Cutting Costs

I usually cut my Scotch scrub pads in half because they are so large and this way I can get twice the use out of them before they get all nasty.
If and when I remember, I even wash them with my rags. But sometimes they get all yucky and mildew smelling and then they are bound for the trash.

Apparently one of my short-lings in the house decided they would help me cut costs. I opened the drawer and found this:

2x1 inch squares (REALLY?!), but no this does not help as I can't keep ahold of them while scrubbing dishes! Looks like I need to recruit some helpers with tiny hands! Good thing I know 3 of them. While they are at it I think I will have them work on that drawer as well. Looking like it needs a good scrubbing!

I should blog about that...

Lots of the times in the past few weeks/months I have come across something, whether in my daily life or on a blog or website and I've had the immediate thought "I've got to blog about that!". As you poor unfortunate readers of my blog who've had nothing to read from me lately may guess, I have let those ideas slip right out of my head, hands, grasp. That leaves me wondering later on what was it I was gonna blog about??

Uggh!

I do hope there have been much more interesting things on other blogs for you to read about though! I know I have! How lame is this? I feel like I'm having the worst conversation with myself "Don't say that!", "That's so lame" on and on in my head. So sorry.

In the coming weeks I hope to post on some fabulous blogs I've come across as of late. As well as some that are long time favorites.

What's been keeping me busy? It seems like every time Ebay does one of its fab sales (there were two in the past week alone) I drop everything to list like a mad woman. This is necessary because of the massive amount of inventory I have allowed myself to accumulate. All while using the same excuse, I need a faster computer...Well now I have discovered a faster way to list items on those great sale days and I have been plowing right through my inventory. (I will share it in a future post!)

See I am a really great shopper, but I don't always love the listing. Honestly, I get caught up in the shopping and then when I get home it can be a bit of a letdown cuz I think to myself where is all of this gonna fit?! I have a entire coat closet filled with my ebay clothes and items. I also don't love the clutter and the space it all takes up. When I list items I end up dragging a bunch out, piling them up in different piles around the room. Then I'm grouching at my kids for getting too near them (because an item with a grubby hand on it is no longer Excellent condition). After a couple hours or days I get really overwhelmed with stuff and have to cram it all back into the closet whether I have made significant progress or not. But... I am over the moon when something gets a bid and sells, because that means something else is leaving my house! So... as soon as everything is listed I will be a happy clam. The "1 cent" sale they had about a week ago, I relisted 113 things and listed about 70 new things. Then yesterday they had a "Zero listing on 250 items" sale. I had previously sold about 22 things (more than 10% yay!). So I relisted the remainder about 160 items and then relisted about 50 more. So far I have 2 items with bids! Woohoo!

I need about 2 more good sales and I will have everything listed and I vow to NEVER, EVER let it get that bad again. I do not want to carry inventory which has never been bid n for months and months. Everything I buy I will force myself to list that week sale or no sale. I have gotten better and better at discovering what will sell and what will not. I also like listing particular items like skirts, I love to list them, they don't need too many measurements, and a skirt is always something someone will be looking to add to their wardrobe. So in the future my inventory will be more streamlined, condensed. But for now, I have a lot to pray for to sell!

So to continue with this most random of posts, I am going to end on a goal/to do list. Things I have been putting on but really need to get done. Yeah, I've been procrastinating other things too ; )

1. Clean out my Van (after 2 not so recent trips and a lot of daily messes, it really really needs it!
2. List everything in my ebay closet - one and for all! After all, I cannot go shopping again until I do! S I know I am missing out on some great stuff!
3. Weed my rock beds (now that its finally cooler)
4. Declutter my laundry room (why is it so hard!)
5. Carve pumpkins
6. Check out pintrest - I have heard everyone talking about it as of late.

I'm sure can add more things to this list, my brain is just not allowing me to at this time, LOL. After all, I don't get enough sleep (I work 10pm to 2am Mon-Fri) - now do you understand why I've been MIA? I have been here in spirit though!!

Have a great week!
Em

I've seen a couple of tutorials online recently for these type of necklaces and decided it was about time I gave it a try myself. First thing to do is gather supplies:

1. An old teeshirt - it can be shrunken, stained, have holes, whatever. The only thing to remember is that it cannot be ribbed. Also I find the best ones are the seamless ones, (with no seams down the sides).
2. Cutting mat
3. Rotary cutter
4. Sewing Ruler or even a heavy book
5. A Super-Cute helper/model.

