special place to relax and soak in nature . . . There are some garden settings that are specifically designated for places of reflection and meditation.
Although it’s nice to get out and go someplace . . . I find I enjoy making that serene place in my own backyard . . . so I can visit it regularly. I’ll write out there and sometimes eat breakfast or dinner . . . sometimes have a cool or hot beverage and just unwind . . . taking in the calmness and the quiet.
In the distance I sometimes hear the church bells . . . and other times the faint sound of the train whistle . . . I love that sound . . . it is peaceful and quite calming to me.
Well . . . we’re embarking upon a new week . . . a short one with the unofficial start of summer . . . How do you plan to spend the next few months? I hope you’ll take in the sights and sounds of nature and enjoy it thoroughly. Maybe learn something new and exciting or get into something you love doing.
I’m beginning to think summer is the time to reflect and explore . . . and maybe a time of spiritual growth . . . and healing . . .
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
I don’t know how amazing I’ll be, but there is something to be said about sitting with die cut pieces in front of you and how you decide to decorate them, assemble them . . . add to them and modify them . . . You can make it wider by adding another piece to it . . . add more windows . . . attach another piece to the side of the Brownstone . . . an addition of some sort . . . a greenhouse, perhaps . . . Anything and just about everything is possible . . . Just dream . . .
