Jennifer's Junky Life ~

'S' is for Show :: Arts & Crafts Show

Because that's all that's been on my mind lately (July 9, here).

A little 'S' ornament I painted for the show and will add a contrasting ribbon or string to clash-match with it. (See note at the end about the wrinkled items on either side of it.) I love these colors together. I want to be surrounded by them because they make me so happy.

I got my spray paint order on Tuesday and went to town this afternoon. I love this stuff. So far, I like both the Montana Gold and the Montana White. It's nice, thick paint and goes on so smoothly. I can't see myself ever going back to Krylon. Seriously, this stuff is awesome and the color selection is fantastic. Although... I have to add that some of the colors are so far off from what they appear on my screen that it's ridiculous. I ordered the Montana Gold Power Orange, which appears to be a nice and warm tone of orange but it's blaze orange on the can that I got. Nothing like the photo.

And both the blue colors of Kilimandsharo and Mt. Everest (both from the Gold line) look more down the lines of periwinkle or powdery grey blue, yet, the order form looks like they're both nice shades of turquoise.

Even some of the colors that I really like still looked nothing like they did on my screen. I'm hoping I can get ahold of a color card from the company before I do another order so I can get the right colors. I'm anxious to get my hands on more shades!

I got quite a few things painted and primed today. It was gorgeous out! Except a bit windy but I ran with it. I'm really hoping to have all of my painting done by the end of next week. That way I can just do anything new I might find garage saling or thrifting. And I can start working on upcycling things like adding wire to picture frames to make jewelry holders, or chicken wire and clothespins for cards. And, most importantly to me, maybe I can finally start adding some more upcycled items to the junk shop.

I'm acting like I know what I'm doing but I really don't have a clue. I have no plans for any of it yet. I just play with it all and let things fall into place as they will. I'm excited to start the repurposing phase though once the painting's done!

(Photos: I love color. And I love the colors in these photos but the paint got all wrinkled on some of these frames this evening. My only guess is it's because of the quick temperature drop we had after a warm day... I'll have to do a little light sanding and carry on and, hopefully, they'll turn out alright in the end. Note: I've been trying to edit photos in Picnic lately but I just don't have time to mess around with it right now. And, I finally printed my camera manual. Maybe some year I'll read it...)

Montana Gold colors in photos: Yellow - 1200 Advocaat, Red-pink - 3030 Raspberry, Deep plum - 3160 Bettertimes. Montana White - Aqua - 6110 Soap.

Have you met Alice?

I'd been hearing about this relatively new company called Alice where you can purchase cleaning supplies and other staples for the home that are delivered right to your door quite a bit this past year and have been more than a little intrigued. So, over a week ago, when my dishwasher soap was running low and I was trying to hold off on making a run to the grocery store for another week (it's a 20 minute trip, one way), I decided to try them out.

(A quick note: You have to register with the site to see all of the products/prices. Registering is free and easy. I get a referral credit if you click through any of my links here to sign up.*) Alice offers all kinds of name brand cleaning products and staples like toilet paper and soap and a multitude of other items for the home.

When I ordered, I saw quite a few different kinds of tea and other beverages -- even Kombucha Wonder Drink (Asian Pear & Ginger, my favorite!), as well. You'll have to go check it out to see what all they have to offer!

They offer coupon codes on many items, as well, which vary from time to time -- so you'll have to check back often for deals. You don't have to do anything for the coupons. The discounted price is marked for you.

There is no shipping fee on any order. ever. -- You just have to order a minimum of 6 items. That's it. There are even items for a couple of dollars if you need them in order to fulfill your order, but chances are you won't. Those 6 items add up really fast!

I was really impressed with their prices when I checked out the site. And when you factor in the always FREE SHIPPING, it really can't be beat.

I'm all about cutting back on trips to the grocery store, and who isn't? So, this is a fabulous way to get all of those basic cleaning items and non-food items for your home -- quick and easy -- right to your door. (And, even a few food items like coffee and tea and a few other pantry items.) Most orders ship within 24 hours, and sometimes if your order is in early enough in the morning, it may even ship out the same day! All orders ship via UPS.

