Day 2... Destash

Today I am 'destashing' 12 jars of paint. Air Dry Perm Enamel to be exact... plus a few other goodies. This grouping includes 2oz jars of the following colors: white, mediterranean blue, red red, chocolate, azure blue, 14k gold, true green, silver, citrus yellow and 3 jars of ultra black. In addition there are 2oz jars of retarder and thinner... and 8oz jars of surface conditioner, clear glaze, and satin glaze. I only used a few colors to paint some polka dots on 6 small ornaments... so I would consider all of the paint to be 'like new' and full bottles. The surface conditioner is about 1/4th used.

You can use this paint on many surfaces... however it is mostly used on glass. No heat set needed, just let it air dry. Creative ideas would be to paint cute wine glasses or martini glasses for your next celebration... or paint snowflakes on glass ornaments. Paint dries shiny. Go for it!

Available for sale in my ETSY store for $10.00 with FREE SHIPPING!

As far as the daily jewelry offering is concerned... the piece is almost finished, but it will be too late for me to post it tonight... so you will have to hang in there and be surprised tomorrow. 

Day 1... 364 to go

Lime Green Cord

As promised... here is my first item up for 'destashing'. It was really difficult to choose. Not because I'm attached to these things and don't want to let them go... oh no, not me... but because there is so much to choose from that I didn't know where to start.

When we had the whole house sale I was thinking more about the furniture, kitchen items and anything LARGE that I didn't want to move. It never dawned on me to weed out all the craft stuff. I just stuffed it all in a closet and said I would          
                                                         go through it at a later date. That day has arrived!

Turquoise Cord

Today's destash item is 2 bundles of cording. The first one is really more of a LIME GREEN. 25 yards is neatly wrapped on the original cardboard tube. The second part of the destash is a beautiful bundle of TURQUOISE cording. However, my son's dog, Chase got a hold of it before I could stop him and tore the cording off the roll. I promise to detangle it and wrap it up nice and neat. I kind of like the picture though... it looks like wild spaghetti. There should be 25 yards on this roll too, but I see 4 ends instead of 2 so Chase must have cut it in to 2 lengths for you. How considerate of him :-)

Both bundles of cording is selling for $4 total with FREE SHIPPING!!! Go to my Etsy store to purchase... or drop me a line.

Beaded Beauty!!! Wear as a bracelet, or necklace!

And now... for the moment you have all been waiting for... the first item I made with beads and such is... a wrap bracelet. I crocheted it using black nylon string called C-Lon which is fade proof and water resistant along with size 8 seed beads in black, brown, tan, pearl white, and rust. It measures about 30" long and easily wraps around your wrist 4 times. OR... if you prefer... wear it plain as a simple necklace. Either way looks GREAT. Bracelet will come wrapped on a display card, dated and signed by me. Selling for $20... also with FREE SHIPPING!!! Purchase through my Etsy store or drop me a line. If you would like directions to make one yourself... drop a note in the comment section and I'll write a tutorial. It's really very easy... especially if you already know how to crochet.

This 365 day process ought to be interesting. I learned how to crochet a rope using thread and beads today. Once I perfect the technique I will choose an item to put up for sale. Learn along with me. Ask questions... I'll be happy to share how I do it!

56 years in 365 days

There is nothing more eye-opening at 6:30 in the morning than a hot 'cuppa joe'... unless it's a huge banner spanning the back door proclaiming your age in black and white. Just another reminder from my darling dear daughter that today I am another year old. I need to remind her that pay backs are a bitch!

My son needs the same lesson. He found an iPhone App that allows him to scan old photos and upload to his facebook. Let's just say that I didn't look my best 24 years ago... not even 'for the day'. Of course he was only 6 months old and adorable. I was an over tired wife and mother of  3 kids. Trust me when I say I plan to retaliate some day when he least expects it. Life can be cruel... or fun, it all depends on your view.

When asked what I wanted for my birthday I replied... "organizational things to clean up my craft craziness".  Both girls followed my wishes and bought me bins and shelves to fill with colorful beads, fabrics and paper. My upcoming Labor Day weekend will have me 'laboring' over how to clean and organize my 'studio' space. However... while looking around the room I quickly realized that I have an over abundance of 'treasures'. 56 years worth of collecting (Okay, okay... hoarding) simply doesn't fit in a few bins and shelves... so the decision has been made to DESTASH!  For those of you not 'in the know'... destash means to downsize the amount of craft supplies hiding in every drawer, under furniture, crammed in closets, and flattened out between the mattress and box springs by selling it to some other unsuspecting  fool.... uh, I mean to say... talented crafter.

