Allergy Editorial

I have to write something out of my heart this morning. I've been embroiled in a discussion in the comments of a video. As a crafter, before being diagnosed with food and environmental allergies, I would never have thought of this myself, but now being aware, I see why the FDA has mandates for labeling products. And it's a good thing for people like me and I will advocate for myself and the others like myself. 

Side note: Did you know that food allergies are considered a disability? 

I was watching someone make buttons out of avocado seeds. It was a interesting upcycle, that's why I stopped to watch it, cause my readers know that I'm ever into recycling, however,  I read most of the comments and nobody had mentioned allergies to avocadoes. I just so happen to have an allergy to avocados and have learned through experience that if you have an allergy to a food, it can also affect your skin. It can affect your breathing, if you have an asthma like I do. I've had asthma all my adult life. I didn't take it seriously as a young adult, until I learned you can die from these horrible diseases. 

I couldn't believe the callousness of some of the responses I got when I mentioned I was allergic to avocados. I was told I could have left that negativity off the comments and that allergies is not a societal thing. Yes, it's a societal thing, because I'm pretty sure I'm not the only person out there with an allergy to avocadoes. And it shows love, respect and compassion to those of us with allergies, if you make a garment as a gift for somebody with stuff that doesn't cause us to break out in hives. And if you are making a garment to sell to the general public, it should come with a label that explains what it was created with, so those of us with allergies will steer clear.

I've learned since my diagnosis, there are some strange allergies out there. And yes, you can even be allergic to water and sunlight. There is one I'm sure I have, but I wouldn't know how you would test for it except by demonstration in the allergist doctor's office. 

Most of my allergies were tested on the skin of my back with little pricks of the allergen put under the skin. There is also another test they can do with your blood to see if you are allergic to something. It's called an IgE test. The skin test I had was 75 skin pricks with a sharp pointy thing on my back the day I was tested and let me tell you, I had some itchy wheals or hives pop up. And some were surprises. 

It's an allergy to vibration. I sometimes get hives on the top of my arms when I crochet. At first I thought it might be an allergy to the yarn, but the yarn never touches that place on my forearms. Allergies are caused by the immune system thinking that food particle or environmental thing like pollen is a foreign invader like germs, so it's out to kill it by overwhelming it to snuff it out. 

And yes, I carry epi pens. I've gone to the ER with breathing difficulties before. I'm not real fond of needles, but I like breathing and living. I'm not ready to die just yet. So please, remember, if you make something, please label it with what it's made from, so that I don't itch or have my skin burnt from an unknown ingredient. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

Am I a Gudrun Girl? Yes and No!

Yes, I'm a Gudrun Girl as far as her fashion line goes! 

When I was diagnosed with drop foot several years ago and a leg brace was added to my wearing apparel, I discovered Gudrun Sjoden's clothing line on Pinterest. Just what I was looking for. Leggings plus fashionable, comfortable wearing apparel. I loved her bright clothing in the patterns I like most - calico type florals,  checks, dots, and stripes. 

No, because her clothing does not come in my size. 

So, I emulate her fashion as far as I am able. I do like black and white the most and so far, that's about all I've been able to find, clothing wise in my size that I can afford. I shop for my clothing at  1/2 of 1/2, thrift stores (have a couple of favorite spots), Walmart, and if on clearance or sale, online at Full Beauty Brands. Occasionally, friends will give me a bag of clothing if they know my size or accessories they think looks like me. 😁

Two other pluses that I had never thought of before until I discovered her clothing line was that you can wear a short sleeve dress all year long and then layer it during the winter. First time I was actually warm enough during the winter in my drafty old farmhouse cottage. Second is that you can wear different patterns together at one wearing, if you keep the clothing and accessories in all the same basic colors. 

The layering during the winter can be not only sweaters, but also long sleeve t-shirts over or under a dress. Long sleeve t-shirts can make a dress appear to be a skirt under the shirt or if you wear it under the dress, the dress looks like a jumper. Also what we used to call culottes,  can be worn over a pair of leggings and under a short tunic dress for another layer. You can wear decorative infinity scarves in the winter to keep your neck warm and necklaces in the summer to keep your neck cool.

