Bead Sorting Coming Along (ThTh)

Just peeking in here for a minute to let you know that while I haven't been able to DAILY work on the craft room/go through beads. I have been able to get some of it done. Above are just some of the MANY seed beads I've bagged up. I've separated them into the ones I'm getting rid of and the ones I'm keeping.

Here are some of the other beads (mostly plastic) that will be leaving my house by some means.

This is how most of my seed beads have been stored. With the beads being so tiny, I feel that it's unnecessary for them to take up so much room in these type of containers. AND, it's a lot easier for the beads to get mixed with other beads (an aggravating event.)  As you've figured out, they've been bagged for easier storage (if being kept at all.)

So, without further ado - here are some links for "Thrifty Thursday"

• Some ideas for the batch freezing of foods. This one's called the 5-day freeze. In general, it's a great idea. I just don't use enough peppers or zucchini to freeze batches of them. I do like the idea of having these things on hand though.
• Don't rebuild that tired-looking wood deck, just flip the boards. What a great tip!
• Did you know you could buff out dings in wood with a walnut? I didn't, but it's worth a try.  
• Weird dutch site that gives ideas for how to re-use/re-purpose some items. Some of them I don't get or think they kinda weird, but the rest are pretty neat ideas. Click through the gallery. 
• One dollar designs. . .simply beautiful.

I've already gotten one whole BIG tackle box cleaned out, but still have a bit more to go. Wish me luck!

Rain Delay (TRT)

Don't you just love the rain?
You know - watching it from your window, listening to it on the roof, letting Mother Nature take over and moisturize the Earth. Yeah, me too.
UNTIL I get stuck driving in it or carrying sackfuls of groceries to the car in it.
Let's just say I had a bit of a rough spell after work.
I'm surprised at how positive I stayed throughout the day, despite the fact it was a Monday AND despite the fact the Mother Nature gave me her own monthly gift this morning. I was in a good good mood, a positively surprisingly upbeat mood.
UNTIL, I got stuck in the downpour. Then, my spirits started draining. My good mood started waning. My stamina DROPPED!

I made a promise to myself to work on the craft room (at least a tiny bit) each day. So, even with the energy of a three-toed sloth, I pulled out a few boxes of beads and began to sift through them. I'm finding it so very hard to decided what to keep and what to purge. How am I supposed to know what I MIGHT need/want at some point down the line? Almost every bead type I touch springs new ideas. I was eventually able to weed out a few beads, ones I know I'll never need. I really shouldn't have started with some of the 'newer' bead boxes. In any case, it's a start. And I accomplished something. It's an accomplishment damnit!!

In the next few days, I should start feeling like myself again and may be able to work on this with renewed vigor. For now, I'm taking it a little at a time. I don't want to go into "Bead-Loss Shock" or anything. Yeah, I made that up, but I bet it could totally exist, especially for us bead-a-holics.

Now for some more "Totally Random Tuesday" tidbits:

• In keeping with the theme of the day, here are 15 euphamisms for the time of the month (Ah, the joys of being a woman.)
• 20 types of art student - I wasn't an art student, but did go to a liberal arts college where there were quite a few art students, so I can relate somewhat. Now that I am crafty(ier), I find this entertaining/amusing.
• GAME - Red Remover- bit of a puzzle/physics game.
• These have been all over the place but are worth a looksee - Styrofoam coffee cup art. Cool!! The site has a link to the story and to the flickr set.

 Hopefully, I can be more productive after work today. Hopefully!

Craft Room Reorganization - the Beginning (MMSM)

 Apparently, March is "Craft Month" or some such thing.

Recently, I've stumbled upon a wealth of jewelry craft inspiration in the form of some new Bead/Jewelry bloggers. Reading and reviewing their blogs has really made me want to get my crafty butt into gear.

While EVERY month is a craft month to me, I want to really put forth the effort THIS month to be crafty or work on my craft room every day this month, even if for just a few minutes. I started yesterday.