My plan requires daily attention. Each day I will do 2 things. First, I will upload one item (or group of similar items) for sale on Etsy and/or Craigslist in hopes that someone will decide they can't live without the item and buy it to add to their stash. Secondly... since I have a lot of beads, fabric and jewelry supplies I plan to design and create a piece of body adornment each day and put it up for sale. One day it might be a bracelet, next day a felted flower pin. It will depend on what side of the bed I get up on that day. I will date and number each piece for 365 days until my next birthday. Now here's the kicker... the one rule I have to live by is that I can't purchase any other supplies for these projects. I MUST USE WHAT I HAVE ON HAND.

I will post a photo of the item I made each day along with the item I have decided to DESTASH on this blog so you can follow along with me. If you want anything you see... just let me know. The jewelry items will be on my Etsy site and in the bookstore. Since each item will be dated wouldn't it be great to purchase the item I make on your birthday, anniversary or other special day??? Hint, hint.

Does anyone out there know what else is special about today? The date is the name of a hit TV show... 90210.

Check out my blog tomorrow to see what I decide to make.

Karma

Call it Karma... a co-inky dink... devine intervention... or just plain surprise... but I believe deep down in my soul that if you are a good person and do good things, then good things will happen to you. However... I also believe you have to help it along. Sitting in a dark room all by yourself not making contact with the outside world will not help you get what you want... well, unless you WANT to be in a dark room all by yourself.

Sometimes I seem to stick my neck out just a bit too far. Yesterday was one of those days. I read an article in New York magazine about Barnes & Noble founder Len Riggio and his arch nemesis Ron Burkle. Author Andrew Rice asks the question in big bold letters if they are the only people in America who still want to own a mega-bookstore. I couldn't wait to go on the website and answer... " I do! I do!" I'm comment #10.

It is very rare that I comment on an article on the web. I will comment on someone's facebook wall. I might leave a comment on someone's blog... but I don't comment on articles. One reason is that if I wait long enough someone else will leave a comment exactly like the one I would have, so why bother? Who reads those comments anyway??? What's the purpose? Despite my misgivings I was compelled to leave a comment this time. Type, type, type... send. Done. I sat back and let my mind wander (we creative types do that a lot... at least that's what I keep telling myself). I wondered what it would be like if Mr. Riggio (or more likely a staff member) invited me for a meeting to discuss the book industry and the direction it is heading. I have a few creative ideas... but surely Mr. Riggio has a highly paid staff to think of the same things... right? Right?

Back to Karma... I put my thoughts and 'energy' out in to the world. Maybe Mr. Riggio will pick up on it, maybe not... but he'll never know it's out there if I didn't at least cast the first stone.

So... in honor of Karma... I have made a line of bracelets to wear and show off that you 'believe'. Besides... they are just too pretty NOT to wear. Below is a picture... they are available at my bookstore... Chicklet Books and my etsy store at www.uniqueandnovel.etsy.com Wear them to remind yourself to PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE. What goes around really does come around... as long as you do your part to help.

These wrap bracelets are made using 100% silk that has been expertly hand dyed in luxurious colors. The Karma ring is 24K Antique Gold bonded to solid copper. A real quality piece. I scoured the market for these particular items and put them together myself. Only the best would do! Feel free to leave a comment, suggestion, or question.

Now... go out there and do good things!!!

Blueberry Scones... YUM!

Last week I received an email from a friend with a link from America's Test Kitchen attached... for Blueberry Scones. The email read... "If you are planning on coming down to the shore this weekend, I would like these".  What it really should have said is... 'If you are coming down let me know so we can go shopping and bake these together'. OK... now you're talkin'.

I read the list of ingredients, and watched the video. Knowing that the kitchen was not as well equipped as mine for baking (I'm a frustrated pastry chef at heart) I packed things like a rolling pin, micro plane, baking sheet, cooling rack and all of the dry ingredients. Thank heavens I didn't need my Kitchen-Aid mixer! We shopped for the rest of the ingredients and went to sleep while visions of blueberries danced in our heads. Like little kids on Christmas morning we couldn't wait to get downstairs... to start baking! But first... coffee. Then... CBS Sunday Morning Program. OK... NOW can we bake????