What we call a sleeve-less tank-top summer dress can also be worn summer or winter. I don't like my batwings (extra skin under my upper arms) to show, so wearing sleeve-less dresses are out during the summer, however, I learned that I can wear a short sleeve top over it during the summer to make it appear as if I'm wearing a skirt and a long sleeve t-shirt under it during the winter as a jumper. 

I wear compression stockings and an orthopedic built-up shoe now instead the brace, although the built-up shoe is as stiff as the brace was. The compression socks I can buy come in two colors - black and beige. I do not like brown, so black it is! And the orthopedic shoes comes in -- guess what colors? You've got it, black and beige! 

So when I began to build my wardrobe, I chose seven (7) colors that go well with black - black and white, black and grey, black and red, pink, turquoise and lime green. I also chose 4 of my favorite patterns that I mentioned above. However, after shopping for several years pink, turquoise and lime green were hard to come by, so I've changed my colors again. I've kept the black and white, but also added red, white, and blue. Teal was the easiest blue-green color available, but it's not my favorite blue-green. Teal is on the green side of blue-green and turquoise is on the blue side.  So far, it's been easier to find the red, white, and blue, but I usually discard the garment if the fabric also has another color beyond the ones I have chosen, because I don't want to throw in another color into my mix. 

I pulled out everything in my closet and anything that didn't go with my colors or pattern choices went to the thrift store for somebody else to enjoy. It has taken some time to build up my wardrobe. 

I do have one piece of Gudrun Sjoden jewelry. No, it's not a necklace. See if you can spot it in the photos below.  Click on the photos to enlarge them. 

These are just a few of my favorite dresses. See how I can mix and match shirts with the tank/jumper dresses. I'm constantly scouting out apparel and accessories when I go shopping. 

And, my wardrobe may be doing some more changing in the near future. According to google, you must lose 10 to 15 pounds (about 1 stone, UK measurement) to change clothing sizes and I've lost nearly 25 pounds since the end of January. I'm currently on four medical diets - Possum Patty calls it the Freedom Diet - sugar-free (hypoglycemia), fructan-free (low-fodmap), caffeine, carbonation, citrus, dairy, mint, garlic/onion, tomato-free (GERD/gastritis), and the Mediterranean diet for fatty liver disease. It's been a balancing act, let me tell you. Just because it's gluten-free, doesn't mean it's sugar-free, but I let myself have a treat ever once in a while.  

✿✿✿

Brace Bling

A year and a half ago I was diagnosed with drop foot. My prescription was a steel brace attached to my  right shoe. I wondered how I could pretty it up, but didn't want to glue anything to the brace in case I got tired of it and then couldn't remove it.  So I saw these flowers at Pinterest and wondered if I had something here at home that would make something similar in my stash and yep, I did have something.  

I have no idea what I saved these pieces of Velcro from, but I measured the circumference of both my cane and my brace and I found two pieces that would work! 

If you want to make some Velcro pieces like mine,  overlap two pieces of Velcro about 3/4" inch so that the join is in the middle (mine have a stitched on tag board piece over the join which you don't have to have) with the loops on one side facing towards the back and the fabric that the loops attach to  faces towards the front. The whole length for the brace is 3 1/4" (inches) long and the piece for the cane is 4 1/2" (inches) long.  You can stitch or hot glue the Velcro pieces together. 

Next I found some flowers that were attached to wires.

I punched two holes in the cardboard with this teeny-tiny diameter hole punch . . .

and threaded the two wires through and pulled it tight. Then I twisted the wires closed and pushed them down into a spiral against the back of the Velcro strap, wrapped it around both my cane and brace to see how they fit and Viola! Almost instant bling! 

One flower. . . 

Or many! I could almost skip through a garden in these, don't you think? 😊

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

20 Aug 2018

My cane flower didn't last long as it got knocked around too much, but I get compliments on my brace one frequently. I decided now that I'm using two canes because of vertigo and hip pain, I needed a station to park them at during the night. My husband found these Command - brand broom grippers at Walmart and I attached them to this cabinet next to my nightstand, so they are within easy reach when I get out of bed. And yes, I'll have to open both doors to get into the top cabinet if the canes are still attached, but that's no problem to me. 

