COZY LITTLE HOUSE

Lunch With Youngest Daughter

2012-01-28T10:22:00.000-06:00

Today my youngest daughter is coming over for lunch. It's just pizza. But I've set the table for us.

I made myself some fabric napkins yesterday. For some reason the fabric I ordered had some small stains on it. So that gave me an excuse to use it for myself.

I made four napkins. Thought this blue and white print was so pretty. Even though it has some small rust-looking stains in a few places. One yard was perfect for four napkins.

She actually invited me to go out and have lunch. But I said why don't we just stay here and have a lazy afternoon.

It will certainly make the dogs happy that I'm not going anywhere today. Yesterday I had to go through the hoopla of getting an in-state automobile tag.

Today I'm just happy to be out of the crowds!

And besides, just getting to spend some time with her is most important.

What are your plans for the day?

New Information On Carbonite

2012-01-27T16:33:00.000-06:00

The other day I signed up for a free 15 day trial of Carbonite. It is a computer back up system.

But then today a friend mentioned she didn't think there was actually a way for them to back up Blogger, or any other format like it.

So I just got off the phone with Carbonite support. Seems she is correct.

Your blog is not a file. It backs up files automatically.

He said unless you were to email your blog posts to yourself on a non-internet email system, such as Outlook, it would possibly back them up. But, for instance, I use Yahoo and Gmail. Not going to back that up.

So if you signed up for a free trial this week after I wrote that post, I wanted you to have this information before you gave them your credit card to pay after the initial 15 days.

It will back up your photos and the things it says on their website. But you don't see a mention of blogs. Because for many of us, our posts are being written directly on Blogger. If we wrote them and kept them on a word processing program in a file, it might be a different scenario.

So I'm back to square one. I know of people who have had their blogs disappear. I thought this would protect me. It will not.

Just wanted you to have the same information that I do. If you know something I don't about this, please leave it in a comment or email me.

Welcome Wagon Friday 1/27/12

2012-01-27T09:48:00.000-06:00

Good morning. It's Welcome Wagon day again.

Up for you this week I have:

Blue Chateau is a blogger living in a 100 year old house. She loves living and decorating frugally.

Isn't it dreamy? She's full of tips and good food ideas.

Patchwork & Lace is a blogger with three children and loves patchwork and crochet...

Don't you just love all the colors? I'd love to curl up here with a good book.

And here's her organized stash. Be still my heart...

County Line Road is a blogger who proclaims to be a serial collector, and an avid seeker and seller of all things vintage...

Just take a look at what she refurbished so beautifully. From this...

To this... Oh my!

And just this week I've found Poppy Juice. She has many practical tips on how to live frugally and have fun doing it. Get this: She has six children and is a stay-at-home mom. She has a licensed daycare center. And sings in a band! She's one busy lady! Go over to see her many tips on how to save money and live happily.

Thrifty Living 2012: Installment 2

2012-01-26T08:56:00.000-06:00

Good morning. This is the second installment in our Thrifty Living 2012 Series. We are having a weekly discussion on our separate economic struggles in our various regions. And how our various-sized families of all different ages and backgrounds are attempting to deal with it.

Today we are delving more into our individual situations before we tackle the tough stuff starting next week...

Participating is:

Claudia of Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Jen of Muddy Boot Dreams

Elaine of Sunny Simple Life
Diane of Lavender Dreams

And me of course

Having just gotten divorced mere months ago, I am learning a lot about how to sort out finances and stretch my dollars and budget my household.

My ex handled all that before. (Now I think I know why.)

Nevertheless, I had not paid bills since my early thirties. I woke up to a world of paying bills online. And much, much more bureaucracy than I was accustomed to in what seemed a much simpler time. (Maybe it's because I'm older too, that it seems more complicated!)

I have made saving a big part of this new life. As that was not part of our lives before. Money came in, money was spent. It petrified me.

Now I have a savings account I contribute to monthly. And feel a bit better knowing I won't be penniless if the next check does not come in on time.

I am sorting through ways to make a living for myself and the dogs, Abi and Charlie. Learning to live alone. How to fix things I'd normally just call someone to come do. And ultimately how to economize in general.

Having left my neighbors and friends in Texas, not to mention my two beloved cats, Clyde and Emily, I am going through a mourning period of sorts over that loss. This must be the grieving stage of any big life change.

Not having the cats leaves a deep and painful hole in my heart. But dividing the pets was part of the agreement. And the dogs take much more care. So that necessitated them coming with me.

I will be 55 next month. And things don't seem to come as easily to me as they once did. I don't adapt to new situations as readily. That's not to say it was easy when I got my first divorce when my girls were young either.

My fears of the future is how to pay for medical care once my Cobra is up in a year. How to pay for my medication that is already way beyond what I could manage to pay without insurance. How to make a living to support myself and the dogs, in an economy where everyone, it seems, is seeking work.

My dream is to work here from home. It is where I'm most comfortable, and where I could channel my efforts best. I'm not sure what all I will have to do to make that happen. Or even if it is possible. But I'm going to give it the old college try.

Next week our thrifty team is going to give our own individual takes on gasoline consumption in our own regions. And how we economize.

Hope to see you then!

Trying To Get Back On Task

2012-01-25T13:04:00.000-06:00

My oldest daughter has brought over some lovely flowers she's made from different sources for me to embellish pillows and such.

But I've been so busy dealing with "first of the year" problems after moving that I haven't had the proper time to devote to my sewing.

I finally got this small quilt hung in my office here.

You see, Oklahoma and Texas are very different about how they handle automobile tags. In Texas you go to the Department of Motor Vehicles, apparently. And in Oklahoma you go to a tag agency.

Except I don't have prior evidence of car registration. My ex got the notice in the mail. And thinking I'd handle it here, shredded it.

