Dime Store Chic

$1.32

Happy Friday, My Friends!~~~

Yesterday I ventured into what I call the "Big Ass Thrift Shop." Thursdays are 25% discount days if you have a frequent customer card--which of course I do.

I really DON'T need anything but I am currently making Christmas crafts and can always use extra this, that, and the other. You know what I mean. This, that, and the other are very important to crafters.

So yesterday at the Big Ass Thrift Shop, I spent a whopping $1.32 on....

THIS...

 

THAT...

 

And the OTHER...

 

Not a whole lot of loot but I'm trying to only get stuff I KNOW I'll use this season. And I only walked the Christmas aisle of the Big Ass Thrift Shop. How's that for restraint?~~~Happy thrifty day to all!~~~XXOO, Beth

Scary??? Aww...

Hello, My Friends!~~~

I have just set out our Halloween decorations. I don't have too many, and I like to cluster them. I don't think they are too scary, do you?

 

Well, these may not instill shivers up and down your spine, but perhaps my latest pin cushions will give you a start.

 

Yes, as you know I subscribe to the "more of a good thing is wonderful" in my creations. To prove my point...

 

OK, enough with the, as my son would say: "freaky pin cushions." Here is an "aww" photo:

 

Sunday, October 25th, our 23rd wedding anniversary. Here is what Hubby had delivered to me....All together now...awww.~~~XXOO, Beth

Chicken Soup or Julia Child?

Happy Friday, My Friends!~~~

Last week our 15 yeard old son was down for two days with H1N1. High fever, head ache, body aches, the usual. It lasted for 2 days, during that time he ate, drank, and rested. We gave him Tylenol and that kept his fever under control. Hubby and I kept our hands washed, away from our face, and kept everything our son touched wiped clean. We didn't catch H1N1, and it could be because we kept our hands clean and out of our face (as contact is the way to get this flu), OR it could be because we are old enough to have possibly been exposed to this flu strain before and have immunity. Hubby is a microbiologist and he knows this topic very well...too well :)

Our neighbors boy, who goes to the same high school as our boy, came down sick last night. Poor kid. And one of his parents isn't feeling too great either. I decided to make something to cheer them up, and to encourage them to eat. Chicken soup is nice, but I consulted with Mrs. Child and found something else that would brighten someone's day.

 

I decided to make Julia's chocolate sponge cake with chocolate butter cream frosting.

 

The ingredients are simply eggs, sugar, butter, and chocolate (with a dash of strong coffee)! Yum!

Since my hubby and son couldn't stand it if they didn't get a cake, I doubled the recipe. If I can one cake, I can make two. Here they are...

 

Ooey, gooey, and so rich! I delivered one of these to our neighbors, by thrusting out my hand and placing the cake in the mom's hands, trying to stay as far away from the "germs" as I could. She was quite happy, I think. So I'll close with "Bon Apetit!"~~~XXOO, Beth

I Love This!

Hello, My Friends!~~~I just love this Saturday Night Live skit! Watch it to the end. Hilarious!~~~XXOO, Beth

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A New Addition To Our Living Room

Hello, My Friends!~~~

Yesterday we went in the cold, wind, and rain to my favorite store IKEA! We came home with this...

 

There were several covers to choose from and I just whined at Hubby and we got this one! He's such a good sport as this isn't his style at all.

 

The couch is plenty comfy and perfect for the doggy to sit on and bark at the world going by outside. OK, so maybe we just spent $279 on a dog bed! But I love it anyway!~~~~XXOO, Beth

Extreme Corsage Craftiness

Happy Friday, My Friends!~~~

I do love making prize ribbon corsages. Recently I took the concept to the extreme! With lots of ribbon and vintage Christmas baubles, I made some large--9 inch across--prize ribbon wall decorations! I think I went a little crazy, but I know you know, that more of a good thing is wonderful!

 

Oh deer!

 

Happy Santa!

 Sweet Santa!

I listed them in my etsy shop this morning. I had such a great time making these, and look forward to making more!~~Thanks for taking a peek, my friends!~~~XXOO, Beth

Fun to Make, Hard to Photograph

Hello, My Friends!~~~

I took an old aluminum "Merry Christmas" banner and re purposed it. It took me a while to make it, but I had a lot of fun. When it came time to photograph it, I realized it is not easy to photograph a 3 yard pennant banner. I strung it along the fence but the banner looked like a small red zigzag in the photo. I finally decided to do this so some of the details are visible. I call it the "snake":

Then I took detailed photos...

And more details...