Two tips I wanted to mention -- since January, I've been using a C-Pap machine for sleep apnea. (I also have a nebulizer for asthma). That's my c-pap up on my nightstand. I have a case for it and I take it when traveling as both are medical devices that I need.   I purchased an extension cord and that little stepping stool at Walmart in the children's department for $10.00 and poured some of the distilled water into a plastic water bottle with a tight fitting lid to take with us. The little stepping stool pops out as a little stand for my c-pap during the night if I sleep on the side of a motel bed without a nightstand. 

Also, the black cane's foam handle was beginning to split from wear and tear and we could not find a replacement. I saw a video at YouTube in which a lady had used tennis racket handle tape on her baby's stroller handle and yep, Walmart carries it back in the sporting goods department. I used a little daisy decorative duct tape to fasten the end down and I'll tell you, the tennis tape makes  a most comfortable handle over the top of the foam.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

21 May 2022

A lot of water has gone under the bridge since I wrote last. I no longer wear the brace, but do wear a built up shoe on the same side as I wore the brace. The built up shoe is as stiff as the brace was, but that's okay because now my hips are even and my back doesn't hurt as much as it used to.  My right leg is about 1/2 inch shorter than the left leg. 

And I've graduated to forearm crutches because, not only were the canes wearing out, but I also got tired of the canes falling over when I had to grab something.  And since I had to bend over to pick them up, I hoped that vertigo didn't strike me at the same time and I go splat! I love the forearm crutches (I call them my pogo sticks 'cause they have spring shocks in the legs) and I just purchased a bicycle flashlight for one of them. They stay on my arms like a bracelet when I let go to grab something. I've also gone to wearing a backpack. Had to try many on before I found one that fit me since I'm a BBW (big beautiful woman). I wore a cross-body purse for many years, but the left crutch kept bumping it as I took a step and knocking me off-balance. So had to get my thinking cap on and problem solve it. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

You might be interested in reading these posts too and be sure to check out the label "adapt" over on the side menu for more articles: 

• Never Alone
• (off-site) Brace
• Walker Bags
• New and Improved Walker Bag
• Why I'm Refashioning My Wardrobe
• (off-site) Disabled Placard Paper Receipt Fold

Why I'm Refashioning My Wardrobe!

In December, a new-to-me foot doctor diagnosed me with drop foot. When I herniated a disc in my lower back several years ago, I was also  diagnosed with arthritis and chronic vertigo at the same time (read story here), I was told just after that I could develop drop foot, that it would be progressive and permanent from damaged nerves near my spine, however, the doctor I had then, did not tell me what to look for, so I had no idea I was developing it. So between the last of  December 2015 until March of this year, I was getting fitted for a leg brace, new insoles and a shoe with a lift.

Isn't it pretty? I was told by a friend  at church who had to wear a brace for a while after foot surgery that I would  need to wear my pants tucked into the brace to keep the top of the brace from rubbing my leg raw as I walked, so the day of my last fitting, I wore a pair of leggings. However, only having two pairs of leggings, and many other jersey and jean britches in my wardrobe, I discovered what worked and didn't. A couple of descriptions come to mind when describing what happens when wearing regular slacks -- "getting ready for high water on one side with a muffin top at the knee" or "poofy short golf pants." The brace cuff moves up and down with each step and the pant leg creeps up. My husband couldn't help but laugh the first time it happened as he walked over to help his damsel in distress yank them down. grin!

So I decided I needed more leggings, however, since our budget is on the lean side after brace, I spent some time shopping at 1/2 of 1/2, looking for leggings in my size (one navy pair haul), at Pinterest and YouTube looking for ideas of what I could wear with them on top.  I'm a BBW, want to be modestly dressed and I discovered that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the lagenlook fashion, but it's one thing to wear all those layers in the winter to stay warm, but we're coming into our summer season here where it is hot and humid and I have never handled the heat well, so I'm having to put on my thinking cap to have the layered look without the added clothing.