I have looked through everything I own. My youngest daughter went all through my Pathfinder. We can't find any other proof of registration anywhere.

I have gotten insurance here, my drivers license here. But am lacking that one thing to get a tag, which is due by the end of the month.

So I've been so busy chasing my tail going to the tag agency and having them tell me I need yet again something else that I haven't had much time for creative endeavors.

It is cold and rainy, so not good for outdoor photos.

But tomorrow we get to know our Thrifty Living 2012 team a bit better. So be sure to check in with the blogs of Claudia, Jen, Elaine and Diane for that.

Frazzled But Relieved

2012-01-24T16:07:00.001-06:00

What have I been up to all day?

Well, here it is nearly 4 p.m. Central Time, and after I started drinking my coffee this morning, I got a wild hair to try and see if I could make a collage blog banner in Picasa.

The reason this was a very wild hair, is because I've tried many times before. I printed off instructions from two different sites. Before I have given up. I can easily make a banner in Picnik, then tweak it in Photoscape.

I was determined. Thus, the time, many hours and a sandwich at my desk later.

After many MANY tries, I have put the banner up. And I am somewhat pleased with my efforts. Though I still have a lot of learning to do if they're going to get rid of Picnik.

For one, I could not for the life of me figure out how to add text in Picasa on a banner. So I transferred the untitled banner to Photoscape, where I'm much more comfortable. And did it there.

Whilst making myself near cross-eyed from all this, I also had another program on my computer running in the background. I will have to thank Kim for this tip, which she gave in a comment yesterday on this blog.

I was once again debating on moving over to Wordpress.org. But she mentioned she'd downloaded a program called Carbonite. And I was off to the races to research this.

In essence, it is an automatic backup system to back up your computer. This includes your photos. There is a free trial offer, no credit card required, for a short period.

We Blogger bloggers are afraid to lose our blogs, given the fact that we've all known others this has happened to. I have put near three years into this blog, every day. This was a huge fear.

But somehow, with all the changes that have occurred in my life in such a short time already, I just cannot see myself switching anything else huge in my life. I just can't. I'm already worn out.

So after the free trial period of 15 days, I will happily pay the $59 per year for this peace of mind. At least for now.

I need my life to run at a relaxed pace in the slow lane for awhile, you know?

So if this is a concern of yours also, you might go visit Carbonite.com and see if you think this is worth it to you.

I don't know what the future holds. But I got my water bill today, and after calling them, found out I'd overpaid. A nice mistake. I will get at least another month or two of this utility free, so I thought that was perhaps a sign to go ahead and do this.

I like signs. They are a port in the storm when I'm chewing my fingernails down to the quick. Or so I tell myself.

I wasn't really wanting a new banner right now. But I was determined to see if I could do this. I've heard many of you say how easy making a banner on Picasa is.

I virtually take my hat off to you and bow in true admiration.

Gifts, Blogger Dilemmas, & Fluffy Dogs

2012-01-23T13:46:00.000-06:00

The mail brought me two gifts today. Isn't that homemade flower atop the box just adorable?

This was from Teresa at Magazine Your Home. She sent me some bias binding and the box had this in it...

The little card is a needle holder. How sweet!

Then Veronica, a reader, sent me some goodies.

And this...

To add to my small collection of "adopted" relatives found here and there. Except the back looks like this and the stand is broken off. Any ideas?

I just have to wonder how old this is...

Now I want to show the dogs after I bathed them in the kitchen sink last evening.

Abi looks like she's had a bad perm!

They need a haircut. But I'm not about to try that again, after botching it once.

I also forgot to mention that it was Shannon from Cozy Home Scenes who made these darling little crocheted flowers for me, that I showed yesterday on my old collage window.

The sun is shining brightly today. But I've been worried about what's going on (or not going on) at Blogger recently.

First there's all the hoopla over Google soon getting rid of Picnik. (Geez, I make all my photo collages on Picnik!!!)

And there's the fact that readers email me almost every day, saying they can't see all of my posts. They keep disappearing.

I'm having terrible problems with the layout. I keep getting error messages whenever I click on tools. Yep, I'm getting a tad nervous...

I will be the first to say how much I love Blogger. Or have until recently. But I'm also worried over the bloggers that have recently lost their blogs. Can you imagine waking up one day and your blog has just up and disappeared?

What are your feelings, fellow Blogger bloggers? Are you worried about all this? Are you toying with migrating over to Wordpress.org? Which I thought I would NEVER in a million years consider doing. But I just don't know anymore...

Feedback appreciated on this current dilemma we Blogger bloggers are now facing.

Times are uncertain enough. I just want to know (and is that even possible?) that my blog can be a somewhat safe part of my everyday life.

Much Ado About Nothing Much

2012-01-22T12:01:00.000-06:00

I think it's going to be yet another hot chocolate day. It's gray and somewhat dreary outside.

I had wanted to participate in My Little Home And Garden's Sunlit Sunday. But I looked about my house, and not a shaft of sun was anywhere to be found. I looked outside; dark skies. And it's close to noon, so I doubt it's going to change much.

So I am showing a photo I took a few weeks ago, as at least it has sun. If you have sun in your neck of the woods, maybe you might want to participate. I envy you your shafts of sunlight...

I know. Kind of lame. I want some sun in my life! I am yearning for pots of colorful flowers!

Here is a photo before the leaves all fell off in my neighborhood...

I will have to rely on my occasional store-bought bouquets I allow myself. They are the sunshine in my day.

My youngest daughter and I had a wonderful lunch yesterday.

Then we took the Singer Featherweight by the sewing machine place. (Me thinks I'm going to start going someplace else.)

This place is not just a repair shop. It sells fabric and sewing machines and has classes.

I think I need a little somewhat dingy place like I'm accustomed to, with some elderly men that wear overalls (like I'm accustomed to). And know their sewing machines inside out.

