Spending ban update 1...and other stuff

For some reason i appear to have got into the habit of updating this every Thursday, including everything i have done craftwise within the previous week. I don't know whether this is the right way to do things, or whether i should update with every new item i've made. To be fair, i don't think there is a right way of doing things. I don't want any readers there are to be oversaturated with posts, especially as i seem to write very long ones! Part of the reason i only update once a week is because i have to psych myself up for it. I have a general idea of what each post should contain, but, when it comes to writing it it is straight out of my head. No rough draft, just type and post. I have always worked this way, even when i was at university writing essays. I just can't work with a rough draft. Of course, yet again, depression has a hand in my posts. It affects your ability to think, or to process thoughts.So, to counteract this i make lists of things i have to do each day, and i wait until i feel thoughts flowing through my head before i post a new entry. The obvious exception is the 500 words in my book whenever i can, but it takes time between turning the computer on and setting down my first sentence.

The first week of the spending ban has gone well. I have bought the magazine that i wanted, but no other unnecessary spending has been done. For the first time in a while, i actually have money in my account at the end of the month. It's not much money admittedly, but it is progress. I realise that people may think the method of counting the spending ban is strange, and perhaps i can cheat a bit by having a Numb3rs marathon, but i assure you that is not going to be the case. I have promised myself that i have to complete whatever is on my daily list before i watch any episode, and, as you will see by the count at the bottom of the post, i have not watched many episodes this week. The only thing that i have been looking at buying this week, is a Raskog trolley from Ikea, which would be perfect for my craft supply, but it's more of a wishlist than a want right now.

Anyway, onto the crafting! This week it is another birthday, but instead of the card, as it has already been done, it's onto the present! I stitched this a while ago, and decided it would look good in a cushion rather than framed. The material was from my stash (code for i can't remember where i got it)

It does say 'and' on there, even if it doesn't look like it!

Carrying on with the stitching theme, here is the update on the photo stitch.

Not quite finished the second page, but almost there. 

I've wanted to do a Tim Holtz style tag for a while, but had no idea where to start, as all the ones that he does are simply amazing. Still, he had to start somewhere, and so must i. I decided to theme mine on one of my loves, reading. I started by using four alcohol inks (the only ones i have) to colour a tag. Ironically when i had done this, the reverse actually looked better, so i decided to use that instead. A hairdryer works as a good substitute for a heat gun, for drying tags anyway. Shrink plastic is another matter. I distress inked the side of the tag with frayed burlap, and then I added rub-ons all over the tag. I cut out cardstock in various colours to resemble books. When it was done i still thought there was something missing, so i raided my stash and found some chipboard letters which i distress inked with faded sapphire, and a book metal charm and some miniature clocks.

The last thing i added was the scroll, which is just a piece of paper than i embossed with college lined notebook embossing folder and inked. The saying is by Socrates.

I really enjoyed making this tag, and am pleased with how it turned out. I already have ideas for a second, so that may be in next week's post! First, i have three more cards to make.

Bye for now, Emma

Spending ban Numb3rs episode count: 11/118