Ignoring holidays

Holidays are difficult after the loss of a loved one.  I tried to ignore this one by packing up my craft room.  I removed all shelving from walls and packed the contents in boxes.

Shade trees are wonderful in the summer, but they can create a lot of work in the fall.  I can't seem to keep up with the falling leaves.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I received this adorable turkey card from a cyberfriend from OWH, Dixie.  It was so thoughtful and had a wonderful personal message inside.

I'm so thankful for all of my internet friends and my family and personal friends.  I'm also very thankful to have good neighbors.  The neighbors who live behind me did a wonderful thing today.  They repaired the fence that has needed it for a while.  Now, we have no worries about it blowing down in the next storm.  They are so kind and thoughtful.

I'm also very thankful that they chose to plant that beautiful tree right next to my fence.  It has beautiful flowers in the spring and lovely colorful leaves in the fall.

This is the time of year that we think about all the things we are thankful for.  I hope you all take the time to reflect on the things that mean so much to us. 

I am very thankful for our heroes that serve our country in the military.  They make it possible for all of us to be thankful for our freedom.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you friends

I know my blog readers would love to see some cards for a change.  I still haven't been able to make my own, so I'll post some that I have received.  My birthday was 2 days ago and I got some lovely cards from my card making friends.  Enjoy:

Dorveda

Jodi

Pat F.

Wanda

Lisa H.



Karen L.

Now, last but certainly not least.  I received a beautiful calligraphy card from Joyce, across the Pond. 



Inside of card

Bookmark insert

Home for sale

Things are progressing in my life.  My health is improving since I'm not working quite as hard.  I needed a break from that hectic schedule while preparing my home for sale.  I have lots more to do and won't be able to move until someone buys this place.  To look at a movie version of the listing for this home, CLICK HERE

Here is a photo I took from the front yard in February of this year.  There is a park at the end of the street with pretty mountains behind them.  There isn't snow on them now, but will be this winter.  This is closest we get to snow, a view on the mountains.

Official listing

One more step forward.  The house is listed for sale on the Internet.  Now, I relaxing a bit to get my body and mind refreshed for whatever the future brings for me.  I'm working on getting my health problems stabilized.

This is a great place to sit in the shade and watch the leaves turn.

I'm hoping to get back to making a few cards soon.  I still have a box of them made for Operation Write Home and just need to write on the Any Hero cards and get them in the mail to my shipper.

House for sale

The For Sale sign went up in front of my house this afternoon.

House for sale

Craft room window from outside

Shaded craft room window

Pretty little palm tree

The sun finally hit the front of the house, so I took some photos.  Now, I just need to wait for a buyer to come along and fall in love, like I did 5 years ago.

Making progress

I hope 11-11-11 was a lucky day for me.  I finished preparing my home for the For Sale listing.  The real estate agent came over yesterday and took photos of all the rooms and the outside.  She was disappointed that it turned cloudy so the outside photos won't show our usual pretty blue sky.  She said she'll come back on a sunny day and replace the photos.  In the meantime, she's writing up the listing to get it on the Internet.

Here's a few photos I took this morning to show you the changes in my craft room and living room.  You can see the before pictures HERE.

View when entering room.

My stamping and coloring table.

Iris carts have wood mounted rubber stamps,
Paper and ink storage above the stamp storage.

Living room after craft room stuff was removed.

As you can see, I'm not ready to move yet - lots more sorting and all the packing to do.  I just wanted it ready to show to potential buyers.  I don't know how soon it will sell, but I'm ready to get on with my life.  Once I depersonalized my house, it's no longer my home.

Moving on

There will be no more photos for a while.  I signed the contract to list my home for 'short sale' yesterday afternoon.  My real estate agent gave me the weekend to get the house ready to show.  The For Sale sign will go up on Monday.  That gives me 3 days to clear out this space.  Lots of packing and decluttering will be happening this weekend.  I'll be back when this is all over.

Clearly Mosaics for sale

I once made lots of these mosaic votive candle holders.  Most of them were given as gifts, but I kept these for myself.  The one on the left is made from Clearly Mosaics marbelized tiles in random shapes.  The other three were made from the more clear and defined shapes of Clearly Mosaics.  These are all acrylic tiles, which are glued to glass containers with Silicone adhesive.  Grout is then applied to complete the look.

Since my hands are getting old with the rest of my body, I can no longer make these.  I have a lot of supplies left and would like to sell them.  Directions are included with them.

Marbleized acrylic tiles

Defined shapes acrylic tiles

Instructions

I'm also including the packages of grout that I have on hand.  You can buy more grout at many stores.

Grout

Grout Instructions

I also have some glass mosaic tiles, which I didn't really get around to trying.  I'll include those in the package also.  Some are arranged in shapes that can be added to projects.

Glass Tiles

Glass Designs

Seaglass tiles

All of these items, except the samples (I'm keeping those), fit in a USPS Large Flat Rate Priority Box.  I'll sell the entire set for $30, including shipping.    oldstamper@gmail.com