I did it! My first SVG's!

You may remember me saying in a prior post that one of my goals was to make my own digital elements (SVG's).  Another one of them was to learn Inkscape.  This week I made great strides toward both!!!  Yeah Me!!


By the way, SVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphic.  It is an object that, no matter how big or small you size it, doesn't pixilate and wind up looking distorted.  SVG's are used for all sorts of things - clip art, scrapbooking, web design, etc.  
Inkscape is a FREE open source SVG graphics editor program. http://inkscape.org/   It is the bomb.


So, after about a year of thinking about it, I actually took the time to sit down with Inkscape (on my new computer - woohoo!) and try to make my own SVG!  Fear of failure had kept me from taking that first step for way too long.  Well - check this out!:

My first SVG - his and hers owls.  I think they came out very cute.  I made them in Inkscape, after MUCH trial, error, and Googling 'how to' tips constantly.  The good news is that I figured it out and learned a whole lot in the mean time!
I sought out advice from Sue Espinoza from http://creationsbypapasue.blogspot.com/.  You may already know, Sue is a wizard with Inkscape and does terrific video tutorials.  She is also a contributing member of the Inkscape Design Forum; also a wealth of knowledge and insight on how to learn this incredible program.  http://www.inkscapecuttingdesign.com/index.php
Sue commented that my initial designs were good, but lacked personality.  Hhhmmm.  How to give an owl personality?
She also sent me a link that took me to the web search images of other owls people had done.  I have to say - my mind contemplated quitting, right then and there.  The creativity and sheer genius of the artists out there is simply staggering.  After viewing these images, I wound up turning my computer off for the night.  It really gave me something to think about - why am I knocking myself out to make these silly owls when there are images out there that far exceed anything I could hope to do.  The answer just kept coming back to me:  because that is what I want to do.  Simple as that.
After mulling over the whole 'personality' thing, I decided that these owls should have clothing - of course they should!  Dapper Dan and Sweet Sandra  (I just made those names up) gradually emerged.  Voila!


I have a now-extinct copy of Sure Cuts A Lot2, which is a program that allows you to cut non-Cricut Cartridge images on your Cricut.  Cutting my owls out on my Cricut was as easy as bringing the .svg file into SCAL2, scattering the different images (beak, body, dress, necklace, etc) over the cutting mat so they would cut out individually, and pressing CUT.  With that press of a button, I made a big dent in a couple of my most exciting goals.
What about you?  Is there something you have been thinking about (hopefully not for a year, like me), but have been putting off due to fear of failure?  What is it?  And what is your plan to make it happen?  Tell us about it.

Fail? What Fail?

Okay - I have been gone for a while.  Thinking about posting, but to be honest, I haven't had consistent caffeine lately - AS I HAVE BEEN WALKING IN THE MORNINGS!!!  Thus, my coffee-fueled early morning rants have been few and far between.
What? Me?  Exercise?  Yes, Me - somehow exercise is becoming not as nasty of a word as it used to be.  Go figure!  Although, I have to say, the caffeine withdrawal headaches have been hellacious!!
So a couple of weeks ago, hubby and I got on the Wii Fit.  It cheerfully proclaimed that I have gained 19 pounds in the last 2 years.  OMGosh - I am truly blowing up!  I had secretly hoped that it only 'felt' like I was blowing up.  You know it's gonna be bad when when you step on the Wii Balance Board, and the voice says "Oh...".  Nice.
So, my behind has been getting out of bed and into the shower at the crack of Aunt Dawn to go walking with my sister in law.  Grumbling the whole way.  Once I am clean, I am at least not scowling any more.  But, I have to say - the couple of days that she has sent a text saying that she couldn't walk were glorious!!
I trust all of this watching what I eat and exercising is going to help - I have never had to 'diet' before, and I'm here to tell you that I don't like it!

Oh - and I got a new computer.  (Mine promptly stopped charging, right when I was on the cusp of a digitally creative breakthrough.)  Can you say 'hogs heaven'?  I spent an entire day loading all of my crap on to the new computer and testing to make sure it worked.  I was kind of concerned about my Sure Cuts A Lot2, because the license is only good for 2 computers.  I wrote to CraftEdge and explained my plight.  They did whatever it is that they do, and wrote me back to tell me that I would be fine - and I was!  Perfect!  So now, I am back in business, technologically speaking.
...I have to tell you - I was talking to my hubby about this.  Since I started this blog, I realize that I am not as creatively bound up as I thought.  Either that, or writing this blog is helping me with being able to break out of the perfectionist mindset.  Either way, I'll take it!  :)  See you again soon!

