Brace Bling

A year and a half ago I was diagnosed with drop foot. My prescription was a steel brace attached to my  right shoe. I wondered how I could pretty it up, but didn't want to glue anything to the brace in case I got tired of it and then couldn't remove it.  So I saw these flowers at Pinterest and wondered if I had something here at home that would make something similar in my stash and yep, I did have something.  

I have no idea what I saved these pieces of Velcro from, but I measured the circumference of both my cane and my brace and I found two pieces that would work! 

If you want to make some Velcro pieces like mine,  overlap two pieces of Velcro about 3/4" inch so that the join is in the middle (mine have a stitched on tag board piece over the join which you don't have to have) with the loops on one side facing towards the back and the fabric that the loops attach to  faces towards the front. The whole length for the brace is 3 1/4" (inches) long and the piece for the cane is 4 1/2" (inches) long.  You can stitch or hot glue the Velcro pieces together. 

Next I found some flowers that were attached to wires.

I punched two holes in the cardboard with this teeny-tiny diameter hole punch . . .

and threaded the two wires through and pulled it tight. Then I twisted the wires closed and pushed them down into a spiral against the back of the Velcro strap, wrapped it around both my cane and brace to see how they fit and Viola! Almost instant bling! 

One flower. . . 

Or many! I could almost skip through a garden in these, don't you think? 😊

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20 Aug 2018

My cane flower didn't last long as it got knocked around too much, but I get compliments on my brace one frequently. I decided now that I'm using two canes because of vertigo and hip pain, I needed a station to park them at during the night. My husband found these Command - brand broom grippers at Walmart and I attached them to this cabinet next to my nightstand, so they are within easy reach when I get out of bed. And yes, I'll have to open both doors to get into the top cabinet if the canes are still attached, but that's no problem to me. 

Two tips I wanted to mention -- since January, I've been using a C-Pap machine for sleep apnea. (I also have a nebulizer for asthma). That's my c-pap up on my nightstand. I have a case for it and I take it when traveling as both are medical devices that I need.   I purchased an extension cord and that little stepping stool at Walmart in the children's department for $10.00 and poured some of the distilled water into a plastic water bottle with a tight fitting lid to take with us. The little stepping stool pops out as a little stand for my c-pap during the night if I sleep on the side of a motel bed without a nightstand. 

Also, the black cane's foam handle was beginning to split from wear and tear and we could not find a replacement. I saw a video at YouTube in which a lady had used tennis racket handle tape on her baby's stroller handle and yep, Walmart carries it back in the sporting goods department. I used a little daisy decorative duct tape to fasten the end down and I'll tell you, the tennis tape makes  a most comfortable handle over the top of the foam.

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21 May 2022

A lot of water has gone under the bridge since I wrote last. I no longer wear the brace, but do wear a built up shoe on the same side as I wore the brace. The built up shoe is as stiff as the brace was, but that's okay because now my hips are even and my back doesn't hurt as much as it used to.  My right leg is about 1/2 inch shorter than the left leg. 

And I've graduated to forearm crutches because, not only were the canes wearing out, but I also got tired of the canes falling over when I had to grab something.  And since I had to bend over to pick them up, I hoped that vertigo didn't strike me at the same time and I go splat! I love the forearm crutches (I call them my pogo sticks 'cause they have spring shocks in the legs) and I just purchased a bicycle flashlight for one of them. They stay on my arms like a bracelet when I let go to grab something. I've also gone to wearing a backpack. Had to try many on before I found one that fit me since I'm a BBW (big beautiful woman). I wore a cross-body purse for many years, but the left crutch kept bumping it as I took a step and knocking me off-balance. So had to get my thinking cap on and problem solve it. 

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You might be interested in reading these posts too and be sure to check out the label "adapt" over on the side menu for more articles: 

• Never Alone
• (off-site) Brace
• Walker Bags
• New and Improved Walker Bag
• Why I'm Refashioning My Wardrobe
• (off-site) Disabled Placard Paper Receipt Fold

Walmart, Are You Listening?