First of all, the woman that waited on me said he was gone to lunch. Then she saw him and grabbed him before he made it out the door. I'm sure he wasn't happy.

He comes over and looks at the 1947 Featherweight, turns it over, scowls, then tells me he has no idea where that screw came from that I said fell out as soon as I got the machine home.

I start pointing out tiny holes that a screw could possibly go into. Nope, he says. How about here? I ask him, pointing to a place near the needle. He tells me I could put one there, but he wouldn't advise it.

What? I was really confused with that one. Nevertheless, he is knelt down and in a few minutes shows me the machine is working. I sigh, and say fine. I'm ready to head home.

My daughter is seated behind me. oblivious and on her iPhone, and needing to get home to host a baby shower.

(This is why I don't want a "smart" phone. First I don't want to pay the internet fees, as I rarely turn a cell phone on. Secondly, it would take up my life! I would miss the sun even should it put in an appearance!)

Some of you wanted to know what calendar I showed part of yesterday. I should have said. It is by Susan Branch. I ordered mine at Amazon.com.

Speaking of Amazon.com, I noticed that they have a subscription program for food and such. For items eligible for their Subscribe and Save program. I seem to eat a lot of Kashi cereal. Which is why I was looking in the first place.

I see they have lots of items I could buy in "bulk" and skip at the grocery store. And save myself both in driving costs and grocery bills. And it's free shipping on every order!

Do any of you use this program? I printed out all the details and shall peruse it in detail.

Seems you choose a date and they automatically deliver it and bill your credit/debit card. (I no longer use credit cards, so in my case it would be the bank debit card.)

It says there are no commitments, so I might try this. And you can change or cancel your subscription online at any time.

I hope to get some sewing done today. Then I will probably wait till Don goes to work this afternoon, call Claudia, and we'll sit down with our hot chocolate. Me in Oklahoma, she in New York, and chat.

When we're on the phone, I have Abi at my end causing trouble and making racket because she's angry I'm on the phone. And on her end is Scout, doing her best with her shenanigans. What is it about our female dogs? Our males are happy to snooze, it seems.

Thinking Of Spring Time

2012-01-21T09:57:00.000-06:00

Today my youngest daughter is coming to take me to lunch. And we need to take the 1947 Singer Featherweight back to the shop.

As soon as I brought it home and set it down, a tiny screw came out of nowhere and disappeared. Probably never see it again.

And something is still wrong with the tension. For $100, I expect better than that. So back it goes.

I could not for the life of me get the other sewing machine threaded back correctly after I had to wind some bobbins (knocked me off track; hate that).

So Judy from 20 Northora was kind enough to come get that right. Thanks a bunch, Judy!

The days have often been dark and gray. So I took off the cafe curtains I had on these windows on either side of the decorative fireplace, in order to get more light into my little living room. For now anyway.

I can recall a month or so ago buying this rather decrepit looking window, paint peeling terribly, from an estate sale for $15. It sat on my back porch in all its peeling glory for weeks.

Now I can't imagine not having it in here where I can enjoy it everyday. Isn't it funny how things endear themselves to you over time? Oh, I know it isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it is certainly mine!

I love to sit in the other (can't see it here) comfy chair, and stare at my little green touches of late. And dream of spring time.

I'm looking forward to garage and estate sales. Where I can dig through other people's cast-offs and ponder what to do with them.

I'll probably have to somewhat limit my search for things for the yard, as I've nearly filled this little house to the brim.

When the calendar is turned a few more pages. And the seasons begin to change yet again.

Welcome Wagon Friday 1/20/12

2012-01-20T09:58:00.000-06:00

Here we are at Welcome Wagon Friday time again.

Up for you this week I have:

Ivy & Elephants says they are moms, dreamers, visionaries and creators. Here's a look...

I love the way they put things together!

Sommerwhite is Gaby's blog. She lives in New Zealand. Her dream is to build and design her own house by the beach...

Her photos just relax me in their serenity.

With A Vintage Twist is a woman that has retired and loves vintage things and photography. (I sure agree with her there!)...

And she has some old cameras to prove it.

Please head on over and greet these ladies. Tell them we're here to make new friends far and wide. Welcome them to our ever-growing community.

Charmed For Sure

2012-01-19T18:23:00.000-06:00

Happiness is yellow flowers in a sky blue vase.

It is a little blue bird, and blue birds eggs. Oh, and blue rickrack of course.

It is a clean kitchen. Well, except for maybe slightly dirty floors. Okay, the whole floor needs mopping.

It is cherished photographs. Favorite books in an old sewing machine drawer. And a candle that's shaped like a seashell.

It is a nice handy hanging cup in the bathroom. Because there isn't room for one anyplace else!

It is white petals, delicate as lace. Filling the room with fragrance.

And it is an old friend that keeps sewing happily along, year after year.

Linking to Sherry's Home Sweet Home.

Thrifty Living 2012 Series

2012-01-19T05:02:00.000-06:00

In this series, there will be five women sharing the individual struggles they face economically with their families in a particular region.

Each week one of us, Claudia, Elaine, Jen, Diane and I, will feature a topic on how we are living more thriftily in the year 2012. Then the rest of us will add our own paragraph or so on how we apply that to our own lives.

We run the gamut. I am the only single family household. Claudia and Don live with their two dogs in New York. Elaine and her husband have a small daughter and grown children in Southern California. Jen and Gar have just relocated to another part of Canada and are looking for their first house. (In fact I think they just found one.) Diane and Ron live in Florida and are retired.

My Introduction:

My name is Brenda, and I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I was raised in Oklahoma, but have been living in Texas. I was recently divorced this past fall. So I moved back here to be closer to my family.

