Good Grief Girdie's blog

what a week........

It's been one of those weeks I hope we never have to repeat ever again or anyone has too..........no power, no internet, no tv, food spoiling in refrigerators and freezers, loosing and destruction of trees all over..........to say the least it's looked like combat zone in the OKC metro and surrounding cities this week. So many people still are without power, like my mom. She hasn't had any since last monday. Thank goodness she has a gas stove where she can cook and a gas heater in her garage that she leaves on and just opens the door into the house........at 90 years old we have asked her to come over and stay here but she's bound and determined to stay at her house hoping and praying any minute her power will be restored........my sister lives with her so we don't worry , but if she was alone it would be a different story.......in these pictures it doesn't really show how bad it really is......the front of our home the first day of the storm our lawn guys came over to at east clear out driveway and they just piled up all the limbs in piles until the weather was better and they could come back and haul it away. This would be a good time to be in the tree trimming business. Our neighbors had two big limbs fall through their roof .  We are thankful nothing that horrible happened here.....

Anyway that is what has been going on around here...........we are just thankful we have power and thanking all the crews out and about restoring all this mess that have come from other states to help in this kind of emergency.......the sun has been out for a couple days and the temps are in the 60's so we are all good for now............

as the saying goes what else can happen in 2020?????????????????????????

have a great weekend.........

A little Christmas and looking towards 2021 Sewing Journal.........

This is one of Heidi Swapp's online classes that I turned into a Christmas photo/journal! This flip book is constructed with 3 chip boards, 1 for the back, and the two that flip to the left and right........

this is of the left side flipped........

This is with both the right and left flipped open........the wreath on the front is just glued on the left half so you can still open it with the little boy still standing on the right side......

Then on each of the sides their are 6 cards that are folded in half to make it super easy to just add your photos or journal whatever it is you want........I plan on using it for my yearly Count down to Christmas.......I just thought it was a little different and kind of unique the way it was constructed......so if you like to learn a new way to Journal go to Heidi Swapps website and sign up for the online class.......and it's only $ 10.00. 

 

I have wanted to do a sewing/stitching journal for a while and thought what better time to start the New Year 2021..........hopefully we will be able to get back in the classroom and create this fun way to document your stitching and sewing........ the cover of this is so special because they were bought in France years ago and I have saved them for several years knowing that someday they would be used for a class........I have a limited amount ....this is what the cover looks like.....we will be decorating it but will leave it in its natural color........

 

As you can see the embossing is beautiful.........I did try to paint one to bring out the embossing but decided I liked it better in it's natural coloring.  This photo below  is the front cover with some writing on the bottom right hand corner........if anyone knows what it says I would love to know......hopefully it will be okay with what we are going to use it for.

 

This is what is on my worktable at the moment and tryin to figure a few things out for future classes  "IF" we will be able to get back in the classroom in 2021.............but for now I just wanted to show you a couple of things I am working on!

 

FYI.......

Yep it's pretty nasty outside today..........so I have decided to stay in and create away..........hope you are too! Happy Monday!

bragging mom.........

A while back I had blogged about our son taking up leather work........he has really taken off and made some incredible pieces.......first he started with dog collars and still is making those and now has  gotten into bigger pieces like belts and has been tooling these beautiful leather pieces ever since........he even bought this leather sewing machine...

My Dad was a really talented leather maker..........so he takes after his grandfather for sure...

These are the only 2 dog collars I have photos of the many he has made for family and friends..........

Well to say the least this kid is really talented and we are so proud of all his accomplishments and talents.......

Hope you are enjoying your weekend..........

 

fun evening..........