I am really bummed! Last night I went into my local Walmart store to pick up some double-face tape to renew my supply for crafting and for a shoebox party that I’ve been invited to this week and guess what I found? No Scotch brand dispenser refills in the yellow box! Nada! I have a cute little weighted pink & white dispenser that matches my portable crafting bag and the only thing I could find was a itty-bitty clear plastic dispenser with a tiny roll up in the scrapbook section of the store for $5.00. I spent a little more than that on a package of 10 rolls in the box of Scotch Magic Tape. I will admit I am a frugal, thrifty, cheap, bargain-hunter, whatever you want to call it, soul. That’s one reason why I shop at Walmart.

They have been remodeling some of our Walmart stores around here and when I sent my husband after tape, he complained he couldn’t find it, so I thought it wasn’t getting restocked because of the redo, so I’ve been trying to stretch my supply until the remodeling came to an end. Doesn’t everything end eventually? But now I’m desperate and down to one roll.

I not only hate the idea of spending my husband’s hard-earned paycheck on one of those $5.00 dispensers, I can see if a person doesn’t use much tape, only having the one plastic dispenser stashed in the junk drawer, but as a card-maker and scrapbooker, I use a lot of tape and like having the extra refills on hand. Yes, I could buy the tape-runners, but they are almost as expensive, however, I’m tape-runner challenged and so I don’t like them particularly! And then I can’t get around the idea of having those little clear plastic dispensers being thrown into the landfills because they cannot be recycled. That is, not unless they are made of corn-based plastic.  At least the cardboard boxes the tape comes in can decompose.

I like Scotch brand by 3M too. Double-faced tape from the dollar stores and glue sticks aren’t worth the money you spend on them. I don’t like throwing my money away either! They are the unsticky sisters and I don’t like watching my creations fall apart.

Walmart and Scotch, are you listening? I want my Scotch Double-Faced Tape Dispenser Refills in the Yellow Boxes back! Please consider stocking them again! I NEED THEM!

Hey Readers Out There = If you feel as I do, please visit Walmart’s Customer Service  and Scotch to complain!

Maybe the store buyers don’t know tape is our stock and trade and we don’t want to spend BIG BUCKS on little itty-bitty dispensers! Thank you! Sigh. . .

Update from July 11, 2011: When I tried to find my double-faced tape elsewhere, I was told there was a Scotch tape gun, so I went looking for it. Michael's was selling it for $36.00 and it was HUGE and unwieldy in my hand. Needless to say, I did not buy it. Recently, I found a smaller version at Walmart, which is an improvement, however, we still have to refill them from the little plastic tape dispensers.  It also has a sliding yellow safety button on top  that works a cutting blade underneath. Those serrated teeth on most tape dispensers make good knuckle graters! LOL!

I really like the packaging from this new tape-runner too. *wink* I was able to glean some grey plaid tag board which will make an excellent Scottish card background and the clear packaging which I can cut down to use on a shaker card or to die cut  a small stencil!

 

 

 

 June 3, 2015 Update: I received a Michael's coupon in the mail and I went to use it before it expired. Guess what I found? My near-by Michael's is carrying both the dispenser tool above and the Scotch brand double side tape refills in the box!  YIPPEE!  I picked up a 2-box shrink-wrapped package for $7.99.  Michael's also carries the throw-away dispensers for $5.99 a piece, so I saved a little by buying the boxes.

Scrapbooks and Steampunk

Have you ever wondered who invented self-pasting scrapbooks? Well, wonder no more. They were invented by Mark Twain, the author of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and the Prince and the Pauper, among other books.

 

Mark Twain was tired of making scrapbooks with pots of glue, according the Mark Twain museum in Hannibal, Missouri. He pictured a scrapbook with glue already on the page, ready to moisten and use. He developed this idea and applied for a patent.

 

On June 24, 1873, he received his patent for "Improvement in Scrapbooks." He then took his idea to a firm that began producing "Mark Twain's Patent Self-Pasting Scrapbooks."

 

The scrapbooks were sold in more than 30 sizes and models, from pocket size to ones that would hold almost a half of a newspaper page. Specialist books were developed for druggists to hold prescriptions, as well as other organizations.

 

Of Mark Twain's three patents, this one made a profit. In 1877, about 25,000 scrapbooks sold.

 

Hannibal, MO. had their first Steampunk Festival last year and had more interest than expected with approximately 1000 people showing up.  This years festival will be September 5-7, 2015. I purchased my first piece of steampunk jewelry today in Hannibal's Historic Museum.

