Thrifting I Did Go

Guess what!!!
My new dishwasher is officially inside my house! AND the old, yucky, nasty, non-working one is GONE!!

There are possibly some complications, but I don't want to get into that right now. Instead, let me tell you that thrifting did indeed show up in my cards yesterday. Since today is Thrifty Thursday, now's a perfect time for me to share with you what I scored.

Some jewelry that is likely to be re-purposed.

These items all came from what was a MASSIVE bag of craft supplies. After weeding out what I didn't want and giving some to the nieces, this is what I brought home.

These type vases can be found at just about any thrift store any time. I was bound and determined to find some so I can try out this really easy technique to alter them into some super cute vases.

I'm a little distracted right now. So, take a look at the newest necklace in the shop.

Peach Beach Necklace

Remember to not get Fooled tomorrow on April 1st!

Rainy Bead Table Wednesday

I'm trying to write this while I eat lunch. . .pardon the orange rinds and pizza sauce. ;)

Why am I writing with food near? What inspires this reckless abandon near my laptop?
I want to get some thrifting done this afternoon. I was afraid it wasn't going to happen when I awoke to stormy skies (I'm no fan of driving in the rain.)

However, it's starting to clear up for now and I think I might be able to slip out for a few hours.

Of course, it's also Bead Table Wednesday, and I need to show you what's layered on top of the craft desk.
First are these earrings whose design was stuck in my head when I woke up this morning. Yup, another design that I dreamt.

In addition, I started writing  the descriptions for the jewelry items in this tray.

As well, I went to Michael's last night and picked up this organizer-bucket thing.

It's much needed since I've got all kinds of beads that have yet to find a home (all my other organizers are FULL.) Instead, the new beads are strewn around on my desk, overflowing in this planter I keep on my side table, and stuffed in the little drawers of another organizer on my desk.

Hopefully, I'll get to the organizing soon. For now, why don't you check out the other bead tables in the Bead Table Wednesday Flickr group.

Bead Table Wednesday

As I've mentioned, the spring rains have begun. In honor of them, I listed this bracelet today.

After a Spring Rain Bracelet

Can you see the seed beads in that bracelet that look like the raindrops in this picture?

It's time for me to finish up my lunch and blow this Popsicle stand. Or something like that. . .

Sharing Some Sales

I guess it was a good thing I listed those split personality earrings yesterday since that post was a bit schizophrenic in itself!! (BTW, I just spelled that really long word without the assistance of spell check, ThankYouVeryMuch! Of course, I DO have a degree is psychology and should be able to spell schitzophrenic without aid. Dangit, I knew I couldn't do it twice. . .)

Anyways. . . . I don't have much to share today. I couldn't even find any new giveaways. However, I did stumble upon a few bead sales that I thought I'd mention.
1. Gaea announced her NEW SHOP that contains her less favorite/"goof" ceramic pieces. Of course, they're all lovely gems to me. Anyway, with the announcement, she's offering up a coupon code. Now, the sets she has for sale are already QUITE reasonable even without the coupon code. I should know, I didn't realize that she was offering the discount until after I purchased THESE pretties. I'm not fretting about it, but I thought I'd save you the trouble.

2. Ema K is having a 20% off customer appreciation sale at both her Etsy and Artfire shops. Check out her blog post for details!!

As well, I listed a new item in my shop today.

Baby Blues Earrings

I've been admiring all the flowers blooming everywhere you look down here. But, I know that many of you up North haven't even really had your spring start yet, so let me share the love with some Flower-themed Crafty Links:

• Flower hairpins
• Coffee filter roses
• Paper flower tutorial
• Crepe paper roses
• Button flower pins
• Fabric flowers

And, that's it for me today. I've got some other tasks I NEED to bust out, and the day has almost slipped away from me.

I Couldn't Pick Just One Topic

I'm not even sure where to start. I've got a whole long list of topics I want to cover in this post and am struggling to bring it all together. Ah, who am I kidding? I'll never be able to do that. . .
Hold on tight. Let's get to it.

First off, let me tell you that I'm so effing tired of washing dishes!! "Dish pan hands" is no joke!
We did purchase a new dishwasher over the weekend. But, OF COURSE. . .it was out of stock. GAH! Instead, it'll be arriving on Thursday. Oh well, it's something to look forward to!

