Too much water

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It’s been a busy summer already, and I haven’t made time to consistently blog. Not only that, but a week ago, we had this crazy rainfall that flooded much of the town we live in. Thank goodness we didn’t get any seepage in the basement, but my husband’s parents did… again. We live about 2 miles north of them, and they took in about 7″ or 8″ inches of water in the basement, and then the power went out. No sump pump, no air conditioning. Not fun. Oh, did I mention it was sweltering that day? And, it’s been 90 degrees or more this past week, too? The in-laws have been camping out at our place in the evenings.

"Lake" in the backyardGutters overflowingLow spot on the patio

We were concerned that we might get some water in the house. The gutters were overflowing (as seen above) and there was a nice pool of water by our back door. I was afraid it would breach the foundation, or the door seal, or something? You never know where water will get into. But, we were safe… we just have to watch out for all the mosquitos from all the standing water everywhere. Yuck.

So, with things settling down, I’ll be back with more food, crafts and adventures.

Tutorial: Accordian Spine journal

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The inspiration for this is actually from the “envelope accordion journal” in Decorative Journals by Donna Downey. I made this 12-page journal for Abby’s 1st grade teacher with envelopes decorated by Abby and some of her classmates. The other supplies I had on hand. Each envelope contained a card with a quote from students saying why they liked their teacher (i.e. “I like Mrs. Smith because…”).

So here we are, my first tutorial. It’s not too complicated, I hope.

What you need:

  • 6″ x 18″ cardstock (I took two pieces 6″ x 12″ and overlapped the ends, then cut to proper size)
  • (2) 6″ x 9″ pieces of bookboard or heavy cardboard (I used the end of a legal pad)
  • (2) 8-1/2″ x 11″ pieces of decorative paper/scrapbook paper (for cover)
  • (2) 5-3/4″ x 8-3/4″ pieces of decorative paper/scrapbook paper (for inside covers – I used black)
  • label holder/bookplate and hardware (optional)
  • 12 envelopes (Size A9 which is 5-3/4″ x 8-3/4″) (to be decorated however you like)
  • 12 pieces of plain cardstock, trimmed to 5-1/2″ x 8″ (also to be decorated)
  • Other supplies: glue stick, drill (hand or battery), twine, holepunch, ribbon

Take your 6″ x 18″ cardstock and fold back and forth like an accordion every 5/8″. It was easy using a scoring edge on my paper cutter, and marking every 5/8″ first. Make enough valleys for 12 pages, cutting off extra paper if you need to. Set aside. Cover your cardboard pieces with the 8-1/2″ x 11″ decorative sheets, folding at corners first and then edges.

Accordian spine book

Before you attach the accordion spine and covers, place your label holder on the front cover… punching holes and using the appropriate fasteners.

Front cover

Lay the covers backside up. Make sure you have them in the right position if your paper has a definite “direction”. Attach each end of the accordion to the covers… one at the front, one at the back, and then adhere your black cardstock to cover all edges and seams. Set aside.

Attach accordian to covers

Prepare your envelopes by sealing the flap, and them trim 1/4″ off the right hand edge. My envelopes were already decorated, so at this point, you can draw, paint, rubber stamp all over your envelopes. Attach the envelopes into each valley with a little glue to keep in place. I tried to glue towards one side of the fold.

Attaching pages in valleys

Now for some fun…Drill two holes through the front cover, accordion and back cover. You might have a crafting hand drill… clearly, I do not. I’m using my power drill on low, and a block of wood underneath the book. (I love my Makita!) Use a drill bit that’s slightly larger in diameter than your twine.

Drilling holes for binding

After drilling the holes, feed your twine through and tie into a knot in the front. It’s a little tricky, but twisting the twine while threading it through, will help.

Twine binding

Looks like a book

Take the plain cardstock and decorate or embellish how you wish, or leave blank for you to fill in as you journal. The children’s quote were printed in one font and in similar styles. (Quote shown is for example only.) Punch holes in the cardstock on one side, middle-ish, and attach decorative ribbon or string. I fold ribbon in half, feed the folded side through the hole, which makes a loop, and then pull the “tail” end through the loop that was just made.

Inside pages

You can see one decorated envelope a little better here. Slide the finished cards into the envelopes, and your journal is done.

Completed journal

The envelopes were actually recycled. I had the students submit their favorite recipes which turned into the cutest scrapbook-cookbook for their teacher (other part of the class gift)! They sent their recipes back in the envelope which I provided for them. Basically half the class participated in this one and almost everyone participated in the cookbook. Such nice projects!

Brunch

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Brunch. I love breakfast food any time of the day. Breakfast for lunch. It’s all about eggs,

Egg casserole

and rolls,

Cinnamon Rolls

and friends making their own yogurt parfaits,

img_2233Friends

and little ones getting bored with grown-ups talking,

Listening

and then heading outside to walk off the calories.

OutsideDiscovering

“Mom, can I take some pictures?” This is one of her shots. I’m so proud.

Flowers2

New mahjong player in town

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(My 50th post… should I celebrate?)

The kids really enjoy when we’re all together and the mahjong tiles come out. The little one is getting into it. I’m sure generations of my husband’s family have played and handed down the rules, etc. I never quite understood the game as played by Filipinos, but when I watched and learned from my husband, it became much simpler. The Chinese (family) rules are much more complex than the Filipino version. Don’t ask about Hong Kong style. I hear it’s a whole other level.

Personally, I haven’t played in a while, and I still can’t score my own points. I’m usually the one at the table saying, “Just tell me how many points I have… I trust you.” Basically, I’m intimidated to play with my in-laws and I was never really up on strategy games either. I get stressed out especially when someone’s standing behind you saying, “Oh, why did you pick that tile?” or “Oh, don’t give up that tile…” Worse than backseat drivers.

Learning mahjong from the best

They play on a homemade, custom table top that goes over a regular card table: Plywood, 1x material, felt and window screening. Tiles move around like butter. My family borrowed it and really liked it. So, Husband got material from a friend, who in turn pre-cut and routed all the material for us. Husband took friend out for breakfast.

Here’s the new table top for my aunt and uncle. I think the red felt behind the screen material is great!

Mahjong table top

The backside of the table top is much neater than ours, of course, this is the 3rd one my husband has made with our soon-to-be brother-in-law. Lightweight staple gun with staples less than 1/2″ does the trick.

Underside mahjong table top

Close up of fine “Chinese craftsmanship”… tiles don’t fall off the table because of the frame.

Detail of mahjong table top

Could this be a “cottage industry” sort of product? How much would mahjong players be willing to pay for this?