 

I've got my thinking cap on -- I want to challenge myself to come up with an ATC or pocket letter with an antebellum/Border War/Civil War images. Do I have any rubber stamps with images that will suit? Will have to dig in the ole craft barn collection. 

 

And, I've been collecting miniature items from thrift stores to make a fairy garden. I have quite a few images/ideas pinned to my miniature Pinterest board "Miniature Scenes." I think I've changed my mind about the fairy garden. I think I want to make a diorama instead with a large glass fish aquarium. In the Hannibal museum, they had 10 dioramas of scenes behind glass from Mark Twain's novel "Tom Sawyer" right in a row. Pretty cool if you ask me!

Tips on How to Watercolor the Art Impressions Way!

Last Saturday, my husband and I attended the Creating Keepsakes Scrapbook Expo up at the KCI Expo center near the Airport. I was so excited to finally meet Bonnie Krebs of Art Impressions. My sweet hubby purchased her watercolor DVD at a thrift store sometime ago for me, knowing I've been wanting to learn her watercolor technique.

 

 

 He took a photo of the both of us!

Bonnie paints her rubber stamped cards using her watercolor technique beginning with Marvy Markers by Uchida and Strathmore's cold press watercolor paper cut to card size.  She only uses a few Marvy Markers for her watercolor technique which she sells on her website, but she said to use what I have. I was beginning to purchase sets of Marvy Markers at Michaels  with coupons when it looked like I was going to design for Posh Rubber Stamps, so I was happy to see an additional technique I could use the markers for! Her palette was a small square of white plastic at the show, but Bonnie said anything shiny smooth can be used for a palette including a corelle saucer. I believe I still have a marker palette I purchased years ago on clearance somewhere. It was for painting marker "folk art."

 

Bonnie uses the rough side for her watercolored images and the smooth side with Stazon permanent ink for her detailed girlfriend stamps. She said to use a small paint brush and pull the wet brush through your fingers to control the amount of water.  Then she scrubs the marker color out on the palette and dips her damp paintbrush into the marker color to lift color to the image. She said brushing images in with color is much faster than coloring with markers.

 

After I visited her website, I discovered a whole series of Bonnie's You Tube videos. If you like, you can watch her beginning video here:

 

Art Impressions Project 1

Some of her  watercolor tips at the show were: Start by coloring a rubber stamp with a charcoal gray  Marvy Marker on the rough side of the watercolor paper, then add a clean dampened brush to pull out shadows on the image. When you are stamping foliage in, color in bits and pieces of the stamps with the markers to make it look realistic. You don't have to use the whole image. Also "walk/pounce" the stamp across the area where you want it. Use pieces of paper to mask off sections if you are building up an image. Then pounce a clean damp brush into the center of the images and dabble tiny bits of the colored water around to make it look like watercolor.  Don't add a lot of water or you will wash out (erase) the image or muddy the colors. She doesn't like to use aqua brushes just for that reason.

 

She said to also add a light grey or blue shadow to the images around the outside to make the image pop. Pretend the light source is coming from the top when deciding where to add the shadows.

I noticed Bonnie stamped her girlfriend rubber stamp mounted on a Fiskars sponge-ball mount. She said she didn't care for the thick heavy acrylic mounts because she found them difficult to maneuver. I found one at a thrift store a while back, still in the package, for $5.00, so enjoyed watching her maneuver the  rubber stamp into position.

 

She said the secret to having faces  that look alive rather than flat is to keep the center of the images white and add cheek color. Since the light source is coming from the top, give a margin of white at the top of the head; don't carry the color of the hair clear up to the outline of the stamp. And she said you don't have to color in everything, just the main portions of the images. Coordinate a blouse with your background colors of your base card.

 

And she said, be sure to sign your work, so here's an autographed copy of Bonnie's work she gave to me at the show!

 

 

Stamp Show

Sadly, I didn't get to attend the rubber stamp show, but a girlfriend took a photo of Mark and Cynthia Stansell of Stamp-a-mania stamps for me.

