Just tell Quita what you need baby....

Hi all,

Is there something out there that you want to make or buy...but, like me, are way to cheap to buy it?? Well tell me what it is and let me try to help you create it on the cheap. I do not guarantee results...but I do guarantee that I will work hard to recreate it and that you will get a laugh out of it!!

So...just let me know! I see EVERY comment that is made so you can post a question there. Or you can email me at marquita.stewart_tobm@yahoo.com.

~Marquita

PS. There is an _ (underscore) between stewart and tobm.

I got this question from a commenter on my most recent post: A Super CHEAP, Quick, CHEAP and EASY Valentines Day Gift.

Question:What do you consider basic crafting materials? What are your crafting staples? What is your "can't live without" crafting supply??Thanks in advance...mj

Answer: MJ...Thanks for this most EXCELLENT question! There is NO easy answer to your question...crafting is a very personal thing. What you like will usually dictate what you need; however, there are a few things that I think ALL crafters need in order to craft.

1. GLUE-we know what it does and we know how to use it, but we often misuse it!! There are as many glues on the market as there are crafts in the world. Having a basic white glue like Elmers on hand is good for most paper crafts. But...what if you want to glue fabric, or add rhinestones to a mirror, or make party invites? A good multi purpose glue is Aleene's® Original Tacky Glue®. Tacky Glue ROCKS!!!! I would also highly recommend E-600. It smells HORRIBLE...but it works like no other. I tend to use it for industrial projects, like gluing flat back acrylic rhinestones to Crocs. For my greeting cards I prefer glue sticks, my current favorite is Scott's Glue Sticks by 3M. They have superior stick-ability, have no odor and tend to not dry out as fast. I only buy them from Sam's Club where I can get 28 of them for about $6.00. You already know my favorite fabric glue...Fabri-Tac.

2. SCISSORS-I normally go pretty cheap on scissors. That way when I ruin a pair...I do not have to go into panic mode. I just scrape up another two dollars and buy another pair. I normally get my cheap cuts from Hobby Lobby or Michales. I have NEVER paid more than $1.99 for a pair and I NEVER will. I normally buy 2 or 3 pairs at a time. I also like to keep a couple pairs/set of embroidery scissors on hand too. These work wonderfully well for cutting small things and for getting into tricky places.

3. PAPER-Michaels and Hobby Lobby always have their scrap booking paper on sale. I load up on what I like. I also get baby and kid friendly papers too. You never know what you might need. I also will sometimes buy Michael's bulk packs of CHEAP card stock for my less refined crafts. For my fine paper crafts, I LOVE Stampin' Up cardstock. I always keep a nice selection of pastels (pink, light blue, yellow), neutrals (white, grey, black), primary's (red, blue, green) and metallics (silver and gold). I also like to have a few sheets of parchment paper on hand in white as well as other colors like soft pink and light blue. I typically get my parchment paper from Michael's and Hobby Lobby.

4. PENCILS/PENS/MARKERS-Since the invention of computers and affordable color printers...I no longer purchase these items as staples. My computer and printer offer me a WIDE variety of fonts and colors. I do keep black, blue, red and silver Sharpies on hand.

5. FREEZER PAPER-I use it for stencils (I will post a pic later) and for covering up my work space. Wax Paper is also useful and cheaper.

6. PAINTS-I have yet to find a paint more flexible that acrylic paints. They come in a MILLION colors, can be easily thinned with water, are quick and easy to clean up and dry quickly. They can also be turned into fabric paint by mixing them with textile medium. I get my paints and textile medium at Walmart, Hobby Lobby and/or Michaels.

7. TAPE-Clear Scotch tape, masking tape, box tape and duct tape are all staples in my repertoire. Occasionally, I use double sided tape, but not often. I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Glue Dots.

8. TIME-This is the thing that we need the most, run out of the fastest and can never get enough of! This can be a serious crafters worst nightmare. Try to plan your projects before you start them. If you know it is going to take three days to complete a craft, figure out when you have three free days so that you do not have to abandon the project. I almost NEVER plan things out and, as a result, I have numerous piles of almost finished crafts. "Craft smart from the start"(sounds a lot like "If it doesn't fit...you must acquit...I am now channeling my inner Johnny Cochran. This might become my mantra).

