Lunchcapades

Hi, my name is MJ and I'm a craft store junkie.

(hi MJ)

I first came to this realization on July 11th, 2008. After a week of blogging about how I needed to cut down on my craft spending, I took another "quick trip" to the store for one little thing and left with $27.71. Just a wee bit of baby stuff. That makes it all better, right? But spending is spending and I knew I was simply justifying myself.

(stay tuned for more of my recovery story as it unfolds...)




Yes, you see more beading supplies. Four flannels. For baby stuff. Really. From the top:

1.) Green flannel has flowers and butterflies in darker green. My SIL LOVES green, so I thought this might make great burp cloths. (She also is not big on "cutsie baby stuff") It wasn't on sale though, so I only got half a yard and paid $2.50.

2.) more baby food flannel matching what I'm going to make bibs out of...I'm going to use this yard to make my own matching bias tape! So cool! I got the last of the bolt and got about 1 1/5 yard for $1.79.

3. & 4.) yardage for baby blankets. Total 4 1/2 yards for $5.37.

Maybe I should think about selling at craft fairs this fall in order to support my habit.




And of course, Wendy's! (No, still no frosty!!!Woo Hoo! I can quit something!)

I also got off white grosgrain ribbon to make my own "Made By" tags. I looked at the small selection and decided I could make my own. (and a lit less expensively!) I love to cross stitch and can personalize it really well myself, making it even better!



And my gas. My precious gas. I'm thinking of trying all the hypermiling techniques floating around out in cyperspace these days. I'll see if I can stretch this tank a little further than normal! (and my uber-curvy self reflected in my clean black car. Oi. I have curves where I shouldn't though!)



Meanwhile, the inside of my car really needs a good cleaning!!



Can you tell how much I love my sunglasses?



What's in my purse:
notepad to write down prices, lists, poems, things I need, etc..., my journal, (the cover of which says "Life is just so Daily!") The Joy of Beading by Anna Borrelli, lots of loose papers, my password notebook, cell phone (of course), and lots more stuff buy you can't see it!

I don't think I'm going overboard, but...

...a few days ago we ran out of paper towels. Those of you who do the shopping in your household know just how expensive paper products are! We have a stash of paper plates, plastic utensils and plastic cups, but we don't typically use them unless it's a really bad day and we can't face dishes or it's a rowdy backyard event.
I decided not to run out and get paper towels right away when we ran out...just to see how long it would take for my hubby to 1. notice; 2. say something; 3. get really frustrated (just kidding!). Actually, I ended up mentioning it last night. I was folding the laundry and noticed some of our washcloths are really dingy or worn out so I set them aside to use as rags. Then I got to thinking. Maybe I won't run out and get paper towels at all! What do we use paper towels for? Spills, drying hands, napkins (don't get me started!), cleaning glass, anything else?
So is there anything in that group that we can't use old washcloths or kitchen towels for?
I didn't think so either.
So I told him-if I'm going to take a cut in pay, we're going to have to find more ways to save around here and that includes paper towels. Not that I won't buy a roll to have in case we find that one use that no other product on earth is appropriate for, but for normal use, we can simply use towels or washcloths.
I wouldn't say we're super spenders. I typically buy store brand, in bulk, shop the sales, & shop the sales SMART (is this store's sale price is more than the other store's regular price?). But I don't think we've ever really considered more ways we could be saving, even considering lifestyle changes.
Such as a clothesline. I was shocked when my hubby thought it was a good idea! Often times he is reluctant to change, reluctant to have things (other than his toys) in the back yard, reluctant to consider my suggestions. (maybe a stretch there, but it feels like it sometimes). But it would mean getting up early, running a wash and hanging it in the backyard all before work.
Now I don't know about you, but I'm no morning person. I get to work at 9 am and sometimes I'm still late! I wake up at the last possible moment! But if I'm serious about saving money this way, I'm going to have to discipline myself to do this consistently.
Am I up to it?

Poetry Thursdays (late)

(But I wrote it last night, I just didn't post it!)

"imBalance"

Dreams interupt Life
flow
Life interupts Dreams
fulfilled
Balance inAccesable here
Life under construction
Dreams stealing attention

unFulfilled Life
unRealized Dreams

Excerpts from last night...

