3/25/12

High Attendance Sunday


Today is high attendance Sunday for our Sunday School classes at church. We've been urging everyone to invite somebody new and tell them to bring a friend as well. Each class is trying to be the one with the highest increase over their recent average attendance.


We are even having a contest to encourage everybody to bring someone new with them. The class who has the highest increase over their average attendance from the last month will be the winner.


Now you might wonder what the winning class gets. Well, the winning class will receive a night out for dinner for all it's members which will be served at our Fellowship Hall.


But there is a twist. It will not be a traditional "walk through the line-cafeteria style dinner". We will be greeted at the door by a host (one of our Deacons) and led inside to be seated.


From that point on, we will be waited on, served and attended to by our entire Deacon Board, active and non-active.


I assist in the 3 and 4 year olds class at Sunday School. I hope we have a crowd this morning. I would love to see the Deacon's as they serve the food. From what I understand, the food served will be based on the age group that wins. So with 3 and 4 year olds, we could end up with chicken nuggets and fries or we could have pizza. Either way, it would be a treat to sit in the fellowship hall and watch the Deacon's busy at work.


Hope to see a lot of new faces this morning. Have a blessed Sunday.



3/24/12

Rainy Day Ahead


Nothing puts a stop to going to yard sales like a hard downpour, lightning and thunder. Not to mention it is supposed to do this off and on all day today.


But I have a plan. I can still do some thrift shopping today at the indoor shops. I found out we have two in our neighboring town that I didn't realize. I don't know how old this picture is, but check out the pink clock and I think I see a little cream pitcher in white also.

SafeSpace Thrift Store Pigeon Forge (Peek Inside Photo 8 Of 13 Enlarged)

And in this one I see a set of cute little bunnies and a frilly pink lamp I would like to check out.

SafeSpace Thrift Store Pigeon Forge (Peek Inside Photo 10 Of 13 Enlarged)

And this coffee table is exactly what I am looking for to put in the beach room with baskets on the bottom shelf.

SafeSpace Thrift Store Pigeon Forge (Peek Inside Photo 12 Of 13 Enlarged)

I also want to head to Home Accents again and browse through their antique sections. They had some great deals last time I was there, but I was in a hurry and couldn't take the time to contemplate everything. A rainy day would be a good day to go back.


I would love to find some more deals like yesterday's $1.00 relish dish from the 70's.


No matter what happens, I'm sure I'll have something to share with you from my journey today. I must be crazy to even think of going out in the storm. But when you work from home and spend most of your week in one room, you like to get out of the house on the weekend.

How will you spend your Saturday.

3/23/12

What??? Seriously???


As I was reading the daily blogs that I can't live without, I stopped by to see Linda at Coastal Charm. Her blog was titled "Is Easter really only two weeks away?"



As I read that, my first thought was WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? SERIOUSLY? Then the heart palpitations and cold sweats began.

TWO WEEKS? FOR REAL? TWO MEASLEY LITTLE WEEKS???? I am seriously freaking out here!

I mean, I'm not a moron, I knew it was spring. I knew Easter was just around the corner. I knew soon it would be time to shop for an Easter outfit and new shoes.

I mean, really now, I must have known it was coming. I've been making Easter crafts and putting together Easter displays around my house. I've been practising weekly for our church Easter program and we have discussed what day the program will be held several times.

Somehow, March is leaving me behind and Easter will be here and I won't be ready!

GASP!!  I just had a thought! What if I have to wear an Easter outfit from a previous year? And heaven forbid that I have to wear the same shoes!!!! What if I forget to plan hubby's Easter basket? EGAD! I haven't even given thought to Easter Dinner. Oh my, oh my, oh my.

So much to do and so little time. Okay. I need a game plan. I'm going to stop, take a deep breath and contact Ms. Linda at Coastal Charm to see if she knows a good doctor for nerve pills.


3/22/12

Things I'm thinking about.....




My mind is running in a frenzy today. It's spring. Yard sales will soon abound. I love thrifting don't get me wrong. Goodwill, thrift stores, antique shops. They all interest me. But there is not bargain like a bargain you can find at a yard sale.

I want to look for some of these cups and saucers. They are the vintage Bonnie Blue pattern from Fireking from the early 60's. They came in the oats boxes for free. Mom had a ton of them and I would like to find a set. I actually want two sets. One for me and one for Sis.


I would also like this jadeite cup and saucer.


I have been seeing this bowl on many sites lately. It would something good to add to my bowl collection.


I see a lot of cut glass candy dishes when I go to yard sales. Not that I would ever find anything this pretty, but it wouldn't hurt to look. Sometimes those cut glass candy dishes that people tire of actually end up to be vintage pieces and you can pick them up for a couple of dollars.


Same goes for milk glass. Some people just tire of what they have and don't realize its value and sometimes they are newer pieces not worth anything but look good in a collection. I really want one of the tall bud vases.


I am all the time wanting a little bit of milk or Koolaid. A regular glass is too big and a juice glass is not enough. These would be perfect. I love the shape of them.


I would also like to find some vintage jelly or peanut butter glasses.


I am heading out to a yard sale with my friend Sherrie this morning. It's the first official yard sale of the year that we have been to. Can't wait to see if we find anything. Do you remember me telling you about Listia.com? Well, I won an auction and will be getting this item for $4.00. I am thrilled.


