A step backwards or confessions of a scrapaholic

I went to another LSS trash to treasures sale today, just to check out the store (no, really!). I hadn't been there before so I wanted to check out the space before I signed up for their next sale. I think I'm going to try to do one more LSS sale, list a few things on 2 Peas, then just do a big donation dump. Let's see how much more I can get rid of this year. Unfortunately, there were some good deals and I added to my stash:4 small Bazzill packs (perfect for cardmaking), 12 punches, paper crimper (can you believe I don't have one?), and 4 Catseye chalk inks. Not bad for $9. Just the paper or ink would have $8. I have no idea where I'm going to store the punches though. Sigh.

And in case you noticed the straw bale in the photo, yes, we have straw bales in the backyard. I plan on using it for mulch.

Kale chips

I made kale chips over the weekend and brought them into the office to share with my coworkers. It seems I've started a kale chip addiction since the chips went fast and there were several requests for the "recipe." Sorry, no photos, but if you search for "kale chips." you'll find lots of food bloggers doing it. ;)

1. Wash and dry kale (the drier the better; I used my salad spinner to dry the kale).
2. Remove stems. You can save them for stock or add them to your compost heap.
3. Tear leaves into bite size pieces (not too small because they'll shrink a lot).
4. Coat leaves with olive oil. I probably used just over a tablespoon to cover one large bunch of kale. I used my hands to rub in the olive oil. If you toss the leaves, you'll need more olive oil to coat the leaves.
5. Spread leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet.
6. Bake at 275 or 300 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. About halfway through, shake the baking sheet to make sure the leaves are evenly distributed and not covering each other. (I used my large toaster oven and had to bake the chips in two batches.)
7. Add sea salt or other seasonings. Note that some people add the seasonings with the olive oil. I'm not sure how the flavor will differ.

Enjoy!

100 things challenge, day 49 update

I made a small dent in my scrapbook stash at the scrapbook trash to treasures sale. It was at a different store than the previous ones I participated in and there was a lot less traffic. I don't know if that was because of the store or the economy. At the previous sales, the sellers were mobbed. At this one, the buyers just trickled in. After subtracting what I bought (oops!) and paying for the table, I barely made a profit. Not really worth the day (okay, half day) I spent doing this. I was disappointed, but if I think about this being the third time I did this and I didn't add much to the "sell" pile, it wasn't too bad. The good part is more stuff is gone.

I have no idea how many things I got rid of, but I'll guess 40 items. A couple were bigger items (album, ink pad holder), but the majority were smaller items (embellishments for 25 cents, paper 8/$1). At least I'm ahead of the challenge count.

Got more things listed on Craigslist, but no bites. I heard someone on a money talk show saying this was a bad time to sell anything because lots of people are trying sell off their own stuff and lots of people don't have money after spending it at Christmas.

scrapbook stuff

total gone 63/100

Gone in 60...

minutes. Mr. Awesome (I mean Mr. Fix-it) listed an old steel tub on craigslist and received three emails/phone calls in five minutes. I guess people want old metal to sell for scrap. Mr. Fix-it told the first caller he'd drag it out to the curb and for the caller to just come by whenever. The caller said "not too close to the curb" because he was afraid that someone else would come by and steal it! As Mr. Fix-it was cleaning out the garage, he found some old steel shelves and gave those to the guy also. I didn't know that metal recycling was such big business, though Mr. Fix-it's dad used to make regular trips to the metal buyers, just small household stuff.

old shelving
old tub
2 file folders of paperwork
pile of magazines

total gone 23/100

We're pretty far behind since this is day 44 of the challenge. On the plus side, Mr. Fix-it is totally on board with this and listed several more things on craigslist, just no bites yet.

Resistance is futile

Remember my one-in-one-out rule? I kept up with it the first half of last year and continue to do so with clothes and stuff for the house. But scrapbooking supplies? Sigh. My biggest downfall. Like these American Crafts ribbon (and they're propped up against my AC ribbon box). I got these at Tuesday Morning, but these 24 spool lots are also showing up on all the daily deal scrapbook sites if you can't resist either.
And Thickers? Another sigh. Even if they don't stick as well as they should, I still love 'em. Big Lots got another shipment in. Can't you see these on some pages for my nieces? Never mind that I didn't scrapbook a single page last year.
And last, but not least, I found these new goodies at the local scrapbook store. She was having a midnight madness sale and I ended up buying yet more patterned paper (10 for $1!). Plus everything else was 25% off. I had heard of Candi, but wasn't sure they they were. They're made of heavy paper so I think they'll be easier to use than brads for a little pop of color. And the lss owner said the Viva pens work better than Stickles and Liquid Pearls (dry faster, easier to use).

I haven't gone broke buying this stuff, but I don't have anywhere to store it either.

Sometimes it is the little things

Yay for coupons! I was thrilled to get three inserts in Sunday's paper. What a great way to start the year. I've even got them clipped and sorted already. Let's hope I'm just as efficient the rest of 2012 (although it did take me an extra day to post this, hmmmm).

$3.49

I thought I'd go back to tracking gas prices because 1) I'm finally inputting some old receipts, and 2) when they go through the roof this summer, I can look back at this prices with wishful thinking, lol.

(Don't be confused if you subscribe to my blog. I'm backdating some gas price entries.)