Organizing workshops are going live!

Do you spend as much time LOOKING for your crafting supplies as you do CREATING?  Are you absolutely CERTAIN you have that perfect paper or embellishment, but you can't remember where you put it?  Have you ever purchased DUPLICATE supplies?  Do you struggle with ORGANIZING your crafting and paper supplies? 

Join me for a series of workshops that will help you get organized once and for all!

I'll help you sort your papers and embellishments and put them into a system that's personalized and easy to use.   I'll also provide the space and time you need to get it done! 

Workshops include:

• 3 hours of time to sort, purge, and organize your supplies. 
• A full 6-foot table on which to work
• Handouts to help you along your way
• Assistance, support, and encouragement as you work
• Snacks and drinks (of course!)

As you work, you'll become more organized so your crafting time can be spent actually crafting!   And when you're finished, you'll be able to find the things you're looking for and easily put supplies away when you're finished with them and/or when you buy new things. 

Each workshop costs just $15 and there is NO product purchase required.  I'll show you the products I use and like, but I also encourage you to use what you have. 

Workshops will run:

• Friday 7:00 - 10:00 pm
• Saturday 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
• Saturday 2:00 - 5:00 pm
• Crop Saturday 6:00 - Midnight

Attend one or more workshops for $15 each or attend all four for just $50. 

The first set of workshops will be held on Friday and Saturday, March 14 & 15, 2014.  To RSVP, comment or send me an email and then mail me a check to reserve your spot.  Spaces are available on a first-come, first-paid basis. 

I'm looking forward to sharing these workshops with you!

Another quick "craft"

This is one that I normally wouldn't call a "craft," but it did require a little creative thinking and it certainly brightens my day, so here it is.....

I have a bay window in the front of my house, and it's very tall.  I wanted a floral arrangement that would fill the space, and I found these flowers at Asian City.  I just love the purple and yellow together!  I had a square vase in mind, but it was about twice the price, so the cylinder will do nicely.  Fill with floral marbles and viola!  Happy me!

Back to Crafting and Creative Pursuits

It's been awhile, which is not to say that I'm not actually creating.  It's just that, so much of my creating is so, well, ordinary.  And then there's the day-to-day 'creating' which doesn't really feed my spirit.  You know, creating a grocery list, creating clean laundry, creating dinner (only to have at least one person reject it.  Every. Single. Night.  *sigh*).

So I challenged myself to do a Craft a Day in May.

And promptly fell a week behind.

Perfectionism says I should just give up, or work like crazy to "catch up."

But another voice says I should honor the spirit of the challenge and keep going.  That same voice reminds me to celebrate the small things I create each day, instead of boxing myself in to some narrowly defined idea of what "creating" looks like.

So, in that spirit, I give you a my latest creation:

This is a triptych I'm framing for the Maternal Units for Mother's Day.  I created it using StoryBook Creator Plus, and I'm printing it at Costco on a 12 x 18 print.  I bought the frame I'm using at Walmart for $5, and I essentially copied the set we bought from LifeTouch when we had our portraits done.  Total cost is about $8 each, and it took about 30-45 minutes to create it, including measuring the frame opening and color-correcting the photos to remove some of the redness in the kids' faces.  I love these pictures and I think it will make a great gift!

Frugal Christmas

Christmas on a budget requires some planning ahead. And it's never too late (or too early) to start. 

This time of year, the school supplies are still on sale.  When my kids were younger, I'd buy art supplies for them on sale now, and save them for Christmas presents.

Kmart and Sears are offering free layaway.  Walmart and Toys R Us are also doing layaway again, though they *may* have a fee.  We have a Christmas savings account, so we don't use layaway, but we did when the kids were little, and it helped a lot.

The stores are now selling Halloween stuff, by the gazillion.  Which reminds me of another great idea.  A few years ago, I showed up bright and early on November 1st and bought wigs and other fun things.  Tucked them away for Christmas for the girls' pretend play.  They *loved* it!

As I think of more, I'll let you know.

The after-Christmas sales have been a boon to my budget as well.  We're still using the red Saran Wrap I bought for half-price last year.  I also look for Ziploc bags, napkins, paper towels, and tissues.  Who cares what it looks like if it does the job?!  Oh!  And Sharpies and packing tape.  Half-price because the packaging was Christmas-y.  Cuz, you know, all of that stuff stops working on December 26th because it's the wrong color!  ROFL!  

A new home for my necklaces

So, I've been collecting fun jewelry for awhile and it's outgrown the two hooks in my closet. I'm not really even sure how I stumbled on the idea, but it all came to me in a rush, including the layout, which I excitedly passed on to DH while standing in the shower, gesturing over the door at him! (In retrospect, he didn't quite understand my gesturing and did what he thought I wanted, which wasn't quite the same thing as what was in my head. Next time, I'll be sure to draw it out a little better so we're on the same page).

There's a story behind these pretty drawer pulls.

