Seven Reasons to Shop at Craft Shows

After spending the day at a Mother's Day Bazaar, I was disappointed at the trickle of shoppers.  I realize that it is in a fairly rural area, and that today is Friday, but I also think that lack of Craft Show Education might be a primary reason. 
1.)  Not all craft shows, holiday bazaars, festivals, fairs, and boutiques are created equal.  You need to shop to determine if the show is for you.  Some are all handcrafted articles, some are not.  Some are local artisans, some are not.  Some shows are juried, some are not.  But unless you attend, it is doubtful if you find out if this show is right for you or not.
2.)  Craft shows offer a supply of unique items that will individualize your decor as well as your gift giving.  Often artisans design their own products and they will be different from any that you would find in a department store. Anyone who receives a handmade gift will feel the love that went into it.
3.)  Craft shows support the local economy.  Many of the artisans at a craft show produce their craft as a primary source of income.  And they probably buy their raw materials locally. 
4.)  Since most artisans are self employed, there might be some wiggle room on the prices.  But don't insult a crafter by offering a ridiculously low price.  The artisan knows the amount of material and labor that goes in to each piece.  Each situation is different so you might start the conversation with, "Are you negotiable on the price?"
5.)  In most cases, you are dealing with an expert when you buy from a crafter.  After all, they most likely made the item, perhaps designed the item, and know any special uses or requirements for the item.
6.)  Most artisans welcome special orders.  So if you see a pillow that you would like created in a special fabric or color, a necklace with a different chain length, or a Christmas ornament personalized with your child's name, most crafters will attempt to honor your requests.
7.)  You meet the nicest people!  I have been doing shows for 16 years and have made friends, met caring, loving people, and have gotten great advice.  I have been shopping craft shows for even longer and have found that the patrons and artisans are the greatest ever!

So if you thought craft shows were just grannies with crocheted hats, paperclip necklaces, and stuffed animals, think again!  Today's craft markets require expertise and professionalism.  You may find those crocheted hats, but you will also find customized handbags, one of a kind collectibles and decor,  and specially formulated soaps and lotions.  Jewelry, fashions, and unique greeting cards can also be found. 

So get out of that rut!  Go shop a craft show!

Have you ever thought about chickens?

A few years ago, my husband decided he wanted to raise chickens.  He was the butt of many jokes, and everyone snickered, calling him Farmer Randy.  I was not a cheerleader.  But I have had a change of heart.  There is nothing like a fresh egg omelet, and nearly once a week we have breakfast for dinner.  Our neighbor sells her eggs, but we don't.  We give them to family and friends or barter for something.  And I am always asked to bring the deviled eggs to a potluck.  (Hardly any cost to me.)

Of course, we do buy feed so there is a cost involved but talk about being green!  Produce scraps, yard waste, even stale bread are all treats for our chicks.  And what do we get in return for the watermelon rind and carrot tops?  Manure!  Our gardens love it! 

Of course, you need to check your zoning.  And there is some work involved, feeding, watering, cleaning, etc.  So start small and raise some chicks!

What cha shopping for Wednesday...

Grocery ads are out today, at least in Denver and sale items have to do with Cinco de Mayo.  So even if you don't take advantage of the holiday, do take advantage of the sales.  Ground beef and avacados are on sale at Sunflower Farmers Market (avocados are 3/$1!) and some of the larger chains will be discounting the same next Wednesday.  Look for refried beans and assorted Mexican kits to go on sale next week too.  So you might want to stock up on some of the canned items then.

Be sure when you are shopping in your local market not to overlook the day-old section, usually at the back or corner of the store.  This is where baked goods, and some other items, particularly seasonal, are found.   Some items that are especially good are pastries, bagels, and some specialty breads.  Steer clear of doughnuts, cream pies, and any canned goods with dents.  If the pastry is a little stale, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds and it will freshen right up.  Toasted bagels will taste the same and are usually discounted up to half. 

Happy bargain shopping!

Monday Already

Hoping everyone had a blessed Easter.  Living in Colorado, ours may have been a bit different than yours:

I know, it looks more like Christmas than Easter.  And speaking of Christmas, I have a little recycling advice for you.  Do you send or receive Christmas cards?  I do and it seems like we get a ton.  But some are just too pretty to toss after the holiday.  So here is what I do:  I use the cards as gift tags.  Of course, you don't want to use anything with writing on it, and none of the family photos either.  But those with glitter, holiday scenes, etc are great.  I cut them with a pinked scizzors that I use only for paper, but you could cut them with any paper cutter.  Then use a hole punch and make a hole in one corner, and there you have it!  A green gift tag!  And you can do that with any card.  So if you have beautiful Easter cards, use them as tags for showers, gifts, or on next year's Easter baskets.  I may never buy tags again!

And I wanted to share one of my latest freebies:

This came in the mail Saturday.  It is a beautiful flask from Copenhagen that was personalized free for my son.  No $$$$$!!!!!!!!  There is no advertising on the flask, so it makes a perfect gift.  Aren't you just green with envy???  Sign up for freebies at Copenhagen's website.  You can also get $$off coupons for their products as well.

