AMANDA'S BASKETS: Well, I Blew It!!!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Well, I Blew It!!!

PICTURES OF THE DAY:
Once again, I am working on the backdrop for a musical by Hank Beebe. This musical is the second in his trilogy about Biblical figures and is titled "A Remarkable Mary".    The pictures above are of the fabrics that I am using to create the backdrop.

The last musical took place in the desert, so I used mostly tans and browns with a few accent colors. This musical takes place in the hills, so I am using several greens and tans along with a few accent colors as well as three blues and a white for the sky.

We are also using a different system to hang the backdrops...a much easier one. For the last musical, I used portable backdrop stands. What I didn't figure on was that the space did not allow me to completely open up the bases, so I have to tie each side to some substantial piece of furniture using bungy cords. This time we are using a wire from one side to another with two small supports in the middle for an entrance and then one of the portable stands (This time only six feet in length) to cover the middle entrance.    Should make for an easier time...I say that hopefully.

At any rate, I purchased these fabrics from three different Goodwill stores.   A great place to find fabric cheaply and in large quantity.   Read that sheets and drapes!!!

Well, I really did blow it last week on the frugality front!   I really needed my gesso...

And at $16.99 I was okay.......UNTIL I reached the checkout and found the latest issue of one of my favorite magazines...."Where Women Create"! I just couldn't resist it. I guess I could have waited until this week to purchase it, but.... So that added another $14.99 to my ticket which, of course, brought it over my target of $25.00. I really am enjoying the magazine, though. If my library subscribed to it, I would have just enjoyed it there, but alas, they do not!!!

And this week is not much better. To date the cost of the fabric for the background is $35.59. That really is cheap because it covers 28 feet long by 12 feet high. But it is more than my $25.00. I think I will put this amount in parentheses and be aware of the amount, but not actually count it as part of my $25.00. Which is good because when I was in line waiting to check out (I think everyone and their child was at the stores!) I found a few trinkets to purchase. Don't worry, these only amounted to $7.00!

These were only $4.00. No, I am not going to wear them, I am going to take them apart and use the beads for embellishments. The wooden beads were really beautiful and unique.

And I have all sorts of ideas. Even this set was unique enough for me to want to purchase it.

Then I couldn't resist this...I needed something to hold the jewelry in after all!

And it only cost $2.00!!! And right next to it was this adorable tin...

And it only cost a buck...Okay, so I went a little crazy, but I realized two things. First of all, there are some really good purchases that I feel good about making because I know I will use them. And second, BEWARE OF TEMPTATIONS WHILE STANDING IN LINE!!!!!

Well, we are supposed to get some snow, finally. It has been snowing on and off for a couple of hours. But so far only a light dusting. Hopefully we will get a bit more....

Thanks for stopping by....

CRAFTING IDEAS

I am always looking for a small piece of paper to write down something which will later be disposed of. I decided to use some of the scrap paper of which I have a ton. I mostly use the paper for glueing projects. I decided to cut the paper into a small size. (Six pieces from a piece of copy paper.). But just having them sitting on my desk would get messy without a container. So, using a cardboard box, I cut it down to size and using a hot glue gun I glued the ends together. Using a picture from a magazine cut into pieces and stick craft glue, I glued the pieces to the box inside and out. I also used some decorative tape for the outside edges. And to finish the top corners which were not covered, I used straight pins with colorful tops. Looks nice and works well.

MAGAZINE IDEAS

(New) One article in the Farmer's Almanac 2024 is a list of trends. One I knew about is the trend to downsize in just about every area. Another trend that I was surprised about was called ''The Human Library' which offers people on loan to talk about specific subjects. Finally, more folks are adding pets to their family and as a result, stores are adding more pet food, toys and medication to their offerings. There's also a nice garden article which suggests mixing vegetables and flowers together for success.

RECIPE IDEAS

Have you every made Cherry Dump Cake. It calls for 2 cans of Cherry Pie Filling (21 ounces), a white cake mix, 1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted & 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. In a 9 by 13 pan, spread both cans of cherry pie filling. Add the melted butter to the cake mix and break apart the resulting mixture and crumble it evenly over the pie filling. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Fast, easy and very delicious.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What if you want to establish better habits, then decide what habit you want to work on. Again, try an easier one first for that good feeling of success. Let's consider more exercise. Start small. Don't try to run a marathon right away. Set the amount of time, the type of exercise and when to do it to begin making sure that it is within your reach. If it works for you each week add a bit more. Walking is one of the best ways to get good overall movement but there are many exercise videos on YouTube of varying lengths and difficulty to check out. Change your exercise routines to eliminate getting bored. For hardcore exercise with weights, give yourself a day in-between to recover. Even on days you would rather not exercise, do it and see if you feel better. It takes an average of 66 days to establish a habit. Just think 66 days to establish a good habit for a lifetime. Sounds like a good thing to me...how about you?