The above are just a FEW of the millions of supplies that I currently have in residence. Of all of these, the thing that I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT is...Tacky Glue. I use it almost daily.

Thanks for the question MJ...I hope this helps...

~Quita

Q and A with Ms. Stewart

Once again...here are my random thoughts about a question posed to me in an email from my mostly cyber friend Carla...

If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?

...to ANNOY!!!

"Picture this...Sicicly...1942..."oops...I was channeling my inner Sophia from Golden Girls there for a sec...pardon me...

Now, let me channel my inner "home gurl" and start over again...

This is called "Oh no she di'int..."
Please note...the names have been changed to protect the annoying.

It all went down a little sumtin like this...

Me: "Good Morning...How you doin'?"

Her: "Gurrlll...I'm a'ight...how you doin'?

Me: "I can't complain...can't complain"

Her: "Gurrrrlll...I been tryin to get this thing to work for the last fi'teen minutes...and I just can't make it work...You think you can?"

Me: (thinking to myself) "Do I have to do EVERYTHING around here??...Can't she see that I am busy too?? Who she think I am??? She must not know 'bout me...she must not know 'bout me..."

Her: "Gurrrll...you know you heard me...you gone help me or what??"

Me: (to myself) "...or what!"

Me: "Ok...what chu need me to do??"

Her: "Well...I been tryin' to make these copies for the last 15 minutes and I can't get the copier to work...and I can't figure out why. Can you help me?

Me: (to myelf) "Ok...am I being punked...where is Ashton? He is so CUTE...I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED him in What Happens In Vegas. Did him and Demi get married? Isn't she like old enough to be his mama? How hard can it be to push "COPY?""

Her: "You hear me...Gurrl you gone help me or not?? I KNOW YOU HEAR ME TALKIN' TO YOU!!!

Me: (to myself) "Oh NO she di'int...Who she think she talkin' to?? She the dummy who can't use a copy machine, not me...so why she yellin' at me? (quick prayer: Dear Lord, please keep me from goin' off right now...I know you said "...as much lieth in you, live peaceably with all men....but Lord, this WOMAN is working my LAST nerve. PLEASE give me the wisdom to deal with this situation.~amen)

Her: (with noticable attitude) "If you don't wanna help me just say so...You know I CAN ASK somebody else..."

Me: (to myself) "Good luck with that...Don't let me stop you!"

Me: "Ok...Sorry...Calm down...But, before I put all of this stuff down...1. Is there paper in it??

Her: (with more attitude) "Paper...How am I posed to know that? Where the paper go?

Me: (to myself) "St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke...Calm down girl...don't let the devil steal your joy..."

Me: "Pull out the paper tray and look inside...is there paper in there?"

Her: "I think that look like paper...Shoot...my back hurt...I ain't bending down there...I think I see some paper."

Me: (to myself) "...St. John, The Acts, Romans..."

Me: "Ok close the paper drawer. Now check and make sure that the front door of the copier is closed...Is it closed??

Her: "I don't know...It look closed...How can I tell if it is??

Me: (to myself) "Hail Mary Mother of God it has been 38 years since my last confession..." (now you know that it is reaching critical mass, 'cause I ain't even Catholic...)

Me: (channeling my sweetest, least condescending voice EVER) "Well...to be safe, why don't you open it and close it again to make sure. Grab the red handle by the slot where the papers come out and pull it toward you."

Her: (one step away from critical mass herself) "You must think I'm stupid...I know how to open it and close it...IT AIN'T ROCKET SCIENCE!!

Me: (to myself) OH NO SHE DI'INT...she has got some nerve getting testy with me...I'm tryin' to help her...NOT the other way around!! Let me put this stuff down and go over to this copier...before I SNAP and say something that I might (or might not) regret. (quick prayer: Lord, You know that I am rapidly running out of patience with this situation, Lord please...You know me and You know my "crap quotient." I wanna do what's right and be a good example of You...uggghhh...~amen)

Me: "Sorry...let me put this stuff down, I'll be right over there...

Me: (to myself as I am putting down the 400 pounds of paper that I have been holding througout this exchange) "This thing must really be broke...Her checked the paper...Her checked the door...while no one was looking...I kicked it twice...It finally bit the dust!! There wont be much I can do about it, but I'm gonna try..."

