Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

I have a part time job at Pottery Barn. One of my favorite things to do there is work in the stock room. It's quiet in the stock room, and fairly orderly -- nothing like my day to day life as a stay-at-home-mom. In the stock room, I'm in control. I get to decide what box gets opened and where the contents get put. I get to line everything up all perfectly straight. Oooooo...I just love perfectly straight.

One of the things I don't love about working in the stock room is the realization that big retail = big trash. Seriously, the amount of trash that is generated is scary. The cardboard gets recycled, so that’s OK. But everything else...all the bubble wrap, the foam blankets, the styrofoam, all the packing material goes straight into the landfills. And I’m talking MOUNTAINS of packing material. It’s bad…really bad.

I’m a firm believer that everything ought to be used at least twice, so I’m always trying to find something to do with all this packaging. I’m forever bringing home huge sheets of styrofoam and bags of bubble wrap. It makes The Man more than just a little crazy, but the kids usually love it. Last week I came home with two big bags of bubble wrap and foam blanketing. Now I’m trying to figure out what to do with it all. Ladybug was more than happy to help me out. 

After using the bags as lounge chairs for a while, we emptied them and made a nice big moutain to play in. It was great for jumping on, hiding in, crawling through and kicking all over the place.

Of course, we popped plenty of it -- with our fingers, our feet...our bottoms (hee, hee, hee.)  We also practiced our scissor skills by cutting some of it up.  Cutting the foamy blankets was so much fun, Ladybug decided to see if it was just as much fun to cut up her skirt.  Fun for her.  For me, not so much.  Oh well...live and learn. 

So we've lounged on it, played in it, popped it and cut it, but now what?  I just don't think it's trash yet.  I'm keeping some of it for packaging up my Etsy products, but I'd have to be making hundreds of sales a week to go through this stuff.  And while that would be nice, I don't think it's going to happen any time soon.  So I'm looking for ideas.  What would you do with all this stuff???

Bear Hugs: Aunt Cindy's Attic

Time for another installment of Bear Hugs.  (Bear Hugs is my Etsy customer appreciation feature.  It's trying to become a regular feature, but hey, I'm not a regular kinda gal.)

I became acquainted with AuntCindysAttic on Twitter, and she’s the one responsible for the brilliant idea of customizing the labels on my Monster Repellant. I really owe her a debt of gratitude (and probably some royalties.) She's full of great ideas -- like turning your favorite T-shirts into keepsake quilts. She's also fun to tweet with. So, without further ado, meet Aunt Cindy!

I love hearing the stories behind shop names, tell me about yours.

Aunt Cindy's Attic is the name of my quilt shop – the one I plan to open when I win an obscene amount of money in the lottery I didn't have kids when I thought up the name, but had recently been around my niece & nephews and I liked the sound of "Aunt Cindy". I figured I could use the name for my Etsy shop until I win those millions.

How'd you start doing what you do?

A few years ago, I gave my niece a doll bed for Christmas…or her 3rd birthday -- she was born December 21st, so it's tough to remember which one it was. I painted an unfinished bed, crocheted a little afghan, and thought it needed a quilt. I had recently inherited my grandmother-in-law's sewing machine and some of her quilting tools. I thought, "Thousands of grandmas do this, how hard can it be?" I checked out some books on quilting from the library and got started. I finished the little quilt and, amazingly, had some hair left. I didn't touch fabric for another 6 months. I took a machine quilting class right before we relocated. After the moved, I was unemployed for a year. I had no children at the time. I checked out more library books, was invited to join the quilt guild by one of the quilting librarians & the rest is history. This year I'm guild president. LOL!

What's your favorite item in your shop right now, and why?

This one is so hard! I love my reversible purses because I designed them. I love the Nuzzle Me blankets because they're soooo soft. I also love my sock babies. I had one that my grandma made when I was little. I LOVED it & figured other little ones would love them, too! I'm really liking the t-shirt quilts right now, too. I like that people trust me with their memories. At first I didn't think I'd like them (they seemed boring). I love fitting the pieces together to get something that my customers love. I'm not a pattern person anyway, so this is great for me!

Tell me about your most memorable Etsy moment.

I loved selling hairbows to a mom in Norway. I loved it more when she ordered a second time. It was really cool.

Do you have any secrets of success to share?