The big event of the weekend (yes, bigger than buying a new dishwasher) was taking out the new boat. I was holding off on talking about it until we actually got to use it. Sunday, we ventured out on our new Hobie Tandem Island. I took some pictures of it in the driveway. We were too excited to get any pictures out on the water.

Basically, it's a two person kayak that has a sail and peddles (or you can use old fashioned paddles). It has outriggers (amas) on either side and a trampoline that goes from the boat to the amas. Pat's been eying these boats for MONTHS.
Now, we just need a name for it. Ideas are welcomed!!

In addition to all that, the nieces spent the night Friday. Of course, they couldn't leave Hopey's (my) house without doing some arts and crafts. I just so happened to have some blank placemats and ball caps for them to paint. They LOVE to paint.

Here's their finished creations.

And let me share a creation of mine that's NOT jewelry.

YUP, that's bread. I MADE it. . . .without the assistance of a bread machine. And, OH BOY was it GOOD!! Take a closer look!

It's the crusty Italian bread from the recipe last week.
We liked it so much, I made cinnamon toast with it the next morning. YUM!!

Speaking of food, it is Menu Plan Monday so I guess I oughta share my meal plan for the week. Don't forget to check out the loads of other fantastic menus at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

MONDAYB: Yogurt and granola
L: Turkey sandwiches
D: Lemon basil chicken pasta

TUESDAY
B: Cereal
L: Bagel pizzas
D: Beef stew

WENESDAY
B: Bagels
L: Quesidillas
D: Hope in Mobile, Pat on own

THURSDAY
B: Cereal
L: Soup and grilled cheese
D: Cauliflower soup, baguettes

FRIDAY
B: Breakfast parfaits
L: Tuna noodles
D: Margarita Friday!

SATURDAY
B: Eggs, bacon, toast
L: Chicken salad sandwiches
D: Slowcooker BBQ pulled pork, baked beans, corn

SUNDAY
B: Muffins
L: Mac-n-cheese with ham
D: Grilled chicken or turkey, rice mix, green beans

And finally for a couple more items.
These earrings were listed today. They've already garnered a few compliments!

Split Personality Earrings

Lastly, I spotted another GIVEAWAY today for a fabulous pair of earrings at Love My Art Jewelry.
THAT'S IT. . .There's some ice cream in the fridge calling my name. Toodles!

Progress Delayed

So my first week of the new cleaning routine is almost over. I've only got two rooms and a hallway to get to today. The house looks SO MUCH better than when I started. Of course, things have started to fall apart.. .of course.

First off, my dishwasher has been acting up for MONTHS. We even had a repairman out once (almost a year ago) to check it out. Since then, it still has never drained quite right, we often have to repeat wash items, and from time to time there is a residual film of some sort left on some of the dishes. Last night after a full day of baking and cooking, it decided to stop draining for good. . . we think. So, this morning I got to hand wash. BOOOOOOOOOOO!!
With a full load of dishes, my counter now looks like this

My sink like this

AND, there are still more dirty dishes in the dishwasher.
Pat says we'll be getting a new dishwasher this weekend.
I pray that's true.

Of course, there's also the issue of the vacuum cleaner. It too has been acting up for a little while. Wouldn't you know it, just as I'm really getting into my Spring cleaning; it stops sucking. Which REALLY SUCKS!! How am I supposed to remove all the dang cat hair from the carpet without a working vacuum? Perhaps while we look at dishwashers, we can mosey to the vacuum aisle as well.

In the end, this means that my cleaning spree this week won't be as successful as I'd hoped. Ah well, at least the house looks BETTER.

Let's stop dwelling on the sad, sad condition of my house and turn our attention to happier subjects.
Before I went to help with the nieces on Wednesday, I stopped by one of the local bead shops. Here's a sampling of what I picked up while I was there.

And, here's an idea of what I'm working on at the moment (at least it's what I was working up when I closed up shop yesterday.)

**I found another GIVEAWAY to let y'all know about. The kind folks at Craft Gossip are giving away a copy of Sherilyn Miller's Wire Art Jewelry. The contest ends March 27th, so hurry up and leave a comment over there!

With that, I'll leave you with a few Jewelry Crafty Links (ideas, tutorials, and inspiration)

• Elaborate wire and crystal bracelet inspiration
• Leather chain necklace tutorial 
• Wire wrapped ring tutorial
• Quilted pendants
• Fabric scrap necklace 

And wish you a WONTABULOUS weekend!!

