...because I CAN is my new battle cry. I've been dealt so much, and felt so out of control, that I got discouraged. I'm now being ENCOURAGED thru DIY/Blogging/Crafting. And yes, I do it, why? 'cuz I CAN
Well, I have another quick-change BUCK OR LESS CRAFT for you :)
I wanted something for a corner in my kitchen, so I did a quick change using a darling hog graphic from our treasured GraphicsFairy (Miss Karen), and putting a handmade red felt rosette in the corner that I had made.
I simply put a cute print of the hogs and reused the red felt as a background, and the same frame I did for this project.
If you would like to see the page I catalog page I have of all the images I use of GraphicsFairy, please click here
Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment :)
Yup, I've finally done a pretty darn big project. (For me). This dresser was free so, by golly, I said, "Sure, I'll take it!" and knew I was in for alot of painting... Here she was BEFORE
Nice big size, 5 drawers, solid wood.
So, as you can see, there isn't alot more "ugly" I could do to the piece, I thought, so I whipped out some citra-stripper gel.
That was the first time I've ever used it, and while it DOES smell like oranges (like my beloved and much blogged about Citra-Solv cleaner) and I could use indoors without feeling like I was gonna choke myself or hubby out- it took FOREVER. This is what the process was like on the drawer fronts. The drawer on the right shows after a total of about 4 different layers of the gel stripper, the one on the right, after 2 layers. I allowed each layer about 30 min-45 minutes of sit time. (Yes, I did take off the wooden knobs and strip them too). So, you see, it took a long time. (But, hey, did smell good, considering it was paint gel stripper!).
Then, when the fronts were stripped down, I painted them a lovely gray (Benjamin Moore THUNDERCLOUD GRAY) along with the wooden knobs and did something I've been wanting to do forever---I made my own stencil (I will have a post about that in the future all it's own) and stenciled a lovely quatrefoil design on the front of each drawer, using a roller and some leftover white paint I had on hand. For the black body of the dresser, I just touched up the black paint with a paint-pen, as I don't know if I want to redo it in black or another color etc.
So here the dresser is at now. It's not exactly where I want it to be, but I can change at will when I figure out what I'd like to end up with but sooo much better than before, IMHO.
Well, this is what I'm calling my Hero Chair, and it's dedicated to my dear husband. It's been a very tough time for me since Feb 13th, and he was wondering where his "Happy Suzi" was at. Well, here ya go, Kevin...it's sweet, simple and to the point.
Ugly chair - now sweet. Before shows someone half heartily tried to spray paint the back and legs (but, not well), and After is sort of hard to tell the difference, but it's a creamy white on the legs and more of a very light heather-gray on the seat and back area.
Oh, and on 2/24 in sheer NERVE (and the fact I've wanted to join in the fun at a crafting contest for a long time), I submitted one of my pin cushion/jewelry hangers dress forms. Why? Cuz I Can. I did it over at The Nap Time Crafters. Do I think I have a shot? Well, I have no shot at all if I don't enter, right? That about says it.
Thank you sooo much for coming by to see my blog and see if I'm back in full force. Well, I am and I'm not.
I did complete a very simple furniture paint job so have something to start up again with my blogging, but I'm not fully in "now" with my blog to feel alot like crafting, but I'm trying to push and challenge myself to do some things.
It's been a few rough little over a week since the passing our our beloved Butterscotch (our big kitty) on the 13th of this month, and the outpouring of support from my friends (old and new) in Blogosphere has been so heart warming. Truly. Thank you so very much.
To tell the truth, there are a couple of things I'm working-through now.
You see, on the very day that we had Butterscotch put to sleep, we learned 1.5 hours later that the last aggressive chemo that my husband takes for his stage 4 kidney cancer (RCC) has failed. His oncologist is letting us revisit an family of oral chemo that he did over 4 years ago, at my husbands request/wish.
But, this is pallative care.
My husband will do whatever the doctor feels is right for him, and whatever he feels is personally "right" for him. His devout Faith in Our Lord is what carries us to do whatever we can.
