Score! - January 9, 2026

Despite my vow not to go back to the hobby store, I stopped there on my way to pick up my grocery order.  It was fortuitous.  

This week, I have been watching videos on how to make wire jewelry.  In a ring-making video, the instructor used bail-making pliers to make a loop.  I once had some bail-making pliers but gave them to Granddaughter #1 for a project she was doing.  I could have walked across the road and asked to borrow the pliers but preferred to buy another one for myself.  However, when I was in the hobby store on Tuesday and saw that the pliers cost $24.99, I decided to borrow the Granddaughter's pliers, after all.t

Wednesday, I tried to duplicate the ring in the video with limited success.  I cranked out 5 or 6 rings (which The Granddaughters have already confiscated), but none of them suited me.  I blamed it on not having the right tools and moved on to other videos until I could borrow the pliers. 

Yesterday, on my way to pick up the grocery order, despite my vow not to go to the hobby store, I went to the hobby store to look for pretty beads.  There, on the bead aisle, hung two identical bail-making pliers.  One was marked $24.99, printed right on the package.  The other had a sticker that read $$9.99.  No, that's not a typo, there were two dollar signs.  

I knew what had happened.  For some reason, the $$9.99 pliers had been hand-priced with a sticker gun, and the worker had made a mistake.  The price should have been $19.99.  I shop at the hobby store enough to know that the cashiers enter the item prices by hand instead of scanning them.  The cashier might realize, as I had, that the pliers were priced incorrectly and charge me full price for them (which would still be $5 less than the other one).  

At the cash register, the cashier typed in 9.99.  

A brief internal battle ensued.  Should I be honest and point out the error?

The bad angel won.  I kept my mouth shut.

That afternoon, I was too busy with household chores to fool with crafting, but after supper I got out my new pliers and attempted another ring.  It turned out the worst one so far.  Evidently, the problem is not the tools.

But I shall try again today.

Small successes - January 8, 2026

Yesterday, I decided to educate myself on how to make a costume jewelry ring.  Ten or twenty years ago, when I first started fooling with jewelry-making, I tried to make rings but never produced one that anyone even wear to a cat fight.  I still have a load of jewelry supplies, so I fired up some videos and had a go at making a ring.

The first ring turned out so-so.  It's not perfect, but I'd wear it.  I made 5 or 6 more within a couple of hours - one for each granddaughter and their mother, guessing at sizes - and then tried a different design, which did not work out as well.  I'll try again today, once I get a move-on.  

Before I can play with jewelry, I've got to go mail something and pick up a grocery order.  I WILL NOT STOP AT THE HOBBY STORE ON THE WAY.

I messed with jewelry until nearly 10:00 last night.  When I realized what time it was, I did my night-time routine, then as I was about to get in bed, I went back to the kitchen for a drink of water.  My Kindle - the thin, paper-white kind, about 1/4" thick - was in my hand.  I laid it on the counter by the stove while I got my water.

The counter by the stove doesn't fit snugly against the stove.  Our original stove was a drop-in.  When it went kaput, we installed a free-standing stove.  Had to cut the counter for the stove to fit.  Our cutting was not precise, and we ended up with a 1/2" gap between the counter and the stove.  I keep intending to get new countertops, but haven't gotten around to it.  I do all of my meal prepping at this counter; the crack is littered with dried-up vegetable pieces and dust bunnies that nobody can get to without moving the stove.  

When I reached for my Kindle, I somehow knocked it into this crack, a feat I probably couldn't reproduce if I tried.

I shouted a truly nasty cuss word and started looking for something with which to fish the Kindle out of the crack.  Swiffer duster?  I stuffed it in.  Nope, too short.  To make matters worse, when I withdrew the Swiffer, the fluffy duster pad stayed firmly in the crack.  Flyswatter?  Nope, too short and too flimsy.  A yardstick finally worked, but it took some hands-and-knees doing.  

The Husband was on the porch during this battle.  He had heard my nasty cuss word and had watched the shenanigas through the back door window.  About the time I got the Kindle out and was hauling myself to my feet, with a big shout of "Good GRIEF!"), he came in grinning, and when he saw that it was the Kindle that I'd been fishing for, he doubled over laughing.  

I didn't think it was all that funny.  ;)

Strange Meat - January 7, 2026

Yesterday, I accompanied The Husband to a couple of follow-up doctor visits.  We left the house in the morning, got home at supper time.  