So I'm gonna share some tutorials I'll be using to refashion my wardrobe  and maybe it will help you too. I've got one outfit made so far and will be adding in more ideas and tips to this post so come back to see all the additional photos, tips, and tutorials.

ONE:

1st video: How to Wear Skinny Jeans and Leggings at 40, 50 and Beyond

2nd video: How to Alter Pants | Wide to Skinny Legs

Blog Tutorial: Refashion baggy yoga pants into svelte leggings tutorial

3rd video: DIY How To Make a Top from 2 Men's Shirts

 4th video: No-sew Infinity Scarf out of an old T-shirt  

 

So here's the aqua t-shirt infinity scarf I made out of the bottom of the shirt.  The top half of the t-shirt was made into a peplum shirt with the fabric that's underneath the scarf. I found 4 yards of the cotton material at the thrift store for about $4.00. I bought it because the flowers almost matched my t-shirt. Also the peachy colored leaves? reminded me of those molded, scented sawdust roses we used to get at touristy gift shops for one's dresser drawers. Remember those? As I stitched the fabric up, I noticed how transparent it was, not the modest look I was going for, so I cut the bottom off of a white stained t-shirt and made a sandwich of all three materials when I sewed the gathered peplum to the aqua shirt. It nicely hides my tummy skin and the stains don't show under the patterned fabric.  And I'll be using the white top part for another shirt.

Update: I wore this outfit Saturday because we were celebrating our wedding anniversary. After being married to my guy for some 30 years I can usually tell when he likes something and when he doesn't and he doesn't like this one.  I don't know whether it's the added peplum material or the design of the outfit, but he was fussing with it the whole time we were out. The newer material tends to bunch around my middle even though I've been using a  softener sheet in the dryer and he was yanking it down in back every time I got out of the car. The pants and shirt were given to me so the only money I've put into this outfit was the material and thread, say about $5.00. Being as how this outfit was my experiment (how many times did Edison have to try different filaments in order to get his light bulb to work?), I'm going to chalk this one up to experience and take it to the thrift store, giving me more room for clothes that will work for me. grin!

TWO:



Blog Tutorial: Asymmetrical T-shirt sides

I measured the width of my cut-off T-shirt from side seam to side seam, then doubled that measurement for the amount of material I needed for the gathered "skirt" front of my shirt and did that again for the back part. I didn't make a pattern for the handkerchief hem side, but just folded my material in half that I wanted use for the sides, added 5 inches to the center of the piece and cut to that point. Then I sewed all the pieces together to make the continuous peplum "skirt", gathered at the top, and sewed it to the shirt. 

One thing I especially like about the lagenlook style is that it focuses on long lines because it's slimming, so it's perfect for us dumpy people. That's why I chose to piece together the skirt in long stripes and added the sides in a dark color, but you'll notice I have a piece of my favorite black and white check; I couldn't leave it out! I'll be wearing this shirt with black leggings.

Update: I've worn this shirt once or twice and the handkerchief hem at the two side corners are beginning to curl up, so thought a weight might keep them from doing that. I went to Wal-Mart and I found various fishing sinker weights in different designs in the sporting department, but liked these as there was a "loop" I could use to stitch it to the underside of the hem and they were only a dollar in cost for a package of six. So far, so good! 

Update: Sigh! One of the weights has already been torn off. Seems like I just can't win some days!





 THREE:

When I began looking into the lagenlook style, I knew I had some dresses that might work. I inherited some clothing when my aunt passed away, but I haven't worn the dresses for awhile because hose in my size was so dear, so I dug them out and started pairing them with a pair of black leggings that I do have.  I found the infinity jersey scarf and the two necklaces at a thrift store.  I didn't pay more than $3.00 apiece for the scarf or any of the necklaces and I looked for the longest ones they had. Which necklace do you like the best on the orange floral dress on the right? I tried several different necklaces, but thought the ones matching the leggings' color looked best.

5th video: How to sew a Mini Tissue Pocket Holder (I'm gonna make one for my purse and several for gifts out of my fabric scraps.)

  

FOUR: 

I've been looking at my shirts and some of  them are getting rather shabby looking, so when I ran across this video, I thought aha! I know what I can do with the odds and ends I cut off  my refashioned tops and other t-shirts that's more fit for the rag bag than on me -- make something! So I'm going to roll up balls of t-shirt yarn as I go, then I'll share with you what I make with them, so come back!



