Summer Tofu Salad

While I was at the Japanese grocery store, I picked up some tofu. Being a city with a large Asian population, you have a huge variety to choose from. Having that many choices, it takes awhile to decide. :) Nice to have choices, just wish women's rights were the same way. 

Tofu like eggplant, it's all about the toppings. I always get a big root of ginger when I'm at the Asian markets. You can never have too much of fresh ginger in the house! For some reason I can't remember why I have several tins of smoked eel. I'm sure I was making something Japanese with it. The only thing I forgot to get was some green onion.

 A little sesame seed oil, furikaki (Japanese sprinkles), smoked eel, soy sauce, grated ginger and cucumber. A very refreshing summer meal. 

 

Make some family favorites.

Had fun working in my brother's garden today even with the giant bumble bee buzzing around my head. Green beans were a favorite of my dad especially the way our mom cooked them. None of us have been able to make the bean dish the way she did. Not sure if our flavor memory is out of whack as it's a very easy basic recipe. Our mom didn't follow written recipes so we can only guess on the seasonings. 

I made a cucumber salad, which I haven't had in a long time. It's something we have at our family gatherings. I only know the seasoned noodles by the packaging. It took me 4X times around the store to find it. It use to be in a tube and easy to see. I almost gave up but when I went back for some tofu I saw the dragons. Much smaller than it use to be but with the cost of everything now, it's no surprise. 

It was very noticeable there were no Hispanic male workers normally at the store. I asked about it when I was checking out. With the raids happening in the area I was concerned. The cashier said so far nothing at the store but she's on edge. Scary times! 

California 1960's Cat Plate

I occasionally get to talk to people who buy things from my booth at Cottage Crafts. They tell me I always have interesting stuff. Even if they don't buy anything, they come in to see what's new. :) 

With all that is going on I'm not sure how many people will still be able to shop for random non essentials. So that means I'm being a whole lot more careful what I source for my booth. 

This is a vintage California made plate from the 60's. I've been leaning more toward things made in California lately. I'm also planning a complete booth make over. Just trying to psych myself up to get it done. :) 

Halloween Cards 2025

I know Halloween cards aren't big sellers but I still had a lot of fun making the pumpkin and candy corn. 

Getting my card rack at Cottage Craft stocked up so I can donate the profits to the International Children's Art Foundation. With all the funding being canceled it's time to step up. 

Domestic Diva Day

Don't ask me why I saved this faux antler from the bins but I did. Still not sure what I will do with it but for now it will visit with my basil plant. 

Sunday is my domestic diva day and I try really hard not to go anywhere. I tackle the many cleaning projects I ignore during the week. I would also like to do my laundry but Matt is home so it has to wait until Monday.

One of the time sensitive projects was shipping a big box to Michigan. The boys arrive next week to visit an auntie, so a supply of Trader Joe's Ube pancake mix was requested.  With the postal rates going up by 51% I had to bite the bullet and learn to use Pirate Ship. It's not that it's hard to use but you have to be able to print the label. I don't own a printer anymore so that's the challenge. Shipping from the post office would have costed $48.00 vs $16.00 on pirate ship. The savings was worth me finding someone who still uses a printer.  Thank you Bron for saving the day! I'm going to have to check and see if my Rollo shipping label printer is still in the ZZ booth at Cottage Crafts. May have to bring it back home for the few times I want to send something. Going to the post office isn't an option anymore. 

Beaded Flower Basket Project

Just one more full day of dog sitting which means one more day of beading. I finally tackled the one design that gave me the most trouble. Daisies aren't' hard to make if you're not using wire. Yes, I made it harder on myself.  The basket is super easy and fast but it was the flower part that made me put this design on hold. I guess I could have switched to thread but not having any here with me I plowed along with wire. I don't even remember how many movies I had playing in the background while making these. I did use up all my brown beads which I take as a win. The next step is turning them into cards. 
 

