2020 Travel the World - Week 31

I started a Travel the World Series last year. (It should be noted that I did a similar thing in 2018, only it was the 50 states.) For 50 weeks in 2019, I visited a different country (virtually) and shared facts about that country. I then selected one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. Fifty weeks; fifty countries... BUT there are 195 countries in the world so that was just a little over 25% of them. Of course I couldn't stop, so this year I'm continuing with fifty more countries, one per week.

This week's country is...

India

India is the seventh largest country in the world and has the second largest population of any country.

There are more people in India than in the entire Western Hemisphere of earth.

India is the only country to have an entire ocean named after it.

There is only one time zone all across the country of India.

India is the second largest English speaking country in the world.

There are 22 recognized languages, with Hindi and English being the official languages. However, other commonly-spoken languages include Bengali (the second most spoken language), Telugu, Tamil, Urdu and Punjabi. There are as many as 19,500 known languages and dialects across the country.

Mango is India's national fruit and the peacock is its national bird.

At over 5000 years old, Varanasi is one of the oldest inhabited places on earth.

The national symbol of India is the endangered Bengal Tiger.

India is the world's largest producer of milk.

The Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is in India.

Superstar Feddie Mercury is of Indian origin.

The first rocket in India was transported on a bicycle! It was so light and small that it was transported to the Thumba Launching Station in Kerala by bicycle.

Chess was invented in India. So was the game Snakes and Ladders.

A village in India is the wettest place in the world. It averages 467 inches of rain each year.

The world’s largest family lives together in India: a man with 39 wives and 94 children. The family lives in a 100-room, four-story house set amidst the hills of Baktwang village in the Indian state of Mizoram.

The concept of shampoo was first invented in India when herbs were used for strengthening hair.

A huge lake in India was formed when a meteor plummeted into it, some 52,000 years ago.

There is a spa just for elephants in India.

Fauja Singh is the oldest marathon runner in the world. He was born on April 1, 1908 in India and was not able to walk until he was five years old. He took up running at the age of 89 and when he first showed up for the marathon running training, he was in three-piece suit.

The first ever university in the world started around 700 BC in India.

The Bailey Bridge, located in the Ladakh Valley, is the highest bridge in the world.

India has the largest postal system in the world with more than 150,000 post offices, which is three times the size of that of China. 

India is home to the world’s first floating post office, which was inaugurated in 2011.

The world's shortest living woman is from India. She is 2' 6" tall.

I decided to let this India fact be the inspiration for this week's card... India planted nearly 50 million trees in 24 hours on Monday 11th July, 2016, setting a new Guinness World Record!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Stamp Anniething Here's the Dirt stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Accent Opaque 120# White, Recollections Black and SU Pixie Pink CS and DP from my scrap file

Punch: SU Small Oval

Embellishments: Paper Studio Mini Brads

One Plus Twelve 2020 - Miss August

It's the 3rd.... the day that Kelly, Barb, and I share our One Plus Twelve cards. One Plus Twelve is an idea that Kelly came up with last year - use one stamp (only one!) to make a card every month. Sentiments are optional. We had so much fun doing this last year that we decided to do it again this year. This year I chose Aleah Girl from Unity for my one stamp. 

This month I went with a slimline design and I kept my card entirely in black/white (other than the silver charms and cord) which meant I didn't color the image.

Here is the inside:

Now let's head over to Kelly's blog and Barb's blog to see their March One Plus Twelve cards.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Sets: Altenew Anemone (sentiments) and Unity Aleah Girl stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Papers: Accent Opaque 120# White and Recollections 110# Black CS

Die: Rubbernecker Slimline Deckle

Embellishments: SU Gingham Ribbon and Silver Cord and Charms from an unknown vendor

Stay @ Home Update #17

Each Sunday (at 5:00 AM) I'm sharing how the week's 10-minute stay@home organizational challenge went. If you don't have an idea what that means and you're curious, you can learn more in my original Stay @ Home Update blog post - found HERE.

