This winter is going to do me in…

Above: Card I made using eCraft and some cloud and heart files I made…mailed to Ona :)

In other news: this winter is going to do me in. I’ve had it. I actually love winter but come March I’m starting to go off my rails. A week ago or so I visited the dark side and made it back to tell the story…barely. I have no energy…tons of ideas but can’t seem to get started with anything. I’m working on a quilling picture for someone else and I’m finding it terrifying trying to keep the paper clean. lol. And, for some reason I decided to start patching walls and picking out paint colors for the living room and kitchen – what!!! I have to shake my head at my brain sometimes. The good news is I’ve gone through 4 tubes of caulk and half a gallon of drywall compound…the bad news is that I’m sick and tired of the whole project and have lost the enthusiasm. Good news my butt and thighs are pleasantly sore from going up and down a ladder for three days…bad news is that I’m scared of falling off the ladder so close to our cruise…I can make a million excuses to not finish but we are living in a house with all the furniture pushed to the middle of the room and that’s not cool. Well, it was cool for the first couple of days but now it’s just annoying. So I better get off my computer chair and up the ladder and sand the drywall compound I put up this morning. Maybe I’ll get the living room ceiling painted tomorrow. No…I WILL GET THE LIVING ROOM CEILING PAINTED TOMORROW!!!!

Happy Crafting!!

Steampunk Valentine paper cutting

 

I cut this out with my eCraft using a file I got at Krewella Kreations blog. I think it’s pretty!!! As always I struggle with the correct pressure settings on my eCraft and what paper to use. Grrrrrr. But I’ve been having a lot of fun designing my own files…the “love” cutting inspired me to make this -

It’s a steampunk heart with wings. I LOVE it! I had fun learning how to make the gears and putting it all together. If anyone else wants the cutting file email me and I’ll email it to you as I haven’t taken the time to get a sharing site yet. I think I love steampunk because I love the “industrial-ness” of it. I still don’t know how to describe it to anyone without sounding like an idiot…so I’m going to say “industrial”. lol.

And…did you notice my new blog header? I made it myself…as I’m sure you can tell :). As I learn more I’ll be changing it up a bit. (Don’t you think the “Kim’s craft diary” part should be curved like the pennant banner?) Maybe changing it totally. Just goes to show…you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!!!

Next week I’m going to try sewing a shirt. Now that I’ve announced it to the world I guess I’ll have to follow through. I have so many functions to go to (like my son’s choir concert tonight) that are “casual” and I have nothing to wear!!!! I either have funeral clothes…or paint-the-house clothes. It’s time and I’m scared. I’m scared I’ll spend all that time cutting and sewing and end up with more paint-the-house clothes. I think I’m going to practice with an old sheet first. I just know the pattern will need some alterations to fit right…I’m just too darn short-waisted and busty. Who am I kidding…my “waist” isn’t really even there anymore…is it too much to ask that the shirt makes me look tall and lean?

Happy Crafting!!!

eCraft

Did I ever mention that I got an eCraft digital cutting machine for my 40th birthday…a year and a half ago? I did! I was so excited I went to JoAnn’s and bought 75 sheets of scrapbooking paper to practice with!!! I expected there to be a learning curve with the machine…but I didn’t expect to fail so horribly. I had done a lot of research before I decided which machine to buy. I picked the eCraft because you didn’t need to use a cutting mat and you were only limited by your imagination as to what you could have the machine cut. Well after getting discouraged time and time again by bad cuts and ripped paper I finally realized I received a lemon. Last summer I packed it up and shipped it back for a replacement. I got my replacement and am just now starting to play with it. I approached it like it could bite me – I was scared. The good news is that this machine works much much better than the old one. As you can see in the picture I’ve had it cut some pretty intricate cuts and so far so good. If I really get excited about everything being “just right” I’ll cut off the little tabs with my craft knife. I’ve started to play again. Now I can’t wait to rush through my housework and get back to the eCraft. I want to design my own SVG’s (that’s the file the machine cuts) and that will take more time. Maybe even more time than I can give it…lol. My brain doesn’t accept learning as quickly as it once did. The program has almost gotten the best of me a few times. When I explained to my dad what I was buying he said “Isn’t that cheating?” my dad uses an excavator to dig basements…is it cheating to use the excavator rather than a shovel?

Happy Crafting!!!