My Thrifty Finds (& ThTh) Plus More Halloween Goodies

Ah yeah, I'm on a roll!! Three days in a row - go me!

I finally took some pictures of the yard sale finds I procured the other weekend. Check it out!!This is a cool shelf/ spice rack thing I got for $3. It's got some tacky 70's contact paper on the back that seems to be coming off fairly easy. I hope to paint it, distress it, and then use it for extra storage in the craft room.

Here are some of the craft items I was able to purchase. The sequined appliques are for my mom, but all the rest is for me. These were my favorite craft items from the previous picture. They are simple wood block pieces that come with pin backs. They seem to be fairly old and many of the pin backs were a little grungy. But, they were only a dime each and I've got plenty of pin backs in my stash. These are going to be a lot of fun.

Here's an older needlepoint kit. I haven't opened it or inspected it very well, but it has the larger image, all the smaller 'ornaments', and all the sequins that go with it.

Lastly, this is just some jewelry and some hair combs that I got. I figured I could alter the jewelry in some way and add some feathers, flowers, ribbons, and fru-fru whatevers to the combs. We'll see.

Now - wasn't that worth waiting for?
Well, if that didn't satisfy your thrift tastebuds, here are a few links for you on this "Thrifty Thursday"

• Here are 16 creative ways to upcyscle before you recycle.
  
• How about a list of the best free stuff on the web. This is mostly web and technology based 'stuff'.
  

And with Halloween looming tomorrow, let me throw some more related links at ya'

• I know you're growing tired of the pumpkins, but here are some no-carve pumpkin ideas and finally, a complete list of pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns. Now, I promise NO MORE.
  
• Check out these 19 creative Halloween ads. They're just magazine-type ads, but really cool.
  
• How about some "bones of the dead" cookies. Creepy and yummy looking!!
• Now, if you are running out time to get a costume, this link will give some ideas for making your own Halloween costume. Most of these are really easily made from items you should have on hand or that are inexpensive and available. Oh, my personal favorites are: bubblegum, babysitter, and identity crisis. This is such a cute reference.
• Lastly, here's how to make a head in a jar spooky decoration.
  

Alrighty, this may be too much of a good thing to continue - but I'll try to be back tomorrow. See ya' then!!!

Probably the Only Post About the Election

Don't keel over, I know. Two posts in one day hasn't been done by me in A WHILE. But, I saw this video posted by my friend Grayson. I haven't said much about the upcoming election. I'd rather not add to all the rest of it. It's overwhelming to say the least. However, I do firmly believe in everyone's right to vote and want to encourage all of you to get out and do it.

Don't forget to VOTE alright!!!

A Crafty Obsession Switch (and WWWW)

Whoa. . .two posts in two days - Believe it!!
I just have to brag, I got my craft-on again yesterday. I worked mostly on on the Halloween piece but also worked some on a few other projects. I think I've switched gears again and my new crafty obsession is collage (again). Right now, I'm carrying around a craft bag full of colored pencils, pastels, watercolors, watercolor pencils, acrylic paint, various papers (from old books, newspapers, copy paper, cardstock, tissue paper, etc.), magazines, scissors, sharpies, and glue sticks. Of course, there are probably also some shrink plastic squares somewhere in the bag's depths in case I change gears.

Hopefully, I will complete the Halloween piece tomorrow so it will be ready for the big day.
For now, it's "Wild, Wild Web Wednesday" So enjoy:

• Check out this blog that challenges bloggers to draw themselves as teenagers. There are over 500 links to bloggers who took the challenge. It is kinda old (started in April), but people are STILL posting pics there. Since I can't draw I will NOT be contributing, but I've have had fun looking at the others. Here's one example of one of the early ones.
• So true!!
• I find this photoblog of elders with style, called Advanced Style, really interesting. I only hope that I'll have developed my own style by the time I'm the age of some of these individuals. That's one of those things I still struggle with.
  
• Holy Cow, if I didn't already have plenty of reasons for wanting to get pregnant. Now there's an iPhone pregnancy application, Expecting, to walk women through the 9 months. Geez, a geek pregnancy would rock!
  

And now for some Halloween links:

• How creepy is this body in a bag costume?
• As if I haven't already shared enough pumpkin carvings, here are some geeky pumpkins.
  
• If you have any reason to want to make fake snot and didn't know how. This tutorial will help ya out!

I guess that will do if for today. Maybe you'll see me tomorrow. We'll see.