Now here's the disclaimer: Some of these daily stay@home challenges are taking more than 10 minutes, but who's counting, right? 

Here's what I've accomplished this week...

Day 1 - SUN, July 26
I only use stickers in my Bible journaling - never on a card - and mostly only have letter/number stickers since they are the ones I use. BUT... I have a lot of them. I've purchased them at yard sales, thrift stores and such over the years, and it seems like they're multiplied. The drawer was  bulging and it made it so difficult to find what I wanted.

The solution - for now, at least - was to divide and conquer. I put them in this storage piece I had that has two sections. The black/white/neutral/navy stickers are in the top section and the various colors of stickers are in the bottom one. I'm not sure I'm loving this storage idea but it is definitely better than that bulging drawer.

Day 2 - MON, July 27
Have I ever mentioned that I have a hoarding problem? Sadly it's true - at least it is when it comes to kits. I've purchased many over the years, but never seem to get them completed. I always convince myself to wait; it will make more sense to take a kit with me to work on when I travel... but then I don't do it. So they sit. All 28 SU Paper Pumpkins, 5 Tonics, and 3 Spellbinders. Not only do they sit, they were getting bulky/cumbersome in their original boxes. What's a girl to do.

I purchased two sizes of waterproof mesh zippered bags (from Amazon) at very reasonable prices and moved each kit into a bag. The Paper Pumpkin ones are in the smaller one and other kits are in the larger one.

Day 3 - TUES, July 28
Last week I sorted/purged three drawers in my drawer unit that were devoted to Card Kit items. I actually got rid of about 2/3 of the items in those drawers. This week I'm going to tackle the three drawers that are devoted to Bible Journaling items.

This is the drawer I sorted through today. A few items got relocated to other storage locations in my Play Room, a few items went in my donation box that will find its way to the local Thrift Store, and a few items were placed back in the drawer. 

Day 4 - WED, July 29
I purged and reorganized the items in this second of three drawers of Bible Journaling items. One more drawer to go; which I'll do tomorrow. 

Day 5 - THUR, July 30
I sorted through my third and final drawer of Bible Journaling bits and pieces today. It was quite refreshing to purge the items I felt pretty certain I would never use. Now instead of having three rather full drawers, I have one drawer of items I can foresee using at some point.

This is the drawer of items I'm keeping. It's not the most organized, but it is easy to find what's in it because it's not too full. 

Day 6 - FRI, July 31
I have been on The Project Bin's design team for some time now which means I have a nice collection of TPB stamps. YAY me! I have kept them stored in a bin right beside my stamping desk for easy access, but as my collection has grown I've decided it would be better to get some kind of organization going on.

I divided them into categories and gave them labeled dividers. I also moved them to a slightly longer storage bin to accommodate the growing number of sets. Of course it still sits right beside my stamping desk. It's all about the easy access, after all. 

Day 7 - SAT, August 1
This paper tower is going to go. It has served  me well, but... well, I have something else I want to bring into my space and that's where it needs to go. I'm going to be changing the way I store these paper pads in the days ahead... to make room for the sentimental piece that I'll reveal when it's ready to put in this spot. 

In preparation for this change, I needed to empty those little hanging bins at the top, since they won't be able to hang there any more. I purged the items, stored what I kept in a drawer and trashed the rest.

Okay, that's it for this week. Stay tuned to see what I accomplish in the coming week.

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

It's Party Time

You might not know this but the Dueling Darling group is celebrating 10 years this month. Yes, it's true... Kelly came up with the idea for the group and started it ten years ago this month.

Happy Birthday Dueling Darlings!

To celebrate, we are having a month of party games and extra fun. Today's card is just one example. Kelly sent each of the Dueling Darling  members (there are 16 of us) the three felt banners you see on my card as well as the piece of red/white bakers twine. She challenged us to get our creativity going and create a care.

Requirement: Use the three felt banners (the twine is optional

Limitation: ONLY a sentiment is allowed on the card.