The customer service is through the roof. I had a little issue with UPS (it took over a week to get my package, and I had to go pick it up) and even though it wasn't Alice's responsibility, they still offered a compensation for the problem with UPS. I was extremely impressed. They also stayed in touch with me continually via email until I received my package. I have nothing but rave reviews about my first order, and especially, the level of customer service I received. I can't wait to order again!

*If you sign up under my link, I'll get a 3% compensation for every order you place for an entire year, AND, once you've spent $50.00 with Alice, you'll get a $10 credit! So, it's a win-win for both of us. (You'll only get the $10 credit (after spending $50.00) if you sign up through the links here.)

***This is a non-commissioned ad. I'm so happy with my first order that I plan to order again and wanted to share with you what a fabulous company Alice is! The convenience is so great! And, there are quite a few 'natural' and 'organic' items that I saw, as well. So, go check them out!***

Moo.com :: Business Cards and Minicards

Last fall, I decided to order business cards for the first time in my life. Back in my office days, being an administrative assistant didn't necessarily warrant such a thing, and so far, neither has my 'mommy' job, so this was completely new territory for me. (Below: These are the last of my original photo business cards, don't mind the very slightly tattered corners on them.)

Being in the junk business now, I wanted something creative and fun to tuck into all of my packages from the junk shop. Up until this point, I'd been making all of my cards and it was just getting to be too time consuming (and I wanted something more professional looking). I got really lucky when I needed them because Moo and Etsy were running a special -- first time customers received 50 complimentary cards where you only had to pay shipping. I'd found the deal via Hip2Save and it sounded like a fantastic way to try out some cards. (Note: Offer is no longer valid.)

I chose a photo style business card, uploaded one of my own images, and placed my ordered. It was super easy! The order didn't take long to come either, less than a week via USPS -- which was awesome.

I was so excited when they came in the mail. I absolutely loved the quality and style of the cards! So when I was running low this past month, I decided to order again. In true fashion, I did a little on-line searching and price comparing, including the business cards offered on Etsy but Moo kept calling my name over and over again. I already knew I loved the quality and style of the Moo cards and I was so hesitant to order from anyone else lest I be disappointed.

This time, for a little change of pace though, I went with the minicards. I wanted to try something new. Because I include my cards with my packages, more of a gift tag style after I wrap them up*, I decided the minicards would compliment the packages more than the larger business cards did.

I received my minicards last week and love them! So much.

I ordered the Classic ColourLovers pack and was able to pick and choose the different design variants I wanted within the pack. I ended up picking ten different design variants and love them all. You could also upload your own image(s) if you preferred -- or choose from an amazing selection of ready made designs! That goes not only for the minicards but for the business cards as well.

I wanted several different color palettes so I could mix and match them with the colors of the items that are sold in my shop. They remind me of miniature paint chips and I adore paint chip palettes! I ordered 100 this time and they came in a really nice white cardboard box for storage and safe keeping.

I'm more than happy with my second Moo order and highly recommend these business cards and minicards to anyone looking to order some!

One of the things I love the most about Moo is the fact that you can upload your own images for your cards -- and the fact that you can upload a different image for every single card in the pack if you wanted to! You can't get much more personalized than that when it comes to business cards.

If you're interested, go check out their site to see all that they have to offer! I promise, if you order, you will not be disappointed!

P.S. If you are serious about ordering, email me. I have a 15% (one-time use) discount that came with my second order of cards for the first person who contacts me. First time customers only! And, please be a serious buyer as you can only use the code once. I would love if someone was able to use it.

* I gift wrap all of my junk shop items with vintage pattern paper and various textures of yarn, unless the item is a little bigger or somewhat awkward to just wrap in paper, in which case I'll carefully wrap the pattern paper around it in the mailing box but it won't be gift style wrapped with yarn -- if that makes sense.

Covet Garden :: A new e-zine

eta: I was able to get some pictures after emailing the girls over at Covet Garden so I'm re-posting this with photos.

