It's About Time For A Post Huh?

Good Evening Everybody!

Hope all is going well in each and everyone's lives this holiday weekend!  All seems to be going well over on the farm.  Cool new things that happened this week...

The Doc says the cast can come off on the 25th of September!  That's like 24 more days!  Yahooo!  I've never been one to X out days on the calendar, but I certainly have been thinking about it lately.  To me X'ing out a day is like NOT living the whole day to it's fullest, but just trying to move on and get through life.  I've never been like that.  However, I am very excited to see the 25th come and try to fill my days full of things to do until I get there.

This week, the demo started and finished on the floors.  Basically, all the floors have been pulled up, sacked and taken out. Next, the men came and scraped the many adhesives from the floor and finally yesterday the gent came and took out all the fans and dehumidifiers from the house.  For this I am eternally grateful.  The whirl and buzz of the fans although sometimes soothing were terribly loud and communication needed to be done either outside or in a bathroom.  LOL! So I am thankful.  Seems like progress somehow.

Friday, we went by to order the floors. Surprisingly enough, with thousands of samples, the decision was made in a matter of 15 minutes.  When you know what's right, you feel it.  So I'm really excited.  They will be ordered this coming Tuesday and hopefully the work will start this weekend.  Yahooo.  I can't wait to see them installed...Going to be really pretty.

Then came the studio....It needed a little color before the floors were installed.  I somehow sweet talked Cesar, Barb and Kay to join in Peg Leg Jimbo to get this job done.  We started yesterday morning.  I rolled around in my old IKEA office chair which was the perfect height to undo the electrical plates and wall switches.  Cesar took off the baseboards as they were going to have to come off anyway for the floors.  Barb and Kay painted and worked so hard!  I kept them in music from my laptop...Mama's and The Papa's...Kay chirped and danced along...Barb belted out a few as well...Cesar still popping the boards up.  Kay was assigned the top of the walls and I the bottoms.  At some point we got into a rhythm.  Barb worked on the darker wall and knocked it out of the water.  She's amazing! Finally, my totally favorite job, I had to allow Cesar and Barb to do...Cutting in!  They did an awesome job.  Thanks Barb, Kay and Cesar for all you did!  You Rock!

I had mentioned and idea to Kay yesterday, that this morning, she made a reality for me....She painted my logo on the wall!  Like PAINTED!!  Painted Painted!  I am always amazed at this woman's talent!  Thank You Kay!!!

AMAZING!!!!

I think by having this cast on my leg, it has made me take things slower and enjoy my friends more.  I'm always zooming around trying to do a million things. Though some of that has not stopped, it certainly has slowed me down.  I've read books...when was the last time I had time?  I am hooked on Dan Brown's Inferno at the moment. Stopping occasionally to work on secret projects and going back to my book...Back and forth all day...Just enjoying the weekend. I sit at a desk in front of a window in my make-shift "bedroom studio" and look up to rest my eyes.  So cool to see all the birds that come to the feeder directly in front of me.  It's amazingly peaceful to see them pluck and plunder the bird seed, to watch the way the hot breeze moves the branches of the oaks and to delight over the butterflies sucking up the nectar of the Blue Shade.  Then my brain does what it does best...It focuses in on the window screen blurring the outside beauty and I begin to count how many squares per inch is in the screening material.  From there I think...wonder what would happen if you used screening material in crafts this way and that way....see...relaxation comes and goes...Better get back to my book before I rip the screens off for a new project!

Just wanted to give y'all an update and put something new on my blog!  Good Gravy!

Have an amazing holiday weekend!

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter

No Ustream Tonight....

Hello All!

Just wanted to make sure you all knew there will be no Take Out Tuesday Class on Ustream tonight.  Hopefully by next week the flooring folks will be done and I will be moved back into my studio.  At least I'm praying for that anyway!  I'll keep you posted...

Hope everyone is doing great....

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter

Dog Gone It! Thank You!

Hello All!

Going to take a moment and say Hello and Thanks!  I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all the AH-MAY-ZING...Amazing comments and well wishes!  I truly feel blessed and honestly overwhelmed by such kindness!  From my heart...My most sincere THANKS!  So sweet of you all!

