Seriously did he just say that?

The other night at dinner, Jack is telling me what he thinks. He often doesn’t do this unless its about golf, computers, or his work. This time he was telling me what he thinks about what I do. So I was half listening with excitement and half with trepidation. I don’t mind well. He will be the first to tell you that and I was a little worried that the moment I shot this guy’s crazy ideas down I was going to get the hawk look… which is where his eyebrows come together forming a cast shadow on his face and his now stormy eyes pierce your soul with their green withering intensity. Nature has this too. Right before volcanoes blow they give this look. Moments before tornados touch down storm clouds have this face. There is even a movie…The Mummy…to demonstrate this look of wrath.

But I also love it when Jack takes an interest in what I do, so like I said half excited, half trepidatious.  Ooh, now there’s a great word!!

Anyway, he says you should start selling on your website. I open my mouth to tell him that is a terrible idea, but he says calmly…”Think about it.”, and goes back to eating pizza. Hmmm. No hawk look? A little off my footing in an unexpected moment I agree. I still thought the idea sucked but I was agreeing anyway. What devilry is this? Is my husband using diplomacy?

Never has. 

I scrap the topping off another piece of pizza into my spinach salad and put the crust back with its brothers and sisters, without thinking.

I usually keep it on my plate because putting it back there like someone is going to eat that useless crust just makes my hubby freak out.  He is serious about his pizza.

Nothing.  NOT even a batted eyelash.  Uh…

Oh, my My my… he HAS grown a diplomatic limb — or been abducted by aliens or has he just read The Art of War or some other mid-life weirdness.  I just scalped a piece of pizza and put it back, what’s next for me drinking all the milk except for a swig and putting it back in the refer?  If I kept it up I could become a dude.

After dinner I had a LIST of reasons why Me running a Store is a sucky idea.

Too much time coding a store, isn’t that every scrap store owners nightmare? Constantly paying homage to the website and all that headache. No Thank you!

Learning another program or slew of programs…nope. I would rather pay commission.

Setting up more webspace.  <eyeroll> Please no. 

No time to do what I really enjoy doing, making sheez!

And what about homeschool? It takes up the bulk of my time for a reason…thinking of my  cherub-faced teens here. Who now sport  a soul patch and a goatee respectively. Hairy Cherubs, HOOT!  Still, I have commitments to those hairy angels.

Well I hit him with all that stuff and he just says… “You’ll figure it out.”

Okay… now … that’s just…um!  Seriously did he just say that? Did he just say it exactly like that? In I believe in you fashion, not I love you but please stop talking tone. He did. He made I believe in you noises. How Sweet!…Crap now I have to do it.

What choice did he leave me but to go through with the research. Who IS this guy? 

So I spent most of Friday’s freetime and all the weekend looking into it and just like my body snatched husband predicted there is a way for a small potatoes girl like me to avoid coding a big online store program, making modifications, buying more webspace and spending the rest of my life learning the programs needed to fill it up.  One online solution was very similar to Paypal in that only a small fee is placed when you sell something. There were online solutions everywhere. I didn’t even bother to get out of my PJs all weekend! LOL! I kinda smelled. Like gym clothes baking bread,  but I started out fresh this morning with a nice hot shower so no worries this post is clean! LOL!

I was most impressed. I might actually simplify my life a little with online solutions! 

Gimme a WHOO and then a HOO!

More on this tomorrow its a work in progress.  I am going to try a few of these places out. Stay tuned. 

Happy Monday, Friends and Neighbors!

Oh, don’t forget about the Second Chance Giveaway. There is also a button at the top of the blog for happy convenience.

Hugs for Yous!! 

Oh, and Thanks Jack or whoever you are!  *guffaw*

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Edited: February 8th, 2010

Thrift Store Finds

I was looking back on some old freebies and found this…

http://www.4shared.com/file/116626817/6c7a9b0c/jodiann_thriftstorefinds_July_.html

… since I am taking a load of stuff to the Goodwill (thrift store) this week can’t help but think if any of it will be useful to anyone. I know there are tons of moms out there who will snap up all the levis jeans my boys have outgrown, but the other stuff…meh, not sure. I am just glad to be free of it if that is all that happens, good enough! WEeeeee!!

I also wondered if there might be a person or two who has never known the joy of sifting through other people’s used stuff to find new stuff of their own. ie: Thrift Store Shopping. My Parents are the Royal Couple of Thrifting. When they are not traveling here and there like carefree nomads they volunteer at a Charity Thrift Store in Phoenix, Society of  St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Stores. Now they get to see it from the other side and boy do they have stories to tell!

I grew up surrounded by their shopping skills and how great it was to see how little one could spend instead of how much. We would walk out of a store with name brand clothes for only the change in my mother’s purse. Nowadays, its not that cheap, but its still a great way to find stuff for less.

So I have some tips I picked up over the years.

~Be prepared. Tape Measure, slip off shoes, and wear a leotard or one piece under your clothes if you plan on trying anything on. Its quick for on and offs in the dressing room or anywhere you are. LOL!

~ Know your china pattern, silver pattern, maker of your sofa. The size shoes your neighbor’s kids are in…etc.  I wrote, my kids shirt, pant and shoe sizes on a index card and kept it in my purse when the kids were growing up, but now they stay in a size a lot longer so I can remember them without the cheat sheet. I think I get more sleep now too!

~Shop on Tuesday’s after 12 noon. This is usually the day the new goods arrive.

~Remember. Dry Cleaners use thrift stores to drop off unclaimed clothes. More men forget their clothes than women. So if you want to pick up some big name hand-me downs for the man in your life. Know his waist and inseam size.