As far as I'm concerned the only 2 programs worth watching on television are America's Test Kitchen and Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood. Wait... and The Big Bang Theory... so I guess that's 3 programs. Sunday Morning is so peaceful and educational. The closing segment is always a calming view of some beautiful part of the world. It puts me in a happy mood... all is right with the world. I remember years ago when by brother, Les watched this show I thought it was the most boring show on Earth... that only old people watched that show. Well... I guess it's official... I'm old.

America's Test Kitchen is my number one all time favorite cooking show. At first I thought the host, Chris Kimball was joking by wearing a bow tie... however it really does fit his personality. Hey!!! I just noticed that my 2 favorite shows have the hosts wearing bow ties... hmmmm.... I wonder what THAT is all about? Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory would probably wear one too if he had to dress up. I guess I like nerds. Any way... America's Test Kitchen's recipes ALWAYS turn out EXACTLY like they should. Their kitchen crew tests everything in so many different ways, then explain to you why it didn't work and what needed to be changed to get the result they wanted, so you don't have to experiment. I have learned so much about the 'science' in cooking. Molecules, gluten, fat, starch, you name it... I'm learning it.

So... we made the scones. I did things I never have done before to make these. The blueberries had to be frozen... so you didn't end up with Smurf batter. The butter was also frozen, then grated like mozzarella and put back in the freezer. Everything had to be keep cold... and you had to work the dough quickly so the butter wouldn't begin to melt... that's the secret to flaky pastry apparently. Rolling the dough into a log shape with frozen blueberries in the middle was the most difficult step. The little critters kept escaping and rolling onto the floor... but enough stayed put to make it worth the effort. FINALLY.... TA-DAH!

My First Ever Blueberry Scones!!!

The pastry part was flaky and delicious... with a hint of lemon. The flavor lingered well after the last crumb slid down your throat. At first we thought they needed more sugar, but then realized that would make them taste more like a muffin... and besides, there was a sprinkling of sugar on the top... that was enough for a scone. Perfection! Add a cup of coffee... and yummy scrambled eggs with ham, peppers and onions... and you really have to wonder why people eat brunch out on Sundays. They are missing the whole point of  'and on the last day he rested'.

What was I thinking????

Just when I started to feel that I had all my ducks in a row... WHAM... a goose waddled in and caused chaos. Here I was... going through life thinking that I had hit rock bottom and was working my way back up to a respectable level. My bills were getting paid and I was quite pleased with myself. I was working on my quilt, weeding my front yard, mucking out the disaster known as my house and feeling good about the new life that was just ahead.

Last Sunday a friend called saying 2 tickets to see Rufus Wainwright just fell in his lap and wondered if I wanted to go along. Not having a clue who Rufus whatever his name was I answered emphatically, "YES". So now I had to step up the pace for the day and get moving faster to finish all of my errands so I could go to the concert. I jumped in my car to go food shopping and.... NOTHING. My car wouldn't start. The battery worked fine... but then there was just this sad little 'click'. No cranking of the engine... no roar. Uh-Oh. This doesn't sound good.

As it ended up... my friend was able to come get me and we made it to the concert in time. 

BUT... my car was dead and I had no money or credit cards to my name. I can't live without my car. Seriously. I feel it is a part of my body. It is my 'safe space'. My car and I have done so much together. It reliably got me to the hospital 3 times a week to visit my husband who was over an hour away from me... for 4 years. My car got me safely from New Jersey to Kentucky so I could work at least twice a month for 3 years. It makes sure I get to my mom's at the Jersey Shore whenever she needs me. It has been my office, my kitchen, and my bed many times. The heater has also been my hair dryer!!! (Did you know that if you turn your car heater on full blast the front of your hair will be dry in 15 minutes.  Hmmmm... maybe someone should design a car with a fan in the headrest so the back can get dry too.)

Emergency!!!! Emergency!!!! Someone call AAA!!! Get a mechanic quick! We have a patient in CARdiac arrest!

As I nervously waited in the dealer showroom I ran through my head all of the possibilities ... and wondered how I would pay for this. I looked up with concern in my eyes as the mechanic came in to break the bad news. My car needed a new starter. "How much will it cost?" I asked sadly. "About $600", he replied. GASP!!! Where oh where will I get $600 I wondered. 

At this point I decided to call my daughter and ask to use her credit card. THAT moment was really ROCKBOTTOM. I'm the MOM! I'm the one to run to when you need help... it's not supposed to be the other way around. All in all I am happy that my children are well adjusted, doing well, happy and such... and I am glad I can fall back on them and know we are family and are here for each other when needed the most. But seriously... it was one of the worst moments in my life.