6th video: How to make t-shirt yarn by Alma Stoller  (I like how she stretches the fabric so that it curls before rolling it into a ball).

7th video: Joining Fabric Strips without Sewing (Oops! I thought sure I had cut the beginning strip off correctly, but alas, the strips came off in circles. Here's a video to fix that by joining the strips together using this method, but first snip the circles that fall off in one place to make long strips).

I have this certain friend named Elizabeth who says she likes to use bed sheets for making clothing, because not only the yardage is so large, but also because they are soft and cool, so I decided to do that too. I scouted around  several thrift stores, found the perfect sheet with a floral pattern, plus a curtain valance with a similar pattern, cut a peplum out and was getting ready to sew it to a red shirt when I noticed a hole in the back of the shirt. I had cut the shirt at an angle to skip a hole in the front, so when I saw the hole in back, I was a little surprised. I tugged it upright, away from the peplum I had begun to pin to it and the material ripped clear to the armpit. So no red shirt -- I shall be adding it to the rag balls. Sigh!

So anyway, since I won't be getting a new red shirt, I decided to continue mending my aunt's dresses (buttons, seams, necklines, etc.) and matching them to my existing legging wardrobe, since I needed clothing to pack in a suitcase (we left town for Decoration Day). Here's some of the matches I came up with:
 You should be able to recognize this dress. Hubby and I decided the black and orange was decidedly too Halloween-ish. I found another jersey infinity scarf in tan and white stripe and it matched my newly sewn leggings perfectly.

 One of the bad things about rayon is that it sometimes frays too easily and escapes sewn seams, so I had to repair the neckline on this dress with a bit of black bias tape that matched the black center of the flowers. Matching black leggings and I'm all set!  

 I had to repair a broken button at the top of this dress and I found out that purple, dark royal blue, and aqua leggings will match this dress. Another thing I don't like about rayon is that it has to be ironed every time it gets washed and hung dry. But it's cool like those sheets Elizabeth likes!

 And last but not least . . . one that although it is cotton that needs ironing, it's gonna be a favorite! Guess why? grin!

Video 8: DIY how to sew an infinity scarf  

* * * * * * * * * *

21 May 2022

Since a doctor replaced the brace with a built up shoe,  I could go back to wearing slacks, but I think I have found my style. I like dresses with leggings. Now if I could just get Woman Within to make matching jersey dresses and leggings like Gudrun Sjoden, I'd be all set! 

* * * * * * * * * * 

You might be interested in reading these posts too:

• Never Alone
• Brace Bling
• Walker Bags
• New and Improved Walker Bag

A New Improved Walker Bag

When I first made my walker bag, I had sewn ribbons at the corners to hold the bag onto the walker, but I wasn't sure if they were strong enough to hold the bag if I loaded it. I saw a photo of a walker bag made from pint-size overhalls on Pinterest, so decided I could apply the same idea to the bag I made out of the baby crib bumper pad. (see photo here).

 

 I believe the walker bag I saw had the bib part of the overhalls machine stitched to the fabric before sewing the bag together, but since I had already sewn my bag, I opened the overhalls along the side seams and sewed a seam across the legs just above the snaps at the crotch and set my bag down into it. Next, I centered the overhalls, pinned it into place, then hand-stitched the bib to bag, but didn't sew across the top like the other one. I figured it would give me an extra pocket front and back. And of course, I would be able to utilize the many little pockets on the front and back of the overhalls for pens, coins, tissues, and so forth. I wondered what to make out of the discarded legs and ended up making little pockets out of them too, except I turned them inside out to see the nice plaid fabric lining on the ankle. I thought perhaps I could attach them to the inside of the bib part if needed, with a sewn on snap at each corner. Or, sew a long ribbon to each side and give them to the little girl next door for a play purse.

Well, the overhall straps (for strength) plus the ribbons (for steadiness) was a success! We tried it out last Saturday when my husband, a couple friends, and I went to a town fair up north. It carried two drinks, my camera, plus all kinds of other stuff that we purchased or was handed from booths along the square.