Hand-crafted vs. Store-bought

 

It has come to my attention recently, through a reliable resource, that the Kansas City Toys for Tots Organization will only accept new store-bought toys in the original cardboard packaging. They will not accept hand-crafted toys such as wooden ones made by a local woodworkers guild.

Now that seems a shame, because those kind of toys were precisely the ones I sought for my son when he was younger (he's now 27) as they held up better than the cheap plastic toys, took more imagination to play with and didn't have to have costly batteries all the time in order to work. In fact, we still have many of his wooden toys in a basket under the coffee table for the some-day grandchildren to play with. All my friends' grand-children know where that basket is when they come over to my house. There is a wooden shoe lovingly made by a girlfriend's husband when my son was learning to tie his shoes and I later had it with me when I was teaching my Pre-K Sunday School class. My sister painted a bunch of wooden cars for his Christmas one year. The same girlfriend above and I painted wooden houses together for a village so his wooden cars would have something to drive to. We were making toys and memories. I have a wooden nativity set, Noah's ark figures and animals.

We searched historical museum gift shops for wooden toys and once bought a wooden climbing bear from Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO. Wooden puzzles stand up better than cardboard ones and my toddler son loved building with his wooden blocks and knocking them over.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, as a crafter, if you are going to donate items to any organization, go to the top and find out precisely to the letter what their rules are. The woodworkers guild I mentioned above were heartsick when they found out Toys for Tots threw their wooden toys away after spending so much time, effort, and material to make them. After that, they did their homework and found another organization who was absolutely delighted to accept their hand-crafted toys.

 

Merry Christmas Everyone and a Happy New Year!

Junking at the Lake

We attended a cousin's funeral this last weekend near the Lake of the Ozarks on Friday, and Saturday, we visited a few thrift stores we know about. I found a Home Interiors Chicken Teapot at the Packrat Thrift Store in Versailles, Missouri. This thrift store is housed in an old brick schoolhouse and is packed three-floors high with goodies and stays open until five on Saturday. A couple of stores in Eldon, MO. lost our business because they closed early. Too Bad! Ha! Ha!

 

Anniversary Parties and Baby Showers

You know, it's sometimes lonely in blogland. I know this blog is getting read by you lurkers out there because the stats I look at occasionally on my dashboard prove it. I know, I know, just gobbledy-gook to you who don't blog or have websites! LOL! I just wish that some of you would stop in and say your howdy's. I "hear" ya! I'll quit whining, okay? And having a pity-party for myself! I should consider myself blessed that I do have readers! Sigh! J

And speaking of parties, I went to two this last weekend and just had to share the creative stuff I saw at both. My sister-in-laws hosted a reception for their parent's 60th wedding anniversary. My in-laws were asked the secret for their staying together so long and several guys chimed in -- "we get selective hearing after awhile, right?" -- a humorous, teasing, poke in my father-in-law's direction who wears a hearing aid!

Their courting was so romantic! Like Cinderella, my favorite fairy tale, they met at a dance. But alas there was no crystal shoe, but He did write her a letter, she responded, they eloped, and it's been happily after after. Thus the secret staying power, I do believe, has been a commitment of LOVE.

The guest tables were decorated in the center with starched white doilies my mother-in-law crocheted and four graduating heights of goblets turned upside down over white silk flowers. Resting on the top of the stems were white votive candles and scattered around were clear dragon tears suggestive of the clear diamonds of a 60th anniversary. There were also a strand of pearl beads wound around the grouping. Pretty!

Then, next day, one of the cousins of the mother-to-be at the baby shower crafted a cute, cute, cute diaper four-wheeler as a gift. Mama, expecting a son (fore-named Easton), is due sometime in May! Cousin said she purchased most of the items constructing the four-wheeler from the dollar store after she found the directions online. I believe I will have to keep this idea under my hat for the next baby shower I attend. I've made a towel cake for wedding showers (click here for directions), so I don't think this would be too hard for me to make!

Just before coming home, I finally got my hubbin to stop at a flea market I've been eyeing during several other visits "down home." It's at the southwest corner of the junction of 54 Highway (that's the highway between Jefferson City and Osage Beach, 7 miles north of Bagnell Dam) and 52 Hwy (between Eldon and Tuscumbia) down in a little hollow off the road. It's run by PAD (Parents Against Diabetes) and it's called the Thriftiques Marketplace. They had a little of everything. I'm always looking for Mary Engelbreit collectibles and paper scrap ephemera (didn't find any at this visit) but did see a Vera Bradley purse for $15.00. A real steal if you like Vera's purses!