Even though we have been battling this cancer since June 2007, and Kevin has been through so much, the way he's choosing to do things are changing. Not his Faith- that only gets STRONGER, but what he "will accept/do" and "will not accept/do" has changed.
Such as: He was on a daily oral chemo (actually there were three of them-- when one failed, we went to the next one, etc) from the beginning until Jan 2011.
While the first chemos were outlasting the average time until failure (some were usually working for most cancer patience for 5 months but lasted for 22 months from him until it failed), he said he a)never wanted a port (a devise that is implanted in your chest to make blood draws easier and to administer IV chemo), b) he didn't want to do IV chemo such as Interferon and 3)he wouldn't consider doing clinical trials that were far from home (such as Chicago).
Since last summer, he does have a port in his chest, as it's impossible to do blood draws now without it. (To say he's a hard-stick is beyond an understatement-- took 6-8 sticks just to get blood work done, and he has ALOT of blood work while on chemo).
And, in Jan 11, when the last available oral chemo failed, he did go on Interferon IV. (and another chemo that he got shots of Monday-Wed-Fri every week- with the IV chemo once every three weeks).
That was our last chemo available to us, and at 10:00 a.m. on Feb 13, we got the lastest results from the CT scans (he couldn't have a PT scan this last month and opted for the CT scan instead) shows that it too has failed.
We asked our oncologist the last option from his "don't want to do" was to see if there was a drug trial open in Chicago for us to try.
But there is none.
We talked to him about revisiting one of the oral chemos again and he has agreed.
We are waiting for that drug option to be cleared for us now.
So, Feb 13, was really, really, really a hard day for us. Our beloved cat and the news we've been dreading to hear from our oncologist, all within the span of one and a half hours.
Thank you for your love and support, and understanding.
And, by the way, Kevin asked me the other day why I wasn't crafting. He's concerned that I'm not allowing the "Happy Suzi out to play", and I'm concerned about him and am being more a of "Serious Suzanne" now. But, I did paint this simple chair when I'll show you all shortly. It's not much, but it's a start, and I'm dedicating it to Kevin; My Hero!
I've been very quiet lately, and there are a couple of reasons. The other part I will write about when I find the strength, but this part is about our beloved Butterscotch. We had to have him put down today. It's been a horrible day, but what a loving and outstanding cat he was. I'd like to tell you about him.
Well, as you see from this photo, he was a very handsome cat. We have had him since Aug of 2003, when we lived in Tillamook Oregon. I call him "The best thing I ever got at a yard sale". He was. He was very loving, funny, SMART. He was also a kind of caregiver/nurse to my husband, "Speavers" who is battling stage 4 renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer). He used to sit on the bed, next to my husband when he was looking thru his baskets of medications he took every day. As if he was a "Nurse", checking in on him to make sure he was doing things "right". I used to call him "Nancy Nurse" even though he was a boy ('cuz that's what my Mom used to call me, because I've also always been is also a nurturer).
Butterscotch was always a "big cat", I thought (he weighed between #10-12, which was bigger than any cat I've ever owned), but these last nearly two weeks, he'd be loosing weight, not eating or drinking, etc. I don't want to go into details but he was definitely sick. (He only weighed about 1/2 that this morning when we took him to the Vet).
They knew him at our Vet, and said by looking at him, that he wasn't doing well. We are not financially able to run hundreds of dollars of tests to see what was the matter with him other than he was very old (we have no clue how old he was when we got him 8.5 years ago, but definitely an adult cat). The doctor said without running lots of tests on him, it could be many things, actually- everything from kidney failure to cancer/tumors to diabetes. (I thought "the same things my husband has issues with!") We didn't want to see him suffer, so we had him put to sleep. We were with him, and it was very peaceful, which I'm Thankful for.
We brought him home to be buried in our garden. I will make a marker for him at some point. My husband has agreed to bury him for me. I don't think I could do that.
Getting To Know Our Cat- Some Trivia About Butterscotch:
*He came with the name and it suited him. His nicknames were many-- even had a "people" name, of "Scotty". (Also called him Scratchers, Buttercup, etc).