A few months ago my niece contacted me and asked if I was doing classes again.......not really but what are you thinking I asked her?????? She wanted to have a class in her home and I agreed.....when my niece decides to do something she goes all out......at first I thought there would be around 10-12.......and it grew and grew.......knowing with so many attending and being a little cautious about being inside I asked if we could do it in her garage and she agreed and it worked out perfect........the weather was warm so we opened the doors and it was a wonderful evening to do a little decoupage on 10" martini glasses...........plus we had the most amazing dinner provided by one of the best cooks around Carla Ring! This gal knows how to cook for big groups and does it so effortlessly .........Thanks Carla!

we had door prizes for everyone

cookies that I bagged up with their names and a few extras( sorry about the way they are displayed) 

Look at these adorable cookies below my great nephews wife made and decorated.........are these not the cutest! I don't know if you can see under the Martini Checks are artist palettes and paint brushes........this girl has taken cookie decorating to the next level for sure, and to think she has just started......Thanks Jana for these awesome creations

I hope they all had fun and left with something they will be able to use for fun entertaining or just a fun way to decorate with! All of these gals did a great job and were so creative.......Thank You for coming to the class. 

Felt so good to be teaching once again. Hopefully we can get back to a normal life and have more of these in our future.

Thank you to my sweet niece Kayla and her gracious and generous hospitality.........if you ever want to Party my niece is the one to plan it, she does it the right way!  Oh and I forgot this ......when you drove up to the front of her house( one of my other nieces who does those big yard signs) had a huge Party sign on the front lawn......

 

Well there you have a bit of what I have been getting ready for .........I have loved every minute of getting ready and actually being able to have people sitting around the tables making things and being creative ............

hope you all have a great weekend.......

(thank goodness we did this last night because the temps here in Oklahoma dropped 40 degrees overnight)

 

tuesday tuesday......

Every time I put away all of the Journaling ephemera etc ..........something else comes along I pull it back out to make another journal............let's just say my big plastic totes are full to the brim with journals that have been making their way since the first part of March while being stuck in the house ......... don't get me wrong I love making them but enough is enough.....hopefully in Nov. our church Christmas Market will be a great way to sell some of them.......hopefully everyone wants a journal to write in! More details on time and where the Market will be. I do know the date is Nov.14.......

I will also have other things to sell, but the Journals are in mass quantity this year!!!!!

Have you ever seen these bracelets made out of old handkerchiefs.....thought I would give it a try..

Just one of those random things.......my mom gave me a big box of old handkerchiefs a while back...........

 

hope you all are having a great chilly week like we are here in Oklahoma........baby it's cold outside for sure!!!!! (not my favorite kind of weather). 

 

HAPPY TUESDAY!!!!

Halloween/Christmas stitching........

 

Another one of Jenn's ( Noodle and LOu) wonderful embroidery girls..........I used some hand dyed velveteen instead of the velvet I usually use ( From Paper Crown Waco) and not as thrilled about the outcome of the velveteen.....it frays a little more than the hand dyed velvet from PC. But I had this purple and black that I wanted to try ,so I did! I am sure there will be a time I want it to fray so I will use for another project........

On another Holiday project........a while back I started this Santa face......was a little frustrated because this wasn't turning out like I had hoped.  So I put it away and decided last night to bring it back out and see if there was something different to do to make it work.....The mustache was already glued down so I had to lift it up to get his beard looking like it wasn't standing on top................so far so good..... for now the beard and face is all to show for.....as I go along hopefully it will be photo worthy......

 

Happy Fall weekend..........enjoy these cooler temps!

 

red, white and blue........

oops she lost one of her little red bows........

Several years ago I came across this wonderful artist Brittani Rose.......she makes these incredible paper dolls, she can even personalize them if you send a photo to customize.......I ordered a couple of her prints ( not originals) and have given some away for gifts and I kept this Madam President for myself......go check her out. I haven't looked on her website lately but hopefully she is still making these wonderful creations........

 

Happy Thursday all...........

weekend paper doll picks......

the two below are just about finished up....they need to hold a little something..........

I really love to dress these little dolls up and see what can be added to make them a little more special........I hope to get a few more finished and tucked away for a sell coming up in Nov. (Details Later on the Christmas Market at my church Nov. 14)

 

hope you all had another enjoyable fall weekend.......have a great week!