Sunday Crafting Projects

Yesterday had more sunshine than I expected but the wind was blowing most of the day bringing in some snow flurries in the afternoon. The high got to 5.1C. This morning it is -5C and we are to have sunshine and a high of 2C. 

Lifestyle

I did the balance sheet and am happy with where I am at. It didn't take long to do and I did a bit of planning for the rest of the month. I have a bit to do today and I will be done until next Sunday.

I got weighed this morning and lost 4.6 lbs in the past week. Most of it has to do with eating rice and chicken to calm my IBS. I did have some "real" food but it was small portions as I was scared of having another flare up. Between cautious eating and probiotics, I am healing. I am hoping to start eating more normally this week. 

My knee and hip have been a bit sore with all the storms coming in. It comes and goes and is most annoying. I do the exercises to help ease the pain and it works sometimes. I do put a lot of heat on it also. But, I am more mobile which is making me happy. 

Crafting

I spent quite a few hours playing with the Cricut. I got the first card stock to cut perfectly and was thrilled. The second card stock of the same weight didn't cut so I increased the blade pressure. Somewhat better but not good. Back into the settings I go and through trial and error I figured out to have it cut each piece twice. I did it for two weights of card stock. Amazing how sharp and clean the cuts are. I did a bunch of tags for daughter for her shirts.

I printed the last piece of card stock and called it done for now. 

I need to get more pens as the coloured ones I got are very fine pointed. I had to use the black pen that came with the machine as it is thicker. It is a live and learn situation. 

My last project of the day was to cut out 3 of the spice labels on vinyl. I had smart vinyl for another machine that I had seen could be used. I set the vinyl setting for more pressure and to cut twice. When I went to cut the first try, I selected the wrong vinyl and it didn't cut through. I did it again and it worked perfectly. 

I didn't realize how much you have to use the scraper on the smart vinyl to make it adhere to the transfer tape. I did struggle with that but got the labels on the jars. 

Standing up they look great. 

I have the next 6 spice jars ready to label and the spices have been chosen. I will work on getting the vinyl onto the transfer tape the next time without having to fiddle with it like I did on the first 3 jars.

I didn't realize how easy the machine is to use when you get it set up to cut perfectly. I still want to tweak the blade as it could be adjusted another way. I have wasted paper but I did learn a lot. The stress of learning how to adjust the machine caused me to have a small IBS attack but I survived it without feeling exhausted. Next up is to learn how to use heat vinyl and layer it for a project. I am also wanting to learn how to make stickers. 

I am thinking of taking an on-line course on using the Cricut. It goes into how to use the machine, do projects and has lots of cut files included in the membership. I am not not wanting to sell items at this time but to make items like cards, stickers, etc. for my own use. One project I do want to do is shoes for the dolls. It is on my to-do list. 

Knitting

To relax I cast on the next hat and started knitting on it. I love how the yarn looks on this hat. I enjoyed watching it knit up and before I knew it, I was almost half done the hat. Four rows short of half done.

I have the yarn in grey and can't wait to see how it turns out. 

Thoughts

    I have a couple of projects left to finish up and then I can start on another bag. I am enjoying getting things finished as they have been hanging around my neck weighing me down. 

    I need to spend a bit of time making a plan for what I need to do in the next while. I seem to be floating around with half baked plans in my head and a few small projects that never got completed. I need to revisit my goals for the year rather than float from one thing to another.  

    It will be 6 months since the Spousal Unit passed away. The road has been bumpy emotionally but I am moving forward in my life. I miss him each day but know he is at peace and that I have many, many wonderful memories to look back at. 

Today

I am not sure what I want to do today. I may go and get a few things at the craft store so I can start crafting on Sunday. Most is 50% off right now and I need to take advantage of the sale. I want to work on the two little projects and get them done. I will knit tonight. I should work on my plan which will be a list of things I need to do before I head outside to do yard work. 

Until the next time.........................................................................