What Did I Find?

Wow, it’s worse than I thought. Turns out there was more than just craft supplies in that box under my coffee table. Actually, there was hardly any craft supplies in that box at all.

Here’s what I found. • A receipt for work done on my car in 2021 • A paystub from the same time period • EMPTY envelopes that I’d received something in years ago • A CAA magazine from 2020 • A binder of Halloween ATCs that I’d been looking for • Scrap papers only good for recycling or shredding • Some Halloween ephemera and stickers • A couple of recipes that I cannot imagine ever making • Instructions for beaded and chainmail necklaces I will never make • A few greeting cards • Old junk mail • Two small stationary sets with pretty papers and matching envelopes • Covid vaccine certificates

It looks like I was trying to 'hide things under the rug'. A pile of stuff on my coffee table that I didn't want to deal with at the time. I must have swept it all into a box and hid it under the table. I HAVE to deal with it now.

There are just a few items from the box that I still have to decide their fate. A lot of the paper went into the recycling bin. The paper with personal information on was shredded. A bunch of stuff went straight to the trash can. The Halloween ephemera, stickers and ATCs were put in the appropriate places. It goes to show me that I should not put off until tomorrow what should be done today or it will come back to haunt me years later.

One Box at a Time

I know that I’ve been talking about my de-cluttering project for quite a while now, but it’s time to get serious about it here. There are boxes everywhere in my house, in the storage room, in closets, under beds, and honestly I don’t remember what is even in most of them.

I’m going to begin with a box under my coffee table. I can’t recall how long it has been there, and would likely be embarrassed to admit how long if I knew. It’s covered in a thick layer of dust so it’s probably safe to say it has been there for some time.

There are craft supplies of some kind in it but no idea specifically what they are. I know that I’m going to have to make some hard choices with what I find. If I haven’t used it up until now, and can’t foresee using it in the near future, it has to go. Period. No matter how pretty it is or who sent it to me, it needs to leave my house.

I wonder what I will find? Maybe some hidden treasure I've forgotten about or maybe just stuff that I could not bear to part with at the time. NOW may be the time. I’ll let you know.

The First Day of Spring?

According to my wall calendar and the people on the radio, today is the first day of spring. You sure could have fooled me!

The temperature was below freezing this morning and I encountered a combination of snow, ice pellets AND freezing rain on my way to work today. Seriously, this is ridiculous!

I’m convinced that MOTHER Nature went on vacation to a warm tropical climate and left FATHER Nature in charge. And he has let the kids run wild while she is away. It’s the most logical explanation I can come up with.

Weekend Binge-Watching

Not a lot was accomplished this past weekend beyond the obligatory familial chores that come every weekend…driving people to work, picking them up from work, taking them grocery shopping in shifts, etc. I felt totally worn out, with absolutely no energy for anything else.

So, I decided to binge-watch the Netflix show called ‘Wednesday’. I’d loved the Addams Family show that was aired on television from 1964-1966. And I recently watched a YouTube series created between 2013-2015 called ‘Adult Wednesday’ that I really enjoyed. The short three to four minute episodes are well done but unfortunately, the creator was shut down due to copyright issues. You can still find them here though.

It actually inspired me to make myself a Wednesday junk journal with photos from the original series, the Neflix series and the YouTube episodes. Also included are a selection of Wednesday quotes and images created by various artists. It was a fun little project just for me.

I really needed that kind of a laid back weekend. In spite of it being fairly 'unproductive' I feel much more energized as I begin this new week. Sometimes you have to listen to your inner self and the clues your body is giving and take some time for yourself.

What I've Learned Along the Way

It’s true, the older you get the wiser you are. Time and experience has taught you lessons that cannot be learned in any school, college or university. The ‘school of hard knocks’ is the best teacher around. Let me share a few things that I’ve learned.

Friends are important. It’s not the quantity of friends you have but the quality of those that stay with you no matter what. Through thick and thin, they are always there, praising you when you do good and chastising you when you are being stupid but supporting you through it all. It is important to nurture and cherish those relationships. The connections with them are what truly matters. The same principles apply with the family members that surround you too.