The first visit was with his dermatologist.  We got shuffled around between rooms, and at one point we were sent to a small waiting room that was separate from the big one in the front of the office.  There were about 10 people in the room, and some of them had been there long enough to have started conversations with other patients.  The atmosphere became rather like "old home week" as people discovered mutual friendships and interests.

I had taken a book to read while we waited and was not paying much attention to the conversations when two guys behind me started talking about hunting.  One guy said his grandson had killed a bobcat and the two of them had skinned it.  Something about the way he was telling the story made me turn and ask, incredulously, "Are you intending to EAT the bobcat?"  He kind of laughed and explained that it wasn't a regular cat, like a housecat, but he never admitted nor denied that there was bobcat meat in his freezer.  

I asked him if he'd ever eaten groundhog ( Susan's fancy: Another One - March 23, 2022 ), but we were called back to an examining room before he had a chance to answer.  

We had over two hours to kill before the next appointment.  We grabbed some lunch, then The Husband asked if I had any ideas about how to kill the rest of the time.  Despite my vow not to buy any more craft supplies this month, I suggested we could go to the hobby store.  

In the hobby store, there was an elderly lady, pushing a walker, who called to us as we passed her.  "Excuse me, can you help me?"  She was holding a stuffed animal toy.  "Is this a buffalo?"

I said, "No, ma'am, that's a highland cow."

She'd never heard of a highland cow.  She explained that she had traveled from (somewhere) and was about to go visit her brother, who was "a big Buffalos fan."  She thought it would be funny to take him a buffalo.  She was mightily disappointed that the toy she held was a cow.  She thanked us and lumbered away.

A few minutes later, The Husband discovered a small plastic buffalo among some other plastic animals on a shelf.  We grabbed it and started looking for the old lady.  When we found her and showed her the plastic buffalo, she was thrilled. "It really IS a buffalo," she exclaimed, "and it's only $5.99!"

We felt as though we'd done a good deed.  :)

Analysis Paralysis = January 5, 2026

This past fall, I spent most of my craft time painting Christmas cards.  I mailed them during the first week of December.  

We traveled during the second week of December.  I had not done a lick of Christmas shopping, so when we came home, I knew better than to start any new projects that would distract me from the things I needed to do.  The shopping got done, the wrapping got done, the cooking got done, but during that time I was planning ahead for the time when I could get back to crafting.

Before Christmas, I ordered air-dry clay (several different kinds) and UV resin (and the supplies I'd need to work with it).  I already had some clay and resin tools from previous undertakings.  Last week, I straightened up my craft room (kinda) and spent a couple of days dabbling with the new toys to familiarize myself with the materials and identify potential pitfalls.  And, of course, I discovered that I didn't have quite the right tools/supplies, hence a few more craft store runs became necessary.  Yesterday, at the checkout counter at the hobby store, I told the cashier, "If you see me walk in those doors before the month is up, shoot me."

Today, a rivet gun arrived in the mail.  I can't even remember why I bought it.  More stuff is scheduled to arrive tomorrow.  I AM NOT BUYING ANOTHER FREAKING THING for a while.

I'm paralyzed, not knowing what to work on first.  Last week, while I was in craft mode, ideas streamed through my head.  "Oooo!  I could use [this] to make [that]."  And now all those wonderful ideas have vanished.  

I guess I should work on the 'possum bag holder I started over the weekend.  I downloaded the pattern from Etsy, but it has errors in it and I will have to go rogue to figure out how to finish it.  

  

New Year's Eve - December 31, 2025

I played with air-dry clay most of the day yesterday.  Sat down at the kitchen table around 6 a.m., watched a few more how-to videos, cleared a spot on the table, then went to sculptin'.   Really, I just mostly did "clay patties," cutting out simple shapes to experiment with paint. 

While I was fooling with the clay, how-to videos were running in the background, one after the other.  I eventually went "ear blind" to them until the algorithm fed me a Crafsman video, and I heard his voice.

"Has anyone figured out your true identity?" and more QUESTIONS ANSWERED!

He has some good how-to videos on his channel.

