Cool News For Scrappers

It's been a really long time ... A lot has happened in the world ... Even more in our personal lfe ... But I just had to share this for any readers who scrap:

You know when people look at your scrap book pages and then comment on how they would "love a copy" of that photo that's been glued/adhered down?

Now at Archivers (check their website for your nearest location) you can get full sized 12 inch copies ... Yes you can get a copy of the entire page! You can even get it shrunk down to a smaller 8 inch size if you want to make a sort of "souvenir" album.

I called my local store and they said that copies start at $3.49 a sheet ... I would assume (but I could very well be wrong) that to shrink it might cost a tad more.

I can see where this would come in handy for weddings - one main album for the bride/groom, and copies for the parents and the people who stood up - maybe even the officiate if they are a personal friend ...

Maybe that favorite aunt who couldn't make it ...
One for each of the kids later in your life ...
Or grandiose ...

How about baby books? Make the main one for your family and copies for each set of grandparents ...
Ones for the Godparents ...

What about bridal/ baby showers? Same thing ... Main one for mom/dad/baby ... Some for the grandparents .... Maybe a book that not only has pictures of things like baby's sonogram but also photos of mom &dad as kids thru the years for comparison ... What a precious gift this would be! Just make copies of the parents baby pictures so that the grandparents can get their photos back ... Most grandparents will have them either loose, in some of those albums where the photos just slide in, or in one of those albums that had the tiny sticky dot pages ...

HINT: if you do have photos on those old photo books with the sticky dots,be very careful removing them ... after being there for 20-30 years we found that they will be PERMENATELY stck and maybe damaged while trying to remove them from the page.

Check at Archivers (sorry but they are the experts on this one) and see if they have a product to dissolve the glue without damaging the photos.

I mean I know there is something out there - it's like Goop-Off or lighter fluid ( BUT DON'T USE THOSE) but it's a liquid that comes in a nozzle bottle that you squeeze on and it will gently eat the glue but the photo has minimum damage to it.

Any how ...

Just wanted to share about the copies ...

I think it's a wonderful idea ... Even if it is expensive - you are probably only to need/want this type of service so price will be a smaller factor in the long run.

Wish List

We've been discussing new bed frames ... I need something with enough scroll work to hang a couple of eye-glass cases on for hubby & me at night ... also at least one vertical post on each side to hold those wrap=around umbrella lights or such for knitting in bed at night.
I really like this one ... but the only store I've found that sells it (online) has it for nearly $800 - plus the scrolls on the sides could prove to be dangerous in the long run ... hubby & I are rather accident prone on such things.

Passing of an Era

I'm so sad .... I was really excited, but now I'm sad.

American Girls has announced that it is going to retire the 'Samantha' doll and stop producing the items for her set as well.

So sad.

I love Samantha - though I don't own one (I have a Kirsten doll, still in its original packaging) - I have always looked at her things longingly. I don't know why I never bought any of it -- I mean I spend plenty of money on other things, but for some reason it is just impossible for me to justify spending money on dolls.

Samantha is based in the Edwardian Era ... I know most people say Victorian era ... but what its about (women's rights, child labor, orphan trains, titanic's sinking) takes place in the Edwardian period ... although the later book (newer books?) mentioning the titanic would actually be outside the normal scope of the books -- normally surrounding two years around the dolls time (in Sam's its supposed to be 1904 ... and titanic was 8 yrs later)

Edwardian era is from 1901 - 1915 or so (it actually extended past his period of reign since it took that long for its influences to fade). Although the Samantha stories never get into the aspects of World War 1 ... some of the stories do tell of the sinking of the Titanic (1912) and women trying to get the right to vote (which US women got nation wide in 1920)

I am really really sad. the company has changed a lot since Mattel took it over - although all in all the prices have remained fairly steady (the dolls went from like $80 to $90 for doll & paperback book, a bit more for the hardcover) ... but the emphasis has changed.

I remember when I first saw their catalog ... I was still in college and boy did it make me want to be a kid again! I fell in love with Sam's bed & trunk ... but Molly was more my style ... but then at the same time I was very attracted to Kirsten who had that very 'Laura Ingalls' background to her even if she did come from another country.

but sam -- she was the one I've always wanted deep down ... well her furniture is what i wanted really. now she will be gone ... gone forever.

ah ... to win the lottery before she is retired would be a great thing -- but then ... I've got better plans for that than buying dolls.

Wish List

Star Light, star bright
First Star I see tonight
Wish I may,
Wish I might
Have the Wish I Wish Tonight

Okay I don't really need it .... its available at Sears.com .... its under $400 .... but we have a perfectly servicable Nook set that came with the house, so this will have to wait.

Why do I like this one? Well aside of the brighter color (my kitchen is currently black with avocado/goldenrod), the current set is leather upostered .... nice, unless you have kids--they have put a huge gash in one of the seats that started off small enough but has grown into a zipcode of its own .... but its perfectly servicable.

Also the table of our nook is currently attached to the bench by an L shaped pipe (I say 'currently' because you never know how long anything will last with these kids)... nice in that you don't have to worry about where your feet go, but you can't get it out of the way to be sure everything is swept from underneath == oh and spills! It would be nice to be able to get to those spills without having to take the entire bench apart.

Speaking of underneath -- right now we can use underneath the benches for storage by lifting the bench seats...another great idea unless you have kids--liquids&crumbs collect between the cushions so cleaning is a real bummer/adventure; No storage, but then no place for the gunk to hide either.