We should all slow down and enjoy the present moment before it is gone. There is nothing more important than what is happening around you right now. Appreciate the wonders in front of you. Approach life with a positive attitude and look forward to the future. Don’t worry so much and trust that things will work out as they should. Accept that you cannot control everything, and accept what you cannot change.

At the end of the day, physical possessions are not important. Having the best car, the most clothes, the flashiest jewelry and the most money doesn’t make you a better person. Those things become more of a burden as you get older, weighing you down and draining your energy. Live simply, love completely and embrace joy each and every day.

Mother Nature and Other Things

I think that Mother Nature is playing a trick on us. It has been unseasonably warm the last few days. You could see steam rising off the snow piles on Saturday and a lot of it melted over the weekend. But after the harsh January and February we had, I don’t think that winter has finished with us yet. It would be nice but I’m not counting my chickens before they hatch.

I found a great new strategy to help with my ongoing de-cluttering project. What do you think? I think it is a brilliant idea. LOL

I'm not sure what was going on with me on this day but a couple of my new birthday cards are SO crooked, it’s not funny. And naturally, I did not realize it until AFTER the panels were glued onto the card bases. I’m tempted to send them out anyway and hope the recipients don’t mind. As long as they don’t look too close, I’ll be good. It’s the thought that counts anyway, right?

My New Sock Aid

If you are like me, struggling to get your socks on every morning this is the device for you. This sock helper for seniors has been a game changer for me. It is fast and easy to use. You put your sock on the end of the device, put your foot into it and pull the long straps, and your sock is on!

With my limited mobility, this has made getting dressed in the morning so much easier. I highly recommend it if you are having challenges with putting your socks on too.

One Sheet Wonder Template

I am using a one sheet wonder template for 12” X 12” scrapbook paper to create a bunch of new birthday cards. There is an associated video that shows you how to use all the pieces you cut and turn them into quite a few greeting cards.

Here is the basic template…

And here is a link to the video if you are interested…(click here). I’ve only started putting some cards together but I am pleased with how quick and easy they are coming along. Sometimes simple is best.

February is Almost Over!

Wow, this month is almost over and I have not posted to the blog once. It has been a challenging month with the crazy weather playing havoc with my body. The massive snowfalls and humidity have made it more difficult than normal to get around. Is spring coming soon?

I have worked on some crafty things as I was able. Lots of birthday cards to send out for March. And I have been working on my Halloween Howl ATCs too. Hopefully, March will be kinder to me and I will get more accomplished. Cross your fingers for me. In the meantime, I’m still here and will try to do better next month.

De-Clutter Regrets

Doesn’t it always happen? You finally decide to get rid of something that has been hanging around for years and never used, then when it’s gone you suddenly need it or want it. That’s what happened to me.

In the last quarter of 2025, I decided it was time to go through my scrapbook paper pad stash (hoard) and let some of them go. I considered them all very carefully, and there was a lot to go through, selecting the ones I thought I’d never use. I gave them to my next door neighbour who likes to scrapbook. I gave her a LOT of paper pads. Both she and her daughter were delighted and they were gone from my house.

And as it goes, the greeting card making bug latched onto me late last year. Some of that paper I gave away would have been perfect for greeting cards. I lament losing it but I know in my heart that there would only be a few sheets in each paper pad with small enough designs suitable for card making. The rest would just sit here for another ten years. What is the point of that?

Much of the paper that I have left is good for journal making so that is great as I will definitely be making more journals, but not card making. There will still be multiple sheets left in each paper pad that I’ll never use, and store for years until I’m ready to do another big destash.

So I’ve decided to ‘try’ to avoid purchasing new paper pads and only pick up individual sheets with small patterns for my card making. I know it will get used, and I won’t have a lot of paper being stored and ignored. Good plan, right?

Ongoing Projects

There are two main projects that I’m working on so far this year…cards to send for the birthday card exchange group I belong to on Facebook and the 31 Halloween Howl ATCs for a private swap. Both are moving right along.