After an incident with my kitchen oven (see my Facebook page for more info), I pressed my luck and decided to bake/cure my polymer clay pieces (top of the page.) I have a persnickety craft-ONLY-designated toaster oven (it takes me FOREVER to get it to the right temperature and keep it there.) Really, it's a pain in the arse. Since I had some waiting time (while it was shuddering to the right temp and then while baking the beads), I started working on some organization in the craft room. [If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm ALWAYS working on getting the craft room organized.]  As I started on these tasks, I made a few realizations:

1. I have entirely TOO MUCH stuff in the craft room. Really, it's overwhelming.
2. If I actually go through every bit of it, I might be able to find some items to part with. (via donating, freecycling, a yard sale, maybe even a giveaway here or something along those lines)
3. Just BEING in the craft room to clean, might incite me to actually create more.
4. Limiting the amount of stuff I have to use might mean I actually USE the items I have.
5. Having a clean and clutter-free craft room might incite me to use the room more often.
6. Using this method on the rest of the house too might not be a bad idea either.

The hardest part is being ruthless about what to get rid of and what to keep.

I'm only going to do this cleaning/organizing/purging in small increments of time, to keep myself motivated.
I started yesterday with my main craft table and then a side table. I only cleared off enough of the craft table to basically put down the polymer clay beads. But then I was ruthless on the side table. I had already started on it when I took this picture. It was MUCH worse than this.

I went through each container, bag, etc. to see what I have and want. I didn't go through the stacking container on the right side of the table. This contains my beading wire, thread, cord, hemp, etc. It does need a thorough cleaning as I haven't used hemp in YEARS for my designs, and I've got a TON of it. Plus, who know WHAT ELSE is lurking in those drawers. I just about filled a gallon-size ziplock with shrink plastic pieces, ugly jewelry, random loose beads, etc. It was tough getting rid of some of those items, but here was my result!

The picture's a little blurry, but you get the general idea. At some point, I'd like to find a better sorting method than those metal planters. They work for now though.

My next project is my bead stash. It'll probably be the hardest for me to purge. It needs to be done. I'm running out of space, yet I keep buying more. Tragic!! As well, it's hard to tell what I need in the mess of the chaos. The beads will take me the longest to go through, I'm sure. I'll just do a little at a time. Here's how the beads are stored now (under the table I just cleared.)

That's Asia, my craft room companion, on top of one of the fishing tackle boxes.

Wish me luck!!

For your patience with this post, here's some "Made Me Smile Monday" goodies for you:

• How's this fat guy ever gonna get through the bus doors, nevermind finding a seat. Can you imagine what those other bus-riders are thinking? 
  
  
  
• If you know me, you know how very much I LOVE all things Lord of the Rings related. Have you seen these Lord of the Rings Facebook Status updates? They are AWESOME!!! And awesomely hilarious!!
• Who doesn't like to watch famous people mess up? Here's a collection of bloopers (movies and TV) for your viewing pleasure and amusement! 
• This door is alarmed . .. I soooo would have been the person to put up the post-it if I had seen this.
  
  
  
  
  I hope this makes a better Monday for you!!

Some "Me Time" Shopping (FGF)

This week has gone by relatively quickly. I'm not complaining AT ALL!! It is, after all, Margarita Friday at long last.  :)

Hubs had a private party jazz gig last night, so I was able to fit in a little "me" time. What did I do?
I started with some thrift store shopping for craft supplies and found a few small items. THEN, I headed out for some 'real' shopping. I went to a clothing store and BOUGHT NEW CLOTHES. Granted, I buy clothes now and again, but this particular store only carries new clothes, doesn't sell blenders or music CDs, and has employees who will swap out clothes for you at the dressing room. I hardly ever go to places like that anymore. It felt so nice to do something like that for myself. Of course, my shopping trip wasn't complete without a trip to the craft store before heading home.

Once home, I pulled out my newly purchased craft supplies and began to play (the new clothes are still in the bag . . .what's that say about me?)
As I mentioned in my previous post, I've been craving some polymer clay time. So, that's what I did. I molded, shaped, kneaded, blended, poked, and played.
While they've yet to be baked and distressed a bit, here's what I was able to create while watching the Olympics last night.