By now, Her has backed away from the copier and is focusing on her manicure while I am struggling to empty my hands so that I can fix the copier for Her. Not once has Her offered to help me! As I approach the copier...I have a thought, which I quickly remove from my mind...'cause it can't be...there is NOOOO way...not ever in a million years that...No, it's so RIDICULOUS that I wont even mention it...

As I approach the copier, I can see the problem as plain as the nose on Her face...It is unplugged!! Not only is it unplugged...the plug head is sitting right next to the "copy" button. My first thought is "OH NO SHE DI'INT just waste 15 minutes of my life that I will NEVER be able to get back over this foolishness!" Guess who is fuming mad....I just wasted 15 minutes trying to help one of the "others." I did what I was supposed to do..I helped! And Her did EXACTLY what she was supposed to do...ANNOY.

Have any of you had a similar situation that you would like to share?? I'm all ears...

~Quita

Things that make you go "Uhhhhmmmmm..."

Once again my mostly cyber friend Carla has given me something to blog about...She sent me an email full of questions, below you will see one of the questions and my thoughts about it.

Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale bread to begin with?

<>They are airtight because...if air got back into them, they would would swell back up and become...well...maybe...dumplings...??? If they became dumplings...the bags and boxes would eventually explode and make a HUGE mess in the grocery store isles. Not to mention the mess in our kitchen cabinets. And, don't forget the lawsuits that would soon follow...'cause I already HATE to clean...can you imagine how mad I would be if I had to:

1. get dressed and find my car keys,

2. go to the store (and Lord FORBID I have to take any of my kids with me),

3. resist the temptation of all the stuff I would have to pass just to get to the croutons,

4. get the croutons,

5. go to the register,

6. get in line behind 27 people,

7. wait for 30 minutes while the person in front of me tells the cashier "I only have $23.98, so when you get close to that let me know...I might have to put something back...,"

8. finally get face to face with the cashier who now has a MAJOR attitude,

9. put the croutons on the belt along with a Snickers bar wrapper, an empty Mountain Dew bottle and an opened pack of Big Red,

10. realize that I forgot my wallet in the car,

11. go back to the car,

12. say a quick prayer: Dear Lord PLEASE let my wallet be in the car,

13. realize that my wallet and purse are at home,

14. count out all of my change in the little blue cup in the car and realize that I still don't have enough money,

15. look under every seat and in the glove compartment for more money,

16. walk back into the store while looking at the ground hoping that I can find a dime...or 10 while saying a quick prayer: Dear Lord please let me see someone in here that I know who can loan me $.50,

17. getting back in the line...all the while praying that I overlooked a pocket on my coat that contains $.50,

18. getting face to face with the now...even GRUMPIER cashier...and trying to explain how I am $.50 short,

19. enduring the sighs of torment from the people behind me and the steam now rising from the cashier's head,

20. put on my best "puppy dog face" and proceed to beg anyone who will listen for $.50,

21. swallow my pride and take it from the 4th person behind me who practically throws the money at me because he/she is sooo outraged...

Now after ALL of that CRAP...if they exploded in my cabinet...it would be on and popping!!! I would resurrect Johnny Cochran from the dead to litigate this one!!

So, boys and girls...that is why croutons come in an airtight bag...because of people like me!!! Because the good Lord knows that I am fragile...and it would not take much to push me over the edge...(quick prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for knowing my limitations and keeping me sane by putting croutons in airtight packages. ~amen)

~quita

Q & A with Ms. Stewart...

Whoda' thunk it...Here is a whole NEW use for my blog...I can take reader questions and provide answers...(quick prayer: Dear Lord, PLEASE help me give out good, quality and useful information, PLEASE let me not lead anyone astray. The road to craft utopia is narrow and few there be who find it...amen).

OK...so Anonymous (see comments) emailed me with the following question:

Greetings to you, Ms. Stewart.
I am far from crafty.
HELP me with this one idea.
My daughters girl scout troop is studying India.
The girls will dress up in attire (homemade saris),
experience the cuisine (fix a homemade dish),
and use body art (bindis).
We are planning to watch the Cheetah Girls movie, too.
Do you have any ideas or know websites I can to visit? Yep!!
Also, could I have asked this on your blog? Yep!!