I ‘may’ have ordered some new birthday stamps and dies this week. I couldn’t help myself. I’m really enjoying making greeting cards now. I think I will start my Christmas cards soon too, to get ahead of the game.

My February birthday cards are already mailed out. I stamped ‘Happy Birthday’ on all the envelopes so hopefully, people do not open them early. I find it much easier to just send all the cards for a month in a batch at one time.

For Halloween Howl, my partner and I are sending out 3 ATCs per month from January to September and 4 ATCs in October to total 31 cards. The first envelope is going out this week. I have a good start on these and a few ideas for more. Trying to make them all different from each other and different than last year is a challenge I’m looking forward too. The ATCs shown here are some that I sent last year.

What projects are you working on this year? I'd love to see what you create!

Halloween Howl, 2026

The other big project I’m working on is Halloween Howl. That is a swap for 31 different artist trading cards to send to one person. She will be sending me 31 cards too. They will be in sealed envelopes and opened one a day in October. It will be like Christmas every day!

I’m swapping with the same person as last year, so the big challenge is to create 31 different ATCs that are different than last year’s 31 cards. I have 11 cards completed at this point, and I think I’m doing pretty well. I’ve been able to come up with some new ideas. I still have 20 cards to go though. Wish me luck.

(The ATCs shown are some of the ones I sent to my partner in 2025. You won’t start seeing this years’ until October.)

New Card Designs

I’ve been watching a lot of card making tutorials on YouTube and learning some simple techniques for creating unique greeting cards (for ANY occasion). For the first set, you take three different but matching pieces of patterned card stock, then cut and shuffle the pieces a specific way to get three cards.

For the next idea, I printed ‘Happy Birthday’ several times into a new document, saved and printed it. I cut a 2” X 2” piece of cardboard to trace around the words so they were in the centre of the square rotated 45” (like a diamond shape). As you can imagine, I had a difficult time getting it right since I don’t have x-ray vision. So, I asked my son to cut me a 2” X 2” piece of Plexiglas so I could see through it to position it correctly (the first time) to trace around it. Works MUCH better.

Here are a couple of the resulting cards. I cut a piece of patterned paper, positioned the sentiment in the middle of the piece, then added ¼” strips around all four sides of the sentiment extending them to the edge. The pieces were them adhered to a white or coloured card base giving them a border around the outside. They are so quick and easy to make. I will be using this design a lot too.

You Get What You Pay For

I purchased an inexpensive acrylic stamp set with birthday greetings recently to use in my newfound card making hobby. I cannot get those stamps to leave good impressions no matter how hard I try, not with my stamping platform or using acrylic stamp blocks. I even tried a new ink pad thinking that the old one has dried out too much. No luck. I pretty much wasted my money. I am not happy.

So, being a problem solver, I decided to type up some birthday greetings and sentiments in a Word document and print them out to use on my cards. That is working much better for me. I am more productive and less frustrated with the process. I have a lot of cards to make this year for the birthday club that I belong to and I need things to run smoothly and efficiently. This is going to work for me.

A good reminder that you get what you pay for. Think twice next time and spend your money wiser.

Happy New Year, 2026

As expected, I was fast asleep when midnight rolled around. I did hear some fireworks in the neighbourhood around 10:30 p.m. but nothing after that. If there was any at midnight, I slept through it.

One of the new year ‘traditions’ that I will not be participating in is the Polar Bear Dip into Lake Ontario. It is currently -11 degrees Celsius (12.2 degrees Fahrenheit) and I imagine with the wind chill it feels even colder. What are these people thinking?

My goal for today is to get the bathroom cleaned. Maybe I will sit at the craft table for awhile and make some birthday greeting cards and/or Halloween ATCs. My son, the birthday boy, will come over to see me also. Do you know how difficult it is to find a Happy Birthday/Happy New Year card in the stores? Most years they have none. For every other holiday, you can typically find plenty (Christmas, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, etc.).

Happy New Year everyone!! This year is the beginning of a new chapter in your Book of Life. Dream big and make the most of 2026!