This One's All Over the Place

Can you believe it? I've been blogging here for a year. Yesterday was my one year BLOGIVERSARY. I intended to mark it with a special blog post, but couldn't come up with anything special enough in the little bit of time I had. So - like my birthday - there will not be much of a celebration. In fact, let's just move on.
I had a nice birthday dinner with my family on Friday and received some beautiful flowers from my mom, step-dad, and nieces.
I was also able to craft almost all weekend, with breaks for eating and a dance/football game thing on Saturday night. (ROLL TIDE by the way!)
It is Techie Tuesday and I don't really want to get into all of that - instead just go check out this search by color flickr tool. For a color-freak like me, it's addictive.

However, do let me share with you some more of the neat Halloween links I've found.

• Here are some more Halloween recipes. These are from Better Homes and Gardens.
• How about a downloadable Halloween card? It's soooo cute, I mean scary, I mean it's "pretty creepy" hehehe.
  
• For some Scary movie suggestions you can check out this list of the 20 scariest movies of all time OR this list of the top 25 Halloween movies. Really, these two lists are quite similar with only a few differences. And, being a scary movie fan - I'd have to agree with MOST of the suggestions listed.

I just love Halloween - there's so much cool stuff out there on the internet.

OH! I've also been working on some new Halloween jewelry. You might remember the earrings and bracelets I made last year. This year's project will not be a shrink plastic one. However, it's also not done yet, so here's a sneak peek:
If things work out, I'll post the whole project on the Fairy Creative site before the big holiday. I'll let you guys know if that happens.

Birthday Thanks

WOW!! The internet makes birthdays so MUCH MORE than they used to be.Yes, today is my birthday and I really haven't been looking forward to it like I usually do.
However, the outpouring of birthday wishes on Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, via phone and text, and even a few in snail mail has made me feel soooo special. I want to thank ALL of you who have extended these good thoughts. It has really MADE MY DAY!! So. . .

THANK YOU!!

From "To Do" to "Done." How Do You Manage It? (and ThTh)

Ack! I can't seem to fit in everything in a day that I want to do. If I try to do one task, then another one will either not get done or get limited attention. I've never understood how we are supposed to do everything we are SUPPOSED to do: prepare and eat healthy meals and snacks, work to earn a living, exercise, spend time with loved ones, shop for the clothes and food we need, keep a clean house, maintain the yard, maintain the car and house, maintain our hygiene, maintain our health, be creative, and all the other NEED TO DO tasks that wind up on our daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly to do lists. I've bought book after book on organization and time management, but have not found THE ANSWER yet.

My answer has always reverted back to list upon list upon list and prioritizing what's most pressing. You know - "the stuff in the sink is starting to smell, so I'll start with cleaning the dishes"; "Oh no, we have no clothes to wear - the laundry must need to be done first"; "They're going to turn off our water in two days - let's pay the bills right now"; "All we have in the fridge is moldy leftovers and beer - either I go shopping or we go on and eat out again" and so on. With these pressing issues who has time to write a blog post, craft some jewelry, or even enjoy reading other blogs? If you have some great solution, PLEASE SHARE WITH ME.

I guess I go through this wanting to revamp my whole way of doing things every year, and with my birthday approaching (tomorrow) I just don't want to see another year go by with me leaving so much undone, half-ass done, or never even considered getting started. I want to find a better way, NOW.

I guess while trying to do it all on my wonderful weekend, I missed noticing that I won a contest!! It's true. I won a winter dove bead from Humblebeads and didn't even notice until she sent me an e-mail. I'm so excited!! Now I'll HAVE TO find some time to get in the craft room and make a beautiful piece to go with such a lovely little bird.

Look at that - I won a FREE bead and I'm telling you about it on "Thrifty Thursday." While I would like to show you the items I got while yard shopping, I just haven't had the time to take the picture. It's one of those things that's falling through the cracks. Here, however, are some other topics that might strike your fancy:

• Could you live off only $25 in food a week? I'm pretty sure it would be difficult. Check out this articles that discusses the $25 a week challenge and links to the blog posts of some of the persons who took the challenge.
  
• While browsing the internet a while back, I found this coupon code site. Basically, you should check this site before you buy ANYTHING online, as you might could get it or the shipping cheaper with one a coupon code. This site lists the coupon codes available. How cool, and thrifty!!
  
• I'm not a big motorcycle fan, but the re-use of old watches into these beautiful little pieces of art is pretty cool.

I'm running out of time to get this done, so I'm off for now. With Margarita Friday tomorrow, I don't know if I'll post or not. In any case, I'll try. I hope you get some of your to-do's done.

Quick and Easy MMSM

If you haven't noticed, I already did a lengthy weekend review today. So this post is simply to share some "Made Me Smile Monday" goodness. Enjoy!

