goshery

what I watched.

Photo courtesy of Netflix

For the past few weeks all I've been hearing about and seeing online is talk about a Netflix documentary called Making a Murderer.  Over the weekend I decided it was time to check it out and I wasn't disappointed.

This is an original Netflix documentary, which is a new thing for them.  Netflix is known as a streaming/dvd rental service but has started providing original content.  I've had a Netflix account for several years but don't use it as much as I should (since I'm paying a monthly fee).

This documentary includes ten hour long episodes and the word on the street is that you shouldn't start until you have several free hours, because once you start you won't want to stop watching.  I concur.  On Saturday afternoon I decided to watch a few episodes while I was working on a puzzle, and I ended up watching NINE episodes in a row resulting in a 2 a.m. bedtime.  I'm sure glad I didn't start it on a week day.

I won't give any spoilers, so if you haven't watched it yet it's safe to keep reading.

The documentary focuses on a man from Wisconsin that was charged with a crime and is then exonerated after serving 18 years in prison.  He is in the middle of filing suit against the county that charged him when he is arrested for another crime.  What follows is a long trial full of twists and turns.  It is griping.

At the end of the series I felt drained and wanting more, all at the same time.  I did a quick google search and found hundreds of articles, discussions and videos about the series.  All of it left me confused, angry and sad.

If you haven't watched the series yet I would strongly encourage you to do so.  I'd love to hear your thoughts about it if you have seen it.  Feel free to share here!

HELLO 2016.

2016 has arrived!  There's always a lot of excitement surrounding the start of a new year - everything seems possible on JANUARY first.  My year started with a four day break from work.  I spent all four days at home in my pajamas with the exception of one hour at church on Sunday morning.  I saw a great tweet on Saturday night that said, "I'm running out of clean pajamas" and I was like, wait, we're supposed to put on clean ones?  It was great to have four straight days at home.

2015 was a GREAT year.  My daughter got married in September and I spent much of the summer working on craft projects for the wedding, which is why the blog went QUIET around that time.  You know it's been a long time since you've blogged when you can't remember your blog password!

There are really two reasons why I haven't blogged in months.  The first reason is because I was too busy getting ready for the wedding.  It was a beautiful day and an awesome wedding and I'll share some of the photos here soon.  But, it was very time consuming and didn't leave time for much else (besides my real job).

The second reason is that I really didn't have anything to share.  I didn't want to share any of the wedding crafts I was making (I didn't want all of the guests to see them ahead of time) and I didn't want to post just for the sake of posting.

Having interesting content is always a challenge, so I've spent a lot of time thinking about whether or not I want to continue blogging (yes!) and if so, what I'd like to share.  The above photo basically sums up my interests right now and what I plan to blog about in 2016: planning, crafting, and organizing.  I'll probably throw in some storytelling too, since those tend to be popular posts and fun for me to write.

My plan right now is to post two to three times a week.  I don't have a solid schedule figured out yet, but when I do I'll share it with you.  If there's a topic or type of post you have enjoyed here in the past feel free to leave a comment and I'll try to work it in.

Here's to a GREAT 2016!  Let's do this!

 

seeing stars - a tutorial.

STARS can be a great addition to anything from a scrapbook page to home decor.  They are gender neutral, which makes them so versatile.  They are also a symbol of the United States and a staple of Americana.  I have a set of red, white and blue stars that I use as decor year round, but since it's almost JULY I decided to put them in an area of my house where I spend a lot of time - the kitchen.

This set of stars may look like the tin/metal variety that you see in stores, but they are actually made from paper.  I know!  It's really hard to tell, even in person, until you hold one in your hand.  Today I'll share a quick tutorial so that you can make a set of stars for yourself or to give as a gift.

To start, you'll need some heavy weight paper.  For this set I used white tag board, which you can find at a craft store or office supply store.  You could also use card stock, but regular typing paper is not heavy enough.

Next you'll need a star shape that you can trace.  If you have a Cricut or some other type of die cutting machine you could use that to cut out star shapes.  Another option would be to search the internet for free clipart of a star shape, print it and cut it out to use as a template.  My set contains three different sizes of stars, but you can make them all the same size if you prefer.

Once you have the shapes cut out use a ruler or straight edge draw a line from each point to the middle of the star.  Then fold along each line, so that you have a nice crease from the middle of each point to the middle of the star.  If you used heavy weight paper you'll find that the star quickly takes shape once you start making the folds.  You'll also want to fold between each point to make the five pointed sections stand out.

Once you have the folding done use some craft paint to paint the front side of each star.  Craft paint dries quickly and covers well on the heavy weight paper.  I chose red, white and blue but you could use others colors if you want the stars to match a specific area in your home.

The final step is to use black paint to create the look of aged metal.  I found that it worked best to use my finger to apply the black paint along each crease, but you could also use a foam brush.  You can add as much black paint as you'd like, not only on the creases but across the entire surface.  I started by adding a small amount of paint, but quickly decided that adding more paint gave me the look I wanted.

And that's it!  It's a fun and easy project and would be a great afternoon activity to do with kids.

photo organization.