Pumpkin and Candy Corn Seed Bead design

This pumpkin design took hours to get right. Not because the it's hard, but finding the right beads in my stash that were the right size. The newer size 11 beads are smaller than my vintage ones. Not sure but I'm guessing my newer ones are lower in quality as I'm finding more beads with very narrow holes. I had to change the original pattern several times so it didn't look like an orange skull. Lots of trail and error. It's funny as I know my halloween cards aren't a big seller so spending this much time on them seems silly. 

The candy corns are easy to make. Now I just have to find a sentiment that fits. Wondering if I should mail out Halloween cards instead of Christmas  cards.  I read that the mail rate is going up 51% this month. That's just crazy!

Do you mail out Halloween or holiday cards? 

Pet sitting projects - beading

When I'm pet sitting I bring along craft projects to past the time.  Most of the owners prefer that I spend as much time with their pets as possible. Many times I pack up projects but for some reason never get any of them done. It not like I'm watching TV the whole time even if I could figure all the remotes.

This week's babysitting project is making beaded charms. I still have my ladybug and cupcake kit out from my last class at FabMo, don't judge. 

It's going well and I'm actually getting things done! I even branched out and trying some new patterns. Thought this goldfish in a bag was funny. It's Obon season (Japanese festival) and every kid comes home with a gold fish. I also have the Amuse stamp (remember that company?) that says "best fishes". I thought that would make a fun card.   The sea otter pattern has been on my list for a long time. The light bulb went on when I realized I could add a little shell from my vast shell collection. Not sure what sentiment I will use but at some point it will come to me. :) 

 

Overall Jean Bag

Always interested in checking out bags made out of jeans. Another volunteer at the store had this huge tote bag which if I had to guess was made from overalls. I was surprised the maker didn't use the jean pockets on the bag.  

I've been learning about the different grades of jean material. I know that's the really random thing to learn about. Most of the fashion jeans made now can't be recycled. The spandex stretchy stuff added makes it unusable for even rags. We always get requests for 100% cotton jeans that are headed to rag bin. We rarely get any of those in but when we do, they're still sellable. Faded or worn spots are no big deal. 

Chocolate mousse tarts

This was the treats that Michael brought in on Saturday.  It's a chocolate mousse tart with whip cream. It was good but her brownies are still my favorite. Still I did bring a few home. :)

Dog sitting now and that means a new schedule to follow. I'm still trying to get home in the morning in time to take Posey for her morning run. I've found it's easier for me to go home everyday to shower and make my breakfast. Less things to have to pack up and move. I also have to water my plants, many that were rescued from the store bins. People donate pots with almost dead plants still in them. Not healthy enough to sell and we can't water them. So my household garden nursery looks a little sad right now. Hopefully by the end of the year I'll have a house full of happy plants. 

 

Aki's Pink Guava Cake Back In Town!

I finally found the link to the REAL Aki's pink guava cake!  I knew they did a pop up but I wasn't sure where or when. This is site (sorry can't link it)  Sue's Bites and Delights, if your interested. 

I know when they sold the bakery years ago the recipe was part of the sale. It was their biggest seller. I would also guess there was a non compete clause too. The people that took over the bakery didn't follow the recipe at all and of course lost all those loyal customers.  Another big guess is the non compete clause has now expired. The grandson is making the cakes again, but only once a month.  It's sort of a pop up style business but you do have to pre order / pre pay for your cake 8" cake is $65.00. I'm guessing here again but I think his mom went into the wedding cake business at some point in Santa Clara and that is where he's baking everything. 

One of the volunteer at the store is a great baker. Michael (yes that's her name) brings in some amazing stuff. I told her about the Aki's guava cake and she had only heard about it many years ago. Someone brought one in to work for one of the doctors. That person got really upset when one of the nurses took a slice (just one slice) to share with her department. I'm thrilled I can finally take the real cake into for her to try.  

I'm planning on visiting my son for his birthday next month but the pop up doesn't happen the week of his birthday. He said it was worth celebrating his birthday whenever the cake was available. :) Now fingers crossed it makes it up there in one piece. 

Morning Schedule

I don't know if all dogs do this but Annie always sat just outside our front door. Posey started chilling by the door after our morning run. 

She runs, I walk :) 

Now that I know when the sprinklers go on and the big field gets mowed, Posey and I have a nice morning routine. She waits for me to finish my coffee but the minute I start to get dressed, the barking will start.  