Happy ending... the car is recovered. I have my wheels back... now I just have to figure out how to pay my daughter back :-)

I really, really, really, hope that THIS was as far down as I have to go. I can still see the daylight... so It's not  so far down. Right?

Everyone has a story to tell

Giant neon pink poster board signs screaming ESTATE SALE TODAY were stuck on the side of the road as I was driving to work this morning. Automatically my hands turned the steering wheel to the right, straight in to the driveway. WOW! This sale must be crazy... about 50 people were parked on the front lawn... and there was a line waiting to get in. So... I too parked on the grass and got in line. Oh... I see... we are to take numbers... like in the deli. OK... I reach in the basket, grab the next number... 69... of course.

Two and a half hours later I emerge clutching my 'treasures'. I didn't purchase much... just a few things that I thought were interesting. DARN! I should have looked for a toaster... someone bought mine at our whole house sale.

The woman who lived here is 96 years old and needed to be placed in an assisted living facility. The contents of her home now being sold off by her children. A product of the depression era, she saved everything... and I do mean EVERYTHING! No, none of the balls of string, rubber bands or aluminum foil, but sea shells, yarn, plastic canvas, jars, and zippers. Yes, I bought the zippers... how could I pass up 50 perfectly good metal zippers??? Teeny, tiny bits of thread still clung to the edges from where they were ripped from slipcovers and such. There was a box of pocket linings lovingly cut from work pants... I guess so she could replace worn ones? No, the pockets didn't call my name.

The basement was overflowing with more 'treasures'. One man unearthed a framed letter from President Ronald Reagan... with his real signature. The same man pulled a picture of Farah Faucett out from a box and was ecstatic to discover that it was an iron-on for a t-shirt. Woo! Hoo! As the saying goes... one man's trash is another man's treasure. 


Everything that had ever been given to her had been saved. Most were found in their original box or wrapping, others were banded with rubber bands. ALL had scraps of paper attached with who gave it to her and when. For example... I fell in love with a 3 tiered dessert tray. The note taped to it read, "Elmer's Christmas gift to me, 1955". Baby blankets not only had notes of who made it and for which child, but who else used it... and a photo of the gift in use. All of her craft supplies, although all thrown in drawers, boxes, and baskets... were labeled with which part of which craft item it was used for.


The most amazing collection were her sea shells. Old mayonnaise and pickle jars were filled with shells she found over the years on their family trips to Florida. Each strip of masking tape on the lids identified the type of shells and their craft use. They were so beautiful grouped together on the table... but what on Earth would you ever DO with all of those shells? I wish I could meet her and ask.


One entire bedroom was filled with tables holding the Styrofoam packaging of the special plates offered by the Franklin Mint on a subscription basis. I have never seen so many of them all in one place. There must have been at least 100 collected over the years. All have their certificate of authenticity with them. I am sure she thought she was making an investment when purchasing these plates. Sadly no one is interested in them... so there they sit.


Her sewing room... if that's what you want to call it... held the most interest to me. I spent about an hour just in that room alone. Most people go to these sales and look at the furniture and appliances. Not me... I head right to the crafts and linens. Did you know that the Star Ledger sold sewing patterns through the mail? I found a real cute pattern to make a retro apron still in the envelope sent from the Star Ledger... and I found the perfect fabric to make it too. The drawers in her hutch were bursting with baggies, old checkbook boxes, baby food jars, and baby wipe containers holding lace trim, rick rack, sequins, pins, and all the other little odds and ends a sewer could perhaps find a use for... some day. At the bottom of one drawer I found an old spice jar filled with sand, labeled, 'From our trip to Sanibel Beach'. A small olive jar held a different color sand... also labeled however the name of the beach escapes me. I wonder why she held on to those two jars of sand? From the looks of her sea shell collection she has been to many beaches... why only those two? Don't you think this would make a great story line?


An organ sits proudly in her living room. Happy 'sing-along' type music books are stacked in a pile on the floor. I can almost hear the family singing gathered around her while she looked up and smiled. I don't know if this ever really occurred. Maybe she didn't play the organ at all. Maybe one of her children did... or maybe her husband. I'll never know. However, I do know that she must have been a dear sweet woman that loved her husband and family. 


Two sentimental items were found and given back to the family. Love letters exchanged between her and her husband while he was away in the military. Hers to him tied in blue ribbon and his to her tied in pink.


Everyone is interesting. Everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?