Page by Page

Recent....


I have been away from the computer and blogging for two weeks now!  My time has been filled with bags, bags, and more bags!

I had my first "trunk show" earlier this week and wow...those things are work!  But, I must say, also a lot of fun!  A dear friend in a town near me has a lovely antiques store and hosted the show.

Mom and Carolyn made cookies, cheese balls, hot and cold drinks.



Invitations were sent. People came! 

Bag Lady went along to do her part ( and was very well behaved)

We had door prizes, food and fun!  Bags were sold and bags were ordered! Yipppeeee!

My heartfelt thanks to all involved!

B & B take a walk...


I have been very busy for the last couple of weeks trying to get holiday bag orders filled.  All those hours at the machine makes me stiff and sore.  I decided that I would stop every afternoon and take a walking break to help keep me going. Nothing long and hard, just down the hill to the creek and around the pond bank and back up to the house.  Fresh air and sunshine!

Day one went well. I think that both my brain and body were in shock from the unexpected and so neither one had much reaction.  Today was day six or seven ( not sure which ) and both B & B now have different thoughts on the matter.

Brain: "Yippeeee....here we go"

Body: "Oh Noooooo, not again!  I thought we had convinced her to stop this nonsense"

Brain: " Oh no you don't!  I'm on her side and so I plan to do all I can to make sure she never gives in to your baby whining and sabotage attempts! "

Body: " I thought for sure we had her when she couldn't catch her breath trying to climb back up that hill!  Yeah, and what about that tight pain in her back when she had to stop and bend over a minute to work it out.  Hey, how about those leg cramps and stomach pains? Those really should've done it!

Brain: " do you not realize that she does this for you stupid.....if she just keeps sitting there and doesn't work you every now and then you won't be going anywhere because you won't be able to move!!"

Body:  "But we don't like it! And we don't like you either for getting us into this mess!"

Brain:  "Someday you'll thank me!"

Brain:  " By the way...I'm the one who whispered that we should get that square of chocolate when we're done!"
 
 

Unexpected treasure !


If you've spent any time at all reading this blog you know that I love treasure.  You also know that I consider some things treasure that others would consider trash!  

 Collecting is fun as long as you don't let it get out of hand.  One thing that I seem to have started collecting is dictionaries!  I have spell check (thankfully) but I reach for my dictionary first!  Why?  I love books!

  All these new E readers that everyone raves over....nope....not me!  I know that we should never say never but this is one time that you can bet and take the money to the bank. I will never be an E reader person!  I want the touch of turning the pages, the feel of the book, the smell, everything that does not come with an E reader. And, you don't find unexpected treasure tucked inside and E reader.

While looking up a word in my favorite, old, dictionary I found the following tucked inside...








I know you can't understand why I consider this treasure. Here's the thing, the calendar is 1975!  The year Hubby and I got married.  This little piece of paper has been safely tucked away for 37 years and has not a yellow spot, nor tear.  All the holidays from that year are circled in red.  Memories!  Of what I was doing that year.  Simple, not a money maker, but a treasure just the same!

Would it be awesome to find a treasure that was worth gazillions????? Sure!  However, that more than likely will not happen and so I will continue to be content with, and keep watching for, and recognize....unexpected treasure! 
    

Color


Southwest Arkansas isn't a place that's known for " beautiful fall foliage".  But this year we do have a little color here and there! I am blessed to live in the country and so as I look out this is what I see.






















After almost three years of drought, God blessed us with enough rain this past summer that we now have color on the land.  Not a lot, but enough to make you smile and remember!  Remember who gave it and thank him for it!  I love where I live and I am truly blessed in life.  We need to always be thankful.  In the face of adversity we can be thankful that God will get us through if we ask for, and rely on, his help and guidance.

Look up and all around you today and see how blessed you are! 

Request


I haven't shown you a bag in a while and so I thought now would be a good time to get caught up and share some of my latest projects.

I am not a fan of "specific" special orders.  I much prefer to just make a bag and then sell it or (my favorite) give it to someone!  But, since the name of the game is also about making extra money I (usually) have a very difficult time saying no!  Recently I had a request for two bags.  She asked for a Razorback bag and one for a gift for someone who loves cats!!! I agreed.  Hummmm! Cats....well great....now what am I going to do?  Cat fabric?  Too cutesy...too artsie crafty.  And so, I head to my favorite, local, thrift store.  And there it was.  I couldn't believe my luck.  price?  $1  Yipeeee.....I was in business!

This awesome, black, felted wool vest.  A name brand too. (not that it mattered) Perfect condition. Even has a small stuffed heart charm hanging from the zipper!  My mind flew into speed drive, couldn't get home to my scissors fast enough!