"It's nice that we have the choice. For now."
"What? To walk vs. ride?"
"Yeah. I mean, we live close enough that we could walk to the concert if we needed to, but we have the choice to drive, too."
"I know, I don't get why everyone wants to ride. It's not that far."
"But in our culture, people don't walk places. It takes too long and we're not used to seeing walking as transportation. Walking is seen as exercise, as work, as a pain. If we lived in Boston or New York, they wouldn't think twice about it, it would be assumed that we'd walk downtown; but we live in the only big city in the state and these guys are coming from the suburbs. They just don't walk places!"
"Yeah, but it's not that far!"
"It doesn't even occur to them to walk, honey...it's just not wired into them yet."
"Yeah. Yet. It won't be long before a two mile walk will look good as compared to the gas and money it will take. I see some major lifestyle changes on the horizon. Public Transportation, for one."
"You know, we'd have better public transportation if the people in charge of it had to use it!"
"True. Have you ever used it?"
"Not in a long time, but I looked into it a few months ago. It still makes financial sense for me to drive to work myself, but I was only figuring gas prices vs. ticket prices; not maintenance and insurance. I don't want to get rid of the car just yet."
"But what's it going to take to get rid of it? How bad does it have to get before we start making major changes?"
"Well, I think the car is more reasonable to hang onto than the truck."
"But we need the truck."
"Exactly. We think we need all of this stuff, but do we?"

Surprisingly enough...

...it's not been that hard to quit Ice Cream for the month. I fully intend to continue after July, but for now we're talking about today. Tuesday I made the decision that Ice Cream would be the first thing I quit, and that I'd start the next day. I went home, had a mug of Friendly's "Wattamellon" Sherbet, and that was it. (Yes, Wattamellon is spelled correctly...the New England/Boston phonetic way - we don't pronounce our R's around heah.) And yes, I went to Wendy's on Wednesday, but no, I didn't get a frosty. I know it's just soft ice cream and I only thought about it for a nanosecond before remembering my pledge not to have ice cream. Gelato, sherbet and sorbet are included.
For Ice Cream being such a daily habit, I'm surprised at how easily I've been able to turn away from it.
Something else which surprises me is how often I go into the kitchen and automatically open the freezer door. Automatically like breathing. Singing. Looking at the clouds. Mindlessly. I just chuckle, shake my head and close the freezer door, but it's interesting to me just what kind of habit it really was! I open a door and there it is. Oh. What a great idea. I was just looking for a snack, any snack, but here's the ice cream...fantastic!
And even with all of that, it hasn't been hard to walk away.
Interesting.
The only thing I will have, though I haven't yet, is the grenata (Italian ice). It's not a lactose product and has no sugar (the kind I make myself) which are the two components of ice cream which make me avoid it. I don't consider that a justification, it's just fact.

Choices

I'm contemplating a job change. I currently work with 6 people in a small lab and we all work together really well. I've worked at enough companies that I know it's a rare gem of an opportunity to work in this kind of environment. My boss is very good. He's fair, flexible and jumps in to take on whatever needs to be done. He is very loyal to his staff and in turn, we're quite loyal to him. I think I get paid very well considering what I do.

However. I don't like what I do there and the hours are tough on my home life. I think I've mentioned this before! LOL. I've been presented with a possible opportunity to change jobs. I say possible opportunity because I haven't even interviewed yet. It would mean the same amount of commute, uber better benefits and the opportunity to get back to Human Resources...which I've done in the past and have kicked myself for leaving it!

Now closer to the point: I have an interview three days before my current boss goes on a two week vacation. Assuming they offer me the job when he's on vacation, I'd then not really give him the chance to plan for my position being vacated in a timely manner. As I said, we're very loyal to him and to the company as a whole. They treat us very well and he has put up with my health problems and with my lack of motivation with a great deal of understanding. I know it's not my responsibility to consider his position in my change-over, but we work in a different sort of company than the run-of-the-mill place.

I'm considering sitting down with him and giving him a head's up that I'm looking for another position. I know I don't owe it to him, but I think it would make it easier for me if it was out in the open. I want him to know that I know I'm not working up to our expectations, (yes, mine included) and that I'm doing something about it. That this will be a benefit for all in the long run because the company needs to have someone motivated to do this work and it just isn't what I care to do. I read a portion of a blog today that said it exactly:

"If you’re finding a hard time motivating yourself to work on tasks, it may be because of a disconnect between the task at hand and the larger goals you envision for yourself. Spend some time looking at the tasks you have at hand and whether or not they’re in line with the bigger picture of what you’re trying to accomplish, then minimize the tasks that are unimportant.
I do this regularly. There are a number of tasks throughout my day that don’t really push me directly on towards my goals, so these often get pushed to the side for more important tasks (like writing solid articles). Whenever I get bogged down, I just push aside the less important stuff...Every day you put aside your bigger goals is a day you put off achieving your dreams." The blog is The Simple Dollar, by Trent Hamm. I highly recommend it!