Outta My Way! I’m Going Shopping

The corner of 119^th Street and Metcalf Ave (69 Hwy) in Overland Park, KS. is a crafter’s paradise – there is Walmart, Joann’s and Salvation Army on one side. Directly across Metcalf is Archivers and Hobby Lobby. And across from Archivers is Michael’s. Now (I’m thinking to myself), be sure to grab your shopping list, D, and coupons before heading out the door and hit the clearance aisle before leaving the stores. I’m looking to get my craftin’ fix before long. Yippee, can’t wait!

I was checking out the clearance aisle at one of the stores, when I literally bumped into a nice lady looking at a die cut and I opened the conversation with “Are you a frugal crafter too?” *smile* She said yes and she  was buying clearanced fabric for her new resale shop, which, of course, piqued my interest being the frugal crafter that I am. So here’s my shameless plug for her new 3 story shop, full of furniture at the moment,  which, by the way, isn’t open yet, but hopefully will be soon (she’s supposed to let me know). It’s to be called “The Glittery Goose” and will be down by KU Med hospital on  W. 39^th street in the artsy part of Kansas City.

I was over at Lindsay’s blog (another Frugal Crafter) and spotted a new gadget by Inkadinkado I just have to have. I didn’t have a coupon with me and it wasn’t on sale at Hobby Lobby. Lindsay has the round one, but I saw an oval one also. Just be warned though – all the pieces come separately, so it’s gonna have to go on sale down 40% or more before I’d even consider it. The other thing I was thinking about is how can I make my own? I’m going to have to put my thinking cap on -- ah, ha! I have an idea for my stamping jig, but will it be feasible to make? Will have to play and experiment and twist my hubbin’s arm a teensie bit to get him to help me make it. But if I go that way, will it be cost effective?, because I’d have to buy something in order to make it. Ah, the condumdrum of making do versa frugal shopping.

Postscript = I never got my own version of Inkadinkado's stamping gear made, but here it is two years later and while my husband was waiting for me to come out of that necessary room in the back of Joann's, he poked around in the clearance aisle and found nearly the whole set of gears on clearance for $1.00 apiece. Woo hoo! I guess the old saying is true about good things come to those that wait!

Artist Hoarding Disorder

Is there a AA type meeting for junk crafters like me? Hi! I’m Dolores Rush and I’m a crafter who buys from thrift stores and garage sales. *smile*

A few years ago, I was at the heart of a stirred up hornet’s nest with my letter to the editor at Scrap & Stamp Arts Magazine concerning “Expired Stamp Companies.” Seems I was not the only thrifty soul and many said they wouldn’t mind seeing new ideas for their older rubber stamps. So I keep shopping and hoarding freebies and cheapies and trying to think of off-beat ways to reuse “last year’s models.”

Right now, I’m involved in a thread at Splitcoast Stampers forum ("Ways to Make Do Instead of Buy New" by Barbara Jay). It’s about 23 pages long at last count. I’ve been adding to it, but also mining everyone else’s ideas. You know, I just can’t get enough ideas on making do with what I have! Oh the thrill of the hunt!

Last night, I attended a FREE community program at our library on how to save money by shopping thrifty. The speaker, Lily Wolfgang, is an interior decorator who regularly shops for her store, A Breath of Fresh Flair .

I went hoping I would hear the names of new stores that I could excavate for low-cost craft goodies (see my link list of stores I shop at). Having champagne tastes on a beer budget, I’ve decorated our home, homeschooled and crafted on a shoestring budget for years. It might have been around Christmas when I last visited a department store at the mall and that was probably because somebody gave me a gift card. So here’s how I craft shop =

* I wear comfortable shoes!