The basket under the seat had suntan lotion, my checkered totebag folded up (in case) and some purchased items. And I had my seat when my legs and back gave out! It was wonderful to be able to watch the long parade sitting down!

Next on the agenda is to figure out how to attach a "perfect" umbrella for portable shade. I figured out that a "perfect" umbrella would collapse, be about 12 inches taller than the lawn chair one I have so I could see out from under it, would be offset by a few inches to cover the side that see's sunshine, namely my arm and to have a silicone rubber grip on the inside of the c-clamp that twists onto the bar at the back of the walker so that it wouldn't rotate on the bar when I sat down.

* * * * * * * * * *
You might be interested in reading these posts too:

• Brace Bling
• Never Alone
• Walker Bags
• Why I'm Refashioning My Wardrobe 

Walker Bags

I decided I needed a walker bag on my rolling seat walker.

I usually use a cane to help keep my balance when walking as I was diagnosed with vertigo several years ago after I fell and herniated a disc in my lower back. (However I've learned since then, despite the maneuverability of the cane, it can also not stop me from falling if I catch the rubber tip on a stair lip. I crashed several weeks ago at a girlfriend's house and scared her! Oh, my sore knees!) At the same time, I was told I had arthritis in my spine (okay, so that explains the pinched nerve and fire down my leg when I stand or walk too long, huh?) and an extra vertebra. Mom always said she goofed on me -- I was her first pregnancy experiment! She said she should have named me "Grace" instead! *giggle*

I take my walker with me to places where I might have to walk or stand quite a bit. I love having a portable place to sit down when I poop out in pain and the guy(s) might not be done looking. I looked on Pinterest for ideas on how to make one and decided to design one from a quilted black and white crib bumper pad I picked up some time ago junking. I cut out two rectangles the width of my walker back, sewed the ends together and down the center to make two pockets. Next I held up the bag to the walker and guesstimated where to sew the ribbons on.

I was in a hurry to get my walker bag done as I was going shopping with friends the next day, so I sewed ribbons on it to hold it on temporarily. The ribbons won't hold heavy loads, but I thought it might do to hold a water bottle. I will make sturdier handles later with fabric if the need arises.

The basket under the seat also got an fabric insert because previously, when I've used the walker as a shopping cart, I would lose small items through the wires. It worked dandy! See photos.

* * * * * * * * * * 
You might be interested in reading these posts:

• Brace Bling
• Never Alone
• New and Improved Walker Bag
• Why I'm Refashioning My Wardrobe

Never Alone

Supplies:

Shepherd/Sheep = Highlander Celtic Stamp H-271

Harlequin Diamond Shadow Stamp = Hero Arts D3415 Single Harlequin

Sentiment = Inkadinkado 8825M

Last spring (13 May 2010), I fell in my backyard and broke a disc in my lower back between the 4th and 5th vertebra. It was after the last snow of the season, the ground was soggy from the melt-off and my doggie was being disobedient. Since I was not thrilled with her disobedience, envisioning a muddy dog, I went after her, stepped into a hole and fell flat on my face.

Nothing prepared me for the pain of a broken disc. I’ve had a child and labor pain is over shortly, but I suffered for several months until I could see a surgeon. Pain of that kind takes over one’s life because one is checking the clock constantly to see when one can take the next dose of painkiller that just took the edge off. Trying to find positions or chairs to sit in that didn’t hurt. Being able to sleep on one side that didn’t hurt. It takes away your ability to think. And yet, God was there with me the whole way.

I forgave my dog for her disobedience and am grateful for Jesus’ example of forgiveness and mercy.

He held my hand when I had to slide into the closed MRI tube (I’m very claustrophic) for 20 minutes with my knees and stomach touching the sides.

He was with me when I was diagnosed also with arthritis in my spine and neck as well as vertigo.

He was with me and helped me get through my fear of having pain shots in my spine twice. When I had to have our son by emergency c-section in 1986, I wouldn’t have the epidural, but insisted they put me totally out because of my fear of a needle in my back.