I had 500 credits when I started and I've won two items and now have 400 and some credits still left. I decided to list one item to see if I could get any bids so I could earn extra credits for myself. I posted a pair of angel figurines. I had bought them at Family Dollar several years ago and never thought anybody would bid on them. I wasn't on Listia for a couple of days and decided to see if I had any bids. I was hoping they would bring in at least 100 credits. Well, the auction closed yesterday and the winning bid was 3,023 credits. Woo hoo! I can do some major shopping now. I'm bidding on a couple of items myself that are free shipping. So I may score quite a bit of free stuff to show you soon.

Well, off to the yard sale.

3/21/12

Ideas for jewelry organizing....





My jewelry box is not quite this disorganized, but it is slowly getting there. I have been pondering the idea for quite some time on how to organize my jewelry. I have a beautiful jewelry box but it is just not large enough for all my necklaces to hang in. In addition, there is not place for earrings except for everything to lay in a little drawer, all jumbled together. Every time I want a particular pair of earrings, I have to go through every drawer to find the ones I want, which usually involves dumping each drawer on the bed to look through it. Then having to pick it up again.

I had purchased this several years ago at a local Family Dollar store for $10 and never really used it.


It hangs on the wall and opens up to this.


I also have this drawer that is a junk drawer (unlike the jewelry mess above, I claim this mess as totally mine) and the items in it need to be put somewhere else so I can free this drawer up for use. I don't think I have cleaned out this drawer in 10 years because I just never use it for anything. It is a long drawer that isn't very deep.


This morning, I had an inspiration. First, I will hang the little jewelry box up on the wall. Even though there are only a few hooks for necklaces, I am fine with that. I can hang more than one per hook. Then I'm going to clean out the drawer and get a few little trays like this....


I can get square ones for bangle bracelets and watches. Then the long one can be for my bracelets that clasp so they can lay flat.

That just leaves the dilemma of the earrings. I pondered and pondered what to do about earrings so I don't have to dig for the right pair every time I go somewhere. Inspiration struck in several forms.

Ice trays...


Or mini muffin pans


Or even Wilton candy molds
I think I am very excited about these ideas. I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.

3/20/12

Easter Craft Projects


I love the fact that I can find things that are simple to do for my Pinterest Challenges. It makes me feel more productive when I can actually take my pins and create something that makes me happy. I actually have two challenges to share with you today.

Challenge # 1

The first is my Easter Egg Floral arrangement. I ran to Walmart and purchased a vase, some eggs and some flowers. The flowers were for a couple of other projects as well, but just counting the ones used for my challenge along with the eggs and vase, I have about $7 or $8 in the project.

I laid out what I had purchased along with my scissors and wire cutters.


I opened the eggs and placed them in the vase.


I then placed cut the flowers I wanted to use and placed them inside the vase.


Do you remember my pink bunny for $4.50 from my last antique run? Well, I placed it and a chicken salt dip I already had beside the vase on the kitchen table.


And this is now my Easter centerpiece on the kitchen table. I may need to get some more eggs to add since the vase was a little big than I thought it would be. But I still love the way it turned out.

Challenge # 2

The second challenge was an adorable Easter Egg wreath I had seen on Pinterest. It was probably the easiest craft I have ever made. Walmart supplies include two dozen plastic eggs, green floral wire and a roll of ribbon of your choice. Total cost was $5.97 before taxes. Armed with my supplies and my trusty wire cutters, I set to work.


Make sure you get the eggs with the holes. I just unrolled a foot or two of wire, but don't cut it yet. that way the eggs will slide down and stop at the wire package, preventing them from sliding off the other end.  Plus you can unroll more if you need to. Open up your egg and run the wire through the bottom right hole...


And through the top left hole...


Snap it closed and let it slide down your wire.


When you get done, clip the wire and tie two or three knots real tight to pull the eggs together in a circle. (sorry I forgot to take a pic of this step) Cut some ribbon in whatever length is easy for you to work with when tying. You can trim off excess later. I cut mine at 7" and didn't need to trim it any once it was tied. 


Figure where you want your ribbon based on how many ties you want. I did four and placed them every third egg, starting from where I tied the circle. Place your ribbon underneath the two eggs you want it between.


Simply tie the ribbon in a knot between the eggs. No need to double knot. If you want little bows, you could do that as well, but I want just the tie.


Once you have completed that (I did 4 ties), cut a longer piece of ribbon to make a bow for the top. I was going to get wire ribbon and make a fancy bow, but decided in this case simple was better. Tie your bow between the two eggs where you joined the wire.


Make a look out of the wire that is tied together.


When you hang it up, because the wire is flexible, it will automatically shape in an oval, egg like shape. If you want a perfect round circle, you would need to use a stronger wire. This was the look I saw on Pinterest. I could not be any happier with the results. It is just adorable, affordable and so cute. Not bad for a 15 minute craft project.


I was in a decorating mood so I pulled out the Easter Egg apron Mom made me last year.


I also unpacked the Easter Egg tea for one. I put some yellow flowers in my new little milk glass vase and put them on my rack.


I hung the apron on the shelf to add to the Easter mood in the kitchen.


I had some leftover pink flowers that I inserted into my daisy planter. Some leftover eggs went into a little candy dish with a piece of the pink ribbon tied around it. I put this on my file cabinet to make my office more springy.


And what started all this energy to do some crafty for Easter? My niece Amy. I showed you her vase centerpiece recently. Now she has a new table runner with Easter eggs all over it. Isn't it adorable.