I just discovered this new inspirational e-zine via one of my favorite blogs and immediately subscribed. It's about real spaces and real people -- in quoting from the magazine, "spaces that have not been styled by interior decorators".

I just checked out both the September and October issues of Covet Garden and they're both fantastic! Subscriptions are complimentary -- go check it out! And, watch for the blog...coming soon!

Photo source (all).

A beautiful brown package came today

My camera arrived on my doorstep this afternoon while we were away. I'm charging the battery and hoping to start figuring it all out soon. Oh man, I can't wait to use this thing!

I love the metallic orange color, too. I was hoping it was like the pictures of it on-line, and it pretty much is. It's super tiny, like really tiny. It's smaller than my cell phone. Which I love since I'll be able to easily haul it everywhere I go.

I'm super excited and more than a little intimidated by it. There is so much to learn. I don't like reading manuals either. I'd rather learn as I go or have someone else show me how and what to do! But I want to know how to use it, so I might have to read it.

Well, I'm off to milk the goat... for the last time. ('Til next time.) Mark has been out of town working this week so I had no choice but to learn to milk or lose that wonderful goat's milk! So, that's why I started milking in the first place. I never thought I'd have to when he started this whole goat business. And, we still aren't sure what we'll do whenever we're all on vacation... But it really hasn't been that bad. It kind of got thrown at me the day before he left which was no big deal, just a little something unexpected. (I hadn't thought about it either way when I knew he'd be going out of town.) But I survived! ;)

He actually said I could just wait and leave it for him to do tonight, but it will be dark when he gets home, and I think I can handle one more night so he doesn't have to worry about it. Maybe. We'll see how my hands feel when I'm out there.

It was so warm today. 83° on the way home from our field trip to the apple orchard that we went to with our homeschool group this afternoon! I highly recommend that orchard for other young families around this area. They're so great with the kids and they gave such a wonderful presentation! The kids loved it.

I'm chuggin' warm tea with honey, oil of oregano and thieves oil

Well, maybe not so much the oils but the warm tea with honey. We all have our first colds of the season and they came with complimentary sore throats. When I get a sore throat I usually dilute some thieves oil in olive oil and rub it on my throat and I'm normally better by morning.

But not this time.

So, this cold is a doozer. Every so often I get one where the thieves doesn't relieve the sore throat but it's pretty rare.

So, I added more thieves to my throat when I woke up and put several drops of Oreganol oil of oregano under my tongue and quickly guzzled a large glass of water to wash it down. (If you're unfamiliar with oil of oregano, it will burn like nothing else if you don't wash it down properly and the undiluted portion gets on your throat. I know this from experience. Some people can handle it. I can't. It feels like fire.)

Now I'm enjoying a warm cup of chai tea with a splash of milk and honey. And, I'm quite certain I'll be downing several cups of Traditional Medicinals organic Throat Coat tea throughout the day. (I prefer the red box Throat Coat over the yellow one which is Lemon Echinacea, but perhaps you'd like it.) I love the Trad. Med. teas for colds! They're available at most grocer's. I wish I'd known about them when I was younger and constantly plagued by colds and the consequential *sneeze* sore *sneeze* throat. {excuse me}

I'm hoping to get some pictures taken for Etsy today. It's time for another shop update and I'd like to do that sometime next week. Time to see what sorts of fall things I have around here!

P.S. I don't remember if I ever mentioned it on here when Chloe was finally better, but she is! :) She's been doing great for a while now. I know I mentioned it on book but maybe not here.

A Natural Foods Co-Op :: Azure Standard

We've been ordering groceries in bulk from a company called Azure Standard for about 16-18 months now, give or take a month or so. They're a natural foods co-op that delivers by semi-truck* to many areas of the country, and by UPS and Common Carrier everywhere else (additional shipping charges apply). There are a couple of drop sites near us.

I get almost all of our organic produce from them. Their prices for organic produce and other grocery items, including frozen foods, as well as, household cleaning supplies and toiletries are very reasonable and quite often less expensive than our local stores. (I have to contend here that we don't have much by means of competition for grocery prices in our area and they're generally higher than many other areas of the country.)