Never alone, I’ve been learning to live with restrictions, although sometimes I chaff under them. I’m not to garden (no bending over for any length of time) or lifting more than 5 pounds. I’m not to play miniature golf (it’s that back & forth swing that’s out) or sit for more than 20 minutes at a time. I can stand up for less than an hour. I cannot lean back to relax on a sofa anymore and am having to walk with a cane outside or on stairs because I’m still wobbly. Rather than feeling sorry for myself, God has showed me that there are things I can still do, like type and design cards and teach my Sunday School class. And I appreciate the things I can do more because I don’t take them for granted any longer. The Lord is my shepherd . . .

You might be interested in reading these posts too:

• Brace Bling
• Walker Bags
• New and Improved Walker Bag
• Why I'm Refashioning My Wardrobe

favorite product list

My favorite product and tool list will be a work in progress. I may add in or delete from time to time. I do not get paid for endorsing a particular product -- these are just the ones I like and use. 

A. 
Acrylic mounts for stamps - Fiskars 
Aleene's Tack It Over and Over Glue 
Awl or craft pick (pokey tool) 

B. 

Backdrops (twin-size flat sheet, sheers, decorative shower curtain, green screen

           tarp, tablecloths)  

Backdrop Stand (a t-shaped, 3-legged stand designed to hold a backdrop curtain behind

         you while you are taping a video to dress up or hide the background) - online Walmart 

Black and White Striped Backpack. (Cross-body purses do not work with forearm crutches

        and since I need the crutches to keep me stable, I've had to go to a backpack. Would

        LOVE to have one made by Mary Engelbreit and I've suggested it at her website.

        Anyway, the backpack carries my essentials as well as my sermon notebook and the

        GRACE & Prayer card coloring sheets I hand out at church. I also like backpacks with

         zippers - they are harder for pick pockets to roam through.)

Baseball Trading Card sleeves for 3-ring binders (artist trading card storage)
Bigz Dies - Sizzix
Bookcases (storage)
Brads/Eyelets
Brayers (hard plastic for sharp creases, soft foam for paint)

C. 

Cardstock
Craft Barn (storage)

Clasp rings 
Crochet Hooks (in all sizes)
Composition Notebooks
Cutting Mat (marked in 1-inch lines)

D. 
Die-cutting Machine -- Cuddlebug! 
Document Sleeves for 3 ring binders

E. 
Elmer's Craft Bond Glue

Embossing Folders
Eye Candy and Ideas - Pinterest, Splitcoast Stampers, YouTube 
Eyelet Punch/Setter - 

F. 
Fabulous Freebies

Fibers (butcher's twine, crochet thread, embroidery thread, sewing thread, string, yarn) - Coats and Clark
Filing folder boxes (clear plastic with snap-on lids for cling mounted stamps and thin-let die

     storage)
Food packaging (recycled images and 11 pages of potential Art Dolly Dresses)
Freezer paper

G.

Glue (with a fine nozzle tip; I dislike glue sticks personally, but like them for toddler Sunday     School class crafts) - Aleene's Tacky Glue, E600, Elmer's Craft Bond

Gorilla Pod Stand (a 3-legged stand for cell phone videotaping; the legs also bend, so one can

     wrap them around a pole to video tape from an angle or moving object such as a rollator)

H. 
Homemade Glue Dots

Harbor Freight Sheet Metal Hand Punch #44060 (I haven't been able to find the tool on

     Harbor Freight's website, so perhaps it has been discontinued, so I'm going to add a photo

     of the tool. It's come in very handy, and I only paid $20.00 for it. I found a similar hand

     punch on Amazon for twice that.) 

Hefty Slider Jumbo Storage Bags, 2.5-gallon size or 14 3/8" x 16". (To hold scrapbook paper

     and all the scraps or to organize ephemera by theme)

I. 

Idea Journals (black or white 3-ring binder/spiral notebook of doodles and lists)
Ikea   RÅSHULT Utility Cart with Wheels

Ink (basic black and colors in chalk, dye, permanent and pigment) - Clearsnap/Colorbox,

      Marvy/Uchida, Ranger, Stazon/Tsukineko

Inventory Journal (3-ring binder of color charts, die shapes, punch shapes, and stamp-offs)

J.