(And Craftsman, if you've googled yourself and have run across this post . . . can I be in your tribe?)  :)

Anyway, I'm going to spend today trying to figure out UV resin.  I have the basic materials.  I just poured some clear resin into a jewelry pendant mold and have set in the sun on the back porch to cure.  It's cold outside (39 degrees); I don't know if that will delay curing time or have no effect at all.  I have a UV lamp, and I'd prefer to use it outside, too, for my next pour (which will be resin colored with alcohol inks).  

Last night, I did a tiny watercolor landscape painting on an un-coated 2" round disk of air-dry clay.  I'm curious to see if it will show through the resin pendant.  

The thing I'm most anxious/excited about it playing with colors.  I only have one little bottle of resin, so I can't go buck wild with experiments if I want to have any left for a "keeper" piece.  

I just went out to check the clear resin pendant that was on the porch.  Earlier, I noticed that the sun had moved, and so I took the mold out to the yard and set it on top of my cold frame.  I'd noticed some little bubbles as I was pouring, and I tried to pop them, but just made them worse.  But since this pour is only a test, I didn't worry about the tiny bubbles.  Since I moved the mold, a MONSTROUS bubble has developed.  Good thing this is just a practice piece!  I'd better go back to the how-to videos, and pay attention this time.

Santa Claus brought me a big easel.  Earlier this morning, while I was rummaging around in the cabinet looking for some markers, I found two cheap house-painting-type brushes (I'd bought them for use on the magnificent oil landscape I'm going to do one of these days 😉).  It seemed that there was no better place for them than in the tray on the easel.  When I approached the easel with the brushes in my hand, I had an urge to whack them against leg of the easel, a la Bob Ross, just for sport.  But I didn't.  

Old Snot - December 30, 2025

Y'all.

(Don't eat while you read this.  It's disgusting.)

My nose has been running thin, clear snot since . . . I don't know when, but I know it was happening this spring while I was trying to work in the vegetable garden, because I had to keep my pockets full of tissue so I could work.  This continued all year.  I blamed it on allergies. 

Last week, when I went to the doctor for my yearly physical, he prescribed antibiotics for a sinus infection.  I've been taking them for a week. 

This morning, I got up, poured some coffee, made some toast, and sat down to resume a video that I'd abandoned last night before bed.  Pretty soon, I began to hear noises - cracking, popping, squeaking noises - coming from INSIDE my head.  I blew my nose, and what came out looked like (and had the consistency of) well-chewed, yellow-green bubble gum.  It must be vintage snot, breaking loose from deep recesses.  It probably has spring pollen in it.

I guess the antibiotics are working.  

* * * * * * * 

Yesterday, despite temps in the '20s, I went out shopping for groceries and craft supplies.  Not long after I got home, the mailman delivered craft supplies I'd ordered the day after Christmas.  

This week's crafts focus on air-dry clay and UV resin.  In the past, I've played with polymer clay and two-part resin but did not produce anything noteworthy with either medium.  I threw them away a couple of years ago during The Big Purge - I did not like the toxic fumes - but I still have all the tools and molds.  

I'd never worked with air-dry clay until yesterday.  All I did was form some small shapes and set them out to dry.  I want to paint on the clay.  The plan is to try different kinds of paints, see what I can come up with.  

My BFF is gearing up to play with the same craft materials.  I wish we lived in the same state.

Better - December 28, 2025

The day after Christmas, I spent most of the day sitting either in my recliner or on the back porch (it was at least 70 degrees).  I felt terrible.  Around noon, I went to the drug store to get my prescriptions, some OTC cold medicine, and some softer tissues for my poor, raw nose.  That night, I went to bed at 8 p.m. and actually managed to sleep until almost 7 a.m.  I woke up feeling much better.  We had enough assorted food left over from Christmas to see us through the day.

I am still pretty snotty today and would not even consider doing anything very physical, but I am getting better.

The Husband has gone to Cousin David's house for a few days, to drive him to/from day surgery and sit with him for a day or so afterward.  I sent the rest of the German chocolate cake that Nanny brought here Christmas eve, for it does not need to stay here, tempting me.

The summer-like weather we had last week is disappearing today; it's supposed to be in the low 20s tomorrow morning.  I hate cold weather, but if the weatherman is correct, we'll be back in the 40s-50s near the end of the week.  

Tomorrow, a load of craft stuff will be delivered to my doorstep.  I'm stoked.  With The Husband away, there'll be no cooking, so I can craft to my heart's content without interruption.  

Today, I'll be watching how-to videos as well as taking inventory of the craft stuff already on hand.