24 Days 'Til 40 (The Beer Must Pour On)

Okay, the title of this post is a bit misleading. I didn't drink any beer today.

But I was feeling a little better this afternoon and decided to get off the couch. You know the situation is veering on the desperate side when the cushions have memorized the shape of your backside.

Once in the upright position, I was able to evaluate the cough/headache. Hmmm. Not dizzy. No sudden urge to hack up a lung. Was I feeling...better? I gingerly puttered around the kitchen to find some food and discovered the cupboards were slightly barren. And I really, really, REALLY wanted a bowl of cereal. My stomach growled in protest.

But I had Dave. He stayed home from work, an attempt to help me combat this dang cold. Picking up the kids, running to the grocery store--he was my guy. However, being a guy, he went to the grocery store and came home with beer.

What?? Where's the milk I asked for?

My temperature began to rise again. Beer. But then I took a closer look: a twelve pack of the Champagne of Beers, aka Miller High Life. (And, yes, a carton of milk hidden deep in the bag. Thank you, Dave.) While I am not a big fan of the beer itself, I do like the carton. It's printed on the outside as well as the inside, and guess which side I prefer? Yep. The inside. Something about that singular red color over the brown cardboard side gets me every time. It's also jam packed with illustrations of cowboy boots, guitars, trucker hats, quilted vests and the Miller High Life logo. How cool is that?

After Dave put away the beer, I fished the carton out of the recycle bin and headed into my work room. I was about to get my craft on.

Double-sided mylar.

The first thing I did was draw and cut out a stencil of a Miller High Life bottle. And then I cut out two rectangles from the carton measuring 5 1/4 inches wide x 8 1/2 inches high. I have a stash of pre-cut chipboard that have the same measurements, so with the help of my trusty sewing machine Kenmore I adhered the carton rectangles onto the chipboard.

(Oh, and did I also mention that I have a stash of book blocks for easy book making? I make at least 4 at a time and store them between two pieces of plywood and a C-clamp. This keeps the book blocks tightly pressed together so they do not lose their shape.)

And I made a book. It may not be the prettiest book in my collection, but I'm proud of it. I made a book! Woohoo!

While I'm not completely back to my normal, non-coughing self, at least I know that my hands still work.