Is it possible to be on crack and not know it??? Or...is that called denial...? Does an invisible crack pipe really exist??? I have heard rumor of one... Sweet Jesus, I have LOST MY MIND...and the scary part is...I know that I have and am not sure how to get it back. Ugghhhh...What to do, what to do...
OK, so here is the situation: About two weeks ago, I did something that I had NO business doing...I went...OMG, I am sooo ashamed to say it...(((with my head hung low in shame)quick prayer: Dear Lord, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE forgive me...I know good and T well that I had no business goin' up in there by myself!! Dear Lord help me resist temptation, You said it in Your word, "...the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Matt. 26:41 KJV And Lord, I know that your word is true...so PLEASE forgive me and my weak flesh...(deep sigh of regret)~amen)))...I dropped my daughter off at school and then...I went on a binge....I went...to...Lord I knew better...but I went anyway...I went to the....uggghhh...the Half Price Bookstore...There, I finally said it...a small chunk of my burden had been lifted...Unfortunately, this is just the beginning of the story...there is more...MUCH more...
I knew I was wrong when I went in without a plan. Believe me when I say..."The Half Price Bookstore is the LAST place in the world that you want to go without a plan!" I have spent- oops...I mean, seen-I have SEEN many a mortgage payment be spent at the checkout counter. I never enter with the intent to go broke...but some how, it ALWAYS happens. In an attempt to self medicate, I have gone so far as to leave my debit card and checkbook in the car and enter the store with only $10 in my pocket. Do you think this works??? Nope...not until two weeks ago.
Two weeks ago, I had no plan, but I only had $10 and about 15 minutes to shop. I figured that I would be safe...Well...I figured WRONG! I made my usual rounds in about 10 minutes-fiction, mystery/suspense and CLEARANCE-which left me only 5 minutes to go to "The Promised Land"-the land of Craft and Cooking. I intentionally saved the best for last...I figured the less time spent there, the more money left in my pocket!! With only five minutes to shop, I did a quick walk through the cookbooks, but since I already own ALL of the books in that section...I decided to spend my last 4 minutes and 49 seconds in the craft section. Knowing that I only had $10, I knew that my selections would be limited. Me, being me...I wanted the most bang for my buck, so I skipped the stenciling, stained glass and wood working section and went straight to the "general crafting" section...which is where I found it...the Anti Christ of Crafting...the seven headed beast of creation...my eventual downfall...the crafty crack of all crack...I found the Reader's Digest Home Made Best Made: Hundreds of Ways to Make All Kinds of Useful Things.
I think "Home Made..." is what got me!! Then, I pulled the book off the shelf and saw the cover...I was HOOKED!! In the upper right hand corner was the sweetest thing that I have seen in a long time...a small white price tag with $6.98 written on it...Oh yeah BABY....!!! At that price, I was out about $7.50 for the book, which meant that I would have about $2.50 left over...just enough to buy a small chili and a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger from Wendy's. Yippee...(Yes...Che-Quita is in the house) a book and a meal for less that $10...(quick prayer: Dear Lord, Thank You for miracles!! ~amen)...I was in hog heaven (where is hog heaven??? a chicken or beef processing plant...)! I grabbed my book and RAN to the register.
After saying another prayer of thanks for His bountiful blessings, I paid for my book, got my change and went to Wendy's. I ate while I was driving and then I went to work. Work was difficult because my mind was in the car with my new book of home made goodness...I still had not actually looked inside of the book, but while I was driving I glanced at the cover and...let's just say..."Mama liked." There were suckers, baby corn in a jar, hand painted ceramic tiles and home made dish soap on the cover...I was like one of Pavlov's dogs at this point...DROOLING!!! I knew that I had gotten the most bang for my buck with this book.
By now I am sure you are wondering..."What did she do that was so wrong/crazy?? Where is the crack?? What happened?? She only spent $10...she got a book and a meal...so what's the big deal...? Well, my friends, you are going to have to read part 2 for the answer...
~Quita
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
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
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
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