Barilla VS Banza Pasta

Barilla $2.50 VS Banza .99

With all the bad press about what is going into our food, I'm always sad when I brand I like is on the hit list. Barilla gluten free pasta has been my go to for years. They never have gotten good reviews from the food and health experts even before I knew about the two added chemicals. Not sure what the extra ingredients/chemicals do but I guess it's bad. 

Gluten free products have gotten a whole lot better from when I first started out. Back in the day, most were not edible at all. When I was up in Incline Village this summer there aren't many places to shop. I would normally not even look at the Banza brand because in the early days anything made with chickpeas were terrible. I really had no choice because that's all the store had at a price point I was willing to pay. Being a vacation town everything is very pricey. All the "experts" said to go with Banza, but in my mind, have they really try it? Did they just looked at the list of ingredients? I decided since I didn't really have any other choice, I picked up a box. It's was actually was pretty good if used with a good sauce. It's basically tasteless (just rice flour and chickpeas) but it holds together well. I'm slowly using up my stash of Barilla and stocking my pantry with Banza. I could make my own pasta (I've done it before) but I like having a stocked pantry.  

Newsletter Deadline - Final Four

The final four for my up coming class at FabMo in October. The Christmas tree took a little longer because I can't find my vellum paper. The news letter deadline is today, so I just had to take the photo. It wasn't because I was procrastinating. I was only given less than a week to make the samples. My classes are different than the other teachers. There are a lot of different projects, doing various techniques. Since I'm using what I have in my stash, I have to make sure I have enough for ten people. I'm basically kitting while I'm designing which adds a lot of time. Plus FabMo would like that I use what you can find at FabMo. I'm still in search for my vellum!

FabMo Class - October 25, 2026

Samples of the projects I'll be teaching next month for FabMo. There will be another card but I have to make sure I have enough vellum for ten people. These are old school techniques and using what I have. 

I like the Hedi Kyle pocket book because it uses a 12X12 scrapbooking paper, which most of us have. It's pretty simple once you've done it a few dozen times. :) 

I watched another card maker do color smooshing and thought that would be fun for the class. I like making a mess and everyone's combo will be different. I think people in my class will have fun with it. 

 

Hedi Kyle Pocket Book Fold

I've been asked to do a  card making workshop at FabMo in October. One major roadblock is that I'm insisting on only charging $20 -$30, which all goes to FabMo bank account. It's my volunteer service to them and I really think they need workshops that are affordable. Not saying the other workshops aren't worth what the other teachers get paid but I'm not doing it for the money. There is a wait list of people waiting for me to do another class, which is nice. I think because my class are very low key and fun. Time spent with other crafters and not break the bank. Now days, it's cheaper than a hamburger!

I found this Hedi Kyle pocket book pattern  online and thought that would be perfect for the class. Something a little different using what you can find at FabMo. Took me several tries to get it right. I watched Hedi's videos but there are a few steps that weren't very clear. I finally had to research if anyone else has done a how to video that was better at explaining her pattern my brain could follow. I did order her book from the library to see what else she has done. Look interesting!

Homemade Kettle Corn

I like kettle corn but at the farmer's market it's now over $10 for a small baggie. I remember the days when a huge bag was only $10 and that would last me at least a few days. It's always been in the back of mind to make it at home. 

I really like tender white popcorn, which I have a lot of. Use to make popcorn all the time so have a ton of it around. It's not the brand that they suggest you use but I went for it anyways. Overall it went well if you don't count all the very hot kernels flying out of the pan. You have to let the steam out so the lid has to be kept open a little bit. Even with that small gap they shot out like rockets! On top of having to keep shaking the pan while dodging the kennels was a challenge! The one thing I didn't expect was the fried oil smell. So if I where to do this again, I would use the side burner on my outdoor grill. 

 

Life of a Reseller - labels

I really like my portable label printer, which has been a game changer for me. One of the things I hate most in reselling is having to tag everything. It takes a long time to do besides being very boring. Buying the replacement labels isn't easy either. I hate it so much that I did a bulk buy this time around. Hopefully I don't have to order more for a few years. I now have over 6,500 labels. I haven't ever kept track of how many I use, but I hope this batch will last me a few years!
 

