Dare # 85

    I really love Bright Owl's template this week.  It is awesome.  Being out of school for another wonderful week, I was able to get in all three again.  Yahoo! 
     I love the woven look of W2.  I struggle with it.  It is one of the hardest for me to do.  But it is after all a "dare", so I figured go for it.  I wish I hadn't added the little bits of fringe on the ends, but it was too late to stop.  I liked it better before that.

      I wanted something more organic for number two.  I started out with pokeleaf.  Then my brain went "aha", it needs a fence.  Then of course it started to rain (msst).  I was pretty sure I was finished.  Until the brain thing happened again and suggested houses.  I keep wondering if I should add some color to the houses only - what do you think?  I see bright red roofs with yellow houses.  Can't decide.  I do know that I really like this tile.  It appeals to me.

       Rather simple tile for number three, but I love chard and cadent and will use them without any hesitation.  They are just mindless fun to me, especially cadent. 

      I wish you all a wonderful new year.   I hope it is filled with joy and good health!  Thank you for dropping by - not only this time but the many times you have brightened my day with your comments over the past year. 

Every Inchie Monday - Time

     The last inchie of the year!  Wow.  I actually accomplished all 52 inchies, more or less on time.  In addition to increasing my vocabulary, stretching (or shrinking, perhaps) my creativity, I have made a whole new circle of friends. It is so wonderful to be a part of such a talented group of artists.  From fibers to shrink plastic to beads to just pure "magic" their talents are much admired.
    This week's word was "time".  I found some really pretty paper and thought it sort of fit the title, time, space, infinity, all that stuff. 

     When I first found this site and started looking at others' inchies I saw a really good idea for storing the year's inchies.  I wish I knew who inspired me, but I don't remember.  So if it was you - thanks a ton!  I loved the idea and made a chart of my own.  It is interesting to see an entire year of inchies laid out.  Which do I really love?  Which could be better?  I love this idea!  So I have already made the grid for 2014.  Ready and waiting.

      Thanks for dropping by and leaving me some sunshine!  Have a great week!

Dare # 84 and Every Inchie Monday

   Can you tell I am out of school for a while?  I actually got to do all three sizes of templates from Bright Owl.  Yahoo!

 

    I also worked a bit on my inchie for Every Inchie Monday.  The word this week was "food".  I should have waited and taken a picture of the Christmas spread coming later this week.  Instead I just chose a picture of something yummy, then "took" a bite out of it.

   The following is an ATC for the monthly swap over at Blue Twig Studio.  The theme for December was "wings".  I tangled the background card, glued some elements on and added a blue gem for the fairy to hold.  For this swap, you enter a card and then the "winner" (randomly drawn) gets all the entries.  Keep your fingers crossed.

   
   Hope your week is going okay.  I am enjoying craft and creativity time.  Of course I am not arguing with sleeping late either!   Lakota and I want to wish you all a happy holiday season!

Master Caster Product Reviews

     Thank you for checking out my blog and reading my first product reviews.  Let me know if you have used any of these products and what you think.  I do not work for this company so the opinions are my own.

Microfiber Gloves

   Honestly I had never given much thought about whether gloves worked on a touchscreen device.  It never occurred to me to think about it.  Then one extremely cold morning on car duty at our school, I pulled out my phone to check the time (when can I get inside and get warm?).  I turned my phone on and swiped.  And swiped.  No luck.  That was when I had an aha moment.  Gloves don't work on touchscreens.  So I pulled off my gloves and used the phone.  Along came a request for a review from Master Caster about their smarter gloves.  Would they work as promised?
   The package said that the soft microfibers would gently clean touchscreens without causing any scratches.  I used the palm of the glove to wipe down my touch tablet.  All smudges gone and no fibers or marks left behind.  I also took a few minutes to turn on the touchscreen of my phone and tablet.  They allowed me to manipulate around the touchscreen without any problems.
   But a glove's main purpose is to keep your hands warm.  The other elements are great but warmth on a cold morning is more important than operating my phone.  Did they work to keep my fingers toasty?  I am happy to report - definitely.  I love these gloves.  They are soft to the touch (92% polyester yarn and 8% stainless steel yarn).  They work on touchscreens.  The only problem?  They fit my brother and I may not get them back.  I see another pair in my future.
    If you decide to buy a pair - and you should think about it - they are washer safe, but do not use fabric softener or dryer sheets.  My guess is that might interfere with the anti static quality of the gloves.  The company guarantees the gloves for one year after purchase date and promises to replace any defective gloves at no charge.

Rolling Wrist Rest

     The next product I looked at was a rolling device that is to be used to help reduce joint stress for computer mouse users.  It is a solid piece of plastic with a soft cushion where your wrist will rest.  It measures 5"w x 2 1/4"d x 5/8" h, a very comfortable fit for most desks.   It is designed to allow easy movement between the mouse and keyboard.  On the bottom there are 4 wheel mechanisms that have 360 degree rotation independent of each other. 
     I opened the package and read the back.  I could see where this would be a very comfortable item to have for my wrists when I am at the computer for long periods of time.  I frequently suffer with very tired hands after time gaming or working.  Then I took a second look.  I know where this will work for me even better!  I am a tangler (an artist who spends lots of time drawing).  Would this work to lighten the tension for my hands there?  Oh yes.  It rolls along smoothly and doesn't get in the way.  It is comfortable and allows me to draw with less tension.  So while there are computer pictures all over the package and that is its primary design, if you are into drawing you might want to look into this little gadget to give your hand the rest it needs.