*Was never a very "playful" cat. I mean, you could stick a piece of yarn on his head and it would just dangle there, and he would just purr and go to sleep- all cozy and "whateveh' Mom". But last year I caught him PLAYING with a hair tie on the floor... I ever video'd it because it was so "un Scotty". Guess he was too "cool" to do CAT THINGS, like playing. (He wasn't lazy, just wasn't "cat" I think) Here is the only clip I have of him at his silly hair-tie game.. what a silly boy!
*He didn't like milk or tuna!! (I thought all cats did!) but LOVED--I kid you not: strawberry banana yogurt (small spoons full as s treat sometimes), canned corn juice (yes, he was silly) and FRUIT! He adored drinking the juice out of a cantaloupe and his fave-- watermelon. Silly, silly Boy!
*He was an un-neutered male and NEVER "sprayed" in the house...ever! He didn't even know he was a cat, we think. (He was strictly an indoor cat the whole time we had him)
*OH- and here's a kicker-- he LOVED TO TAKE BATHS AND SHOWERS!!!!! There was a time when he was younger and I heard him meowing in the bathroom when I was taking a shower-- I thought "Oh, the cats in here to keep me company" (I was washing my hair). I stepped back in the shower and almost TRIPPED on him, because he was IN the shower with me, purring, walking around... like he wanted to take a shower WITH me. I didn't know what to think, I just laughed and picked him up and put him outside the shower (again, he's a long haired cat, so you can image what he looked like all wet...sheesh) and said, "Scotty, you are too big to take a shower with Mommy...scoot!"
That was our boy, Butterscotch.
I told him on the way to the Vets today (I had him in cage, but he didn't mind sitting on your lap in the car, he didn't mind them at all) that he could sit on the lap of angels when he got to Heaven, maybe; but please don't try and take a shower with them.
I will be back to blog sometime soon. I just need some "us" time to heal for a bit.
Oh, and our dog, Hershey doesn't quite know what to think of this yet, but he's looking for his cat. (Butterscotch was the Alpha in that relationship as we got Hershey, as a small puppy,in the summer of 2007, but is now a 70# choc lab , so Butterscotch WAS the "big brother" I guess, but not any more of course- but sure acts like it. Over all they got along REALLY well)
Thank you for reading this. I am 48 years old now and I've never had to to have an animal die or put to sleep. It's hard.
Updated little later in the day, 2/13/12- I just came across this "typical" shot of Butterscotch, sitting all lazy on whatever I'm sewing (usually quilting) on Jan 20th of this year... I was preparing a post for my first guest post over at The Turquoise Piano. I'm not sure why I didn't post the photo (probably because the Tut was photo-heavy) but yes, he was a typical cat- always sitting on quilting/sewing projects. This one makes me smile.
Feb 15, 2012
The outpouring of sympathy and support over our loss of our beloved Butterscotch has really touched our hearts. Thank you SO much. He was a wonderful cat, and it was a joy to have him in our lives for as long as we did. I guess I've never pointed out but in the past, I've never had a cat for over 8 years in my life; and he was such a beloved pet, it's been hard for us all. Thank you again for your emotional support.
Sincerely,
Suzanne, Speavers (Kevin) and Hershey (our choc lab) and Sarah (our grown daughter who misses Scotty so much too, even though she's moved out and on her own now)
I've been invited to do a guest post by the one and only Kelli , at THE TURQUOISE PIANO Wow, I'm honored! She asked if I'd like to do a Tut, and she especially liked the Citra Solv PLACE MAT I did for my daughter, "Maytag" (...to help refresh her teen-brain on how to set silverware when setting a table.)
So, here is my Guest Post.
OK, first off, if you wanted to do a Place Mat just like this one you see here, you will need to use Citra Solv to make the place setting fabric you see here, using these graphics, offered for free at GRAHICSFAIRY. (I maintain a page listing all the images I use on my blog on this page for direct links).