Lay out your teeshirt over the cutting mat (I folded mine in half with arms together)

Measure 1 inch and cut into strips all the way up the shirt till you get to the chest where the arms are (You can also several strips from the short sleeve arms.

Take strip in your hands in front of you.

Stretch strip and the fabric will roll into tube.

The tubes from this old Army PT shirt were long enough for K to wrap around her neck twice.

You can wear plain, or multicolor, or even clip on a hair bow or a sparkly brooch for a bit of extra flair! They are lightweight, versatile and fun! We had such fun doing them that we are in the process of acquiring all shades of tees. That led us to garage-saling and found some steals this weekend! For example a ton of Legos for $2 and a ton of Kinex $2!

Finding Marie at Goodwill

My sister in law came to visit over Labor day weekend. It was wonderful for me to have some grown-up adult time and shop Goodwill to my hearts content. No one except her enjoys it as much as I do.

When she lived in Colorado, there were Goodwill stores she would frequent to buy and sell clothing on ebay. When she moved to Utah, where there are no Goodwill stores she was feeling bummed but planned to visit me and get some serious shopping in before returning to Utah where she could sell. We've determined she needs to visit me at least once a month and also to get her Goodwill fix.

So, we're in our 2nd store of the day, and she hold up a skirt which was just funky enough to be something good and says what about the brand "Free People?" I say "Yes!" that's a great one! Even though it was Monday ($.99 cents on a certain color) hers was not that color and so was to be $3.99, still it was a great deal. Plus, she's military, and every Monday is also Military Monday (where you get 25% off any color tag which is not on sale). So on we shop....

When we're in the car an hour or so later, I'm going through the bags oohing and aahing. I spot her Free People skirt and grab it to get a closer look.

Yes, it's Anthropologie, FREE PEOPLE, and has 66170 as the RN#. It's in great condition. No snags, no tears, and it even has a drycleaning tag on it. Nice. But what's this? The name on the tag blew me away...

Osmond, Marie 9 of 10.....whaaaaat?
This beautiful lady?

Well, I was too excited, and my sister in law said "Must be someone else, because she lives in Utah". Nope. She lives in Las Vegas, where she performs her own show on the Strip. Wowza! I know, I'm a dork. But seven degrees, or whatever, I am holding a garment that either Marie or her daughter or somebody in her vicinity touched!! (ok there is always a possibility there is another Marie Osmond out there, and if this were a Merona skirt I would fully admit that it was not hers, but FREE PEOPLE is not cheap). Isn't it beautiful? I LOVE GOODWILL!

I know...

I'm a slacker.

I didn't actually mean to take a hiatus from blogging but well, it has been a month and I can think of no other words for it. I think life just slapped me in the face. Not hard, just over and over. I'm still rebounding. But I have a great post to come...I have been thinking about it for over a week. Just got my computer moved to my living room so here goes...

Well...it's come again

Another 1 cent listing day on eBay that is!

There are so many other things I should be doing...Laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning. All the result of a family vacation/reunion. I should probably get dressed too ;) But these 1 cent days are not common, nd I have a boatload of things I need to list! So while my kids are happily playing together for the 2nd day in a row, I'm gonna toss my to-do list and get busy on eBay.

Happy Listing!!

Genius & Refashioned / Interchangeable Shirts

Ok, I have fallen in love for yet another blog.  just love the creativity some people lay out on the table for all to enjoy! Nike from Choosetothrive cannot be called anything other than Genius! Well, actually Thrifty, Creative, Savvy, Green also come to mind...ok, ok she's a lot of things, and I don't even know her! You have got to check out her blog if not just to see her tutorial on a great way to re-fashion old, stained shirts into Fun, Free, Fab new ones! I am die-ing to go, and then get back from vacation in order to make some of these, and therefore reduce my scrap fabric pile!

I also LOVE her 4th of July version!

Awesome Nike! Thanks for the Inspiration(s)! I'm thinking I'd like to get one of those snap setters just to cover up stains on my little guys' tees with fun 3 dimensinal things like trucks and dinosaurs! If and when I get to this I will definitely be posting mine too!