Working out a Method in this Madness

Spring is in full force here in the South. Flowers are blooming, a breeze is blowing, and my allergies are giving me what-for with all this pollen blowing around. Of course, my allergies are always acting up no matter the time of year. So that's nothing new.

With all the sunshine and cool breezes, the urge to Spring Clean has hit me hard. To conquer this urge I made a list (because I do love my lists) of what room to tackle on what days. This week, I'm just trying to get the house clean. So, the tackling of each room is just basic picking up, dusting/wiping, and floors. As I've gone through each room, I've made notes of what larger tasks need to be taken care of in those rooms (i.e. cleaning out the bedroom closet, organizing the kitchen pantry, cleaning off the dusty lightbulbs in the bathroom, etc.)

It's Thursday and I've made it through almost all the rooms in the house. (So, little happy dance for me)

I am hoping to keep this list up through the year. You see, even though I've got my "timer method", I often find it difficult to figure out what areas of the house to focus on when cleaning. With this NEW daily list, I know.

So, in the spirit of the idea that in order to form a new habit and stick to it; you need to be held accountable, I'm putting my list out there for YOU to help me stay on track and have a clean, presentable house that I can enjoy and not fret about. (Wow! That was a really long sentence. . .sorry! I could probably go back and fix it, but ehhhhh, it's already there.) What was I saying? Oh yeah, here's my cleaning schedule:

Sunday:  think about menu, clip/organize coupons, edit weekend photos

Monday: BEDROOM, menu, laundry, groceries

Tuesday: KITCHEN/DINING ROOM/LAUNDRY ROOM, clean out fridge, litterboxes (Wed is trash day!)

Wednesday: BATHROOMS

Thursday: LIVING ROOM/FOYER, pay bills

Friday: HALL/OFFICE/CRAFT ROOM

I'm sure other tasks will come to me as I attempt to stick to this schedule, but it's definitely a start. This whole working from home has made it so very hard for me to find a balance of when to work and when to clean. I'm hoping this new list helps. Let me know if you've got any tips on how you balance these tasks or how you simplify them. 

I'm sure you didn't come by here just to hear my ramble on about my dirty house. So, let me share the newest pair of earrings in the shop.

Simply Red Earrings

What else can I share with you??
OH! I found another giveaway yesterday. Emma at Fredbean's Nook is giving away a lovely set of beads and copper wire.
AND! If you haven't noticed, the Easter candy is out in stores. While my fave is a old fashioned Cadbury Egg, this is the only time of the year you can find these jelly beans.

Have you had them? You totally should. They're so yummy! I'm usually just a Jelly Belly kind of girl, but these Starburst jelly beans are so packed with flavor! I'm just saying. . .

Lastly, how about some Crafty Links
Topic: organization (since I'm going through the whole Spring Cleaning thing, this is my attempt at tying it all together)

• Fabric wall organizer
• Crafty storage bin
• Ribbon organizer 
• My own earring holder display tutorial 

Now to get back to work! Oh happy day!

It's a Nice Day for a Bead Table Wednesday

It's been so nice outside for the past two days that we've actually opened the windows and sunroom and are enjoying a nice breeze through the house. Of course, it's supposed to rain tomorrow so there'll be none of that going on. Ah, well. I'm glad I'm getting to enjoy the mild weather while it's here.

There's another reason to enjoy today. . .It's Bead Table Wednesday!
What's on my Craft desk today? Take a look.

I decided to pull out the resin charms I made a few weeks back and see what I can make out of them. As you can see above, I've got one bracelet made and a necklace in the works. Yup, there's going to be buttons in that necklace. At least that's what I have planned. We'll see how that pans out.

Bead Table Wednesday

Head on over to the Bead Table Wednesday Flickr group to see what everyone else is playing with on their bead tables.

With the lovely weather, I just had to list this nature-inspired necklace today. It's a particular favorite of mine!

Green Leaves Necklace

OH! I have to share the picture of this little guy that Pat spotted in our backyard this morning. I threw the penny down there to give you an idea of the scale of his tininess!!

Too effing CUTE!!!

That is all.

Loving Those Links

Just dropping in to share a few quick links with y'all.