Furniture Touch Up Kit

     This furniture restoring kit comes with 5 touch up markers and 3 filler sticks.  The package says it can be used on walnut, dark mahogany, cherry, red mahogany, mahogany, dark oak, light oak, and natural finished woods.  It also can be used on wood and wood laminates.
     The back of the package outlines the easy steps - apply the marker color to minor scratches, worn edges, blemishes, and imperfections.  Repeat as you need to.  If the scratch is deep or is a nail hole or crack, use the filler stick.  The marker will then be used over top of the filler.  Quickly wipe off the marker or filler with a clean, lint free cloth.
     Now to find something to try this out on.  I decided on my great grandmother's doll case.  It has several marks as a result of "aging".  After wiping off the area, I chose a marker that seemed close to the right color.  I had to color over it several times before I saw any color.  From a distance the mark seemed to disappear, but close up the marks are still apparent.
     I do some framing of the art work I do and I could see this coming in handy to touch up a scratch on a frame.  I wouldn't say it makes those imperfections "disappear", but then again they are a lot less noticeable.  

    Check out these products at Shoplet.com.   

J.O.Y.

     It is Every Inchie Monday not every inchie "whenever".  I know this.  But I have worked so hard to complete all the Christmas gifts for people at school and then when I wasn't working, I was being very sick with a stomach virus.  Anyway now that the holiday is over, maybe I will have a moment to relax and get back in the challenge swing.  I hope.  The word this week was "Joy".  There were so many ideas I had - which to choose?  I decided on one of my favorite thoughts with the word joy.  It is a rather simple inchie, but I am very fond of it.

     Dare #83 was to do something "wintery".  Our weather around here has been so back and forth - warm, cold, cool, who knows?  How parents can dress their little ones for school is amazing to me since it changes not only daily, but hourly.  I wanted to make my tile look cold so I tried using the tangle, "frosty".  I think when I have time I may go back and add some color.  Maybe.

Winter Sky

     Here are the two Christmas presents I have been talking about.  My assistant principal loves zebras and so I chose to do one for her office.  The peace sign is for the school secretary.  The moment I saw this idea on pinterest, I knew I had to come up with a design for her - it practically screamed her name!

     Now off to do something else!  What?  I am not sure.  Maybe just sit and stare at my sketch pad for a few minutes.  Hope your week is awesome and you have a very Merry Christmas! 

Late again

     I thought last week I would have this blog entry up right away - I knew exactly what I wanted for the inchie challenge and Diva's challenge wasn't hard.  But this week has left me very zapped.  I started getting sick the end of the week and really don't feel any better.  I guess it is a stomach virus, but I can't keep anything down and any sort of movement just sends me dashing to the bathroom.  Being sick any time is a drag, but I really have some fun things planned for this week and just cannot bear the thought of missing a day.  I have invited each one of our classes to come in and listen to some of my favorite Christmas stories.  This gives me a chance to read some of my favorites and the teachers a chance to have a moment without kiddos.  So I have to manage getting through this week.  Somehow.
     Every Inchie Monday's word was "found".  So why is there a peanut on my inchie?  Okay I have to explain, so bear with me.  When we were children we went camping a lot to a state park a few hours from home.  The car would be packed and we would be restless so mom always started these silly songs to keep us from driving her and daddy crazy.  Of course we sang all the verses to "99 bottles of beer on the wall".  Another favorite was "Found a peanut".  It had lots of verses and we would sing it to the top of our lungs and without much musical ability.  But boy it was fun!  So when I saw the word "found", there was no other choice.  Too many memories!

     Diva's challenge was to do something for the holidays.  I had several good ideas, but just went with something simple - really too wasted to think much about it.

       I hope you all have a wonderful week.  I really want to find some small bit of energy to get my tree decorated today.  Ray has it up and ready.  I just don't want to stand that long.  But I want it up.  Drat this bug!  Thanks for dropping by and leaving me some sunshine.  Again have a great week.

He Who Finishes Last . . . .

. . . . . well, still finishes.  Barely.  The dares, challenges, Christmas presents, etc. keep piling up.  I am getting things done, just not as quickly as I wanted. 
      Every Inchie Monday's word was jacket.  I just did not have a creative thought in my brain.  Which is why it has taken me so long.  I definitely did not want to miss one, so here is my "jacket".  I just am not very happy with it.  Now this coming week, the word is . . . and I have an idea!  You'll see it . . . hopefully on time.

jacket

      Then I needed to do Bright Owl's challenge.  Once I got started, the template sort of disappeared - but it is there, I promise.

Dare #82

    Next stop, casa de Diva.  I really love her new tangle, Boo-Kee.  It is fun.  The first thing I saw was snowmen - on Diva's tile even though she didn't mean to do snowmen.  I sort of thought I would go with that idea until I opened Bloglovin and saw some other gorgeous snowmen.  Maybe on a Christmas card for someone.  But for now I just had some fun playing with the tangle.  This is one that will become a favorite "go-to".

Challenge #147

     I discovered Adele Bruno's string challenge.  I know.  I shouldn't have.  But . . . I had to get involved.  When life slows down over Christmas holidays, I may go back and get caught up on the challenges I have missed.  It doesn't look like I used her string, but it is in there. 

String Challenge #17

     I am caught up now - sort of.  Until the challenges come out this week.  So I think I will take some time and work on one the tiles I am doing for Christmas.  I will post the things I have worked on, but not until after they are given.  One is for my school secretary (an awesome lady) and another is for my assistant principal (another great lady) and they are readers of this blog, so "no, Cindy and Amy, you can't see what I have done!"
     Have a great week and hope the weather is not being too unkind to you where ever you may be.  It is rough in parts of our country.  Not here, not yet.  Thanks for dropping by and leaving me some sunshine!