Crafty Jokes

I know that I have mentioned it before but I love where I am currently working. There are so many joksters. Recently one of the more quiet ones had his name converted. Apparently his real name is similar to that of a female porn star. Over the weekend I made up the below image for him to put on his computer. The boss presented it to him at our staff meeting this morning. I told him it took me all afternoon so he had better display it for at least a month. The initials are a mixture of his and the porn stars.

Hmm well I went to the gym tonight and my aim is to look as good as the figure above. Maybe I should have kept her for myself as incentive.

I am going to a craft course on Thursday where I have to take photo's of myself. That is going to be difficult as I hate photo's of myself and therefore have none. We will be making a mini album about ourselves ... I think I will take photo's of the dog. I have lots of pics of the dog so maybe I could pretend they are me. Oh well I will post pictures on here once it is all completed.

I am currently doing instant messaging with a dear Internet friend whom I have never met. It is the first time I have tried it and it is great. By the time I turn 60 I should be able to project my image into someones home and have coffee with them - except by then I hope to be off the coffee!!!

Curves

Well two days into my weight loss - or should I say exercise. I haven't actually really looked at the diet yet. Actually it is the iced coffee. I love it too much. Water tastes like metal and when your salad has raw onion in it and you have run out of mints then you need to have something to get rid of the taste. My boss thinks its funny. He makes a joke of it every time he sees me with my coffee and today told me he won't accept the excuses anymore and will be my conscience (note to self - don't drink coffee in front of boss, hide under table until he leaves).

At least I have started exercise. I joined up at curves gym. It is cheaper than a regular gym as they do a 30 minute circuit. When I first saw their machines I thought this was going to be a breeze. Let me tell you that it is not. I get a full on work out both cardio and toning and all in 30 minutes. If you are big like me and don't want to embarrass yourself at a regular gym this one is great. In fact even when I am a size 8 again (note I said when) I will probably still go.

Starting the exercise was the hardest part. Now all I have to do is quit the coffee and eat healthy.

94 Kg

For the last few months I have been watching the Biggest Loser . One of the people I didn't like was Munnalita. I think this is because I can relate more to her than anyone else. I am a choc-a-holic like her and in some ways I think we have the same personality. It was really like looking into a mirror. Now that the show is nearing an end I am finding more and more that I like her and to see what she looks like now is amazing. I want to look like that. I have battled my weight for years now and gone up and down. Hopefully by writing this in my blog I am now accountable for my weight loss. I suppose is some ways it will make me get out there and do something rather than sit back on the lounge everyday. I used to be a gym junkie and I want to be one again. I hate the fact that it takes me 10 minutes to walk a lap around a park that the average person can jog around 4 times in the same amount of time. I hate hyperventilating when I walk up stairs or hills. I want to look good in clothes again and not have to wear tents. So I am going to be brutally honest about my weight loss and how it is going. I have a great new job so it is time to get a great new bod. I don't know who reads this blog, maybe it is just Ruth. But if you happen to come across me and read this please send some encouraging words. I am 5 foot (152cm). That is the same height as Kylie Minogue. I am 94kg and I should be 48-50kg for my height. So here I go. I will get a photo taken of myself as I am now and will post it on this site. I hate my photo being taken and I have just won a competition to get a $180 portrait taken. It is my goal to look good for that photo and my friends wedding in September. Lifestyle change here I come.

Creating a Journal

Okay, this is for my colour swap pal Samantha (click on her name or her blog). I sent her the above journal which I made myself. Firstly I noted that she loved blues, greens and yellows hence the colour scheme, so I went hunting. I mainly used basic grey scrap booking paper with a mix of others that matched. I then bought a pen the same colour as the main green and also bought piped ribbon to match (sorry the technical terms escape me).



THE PROCESS

1. Get a hinged wooden book designed for use in crafts such as decoupage or folk art.
2. Pull the journal to pieces, cut your main background paper to size and then paint the edges of the journal in gold folk art to match the hinges.
3. Design a feature piece. The butterfly is what I call my Doodle art. I penciled in the outline of a butterfly onto a softly patterned piece of paper. From there it is free drawn. I just did whatever came to me and mirrored it on the other side. Then I drew in the background trees.

4. Take main feature artwork and attach to first border background. Using green pen draw carefully around the outside of the artwork. Attach to second border.
5. Place piped ribbon in position and attach to the back of the second border. Do this top and bottom of the feature artwork.
6. With a paper piercer (or a thick needle) make three holes at even intervals under the bottom piped ribbon. Thread embroidery thread through the whole and tape to the back of the art work. On the front loop the thread around the ribbon to hold it more secure. Leave enough length on the front to attach the charms.
7. Prepare the main background paper. Place jaq paper (not sure how to spell it but it is double sided sticky paper) on the back in preparation for attaching to the journal. I added a little strip of blue to the front for a bit more colour.
8. Using Jaq paper attach the artwork on the main background piece, line up the embroidery thread where you will attach the charms and pierce the paper.
9. Attach the charms by threading the embroidery thread through the charm and into the holes in the paper. Tape the ends of the on the back of the paper. (NOTE if you tape the thread upwards it decreases the chance of being pulled out by accident).
10. Once paint is dry on the journal stick down the art work and other papers.
11. Take a paper piercer, find the holes where the small hinge screws go and pierce the paper. For the holes where the large screws go cut around the inside with a small knife (all this is done after the paper has been stuck down).
12. I also stuck down some ribbon as a last thought on the inside join of the cover were the hinges go. I was lucky that the small hinge screws would go through the ribbon. In order to help I did pierce the ribbon before I attempted to attach the hinges.
13. SAMANTHA is done in cut out cardboard letters that I painted in blue. Once the paint was dry I added crystal effects (a liquid that dries in 3-D to produce a glassy effect). I then glued each letter down.
14. On the inside of the journal I stuck down the same paper I used to draw my artwork on and then added parchment paper for the pages.
15. With it all finished I shipped it off to Samantha who absolutely loves it which I am very happy about.

Oh my it has been a while. So much has happened: I have a great new job with an equally great working environment. I am actually finally putting my degree to good use by combining it with my financial knowledge in training people.

This is short as it is late. I have promised my secret pal (the one I sent to) that I would try and put instructions for the journal I made her on here this weekend. I am so glad that she liked it.

When I figure out how to, I will link her blog to this one.

Well I hear my bed calling.