• HeHeHeHe!! Lesser of two weevils (get it?) :)
• Evolution of a wedding dance. Of course there are quite a few unique wedding dances circulating out there. This is the first time I've seen this one.
  
• If you just need a smile on this Monday, you could try these smile stickers The creator also has a flickr page with some great images as well.
• I've been laughing about this one for a week now. As a thrifty gal - I love it!!
• The mighty Wal-Mart even makes mistakes. Here a great example of a mistake on walmart's website.

Lastly, as the countdown to Halloween begins, I want to share some holiday links to get you (and me) in the spirit.
Halloween hangover - It's that time of year to start seeing all those crazy jack-lanterns. This trio apparently had a wild night on the stoop

Have a great day!!

A Weekend That Was Good For the Soul

Oh, I had a joyous, wonderful weekend (though devoid of any craft activity.) I wanted to limit this for you to ease your boredom, but I am so enamored with how this weekend went, that I can't help but share it all with you. Since this is a little lengthy, I'll have a second post today with my usual Monday links.

Here goes:
Friday was our traditional Margarita Friday. We made the conscious decision beforehand to try to be good and not consume too much/many since we both had plans for Saturday. I almost kept that promise. However, we went to a friend's house after dinner to watch a movie, and I did indulge in a beer or two while the video played.

This, I did regret slightly on Saturday morning as I set off yard sale-ing with a pounding head. Once on my way, I got discouraged at the offerings. . .UNTIL I discovered that one of the big, fancy neighborhoods was having their neighborhood-wide yard sale. I had much more luck then. (At some point, I might even get some pictures taken for you.) Following my bit of success, I met LOML* at the beach where he was windsurfing and brought him some lunch before I headed home to watch Alabama win another football game (Roll Tide!) After that LOML and I had some dinner, watched a movie, and slept well.

Sunday was a Beautiful day. After breakfast downtown, we headed to the art festival down the street at the Fairhope Pier Park. It was a perfect morning to browse the talent that was there - simply inspirational. You would think that after seeing all that lovely, handmade work; I would want to get to work on some crafty endeavors of my own. Instead, we got a lemonade and sat by the beach for a while before taking a drive, doing some shopping, and heading to lunch. I did feel a need to craft after lunch, but my house and craft room were in a disastrous state. I haven't really cleaned since I returned from the cruise. So, I set to work. After the laundry room (including the cat box), kitchen, living room, and two bathrooms were done, I ventured into the craft room. I hit a brick wall, I was overwhelmed, I felt overworked, I took a break.I never went back in there. I did get dinner cooked, cookies baked, and some time online before bed.

Now, granted I didn't get any crafting in AND I didn't get any real exercise. But, it was a really cleansing weekend for me. I got to spend some time outside, some time thrifting, some time with myself, some time with LOML, some time with friends, and some time thinking. As well as having my house in better shape, my soul feels better too.

It's time for some personal changes, and this weekend really helped me get on track. In fact, while I didn't get up great this morning and developed a headache by lunchtime, I made myself head to the park before eating lunch at my desk. There, I soaked in the perfect weather and doodled a bit. So, I have now crafted and continued to have a happy spirit in general.

I hope your weekend was as spiritual and soothing, and I apologize for the rambling.

*LOML=Love of My Life

A Litte Deviation from the Usual Friday

Woweeeeee - It's FRIDAY (I'm doing a little dance if you can't see me)

I want to make a blog post, but I don't really have anything to share. I have another in the works, but am not sure if I'm ready to share that much information and deep thinking with you. First, because who cares other than me. Second, because I'm not sure if it's logical and I don't want you to know I'm THAT crazy. And lastly, because I'm still not sure how much personal information I want to put out here. Let's just say I'm rethinking life plans and the execution of said plans.

I've noticed an increase in traffic to the blog and thank you kindly for your visits. I invite you to stop and stay for a while, and leave me a comment.

Since I don't have much of anything for Feel Good Friday and Halloween is creeping upon us (2 weeks to go), here are some cool food and drinks to help you have a spooktacular holiday.

Food: Martha Stewart's site has a gallery of come creepy cookies and other treats. There are some great ideas in there.
Drinks: Dot@Dabbled is sharing a great list of Halloween cocktails to raise your "spirits." (Hey, that's a great pun in so many ways!! Totally INtended.)
Alright, it's Margarita Friday and I'm ready to get it going right. Here's to a fantastic weekend for you and yours (and for me and mine.) Later 'gators.