Let Me Fail

It's true! How many times have I needed to practice something - like machine quilting on my home machine, or sewing an appliqué on - and knowing that it will help me be a better quilter/sewer, I still can't bring myself to do it. Is it that I don't have time to practice? Is it that I think I'm good enough to plunge in and "just do it"? Is it that I don't want to see how bad I am at doing it? Unknown, but my sister and I have labeled this procrastination and paralyzation "fear of failure". And it is paralyzingly. There's got to be some psychological reason for it.

Who knew?

Yesterday was classic 'permission to fail' day.  It was one of those days where I wandered around the house, knowing I needed to do the things on my to-do list, yet doing nothing.  It wasn't until 2pm that I finally got my hiney in gear.
One of the things on my perpetual to-do list is 'exercise'.  This is one that I normally look at, then skip over. Frankly, I hate to exercise.  You know how we have heard that our dread of housework stems from when we were young and housework was doled out as punishment or had to be done before we could do anything fun?  My personal theory on the loathing of exercise is that it goes back to gym class!  For me - that totally sucked!  We were forced to make fools of ourselves in front of God and everybody under the guise of exercise, lest we get a bad grade (which usually happened anyway).
Anywho, I digress.  I feel the need to exercise for several reasons.  1)  I am only 44 - I shouldn't be this achy in the morning, 2)  I have my first grandbaby on the way :D, and want to be super-nana, and 3)  I am blowing up.  Not working and my constant close proximity to the kitchen are really starting to show!
So, I went downstairs and sat on the floor.  I tried to remember all of the stretching exercises that the girl's basketball team used to do before practice in high school (my sister was on the team, I was the lowly statistician).  I should have put on "Urgent" by Foreigner and "Centerfold" by J.Geils Band - that would have transported me right back to high school in my mind.
The ironic part is that after some mild stretching - nothing strenuous - I felt so much better, physically and mentally!  I'll be damned!   Exercising even that little bit made me feel better, and I went on to accomplish several things on my list without dreading them - Woohoo!  Not sure whether it was that I just needed to get this dreaded task done before I could mentally move forward, or the whole endorphin thing.  Whatever - it worked!
I suppose it's all about working on changing those old perceptions.  Throwing out the 'I hate this but gotta do it anyway' attitude, and looking at exercise as a way to improve myself.  I did it for me this time, not for a grade.  Will it stick?  Don't know - hope so - I am discovering that my life is a worthy cause.

My Victory - Courtesy of the US Post Office!

Woohoo!!!  I SO have to share this with you!  I am experiencing a major WIN today!
Here's the background:
1)  one of the tradeoffs to me not working is that we only have one vehicle
2)  dear hubby had to work today and drove said vehicle
3)  I forsake (foresook?) taking him to work because I will be damned if I miss out on my morning coffee time
4)  I am now sweating because I told my dear niece in law that I would mail her something *today*, not knowing that aforementioned dear hubby had to work
5)  the local post office is across town but it is a fairly small town, so I could walk if worse came to worse

Okay - now that you have the story:  This morning I was making out my daily to-do list, which today includes walking my behind to the post office, when it hits me - WAIT A MINUTE!  Don't I remember an annoying sales call I once got about being able to print your own postage from home?
So I went to www.usps.com and there it is: CLICK-N-SHIP from the US Post Office!  OMGosh!  Could my solution be that easy?  I hope so, because it's raining out.
Breathlessly, I followed the instructions for the Flat Rate Envelope, since that is what I have and it miraculously fits, and paid using my PayPal account.  After getting on my hands and knees to reroute my printer plug from a non-working power outlet to a working outlet (don't get me started...), I was able to magically print out the shipping label on to regular printer paper, which I then glued on to the envelope!  I swear I was hearing angels singing in the background as it was printing!!!
I put the Flat Rate Envelope in my mail box to await the mail fish.  I promptly jumped in the shower to get dressed, just in case I get the ominous knock at the door "I'm sorry ma'am...".  If I get that knock at the door, I will be back on here with a scathing tirade on the rotten service and nasty mail fish.  We should know which way it goes in less than an hour.
Maybe I should have waited to post this, but I couldn't stand it - this is just so cool!  Think of the possibilities - not just for carless slobs like me, but the working fish that knows she has to mail something but really, wholeheartedly does NOT want to go to the post office at lunch.  And if you are she, you can't see over your package and trip in the parking lot and your knee is bleeding like a mother.  ...you know who you are - that story isn't going away.
Anywho - three cheers for the US POST OFFICE!  Making lives easier every day!  Definitely, not a fail!