Peace on Earth, Goodwill.....

No, I am not singing a Christmas carol.  I want to talk about Goodwill Industries.  If you are on a budget, this might be your best shopping bargain yet.  I hope you aren't of the belief that there is just a bunch of junk that didn't sell at Garage Sales.  Not at all.  Goodwill is the recipient of overstocks, gifts from Grandma, and booty from Princess ShopsAlot.  I bought a brand new Liz Claiborne bag for $5!  Some of the best buys in the place are kids clothes, vintage decor and collectibles, holiday decorations, and furniture.  You can also find glass ware and dishes for a fraction of the original cost. 

And there is more!  Every day of the week, Goodwill Industries will discount a tag color by 50%.  For instance, all pink tags are 50% off marked price.  And if you want even more savings, sign up at their website for newsletters announcing special events and sales.  In addition, I got a $5 off coupon in the   mail to be used on a $20 purchase.  So in effect, I got that Liz bag for free! 

And yet one more thing.  Goodwill Industries is an employer of thousands, many of whom have physical or mental handicaps.  So by shopping(or donating) with Goodwill, you are saving money, helping the community fund jobs, and recycling.  Visit your nearby store or website.  Think of the good you are doing.

Friday thoughts

There are lots of ways to save money because so many of us are just plain wasteful.  But one of the quickest and easiest ways is at the grocery stores.  Couponing is a great way to save, but that is a tip for another day.  Let's just think about ads and membership cards.  Nearly every store has its own membership card.  I have worn out a couple over the years, but that's okay, nearly all are can be accessed through your phone number.  ALWAYS use your card, even if you are only picking up one thing.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  First, many of the stores track your purchases and you will either receive coupons in the mail or on-line via email for the items that you buy.  If you think that is too big-brotherish, you may be right.  But I am willing to sacrifice someone looking in to my grocery cart to save money.  The second reason is that many stores give discounts at the gas pumps based on your purchases.  If I can save $.10-$.50 per gallon, I will. 

Secondly, sign up for your store's emails or newsletters.  In Denver, ads hit the paper on Wednesday for grocery stores.  Sometimes you can get advance notice on ads, as well as special promotions.  And one of our chains (check where you live) sends out an email on Tuesday so you can plan a day in advance.  Sunflower Markets does this and then overlaps ads.  This means that on Wednesday, if you shop at Sunflower Markets, you can take advantage of last week's ads as well as this coming week ads.   And don't think for a minute because Sunflower Markets sounds too all-natural, Boulderish, that it is expensive.  Sure, you may pay a little more for specialty items, but in-season produce is sold at remarkable prices.  I have purchased pineapple for $.99, berries for $.77 and this week canteloupe is 4/$5 as is strawberries, mandarines and pineapple.

Another reason to sign up is that you can load e-coupons onto your membership card.  No need to carry all those coupons.  I know sometimes I buy something, forgetting I have a coupon, but if it is loaded on your card, no worries!  One of my markets also sends me frequent shopper discounts which normally result in about 10%.  I saved $18 on an order of $180!

So get to know your markets! 

Tip for Thursday

Last night when I got home from a pretty tough day, I was so overjoyed to see a package from Proctor and Gamble.  Inside was a full sized package of the Tide stain remover tabs and a sample size of liquid Tide detergent.  Freebies always make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, you know?  You may ask, how does she do it?  Easy!  There are websites that you can sign up for and daily you can get emails from them giving you the inside scoop on freebies, coupons and sweepstakes.  Two of my favorites are AllYou.com and MySavings.com.  Once you start ordering your free samples, you can also go into the manufacture's website and get access to even more samples.  Some of the things that I have gotten totally free are a stainless steel thermos, ball caps, dog food, detergent, shampoo, vitamins, a nettipot, and even an engraved flask.  Its kind of like Christmas every day when there are goodies in your mailbox.  In addition, you get coupons for $$ off or even additonal free merchandise from your department or grocery stores.  Go ahead!  Sign up!  And it is FREE, FREE, FREE!

Wednesday Tip of the Day

Do you recycle?  I know many of you save cans and newspapers and maybe even plastic jugs.  But that isn't all there is to recycling.  How about coffee?  Yes, I recycle coffee.  When there is just that smidgeon left in the bottom of the pot, I pour it into a glass jar and store it in the fridge.  I use it as an antique treatment on many of my crafts.  Mix in a little vanilla and cinnamon and you have an aged item that smells so good!  Its used best on fabric items that you want to give a country or primitive touch, but it can also be used on painted items as well. 

Tuesday Tip of the Day

Today I have a great tip of the day for you.....Declutter your life!  It may not seem that by getting rid of "stuff" that it is a savings but alas, my friend, you are so, so wrong.  If you are anything like me, you have no idea just how much of that "stuff" you have.  This is such a huge area, that I think it needs to be broken down into little mini-de-clutters.  So here is where I have to start:

I have been out of work for over a year and in that time, the only make-up that I have purchased has been mascara.  I had a huge stockpile of lotions, creams, eye shadow and liner, mineral and cream make-up, and the list goes on.  My sister is an Avon rep and I love the product but do you really need to buy one eyeliner of every color each time there is a sale? 

