Scrapbooking ~ Fun Colors!

It's been overdue.

I know.

It's just that LIFE has a tendency to get in the way.

(you can read below... why, if you want)

   

I've really enjoyed doing this layout...

and I really love the way it turned out!

Even though LIFE has gotten in the way...

I still escape to my ROOM.

I LOVE my ROOM.

(Someday I'll share it with you!)

So here's the layout...

it's of my daughter and her family...

they did a 'photo shoot' with another couple and their family!

I'm really having trouble getting good photos.
Don't know if it's my camera or???
IF I get a better pix than now, I will change it!
(and remove this remark!)

Close-ups:

I've used mostly OLD stuff.
Some new... some paper from Teresa Collins is newer.
And the sequin arrow from Heidi Swapp.
All the other stuff... OLD from my [never-ending] stash.
Love it none-the-less!   

         Another close-up:

 And the last close-up!

Yeah... it makes me happy!

So.

re: my 'life gets in the way issue'.

I'm a deaf girl.  I have a cochlear implant on one side.  It really really HELPS a lot... to 'make' me hear better, but I'm still not a hearing person.  There is SO MUCH that I miss out on hearing all the time. And sometimes it just really gets to me.  I work in a grocery store, as a checker.  And all day long...day in and day out, people are talking to me.  It becomes exhausting to me to constantly try and figure out what the heck they are saying.  SOME people speak very plainly and look at me, which I love, and it makes it easy.  But MOST do not.  They mumble, they talk too fast, they might not have teeth!, they have heavy accents, they cover their faces, they talk on the side of me that has NO implant, and thus there is NO hearing them at all, and more.  Sometimes one will be talking to me, going on and on... and I'm literally staring at them, trying SO hard to figure out what the heck is coming out of their mouth!  And ... I can't understand a thing... and the more they talk, the more I'm lost!  Then, when they are done, they are looking at me expectantly, waiting for a response!  What does one answer to ... [something unknown]?  Sometimes I just kinda laugh and say... 'ha' ... sometimes I nod... and sometimes I kinda look blank at them and ... I dunno what I do.  Truly.  Some people are MEAN.  They are even MEAN when I tell them 'I'm sorry, I can't hear very well'.  And some people are meaner... when they YELL at me, thinking THAT will help??? NOT.  Yelling only makes it harder for me to understand, and embarrasses me and makes me hurt and angry.  Sometimes I get 'rude' back... and sometimes I shy down for the rest of the day.  Depends on how bad they do it, and how bad I feel that day.  So, I get really really TIRED.  Tired of working SO hard all day long day after day to understand all the different people.  It is never easy for me.  It takes extreme concentration to 'hear' above all the noise that is happening around me.  It embarrasses me to stare at them (especially men).  It embarrasses me to say the wrong thing.  It's not EASY to 'just hear' like hearing people seem to be able to do. 

So it all adds up to I get wiped out.  Can't do it anymore.  Don't want to do it anymore.  And I break down.  Cry.  Get hurt.  Yeah, and feel sorry for myself...

But... on the 'bright side' of all of this is that over the few years I've done this,  I HAVE learned to hear better.  I CAN finally 'separate' the multitude of sounds better.  I can listen to people better without staring at them every second.  I can now switch my 'ear' (cochlear ear) from hearing all the sounds, to just the phone, and hear on the phone better, then switch it back... much much easier.  It's tricky, 'cause I can't hear ANYTHING else when I'm on the phone!  And I thrill at the fact that I can do it!  It's amazing to me every day.  So, even though it is very difficult and very exhausting, I have learned so much.  And I'm very very grateful for the implant that has made it POSSIBLE.  Possible that I, a VERY VERY deaf girl, can BE a checker.  Not that I want to BE a checker... but sometimes one has to do what one doesn't wanna do.  RIGHT?

So.

That's my ... 

"LIFE gets in the way" thing.

thanks for visiting!

           

Chainsaw Carving - Mr. Owl

My hubs is a chainsaw carver.

He used to do huge items... in Oregon.

But there are very few [huge] logs here!

So he does more smaller items... and this one is done with cyprus.

It stands about 10.5" tall, and the diameter is just 3.5"!

And yes... it IS done with a chainsaw!

