New Year poem

After I returned home from working and going to the library today, I was checking email and saw the weekly scrapbooking contests etc - I linked onto the Scrap the Poetry blog and found the most wonderful poem for the month - I was totally inspired and created this layout using a close-up photo of ornaments on my holiday tree and lots of white papers, laces, flowers, and even a brooch. Check out the poem on their blog - the author so beautifully expresses the winter season moving into spring.

This morning while reading Design Sponge, I saw a list of books about sustainable living - I wrote down the names and author,s and was able to get several of them (along with a vinyasa flow yoga dvd and several other fun books) at the library. I am looking forward to reading the urban homestead by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen, The Self-Sufficient-ish Bible, and just enough, lessons in living green from traditional Japan. I also was able to get a book on beadwork that has a necklace I would like to make.

January was a difficult month for us in the financial area, but I did not purchase any craft supplies or books. I have not purchased any scrapbooking supplies since last August. I purchased watercolor paper and a couple of skeins of yarn in September, and one watercolor book in early December. I have renewed no magazine subscriptions (I was only getting two, and they both ran out in January) so I feel very good about my NOT BUYING IT goal.  The hard part will come in the next couple of months with all the new CHA releases and also I will be taking a watercolor workshop from a national teacher in April (hopefully my supplies will hold out!)  Two fun things: I did win a $15 gift card to Michaels from our art club (haven't received it yet) and a cool digi kit from Sande Krieger through the 7gypsies blog - cool!

Anyway, life is good and very abundant!  The weather here today is warm (not as warm as usual) and sunny so DH is playing golf this afternoon (he gets free golf by doing volunteer work at the golf course).

Thanks for reading and hope you are having a super day, especially Julie and all the other crafters who are at CHA. I am looking forward to lots of photos and commentary!!!!!
Chris

You have read this article budget / scrapbooking with the title budget. You can bookmark this page URL https://playing-home.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-year-poem.html. Thanks!

Some spooky sneaks

Lots of activity in the studio

I have also been painting, sewing, and knitting - a busy and happy month!

A little update on the budget:

Groceries this week $61 (fresh veggies and fruit, orange juice, bread, French rolls, pork chops, chuck roast, potatoes, onions, carrots, tea, cream cheese (I plan to bake carrot cupcakes & frost with cream cheese frosting), spaghetti sauce, tomato soup, 2 waters, eggs

Liquor store $68(8 bottles of wine)

New battery for Dan's car $98 (this was not totally a surprise as he was starting to have some trouble with starting the car)

Motor for my back passenger window $49 (totally a surprise - the window just started to drop and would not go up - Dan pulled it to the top and we taped it - this expense is just for the motor - it will get installed next week)

Refill my go phone $27

We will have to see how the rest of the month plays out

Sometime this next week I will receive my DT voucher from Scrapgal and I am trying to figure out what to purchase with it so I don't have to spend any extra - with all the new lines, etc., this will be difficult!

I was able to get Mockingjay (the conclusion of the Hunger Games trilogy) yesterday!
EDITED NOTE:
I finished Mockingjay this morning and it is excellent - if you haven't read the Hunger Games trilogy, I highly recommend it!

Just a note that we will be having a Scrapgal bloghop on Wed, Sept 15, and then a Crop on the 17th and 18th - lots of fun challenges and prizes!!!!!!!!!!!!

thanks for reading and have a wonderful week!

You have read this article budget / Gecko Galz / Scrapgal with the title budget. You can bookmark this page URL https://playing-home.blogspot.com/2010/09/some-spooky-sneaks.html. Thanks!

A new month

So you thought it was the beginning of September when it was really October Afternoon (manu of the month at Scrapgal) - I love the quaint charm of the thrift shop collection and used it in the above layout. The little line of girls was cut from an old book on sewing and the flower is a layered one -  Making memories paper pink flower for the base, gathered pale pink crepe paper for the next layer, and a yo yo made by Kimmie at Whimsical Twist (thanks Kimmie) for a topper.

As I said in an earlier post, I plan to keep super busy in September and NOT buy anything but necessities. This is the morning of day 3 and I have started off well :
Day 1 -Dan dentist - $183 for cleaning and xrays (yearly exam)
Day 2 - weekly groceries $60 (whole chicken, spare ribs, beef shank, bacon(on sale), bologna(on sale), bread, eggs, mayo(on sale), refried beans, pickle relish, romaine, tomatoes, green pepper, cucumber, radishes, green beans, cantaloupe, bananas, and 2 big jugs of water (our water is very chlorinated so it is pretty nasty to drink)
  gas for Dan's car - $32
  weed & bug killer for yard - $15
This morning Dan is working at the golf course and I will be working at the used book store today so no chances to spend any money.
I also got new bedroom curtains made for our bedroom - when we moved back into our house after the repairs from the hurricane, I had purchased some white Pottery Barn linen and cotton curtains on ebay for my studio - I ended up with 6 curtains rather just the 4 I needed so I put the extra ones away. I washed the ones that were hanging in my studio and they came out so lovely (even though it said dry clean only) and then cut and sewed the 3rd set to fit the windows in our bedroom - fortunately the curtains were 63 long and both of our windows are short - it was tight but I measured and cut very carefully and now they are hanging in the bedroom and look great - and I spent $0!!!! I will give the previous bedroom curtains to a thrift shop - they were a closeout at Lowe's and marked way down so that's why I had bought them - 5 years is long enough!

When I took the watercolor class several weeks ago, the teacher recommended a special book for us to read about the theory of painting by Richard Schmid (probably one of the best US or even world painters alive today). Unfortunately the book was written in 1999 and is out of print so - it is ridiculously expensive on amazon and ebay - $70 for paperback and $150 for HB - I took a chance and requested it from our library through interlibrary loan - and they got it for me - I picked it up yesterday and started reading it last night - it is brilliant and just so inspiring - I want to compliment our library for their fabulous service. Right now is a very difficult time for libraries in the US - so many cuts, and ours is doing the best it can despite the budget issues. Both the used book store and the gift shop in which I volunteer(work) benefit the library here (I also serve as secretary on the Board of the Friends of the Indian River County library which runs both stores) - I am so glad that I can help out as I truly believe that libraries are very important to the future of our society.

Let's see, what else have I done......I have also been painting everyday and exercising - I am going to step up the exercising a bit now that it is a little cooler (LOL!) and probably do more yoga also.

This long weekend will be quiet here - Dan will cut lawn and practice and play golf. I will paint, scrap, knit, cook, exercise, and read - and of course, there is lots of baseball, college football, and Nascar - did I mention that I am married to a sports junkie?!  I feel bad for the people who live in NC and on up the Atlantic Coast - I so hope the hurricane stays out at sea.  We were hit dead on by Hurricane Frances on Labor day weekend in 2004 and then by Jeanne exactly 3 weeks later. And then of course, several years later, watching Katrina on television and praying for the people who lived there and suffered through such devastation and then such mismanagement.

Thanks for reading - this ended up being a long post.

Hope your weekend will be wonderful - full of  happy times, yummy food, and good company!!!!!!!

ttfn
Chris

You have read this article budget / Scrapgal with the title budget. You can bookmark this page URL https://playing-home.blogspot.com/2010/09/new-month.html. Thanks!