I'm pretty happy with them.

After such a fun Thursday, I'm ready for "Feel Good Friday." Are you?

• Can you believe that the iconic Woodstock couple are still together? Isn't that great?
• This is more for kids, but I like it anyway - 150 things to do if you're bored.
• Oooohh,  an interactive kaledascope - I think I've shared this before. For starters, on the 1st page, pick your resolution size then wait for the next page to load. Move your mouse around and enjoy the cool, trippy experience.
• A magical wedding proposal (a little corny, but sweet nonetheless)  

That's for now guys and gals. Go out and and enjoy your Friday and your weekend. I hope it's full of fun!!

Island Movies (MMSM)

We had a bit of a movie weekend . . . An island movie weekend, in fact.

Saturday night, we watched "Couples Retreat." I'm sure you've seen the previews - Vince Vaughn, Charlotte from Sex and the City, the beach . . .  OH - THE BEACH!! I am now obsessed with going to Bora Bora and staying in one of those over-the-water huts (with fish tanks in the floor) and the beautiful blue water and the bright green palm trees and all the wonder and majesty of it. I must go to Bora Bora!! The movie? The movie was good too, it was definitely funny and entertaining. But I could talk more about the beach if you want . . .

Sunday, we went to see "Shutter Island" It was a completely different kind of island and movie. LOML and I both read the book some months ago when we first started seeing the previews. We went into the movie expecting to see what all movies do to good books. . .and what gets me riled up sometimes. However, we were pleasantly surprised that it stuck pretty close to the book. Sure, there were a few, very small changes. Ones that didn't really bother either one of us. In all, I think we both enjoyed the movie just about as much as we did the book. That's saying A LOT!! I absolutely recommend this movie (and book) for a suspenseful, mystery-like, good story. There are a few mildly gruesome scenes (be warned if you can't handle that.)

Overall, we really enjoyed both of these.

Moving on . . .I didn't really get ANY crafting done this weekend. I did make two cards for a meeting I had on Sunday afternoon, but they were rushed and sloppy. Before the meeting, I was able to hit a thrift store and pick up a few items I may share later in the week. (we'll see) I have been craving some polymer clay bead-making and may work on that at some point during the week, hopefully.

Other than that?
Let's pick things up with some long-time coming "Made Me Smile Monday" fun!!

• Cookie monster's true love

• Funny and even some hilarious analogies and metaphors found in college essays
• Pictures of what the world would be like if the internet didn't exist. My favorite is the second one
• 
   I'm not so sure about this park- definitely keep an eye on your kids there.

Just to let you know, some of the links I'll be sharing in the future may be REALLY old stuff I've had saved for a while. Just catching up . . .

Our Valentine Weekend

While suitcases, and boxes, and all sorts of chaos surround me, I've decided to simply ignore the mess and tell you about my Valentine weekend.

LOML and I rented a condo in Orange Beach, AL (big surprise after my Condo Box post.) Even with a snow warning for southern Alabama, we headed down to the beach - we're CRAZY like that. The weekend was quite chilly but beautiful.We shopped for beads (actually, I shopped while he watched and paid), we ate out (after getting stuck in OB Mardi Gras traffic for an hour and a half - REALLY!!), I crafted some jewelry, we watched sunsets, and the Love of My Life made me dinner for Valentine's day. It was a truly wonderful weekend.  

 

I hope yours was just as full of love and/or lovely things!!

Valentine's Day Crafts and More

Soooo - I've done Valentine's Posts in the past and I would be a little upset if I missed sharing something this year too - however limited.
I found this tutorial yesterday for Valentine Paper Bag Books and thought it looked like a new and fun-to-make idea. While LOML was at band practice, I snuck in a little crafting time to make his Valentine card using the basic idea from the tutorial. Here are my results:

The Outside Cover

 

The Inner Flap

 The Pull Tabs (card stock on dictionary pages - distressed)

The Front with the tabs Pulled Out

I think he'll like the effort I put into it more than anything. Granted, I could have made it a bit more . . .decorative, neater, whatever. But, I just wanted to make sure it was COMPLETED before the actual day.