Getting Organized Again

This past week, I decided I would like more flat work space. When I moved in I kept the big sectional sofa that was already here because Posey (the big chocolate lab) was use to napping on the sofa. Now that I've been here for awhile, she comes in to visit but doesn't use the sofa anymore. I made space out in the garage last week to move the biggest section of the sofa out there to store. I can't get rid of it as it's not mine and Matt doesn't throw anything away. So now my place looks like a bomb went off. In moving the sofa I also decided to reorganize all my crafting supplies and all the tubs filled with stuff I didn't want to deal with. Finding all these parts to cards I made years ago, I decided to finish some of them. Moving boxes and furniture all day, my back tells me when I need to stop and do something fun. The cards aren't big sellers but at least my card rack looks full. :) 
 

Chop Wizard - country style hash browns

I've had this Chop Wizard for awhile now. It isn't something I really need in my kitchen. It does work but you really have to slam the top down to cut anything. Since it's marketed for people who can't use a knife, I wonder how they would have enough strength to push the top down. Yes, it's a gadget but it does make quick work when making country hash browns. You still have to cut the potatoes with a knife to get them to fit into the wizard. It a lot of fun slamming the top down! I think at some point it will break but for now it's a kitchen toy I like! 

I've looked in adding a induction cook top to my place but I would have to upgrade the electrical. Wasn't worth the cost just to get an extra burner.  Then I found out after using the portable one I got for the the beach house, not all of my All Clad pans will work! Couldn't understand why I kept getting an error message with some of my pans, so I looked it up. Got the magnets out and sure enough my newer pans won't work. It was a WTF moment! At least the mystery is solved. 

 

Decorating on a budget of 0

Slowing getting my son's place looking like a place I would feel comfortable visiting. Between work and golfing, he's not home much. Spending any money or time decorating just isn't high on his list. 

The picture is a vintage mirror/photograph I found at a Goodwill a few years ago in Reno. It was tucked away in the very back corner of the store for only $20.00. I've never seen another one like it, so I'm guessing it was custom made. The side board was something we added this year. He needs more storage as his kitchen is very small. Picked it up on Facebook Market place for free. The round table came from a friend who was updating her kitchen table. Trust me, it's 100% better than it was. 

Lobster Purse ?

I've been sort of following this whole TJ Max beaded bag trend. It spilled over from all the online content about what's at TJ Max and HomeGoods for Halloween. I'm trying to figure out do these creators really buy this bags or just post finding them. Is anyone actually buying them to use as a purse?

Saw this lobster purse and thought it's cute but not cute enough for me to drop $40+! You can't get anything inside it other than a chapstick! With cell phones and watches, do woman really need to carry a purse anymore? I'm I showing my age in thinking a purse should be some what  useful and not only decoration? 

 

Vintage map and Aki's pink guava cake

I'm always surprised what type of art my son likes. At the last estate sale I did, this map was there. I sent him a picture and to my surprise he said yes. It's a good thing I have a big car because it barely fit. I'm driving it up in the morning after I pick his favorite cake the famous Aki's pink guava. We plan his birthday celebration around when I can get the cakes. :) 

Experience VS Google

 

The prep for this week's estate sale went pretty fast. The family didn't leave a lot in the house. It's not really enough items to make it  worth doing a sale. Estate companies make money on what is sold, so there has to be enough there for people to buy.  They had already filled a dumpster and a storage unit.  Plus they had already donate away a lot of little stuff. 

The furniture that was left was really nice but the resell value for dark wood is limited. All the original artwork was also very nice but I could tell they went with a color palette that matched the furniture. Still very impressive but limited market for oversized artwork. The flat file cabinet in the garage is super cool and I hope it finds a new home. If I had the space for it, I would dragged it home! 

Side story. The gold and silver guys stopped by to check out the silver. They check it out and confirm what it is and then make an offer, 75% of spot.  If it can't be sold at the sale for more, she will sell it to them. I really don't like that she's using the guys to test the silver and get a baseline of the value but then not selling it to them. OK rant over. 

One of the guys saw what he thought was dutch silver (didn't know that was a thing) on MaxSold. Since you can't actually see it in person it's a risk. The sellers listed it as silver plate because they also didn't know what that mark meant. He took a chance got it for $32. It was what he thought it was. Scrap value was over $800!  Really wish I had a picture but it's already been processed. Experience (not Google) knowing what your looking at does make a difference!