I am really not trying to go down the "poor pitiful me" road.  All is well here and all will soon be even better.  It is a trying time, but there is ALWAYS light around the corner.  ALWAYS!  So cool!  For example the house is empty now and I can trike away until my heart is content!  The boxes have been removed so I am totally happy! 

I will give you an update later for those you who may be interested...Just scroll down.  If not here is some creativity that happened today....

I was feeling really awesome when I got up.  The packers were packing, the movers moving and I was banished to my bedroom-cum-studio....

Today, it was another thank you card for my friend Kim who blessed us with a bounty of food last weekend...I finally was in the mood to create and had a great time doing it! 

Here we go....A Dog Inspired Card for one who loves Dachshunds....

A card for my friend Kim, to in a very small way, say Thanks for her kindness to us!

 

The card base of course was made from chipboard.  It wouldn't be from me if it didn't have a little of that on it!  LOL!  Then I added a selection of Graphic 45 papers to the background.  I then cut out the little dachshund with my digi cutter and glued it together leaving room for a pocket.  I cut a tag down to fit and embellished.  The sentiment tag is attached by a chain that goes from the collar to the pocket.  I added my signature Top Hat and called her a day....Hope you like...and Hope Kim does too.  I cut a chipboard easel from Tim Holtz/Sizzix die for it to sit on...

UPDATE FROM PEG LEG JIM....

Today's adventures in The Gentleman Crafter's CRAZY household...

All seems to be moving along pretty fast.  The packers came and packed all day. I tried to hide in the bedroom but couldn't stand it any longer and had to go out and at least look like I wanted to give instructions.  Which I really did!  I would be all up in this if I could...

I'm still sitting here wishing we could take the opportunity and paint, clean blinds, shutters, windows and maybe rethink where we could put the big French Armoire in the living room and how to redo the studio.  I mentioned this to Cesar and all he could do is roll up his eyes like I was totally off my rocker!  We could try right?  A  nice Vintage Photo color on the walls....No?

The packers worked all afternoon in my studio.  I just had to not look.  First, I pity the poor ladies who have this duty.  I can't imagine packing up trillions of pieces of paper, inks, tools, projects, embellishments and God knows what else in there.  Bless them.  I prayed they were still sane when they left!  Then, I looked down the hallway at what they were packing and yelled out a couple of times..."Can I keep that out?"   They weren't too thrilled at these outbursts of panic, so I just put my tail in between my legs and walked back to the bedroom to replace the ice packs on the old guy.

The movers came and moved all the furniture out and I guess it now resides in a LOCKED pod out in the circular drive.

I actually did get to help for a second and hold one of the armoire doors and finally felt useful.  It's so tough not being in there to help out.  But such is life at the mo.  I just have to deal and think about getting healed up so I can go to Italy!

The good news is that they are gone for the day.  I finally have room to run anywhere I want in the house and I cannot tell you how freeing this is. Yahoooo! 

Well, The Trail Boss Arrived!  My big bad blue ALL TERRAIN Mega Trike is in the house! This baby can plow through the yard, take stones and gravel in a single leap and even get me down to mail box at the street!  I couldn't be happier with it.  Not really a good indoor trike, but an excellent outdoor off road knee stroller!  Now I think I could use Trail Boss and grab a push mower and try to do the lawn.  Maybe my neighbor has a push mower and would let me borrow it!  LOL! 

Well, that's it from Camp Craziness....All is well here!  Hope you have an AWESOME Weekend!

Thanks again for your kind words, and thanks for coming by!

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter

Stressed? Don't be....

Hello Everybody!

I just made it to my comfy double-wide chair in my bedroom.  Sweat pouring off my body!  I just got stuck in between some boxes and a wall on my trike! 

Oh let me fill you in...Cause I'm in the mood!  This Air Conditioner saga just gets more and more involved and complicated.  Little did I know that a single, 2 year old  A/C unit that leaked into the house could cause so much trauma, drama, damage and frustration!  I'm really laughing here as I write this...and I don't know why!  Bahahaha!