Oh... and did I mention there's a contest with a door prize for the MOST CREATIVE card. Whew! I'm glad I'm not the judge.

I hope Kelly and the other ladies like my card. Sheesh! I wouldn't mind if the judge does, too. *giggling

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Raisin Boat Puppy Love stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Papers: Accent Opaque 120# White, Recollections Black and SU Real Red CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishments: Eyelet Outlet Enamel Dots, SU Ribbon - and of course, the banners and bakers twine from Kelly

Field Flowers Hello

This is my seventh card in my Could Ya? Should Ya? Would Ya? Yea! series. 

In this monthly series, I plan to try something out of the norm... i.e. a size of card I rarely use, a technique I've wanted to try (or try again), an unusual fold, a card for a bizarre holiday, etc. I also plan to try a new recipe on these days - not a card recipe, a kitchen recipe.

This month I went old school... well, old school for me. When I first got into stamping, I mostly stamped with colored inks (some 2-step stamping, too) and little or no coloring. I decided to do that again for a change of pace.

I did okay stamping the bigger blossom, but I'm way off on the little one. UGH! I hate that - but I decided to leave it rather than starting all over. I think I heard somewhere that if a card is too perfect it doesn't feel homemade... so this one is definitely homemade.

And don't forget... there's the added feature of this series - try a new recipe. What's for supper? Country Girls Do It Better Crockpot Creamy Chicken Nachos. I hope we like it.

Last month I made Easy Cream Cheese Chicken, which we all three enjoyed.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Stampin' UP Field Flowers stamped with Lawn Fawn Guava, Noble Fir, and Peachy Keen Inks

Papers: Accent Opaque 120# White and SU Calypso Coral and Garden Green CS and DP from my scrap file

Dies: MFT Stitched Rounded Rectangle and Simon Says Bold Hello

Embellishments: Jots Pearls and SU Ribbon

Day 2 of Christmas in July with Eyelet Outlet

I shared three Christmas cards yesterday - each one featuring Eyelet Outlet products. I'm back today with three more in this second day of Christmas in July with Eyelet Outlet

Card #1

Eyelet Outlet Products:

Fancy Long Bling

Moose Brads

Pine Tree Brad

Snowflake Sequins

Stamp Set: Sugar Pea Designs Moosing You

Die: My Favorite Things Stitched Mod Rectangle 

and Spellbinders Circle

Card #2

Eyelet Outlet Products:

Candy Cane Brads

Holly Brads

Pinecone Brads

Stamp: Inky Antics Legend of the Candy Cane

Die: My Favorite Things Stitched Mini Scallop Rectangle 

Card #3

Eyelet Outlet Products:

Holiday Bling

Merry Christmas Washi Tape

Santa and Mrs.Claus Brads

Wreath Brads

Stamp Set: Dollar Spot

Die: Gina Marie In and Out Stud Dot Square 

and Rubbernecker Nested Rectangle Stitch

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Christmas In July with Eyelet Outlet

I love brads! Love love LOVE them! So of course they are one of my favorite things at Eyelet Outlet. But that's not all... there's also Washi Tape, bling, enamel dots and so much more. FUN STUFF!

Today I have three cards to share - three Christmas cards- each one featuring products from Eyelet Outlet.

Card #1

Eyelet Outlet Products:

Holiday Light Brads

Holly Brads

Stamp Set: Sugar Pea Designs Merry Makers

Die: My Favorite Things Stitched Rounded Rectangle 

and Rubbernecker Nested Rectangle Stitch

Card #2

Eyelet Outlet Products:

Santa Suit Brads

Sleigh Brads

2 Washi Tape designs

Stamp Set: CC Designs Funny Christmas

Die: My Favorite Things Wonky Stitch Rectangle 

and Rubbernecker Nested Rectangle Stitch

Card #3

Eyelet Outlet Products:

Computer/Headphone Brads

Mail Brads

Santa Claus Brad

Stamp Set: Frantic Stamper Sassy Christmas

Die: Taylored Expressions Notebook Border

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!