So here is how to start with the personal items decluttering:
    1. Sort and determine what you have.  You need to make three piles, or boxes or bags for sorting.  Keep, Toss, Donate.
          a.  Keep-even if you have 12 packages of deodorant, if they are still good, you might want to keep them.  Other things to keep are fragrances, lotions, bath oil, and any makeup that you wear/have worn and will wear again.
          b.  Toss-broken lipsticks, mascara that has been opened and is older than three months old, eye shadow that is broken up or you hate and will NEVER wear.  Also toss any other personal item that you have not used in a year or know you will not use.
          c.  Donate-this is a much smaller category for personal items that it might be for something like housewares or clothes.  Things you might donate would be those unopened gift items that the thought of using makes you nauscous.  Also samples.  I belong to several free sample websites (more on this on another post) and I get all kinds of freebies that I will never use but someone else might:  certain kinds of sanitary products, acne applications, some vitamins or topical creams.  The clue here is unopened. 
    2.   Now take your piles, bags or boxes of sorted items and do the right thing.  Donate your bag of unopened toiletries to Goodwill, a woman's shelter,  or any other place that gratefully accepts donations of this kind.  Some churches or resource centers are in need of toiletries for homeless families or families in need.  Some toiletries are in need for our troops, disadvantaged civilizations, or areas hard hit by natural disasters.  You can contact your local organizations by going on line or looking up the charity in the phone book.  Knowing that you un-needed items will be appreciated will make your little heart feel really good.
     The items that you are going to toss are an easy fix.  Just put the bag in the trash can.  Put the lid on it and never, never look back.
     The category that will take the most work is the KEEP box.  Now that you decided to KEEP, do not add to your stash!  If you have 12 bottles of bubble bath, put one near the tub and stash the others.  Do not buy more!  You have to be diligent in using up what you have.  Regularly inventory what you have and unless something is free, do not add to your hoard!

There are two other categories that I will normally bring up. There is usually a fourth category which is SELL.  Personal items that you have hoarded are not usually sold unless you have some unopened expensive perfume that someone might buy at a garage sale or on Ebay.  The last category is REGIFT.  I guess there might be a time to regift a personal item.  But I do think that it is a rare occurance unless maybe you have purchased an on-sale item and have purchased it for the purpose of gifting. 

Now don't you feel better already?  No clutter, no need to buy, and maybe that warm glow deep down inside from giving......

More later.............

Tip of the day....

Here is my tip of the day for all of you girls and guys out there.....Marry well.  This little bit of wisdom came up over the weekend when my refrigerator/freezer went out.  I was really worrying about getting it fixed, what it would cost, how long to get a repairman out, etc.  Hubby worked all day Saturday, then came home and on Sunday morning, he fixed it!  Well, I may not have married for money, but at least I got a bargain in the "He can fix it" department. 

Easter decor.....cheep!

I published this tutorial on making salt dough ornaments on my other blog and thought you might like to see!  It is fun, cheap, and looks great!http://3peas-in-a-podprim.blogspot.com/

Happy Easter!

Pinching pennies

It has been one full year now since I have been gainfully employed.  No unemployment, no severence, nothing.  I have learned alot in that one year.  Like what is important.  But I have also learned how to live on much less.  Some of it is very fundimental, some not so much.  I would love to share what I have learned as well as maybe get some ideas from you. 

To start with, let me explain something.  I want to save money and the planet, but I do draw the line....I will not make dresses out of burlap bags, dig in the dumpsters for food, or grind my own wheat for bread.  If you are into that, then this is probably not the place for you.  I applaud you, just don't want to be you.

It's Springtime people.  So lets start with this one seasonal saving:  Plant.  I know that you may live on a 10 floor apartment, or maybe you have a farm, but wherever you are, you can save money by planting.  Make sure it is food that you like.  Don't plant an acre of green beans if you hate them.  Last spring, we planted cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, beets, corn, squash, pumpkins, potatoes, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, peas, peppers and lots of onions.   Since I live in the mountains, we planted much in our greenhouse.  We have had one for years.  But if that isn't in your budget, make one.   In addition to our greenhouse, we built a temporary one of scrap lumber, pvc and plastic.  If you have a longer growing season, you may not want or need one.  We also started many of our plants in our basement and transplanted when the last frost is over.  That way you can start seeds, not seedlings, which are more expensive. 

No greenhouse?  No acreage?  No worries.  You can harvest lettuce, potatoes, and more from pots on your deck or terrace. 

I'm not an expert gardener.  You can get books from the local library for free, google questions on the internet, or simply ask at your local nursery.  But I am gaining expertise at pinching those pennies.  I canned or froze some of nearly everything we planted last year.  When there was so much zucchini that I was ready to scream, I ran some through the food processor and measured out enough for my favorite recipes and froze it in freezer bags.  I canned pickles, beets, tomatoes, salsa, applesauce, peppers, and more.  And when the holidays rolled around, fresh zucchini bread and home-made salsa were hits with everyone!

Start thinking about it.  Fresh food, little cost.....How can you go wrong?