I listed these uber-girlie earrings

Pretty Pink Earrings

There's another giveaway going on at Beaducation for Craft Month.

How about some Totally Random links:

• Cute chameleon - my fave lizard. I want one. This doesn't help.
• Some tips on getting or staying inspired to create from the Creative Goddess.

And finally. . .some Home Decor ideas/projects. Of course, these are all Sewing-related, so it'll be a while before I ever learn to make them. Instead, let me just share the pretty ideas!!

• Fabric boxes
• Make felt fabric curtains that still let in plenty of light.
• Ribbon table runner (the example one was done for Halloween, but could be adjusted for any theme/color palette.)
• Here's another table runner. This one is a patchwork design (Again, the example is for Christmas morning, but can be adjusted)
• Staying on the table-scape theme, here's some mix and match napkins.

Short and sweet, how about that?

Loose Ends

I've been working on another post all day long, but just don't it's ready for prime time yet. Hopefully it WILL be in the next few days.
For now, let me just share what I do have ready.

Over the weekend, I discovered I was featured in very neat treasury.

Imagination Station of My Dreams

I listed a new pair of earrings today.

Tropical Nightlife Earrings

And one of my favorite bracelets was placed on sale

Dainty Lady Bracelet - 15% off

Lastly, while it's still Monday; let me share my meal plan for Menu Plan Monday. Head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for more ideas.

MONDAY
B: Cereal
L: Ham quesidillas
D: Ranch chicken, corn, rice mix

TUESDAY
B: Bagels
L: Turkey sandwiches
D: Spaghetti, salad

WEDNESDAY
B: Cereal
L: Tuna noodles
D: Hope in Mobile, Pat on Own

THURSDAY
B: Muffins
L: PB&J
D: Split pea chowder (with ham added), crusty Italian bread

FRIDAY
B: Breakfast parfaits
L: Bagel pizzas
D: MEXICAN

SATURDAY
B: Ham omelets
L: Chicken salad
D: Lemon basil chicken pasta, salad

SUNDAY
B:Waffles
L: Bean burritos
D: Beef Stew with beer and paprika

We just had the chicken for tonight and OMG was it AMAZING!!
Two posts in one day. . . I'm done for!

An Outside Weekend - Arts & Crafts and the Beach

Before I break out a post that is all about the business of Monday, let me first regale you with the awesomeness that was my weekend. (I promised pictures after all. . .)

I spent two afternoons (Friday and Saturday) at the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival. Pat and I even rode our bikes the 4.25 miles down to the festival and then 4.25 miles back home. It was really nice. I took a bunch of pictures. Let me go ahead and say that I only got one shot looking into booths because many of the artists are kind of funny about booth pictures being taken.

This is one of my favorite pictures. Every corner and some of the sides of the sidewalk in downtown Fairhope are filled with flowers. And, this isn't just during the festival, Fairhope has flowers in them all year round. In addition, check out the Police lifeguard stations. . .these were new this year.

The three pictures above show you just some of the crowd that attends. I took these pictures LATE in the day when the crowds were winding down. Apparently it was CRAZY in the middle of the day!

This is the booth picture of which I spoke. There were artists of ALL KINDS. It amazes me each year the sheer variety of artists that come from all over the country to our little town for the festival.

I particularly liked one polymer clay artist. It was the first time I'd seen him here. I explored his booth on Friday while they were doing the judging, and I found out on Saturday that he'd won Best in Show! I made sure to get one of his cards. His name is Wiwat Kamolpornwijit and he was just the nicest guy!

These last three pictures are just a few others I snapped of the festival poster, a mural downtown, and the main corner in town where the Dogwood Trail girls (the ones in the antebellum dresses) were getting pictures taken.

I did find a couple of sources that have some other pictures and more exact information. Local News station WKRG 5 has a short article and a video that includes some of the booths and Al.com has a longer article and a picture gallery.

In all, it was a really great show. Pat and I wore ourselves out biking there and back home on Saturday, but we were really happy to get the exercise and be out on such a lovely weekend. 

On Sunday, were were going to continue the exercise theme and break out the kayaks. However, the soreness prevented THAT excursion. Instead, we headed down to the beach for some relaxation. Let me share a few more pictures and a video.

Now, it's time for me to get my head back in the game and get some work done. I'm hoping to work on a meal plan to share with you later in the day. We'll see!!