Last Night's Presentation (WWWW)

Big sigh!!!
Wait! Let me reiterate. . . SIGH!
For clarification: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, that's better.

I had to give a presentation last night at my Mardi Gras Society meeting. I've been preppng for it for weeks and had this huge surge to get the rest of it done yesterday (I wasn't procrastinating, I had to prepare fresh flowers.) It went okay. I'm no stranger to public speaking, but this group of ladies just makes me nervous. PLUS, I had to use a microphone, which I detest. I get distracted by the sound of my own voice echoing back at me, it just throws off what I'm trying to say. I did get quite a few compliments, and that made me feel better. When it was over, my energy level just CRASHED. I was so tired all of a sudden. Now I'm in recovery.

Since I am past exhaustion, I'm just gonna get to the meat of "Wild, Wild Web Wednesday"

• Halloween's almost here, so I better start posting some of these neat decorations I've found. First up are these over the top Halloween decorations. Make sure to scroll through the gallery.
  
• Click here and then read the page. It's not really an error you encounter.
  
• This is a neat page for writers or creative types who need a boost of ideas. They can just contact 911 writers block.
  
• Ford's "MyKey" for teen drivers to restrict audio levels, give reminders for seatbelts, set speed limitations, activate blind spot warnings, etc. Now what kinda fun would that be as a parent? he he!!
  
• I don't know if you've seen this Axe body spray commercial yet or not, but it's kinda disturbing in so many ways.
  

There now, I can go on with my day and know I'm getting closer to the weekend. Even closer now. . .

Six Year Anniversay Weekend (MMSM)

I don't know if any of you are still reading this dribble that I pour out or not, but here I go again.
I had a very nice Anniversary weekend with LOML. We celebrated Margarita Friday in style and had a long conversation about what I really want to do with life. You know - a nice light conversation, not at all blurred with tequila and lime juice.

Saturday was a breezy beach day for us. It was overcast, threatened to rain, and almost chilly. I sat on the beach cutting images out of magazines for collage, and doodling; while my thick-skinned man braved the cool water to windsurf. I did wade in up to my ass to sit on his board and float for a little while before he was off with the wind again. After cleaning off the bay-water, we headed to P'cola for an Irish anniversary dinner and some local brews at McGuire's (warning: music on page). We actually contemplated doing something fairly spontaneous and just getting a hotel room. Yet, we became rather practical when we realized that LOML doesn't carry any of his contact supplies with him - that was going to be more trouble than it was worth, so we headed on home for the evening.

Sunday was our ACTUAL anniversary, and we made NO plans (our favorite kind.) I gave LOML* his present (an xBox 360 game) after breakfast and he took me to the video game store to get me a Nintendo DS (YAY!) We're so romantic don't ya know (Awww geek-love.) After lunch, the day looked sooo gloomy we headed home to play our respective games. I was braindead for the rest of the day, simply playing and playing. I LOVE my new toy. Unfortunately, LOML's X Box died just as he started trying to play his new game. Now, he has to send it off to get repaired or something. Bummer!! I did let him play my game for a while so he could have some fun too. I felt so bad about it.

All in all it was a nice, relaxing weekend. However, it is over now. That means it's "Made Me Smile Monday" at last!!

• You have no idea how much this soothes my soul.
• hotel bar commercial
  

• If curiosity killed the cat, then it just makes the cow look silly.
• Check out what was the most interesting part of the presidential debate - apparently, it was the audience.
  
• I hope these have all made you smile, because laughter is the best medicine.

Now go on out there and don't let Monday get the best of you.

Doubts and Second-Guessing (FGF)

Since getting back into the mode of things, I've been a little more internet-wary. Posting on the blog has seemed less important, checking or logging into Facebook has not felt as pressing, reading the gazillion (906) blog posts in my feed reader isn't a priority. Granted, I've done all of these things but with a certain air of uncertainty - a feeling of less doom if I don't get to it. My twitter-addiction is still present, but that is less time consuming than the other tasks I mentioned.
I don't know if it is the change in the seasons, all the other things coming at me right now, or if the relaxing mode of my little vacation has not let go and I am SO less anxious than I am usually. I can't seem to put my finger on the words to express this feeling. I'm questioning my motives for even participating in these. I know that social networks usually tend to make me feel more connected, but right now those connections feel less important. Perhaps, it's just that I spent some time away from LOML and with our Anniversary looming (on Sunday) I feel the need to spend some quality time with him, rather than with the cold, emotionless interweb. Maybe I just need a good "Feel Good Friday," maybe you do too.