I can sit three along the outside if need be with the bench, instead of just the two I can now with chairs ... the old 1950's kind where the feet are angled so that they 'hook' onto each other when two people are trying to tuck-in, its a veritable wrestling match for space.

the present model blocks the heat vent for the kitchen such that the old owner had to jerry-rig a way to pump the heat to one end of the bench .... open bottom means loss of storage but plenty of heat (that would be nice) ... also I can see if anything is resting on the heater back there - yuk, nothing quite like having the kids drop something behind the bench and not tell you about it until the heater goes on in the winter - "who dropped the plastic toys behind the bench?' 'oh yeah. That's where they went' ... or I've even had ... 'don't you think it would be nice if you drop a peice of bread behind the bench, you'd let someone know?!' -- mind you, these are the same kids that somehow got oatmeal on the rim of the over-hang lamp)

The new set would mean I would have to make cushions - ones with removable covers for washing (the ones shown are sold seperate). The wood marrs, scratches, finishes wear. While I like the trestle table ... the bench looks a bit unsteady ... with the bench more than one person would have to be comfy with the distance from the table.

Actually I should have hubby look at this and design our own. It would be nice to have the table big enough to have a bench along both outside edges ... although I'm not sure that would work for everyday use (maybe a leaf configuration) for when we have drop-ins or for those holidays when there's 10 of us trying to use the table. (Actually hubby could do just as good if not a better job than what I see here)

Oh well. Just wishing.

My old table will suit me fine for many a year yet --- I just need to spend $50 and replace the leather with vinyl leatherette and it will last and last. $50 vs. $400 (after shipping/tax) sounds a hell-of-a-lot better to me anyways. I'm sure it would to hubby too.

But it'd be nice.

**********appendium**********

Upon reading this, I realize that I make it sound as if my kids are wild ... they aren't ... they not Bebe-Kids or anything ... but they are rough on their enviroment - as most kids are actually.

Am too, Am not

Okay I openly admit that I stole this idea from the Yarn Harlot ... if you don't know who she is or aren't a crafter, you should check out her blog anyways - its usually good for a laugh.
So she started this on her blog ... hopefully everyone who reads it will put one up on their page as well.

What I am doing: Trying my best to let the kids clean the basement for me. We've been after them for a week to clean up the total mess they made out of the basement over the last two weeks - trying to explain that shoving it under the end tables and behind chairs is not really cleaning ... nor is throwing it into the exersize room. I am this side of crying....its my birthday.
Actually if mom were here I know exactly what she'd say ... 'just be happy your kids are healthy enough to be able to get into trouble' . And I am. I just wish I didn't have to keep reminding myself quite so often - so soon into summer vacation.

What I wish I was doing: I would love to be sitting outside with a glass of iced tea and a slice of birthday cake. Sitting on my mother's swing that my dad gave me for my birthday or at the round patio table. If only I had some flat ground to set them up on.

What I am doing: I writing a blog while waiting for the water to boil so I can cook dinner for the family for my birthday (no cake, kids didn't give me time to make it) ... just so I can hear them fret because it will have spinach in it .... ziti, tomatoes (canned), spinach, cream cheese, and hamburger (my addition). I will probably add some Parmesan or some 'three cheese' shredded cheese too...maybe just the parmesan (its healthier).

What I wish I was doing: I would love to be getting ready to go out to dinner without the kids. We love TimberLodge Steak house ... they have the best steak (sorry no vegetarians here ... we are trying to save the world). Or even better - I would love a bucket of KFC extra crispy, mostly legs, all to myself. I'm a sucker for KFC. I love it .... probably because we had such a big family that getting fried chicken in a box was a treat - but KFC meant something really really good.
Maybe I can imagine that I'm eating KFC tonight while shoving in the pasta...only it might be hard to swallow.

Actually I should be happy ... so far it hasn't been an absolutely horrid day. We found another library book which my daughter volunteered to take back to school on her bike (just over 1 mi) ... and my kids brought up the beautiful 'sun' spinner I got from my brother & his girl friend for Christmas, which I finally hung outside with the ones I bought for myself for Christmas (although they are smaller) ... my oldest son mowed & weed-whacked without making a fuss (probably because he already heard I was stressed) .... hubby says he will take me shopping tonight - he wants to look at a new swing - he's not looking foward to scrubbing and painting the old one I think, but its my mom's so I'm not tossing it out until its on its last leg (the thing is about 15 yrs old) ...

Now I'm not going to declare it a compete success -- hubby is doing a very dangerous part of farming. It can be very dangerous and he almost lost his fingers once, nearly got clocked in the head another - he needs to get out the sickle mower to do the ditch between the fields.

When I Win The Lottery List

Okay I'm hoping this will work...but if not I have a photo I can add (hopefully not getting into trouble for borrowing it)....but I want this color soooo badly.
But I'm not willing to pay the price for it.
STR--Lightweight....Colorsways:Multicolor Wave:Pirates Booty....aw man, it looks gorgious...it runs the gambit of colors from Golden Yellow to deep Purple & Pirate Black all in jewel tones (nothing dull about these colors) .... they look like a round of colors that even my "baby goth" teenager would wear ... and that says a LOT! Normally only boys can make her wear something other than black or red.

Each hank is 360 yds. of 100% Superwash Merino .... love superwash--it means that the socks will be able to go in the washer without fear of shrinking, puckering, pilling, etc.

All that for $19.00.

The Beehive Lorna Laces I used for my Hogwarts Sock swap was only 215 yds for $11. And I needed just over 2 hanks to make my socks .... there was still enough left over to send to my partner in case she needed to darn heels/toes later or wanted to add a bit of height.

So I would think just ONE hank of this yarn would make a nice pair of socks!

Yep this definitely goes on the Wish List