I recently spent some time organizing the photos that I'm planning to scrapbook.  I've been using Iris photo storage containers that I purchased from Amazon.com to store my photos for a while.  I like these containers because each comes with 6 smaller containers, and together the set holds 100 4" x 6" photos.  The only thing I haven't liked about the containers is that I have to open and look through each of the smaller containers when I'm looking for specific photos.  When I reorganized my photos I came up with a solution to make finding photos easier.

The first thing I did was to number each of the containers and then I made an index for each of the large containers listing the photos in each of the smaller containers.  I put the list, along with any 5" x 7" photos I had, right on top so that I could see at least part of the list without opening the organizer.

If I want to see the entire list I open the large container and pull out the full page list.  I can quickly scan the list to see if the photos I want are in that container (I have two).

As I mentioned, I sometimes have 5" x 7" photos that go with the 4" x 6" photos in the smaller containers, and it works well to keep them right on top with the list.  There's enough space that they can fit in there without getting bent, and it's nice to have all of the photos together rather than storing the larger photos in another location.

Often times I only have a few photos of each event, so I don't need a separate small container for each event.  To make finding photos easier in the small containers I wrote the event title on a piece of white card stock and then used washi tape to attach the label to the first photo for each event.  The great thing about washi tape is that it's removable, so I can take it off the photo when I ready to scrapbook it without worrying about damaging the photo.

This method of storing photos is working really well.  If I was printing my photos at home I would probably just wait to print them until I was ready to scrapbook them, but I typically order my prints from Persnickety Prints and I order in batches, so I always have lots of photos to store.

Storing supplies in a way that it's easy to find what you're looking for is always a challenge, so any time I can find a process that works well I'm a happy scrapper.

stars and stripes.

I'm not sure how it happened but all of a sudden JULY is right around the corner.  I love the "theme" that surrounds the 4th of July - red, white & blue and stars - what's not to love!

I was thinking about the upcoming holiday last night and decided to make a set of tags for my Etsy shop.  I played around with stamps and cut some stars out using my Cricut and just like that the set was done.  The set includes 8 tags that could be used as journaling blocks, gift tags, or accents on a summer scrapbook page.  You could also use the tags to identify different foods at a 4th of July picnic!

To see additional images visit my shop.  You'll also see that all of my mini albums are on sale for 20% off - get one while they last!

the story around here.

The story around here involves a swimming pool, a couple of beaches, hot + humid weather, good food and good friends.

I spent last week in Florida with a group of girlfriends.  As expected, it was hot enough to keep us in the water most of each day, either in the pool or the Gulf of Mexico.  That's just the kind of weather you want when you are on a summer vacation and Florida did not disappoint.

While I was gone some relatives arrived from Colorado, so when I got back the vacation continued.  Today I'm back at work for the first time in TEN days.  Uff da.

Thanks for your kind comments about my participation on the Paperclipping Roundtable, which I've received here on the blog, in person, and via text.  It was such a fun thing to do and I appreciated the opportunity.

Hey, Monday.  If only I could sleep in for one more day . . .

paperclipping roundtable.

I'm excited to announce that I am a guest on the popular scrapbooking podcast The Paperclipping Roundtable this week.

If you aren't familiar with podcasts, they are basically audio recordings that are free to listen to and typically follow a particular format and cover a specific theme.  I've been a big fan of The Paperclipping Roundtable for a long time and I was honored and excited to be a guest.

The topic of this episode was scrapbooking crops; which is when a group of scrapbookers get together for an afternoon or a few days and work on their scrapbooking projects.  I've been lucky enough to attend a number of different crops and I told about my experiences during the podcast.

One of the stories I told was about my first weekend long crop which was in 2001.  It was a three day event, and I was so busy watching and listening to everyone there that I only completed one page in three days, and that was only because my friends helped me because they didn't want me to leave without accomplishing anything.  The above photo was taken on the last day of the weekend and I'm holding my one and only completed page.

If you are visiting my blog for the first time after listening to the podcast, WELCOME!  Take a look around and browse through my previous posts.

If you are reading here and haven't listened to the podcast before, you can hear the episode I participated in here:  http://www.paperclipping.com/prt252-were-talkin-croppin/

I really enjoyed it, and hope that you will too!

gardening tips.

I DO NOT consider myself to be a gardener and I actually have a reputation for killing plants.  However, that doesn't stop me from trying.  Every summer I plant some flowers and maybe a few vegetables and do my best to keep them alive.  My biggest downfall is remembering and/or taking the time to water them.  Then around the middle of August I start to get really sick of the whole thing and kind of wait around for them to die.  Ha!

So even though I'm not a great gardener, there are a few tricks I've learned along the way that I'd like to share with you.

TIP #1.  I love hanging baskets, but I don't love the plastic holders they come in when you buy them.  Instead, I prefer a metal hanging planter with a moss insert.  What I typically do is cut off the plastic hanger and then put the entire plastic pot inside the moss insert.  I think it looks nicer and it's super easy.