I am renting a house that my oldest daughter (37) and son-in-law bought, as I didn't have the credit required. And I probably couldn't have afforded the rent on a house in a decent neighborhood.

I have always basically been a homemaker. It is what I love to do. I raised two daughters, and now am mom to dogs, Abi and Charlie Ross. I have two grandchildren I adore.

I don't have any prior job skills or resume that would make me a good candidate to get a job, at a time when people with great job skills can't find employment.

I don't have a road map as to what I'm going to be doing in the years ahead. I am hoping (and crossing my fingers!) that I can work from home.

I am getting some money from my ex for a few years. And now have started to make some money from blogging. But at this point it isn't enough to live on.

At 54, I am learning to pay the bills. (Thank goodness for automatic bill pay with the bank. And no stamps to buy.)

I am learning to budget and to save. I have made saving a necessary part of my budget.

My house is small, 1010 square feet, so the utility payments aren't very high. I am very careful with my money. I seldom allow myself to buy something unplanned.

I am happy living alone with my pets. I like the quiet, the solitude and time for reflection. After this big change in my life, I think it will take awhile to sort out my feelings and find my way.

Next week, we will delve more into our own unique financial struggles in 2012.

Flowers For A Gray Afternoon

2012-01-18T15:24:00.000-06:00

Sometimes all it takes to perk up an otherwise gray winter day is treating yourself to a bouquet of flowers.

Today was errand day. When I write down all my errands and go to the grocery store and such.

At the grocery store, I told myself I could have a treat. A magazine or some flowers. The flowers won out, as you can see.

Every time I show these dishes, I am asked what they are called. I got them at Marshalls. Then added to my small collection from Replacements.com.

On the bottom of each piece, it just says 222 Fifth New Country. They always bring a smile to my face.

And there's just something about them, with the tiny flowers tucked sweetly inside, that warms a soul.

Tomorrow the series Thrifty Living 2012 begins. All five participants will be introducing themselves to you.

I hope you enjoy this. I believe we are all having to cut back and tighten the belt and get by on less.

If you have ideas you'd like to see featured for living a more thrifty lifestyle, you can leave a comment on any of the blogs or send me an email.

Rustic Scenes & Random Thoughts

2012-01-17T11:01:00.000-06:00

It seems I can think more clearly out here. Away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

I swear it nurtures my soul to get out in the wide open spaces. I can look right through these tangled branches, and my life seems more simplified somehow.

I stare at the water, glistening at the bank's edge. Faintly reflecting the tall trees. And I see beyond the depths of so many things.

New friends walk up to greet me. So beautiful, so trusting. So endearing.

Grazing so peacefully.

Just an ordinary pasture. But I find it so soothing. I wonder what it would be like to live out here.

To see land as far as you could see. Blue skies far out over the horizon, where the two meet.

Curious horses. Big and small.

I think I shall try to find my way back here in the spring. When the leaves are green with promise.

When I can see it all again in yet another light.

(Note: If you were looking for The Small House series Claudia and I usually do, we will be scaling back. We'll be here again the first Tuesday of the month.
Thrifty Living 2012 begins this Thursday.)

Afternoon With Grammy

2012-01-16T14:19:00.000-06:00

It was a cold afternoon. So first we made muffins.

Banana nut muffins and blueberry muffins. Marley clearly prefers blueberry.

We have a special pink flowered Marley salad plate that is only used when she comes over. It is kept in the red cupboard next to the table.

And a cold January afternoon clearly calls for hot chocolate. With lots of marshmallows.

Of course the hot chocolate is a tad too hot, so we have to add a little ice before she can drink it.

Then she wants to play in Grammy's big button jar.

Grammy has old vintage tin measuring cups that are fun to use with the buttons.

Marley likes pink buttons best of all.

She shows Grammy the pink buttons she picks out of the big jar.

Finding pink buttons bring dazzling smiles that make Grammy smile too.

Cup Towels, Blog Problems & Coffee Deals

2012-01-15T13:43:00.000-06:00

This is what I've been busy working on yesterday afternoon and this morning. When I was a youngster, they were called "cup towels."

This is an example of what I will be selling in my upcoming Cozy Little House Shop at Etsy. Old-fashioned things for the home, with my own designs.

They are all backed with muslin. As I find muslin old-fashioned and to me looks good with everything.

I made them much like a pillow, turned it inside out, ironed, and then sewed a stitch all around the outside for reinforcement.

Each one has rick-rack sewn across the seam. Then I added lace across the middle of the rick-rack.

These don't have the absorbency terry cloth has. But I love the old-fashioned look of them. And they are 100% cotton.

My plan is to make fabric items, mixed with other things I create. I have made some pillow tops, for the average-sized standard pillow inserts you buy in the store. I plan on making pillow cases too. And other things you'd see from yesteryear. All, of course, with the flavor for which I decorate my little blue house.

Everything I make is an "original," because I've never used patterns. I just make it up as I go along!

When I get enough inventory made, I'll open the shop.

I wanted to announce that Diane from Lavender Dreams is going to be our contributor from the South for Thrifty Living 2012, representing retirees.

We are going to begin our series later this week. I had queries as to why the south wasn't being represented. And it was just an error on my part. I also didn't have anyone retired to represent that segment of the population.

When we begin our series, I will have a roster of which contributor is going to be focusing on what for their week. Then we will each add our own paragraph as to how that pertains to our area and lives.

My Keurig order for K-cups came in yesterday. It was a very good deal. I registered my Keurig at Keurig.com. They then sent me a coupon: buy two boxes, get two boxes free. My cost for about 100 cups of coffee was under $36 total.

Not only is their coffee great, but the hot chocolate is fantastic.

Now I have a blog problem I hope someone can help me with. About a week or so ago, I got emails saying that my blog was disappearing shortly after being loaded on their computers.