A little cat surgery and Ta DA.....
A cute, classy, cat bag for a very special lady!

Funny thing was....

It turned out that the vest belonged to my sister who claims that she offered me the vest weeks ago and I turned her down then went to town and bought it.  Okay, in her defense, she's right!  But, she needs to learn to be more specific when offering me clothing to cut up.

  " Hey, I have this really cute vest with a big white cat on the front.  Would you like to use it to make a bag?"

 



 

Important Stuff


Hubby Honey and I needed to make one of our never ending trips to WalMart last night!  UGH!  I hate it, he loves it.  So, I grab a buggy, put my purse in and start down the aisle.  Hubby grabs the buggy, "here, let me have that"!  He insist on pushing the buggy, (and he says I'M a CONTROL freak) so, I take my purse out of the buggy.  And he wants to know why?  I tell him I don't trust him to watch my purse.  Well....He would just "like me to know that he is trusted in his job to watch over thousands of dollars each day and I don't trust him to watch my purse"!

What can I say?  My purse is important and sometimes he doesn't pay attention! If you look in the Once Was section of my blog you'll see that I made this bag out of an old denim jacket of his. It's a one of a kind and even though I've worn the lining out and it needs a re-do the bag is great and I enjoy carry it. I don't want it lost or stolen.
And what about all the "possibly irreplaceable"stuff inside?
Gum bag....holds gum and empty wrappers!
Expired coupons from Bed Bath and Beyond!  You do know they will let you use them expired or not!
Tissues...(please excuse the glare)
Burt's Bees, lipstick, first aide, lotion, tooth picks....I'm telling you this purse is worth a fortune in just "stuff" alone!!!!!!
What if I need to write down a bag idea?
Hey...don't laugh!  You've seen those game shows where they ask you to dig something odd out of your purse in exchange for cash!
What if you see a yard sale and stop? Digging for treasure? You might need to clean up after!!!!
Last but not least....money!  Not much! But I like to know it's there if needed!

Now do you understand why I grabbed my purse out of the buggy?

I know, that's what I'm saying too! A girl has treasures, she needs to protect them!




1+2+3= happy,happy,happy


1. Dumpster
Rented and placed down at the shop.  Permission from Hubby Honey to use.

2. Hubby out of town
"while the cats away..." the wife will throw out trash.

3. Trash
 Not the kitchen trash. I'm talking the "we've had this forever, haven't worn it in forever, never going
 to miss it, good for nothing, forgot about it years ago kind of trash. Now, here's a suggestion....if you
 get the opportunity for this type of clean up, put ALL your trash in BLACK garbage bags!  If your Hubby is like mine he may look over inside the dumpster and decide to pull something back out.  That has happened here before. Now, I know he's going to read this so I must confirm to him and tell you, that I promised to throw away nothing of importance or anything that was special. I kept that promise.....I promise! I cleaned, purged, organized, and made myself so very happy.

As you know, my logo for my business cards and bag tags is my lovely dumpster diver. But I had old clothes and other items that even MY imagination couldn't do anything with.

 Now I have bedrooms that look like bedrooms. Beds that you can actually sleep on. Rooms that you would not be ashamed to see. A sewing room full of items all neatly folded and easy to find. 

And so...I am, "Happy, Happy, Happy" and will have new bags to show you soon! 

ps...I must admit that I've thought of one or two items that I kinda', almost, sorta' wish, I hadn't put in there!  But, what can I say except....... BLACK bags! 

Who wants pie?


I know that I told you yesterday that I "hate to cook"  and I do.  Just not my thing!  So, you are not going to understand the following.  I don't even understand it!

Yesterday while coming home from running errands I decided to surprise Hubby Honey with homemade apple pie! (must have been the weather) I'm talking make my own crust even. I haven't made pie crust since who knows when....Mr. Pillsbury is a good friend of mine.

And so...

Pictures are for proof of process!
So far, so good...
Now, here's where I need to tell you something.  I followed the EXACT recipe for the crust. However, when it came to the apples, sugar, butter and flour for the filling....Uh Oh! (just remembered I forgot to add cinnamon) Oh well....tooooooo late!  Anyway, with this part of the pie I fell back into the same "dump" method that I use with my soup!  Ha...didn't work out quite the same!
Poor poor pie.  Just looks pitiful and doesn't taste much better either.  Hubby was proud of the effort I think and I keep telling him ice cream will help!!!!!!  I'm thinking I get an A+ for effort. 