I do have a few links to share for this occasion as well:

• Some easy to make valentines for kids.
• Make a great/ cheap valentines day gift.
• And, a little funny for ya - if Valentine's cards said what they really meant.

I hope this inspires you to make something just lovely for the one(s) you love.
Happy Valentine's Day!!

Packing for a Condo Trip (just a suggestion)

LOML and I have a pending trip to the beach. I can't wait, and it's heavy on my mind. In constantly thinking preparing for it, I feel compelled to share with you what I have found is most handy for us before we head to the beach. In general, we tend to rent condos. In doing so fairly often I've found that there are certain items that are needed pretty consistently. Granted the rental company does provide a few items (TP, towels and washrags, dishcloths, a little soap, etc), and the kitchens are stocked with the basics (plates, pans, silverware, coffee maker, toaster, etc.); there are a few other necessities that are needed if you plan to cook at all. Here's the list of items I've found most useful for these trips:

• Paper towels
• Toilet paper
• Garbage bags
• Drinking straws
• Ziplocks
• Plastic wrap
• Aluminum foil
• Coffee
• Creamer
• Sugar
• Coffee filters
• Chip clips
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic Powder (or other spices/seasonings)
• Sponges
• Dish Soap
• Dishwasher Detergent
• Beer huggers
• Scotch tape
• Scissors
• Non-stick spray
• Multi-purpose wipes
• Laundry supplies (those new 3-in-1 sheets are perfect)

In fact, I have a lidded storage container in which I keep the majority of these items - we call it the "Condo Box" and have also found it useful for our camper. Take a look -

I've gotten that off my chest and shared some useful information with you!! I hope this helps at some point. I know having this box packed and ready eases my mind when we do decide to take a trip down to the Gulf. And, you have NO IDEA how disappointing it is to try and make breakfast without salt and pepper, or wake up to realize you forgot coffee filters, or discover that are no garbage bags for all those beer bottles . . .  :)
OH! I can't wait!!!

Crafty Hope Still Exists

Just trying to keep up the momentum, I'm posting today.

Since I haven't posted since Christmas, let me go ahead and mention (in case you don't follow me on twitter or Facebook) what my wonderful husband (LOML) got me. . . A KILN!!
We've been so very busy that we've only used it once (to test out its fused glass ability.) It worked out pretty well overall. He also ordered me (us) a precious metal clay (PMC) kit and some instructional DVDs. Though, we haven't had a chance to play with any of it yet.

I've been working on getting the craft room a bit more organized. What else is new? I'm in a constant state of organizing the craft room. I may actually have to break down and start paring down the 'supplies.' That's so hard for me to admit. . . and it's going to be even harder to do. This is especially true since I have a few Hobby Lobby gift cards. Ahhh!!

Anyway, I'm just rambling - wanted to let y'all know that I'm trying to get back into the swing of crafting AND blogging after the long break.

LOML has headed off to band practice, and I've promised him that I'll hold off on watching LOST until he gets back. So, I need to make myself busy somewhere else so I'm not tempted to turn it on.

Maybe I'll leave you a few links next time - for now, here's a quick funny!

A Pirate Looks Forward

Let's just forget that New Year's began on January 1st.
I'm going with February 1st as my 'new beginning' or whatever.

2009 was fraught with tasks that NEEDED to be done, and To Do lists after To Do lists, and a completely full calendar. This all bled into 2010 and up to the 23rd of the month. That's when our society held our Mardi Gras Ball. It was fabulous and everything we had planned, dreamed, and imagined for the past 7 or so years. My mom (the leader/president/"queen") was breath-taking as leader and her best friend (the emblem/ball chairman) was more graceful than I knew she could be. I (ball co-chair) got to play the part of the 'fun one' and I had a BLAST. There were TONS of compliments going around. If anything went wrong or was taken poorly, I don't know about it. I'd rather not either. It was a success as far as I'm concerned.