This excerpt really freed me. I have been very hard on myself for the last few weeks because of my lack of motivation. I felt that I was being lazy, a quitter, always looking for greener pastures. But I did as advised...looked at the tasks I do on a daily basis in light of my life goals. I report daily accounts receivables (payments received) and do medical collections. I am a glorified data entry clerk and I spend alot of time on the phone with insurance companies...usually will automated computers! My life goals never included making other people gobs of money. I'm not working for a cause, I'm not benefiting anyone but myself and the company I work for. I don't try to save our patients money (at least I'm not supposed to!).
I want to do something that helps people. Working in Human Resources I was constantly able to find solutions, correct pay and benefits problems, help the department become more efficient, make people's jobs easier. Viewed through Trent Hamm's perspective, I am daily putting aside my bigger goals and putting off my dreams. No wonder I'm unmotivated.

I'm still considering whether I ought to sit down with my boss and discuss this. I think he might appreciate the head's up, knowing that I am aware of the disconnect and that I may be moving on soon. I don't want to burn my bridges. Not that I think I'd ever come back here, but if they suddenly turned from a 7-person opperation to 30, he might consider bringing in an HR person instead of doing it himself!

We'll see...I may see how the interview goes first...
I'd highly appreciate anyone else's viewpoints on this!

Word Problems

I did the math on the homemade laundry soap from Jen's recipe and here's what I've got:

Borax is $2.99 for 76 oz, we need 4 oz (1/2 cup): $2.99 / (76/4)= $.16 per one half cup portion.
Washing Soda is $2.69 for 55 oz, we need 4 oz (1/2 cup): $2.69 / (55/4)= $.20 per one half cup portion.
Fels Naptha is $.99 a bar.
That makes $1.35 for a batch of laundry soap that is approx 2 cups (or 32 TBS).

That ends up being $.04 per load, or $.08 for a highly soiled load! Check out what you're paying per load for pre-made laundry detergent! I was totally unaware!!

I usually use a name brand that has a perfume- and dye-free option. It is $4.59 for 32 loads which is $.14 per regular load. That's 3 1/2 times the homemade price!

I checked out the store/generic brand: $2.99 for 32 loads. Still $.09...2 1/4 times the price of homemade. And that's generic! And I shop at the cheapest grocery in town!

Now lets just get right down to it. Tide, original scent for 32 loads is $7.99! (I couldn't find a sensitive-skin version of tide at my store...if they make it!) This costs you $.25 on every load! (6 1/4 times the price of homemade)

And here's what gets me...there were a few "earth-friendly" alternatives there. Guess how much...that's right...major cash! They were the same as Tide - $7.99 for 32 loads. It makes me so sad. You try to be responsible and they laugh all the way to the bank! They know you can make your own, but you won't!

Or will you?

Jen's full recipe:
1 Cup Grated Soap *
1/2 Cup Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
1/2 Cup Borax
Mix together and use 1 Tablespoon per load, 2 Tablespoons if it is a really soilded load.
*I chop my soap bar up into chunks w/ a knife and throw it in the food processor. Then I put it in a roasting pan on the top of the entertainment center for a day or two to dry out again, then into the food processor again to make a very fine powder. Actually the powder is so fine that I put a damp kitchen towel over the food processor while blending, and let it settle for a minute or so before opening so I don't breathe in soap powder. This extra is just personal preference, and not necessary-many folks just use it grated up and mix the powder well before measuring out each load.
This laundry soap really works well, and YES-you only need a tablespoon. I use it right in cold water and have never had a problem with it dissolving.

Skirt Refashion

Here are pictures of the progression of my first skirt refashion:

What's wrong with it: Flouncy, too long for petite wearers,the ties on the side won't do anything for my waist, and frankly, neither will the color.
What I did:
Took off the 4 inch band at waist and the long ties. Took out some of the triangular filling panels, then dyed it blue (this panel is blue because I decided to take the rest of the panels out later.)