In a conversation over coffee and apple cake this morning, ( you don't have cake for breakfast? WOW!  I thought everybody did that...probably what's wrong with the world today) anyway, I told him that I was a much better "cake" baker than a "pie" maker.

His response...

Silence!!!!!! 
 


Coffee, tea, me


This tale could take time so grab a cup of coffee or tea and read on!

I hate to cook! 

Have you ever watched any of those old "Ernest" movies? Ernest goes to Jail? Ernest...this or that...can't remember the name of the comedian who did them but they were funny.  In one segment Ernest and his son sit down at the table, fork and knife in hand, asks his wife..."what are we pretending we're havin' for supper today Ma?"  Hubby Honey ask me that all the time.  Tammy Honey, "what are we pretending we're having for supper today?" The thing is, he sometimes ask me that in the morning before work!  Now, it's early, we're having our coffee, the day has hardly begun and he's concerned about this.  He tells me that it's because we should plan the meal ahead of time. If you're planning to cook something that's in the freezer you will need it to have time to thaw! DUH! I know that...but...

I like the idea of pretending better!  If we pretend then the skies the limit to our menu.  Lobster, steak, stuffed mushrooms, pie, and on and on we go.  All we can eat! No calories at all! Imagine how thin we could be and my favorite part, no clean up!  Yea!  I think we should give it a try.

Cleaning is another thing I don't care for.  I do it! Mostly when I have too, but I have NEVER in my life started a day with, " Yippeeee, today is cleaning day!" Nope, not even once!

Now, having filled you in on the above you might find the following hard to understand!

I like to have company! Yes, I know that cleaning and cooking both are usually involved.
But, I think I may have come up with the perfect solution.

The congregation where we worship is having a Gospel Meeting this week and the guest speaker has been a friend of ours for years and so I signed up to have him for dinner last night.  Usually when you feed the visiting preacher you invite others to join you.  After giving it some thought and "thinking" out loud with my Mom, the perfect dinner came about!

Invite:  Widowers....men don't care about dust on shelves...they don't see the shelf...much less the dust!

Cook: Soup!  I love to make soup. I think it has to do with the fact that it's not an exact science. Just dump and go! (I can make really good soup)

Take home treats:  I got carry out drink boxes from our local Sonic and fixed each one more soup, cornbread and two kinds of cake to take home and have later!

I must tell you that I really enjoyed preparing for and having this company! I cleaned, (just didn't stress over it), I cooked, (just kept it simple)!

Now comes my favorite part!  Today! 
No cooking, No cleaning! Just enjoying what's been done!

And when Hubby Honey ask me, "what are we pretending we're having for supper tonight" He'll get that look that he claims all girls learn from birth!
 
 

Memories


A few months back I shared with you about the death of my cousin Andy.  I showed you how that I had taken some of his jeans and made a weekender bag for my Aunt.  If you read that post, then you know that Andy was a fireman with the Monroe, LA Fire Dept. and was loved by family and friends alike. In this post I want you to see the quilt tops I made using his shirts.  Each of his children picked out their favorite shirts that held special memories of their Dad.  The tops are now being quilted by a very special group of women who use the proceeds to send children to camp in the summer.
Logan's Quilt
This is the quote from Andy that is on his tombstone!
AnnaKate's Quilt
I took the leftovers and made a bag for his wife, Tammy
Inside of the bag is Andy's jeans!

We don't need tangible items to help us remember those we love. However, I believe that on a cold night, snuggling under a quilt made from shirts he wore, his love for them will be felt and brought closer in bright, vivid memory to have and hold forever!

Treasure in a box!


Have you ever stumbled on something that is so much fun, a true treasure, a real find, something you absolutely love?  Don't you just love when that happens!

While wandering the aisles of a local flea market, I just happened to look down at my feet and there it was!!!!!  A true treasure!  Price...$25...Yipeee...I couldn't wait to take it up front and get more details.

Then comes the bad news.  You plug it in and can't get it to work properly!  (Frown, Frown!)  And so, you make an offer of $15 and you think, that's not too much money if your purchase turns out to be a dud.  You don't really think they'll accept the offer, but, once again, Yipeee....they take your money and you runnnnn with your new treasure.  And guess what?

It works!  Like a dream!  Your new treasure is truly a treasure!  It makes you smile and helps with your hobby! Awesome!
Under this box is my new treasure.
A  1954 New Home sewing machine!
Weighs a ton, sews like a dream and is awesome!

Just so happens that the friend who was with me when I found my treasure was born in 1954...looks like they made a lot of things to last in those days! 

Bags, bags, bags


Jeans, ribbon, fabric, imagination and time!

I have a lot of the first four items, just not enough of the last one!

Wasn't there a song about Time in a Bottle ?