~Not everything will be where its suppose to be so if you are looking for a nice men’s pant, don’t forget it might be in women’s pants by mistake. I often find my son’s “cool” jeans in the girls section because any jeans with special details might end up there.

~ The best brands to look for?  In addition to your favorite brands, Target had a store brand “On Trend” if I remember the name correctly, they wore like iron. I bought those anytime I found them when my kids were little ones, even if it wasn’t their size yet. Tough, basic clothes that my boys outgrew but never wore out. Lands End clothes never disappoint. You can also return them to Land’s End for a replacement if they fall apart even if you bought them used. They won’t fall apart, but its good to know. 

~ A good rule to follow is if it looks wrinkled, stretched out, or the faded on the hanger its going to look that way on you. Unless you have a steady relationship with your ironing board skip stuff that is wrinkled on the hangar.

~ The old sewing trick my mother taught me is if you want to know if a mystery fabric has any cotton in it, grab a handful, ball it up in your fist and hold it tight for about 10 seconds. Release.

• Stiff wrinkles – mostly or all natural fibers.
• Falls but stays wrinkled – more than 50% natural fibers.
• Falls quickly with slight creases – 50% natural/50% man-made fibers.
• No wrinkles-  ALL man-made fibers. 

This trick works best if your not a iron lover and you want to know if you can keep being one and not look like you slept in your clothes. Great for just about any natural fabric cotton, silk etc. The more natural it is the more it will wrinkle.

~ Don’t forget to zip the zippers, button the buttons so you know they work  and check the crotch and shoulder seams where there might be blow outs and the seat, knees and elbows if they are threadbare. Sometimes we try on a coat and don’t do it up only to get it home and find you can’t! Bummer.

You might still buy it if you know about the problems if the price is low enough.

Even if you sew, you might not want to replace a zipper, a dry cleaner will charge about 10 dollars to do it, or hem your pants for about the same price. Sometimes its worth paying for. I bought 2 pair of lined suede pants years ago with blown zippers, they were easily worth $200 each. I paid $10 for both and spent $20 for someone else to put in the zippers. I love to sew, but replace a zipper in lined pants of suede, no thank you!

Scrappers have a special love affair with Thrift Stores, its where you can buy an old prom dress or wedding dress for $5 bucks and rip it up. Using the beads, lace, ribbons, bows, covered buttons etc. in a ton of projects and that is before you get at the fabric with all its many uses.  then there is the costume jewelry, and the old books to inspire us.

I enjoy silk ribbon embroidery its really lovely on black velvet or moiré satin, but its pricey to buy those fabrics new and its not the heavy weight I like.  I bought a child’s winter dress with a long skirt of deep green moiré and a bodice of black velvet, had it dry cleaned, cut down all the seams lining and all with the piece all flattened out I could lay tissues between the layers, roll the bundle up and store in a pillow case ( cat hair avoider) and I was ready to go for about $7 dollars total. I think I still have bits of that I haven’t used yet.  

Anyway, anyone got some great thrift stories to tell? 

Happy Monday! 

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Edited: January 25th, 2010

Happy Autumn! Happy Spring!

Many of us are transitioning to a new season today! Here is it officially autumn, but the weather is warm. Love this time of year a yummy 70 to 80 degrees for a week or so! LOL! We often joke we get 15 minutes of Autumn and 15 minutes of Spring.  Oh! There it went! *guffaw* That was our 15 minutes!

Anywhoo! I am tickled Pink today is a transitional day, it fits so well with what is going on in my world. I feel I am ready to sell what I make as well as give freebies, so… 

I have a store! …COol huh?

I have been accepted by Digi Scrap Obsession. My favorite store for buying is now where I have a designer’s spot!! Well, not exactly… I have a spot, but I am not in the designer list and my picture isn’t up on the designer wall just yet, but that all is on the way.  I DO have my first item in the store and that is enough for me to start blabbing about it! Whoo HOO! 

Since you all have been with me from the beginning I wanted to tell you WAY ahead of the the Grand Opening.  Your love and support of my freebies and this blog has been overwhelming and it is your doing I have come this far. Thank you from the tips of my toes to the top of my head!

You are the best friends a girl could have!! * hand to heart*

Because I am finding me feet with the designing for the store and because Digi Scrap Obsession aka DSO  has a rigorous Quality Check before each product is allowed into the store I will be up to my eyeballs in that stuff for a while.  You know me, I will get here with freebies, just not as many. I have one ready for you, but its not packaged up for download. 

I am starting my store fill up with a Photoshop Style. They are my absolute favorite thing about Photoshop. Not to worry PSP users. I do PSP too. I will come up with some snazzy goodies just for you too! Promise!

Here is my first for sale goodie!

photo link enabled

Clear Cover Styles  $4.50   $2.95

PS7, PSCS, PSCS2, PSCS3, PSCS4 and PSE compatible.

8 Photoshop Style in .ASL format 
1 Text Document with Quick Tips for best use.

Commercial Use Okay. Which means, if you use these style to design for others in the form of Scrap For Hire, Scrap For Others, give away  freebies an/or for pay its fine by me. A list of detailed guidelines included in the download.

Here is a quick overview of commercial use terms…

Two Tips…

What works best with these styles is to put a whole lot of detail and layers under them to really make the most color come blasting out! I like to add them last after I have built a dramatic element or page and watch what happens! 

 If you find the style is not see through, duplicate the layer you want to see and apply the style to the top layer. Bam! Out pops the details! Whoo HOO!

Happy Transition Day!

xoxoxo

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Edited: September 22nd, 2009