I had a blog designer look at the html. She couldn't find anything wrong. I took everything off and put it back on. Earlier in the week, I tried changing Templates.

Then a few emailed that they were then able to read it again. I don't know why, or what I did, or if I had anything at all to do with it.

So, feeling safe, I changed my template back to all white again, removing the colored border. And it was around that time that the emails started coming again. So I'm wondering if that had anything to do with it.

I've also had many emails saying they can't comment.

Does anyone know what is going on? I will gladly change my template back if that will fix it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Judy's Tips For A Successful Etsy Shop

2012-01-14T10:21:00.002-06:00

Everyone was curious as to how Judy has made her Etsy shop such a success in 10 months. So I interviewed her to hopefully give you all some answers.

1. Judy, when did you start your Etsy business?

Judy: I started my Etsy shop on March 1, 2011. I worked on the process for a couple of months before establishing Paypal. Setting up the header, etc.

2. What is the story behind your shop's name?

Judy: My shop is named 20 North Ora. This is the one and only address my parents ever had and the only home I had growing up. I have three sisters and my Mom was always home. Never worked outside our home. She was very involved in all of our activities. My grandmother, Nana, lived with us.

Between the two of them, we four girls were taught to sew, crochet, embroider, and do all sorts of arts and crafts. I still have my Betsy McCall doll, suitcase and patterns that I received on my seventh birthday. That is how I learned to sew.

By the time I was in Junior High, I was making all of my clothes. So, I thought my shop deserved to be named 20 North Ora.

3. What do you think you did in the beginning that has made your Etsy shop so successful?

Judy: I felt it was very important to have a large amount and a large variety of items to open my shop. I started with 100 items. And in the first few days, I sold ten items, and was elated.

4. What have you learned in the months you've had your shop, that you didn't know in the beginning?

Judy: I have learned that you must continually re-stock your shop with new and different things. If you go a few days with nothing new, clients have a tendency to not shop your shop every day. And you want them there every day.

5. What tips would you give someone thinking of opening an Etsy shop?

Judy: The biggest tip is to be thoroughly prepared and ready. Be ready with business cards with your Etsy address, your packing supplies, and a vision of having a lot of sales.

One thing I was not prepared for was the abundance of special orders for the Christmas season. I will definitely set an earlier closing date for Christmas sales next year.

6. What are the best shipping tips for an Etsy shop owner?

Judy: I pack my items in sturdy boxes, in a plastic zip lock bag or plastic bag if larger is needed. And wrapped in tissue. You don't have any idea when you start how many and what size boxes you will need. So be prepared. I use packing tape and make sure all edges are entirely wrapped. I suggest you get on real good terms with your shipping location.

I use Office Depot. They are about fifty cents more than the post office, but the wait is much shorter. And they are so much help. With the extra fifty cent charge, you do get an estimated delivery date and also a tracking number. I use USPS and Priority Mail, which is a little more expensive, but clients usually have their items in two to three days. And you cannot imagine how many convos I get talking about how fast they got their items.

7. What are your suggestions for getting an Etsy shop out there in front of prospective buyers?

Judy: I suggest telling everyone you know about your shop. Local and out of town. Also, if you have contacts with any bloggers, be sure and let them know you are opening a shop.

Before Christmas, I did do some advertising with some bloggers that had special offers for the holidays. Like buy one month and get one month free. I had a lot of hits from them.

8. What tips do you have to keep customers coming back to order from you again and again?

Judy: I think when you have a very well made item and something a little unique, you are going to have repeat customers. It makes me feel good because I know they really appreciate my work.

9. Anything you'd like to add that I haven't asked, to help newbies get started? And to give current Etsy shop owners encouragement?

Judy: I try to send a small gift with orders. Something you made inexpensively but to let your clients know you appreciate their business.

I must admit, I got behind with Christmas sales, but will be better prepared next year. I have already started on small gifts for next year. I also did a Christmas in July sale and listed at least one new item each day in July. I had a good response to that.

Then, throughout the year, I have specials. Like next week is Black & White week. I will put a new black and white item on each day next week.

Another thing is to be well ahead of the calendar. I have had Valentines items on since January 1st. You have to be a month or two ahead of a holiday.

Also, you really need to list care instructions for items. I also always say that if the item has small pieces, parts, pearls, buttons, etc., to use caution around small children.

10. What plans do you have for your Etsy shop for 2012?

Judy: I plan to be better organized for 2012. As I said before, I will have items made up way ahead of specials. I am working on gifts to be included as thank you gifts. I will have more Christmas items made up very early. I just hope this year is as good and even better than last year.

Thanks so much, Judy, of 20 Northora!

(Now you all know how she was able to take her earnings to now begin remodeling her kitchen. I had a lot of questions about that!)

Welcome Wagon Friday 1/13/12

2012-01-13T10:17:00.000-06:00

Just realized it is Friday the 13th... Well, I'll just put that at the back of my mind then.

It's cold in Tulsa, had temperatures in the lower teens last night. Today I took a shower and jumped into jammies. It will be a coffee and jammies type of day.

Here's my picks for this week:

Chateau Chic is a blogger in Leesburg, Virginia. Here's her place...

Is that not the very picture of elegance?

And I love this idea below!

Betsy Speert's Blog has the yard of my dreams. She is a decorating book author, and a has a little antique biz with her friend in the Boston Design Center. Here's a glimpse...

I want to pick that brick floor up with the pretties above it, and transport it to my dismal yard.

Yes, I'd say this woman knows a lot about which she writes.

Vintage Finds is Mallori's blog. She has Jarman Interiors and Antiques in Northport, AL. Take a look...

Is this not just the cutest? And she shows you how.

Love, love, love the flowers!

Baby, it's cold outside! So get a steaming beverage and visit these gals in their own little neck of the woods.