* I have a general idea what things cost in the crafting world now, having browsed through scrapbook and stamping stores, the internet and enough Stampin’ Up parties to know a good bargain when I see it! Once I stopped in a new-to-us Goodwill and found a Cri-cut font cartridge for $4.00. It was unopened and one corner was slightly crinkled, but I took a chance on it anyway and bought it. Since I didn’t have a Cri-cut, I thought it might come in handy for the gift drawer. It wasn’t too long after that a friend at church purchased one. I gifted her with the font and guess what? The main gizmo inside wasn’t damaged in any way and she’s been blessing our church with “writing on the wall” taken straight from scripture ever since!

* I also stamped a inventory of all my stamps and glued punchies to an index card, so I have a general idea of what I have at home. Girlfriends got after me because I stayed up til 4:00 am working on it, but I knew if I didn’t do it then, I probably wouldn’t get it done. :) I also decided early in my stamping career that I do not like clear stamps. I like the concept, but not the reality, so steer clear of those kinds of stamps when out shopping. I do like the stamps that come pre-attached on a foam backing and can be mounted on an acrylic block to stamp from.

* My hubbin parks our car in the handicap area in the parking lot and yes, I have a legal handicap placard. I don’t usually need it going in; it’s the coming out I appreciate the car close by. A couple of years ago, I herniated a disc in my lower back and was diagnosed with arthritis and vertigo at the same time, so my standing and walking times are limited to short spans without pain. I can shop longer if given a chance to sit down and stretch the back muscles periodically, so I cruise the aisles hanging onto a grocery cart and quickly scan the shelves looking for craft candy in the usual places and not so usual spots. Recently I scored a huge bag of vintage scrapbook supplies at one thrift store over in a section that held mostly men’s hardware and tools. By the way, the sack had two photo albums, several pads of Anna Griffith scrapbook paper that had only a few sheets ripped out, stickers, a box of Stampin’ Up eyelets, and more, all for $12.00! We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our PT cruiser (2018-Jeep). Our previous car was tiny and had barely any room to pack people and stuff in like recyclables, a sack of stuff to donate to the thrift store, groceries, and maybe furniture all in one trip. The way gas prices are now, it just makes sense to have a roomier car, make all the numerous errands we have to run at once and I also like it because it’s easy for me to climb in and out of.

* At thrift stores, if you think you want it, put it in your cart. You can always take it out later if you find something better or decide against it. If you take a large item to the front of the store to the cash register, be sure to tell the cashier you are purchasing this item or someone may swoop in and “steal” it from you. Knowing this, I’ve stood by big items until my hubbin has paid for it and gotten store personnel to help him move it to our car.

* I got this idea from Emilie Barnes = carry a small spiral notebook with a pocket inside along with a pen. I have ADD (really!) and as one of my coping skills, I would write down lists of things I needed to do or buy on scraps of paper, but then would lose the scrap of paper. This has organized my life so much by keeping it all together in one place. I keep it in my two pocket zippered purse with a handle long enough to go over my head and across my chest. The pocket in the notebook is handy for keeping the coupons I get in the mail from my local hobby stores.

* I learned a long time ago to carry a measuring tape around with me.

* I never leave a store without first cruising down the clearance aisle especially after the holidays.

* I almost never turn away a crafty hand-me-down from a friend. Another woman’s junk is often my treasure! However, if I find that I have too much of a good thing or decide later I don’t care for it, I try to think of a way of reusing it first or I regift it to a thrift store or the Children’s Museum Resource Center. They are usually delighted to take it off my hands because they sell donated items low-priced to finance their museum.

* If I’m looking for a craft book or magazine, I first check out my library, World Cat inner-library loan or visit Half-Price Books, a new/used bookstore in the city. I have found craft books and magazines at thrift stores, liquidation/salvage stores and garage sales too!  And I check out the little pads of free tutorials that hobby stores sometimes hang and grab a sheet or two. When I homeschooled, I sometimes used these as an art assignment which I stapled to our son’s assignment notebook  Also our local conservation office has free patterns for bug barns and birdhouses if I’m in a nature craftin’ mode so I’ll make a point to stop in and ask. They even have free craft classes from time to time – like a leaf printing class and a sun print making one.

* When we go on vacation, we check out the tourist information office for not only historical points of interest, but also craft stores in the area and thrift stores. I’ve even picked up free scrapbook store postcards there to mail home to my friends.

* I try to go for the gold and buy the good stuff. And as my mother often makes a point of telling me, if you don’t like it or need it, then it isn’t a bargain no matter how inexpensive it is.