UPDATE:  After pacing around like a cat and subconsciously holding my breath, sneaking furtive periodic glances at my mail box - It's Gone!!!  Halleluiah - It Worked!!!  Granted, I could have walked to the post office and back in the time that I got nothing done while sweating about whether the mail fish would take it or not, but he did!  This is GREAT!!!
Now - what else was I supposed to do today?

How much is too much?

Is your stash of crafting and/or sewing supplies taking on a life of it's own?  What about all those projects for which you have purchased everything you need to get started?  I dare you to try to count those!  My sister, Brenda, once said that "I'll have to live to be 200 in order to do all these projects".  So true!!!
How do all those unfinished/unstarted projects make you feel?  How many years have they been calling to you?  Have their voices turned from being lovely and beckoning to being mocking and shame inducing?
As a devout Flybaby (flylady.net), I have had my eyes opened to the concept of only keeping things that I love and that make me smile.  This goes for everything in your home.  I found that my craft room was a huge source of dread - how could I possibly want to start a new cross-stitch picture, when I had 2 others, a crochet lap blanket, and a partial quilt top still unfinished???
After taking a long hard look at why I had never finished those projects, I realized that I no longer loved some of them.  One of the cross stitch pictures was for my ex-(12 years ago!)mother-in-law.  The crochet lap blanket was supposed to be for my sister, when she moved into her house in Tampa (she now lives in Jacksonville!), and the more I looked at it, I realize that I have forgotten how to crochet!  Yikes!
So, one day, I just did it!  Despite all of my internal arguments about having invested so much time and effort in those projects, the bottom line is that I didn't love them anymore.  Their time had passed.  I threw them away.  Along with them, I threw away the guilt of not having finished them.  Done.  Very liberating!
Having done this gave me the courage to view my crafting/sewing supplies in a new way.  I now had what it takes to view my individual crafting supplies as recyclable.  If I can't use those 100 pipe cleaners, I bet someone shopping at the Goodwill can!  I now actively try to cull my crafting supplies as I see them in order to bless myself with less guilt and more real estate as well as blessing the person who sees this great find at the thrift store.  Win-Win!

Tea Cup Sampler by Stoney Creek Collection

The second side to this story is that I picked up where I had left off on my remaining cross-stitch picture.  I realized that I had put it down over discontent with a mistake that I had made in it.  Not noticeable, but I knew it was there - mocking me.  Because I was just too lazy to fix it, I put my perfectionism aside and was able to move forward and finish the picture.  Another one bites the dust! Now I just have to get it framed!  :0






So, for me, the bottom line is this - how many projects is too many?  I say, when they start to cause you shame and dread, that's when it is time to do something about it.  Either offload them or finish them.  You would be amazed at how good it feels to have these crafty little monkeys off your back!
What about you?  I trust I'm not alone in this!!  (Yikes - what if I am???)

Wanda's Craft Room

Okay - I had to rearrange my craft room yesterday so that it would fit my sewing area as well as papercrafting. Boo for not enough bedrooms!!  After pulling a muscle on the back of my arm while lugging a big wooden table up the stairs, I think I have it in some semblance of shape.
Here are the before and after photos:

This is before.  Notice my personal assistant (The Mouse) on the lower left.

This is after!  Amazingly, my craft room doesn't feel overly crowded.  Still very cozy.
So, all in all I consider this move a success.  I stewed about it for days, but once it hit me that simply putting my set of white shelves on the opposite wall would give me more room it all fell into place. Yeah!
Have you been stewing over a room makeover?  Let's hear about it, so you can clear your head and move forward!