The leak from the A/C line where you flush it with bleach is the culprit.  Backed up and I guess flooded under the wooden floors, the baseboards and some of the sheetrock.  The adjuster came and the damage is thousands of dollars.  And we aren't talking 5, 10 or 15 thousand....much more! Good Lawd!!

Well friends, we've had the folks out for the water damage, the insurance adjuster, the flooring people and today the packers who just started packing up everything....The boxes...glad you asked....They are everywhere living room, washroom and HALLWAY!!!....This is just the beginning.  They will be back tomorrow to pack up my beloved studio....(More about that later)...the kitchen and the living room.  Then I understand there will be a delivery of storage pods perched on the lawn in which the furniture movers will come and move out all the furniture and boxes....Then the work will be done on any sheet rock that needs to be replaced...and then....the floor people will come to replace the floors!  Good Lawd Again!

Me?  Glad you asked...All I want to do is be able to trike my way around to just survive and not break anything left on my bod that still is in one piece LOL!....Visualize an older balding dude navigating through 1/2-inch utility cords, fans, blowers, dehumidifiers and now scores of boxes on his trike, leg somewhere following behind safely in tow.

The moving and packing up of every single thing in my studio has sent me into a tail spin!  As I said above, the hallway has about 18-inches to navigate through because of the boxes.  Yes indeed I got my trike stuck with no one around to hear and see the fancy foot work and  words I'm not proud to mention here.  Now, I'm triking through the front yard in my NOT so all terrain trike to get to the studio to grab essentials before they are packed away and "podded!"

What do I grab?  What will I need to survive this...this...challenge?  I better trike back through the yard to the studio to grab chipboard, Scor-tape, Idea-ology, trimmers, cutters, bone folders and more! 

Better run....

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter

A Few Things...

Good Evening Everybody!

I have a mixed bag of things to share tonight.  So let me get started before I forget what in blazes I was going to say....

First up, Yes, Take Out Tuesday's Ustream Class is on.  We will be working on The Leisa Traveling Wine Box.  If I can get the box built tomorrow, I will doing good!  Still not back into the swing of things in the studio and no real good way to keep my foot up!  Who knew that keeping your foot elevated was so important!  So if you come by, please be patient with me....We will try it out.

Here's the details:

The Gentleman Crafter - Take Out Tuesday Ustream Show

or-

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-gentleman-crafter

7:00 p.m. Central Standard Time -US

Next up, drama strikes this household once again!  The A/C unit backed up and leaked (flooded) into the house and under the wood parquet floors in the dining room, studio and hallway!  GREAT ME THINKS!  WHAT ELSE!?!  Better not ask that question, as I'm sure there are many things that could be worse.  It is what it is and that's why we have insurance right!  My natural thought would be to pull them up and just replace them.  I love to do stuff like that!  Then, I remembered that I'm a peg leg...what was I thinking!  God knows I'd give it a try!

 

And then we come to the bats...See I told you it was a mixed bag tonight!  Last night, on the way back from Barnes and Noble, the Mexican free-tailed bats came out from underneath the bridges in Round Rock, Texas.  I was able to grab my phone and capture a few shots.  No, I was not driving LOL!.... The dark drifts are tons of the bats out for their evening flight for insects...Fascinating....

 

 

Well, That's it!  I will see you tomorrow night!

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter

A Thank You Card...

Good Evening Everybody!

After my foray back into the world of driving this morning, I hit the studio....It was so good to get outside and feel independent!  Just like old times, (like last week) while driving, I began to think of things I need to do, things I want to do, and projects I want to make....Today's driving thought....A Thank You Card....

Once we made the studio a bit more handicap friendly...which believe me was a trip... I found my way back to crafting!  Ahhh, so good!  However, everything is kept in different areas in my studio in my attempt to be organized.  You really need to WANT to get up, get on the trike, roll across the room, grab what you are looking for, stick it in your basket, roll back over, dismount the trike, sit down and then and only then grab the idea-ology keyhole to glue it in place!  Bahahahaha!

Anyway, here's what I came up with today.   A simple travel inspired thank you card...