A Snowy Day In Tulsa

2012-01-12T12:31:00.001-06:00

Last night I lay awake in my bed listening to the wind howl. There was snow forecast. I was glad to have the dogs warming my feet.

Much has melted now, as it's after noon. The dogs had a field day.

I went outside with the dogs and stood on the back porch. I kept hearing a bird squawking loudly. Finally located it.

Look how long their coats are now. I haven't had them groomed since I left Texas. I'm the groomer now! They need more fur in this weather.

I gave them a bath in the sink the other day. Abi always looks like something left in the dryer too long, all fluffed out.

Charlie looks slightly perplexed about his yard domain.

My three year old granddaughter will be coming in a couple of hours to stay, while her mother shows a house. I'm sure she'll want hot chocolate. Maybe we'll bake something.

Here's a funny story her mother told me this morning. You see, Marley thinks Justin Bieber is her boyfriend. My daughter said she heard Marley yelling "Shut up, shut up," in her bedroom.

She went in and asked what was the matter.

Marley explained that Justin was on TV with other girls and they were close to him, and talking to him. "And he's my boyfriend!" Marley exclaimed. "They should go away."

My daughter explained that it was TV. Marley said it didn't matter.

Justin Bieber. I can't imagine the big attraction. But then I'm not a little girl.

Marley just turned three last month. She got on her pretend phone and invited him to her birthday party. When he didn't make an appearance, she was crushed. Oh, the heartbreak.

What must it feel like to have a boyfriend you're just sure shares your feelings. And there he is on full display talking to other girls! Oh my!

I've been playing around with some fabric combinations this morning. I suppose my daughter will have time eventually to help me. (I've put her in charge of making embellishments.)

But as soon as we get the sewing machines repaired and back here, real estate takes her in four different directions.

Well, it's possible Marley and I will end up cuddled in this corner this afternoon, dogs overlapping us, while I read to her. I make every character have different voices, and am very dramatic, so she likes that.

The dogs have no idea what's going on, but they must be near us and in the scenario!

And if I'm lucky, I might get some sewing in at some point.

Embellishing The Green Lampshade & A New Series

2012-01-11T13:34:00.000-06:00

There's something different in the above photo. Can you spot it?

Yes, I got busy with my hot glue gun this morning, in a burst of inspiration.

I think it was from all the fun yesterday I had with Judy, who has the Etsy shop North Ora. She picked me up and we had a grand day together. Fabric and antique shops (no, I didn't buy anything to show you), and then lunch at Olive Garden.

And of course, being as we were already at Utica Square, we had to wander down to stroll through Anthropology, and next to that, Pottery Barn. (I had to sign up to get those catalogs of theirs again.)

For those of you with Etsy shops, or those of you thinking about it, Judy has had great success with hers. And she hasn't been open a year yet.

Let's just say she's done well enough that she's getting ready to have her kitchen remodeled.

I am in complete and total awe...

I want to make another announcement. Next week four bloggers, me included, are going to be starting a new series called Thrifty Living 2012.

I think we are all feeling a huge pinch these days. I have chosen bloggers to hopefully cover many regions, so as to include most of you readers. They will share their unique challenges in their area. And their frugal tips on how they are dealing with it.

I will represent the Midwest. Claudia of Mockingbird Hill Cottage, in New York, will represent the Eastern part of the US. Elaine of Sunny Simple Life will represent the West Coast, living in California. And Jen of Muddy Boot Dreams will represent Canada.

We will have topics such as grocery buying, gasoline prices, housing. And each person will talk about this from the perspective of where they live.

I have tried to find different kinds of family units to represent thrifty living for this series.

I of course am newly divorced, just relocated, and am learning to live on my own with a reduced income. And having to figure out how to bring in money when I've always been a homemaker.

Claudia and Don are part of the entertainment industry. The reality TV shows, which I personally hate, have put Don out of a job. He has been an actor since he was 18. Now, years later, he's having to work at a rent a car place to bring in income. I find something very wrong with this scenario, folks.

Claudia is a dialect coach and works sporadically with actors in plays. She has been a professor. And is quite educated. But she's found it hard to find work in this economy in her industry. They are in a very worried place right now.

Elaine is a stay-at-home mom. She has grown kids, and she also has a young pre-school daughter. She lives in an expensive part of the country. She will tell us how she is struggling to make it all work, stretching the budget and finding frugal ways to do it with a family to take care of.

Jen and her husband have recently left one part of Canada for another. They have lived in a condo for years. Now, they are in search of their first house. Jen is not only a phenomenal photographer (I am proud to have one of her enlarged photos hanging in my dining room), but she's also a frugal gardener.

She managed to grow vegetables for them on a patio. She will have all sorts of tips on how you can feed your family, no matter how much space you may have.

So I hope this will be an informative series that will encompass many regions. And hopefully give us all ideas on how to make life work in this economy.

On a different note, I wanted to show you a close-up of these teeny-tiny squares I was once able to sew together by hand. I look at it now in amazement. How did I even hold those little pieces together long enough to sew them, much less see them, I often ask myself. Wouldn't happen now!

I told you I'd be adding soft touches of pale greens and yellows to my decorating. But I also thought it would be fun to take something nautical in theme, and bring some femininity to it.

Defending The Small House #7

2012-01-09T19:26:00.001-06:00

Controlling Clutter In A Small House

{Living Big In 1010 Square Feet}

This week Claudia and I are conquering clutter.

This is the small second bedroom where I blog, sew and do crafts.

There must be a place for everything, as there would be chaos otherwise.

Tip#1: Inexpensive shelving can keep clutter in check. And give a dedicated space to everything. It need not be expensive. I bought the black bookcase at Office Depot for under $70. And the red one at an antique mall for about $30.

The other thing I want to bring attention to are the two fold-up tables that came from Lowes. They were about $39 a piece. And they have become indispensable.