Early in the morning there aren't many dogs on the field. Posey would love to play but jumping up and down wouldn't be good for her back. Her legs are getting stronger so she's not slipping anymore when she runs but I still don't take any changes. To help with her weight I now give her carrots for a snack. It's not her favorite but being a true lab, will eat anything. 

 

Busy Month July 2025

I'm currently cat sitting and after this week head over to dog sit. Busy month for pet sitting! I don't cook much in other people's homes because I don't know where everything is. Plus trying to keep a stove that is never used clean is more work than I want to do. I either meal prep at my place or pick something at Trader Joe's. 

When I was at TJ there was a sign about something being recalled for listeria contamination. I asked the very young cashier how are they getting this information when the felon did away with this department? She said it wasn't a very popular product but she really didn't know. I didn't really expect her to know the answer but hoping it will get her to thinking about our country's food safety or at least where our food is coming from. 

Another display idea

I'm a night owl so my most creative time is late at night. My eyes tell me that's all good and well but they're tired and want to go to bed. 

I picked up this vintage bed tray because it spoke to me. Not that I needed it for anything specific at the time. As I was searching for interesting push pins for my jewelry board I came across magnet push pins. Hmmmm, I thought that would be interesting to use magnets instead of real pins. Went down the creative rabbit hole late last night. Thinking maybe using the tray as a display board would add that little touch of whimsy. I could do a theme of the vintage pins and earrings from the same era. Magnet push pins are pricey so I had to dig out all the magnets I have in my craft stash. Yes, I have lot for some reason.  Now I have to decide if I should dress up the magnet and how. 

Jewelry Display Done

I really like how my new jewelry display is turning out. I like it so much that I'm going to make a second one. Now I just have to decide if I should try and match the  color or go with something different. Since it's just costume jewelry, I think going with a funky color would be fun. The frame I have (dumpster find) is a custom size (13X15) so I will have to cut everything down to size. It's been fun to try and do the boards in theme, like doing a puzzle. 

 Selling jewelry isn't a big money maker even with having some nice sterling silver pieces. All the really junkie pieces are being stuff into jars and sold off, which helps reduce the bulk of my inventory. 

Revamping yet again - jewelry

I pulled all my jewelry out of Cottage Crafts this week to revamp how it's displayed or even if I should keep selling it. I use to get junk lots of jewelry at random times but not so much anymore.  It's not be big money maker and some of the pieces have been around for years. It's time to unload the dudes. Part of my plan is to fill jars just to get rid of the junky stuff. I was surprised on how much you can get in a jar!

I dumpster dived for this frame (the color caught my eye) and thought it would make a good back drop for the better or more interesting pieces. I may do it by theme, switching out once a month. The board is still a work in progress but I'm leaning toward doing it by theme.  What do you think?

Dumpster Diving

I go dumpster diving every week now. It's not the gross dirty ones behind stores but the Hope bins we have at the store. When other departments think something isn't worth selling or it's been on the shelf for too long, it will go into the bins. Really what I'm doing is getting things into boxes or trash bags as Hope requires. It makes it easier for the driver who picks up every week to load the truck. I also remove the things Hope won't take. Because of this, I see what's been tossed.  I find "good stuff" all the time. Most of the time items were priced too high and the volunteer in charge didn't want to change the price. Sometimes they don't know what they have and tossed it. This victorian vanity mirror was one of those things. Yes, the mirror isn't in perfect condition but it's interesting enough to resell. One of the unspoken rules when we dumpster dive is not to pull something out and tell that department we should try and sell it. There was a reason it got put into the bins. We get so many sets of fancy china (3 to 4 a week), we can't sell them fast enough. Everyone thinks they can be sold for top dollar but it's very rare for someone to buy a whole set. 

Being a crafty person when I saw the round tin with a clip in the bins, I knew it was an accessory to hold water for an artist palette. I was also surprised when I finally got the other tin open, it's a mini painting palette! I think it was originally designed to be an ash tray (Temu) but some company converted it to a traveling palette. Just another thing to add to my crafty "someday" collection. Maybe now I'll take the trip to the beach and paint. :) 

Mini fundraiser to support the arts - ICAF

On Tuesday I decided to do a domestic diva day. With all the craziness going around the country, I just needed a mental health day to focus on something positive and peaceful. 