Reattached lining, sewed remaining panels together, fixed hem, adjusted waist, then added hook and loop fasteners. I was very reluctant to reattach the zipper...kind of afraid of it!



But then I tried it on and found that it pulled a bit, showing a gap of skin. Not Good. I'd decided to go back and install the zipper, but then when I thought about it more, realized I couldn't because I only had 4 inches to work with. What else could I do?

I inserted a panel from one of the triangular scraps as so...



And Voila! No skin!



It's high enough on the waist that it won't usually show. I'm not thrilled with it, but I'm happy that I found a creative way around the problem. I may make more changes again, but if I do I'll post them. Tomorrow I'm wearing my new skirt!



I think I'm going to go back and turn the lining into shorts to make this into a skort. The back tends to hike up and I can just see me bending over to do some filing and my boss walking around the corner...not funny! I think I'll move on to something else for now and come back to it! Oi. I have a feeling this particular refashion is going to go on for months!

Ad seen recently on craigslist

FREE WOODEN , PROSTHETIC FOOT. BELONGED TO MY GRAMPA WHO JUST RECENTLY PASSED AWAY. IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF A GOOD LEFT FOOT THEN REPLY TO THIS AD. NOTHING BETTER THAN TO GET OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT. THE FOOT WAS NOT ATTACHED WHEN HE DIED. SLIGHTLY PEED ON BY FAMILY DOG. THANKS I DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT FOOT IN CASE YOU NEED TWO FEET, OMLY THE LEFT. I CAN PAINT THE NAILS IF YOU WANT AS WELL.

either you need it or you don't

I went to the fabric shop again today. As mentioned earlier, I needed iron-on adhesive. I got in, found it (finally) and turned to go back to the register and somehow ended up in the clearance section. "Just in case there's something dirt cheap that I might need."

Might need? No. There's no such thing as "might need."

Oi.

On a more positive and productive note, at the grocery I found everything I need (yes, need) to make my own laundry detergent. I was concerned about the recipe because I don't typically use powdered laundry detergent due to the fact that I use cold water for everything. However, Jen says she uses it with cold water and has never had a problem with it not disolving. Jen's site is also where I got the recipe. I checked out other recipes for powder and liquid alike and Jen's looks like the most straightforward.

I'm so psyched to make my own soap! It's getting increasingly hard for me to find laundry soap because my hubby and I both are sensitive to dyes, perfumes and harsh detergents. Plus I'm looking at a possible job change that would mean a positive change for home life, but comes with a price tag - a big cut in pay! I figure a happy wife is worth something though!

I also picked up two small spray bottles. I know, I know...I could have held out for an old cleaner bottle or a yard-sale find, but they were only a dollar each. I've decided to make my own household cleaners as well. It started this weekend when I was putting together my craft space and cleaning out the storage area of the basement. I found a full-length mirror left behind by the previous owners. It's cheap but works! But we'd run out of glass cleaner so I looked it up online! The simplest recipe I could find was 1 part water & 1 part vinegar. No worry about bleaching fabrics, fumes, or anything else. And it worked great! So as I run out of other cleaners, I'm going to make my own.

I don't as yet have a rotary cutter. It was on sale for $9.97. As far as I've seen, that's pretty good. I've also been looking for antiquie hooks and doorknobs. I'm going to dedicate a wall to hanging my bags instead of just leaving them half-emptied out all around the house! Should be functional and artsy at the same time!

Mmmm...york!

Mmmm...chicken!

This ended up being $1.24, regular $9.99. It's the panels to make a fabric book and it was discounted due to damage. I figured I could do something with the panels individually if I couldn't find a way to work with the damage...but I couldn't figure out what the problem was! So it looks like I have a perfectly good panel at a huge discount!

My big purchase was $36 on "sale" beads. Oops. But there's 9 long strands of these great beads! (and mounds of beads at home too...right.)