• Pistol pointing grammy. I love stories like this where the little man (or woman) prevails in the name of justice and all that is good. It's such a ray of hope. I like it even more when they don’t have a gun and use an umbrella or something, but this way works also. This is an older article, but it really does lift my spirits a bit.
  
• Here are some quick and easy instructions on how to meditate. Meditation is also a sort of pick-me-up, if one can ever find the time to just sit and do so. Just having that kind of time in itself might be cleansing.
  
• Rainbows are one of those things that always make me feel better, Check out this awesome rainbow. Click on the link to get the full experience.
• Another thing that makes me feel good - Chocolate. How about a 5 minute chocolate cake. I'm not kidding. Nummmmmm.

I do feel a little better now. I hope you do too.
Happy Friday all, enjoy your weekend - may it be full of chocolate, and rainbows, and some time to yourself or with that special someone.

Cruise Review

I am REALLY trying to get back into the swing of things after my little vacation.First, I want to tell you that I had a really great time on the cruise and definitely made some memories. For one, I really enjoyed the people I was cruising with. Not only was I there with the ladies from my Mardi Gras Society, but that included one of my best friends and her husband, my mom and step-dad, and my cousin. Also on the cruise were some of my Fairhope friends. Unfortunately, I didn't get to spend much time with those guys during the cruise - bummer.On the upside, I did have a few exciting things happen:
1. I got to eat dinner at the Captain's table (thanks to my cousin) on formal night. That was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because who knows if I'll ever get to do that again, and a curse because I worried all day about how to present myself, making smalltalk, etc. and because the officer who sat next to me was fairly dull (though close in age - another blessing.)
2. At the show on Saturday night, I was called to the front of the audience by the singer to 'break it down' (dance) and then to sing. The dancing went GREAT, the singing - well, it was a definite reminder that LOML is the musical one.
3. Mexico was nice and I found just what I needed.
4. The casino was good to me. I didn't win big by any means, but I did walk off the boat with more than I should've.This year on the cruise, I tried to stay fairly well-behaved and drank very little overall. I also took some vitamin B and drank Powerade to stay hydrated and have no hangovers. It really did work, except for the last full day when the boat rocked constantly. That made me a little sick. In the end, it will definitely be a trip I remember.Hopefully, I'll be back to normal posting tomorrow. I hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Checking-In

No, the ship did not fall off the face of the Earth. I'm still here. I'm just trying to catch up on everything: spending time with LOML, unpacking, working, cleaning (maybe not so much), napping, etc. In fact, I'm so far behind that my link list is running a little low and I don't really have any fun stuff to share right now or even any time to go into much about the cruise.
I've got some fun stories and pictures from the cruise, but no time right now to get into it. Hopefully, I'll be able to carve out some time this evening to organize my thoughts and delve into a longer post.

Check back real soon - PLEASE!!!!

Getting Ready for Cruising and WWWW

YIKES!! I'm a bad, bad blogger. I will say have been BUSY and not just, simply neglectful of my blog the last several days. Getting ready for this cruise has taken up more of my time than I thought.
So, as I take a break from packing and wait for LOML* to finish working so we can go get some dinner (as he doesn't want me to dirty the kitchen I just cleaned, how sweet. Or rather, he doesn't want to have to worry with the mess while I'm gone. Hmmmm. . .) Anyway, while I have this break, I felt the need to catch up with y'all before I suffer the withdrawal of no interne for four days. Sigh!!

I had a great weekend. LOML* and I had too much to drink Fri. What a fabulous Frozen Margarita Friday it was. On Saturday, we watched the Alabama Crimson Tide football team kick some butt!!! ROLL TIDE!! On Sunday, we chilled (mostly).

This week has been consumed with planning, packing, shopping, and just preparing for my trip. Ahhhh, it'll be over far too soon. I was able to get some new clothes, which were sorely needed, and am looking forward to wearing them on the ship.

Before I leave, though I want to share some of the things I've found across the internet for this "Wild, Wild Web Wednesday"

• 15 most artistically awesome advertisements - I recommend 1. the 1st one "1984" (for simple nostalgic reasons)2. The Carlton Draught Ad (I saw this several yeasrs ago and LOVED it then too) 3. The sony bravia one - I like the simple music and it's just fun without saying too much (I didn’t watch the BMW one b/c it was almost 10 min long) All the others were good too. Those were just the ones that elicited the biggest responses in me.
  
• life = risk
  
• Hue IQ test - see if you have a good eye for color by arranging them in order. I liked it!!
• Lastly, (and nor WEB -related) this trailer has been parked out back at work and I like to just so see it and smile.

Okay, wish me bon voyage. I hope to share some pics with you next week.