~(2) pieces of 14" x 18" of white muslin 100% fabric (you can vary the size to suit your need. This was just a simple size for ME to work with)
~(1) piece of scrap quilt batting (low loft) slightly larger
~Sewing machine (but I suppose you could hand sew this too-it's up to you)
~Images of your choice copied on a laser jet printer or photo copied (think Staples, local library, whoever has a good' ol' photo copier. Ink Jet prints will NOT work)
~Citra Solv. (My newest Tutorial on to transfer images using Citra Solv, see above link or my sidebar of all of my tuts available)
Step One:
~Cut your two piece of fabric, to the desired size, and your quilt batting slightly larger (for trimming ease)
Step Two:
~With rights sides together, put the backing fabric, the focal fabric (such as your newly made Citra Solv designed piece- or just regular print fabric, it's up to you)
and place on top of quilt batting (yes, this will be three layers- one batting, and two fabric)
~Pin securely around three sizes-leaving one short side open for turning inside out (So, sew two long sides and one short side) sorry, took photo before all of my pins were in place. Use as many pins as you feel you need)
Step Three:
~Sew around three sides that are pinned. I use 1/4" seam (I'm a quilter, it's the only seam I "seem" to know!)
Step 4:
~When you have sewn all three pinned sides, trim up the piece (I use my trusty rottery cutter and mat- again, I'm a quilter- old habits, but scissors work too)
Step 5:
~Turn your piece right side out so it looks like a place mat, but with one unfinished end.
On the unfinished , carefully tuck each side (and batting) to appear to be a finished edge, and pin securely.
Step 6:
Now you just sew that end shut (1/4" seam), and while I'm at it, since I don't want the end to look all strange with a straight stitched when the other sides don't have that, I go ahead and sew 1/4" seam around the entire top area, so it makes a kind of decorative boarder :-)
(Of course you can just hand stitch the end closed too, without making an inner "boarder". I like to, but it's just how I roll)
Now go forth and make some pretty new place mats for your table, and if you wanna, teach your kid how to set the table properly.
GIVEAWAY TIME! To celebrate my first, ever Guest Post, I am giving away the single sample place mat shown here in this tut, and one fabric business card holder/mini wallet and matching fabric checkbook holder.
There are THREE ways to get a free entry into the drawing: Leave each comment for each entry.
1) Become a Follower of mine- and leave a comment telling me so right here in this post (if you are already a Follower, that's great, leave a comment to that effect)
2) Become a Follower of Kelli's at THE TURQUOISE PIANO -leave me a comment here on this post, telling me so. (Also, if already Follower hers, leave that note in the comment area here too)
3) Leave a separate comment telling me where you live (just state and country is fine) I love knowing where folks are located :)
Remember, each entry must have a separate comment so it might be assigned a number for the drawing.
The Giveaway sign up begins when this post goes live on 2/1/12, and will end on 2/7/12 at Noon here in Illinois.... (Oh, it just happens to be my birthday on the 7th too). I will announce the winner the evening of 2/7/12, here on this post
Make sure your settings are not set to NO-RELY. I have to have an email address for you if you are the winner, so I can contact you for shipping information.
If the original winner can not be contacted or does not reply within 7 days, I will chose another winner as a back up.
Smiles to all,
This Tut will be linked directly with THE TURQUOISE PIANO only (no other craft linky parties) and just two giveaway directories
Looking for a treat to have with your coffee or tea that isn't overly sweet? Well, I have a dear friend who doesn't like overly sugary sweet (don't judge-- yes, she's "special", but I try to do things that all guests in my home enjoy in their own way).
Cranberry and Raisin Scones
Makes 8 scones
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup butter (cold and cut into small pieces)
1/2 cup dried cranberries and raisin combo (either/or)
1/2 cup milk, plus more if needed
Mix all dry ingredients in bowl, then add butter and mix it with a fork until resembles course sand but no lumps (nothing bigger than a size of a pea, of course)
Add fruit
(I like to rehydrate the fruit by adding a little bit of water in the fruits used and microwave for 30 sec-1 min to soften..make sure to drain well before adding fruit to mix)
Add milk to completed mix, and stir well, the dough/mix will be sticky.
Drop by spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. This will make 8 scones
Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-18 minutes. (toothpick to test doneness)
They will look only slightly brown/tan, but that's how they are supposed to look.