I used a whole bunch of vintage glass beads, ornaments, and those cute cotton head figures. The banner is fabric and rickrack with a jingle bell at the tip of each pennant.

 The aluminum banner was falling apart but the letters were in good shape. I knew I needed a way to salvage such vintage cuteness.

I'm putting it on etsy today, even though I seriously considered keeping it, but I have a silly rule about not keeping my creations. Silly me. If any of you have tips for photographing long objects like this, let me know.~~~Thanks for visiting!~~~XXOO, Beth

Going Green Sunday

Hello, My Friends!~~~

Hubby and I went into Washington, DC today to the Green Festival at the Convention Center. What a great event! We learned so much, ate great food, and walked away with wonderful product samples.

The Organic Valley company was represented by some of the farmers who have the dairy cows. These cows are pastured in small farms and Organic Valley buys their milk for their award winning cheeses and milk. They also have soy milk which I had never tried. The chocolate soy milk is very tasty. So is their pepper jack cheese!

 

Lots of green transportation alternatives represented here. I love this one! It's a rickshaw and I would love a ride sometime. Perhaps hubby can get us one of these and take me to the grocery store! Now there's an idea!

 

Kids were encouraged to build a city of trash. How cool is this? I really liked that when we had something to throw away, there were folks at the bins to tell us which bin to toss our refuse into. I was amazed at how much trash get composted after the festival. Also, there were SO many food samples to taste~~even a hemp milkshake, which to be honest tasted like drinking Play-Doh. I did like the fair trade chocolates--yum! We came home with bagfuls of give-aways and coupons for great products! I have a stack of great magazines to read. Going green is a good thing but I realize that I have so much to learn. I have started with our fridge and pantry by buying organic--mostly :)~~~Take care, my friends, and remember to recycle as much as you can!~~~XXOO, Beth

That'll Teach Me To Take A Bath...

Hello, My Friends~~~

This morning after hubby and son went off to work and school, I decided to begin my day with a relaxing bath and a good book. What a great idea! Wrong. After my bath, I had one doozy of a hot flash. Headache, brief dizziness, sweating on my face, and then a little fatigue. I had read that a warm bath can cause hot flashes. It had happened to me on Monday, but not as intense as it did this morning. Now, if you've been following my blog, you have learned that I had numerous tests earlier in the year to determine I have NO heart problems, NO high blood pressure, and I have turned my diet and lifestyle completely around, lost 25 pounds, lots of inches, and now weigh my perfect weight. I just happen to be 49 and going through perimenopause. But I admit that it isn't easy. Not all of us ladies of "the change" go through it in the same way. My significant issue is anxiety, and I am controlling that. Now that I know my symptoms are of "the change" are nothing medically serious, I cope with them better each and every day. I have my life back, because I choose not to let these symptoms get to me. It hasn't been easy, and it takes discipline. It also takes discipline not to whine to my friends and family about this on a frequent basis--believe me!

Why am I telling you this? Because I know I'm not the only one out there. As I have done before on my blog, here, I reveal this personal info about myself in order to reach out to those who may have begun this journey and think "am I losing my mind?" No, you aren't. And I know that sometimes the easy route is to pull the covers up over your head and sleep, and then stare at the TV while chugging bowlfuls of M & M's. Believe me, it is easier but it's not a way to live life.

Golly gosh, I've gotten too preachy, haven't I? Well, I'll leave this topic alone for now, and give you updates once in a while, unless you say to me "no more!".

Now, please let me show you what good ol' hot flashy me did today instead of chugging M & M's (which I was really tempted to do). I filled my water bottle, grabbed a Nuts Over Chocolate Luna Bar, and headed for the farmers market. I bought organic kale, chard, and onions. Look at these cute flat onions!

I'm going to use them in a Julia Child's Gratin recipe this weekend!

Then, later, by following Connie Green Stuart's instructions from the Spring 2009 issue of Somerset Life, I bundled up lengths of white seam binding ribbon and dyed them with Easter egg color tablets. Here is the result:

 

I have more egg color tablets and will take Connie's example and mix them up a bit and do multi-color ribbons!

I also took a brisk walk with a dear neighbor who has her hands full with her kids after they get home from school, and has put her own physical wellness aside. Sometimes you need an "annoying" neighbor like me. She was glad we went for that walk, and confessed to me that she has been having hot flashes but didn't know what they were. We both agreed that exercise is one of the best things a person can do to combat them!

Am I being all too "Dr. OZ" here? Hope not, as I went to art school :) Thanks for letting me share my "flashy" day!~~~XXOO, Beth

Exciting News!

Suzy and I have a really big surprise...

You can read all about it right here!