I used two pieces of chipboard to make the card.  I cut the pieces to 5 x 9-inches and covered the front and back with Theresa Collins, Far and Away paper collection.  Next, I cut some hinge pieces and adhered them around the spine of the card to the front and back.  I then used my digital cutter to cut out the Leaning Tower of Pisa and glued that to the front of the card. I used some of the cut outs from the paper collection and embellished the front a bit.  This is where the Idea-ology key hole comes in....LOL!  I applied wet glue to the back and placed it on top of everything.

On the inside, I made a simple pocket and placed the tag on which I will write my greeting, into the pocket.  Next, I used the letters from the collection to spell out, "Thank You!"

Last, I punched a hole in the top right corner of the card and again "triked" over to the ribbon box for some black cording and a hinge clip...I threaded the cording through the punched hole and tied a bow on one end.  I then knotted a hinge clip to the remaining end to clip the card shut.  That's It!

Of course this wouldn't be a card I could send through the mail, but hand delivered with a huge hug!

Well that's it for tonight!   Have an awesome weekend!

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter

Update...

Good Evening Everybody....

Just wanted to stop in and give you all an update on the ankle...Then I'm going to stop talking about it!  LOL!

I came home early from market as I was able to get a doctor's appointment today.  On the way up to Dallas, it didn't stop me from going to the Bakery in West!Look at that happy face!  Anything for bakery goods!

 

Then it was off to market...I do miss the motorized scooter that I had when I was there.  You talk about fun!  This is the ticket!  Then it was back home...

 

Now on with the story...

I went to the Orthopedic Doc today.  Several rounds of good news.  The best of course was that I needed no surgery.  I honestly didn't even know this was a possibility.  The Doc said that little zinger before he left the room to go look at my X-ray.  I had visions of hot knives, sterile gowns and hospital beds with me in traction for a second...could have been the painkillers....THEN, He came back and said, "Nope, no surgery.... a boot it is."  The cold sweat resided...

It was so amazing to get the big heavy plaster splint off!  I was a bit swollen but who cares!  It was off!  For a second anyway!  Can you say pigs in a blanket!

The Aircast or Air Boot...  The good thing about the boot is that I can take it off to shower, etc.  For me, it's a way to escape...just in case. Mild case of Claustrophobia me thinks... I swear I was going for the Tim Holtz Tonic Shears a couple of nights ago!  If they had been next to my bed the deed would have been done.  However, crawling across my living room floor to the studio with one leg up in the air behind me and my tummy acting as a "FLOATATION" device, just sounded too exhausting...so I sat with my thoughts singing Kumbaya softly in the night..,LOL!-

Oh back to the air-boot.  This sucker has more Velcro on it than the Velcro kingdom in Velcroland!  Ahhh, I have a thought,....I can upcycle the Velcro when I get this puppy off.  I'll have enough Velcro to projects for YEARS! :)   Once this humongous instrument of supposed self healing is applied, you can pump the blue thing up to add more pressure.  Whatever! 

So, looks like six weeks in this contraption.  Doc says to put no weight on it yet, but that will surely come later.  I'm really very happy that I have this boot.  I would rather have this than a fiberglass cast in the 104 degree hot humid Texas Summertime!

Now for the fun....For my mobility issues....THE KNEE WALKER!  I LOVE THIS THING!  It's like a scaled down 10 speed bike! I've been zipping through this house like a mad man!  It even has brakes and a handy dandy little pouch to hold stuff on the go...Still trying to figure out how to put a cup holder on it for coffee...Then it will be perfecto!  Honestly, think I need to go to Home Depot and rig that up somehow.  I am so grateful to have this.  I've really had a time with the crutches, walker and wheelchair...This seems to be the key along with the crutches and walker. 

Me giving it a go....

You can even get this thing going fast enough you can take your right leg off the floor and cruise from the living room right into the bedroom!  Too cool!  LOL!

Well, that's it from here.  Doing just fine and feeling so much better than yesterday!  My spirits have been lifted!  Yay! 

Have an amazing day y'all!

Jim
The Gentleman Crafter