It's pretty amazing watching him.

 Do you wonder how he does it???

Pretty detailed, huh?
He does the tiny detail work with a dremel.

Neat looking wood!

 Notice all the tiny 'bug' holes?

 Everything together... gives Mr. Owl character!

 Full of personality, right?
He's a chubby little owl.

Even his claws... are detailed!

I think his face says:
'How can you not love me???' 

I sure do love him [the owl]!

My hubs does these amazing carvings...

I getta 'love' 'em for a bit, and 'claim' them for myself every time...

but, soon...

I gotta give 'em up.

-sigh-

thanks for visiting!

PS: my hubs said..."awwwwww, poor danella!' 

Scrappy Monday! Black & White...

I may just have to change my SATURDAY to a...

Scrappy Monday.

I just can't seem to 'get it together' on a Saturday.

I usually have Sunday/Monday off.

So Monday is much much easier for me.

  By the end of the week, I'm bushed.

totally

So, it's official:

It's now

SCRAPPY MONDAY!

And to share with you today,

is PART 1 of 2 layouts that my daughter, Kari and I made

TOGETHER!

Loved it... and so did she.

She did this one:

Here are some close-ups:

I did this one:

... and the details:

They are black and white for a reason.
They are going in a special place in Kari's house...
I will be sharing the WALL later this week!
Trust me, you will lOvE it!
...and maybe be inspired.

thanks for visiting!     

  

   

UPcycle Wednesday - What you can do with a Shirt!

 I've been wanting to make one of these for a long time.

My daughter and I made a trip to Phoenix a while back;

and there, we went to Scrapbooks, Etc.

They had a darling tablerunner made with burlap and fabric ruffles.

Mine is similar... not totally like their's.

Believe it or not;

the ruffles are made from a [$1.50 Salvation Army] man's shirt 

and a [$2.50 Salvation Army] cute girl's mini skirt! 

 It was my daughter's idea to use the 

shirt with the black graphics on it!

And she found the red ruffled mini skirt!  

We really loved the red polka dot embroidered ruffles! 

It was really hard to cut the mini skirt up, it was so cute.

I simply had to cut the top band off... about 4".

(nope...no before photos...what was I thinking?)

I simply sewed the [white] shirt onto the underskirt of the 'mini'.

Finished off all of the seams.

Pretty easy.

     I decided to completely line the burlap.

So it's just sewn right sides together, with the ruffles in the middle.

 

And yes, there are ruffles on both sides of the tablerunner.

 

Do you love the dishes?

They are my everyday dishes.

And almost ALL of them were on a super clearance at Fry's.

(It's a part of Kroger Co., like Fred Meyer)

    I guess it's one way I'm 'lucky' to work there,

I can watch for the super clearance markdowns!

  The white plates, the ramekins, and the silverware

were all super clearance... like .49 for the plate.

and $3 for the SET of red silverware.

Yeah, pretty crazy.

I've gotten them over the years I've been there.

The polka dot bowls are from the dollar store.

And the 'dipped' cups were on sale.... but not 'super'. (darn!)

   

   The table is super small.

It was an island... but we decided we didn't like it.

So my hubs cut the legs short.

We got rid of the glass top table we had...

and this table is eventually gonna be:

a farm table...ALL UPcycled!

Wish it would happen soon.

We will see!

    

thanks for visiting!

(and I made it... got it posted on Wed... whew!)

    

a Post Valentine's note!

This is just a short mini note!

My hubs is amazing.

He's so kind and loving and thoughtful.

I'm not a flowers and going out type of girl.

So this is what he did for me;

This was waiting for me when I came home from work that day.

 He hand-cut it... took him a few trys.

So sweet and thoughtful and simple.

Love him!

and...

that's not all.

When it was close to Valentine's I told him:

'Ya know what I want for Valentine's?

I wish for our bikes to be outta the living room!'

Yep, we have stored them behind the couch forEVER!

ick

And so he did.

He moved 'em out that day into this:   

Then over time, finished it up to this:

   Our house is weird, 'cause it faces backwards.

In other words, when you drive up you see the BACK of the house.

So my back door is my 'front' door.

No one ever sees the front of the house, which is this view.

Weird, huh?

Thanks for visiting!