The Singers have just come from the repair shop. Where they were shined up, oiled and tuned. The other one I haven't had a chance to use. It was in my daughter's attic, a gift from her late grandmother when she was getting a new one.

This is my dining room. It is the only place for a table and chairs, so this is it for company.

Once again, you see how much I utilize shelving and storage like kitchen carts, etc.

The white cart is a coffee station. And the black sideboard is a cocoa station. A place for most everything in this tiny house.

Seeing as I don't have a pantry, a hall closet (the stacked washer and dryer went there), or a linen closet, I absolutely must have lots of stand alone storage to keep order.

Tip#2: Shelving is also a good place for all those extra plates you have that you just couldn't pass up!

The kitchen. Tiny. A small kitchen looks bigger if you take off the doors to the cabinets. Of course you want to be a neat person if you do that. Or you could just take a few doors off.

Tip#3: You can't possibly be neat all the time. So store the clutter in the below cabinets where doors can hide it. And put the good stuff above.

Tip#4: Who really uses that space above the refrigerator for items they use often? I would think not many. So put pretty things there that would look like clutter on the counters.

Since I am the only person living here, I can keep things pretty organized and neat. Yet have everything I want at my easy disposal. Such as the laptop you see on the decoupaged antique cart next to my chair.

Tip#5: This cart can be used for a variety of things. Being on rollers, I can take it to another room. But this gives me a dedicated space for my laptop. Which I happen to always seem to use while sitting in this chair with the dogs.

I can easily plug it in if the battery is low, as that's just behind the chair, where I can just reach down while sitting and use it.

I have little storage for quilts. So I fold them up and put them underneath tables. Such as you see with the red decoupaged table next to the couch. And the one over by the chair.

This way I can enjoy looking at them, and yet they're out of the way.

Tip#6: It's practically mandatory in a small home to have furniture that is also storage. Such as the trunk. If you had clutter that you wanted to hide because of unexpected guests, you could quickly shove it in the trunk!

However, I store framed family photos in this trunk. And rotate them about the house.

And what would I do without shelves for my books. Finally a bookshelf being used for what it's made for in my house!

Tip#7: To keep clutter at a minimum, consider some vintage wooden boxes, wire baskets, and repurposed sewing machine drawers to contain books and such. This makes it very easy to dust around and not have to move everything.

I keep magazines I haven't read here on the trunk/coffee table. To keep clutter down, I trade magazines with my daughters when I've read them. Unless they're keepers.

Tip#8: What do you do with the keepers if there are pages you just can't do away with? Well, I often tear the pages out and put them in notebooks. This helps me find what I am looking for easily.

A reader asked me what to do about books about holidays, such as Christmas idea books. Just before I moved here in the fall, I gave away probably half of the books I owned. Some were holiday books.

Sometimes you just have to take a deep breath, and choose your favorites. Or tear out the pages and put them in notebooks, as I do magazines.

I know, hard to tear a page out of a book. Who would want it after that? Well, maybe students doing decoupage art projects, for instance. You could ask a nearby school if they have need for these books with torn-out pages.

It is easy for me to keep clutter at a minimum, because I'm the only person living here.

Tip#9:

But what I abide by is: A place for everything, and everything in its place. That works for me.

Now head over to Claudia and Don's place in NY to see how she conquers clutter at her place with two people living in a small space.

Over and out from 1010 square feet at the little blue house in Tulsa!

Hot Chocolate Days

2012-01-09T12:33:00.000-06:00

Every day about 3 p.m., something tells me I need a cup of hot chocolate. Having the Keurig makes this such a fast little treat. I truly love these Cafe Escapes.

So I'll just pop one of the little K cups in, and within a minute, I've got steaming hot chocolate. I curl up in my chair with the dogs. And usually I'm either talking on the phone to Claudia or Nola.

My Susan Branch calendar finally arrived. It was part of the order I got with the gift certificate provided by a wonderful reader.

I also got a teapot, two novels, a book on decorating and one I'd been wanting on gardening.

I think it is the bird on the front of the calendar that appealed to me.

Speaking of which, look what I found the other day when in Hobby Lobby looking for rickrack...

Of course I can't go into Hobby Lobby without strolling the 66% off clearance aisles. Where I came upon this tray.

Now I didn't need this tray. It was not a necessity, which is what I aim for more these days. But the birds on it captured my heart. As well as the scalloped edges.

I happily doled out the $6 for it.

I got five emails over the weekend stating that readers could bring up my blog, but then it would disappear. Of course if you're one of those individuals this is happening to, you probably can't read this post.

I worked on this blog over the weekend, trying my best to figure out this dilemma. I have gotten several emails saying this problem is fixed. If it isn't, please let me know.

I don't know what I did to fix it, or if it's fixed for everyone. But what I finally did was take things off, and then add them back again a little differently, if that makes any sense.

Remember tomorrow Claudia and I are tackling clutter in a small house.

Marriage, Men & Guilt

2012-01-08T13:08:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was a contemplative day. It always is when I'm out in the country taking photos. Visiting quiet places like cemeteries. Viewing pastoral scenes.

In my discussion of women loving or not loving living the single life yesterday, I found the comments very interesting. Women that lived alone seemed very content. Women that were married extolled the virtues of the marital state.

What I find rather vexing is what seems to me the differences in men and women when it comes to guilt. I'm not saying that men don't feel guilt. But that women, being nesters, seem to be more compelled by it in their decision-making.

I found this quote rather apt: "Men's minds are too ingenious in palliating guilt in themselves." - Titus Levy

It seems to me that men deal with guilt differently than women do. Or perhaps it is that men don't feel guilt the same way women shroud themselves with it.

Men often seem able to trade in wives like cars.

Do you find this to be so?