K.

Kiwi Lane Scrapbooking Templates (good for tracing around for doodled coloring sheets) 

L. 
Laminator and clear plastic sheets (our old laminator jammed, so hubby took it to a repair

     shop and the cost of repair was $5.00 more than the cost of a brand new one, so we tossed

     the old one and purchased a new one. The new one has a release button.) - 

Walmart Lamp (clip-on adjustable lamp for videotaping)

M.

Magnetic bowl (holds bolts, brads, eyelets, nuts, and tiny thin-let dies) - Harbor Freight

Magnet sheets added to 8.5" x 11" tagboard (to hold thin let dies in clear file folder box

    storage)

Magnet wand (telescoping magnet for dropped brads, eyelets or tiny die pieces) - Harbor

    Freight

Markers (water-based dye and alcohol-based permanent inks) - Marvy/Uchida, Sharpies

    (See my Fabulous Freebies tab for a link to a Marvy/Uchida printable marker chart &

     coloring sheets)

Mary Engelbreit's Craft Books

Mary Engelbreit Rubber Stamps - I have purchased them from eBay, flea markets, garage

     sales, Michaels, and thrift stores.  But I just got the word (11/15/2019) that Rubber Moon

    has licensed with Mary Engelbreit to produce her stamps. YAY! You can purchase them

     from Mary Engelbreit's website. 

Masks and stencils.

Microsoft Paint & 3D Paint (came with my laptop computer.)

Microsoft Photo and Video Editor 2021. (Came with my laptop). 

Milk Crates (portable storage for pencil boxes and my Mary Engelbreit clamshell tins I use to

     store her stamps in) 

N. 

O. 

P. 
Paint (acrylic based and water-based) -- Hobby Lobby, Joann's, Michaels, Walmart
Paint brushes 
Paper (upcycled paper like homemade, Kraft sacks, prescription chemistry papers, and

     store-bought cardstock - white, colored and decorative scrapbook paper)
Paper Trimmer (cuts and scores) - Fiskars
Pencil boxes (plastic clamshell with colored flat tops for storage) 
Pencils (colored, mechanical, watercolor), my current favorites are 30 Count Crayola

     Twistables (wish they had refills)

Pill bottles (transparent bead, blade, sequin, & sponge storage, sponge daubers, etc.)
Pincushion
Plastic packaging (transparent-for homemade stencil and shaker cards)

Polaroid Zink (smart phone photo printer)
Punch Buddy
Punches (Basic shapes and a corner rounder)

Q.

R.
Ribbon (dots, chintz florals, gingham checks, and stripes in 1/4-inch-wide chiffon or woven)

Ring Light (4 settings to give your face its best glow while videotaping. Mine is a clip-

    on version connected to an adjustable cell-phone clamp for videotaping.)
Rubber embossing mat for die-machine
Rubber Stamps (cling or pre-mounted; I do not care for clear stamps)

S.

Safety or bulb pins - Tim Holtz (bulb pins)
Scissors - Tim Holtz
Sewing Machine (basic machine with zig-zag stitch) 
Sewing Needles and Pins
Sharpie Marker (fine-line, black)
Spiral notebook (purse sized product shopping trip list)
Stapler, staples and staple remover (tiny sized for attachments)
Stazon Ink Cleaner Liquid
Stencils (homemade with dies and store-bought) and Masks

T.

my best tips (post) 
tissue boxes (checks, dots, stripes, and chintz florals)

Tracing disks  (can be used not only for appliqués in quilting, but also for scrapbooking)

Twistables by Crayola (side note: Check out this crayon website by clicking here!)

U.

V.

W.
Washi tape (checks, dots, stripes, and chintz florals)
Water brush (I like the Pentel brand the best, but also have a Kitchen uretake)

Wendy Vecchi's Make Art Stay-tion magnet board by Ranger  (now I have 2 to scrapbook a

        spread on. The hinge in the middle on the back is a piece of decorative duck tape.)
White eraser

X.

Y.

YouTube's Free Audio Library (downloadable music clips and sound effects; see the

     description box below my videos for titles/artists)

Z.