Now that all my crafting supplies are in one place and free from storage boxes, it's been a whole lot more fun to play. I have several card kits from year's past classes that I can work on. Not sure what I will do with all the cards once they're done as they are rather alter art-ish. 

When I did the iris folding kimono classes I always ended up with the cut out part. Not wanting to throw them away, I just stocked piled them. I'm slowly turning them into card fronts.

 I'm thinking maybe I'll do a mini fundraiser for the  International Child Art Foundation (ICAF) fund which thanks to the felon in the White House lost their funding. I'll donated 100% of the sales to ICAF. 

Sandy Allnock (YouTube I follow) ask for us to make bookmarks but my style of art isn't what I think kids would like. I did give it a good try but my samples didn't look like something a 10 year old would like. 

International Child Art Foundation Challenge.

Sandy Allnock (one of my favorite YouTube artist) did a call out for people to make bookmarks. With the federal cuts in supporting the arts, one of the program is International Child Art Foundation (ICAF) Her challenge for us adults is to make bookmarks that will be handed out to the children attending one of the events. You would think with all the stamps I have I would be able to find something a 10 year old would like. Well, I found out I really don't. Sandy asked that some artistic effort go into making the bookmarks, nothing mass produced and to use our good stuff. I decided to make a collage of washi paper scraps and add an image on top. Haven't decided on the image but it will be Japanese. It's not really child-ish but I think reflect my artistic side. 
 

Learning new things

Isn't this cool? Vintage Mexican silver brooch with a hand painted bird image inside. When I first saw it, I thought maybe it was made with feathers but when I scoped it, it's just painted. I would also guess the bird was painted in brighter colors but has faded. I'm not a jewelry person but I think hanging out with the jewelry ladies at the store, I'm beginning so appreciate it a little more. It's always fun to learn about new things and discuss the more unusual pieces that come in.

I see this as a miniature painting and I don't think I will ever wear it as a brooch. 

Alton Brown's Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Alton Brown's Recipe

I'm really turning into a very cranky old woman. With all the things happening in our country I just can't sit by and not voice my opinion. When I talk to people I've known for years who thinks that the felon in the White House is doing a good job or that it's all Biden fault because he's ill now, I just lose it. 

 I'm boycotting stores the roll back their support for DEI. I'm thankful that Costco isn't one of them. I was at Costco on Thursday morning which is usually a very quiet time. It was packed like it was a Saturday. I was happy by doing the right thing, people are supporting the store. I've had a Costco pork tenderloin in the freezer for a while now. Not having an oven, wasn't sure when I would be able to cook it. Then I realized my BBQ is all set up and easy to get to. Problem solved! Alton Brown's BBQ recipe is my go to. 

I've been at my new place for a few months now but I'm still organizing things. I've learned over the years to live in the space for a while and slowly make changes on the layout over time. 

Added a cutie to my kitchen collection

Added this cute vintage cookie jar to my collection. Really it's more a vase to hold your kitchen utensils but it's listed as a cookie jar. It wasn't easy to find the sold comps for some reason. Since I couldn't price it myself, I had to show where I got the sold price from. Found $49 plus shipping on eBay. It's not that it's super rare, it's just confirming a sale that was hard. 

Thought it was funny and different. At some point I will sell it off but for now it's display on top of my hutch. Paid $24 which is higher than I would normal pay but I went for it. 
 

Doing a little recon work

MacBeth Depression Glass $2.50

It'a been years since I've shopped at the Home Consignment store. Thought I would stop in and see what they had. The store was so packed with furniture you couldn't even get to most of it. Not sure how they pass a fire inspection. Back in the day it was a good mix of used furniture, from different people. Now most of it is new stuff and it all looks the same. The prices were way over the top IMO but I've not shopped for furniture in a long time.