My new friend

Well, I finally made friends with my sewing machine last night. I had to get the book out again to figure out how to thread the bobbin and all the other start-up stuff, but I did it and it worked, and I managed to sew a straight line (the third time) and I'm psyched! It's funny, the whole time I was threading the machine, I was thinking "I could just hand sew the darned thing!" but then when I sewed a seam in 10 seconds, I put it all in perspective!
I don't have any pictures of last night's portion of the refashion process because I missplaced my memory card. (Found it this morning!) But I almost finished my refashion from a few weeks ago on a skirt which I've never worn. It was white and flouncy...too flouncy. I was told that because of my wide hips, I should wear a-line. I took it to the extreme and picked up this skirt that was just so poofy it was ridiculous. Plus note to self: never buy anything you intend to wear without trying it on first!! Of course, that doesn't apply if you're just looking for things you can refashion, but you get the gist...
So I took out the waist pannel to shortten it and all the triangular panels and I was still left with an A-line skirt! (Tells you how poofy it was!) I did a lot of the seam ripping a few weeks ago, plus a dye job - my first! Came out really well! It's now a light blue and I love the color! I also had to take the top band panel out in addition to the silly oversized wrap/ties. Yeah. I don't need anything else to help make me look wider, thank you very much!
The only thing I need to finish is the closure. I hand-stitched in hook and eye loops but now I see why they aren't used in leu of zippers. It leaves big gaps, so I'm going to have to break down and put the zipper back in after all. I think I'll spring for some iron-on adhesive. Hopefully it doesn't push me too much over my WR budget! I learned this zipper trick from Darling Petunia. She's fantastic and all her stuff comes out looking great!
All in all, I stayed up way too late, but I wanted it finish it! It's not done, but only because I need that adhesive strip...pictures tomorrow as long as I get to finish it!!

A Whole New World

While I was out thrift shopping yesterday, I was seeing clothes in a whole new way. I no longer looked at size or shape, I was basically shopping for material! It was a unique experience, and one I'm eager to repeat.

Cue obsessive behavior!! I found out the thrift shop has dollar days once a week and I was all set, ready to go back later in the week for more material!

But recall that this weekend I organized my new craft corner. What do you suppose I found by doing so? I fille a large drawer plus a large basket of raw material. That is - yards of material uncut. Plus remnants, some I've used parts of, some still in their original rolls. This is not even counting all the clothes that I don't fit into or I don't like...I'm not counting them because I haven't even sorted through my drawers and closets yet! (yes closetS, but there are only two of them and they are the small type.)

So...I'm thinking maybe I have enough stash to last me awhile before I need any new/used material for refashioning!

Therefore I'm implementing a craft budget. I've already started a tally of any wardrobe related purchases, just to keep me aware of what I'm doing. Now I'm going to implement a budget of $50 a month. I only say $50 because I've almost purchased that already! Really, going forward I shouldn't even need to do that. Maybe $10/month would do...for thread, embroidery floss, etc. I have so much! My hubby even asked if I'd like a pantry-style cabinet for the space. I am fitting everything in under the table, but I imagine he sees that might get annoying...but I'm thinking that's where I'll put all the clothes that need refashioning, never mind what I'm hiding under the table skirt!! (he remodels and installs kitchens among many other things, so often takes out old kitchens and can score old cabinets for free if the homeowner doesn't care to keep them.)

Besides limiting myself to what I already have, plus $10/month on craft-related spending, I'm taking a serious look at my house. I had a counseling session today and "Bill" knows me so well! He said he imagines if he came to our house, he'd see lots of "stuff" around...otherwise known as clutter. He challenged me to go through the house and shed with a notebook and just jot down what dominates the space in each room. I'm so looking forward to it!

We had a free yard "sale" this past weekend and got rid of a bunch of hand-me-down exercise equipment, baskets, books, decorative things. But there is so much more that I'd like to get rid of! I was going to have a yard sale, but it's a lot of work on the front end, pricing everything, sorting it all, storing it all until the sale...I fizzled out and just put a free sign out there. It was great, we only had to bring two bags of books and some assorted decorations back in. But there is so much more that I can purge from the house!

So another goal I currently have is to do the inventory, as "Bill" suggested, and also to start putting price stickers on things I want to sell. I think if I do it as I go along, it will make it easy to just bring it out the day of the real yard sale so I don't wimp out again! No worries on the tacky aspect of pricing the house furnishings! We hardly ever have guests, and I'll probably begin boxes to put on the 3 season porch to put all the small stuff anyway.

So once more, I'll leave you with today's lunchcapades.

Another yard sale find...50 cents! And they are yellow-tinted, my favorite color!

What should I quit first?