Take time off when you need to take a break. We all need those sometimes.

What's your favorite "Tip"? (Doesn't have to be shop-related, it can be life-related, a cleaning tip, etc.)

If you're changing a baby boy's diaper, tear off a small square from the corner of your wipe BEFORE opening the dirty diaper. Place it strategically to prevent any "diaper fountains".

BTW, Aunt Cindy, I'm still trying to find that stack of my son's t-shirts I want to send you. I must have one of these quilts!

Number 12's a Winner (and a special offer)

"Winner" http://woodandpixels.etsy.com

Ok, OK...so I've fallen behind again. This seems to be a recurring theme for me these days. It's those end-of-summer "vacations" which aren't really vacations at all. We take two every year: one to the West Coast to visit family & friends, one to the East Coast for the same purpose. Don't get me wrong! I love these trips -- I miss my friends and family -- but they're grueling! We never spend more than two nights in the same place. So much time in the car running here, there, everywhere. Ugh! And schlepping all that luggage! And the toll it takes on the kiddos. It takes quite a while to recover from trips like that. But I'm back. The suitcases are empty and back in storage. The laundry's done and put away. Sleep schedules have returned to normal. And now I'm playing catch-up at my desk.

So, how 'bout that give away from last month?! The winner is #12, and was chosen by means of http://www.random.org/.

Aik is a student in Malaysia and loves the piano. She has a blog were she features a lot of sheet music...downloadable sheet music. So, for you pianists out there, check it out: http://aik-pianoscores.blogspot.com/. She recently passed her piano exam, so if you stop by be sure to say congratulations. She has another blog, http://aik-friendsnfamily.blogspot.com/, where she holds give aways, writes book reviews and muses on life in general. She's currently giving away a signed copy of Lee Moylan’s "Once Upon a Nightmare" - which sounds really scary. Perfect for this Halloween season.

OK, now for the special offer part. To make up for my tardiness in announcing the winner, I'm going to extend a special offer on my pendants: 1/2 off to anyone who entered the give away; and 1/2 off to the first 12 non-participants who make a purchase. I've been working like a fool getting pictures of my newest pendants, so hopefully there will be lots of new stuff in the shop in the upcoming days.  Pendants come packaged pretty and ready to give.

**Credit where credit is due:  The cheeky little ducks introducing this post are compliments of Dan over at WoodandPixels.  Check out his Etsy shop.  He's got some amazing photography on display. 

Just Call Me Punkin Head

Seriously, I had no idea the back of my head looked so much like a pumpkin.  Thanks to my son, I do now!
 
In our family, the tradition is to carve our Jack-O-Lantern on Halloween afternoon.  Now some of you who know me may think this tradition was born out of procrastination, but I assure you it wasn't.  You see, October in Texas is an unpredictable weather month.  It can be in the 50s, like it was day-before-yesterday, or it can be in the 70s, like it is today.  If you carve your pumpkin too early, you may just end up with a slug-infested, rotting, stinking mess on your front step by the time Halloween rolls around.  Granted, it does make for one scary looking Jack-O-Lantern, but it's really just disgusting.  Hence, the Halloween day pumpkin carving tradition.

I love pumpkins.  Pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup...yummm!  Do you know how good for you pumpkins are?  They're loaded with all kinds of great stuff:  iron and all the B vitamins for lots of extra energy; vitamin E and all its antioxidant power; zinc which is so healing.  Really, you should eat more pumpkin.  It's also great for skin.  So don't let your pumpkin bits and pieces go to waste.  Here are a couple of quick recipes for you.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:

• Rinse and dry your pumpkin seeds.
• Spread 'em out on a greased cookie sheet
• Sprinkle w/salt (I prefer kosher salt), or cajun seasoning (if you like a bit of a kick)
• Bake in the over at 250 degrees for 15-20 minutes (giving the pan a shake about half way through)
• Cool and munch away

Pumpkin Facial Mask:
This is a perfect way to use the scraps left over from pumpkin carving because you don't need very much for this recipe.  (You can also do this w/canned pumpkin.)