Since I was out I thought I would check out a Goodwill store I haven't been to in over a year. Every Tuesday is senior discount day and the Willow Glen store was close by. I think GW has lowered their prices. The shelves were a little empty and they didn't have much I was interested in. I did pick a few things (all under $2.50) but nothing super special.

Pyrex - Avocado Green $2.50

Up cycled insulators

It's been an interesting auction week. One item that I was following to see if it would stay in my price range was removed from the auction site. It was an asian-ish style console table. It wasn't getting any bids but I know the heavy hitters would come in at the last minute. I can only guess the seller got nervous it wasn't going to sell for what they think it's worth.  

On Maxsold I did bid on this insulators because I thought they would make interesting plant stands. Back in the day you could get $30 for them, now they're worth nothing. I got these three for just $1. There were more in the auction but I wasn't going to pay any more. I didn't know if they would be level enough for my plants for wasn't going risk it.   If you google them, the prices are very high but around here they're worth nothing. It wasn't really worth me making the short drive over to the warehouse but it's worth chatting and gossiping with the other resellers.  I found out one of the estate liquidator is retiring so whatever she has in storage will be coming up for auction. Overall most resellers are friendly and happy to share information, even if we're bidding on the same things. 

When art speaks to you

Today at the store the gate was left opened. Some repairs were being made so had workers running around outside. A few  donations were dropped off because of that. Since I was there to process anyways, I took the donations. One was from an estate and it was packaged with what I can only guess was stuffing from several pillows. It was a hot mess and filled two garbage bags. There was a lot to process so I didn't really look at the Santa too closely but knew it was a reproduction. It just spoke to me. Wasn't until I got home did I realize that this was a Paul Bollinger Santa! I have several of his originals before he started to mass produce his work. I even had some of the factory samples before they went into production. Would I love to have the original, yes I would but I'm sure it's now out of my price range. Still this was a great find!

When Google or AI doesn't work

Doesn't look big but it is. 

It was interesting today at the store when another volunteer who is very dependent on looking up everything on her phone. She forgot it at home but couldn't go home to get it as she lives up in the hills. The highway (only way to get to her house) was basically closed for maintenance. She had hours to kill but really without her phone couldn't do much. I had always cautioned getting too dependent on using AI or eBay to look up things. You have to be able to sort out the trashy stuff from the good stuff without looking everything up. Yes some things need extra time to get the comps but for the amount of donations the store gets you just have to make the call without your using your phone. 

This leaf sculpture came in (guessing the art department) and it's not something you can easily find online. It was priced at $20 because I'm guessing they couldn't find it online. Because I do auctions, when these  sculptures come up, they sell for $150+. Those are actually sold comps in the real world. I used my store voucher so only paid $10.00. Now I have to decided do I keep for a while or flip it quickly. 

Overcast Mornings are the Best

I love it when it's overcast in the morning. Makes me think I'm down at the beach house. :)  I know at some point the sun will come out so never worry about seasonal depression. Just like I know no matter how hot it gets, once the sun goes down it will cool off. 

The yard gets a lot of bird active which is also very nice. I'm setting up a little bird feeder. Nothing fancy as I don't want to attract any rodents. I was going to set it up for my crows but they haven't been around lately. I would but out the dried worms in hopes they find it but worried about the squirrels finding it first. 

I'm babysitting Posey this week and she really likes her new schedule. 

4:30 Breakfast 

Nap time

7:30 Cardio work at the park for 15 minutes

Nap time

11:30 Dog walker

Nap time

4:00 dinner

6:00 Sniff walk unless no other dogs are at the park.

8:30 Bedtime. 

 

All comfy on the sofa

This is Posey, the resident chocolate lab at my new place. This is her sofa and yes it smells like dog all the time. I made the choice to keep her sofa in my place because it would be the most comfortable for her. Plus my sofa was white which wouldn't work with a dog around. She had major back surgery last year, which most dogs if they survive, aren't able to walk afterwards. It's been a slow process to get her muscles tone back. We joke on getting back her big butt. I take her a very short walks to help strength her back legs and sniff around. In her mind she's still an active 2 year old and wants to run like a crazy dog. If she gets too much exercise she's very sore the next day. On her last vet visit she hasn't lost any weight but her back legs are much stronger and she looks leaner so we take that as a win. 
 