The only pictures I have right now are some of my friends' from Facebook. (Note: I was too busy to take any pictures of my own and am 'stealing' them from my friends' albums.) If you want to see more go to my Facebook page and check out pictures of me there. Here are a few to give you a general ideaLOML and me in my 'cruise pirate pose'

A view of the stage

My mama wearing her massive mantle and train (with me off to the side)

Oh! See the skirt of my costume? It's a FUNNY skirt. It was made from the curtains that were in my sister's room when we were in high school. I knew they would be perfect for the pirate-look, and I wanted something of her's with me for the ball. What's funny about the whole situation is that the seamstress made the hem of it by just leaving the part where the curtain rod slips on. If you've ever see the Carol Burnett skit where she dresses up as Scarlett O'Hara (from Gone with the Wind) and wears the entire curtain (rod and all) down the stairs, you'll understand why we thought my skirt was so funny!!

Wait! Here's the video for reference-



Now that it's all done and over, I'm ready to get back on track - cleaning house, blogging, crafting, exercising, healthy eating. Or at least make an attempt at these things. We'll see how it goes now that my excuse (the ball) is gone. Wish me luck!!

Oooooh Mexico!!

Yeah, I know I disappeared - but look where I've been:LOML and I (along with my mom, step-dad, nieces, and Mardi Gras Sisters) went on a cruise to Cozumel, Mexico. The cruise was ALMOST typical (I'll get to that later), but Mexico was the BEST EVAHHHH!!
Our excursion was to the Nachi Cocom Beach Club (the site has music and doesn't offer much), but here are other pictures through TripAdvisor. There was a pool and hot tub next to the beach, our food and all drinks were included (we tipped as we left), hammocks, and you could pay to do a variety of activities (banana boat rides, wave runner rentals, parasailing, etc.) I didn't partake in any of those - I just relaxed and soaked in all in. The water was warm, the margaritas were EXCELLENT, the food was to-die-for and THIS was my view -
Sooooo will you forgive me? It's such a good excuse.
And I had a LOT of fun . . .



We had some serious laughs that I HAVE to share at my youngest niece's expense.
The first night at dinner was a riot!!
She ordered a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (really . . .I know) and it came on toasted bread. When it was placed before her, she looked at it and then at me . . .and said accusingly, tears almost welling up "It's cooked!?" I had to hold back laughter to explain just the bread was just toasted, and the pb&j were still raw.
Almost as soon as she had recovered from the great cooked PB&J incident of 2009, her JELL-O got to the table (in a small, round ramekin.) Dear GOD, don't the cruise people know how to cook for kids? She quickly made it obvious that this was Jello of a different sort and exclaimed, "This is NOT in squares. " I assured her it was indeed still jello and encouraged her to try it. She recovered and soon began poking around in the dish only to discover (OMG!) "There's SOMETHING in it!!" As I replied that it was probably fruit, she dug out and devoured a blackberry. At least she's trying new things. Round Jello with fruit. Who'd a thunk it?

It got tougher to laugh at the little things. Especially when we awoke Monday morning to disembark, only to discover that we were fogged in. Announcements were soon made that the Port of Mobile was closed due to ZERO visibility, and we would make the THREE hour cruise up the channel just as soon as the port re-opened. Which, apparently, was not until sometime VERY EARLY Tuesday morning, almost 24 hours later. LOML and I awoke in port at 5am and when my step-father called at 6:30 to tell us he could see people getting off the ship from his side of the boat, we grabbed our luggage and hauled butt OFF. Yes, I KNOW we got an extra day of vacation; but I was internet-starved, hungry to see my cat, and dying for some REAL home-cooked food.

So, even though I had to leave this behind
LOML and I plan that our next trip to Mexico will be more beach and less travel. We'll just fly in!!

*by the way, I did personally take all of the above pictures, with the exception of the one of LOML and me. I think my oldest niece snapped that one.