What if Walmart sold Time?

Until that happens....just put on your running shoes and get going! 


Anniversary


Thirty-seven years ago today Hubby Honey and I were married!  

Wow!  37 is a pretty large number!  A sweet, elderly lady at church told me the other day that she thought I was only 35! As we say down south, "Bless her heart".  I did mention she is elderly and I'm sure her children need to have her vision checked! 

This is a bittersweet day for me! We got married on Mom and Dad's 19th wedding anniversary.  For the past 37 years we've always called each other to say "Happy day".  This is our first one without Dad and so, difficult! I have decided to give in to tears anytime I want today!  After Dad died someone who had lost his Dad told me, " the good ones are missed the most" and he's right!
  I will not put away thoughts of him today, I will let them come and linger for however long they need and I will shed tears for a life that's missed. I will rejoice that Mom and Dad chose each other and had the four of us.  I will rejoice in the fact that I have three sisters who share this grief with me. I will smile and laugh at things that are funny. I will notice beauty in the day. I will thank God for all he has blessed me with.

I love my Hubby Honey and I thank him the most for never giving up on me and for loving me always!

Happy 37 Honey!  Love you!


Auction !


In my previous post I shared with you about my recent trip. One day of the trip was spent at an auction.  Auctions can be fun and frustrating. Fun when things are going cheap and frustrating when a lady in a pink t-shirt out bids you on several things you want!!!!  If you're not careful you will begin to feel strong feelings of dis-like for someone you don't even know! And pink is one of my favorite colors!

One of the friends I was with had, get this, NEVER, ( I know....I was shocked) been to an auction!  Ok, I'm sorry, but everyone needs to have this experience at least once.

So, off we go!  The day is gorgeous and the auction is on a farm way, way, waaaaay out in the country!  Perfect day! As we are driving we begin to prepare her for the must do's!  Look around, see if you find things you might want and then get a price in your mind and determine that you will NOT go over your set limit. That way you don't cry all the way home because Hubby Honey is going to kill you! 

She did so good.  She looked around, set her limit and then spent the first little bit afraid to scratch anything!!! It was like trying to teach a baby to walk.  " Come on...you can do it....we'll catch you....promise!" And then, boom, she was off and running!  Bam, Bam, Bam and she had reached her limit and was done!  She sat in a lawn chair the rest of the day crocheting.  What we found out later was that she had set her over-all limit for the day at $30!  When she spent that she was done!  You have to admire a woman who only spends $30 at any auction.

I spent a tad more than that but not by much. 

Here's my favorite treasure find of the day!
A hand made tool cabinet. It was made by the owners Father-in-law. After a good cleaning it will look great on the wall in my family room!  I had set my limit for this between $65 and $75.  This was going to be my "treat"!  But....yipeeeee....I beat out "floppy hat woman" at just $24!!!!!!!!

Go to an auction....set your limit and have a blast!

 
 

Took a little trip!



The past few weeks have passed in a whirl wind! 

 Getting ready for a trip.  Going on a trip.  Coming home from a trip. 

 All three, fun, exciting, tiring and awesome!  Anticipation in the getting ready. Fun in the dreaming...(of treasures that await and memories to be made while spending time with sisters and friends!)

In this post I would like to share with you all the pictures taken during my trip.

Boring?

I'm offended that you would think such a thing!  

You'll be saved by the fact that even though I was careful to not forget my camera, it was never removed from my bag and not one single picture taken.

If you have a good imagination you can take the following information and picture the trip in your mind and the fun had!

  • Mountains of NW Arkansas 
  • Four woman in a car looking for any and all garage or estate sale signs
  • Food
  • Laughter
  • Food
  • Bargains...yard sales, estate sales and an all day Auction
  • Food
  • Treasure
  • Food....I know....that seems to be the number one item.  But, you must understand that we took advantage of being away from home and ate some really awesome food that we don't get on a daily basis. Italian, Thai (twice), Grilled shrimp and salmon, a wonderful place in Eureka Springs called Fresh Flavor, Pizza ,Ice cream and homemade pie....just to name a few!
The weight that may have been gained from all the food was offset by the pounds removed due to the laughter! As Opie would say, " we just laughed and laughed and laughed!"  About what?  Anything and everything!

A perfect trip!

Friends, Fun and Food!


What more could a girl want?




Promise made and kept!


Genesis 9:13-15

 "I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth,
It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud;
and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh." 

A promise being kept!
 

Two dollars and Time



Old fashion....and too big (thankfully) but...

love the fabric and it was only $2 and so...or should I say...sew

cut off the top, added an elastic waist and...

cute, new skirt!