• First, prepare the pumpkin puree by microwaving the small pieces until they're tender when you poke them w/a fork (probably 1-2 minutes)
• Mash cooked pumpkin w/fork or in the food processor until smooth
• 2 Tbs pumpkin puree
• 1/4 tsp honey
• 1/4 tsp cream (heavy cream for dry skin, substitute 1/4 tsp cider vinegar for oily skin)
• Mix it all up
• Smooth on to face and neck
• Rest for 10-15 minutes
• Rinse off.   Ta-DA!  Your skin will feel as soft as a baby's bottom.

Have a happy & safe Halloween!

Powered by Joy

If someone asked me to describe myself one of the words I'd use is "positive". I try to look on the bright side. I believe in the power of positive thinking. I believe in Karma. I believe that good ultimately triumphs over evil. Etc., etc., etc. That's not to say that things don't bug me. Oh, things bug me. They can bug me a lot. And I can be really bitter. Oh lawdy, can I carry a grudge! Just ask The Man. But still...I try to be positive most of the time. OK, some of the time. Every now and then? You're not going for this?

I have to admit, since giving birth to Ladybug I haven't been my old chipper self. Well, I've been the OLD part, just not the chipper part. The fact is that I'm tired. I try not to beat myself up about it too much. I mean c'mon! I'm...well, I'm old! Like, in my 40s old.  I know, I know, 40s the new 30, but I've given birth TWICE since I turned 40.  I'm entitled to be a little tired. Especially since I'm still trying to live my life like I'm in my 30s.

Lately I've begun to think that I'm using this "old mom" thing as a crutch. It seems I've gotten out of the habit of recognizing the amazing things that happen right in front of me every day. Well, I'm doing something about it. Ho-hum...sounds a tad cliché, you say? Well, one of the best parts about being in my 40s is that I don't really care what people think about me anymore. (Now if that's not reason for celebration, what is?!) So stop on by my brand-spankin' new blog. Acknowledge a little joy with me.

I'm Sick

"I Got A Code Id My Dose" http://sbritt.etsy.com

Ugh! I felt if coming on a couple of days ago, and really, I’ve tried to do the right thing. I’ve been taking it easy, trying to get to bed at a decent hour, eating right, etc. Too little, too late, I guess. Oh well.

I’ve been awake since 2:30 this morning. I tried watching a little TV, but that’s always a mistake for me. TV does nothing but wake me up. By 3:45 I couldn’t take it anymore so I decided to get up.

It’s now 5:00. What I should be doing is researching some great homeopathic way to make myself better. Instead, I’m blogging and trolling Etsy.

Basically, I feel like I’ve got a bunch of these guys stuffed in my head.

Pet Pathogens by SublimeDzign
http://sublimedzign.etsy.com/

And an army of these guys in my throat.

Pet Pathogens by SublimeDzign
http://sublimedzign.etsy.com/

All I can say is thank goodness this little dude hasn’t taken up residence in my body.*
Surfing Giardia Germ by FrecklesUnleashed
http://frecklesunleashed.etsy.com/

But if he had, I could always call this bad ass to take care of him.**

Mac the Biker Bacillus Germ by FrecklesUnleashed
http://frecklesunleashed.etsy.com/

All I know is that I’m definitely going to need one of these today.

Flackie Monster Tissue Holder by SwieDebie
http://swiedebie.etsy.com/

Hmmm…I wonder if there’s rush delivery available on this item.

Quinceanera Surgical Mask by CheapChampagne

http://cheapchampagne.etsy.com

OK, I'm going back to bed!

*Gardia - think Montezuma's revenge

**Bacillus - the good kind of germ found in stuff like yogurt

Wake Me When It's Over

September
Wedding anniversary
Husband’s Birthday
Son’s Birthday
Clean up aftermath of anniversary, Husband’s birthday, Son’s birthday
Write Thank You notes

October
Obligatory vacation “Home”
Clean up aftermath of Obligatory vacation “Home”
Halloween costumes
Clean up mess from making Halloween costumes

November
Start extended “holiday hours” at retail job
Freshen up spare room for house guests
Thanksgiving dinner
Black Friday
Decorate for holidays

December
Make 50# of English Toffee
Package and ship 50# of English Toffee
Daughter’s Birthday
Write Thank You notes
Father’s Birthday
Finish Christmas Shopping
Package and ship Christmas gifts
15th annual Holiday Brunch
Christmas

I'll be napping on the sofa. Somebody wake me when it’s over.