Is there a place for questions/ crafty help ideas? Not Yet...But one day!!(quick prayer: Please Lord, help me find a way to add a Q & A section...It took me almost a week to add email subscriptions am I up for the challenge??)

I will interject here that Anonymous and I are home girls from WAY back when...and, although she does not think she is "crafty," she came up with the following (read below) without my help...You go gurrrrllll:

Event…
Thinking Day Preparations:

-Make a flag for the flag ceremony (2' x 3') We need to have a 6' pole for the ceremony. I was thinking since our girls are still very small we could make the flag out of paper and put it on some lightweight dowel rod (would need to be thick enough not to wobble). It needs to be as light as possible for our girl to carry. When planning a craft/activity ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS take into account the age/size/abilities of those participating. Here is a picture of the Flag of India.

-Do a name drawing for the girl to be in the flag ceremony. I think it's really the fairest way to do it. SMART, SMART, SMART. This is the fairest way possible. This way will eliminate all of the Mama and Lil' Girl drama that these events breed. My only suggestion would be that you remove your child's name from the drawing and that someone NOT related and/or not a friend of you or your child do the drawing. It may seem unfair to the divine Miss H...so don't tell her!!

-Prepare our costumes. (bright fabrics needed) Keep it CRAFTY by also looking for some cheap ribbon and trims (applied with fabric glue) to allow the kiddo's to personalize them. Depending on how much time you have, you might also want to provide some gold and/or silver fabric paint and let them embellish their saris. Some glue on rhinestones might be in order here. There are seven steps to tying a sari and saris come in many styles and colors. Check out this link for pictures of many beautiful saris. Roll your mouse over the picture and a larger view will appear on the right.

-Prepare a posterboard for the display of information from India (general info, role of females, music, dance) Good idea! Keep it CRAFTY and academic!! Perhaps when they first arrive/have finished dressing (in their saris), you can get a digital pic of them. Then while they are working on another project, you can print them off and add them to the display board. Or better yet, make completing the board a group project and have each child bring in one type written fact about India that can be added to the board. For those who WILL forget, already have several facts ready to go should you need them. You might also want to include some fun facts. For example, did you know that Parcheesi is the national game of India? Whoda' thunk it??

-Plan the table decorations/decorations for our India Theme (home decorations you may have might be helpful) Don't be afraid to ask for help...Ask for table decorations, ask for fabric, ask for food, ask for volunteers, ask for a mortgage payment...DO NOT be afraid to ask for help!! And, ask EARLY and be VERY specific about what you need/want. If you know that you want red material from the Walmart on 123 East Parkway Blvd. North West (if you have ever lived in Memphis, you know where this is) next door to Chicken on a Stick...tell them exactly where to go and what to get. See if Walmart will hold your color choices so that the mamas can come in and ask for them specifically. You will not know until you ask...So ASK!!

-Decide on a recipe for the tasting event. The KISS principle applies here...Keep It Super Simple...these are kids. Here is a recipe for Easy Tandoori Chicken which you could server with Basmati Rice. You could make a Mango Lassie (you could also use raspberries, strawberries or blueberries) to drink. For dessert, how about super quick and easy Indian Pudding. For a quicker and easier alternative, make Hummus and serve it with toasted pita chips. To save even more time, you can buy Hummus in almost any grocery store.

The girls need to be involved in the planning of Thinking Day as much as possible. I agree 1,000,000,000% this is for them to learn more about India. Make those lil' mamas work too.

If anyone has any items/supplies for any of the things we need that you can donate or let the girls borrow let me know. If you have not heard from anyone 3 days before the event...Call Them!!

And last, but not least...

1. The dining customs of India should also be taken into account. Traditional dining involves sitting on the floor or very low stools or cushions. Unlike western countries, no cutlery is used for eating food and the fingers of the right hand are used for eating. Also, in many South Indian families and in some restaurants food is served in banana leaves or lotus leaves (See Below).

2. Your greatest and most accurate resource for ALL things India is going to be your yellow pages. Look in the phone book and find a listing for an Indian (India) Market/Grocery, call them for directions and then GO and see them. DO NOT attempt to have this conversation over the phone!! YOU WILL REGRET IT IF YOU DO!! They will also have food already prepared for you to purchase as well as insight into table directions.

THANKS in advance

Hope this helped...If not, you know how to get in touch with me...

~Marquita