* And last but not least, I scout out the front entryway of any place of business we visit on the way out for freebies. Those magazines, catalogs and newspapers one can pick up sometimes yield a wealth of information!

Vintage Valentines

I found a packet of vintage valentines, a calling card or two and little story coloring books with black and white illustrations that I wanted to use in a photo scrapbook at a flea market in the town my husband’s family reunion was at this last weekend. I just love those old illustrations and I couldn’t resist (Psst! I became a Flea Market Warrior when the cashier said he was supposed to sell each Valentine at $8.00 apiece when the zip bag clearly held the tag and the Valentines were not marked individually. He eventually gave in and sold me the whole packet for the stated price.)

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! Names transcribed from back of valentines and published in the Missouri State Genealogical Association's newsletter.

Troll Knoll Card

Remember those trolls we used to collect? Well, I found this troll stamp at a thrift store and just had to have it. You see my little sister, as a child, bought a small troll doll for my mother for her birthday one year. Mom said it was so ugly it was cute! Several years ago, my mother returned the favor, giving my sister a 12" one for Christmas, so you see why I just had to have this stamp (so I could make a birthday card for each of their upcoming birthdays. *wink*) I was inspired to make the knoll from the Hobbit homes on the movie – "The Lord of the Rings." It is made from a sheet of 8 ½" x 11" piece of tan cardstock, folded in half, with the fold as the top of the card, cut into a bowl shape, then stamped all over with the grass stamp turned upside down. I made the other parts separate and glued them down to the base card. I stuck two tiny pieces of sticky backed velcro squares to the inside covers, so that a ribbon could be used to make it stand up. The grey tongue looking thing is actually the flagstone sidewalk. I folded it up inside the card when I sent it through the mail. 

Here's the stamps I used to make it:

Uptown Rubber Stamps Holly Pond Hill by Susan Wheeler #G13056 window; Stampabilities Spring Wheelbarrow #GR1024; Stampcraft Picket Fence #440H11; Rubber Stampede Background stamp > looks like giraffe spots; Stamp Affair The Troll Company Norfin; All Night Media Posh Presents #550-G24 Grass; Stampcraft Daisy #440D99, Dots Grass Cluster #D103; TM Designs True Love Rosebud; Rubber Stampede Large Dot Label #3217F.

Love to shop here:

Here's a list of some of my favorite places to shop for new and used crafting supplies in my local area! I rarely buy online as we've been burnt a time or two with fraudulent companies or teeny-tiny products made to look bigger than they really are with trick photography. However, I do like the coupons and gift cards that I request for special occasions! 😊

1/2 of 1/2

Big Lots

Blessings Abound Thrift 

Cargo Largo

City Thrift

Dollar General

Dollar Tree

eBay

Family Dollar

Families for Home Education (FHE; MO. state association) (used curriculum sales) 

Friends of Animals Thrift

Garage Sales by Map

Goodwill

Goodwill Outlet

Half-Price Books (Arts & Craft books)

Harbor Freight

Hobby Lobby

Ikea

Joann's

Maj-r Thrift

Michael's

Museum Gift Shops

Ollie's

Red Racks Thrift

Restore

Salvation Army

Savers

Scraps KC 

The Thrift Shopper

US Toy

= + = + = + = + = + = + = + =

* Farmhouse Décor * 

Bag Balm (one of my farmer grandfathers used this product). 

Chamberlains (dad liked this hand lotion)

Cockrell Mercantile

Cornhusker Lotion (and the other one used this product).

Jamesport, MO Shopping

Massachusetts Street (Downtown) Lawrence, KS Shopping

Pryde's of Westport 

The Brass Armadillo Antique Flea Market Mall

Watkin's (my grandparents & parents used Watkin's products)

= + = + = + = + = + = + = + =

* Bucket Wish List*  

(I'd love to go check these places out!) 

Colonial Patterns Store

Hammer Bros. 

                                                             = + = + = + = + = + = + = + =

                                                                    *USA Shopping:*

 

Check out these websites to find frugal shopping in your area:

Choose to Reuse (Hennepin Co, MN)

Freecycle

Lehman's (Ohio)

St. Louis, MO. Teachers Recycle Store.