I thought I'd save the best project from my September classes for last.  This is a darling composition book I found at Wal-Mart.  They had several great new patterns, herringbone, stripes, and polka dots.  The best thing - since I got them during the back to school sale - I got them for .40 cents each!  What a fun 3D project for my stamp class.  




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I think the source of a large portion of debt, is due to the effects of "retail therapy" or "recreational shopping". This is the practice of non-need based shopping.  


When we were first married, this was a big problem for us.  We didn't have a lot of friends or activities going on, so basically our lives were kind of boring.  That's pretty shocking when I look back on it, because our lives are so FULL now, it's hard to remember what it was like 20-something years ago.  But the fact is, we would have entire weekends with nothing much to do except go cruise around the mall, or go to the swap meet, or cruise around to garage sales.  

It goes without saying that this had a negative impact on our budget.  I'm lousy at window shopping.  I can rarely see something I like without buying it and back then I bought a LOT of what I saw.  So much so that I created a huge clutter problem to go with my growing debt problem.  That's where some of the seeds of this blog grew, when I started finding a way to overcome my clutter problem and start climbing our way out of debt.  Solving my own problems gave me a desire to help other people get started on the same path.  


Boredom is one reason for recreational shopping, but another reason is just because it feels good.  It's true that buying something pretty and new always gives you a bit of a lift.  Some people become addicted to that feeling, so they buy and buy things regardless of whether they actually need, want, or can afford them, simply to get that small rush.  And when you've had a rough day, or are frustrated by a situation you can't solve (aren't we all sometimes?) then it's easy to feel like you "deserve" a little treat.  Or a big one.  But the problem doesn't actually go away and then you are still facing the same old problems plus a debt problem for dessert.  


Solutions?  Well, part of the solution is to just be aware of what you're doing.  Take an objective look at your shopping behaviors.  If you are starting to see signs of these kinds of behaviors, make another choice.  Get a hobby, make some friends, join a club, find a cause, run a freaking marathon.  These are all healthier and more fulfilling options in the long run and you won't be filling up your house with junk and your mailbox with credit card bills. 


Come back and visit often.  If you'd like to see past posts on this subject, click on the Smart Money tab and it will pull up a complete list. 



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I thought this card was semi-awesome.  The BFF set was one of my Convention freebies and they had a whole wall of samples with all the sets they gave us for the Make and Takes, so we would have lots of ideas to use our new sets.  I took a bunch of pictures and then I'm using them as the basis for my design.  The picture I started with had our First Edition designer paper, but since I didn't have any on hand, I grabbed an old book.  Then I cut it to fit and used it on my project.




I added the polka dot ribbon and a Cherry Cobbler heart to match the background.  The BFF Greeting fits the large tag punch perfectly and I had a little snip of burgundy hemp that matched perfectly to the Cherry Cobbler base.  Those dots along the upper edge - made with a pencil eraser and my black ink.  I even used a little tear off strip from our order forms to get them perfectly lined up - talk about semi-brilliant!  


The BFF set goes for $23.95 in wood and $17.95 in clear.  Click my link below to go directly to my website for on-line orders. 



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I am totally loving the Zoo Review set.  I've already made a couple of cards with this baby.  


This giraffe card was so easy, but it's really striking.  I used Chocolate Chip for the base, Sahara Sand textured with my Square Lattice folder for the contrast color, and then Cajun Craze and Very Vanilla for the layered Top Note shapes - cut with my Big Shot, of course.  Then I added the layered tag for a final touch.  Simple, but lovely.  


I call this card my Lion King card and it was one of my most popular Convention swaps. This technique is called "Highlighting" where I've set up the lion's head to be highlighted by stamping it in a different color and using our circle punches to create a mat for it.  I used our Confetti Vanilla paper for the background - that's why it has tiny flecks of color in it.  Then I cut the wavy piece with my Tasteful Trim die.  It's a great way to add a pop of color to any project.  It cuts four different patterns in one pass - $42.95 for the Big Shot.  Then I added a little snip of black polka dot ribbon to tie it all together.  The greeting, I borrowed from our In Wilderness set, but I think it goes perfectly with the Zoo Review set as well.  It says "In wilderness, I sense the miracle of life - Charles A. Lindbergh". 

The Zoo Review set has the lion, giraffe, polar bear, penguin, and zebra.  It is $22.50 for wood and $16.95 in clear.  You can click on the link below to go directly to my website to place on-line orders. 



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I just love this lattice technique.  It's SO simple, but it looks so intricate and difficult.   All it takes is a series of long and short cuts with the paper folded in half.  I have a little paper template that I've had for years that I use with this, but you can find templates on line.  My friend Lisa Goodell has some great ones on her blog.  