TIP #2.  If you have a tall pot or a large pot it can take a LOT of potting soil to fill it up.  Instead, I fill the bottom portion of the pot with plastic bottles, and then pour the soil over that.  The plastic bottles fill up some of the space but still offer the necessary drainage.  Since the plastic bottles are light, they help to keep the pot from being to heavy which is nice if you want to move them around.

Tip #3.  I like to do my potting on my driveway, which allows for easy clean-up.  However, if you have large pots it can be hard to move them once they are full.  I found that a great option is to place the empty pots in a wagon (or something else with wheels) so that it's easier to move them into place.  Another benefit is that it makes the pots a little bit more accessible and lessens back pain from bending over.

Those are my TIPS.  What's your best gardening secret?

the story around here.

The story around here is that SUMMER has arrived in Minnesota.  School is over for a few months and graduation parties were all the rage around here over the weekend.  My screens have been removed from the shelf in my garage, washed and put into wide open windows.

We're expecting HOT weather this week with highs in the 90's, which means that I'm having an argument in my head about open windows vs. air conditioning.  I'm not a fan of air conditioning, partly because I love having my windows open so that I can enjoy the fresh air and partly because I spend my work days in a chilly office.  By the time I leave work I'm ready for some heat, but I also really like sleeping and that's not always easy when it's hot in the house.

Over the weekend I tried on my swimsuits, never a fun thing to do.  I decided that it was time to get a few new options and time for a few of my suits to go in the trash.  I've completely switched out my closet, with sweaters and long sleeved shirts moving into the closet in the spare bedroom and lightweight summer clothes moving into my bedroom closet.

I'm on the hunt for some patio furniture including a table & chairs and some lounge chairs.  There are lots of options and decision making doesn't come easy for me, so right now the patio is empty except for pots of flowers and a few containers tomatoes, basil and peppers.  I'm bound and determined to have a few patio parties this summer, so I'm going to have to make furniture decisions soon.

HELLO SUMMER!  Welcome back . . . oh how I've missed you.

I love books + reading.

I've been in a READING SLUMP for the last couple of years.  I've always loved reading, but for a good, long while  I just didn't seem to "have time" to read.  I would hear people talking about books they were reading and I wished that I could get as excited about it as they sounded.  I read a few books, but for the most part I spent any free time I had watching tv and surfing the web on my laptop.

Suddenly all of that has changed.  I don't know why, but all of a sudden I CANNOT stop reading books!  It's been so much fun and I've read some really good books, so I thought I would share my book list with you along with my thoughts about each book.  Here's a list of the books I read in May:

THE ROSIE PROJECT by Graeme Simsion.  This book tells the story of a socially awkward genetics professor and one of his "projects".  The main character was odd but somehow likable and it was kind of weird to recognize a few things that we had in common (such as being introverts and maybe a little bit OCD).  The book was an easy read and it was kind of cute, but I didn't love it as much as I thought I would when I selected it.

ONE PLUS ONE by Jojo Moyes.  I read ME BEFORE YOU by the same author and loved it so wanted to give this book a try.  It's completely different, but I really liked this one too.  This tells the story of a mother trying her best to raise her daughter and foster boy after her husband left them.  It sounds depressing and there was a bit of that, but also a real sense of admiration for the determined little family that stuck together through some difficult times.  There was humor + romance in the story too, and I came to love the characters.  This was a good read and I would recommend it.

GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn.  Well then.  This was very different.  I think it's safe to say that by the end of the book (or sooner) I really didn't like ANY of these people.  Ugh.  But, that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy the story because I did.  It was suspenseful, interesting, upsetting and crazily enjoyable.  I had a few people tell me that I shouldn't read it because it was too strange, but I disagree.  I'm glad that I read it, and I would recommend it.

STATION 11 by Emily St. John Mandel.  This book was about survivors after a pandemic that wipes out 99% of the world's population.  It's not sci-fi or sciency (that's a word, right?) at all, but instead focuses on humanity and philosophy.  I found the book to be interesting, imaginative and haunting.  It made me think about what's important, how I spend my time and how I WANT to spend my time.  I finished it about 1-1/2 weeks ago and I STILL think about it.  For that reason alone, I would recommend this book.

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN by Paula Hawkins.  I just finished this book last night, and even as I was racing to finish it I was wishing it wouldn't end.  It was one of the few books that I finished and thought about starting over again.  The characters were interesting, the plot was interesting and there were parts of the book that I could total relate to - and others parts not at all.  Some people have compared it to Gone Girl and I can see that, but yet they are really, really different.  Of all the books on this list, this is my #1 recommendation.

I borrowed all of these books from my local library.  A couple were on the shelf when I stopped in, but for the most part I logged onto the library website and requested the books that I wanted.  Then - usually in a day or two - the library called to let me know that the book(s) I requested were ready for pick up.  So slick!

Have you read any good books lately?  What's on your reading list?  Please share in the comments - I'd love to add more books to my TO READ list.  If you are looking for additional book recommendations be sure to click on the "books" link on the right sidebar where you'll find a long list of books I've read.