One wife dies. And before you know it, her successor has moved in. Lock, stock and barrel.

Is it true, do you think, the theory that Dominique Browning had in her essay I linked to yesterday, that men cannot live alone?

Are they hard-wired to look at it in some primal way? While we women approach it with more emotion?

I strolled for some time through this cemetery, pondering these questions. Small gusts of wind gathered mounds of dry leaves on the ground, and scattered them across the markers.

Obscuring names and dates and lives ended.

Men seem to need women more than women now seem to need them. Perhaps it is the thought of the woman completing the embodiment of their vision of what home should be.

Are we there to tie ends in loose ones left dangling by a deceased wife? Or chosen because marriages end, and men want continuity?

For some men, the lies slip so easily from their tongues. And still, they seem to sleep so peacefully.

Why is it women feel guilt so deeply?

Here is how I feel when it comes to guilt:

"You wear guilt
Like shackles on your feet,
Like a halo in reverse."
- Depeche Mode (Halo)

When it comes to guilt, I feel submerged by it. It covers me like water, and I find it hard to breathe.

I don't know that I can ever again delve into that quagmire of emotions that can, oftentimes, prove so disastrous.

Which leads me back to men and guilt.

Why does it seem so easy from them to walk away from their families? To spread shame to them like peanut butter being smoothed upon bread?

Think John Edwards here. A man that seemed a bright shining star to me once. And then burst my balloon so suddenly, by the poor judgment he used in fathering a child while his wife suffered cancer.

Is a man's conscience simply different in some way from that of a woman's?

"When lovely woman stoops to folly,
And finds too late that men betray,
What charm can soothe her melancholy?
What art can wash her guilt away?"
- Oliver Goldsmith

So many secrets sit in this, and any cemetery. And like life itself, some stones sit more crookedly than others, for whatever reason.

It all ends right here. In a desolate country cemetery. Winter limbs reach toward the sky like they are offering entreaties, in supplication of deeds that can never be undone.

The wind whips around me and the sun is shining through the bare trees. Diffusing their existence, seemingly absorbed by the light.

And I walk away. There are no answers that satisfy me.

Perfectly Contented Living Alone

2012-01-07T10:24:00.000-06:00

The other night here in my little nest, I found myself thinking about my new role as single woman. The fact is, I'm not remotely interested in dating at all. Probably ever.

I wonder if I'm in a very small minority?

Though studies currently show people are not very enamored of "hitching up wagons" and getting married these days.

I don't have a crystal ball to peer into my future. But I'd say the chance of my ever dating again, much less get married, is about equivalent of my going to the moon.

I just don't feel it anymore. The need for male companionship.

Just completely don't feel it.

I felt totally different in my younger years. I loved the attention of men. I enjoyed sharing my life with them.

Maybe I'm just more selfish about how I spend my time now, as I get older.

Just not feeling it...

I know of very happy marriages without constant storm clouds on the horizon. One such marriage is that of Claudia and Don.

After two decades, they still have fun together. If you haven't seen this video of them, you absolutely must! I watch it on a regular basis. To assure myself that this thing called love without constant discord truly does exist.

Sometimes watching this makes me cry, it is so beautiful watching them together. Silly it is, but utterly charming.

Sadly enough, I have never felt that free kind of love they exhibit. My tree's branches just never crossed over and united itself with another, as theirs obviously has.

Perhaps free is the operative word here.

In my little blue house, alone with the dogs, I feel a part of me stretch out and yawn, that I don't feel when others are around.

I like that when I go to sleep, I don't hear someone else breathing next to me.

It is as though I've wrapped a cocoon around myself, and am just not willing to let a man into my world again.

I feel safe wrapped up tightly as an infant just out of the womb.

And so I urge you to go read this excellent article from Dominique Browning in the NY Times. Perhaps it will resonate with you, as it did with me. Maybe not.

But the enjoyable read from this phenomenal writer is worth heading over there, I promise you.

Thoughts on marriage or single life? I'd be very interested in reading them.

Welcome Wagon Friday 1/06/12

2012-01-06T11:02:00.000-06:00

I'm moving rather slow this morning. Or rather, I should say things have been hectic and I'm slow on this post.

Abi's so angry with me for being gone yesterday, that every time the phone rings (and naturally it's your insurance agent and not a personal call), she yaps to high heaven and I cannot hear myself think. Much less hear.

And then they missed a bit of information and called back.

Abi went into her high-pitched angry bark I'm-not-allowing-this-conversation once again. And I scurried around in my house shoes (yes, I wear my house shoes whenever possible) trying to shush her while the agent sat there on the other end, laughing at the comedy.

So it's been one of those mornings!

Here's my picks for this week, after all that info you didn't care to know about.

Remade Simple is Kristina's blog. She likes to use recycled materials, repurpose, and revamp. (Hey, I really like that word!) Here's a glimpse...

This is before one of her revamps...

And here is after...

(Love, love, love that shade of yellow! That's the color I want to incorporate into my house.)

Little Vintage Trailer is just cute as a bug's ear! She calls it "happiness on wheels." And after seeing what she's done with it, I wholeheartedly agree. Take a look...

This is her cute little logo...

And just look at this cuteness!

Thistlewood Farm is the story of how this family that was looking for a house found their home. And they pondered it and pondered it. And finally, she says, they just took the scary plunge and jumped.

Oh my! Wish I could have jumped along with them!

Love her collections!

Take some time and go over and greet these women. Welcome them to the blogging neighborhood.

I just read once again the term "shelter" bloggers this morning. And the other day when I was writing about this topic, without even thinking, I wrote something like "we who write about hearth and home."

And I rather like that. That's what we do. Write about hearth and home. Which to me evokes the feeling of love and family and caring. And a feeling of coziness and warmth.

So welcome three more to our community of women who write about hearth and home.