Scrapbook Time

This cute little scrapbook came into the store and it inspired me to fill it for the boys.  Their visits here will be limited now that they started school. Living in Holland they will continue to travel around Europe during the school breaks which is much easier for them.  I can't decided which Carmel photo to use. The blue beach one matches the Hawaii one which I thought was fun but I really like the seagull one too. Which would you pick?

Update: As cute as this book is, it wasn't meant to hold a lot of photos. In the back of my mind I didn't think I could fill it all with photos. Didn't even get a third of the pages (temporarily) done and the book won't close. Back to the old school scrapbooking albums. 

 

Blah Buster

When you wake up feeling "blah" and doubt even a nice warm mug of coffee will perk you up. Then you hear the little knock on your door. 

Posey is an early raiser (like 4:00 am early) much like my Annie. Guess it's a big dog thing. Anyways, she's not let out to the back yard until around 6:00 am. If I'm up she's knocks on the door. She's learned I don't answer if she barks. I get a morning hug and then a request for a treat before she goes back to sleep. She has a bed in my place for this reason. :) 

This afternoon, Posey got in trouble for chewing up a cardboard poster tube. The first thing she did was bolt out the back door and come running into my place with Matt right behind her. We both laughed at Posey thinking coming to me would get her out of trouble. Before her back surgery she was a very active dog. We have to be careful now to not over due her exercise until her back legs get back all the muscle massive she lost. She also over weight, again from the surgery preventing her from getting any exercise for months. Knowing excessive chewing up things is a sign of way too much energy, I took her for a short walk. There's a lovely grassy park around the corner and during the week very few people or dogs there. I'm also working on her recall, so she will come to me when I call. I have to be 100% sure she will come to me before letting off her leash around other dogs. It's mainly to make sure she doesn't damaged her back again rough housing with other dogs. She does have a dog walker coming 3 times a week but sometimes she just needs a little more sniffing time. 

Working Through My Stash

 Since I had all my beads and card making stuff still out, I made this card. Last year while down at the Carmel house, I worked on some new ideas. This basket with daisies was one of them. I just remember it wasn't easy, not sure why but that's the memory I have. Decided it was silly to keep the basket in my stash since I'm not ever going to teach this one. Off to my card rack at Cottage Crafts. 

Tomatoes of 2025

My Ace hardware tomato plant. Much healthier than the little seedlings that were donated to the thrift store. I think it's a yellow cherry tomato variety but not 100% sure. It was the only one left and very root bound. 

Update: With all the super hot weather and me forgetting to water for just one day, my little thrift store seedlings didn't make. They never looked like they were getting any bigger so I wasn't surprised at all. 

Gardening in full swing!

The backyard has been neglected for years. It once had a nice lawn area but now just weeds and compact dirt. I was going to pull all the weeds by hand but that is just a back breaking task. Something had to be done with all weeds as picking up after Posey is an Easter egg hunt everyday. Not a fun surprise anyone.

I decided why not try and use the push mower stored in the back.  Even with the dull blades it turned out pretty good. I may keep the weeds trimmed short so there's some sort of green ground covering to keep the dust down and  see be able to see Posey's business. There are future plans to redo the backyard but I don't see that happening any time soon.

It was a day of a lot of errands before it got too hot.  One of them was to return some things to Ace Hardware. I'm way past the 30 day return policy by several months so really didn't have any hopes of getting a credit. The first one I went was nice to explain that not all Ace stores carry the same things. If they don't carry it, they wouldn't have the shelf space for it, especially since I got them down while in Carmel in December. They suggested I try another store. Went to the one in Saratoga and when he said no, I said well I'll donate it to your store. I don't want my grandsons to find it my garage 20 years from now wondering why I never used it. :) He said if I could find something for $9.99, he'll do a trade. I picked out some very sad looking tomato and pepper plants. Since he was nice enough to do a trade, I thought why not trade for something he was going to have to throw out in a few day anyways. Hopefully I can get them to grow!