I like to put some contrasting color under my lattice work to make it really stand out.  And of course I had to put a pretty scalloped edge on it.  Some Big Shot butterflies happened to fly by to complete the project.  Stay tuned for more projects from my September classes. 



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You see why my laundry doesn't get folded often enough?  Every time I turn around, there is an adorable kitty sleeping on it.

Awww, it's little kitty naptime.

Whadja wake me up for? I was sleeping so nice...

Nope, it's my towel. You can't have it.

 Welcome to my life.  I'm starting to think the house belongs to the cats.  We're just the caretakers. 

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Do you ever lose stuff?  I know I do and it's one of the few things that really makes me CRAZY!  I hate to lose things and I have been known to search for weeks when I lose something important.  

Recently, I lost one of my Big Shot dies that cuts cute little butterflies.  It's one of my favorites because it cuts about 6 tiny butterflies in one pass and they're all really cute.  I must have looked for that sucker for about six months.  I finally gave it up for lost and bought a new one, but I'm still expecting the original to show up any day. 

When you are dealing with lost items, this is one of my best tips ever, so I hope you appreciate me sharing it with you. Drum roll please:


When you lose an item in your house, after you find it, put it back in the first place you looked for it. That is it's natural home and if you keep it there, you'll always know where to find it.


You're welcome!

There are certain items that get lost all the time, so it's a great idea to establish a regular "home" for them.


Keys, for instance, they get lost all the time and you end up with a lot of stress and wasted time looking for them when you want to go somewhere.


If you install a hook right inside your door and get in the habit of hanging your keys on it, you'll always know where your keys are. I always keep mine in a special pocket of my purse, so I never have to hunt for them.


However, I'm always losing my purse. I have about four different places I leave it in, so I always have a little bit of a hunt for it when we are going out the door. I picked just one spot to put it in and I'm training myself to always keep it there.


The one item I never have to look for - the remote.  It's always about two inches from my husband's hand!  It's a wonder he doesn't carry it everywhere around the house.  That's such a guy thing!  He may not be able to control anything else that goes on around this crazy house, but he will make sure he has control of the TV channel at ALL times....


What items do you lose the most frequently and what can you do to solve the situation?


Be sure and come back next Monday for the next installment in my Clutterbugs series. To see the rest of the series, just click the Clutterbugs tag at the bottom of this post and it will bring up a list of them.

Here are the winners of the presale tickets for the consignment sale.  I only had four entries (I had a couple of people notify me through Facebook or Email), so you all get a pair of presale tickets.  Presale is Thursday from 7:00 to 8:30.  Don't forget your laundry basket. 

Julee from Mommys Memorandum
Kathy Dalton from Danish Mama
Sari Olschewski from Ladyofperpetualchaos.com
Freida from the Utah Hive


If you are in the Salt Lake area and have kids or grandkids under the age of about 10, this is something you are going to be happy to know about.  Hilltop United Methodist Church in Sandy, has their semi-annual Children and Maternity Consignment Sale.  

This sale is really something special. They have over 100 vendors who come in and bring clothing, books, toys, furniture, play equipment, and just about everything a kid could need and even some maternity stuff for you.  This is all gently used stuff, but it is all carefully screened and sorted by sex and sizes for your best shopping experience.  And there is a LOT of it.  Just about every corner of the church is PACKED with stuff.  


This sale takes place on Friday Sept 23rd from 9:00 to 8:00 and on Saturday from 8:00 to 2:00.  No strollers before noon on Friday due to large crowds and most prices are marked down on Saturday.  The address is 985 East, 10600 South in Sandy.  It is directly across the street from Dimple Dell Recreation Center.  A portion of each sale goes to the church for various charitable programs in the Community. 

Hint:  Bring a laundry basket or a REALLY big bag to hold your purchases.   It's very crowded in there, so everyone just lines their baskets up and down the hallways and fills them up with all their bargains. 




But there's more - there is a special pre-sale on Thursday night that is only open to the consignment sellers and the volunteers who help with the sale (that includes bloggers who help advertise the sale).  It's only open for about an hour and a half, so it is definitely bargain central!  The good news is that I have five pairs of tickets to the pre-sale for you to win.

How do you win them?  It's easy.  Just copy this post and paste it on your blog.  If you have local readers, I'm sure they'll be will be happy for the information.  Then just leave me a comment with a link to your post and I'll draw the five winners on Friday.  You can either bring a friend, or you can offer the extra tickets to one of your readers.  The tickets will be waiting at the front door for you.