I saw this blog and knew it was for me. It's not about quitting oil, it's about quitting anything you choose. ...don't get me startedon oil! The basic premise is to give up something for a month, and then you can choose to continue or not to continue after that month is over.
Due to numerous health problems (that all lead back to one health problem...), I have a lot of things I need to quit eating. I've been able to do so in the past, but the longest I ever went was 10 weeks. That was quitting everything at the same time.
Basically, it's a candida problem...hugely magnified, sometimes called systemic candidiasis, but is also highly controvercial and not recognized as yet by the AMA. In a nutshell, I shouldn't have dairy, vinegar, sugar, yeast, or anything fermented (alcohol). In addition, I have had a food alergy panel revealing that I shouldn't have shellfish (knew that!), sesame, dairy, blueberries, bananas and coffee. So no bread, condiments/salad dressings (most contain vinegar), wine, ice cream, many of my favorite foods!
So I'm thinking of implementing this challenge for the remainder of July, but asking myself: where do I start?

Um, pretty sure Ice Cream would be a good choice...

Cookbooks

I've been meaning to get a picture of my favorite cookbooks up here as a link on my list of collections, so it looks like tonight is the night for posting!

Most of them:



The short stack:




My favorites, from left to right...
Gifts from the Kitchen; Ann Kleinberg
Better Homes and Gardens' New Junior Cookbook, 1979 ...it's where it all started!
Gifts in a Bag, Rubs & Seasonings; CQ Products
Better Homes & Gardens' New Cook Book, 1996
Soup Bowl; Love Food/Parragon Books Ltd.
Italian Favorites; Williams-Sonoma
Totally Garlic Cookbook; Siegel & Gillingham

Corn for Dinner

We had our first C.O.R.N. dinner.
(Clean Out Refrigerator Night!)
We had leftover steak from the holiday weekend, the last of the rice, and my pasta salad.



This isn't the best picture of the pasta salad, but here's what's in it...
~about 3 lb dry pasta. I used a combination of chili mac, gemili and radiatore. Use whatever kind or combination you want.
~1 bottle of Greek salad dressing.
~black olives
~green olives
~sweet pea pods. (But next time I'd only use the fresh peas.)
~1 yellow tomato
~grape or cherry tomatoes
~about 1/3 cup horseradish (don't be shy with it!)
~about 1 lb crumbled gorgonzola
I also added about 3/4 lb chunks of chicken to make it more of a meal instead of side dish.
Bon Appetite!

Lunchcapades

I had a great thrifting trip on today's lunch break, but not many pictures taken. There's lots of new projects and ideas for refashioning! I got 13 items for $33.88. Most of them were 1/2 off too! (Half off thrift prices = 1 happy thrifter!)





On my way back to work, I stopped at Dairy Queen and sprung for a French Silk Pie Blizzard. Mmmm...

My new bag, a yard sale find from a couple weeks ago. LOVE it! (I should really clean the price sticker goo off it though!!)

THE BIG BAG 'o thrift finds! Off the top of my head, I got a jean jumper...clearly even I would be too small for the thing, but LOTS of great material! Wool button-up sweater that's way too long and wide for me, but I'll be able to make appropriate adjustments. A Pantsuit/jumper with an attached vest. It's black with white cording detail on the vest. Sounds funny, but it's very elegant. And very much too small for me, but will be good material for something and the detail on the vest will dress something up very nicely. A handful of t-shirts, some plain, some with cool logos or designs. One with a parrot scheme I'll use in a reverse applique for something for my dad - huge parrot head!!

All in all, a good break! Here's some more pics from my craft organizing project from this weekend...



Uhhh...yeah, still in transition!



JUST SOME of my beads!



What could I do with this? Actually, I've been looking through my books and mags again and have all kinds of ideas...but which one do I want to do?



Just a little peek under my *table*skirt!

Multiple UFO Sightings!!!

I love the anacronym I learned last week: UnFinished prOjects! Here's what I'm working on...or was working on at one time!



This is particularly special to me. It's the first cross stitch I ever did. I wish I had kept the pattern, or in some way remembered WHEN I did it! But needless to say, it was the begining of a great and lasting love of cross stitch! The piece was designed to be a jar cover, but I wan't thrilled with that idea and just never found a way of finishing it that I was happy with. I think I'll simply frame it and keep in my craft corner as inspiration ... finishing is good!!



I have missplaced the pattern to this as well, I'm sure it will turn up eventually!



The Paper Doll is for my niece. She's just 2 1/2 so is not quite ready for paper dolls yet, but I started this long ago in anticipation. I plan to complete the rest of the cut-out pieces, then follow the original pattern which is laid out in such a way that you can frame the doll and all her clothes and accessories on one piece. That I'll do with my favorite cross stitching fabric: Irish Linen!