When I was young, I needed a desk in my room. I'm sure my parents had visions of completed homework and hours of reading. The reality was much, MUCH messier. The desk came from a yard sale and it needed a bit of TLC. My dad sanded it, painted it, and even added a laminate top to it. Then he added these pretty drawer knobs that I picked out all by myself. I loved them. Obviously, I still do.

I still have that desk. It's now our computer desk, and a few years ago, at a yard sale or store closing sale, or something, I found a whole pile of those exact drawer pulls. And I bought the whole lot, much to DH's chagrin, as he had no idea what in the world we needed them for! We replaced the worn knobs on the desk, and the rest found their way to a dusty pile in the garage.

Until now!

My original intent was to buy some bead board or similar fancy, textured lumber and then paint it. But, as I wandered around the store, I couldn't find what I had in mind, and I really didn't want to buy an 8' x 4' sheet of wood for this little project. So, I went to the craft store, where I still didn't find quite the right thing. I did find a board with beveled edges, but, as I looked at the price tag, I remembered a shed full of plywood scraps and a husband who is handy with power tools, including a router.

Off we went! LOL!

DH did a great job on the wood, though I've since learned he'd like a new router, and then I painted it in this pretty spring green. DH drilled the holes for the knobs, using another one of his fancy tools, and then I attached the knobs. The last bit was buying belting at the fabric store and attaching it to the back with staples (yet another power tool)! We also had to buy a funny two-headed bolt thing, plus a molly (or anchor) to attach the knob to the wall for hanging, but all in all, I had most of the parts on hand. And I love it!


These are my shorter necklaces and they hang in a narrow space on the wall in my oddly shaped closet. The longer necklaces are all alone on the hooks that used to hold (or attempt to hold) all of this! So pleased with how it turned out!

Frozen Smoothie Mixes

See the verdict at the bottom of the post.

Breakfast has always been difficult for me. I need something quick because I am ALWAYS running late (I'm not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination); something I can eat on the run, and I don't like sweet stuff first thing in the morning.

This last week, I started experimenting with smoothies. Turns out, it's FUN! LOL! So, on grocery day, I bought more ingredients to make more, including plain yogurt (trying to avoid all the sugar in the flavored stuff), cottage cheese, frozen fruit, and spinach. I had some cranberries that I bought on sale after the holidays ($.50 a bag!). I even got the yogurt on a deal because it was close to it's expiration date. I'd planned to freeze the yogurt and the spinach, but then I saw this post on Pinching Your Pennies, and I just had to take it to the next step.

I flash-froze the spinach on waxed paper on cookie sheets. The cranberries were already frozen, since that's where I'd tossed them when I got home from the store. I also had a few fresh blueberries from a recent sale. I froze the cottage cheese (added for protein) and the yogurt in ice cube trays.


The ingredients this time around:
Blueberries (only in a few of them cuz there weren't very many left)
Spinach
Cranberries
Yogurt (2 cubes)
Cottage cheese (1 cube)
Frozen strawberries
Frozen mango

The resulting packets. Aren't they pretty?


I have to admit to a bit of environmental guilt over the plastic bags, but I'm not sure I've got a better idea. The inexpensive plastic containers don't generally hold up well in the freezer....they get dropped and the frozen plastic breaks very easily. I'll keep thinking.

A note about the frozen fresh spinach: It freezes fast, but it also thaws out really fast. So next time, I'll leave it in the freezer until the very last second, and add it to the bags last.

I made 11 smoothies packets today. Cost breakdown goes like this:
Blueberries $1.88 (on sale)
Yogurt $1.19
Cottage Cheese $1.25
Spinach $1.69
Strawberries $2.50-ish (I don't remember exactly. I had a coupon so I bought the name brand.)
Mango $2.50-ish
Cranberries $.50

Total: $11.50, which makes the cost about $1.00 each. I'll add a cup of milk (or thereabouts) when I blend it, plus some almond butter for more protein.

I'm toying with adding coconut milk or water too, but only because I've heard it's supposed to be fabulous for you. We'll see. That'll add to the expense, since it's $1.00 a can at my local Sunflower Market, and more expensive if I get the name brand.

Now I just need to add a Magic Bullet to my wish list to make the prep a bit faster and easier.

The verdict: I made one yesterday morning. I added maybe 2 T of sugar? Probably less as I just dumped it in until it tasted sweet enough. I had to add at least 1 1/2 cups of milk to make it drinkable through a straw, which meant that the smoothie was probably 16-20 oz and waaay more than I could drink for a morning meal. I saved the extra after loading up my travel cup and had it for a snack yesterday afternoon. It turns a bit funny-colored in the fridge, a combination of the blueberries and spinach, I think. It winds up looking rather gray. But it tasted DELICIOUS!

Next time, I'll have to decrease the contents of the bags, but I'm not sure how just yet. As with most things in my kitchen, it's always an experiment, and it's always in flux. :-)

Coming Soon.....

*A labeled drink holder for the kitchen that I hope will help curtail the 8 bazillion cups and glasses on the counter every day.

*A new necklace holder, with warm fuzzy childhood memories attached.

*Frozen smoothie mixes