Last weekend, I got a bunch of beads and old jewelry at the flea market. I thought I might get more today, but there was nothing of the sort to be found – instead, I lucked out and got a scrapbook kit for $5 (including an album) and some extra scrapbooking supplies (cut outs, stickers, etc.) for $1. Now the girls are scrapbooking, and I’m too tired from going to the flea market and then to Michael’s (where they have a sale on acrylic paint) to actually do anything with or without them š
Page 60 of 177
Yes, I have to admit it, I do get obsessive over things. I’ve been obsessed over cookbooks, trips, photography (though that, a long time ago), toys for the kids, making cosmetics, etc. etc. And my current obsession are crafts and craft books. I’ve finally found something I can do with the girls without being bored to tears – and I’m going full force into it (though the girls seem to be getting a bit bored with it :-(.
As I have no idea how to do crafts myself, I’ve bought a number of kits (sewing/knitting, jewelry making, silk screening, scrapbooking), but I’ve also gotten quite a few books (to be exact, six). My favorites so far are the Jennifer Traig’s Crafty Girl books
I’ve already written about the first two books I got, and now it’s the turn of Crafty Girl: Accessories
Neither book is as good as Crafty Girl Fun & Games, that is to say, I found fewer projects I wanted to do in each of these books, but I think they are pretty cool anyway. The Accessories book includes instructions for making a felt scarf, picture jewelry and sparkle hair twisties, among other things. The Cool Stuff book’s projects include making a photo placemat, a stationary kit and decorating a light switch. Many of the projects in both books are really nothing more than decorating everyday objects with craft supplies (glitter, buttons, felties, beads, ribbon, etc. etc.). Yes, they are obvious ideas, but not anything that had occurred to me prior to reading about them in the books. In other words, the books may be too elementary for an experienced crafter, but they are perfect for someone like me (and my girls).
The same cannot be said of Kids Create!: Art & Craft Experiences for 3- To 9-Year-Olds (Williamson Kids Can! Series)
I have ordered another book, The Crafty Diva’s D.I.Y. Stylebook: A Grrrl’s Guide to Cool Creations You Can Make, Show Off, and Share
And this is it, I swear. No more books, no more crafts (beyond those in our kits and the books). My obsessions are pretty strong, but don’t last too long – and I don’t want to end up with lots of things I’ll never use again.
I don’t know where Granny got this tiny bottle of violet perfume or how long she’d had it before she gave it to me. I know I was very young when I got it; five, six, seven? And I know that I immediately fell in love with it. It had the most wonderful scent I had ever smelled, a mixture of flowers and baby powder, and even today, 35 years later, it still smells quite nicely. I also loved the little bottle, about as long as my little finger is now, because Granny had given it to me, and I loved Granny, oh so much.
For years and years I kept the little bottle with me, never using it because I did not want to waste a drop of its essence. At home, at the apartment where I grew up, I kept it in a shelf in my bathroom (I had appropriated the half-bathroom, by the kitchen, and nobody else really used it). One day, I can’t remember what year or how old I was, my sister Gabriela got into my perfume and used a bunch – it’s not just evaporation that has made it half empty. I was incredibly mad, as you can imagine.
I am not sure if I brought this little bottle with me when I first came to America, or if Gladys brought it here at some point after that, but I know it’s been with me at least since college. For the last eight years, however, it’s been hiding in a box in the garage – together with other mementos that struggle to be linked to memories. I found it a couple of days ago, I expected it to smell horribly, but it’s still nice. Mika liked it, and the story that came with it. And I… well, it brings back memories of Granny and Gladys, of childhood and love, and that’s always bittersweet.
I’d like to keep the little bottle on my desk, smell it from time to time, but here it runs the risk of being emptied by a naughty child, so it’ll have to go back into hiding, for some more years at least. And then one day I’ll find it, and remember again.
I am one of those people who barely wears shoes. I do, when I go somewhere, but at home, and even in the backyard, I’m usually barefoot. Add that to the extra weight I carry, and it’s not surprising that I usually have *very* callused feet. Once, my husband had to resort to a knife to get rid of them! But no longer, a couple of days ago I bought the ubiquitous Ped Egg
As my daughter described it, the Ped Egg is a cheese grater for your feet. And yes, that’s basically what it is, a somewhat fine grater that you use to grate the dry skin off your feet. The advantages over a regular cheese grater is that its design makes it very easy to maneuver on your feet, in particular on difficult to reach areas. The design allows you to keep a tight grip and reach calluses without grating live skin. Make sure, however, that you only apply it to dead, dry skin; you should not be able to feel the grating at all (but you can hear it). It won’t leave your feet completely callus-free, but it’s great for getting rid of the thickest, most difficult calluses. Beware that it’s not fast – if you have a lot of calluses, you’ll have to do a lot of grating. The results are also not necessarily smooth – but the ped egg comes with a buffing pad that you can use to smooth out your skin after you apply it.
What I would recommend, and what I did, is to follow the use of ped egg (which must be applied to clean, dry skin), with a hot water soak – you can then use your pumice stone on any area that was too soft for the ped egg – and finish it off with buffer, of course.
In all, it’s a very useful tool and I’m glad I got it, it just seems grossly overpriced for what it is.
Recent Comments