You know I'll be there. although I don't have any little kids.  My 13 year old likes to pick through the Lego sets and puzzles and last year we found ONE pair of shoes that would fit him.  It definitely is geared to younger kids. 

If you don't have a blog - you can post a link on your Facebook account to send your friends here to get the information.  Please leave me a link to your Facebook posting. 

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Here are a few hints I've collected over the years to help you on your way.  

- When you are cooking, run a sink full of warm soapy water first. Then you can rinse the pots and pans and either set them on the counter to dry, or pop them in the dish washer for more thorough cleaning. That way the kitchen doesn't look like a bomb went off by the time dinner is over and you will be more likely to want to finish tidying it before bedtime.

-  Use the "One touch" method while you are cooking.  You take the ingredient, such as a spice, or milk or whatever and you use it without ever setting it down on your counter.  Then it goes straight back into the cupboard or fridge.  That leaves you with one less thing to clean up at the end of the meal.  Sound simple, but it works great. 

- This is a good idea for mail. I saw one of my Cleanie friends doing this. When her bills or other important mail comes in, she takes a big black Sharpie and writes all the info on the back of the envelope. Something like "Electric bill -due 10/15" or "Car Registration". Then she puts them into a basket. That way she just flip through the basket to tell what bills are due without having to search through the envelopes. I thought that was a great idea!

- I keep a "sock orphanage" down in my laundry room. Then when I have mismatched socks, I toss them in there. Every month or so, I dig through it and see if I've got any matches. Eventually, I'll throw them out, but I'm always hopeful I'll find that missing sock....

- We watch movies - a LOT! And my guys are terrible about putting them back in the cases. So every so often I'll gather up a whole stack of them that are laying around and I put them into the closet for a "time out". I'll even put a note on them "In time out until October 12th". Nobody dares touch them and it makes them get better about putting them away - for a while anyway. Works for video games too - those suckers are expensive and they get all scratched up.

- I have been known to put notes on the counters or on the kitchen table. "You may NOT leave dirty dishes here - they need to go in the dishwasher". I can nag and nag and they just tune me out, but strangely enough, they'll mind the notes - again for a while. They tune them out after a week or two, but it does help.

- One of my friends came up with a great idea this week. When you're feeling low on motivation for a chore, persuade your husband to bribe you. Say something like - if I clean out this closet today, will you take me out to dinner? If he wants more room in the the closet, he's likely to agree and then you have a built-in reward to motivate you to do the chore.  Hey, bribery WORKS! Let it work for you instead of against you! Plus you get a nice dinner with your husband.

- When your teenagers won't clean their rooms, "offer" to clean it for them, maybe even insist on it if they don't do it themselves by a certain time. Most teenagers are so big on their precious PRIVACY, they would rather DIE than have you touching their stuff.

- Oh, here's a naughty one, but it's funny! When you get really mad at your husband - go shopping. With the TV remote in your purse! He'll go crazy looking everywhere for hours. Then you casually slip it out, leave it somewhere and just say, Oh it was right over here all the time....

Be sure and come back next week for the next installment in my Clutterbugs series. To see the rest of the series, just click the Clutterbugs tag at the bottom of this post and it will bring up a list of them.

Do you know when you buy stuff these days, they no longer ask for your phone number.  Instead, they've started asking for your Email address.  Gotta love marketing.  If they can't get to you one way, they'll find another.  However, keep in mind that you have a choice.  My standard answer to either question is to very pleasantly say "I'm sorry, I don't give that out".  It usually catches them by surprise and they blink for a moment, but then they just say OK and complete the transaction.  


However, there are benefits to getting on that list - it does give you access to a lot of special offers and on-line only coupons.  The downside to this is that you have a constant stream of temptation showing up in your inbox every day - LOTS of temptation.  Those little suckers are pretty prolific.  I probably get 20 or more of them a day. 


I buy on-line a lot, so just about everyone in town has MY Email address.  However, I have a little scheme that allows me to reap the benefit of having all those sales and coupons on hand without having to struggle with that daily temptation.  I let my Email take care of it for me.


There are two ways you can do this.  First, you can set up a specific Email address that you only use for shopping.  Then you only check it when you're ready to go shopping.  Or you can use your regular Email and just redirect the messages to a specific folder.  That's what I do.  

I'm not sure how it works in every type of Email, but in Gmail, it's really easy to set up.  Every time I get Email from a new company, I select "Filter Messages like These" and set it to go to my Shopping folder and click "Skip the Inbox".  Then I just look in my Shopping folder every week or so.  I delete everything over a month old because most of the specials are over by then.  It's like my own private little piggy bank. 




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