Cards and More Cards Plus Bananas

Since I have a lot of parts left over from my beading class, I decided to make more cards for my card rack. It's not like I need to restock or anything. Handmade cards aren't a big seller at Cottage Crafts with so many other people selling cards. Still it would be nice to refresh my rack with some new stuff. The other plus side is not having to store the class leftovers. At my new place I have the space to spread out which is both good and bad. My work surface is a hot mess but as I tell myself, it's my hot mess. :)  

After cleaning out the garage over the weekend there was a box of paper work that had to get shredded. Since Red Dog (paper shredding company) is in the same shopping center as Cottage Crafts, I added it to my to do list. In the morning, I was just thinking I was getting low on my frozen banana stash for my smoothies.  I don't see my banana dealer anymore at the store as I don't volunteer on the day she comes in. :( As I went to pay for my box to be shredded, there was a case of very ripe bananas (banana bread ripe) next to the counter. I asked about it and he said please take the whole box. I shared it with the people at cottage crafts and now I have a freezer full again! Wonder if I wish for a beach house I'll find that too! :) 

Saying Good Bye

The last of my things from the Carmel house came home this weekend. Since I've spent the last several Christmas at the beach house, I've left my Christmas stands there. Now I have to turn in my keys which I've had for over 30+ years. Very sad day for me to let go of the one key that's been on my key ring the longest. I hope when they say "when one door closes, a window opens" is true.  

Water Color Crayons

As a crafter, I pick up supplies all the time. Collecting is the fun part for me. :).  I'm a fan of Tim Holtz but I didn't get his water color crayons when they were first released. I'm guessing a lot of other people didn't either as it didn't last very long on market. When I saw these off brand in the ZZ booth at Cottage Crafts for $2 I picked them up. I know they work well if you do collages and alter art from what I've seen on the Frugal Crafter videos.

When will I use them? Will I ever use them? Only time will tell.

When you've been around the block a few times.

Not sure if you can see the purple tinge to this vintage toothpick holder. Getting an accurate photo with clear glass isn't easy. I went dumpster diving this morning in the "go away" bins at the store. The Hope truck hadn't picked up yet so it was my lucky day. I spotted the purple tinge on this glass and when I picked it up felt the weight. I knew it was a winner! Not sure why it was in the go away bin, but the sorters on intake days are new. They don't always know if something old is worth keeping. When I got home I checked it with my UV light and yes it glowed. 

To return or not to return

 

I'm of the generation that takes something back I didn't like or didn't use, even low dollar items.  I've noticed the younger generation just can't be bothered to do returns for low dollar value things. Way back in December when the boys were here, we had to replace some worn out wheels on the shower doors. Not sure what would fit being everything was so old, we got a few sizes. The parts we didn't use have been riding around in my car ever since. Don't ask me why it took me so long to do the returns. Went to Home Depot today and the part only cost $3.50. Because of the length of time I could only get store credit. Knowing if I left the store without getting anything, I would never use the credit. Thought maybe getting a small house plant. There were none that didn't come in a fancy vase with a price tag to match.  Since I have a lot of pots already all over my yard, I just wanted one I could replant. The violets were the only plain packaged plant for $6.99. The best part was that after I used my store credit I threw away the credit card. I count that as a major victory!  Back in the day I would have tossed it into my purse for some unknown reason. Now on to ACE hardware which has a much more strict return policy. 

When to walk away

Some of the things I'm bidding on for this week. 

Not 100% sure this is an original because this artist, Curt Walters licensed this image out. From the estate it's coming from it could be but I'm going with it's a good copy. Either way I would like to add it to my art wall. Update: Didn't win the painting and from the final sale price sure hope it was  the real thing. 

The second thing I bid on but not going to win is this pyrex set. Only reason I bid on it was to get the blue bowl which

is one of the hardest one to find. Last week at this same seller's auction I got the other three bowls. Now I'm wondering if they purposely took the blue bowl out of the set knowing whoever got the first lot last week would pay up to complete the set. As a reseller it's now out of profit range so I have to pass. They are getting more for splitting up the set but still thinks it's a little shady.  So I have to pivot and sell off the bowls I have individually.