Pansy Sampler. You probably can't see the detail I started who-knows-how-long ago! Pansies are one of my favorite flowers...I just don't seem to get around to projects for myself!



Oops! This is upsite down! I started this shortly after the christmas wreath. I thought it was too cutsie and quickly grew bored with it. I think I'll finish it and perhaps make some customizations with it too...



Can't you tell what it is? Just kidding...it's the very begining of a very large project which comes from a picture of my brother and sister-in-law's hands and her buquet on their wedding day. I know this is at least 8 years, but less than 14 years old! Oi.



I can't tell you how many times I've pulled this stupid thing apart!! It's a humming bird and flowers, but it's driving me crazy! At one point I decided I'd never finish it and almost threw it out. I'm glad I didn't, but still...I don't think I've touched it in three years.



My first beading project using a design (instead of making it up as I went along). As soon as I find the magazine with the design I'll post where it came from! Problem is...I didn't use the right guage wire and it broke.



And it's lovely matching earrings. I can't remember if I did the earrings from the bracelet design or if they actually had a design as well. I guess I'll findout when I find the magazine!



This was supposed to be a christmas gift for a sister in law who LOVES green, but I'm not happy with the clasp. It looked metal in the package but it's plastic and it comes apart easily. I was in a hurry though and simply put it together and finished it off, then had finisher's remorse. I obviously didn't give it to her, but haven't made up my mind on what to do with it now. That was a year and a half ago!!!
Contrary to what it looks like here, I do finish projects. They just happen to usually be gifts instead of things for myself. Give me a solid deadline and I'm on it!

My new Crafting Corner

Well, my hubby wasn't thrilled with my sewing and other assorted crafts slowly taking over multiple corners of the house, so he conceded to giving me a quarter of his precious "Man Town" basement. It's where we usually end up anyway because it's the coolest place in the summer and the warmest place in the winter and of course it is the home of the 36 inch TV. So now I can craft to my hearts content while he watches Deadliest Catch, Black Gold, drag racing shows and Ghost Hunters!

MJ's Craft Corner!

The white storage/shelving unit on the right hand side was on the side of the road yesterday afternoon. I was wondering what I was going to do with all my little notions and accessories!!

If you look closely, you can see I used paper trays (as in-office trays) to stack interfusing, perforated paper (for cross stitching), cross stitch works in progress, and small sewing pieces like velcro tabs, elastic, machine replacement parts, patches, etc. are in a plastic bin on the top tray.

The table is covered in a custom table skirt that my mom made for me a few years ago. Maybe I should have plugged the iron in and made a quick pass at the skirt before putting it back on the table!

Under-table storage includes all of my batting, two canvases (more about that later), all beading and all stamping supplies.

Sorry for the sideways shot. If you look closely, you can see that the door is really not functional as it isn't on it's pin. My hubby told me why...

The screw that is supposed to hold the pannel up was coming through...evidence that something was too heavy on the shelf and probably broke it...it needs to be re-secured or the door will never stay on it's pin for very long.

On top of that, the back of the unit was coming off...only on one side though. That was an easy fix with some small nails.

For the shelf, I took out the screw that wasn't doing anything (LOL) and proceeded to nail the shelf back in place. I'm continually glad for my hubby, because I almost nailed the shelf in before putting the door back on. Then it would have been impossible to get the door on the pin!

The Dresser was being unused, so we moved it down from the top floor. It is now filled almost to the brim (except the top drawer which I landed on in my wee tumble on Friday).

I'd show pics of my bruising, but that would violate a few personal boundaries!

Part of the "top-drawer fix-up." It's so convenient having a carpenter/ woodworker around!

I started filling up the rest of the drawers while my hubby fixed up the casualty. It took pretty much all day while waiting for the glue to dry on each piece before being able to add the next, and so forth....

This panel had been broken into 6 pieces!

When my hubby was done re-assembling the drawer, he was puzzled because there were extra pieces! LOL...I forgot to tell him there were chunks of wood in the drawer already...they are the drawer stops that had somehow fallen out when his Grandfather owned the bureau. The conciensious woodworker that he is, he made sure they were put back in place before I put the drawers in. Yeah, he's a race fan too! He doesn't follow the #2 car anymore though, this shirt was from when Rusty Wallace drove that car. (And he's not a fan of Miller Lite either - more partial to home-and micro-brews.) Oooo...maybe I can use it for a refashion!!!