I highly recommend Azure if you're at all interested in ordering in bulk from a natural foods co-op. I started out by stocking up on all of my organic/natural baking supplies and dipping my toe in the water with the produce. A year and a half later, I've gotten to the point where I do the majority of my grocery shopping through them now. This month, I'm trying out Biokleen laundry soap and I'm anxious to see how well it works with our water. (We have a huge lime issue.)

We order from Azure once a month and get our groceries delivered via truck a week after ordering them. (There is a shipping fee, based on weight that is added to your total. And, they do not accept coupons but their prices are great! And, everything comes well-packed.) If you click on the link, you won't be able to see any prices unless you have an account. I suspect this is because prices vary by region.

The only downside that I've seen with it is that you don't always get everything you order. Not because they forget to deliver it, but because it's unavailable at the time. It's a very minor issue as far as I'm concerned though. Every so often, there will be an item or two that is unavailable. I think it would be awesome if they would have their computer system set up so that you couldn't order that particular item when it's out but, really, it's not a huge deal. (An example would be, I've tried ordering their parchment paper, which is on-sale right now, twice in the past two months, but I still didn't get it with my last order. I love their parchment. It's a natural brown color and it fits perfectly in a 13 in. wide pan! I use it all the time.)

They're awesome about refunding you, no questions asked, when you receive rotten/bruised produce, as well. It doesn't happen very often (I think it's happened about two or three different times in the past 12-18 months.) but when it does, it's nice to know they're so good about working with you! They have sales and specials each month and we always look forward to our order and having that fresh produce in the house.

*According to their delivery schedule Azure Standard is available for truck delivery in areas of the following states: AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, HI, ID, IA, KS, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, ND, OK, OR, SD, UT, WA, and WY. They deliver via UPS and Common Carrier to all other areas of the country. If you're interested, you can contact them by phone: 541-467-2230 or by email: customerservice@azurestandard.com to see if they have a 'drop site' near you! Or if you're interested in starting one in your area.

Re-Treat Design :: Houghton, Michigan's first occasional shop!

For those readers who live in or vacation near the Keweenaw area of Michigan, have I got some fun news for you! (If you haven't already heard.)

There is a new occasional shop coming to Houghton, Michigan, Re-Treat Design*! For those unfamiliar with the term, an occasional shop is a business, generally one which sells vintage junk and/or home decor, that is open once a month for a few days, typically over a weekend. And, they are open one weekend each month throughout the warmer months of the year. They're treasure troves for those fun one-of-a-kind items because every month you'll find something different!

 

They have them all over in the twin cities and surrounding areas here in Minnesota. My little rural area here in north-central Minnesota actually has quite a few, too, and I hope to join those ranks in the coming one to three years. (Once I get my outdoor studio, which I'm hoping Mark will start on this summer.)

Anyway, the exciting part is that Re-Treat Design will be opening its doors for the first time next weekend, April 9-11!

Hours:
April 9, Friday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
April 10, Saturday:  10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
April 11, Sunday: 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Stop by their blog (same as the previous links) or become a fan on Facebook for more info. and directions, and to stay up to date on their shop openings! (I'm loving the sneak-peak vignettes they have posted on their blog and Facebook! I want to move right in.)

And, to make things further interesting, I just discovered today that the owner of one of my favorite Etsy shops is someone I actually 'know' in real life and she goes to my church! (Still so surprised by that one.) :) She will have items for sale at Re-Treat, as well. Stay tuned, I'll be doing a little feature on her shop for those who don't live nearby Re-Treat Design!

I'm sure plenty of you locals have heard of this but I want to make sure everyone does! From the photos I've seen, they are going to have some really great junk decor for sale. Be sure to stop on by for their grand opening! There will be something for everyone!

{*I don't personally know the owners of the shop. A friend mentioned them to me on Facebook and after I saw a few pictures, I wanted to help spread the word as we know so many people in the area. Please pass on the info. if you know someone who may be interested! And, blogging about it would be a really great way to help out, if you have a blog!}

Did you know?

You can freeze potato chips?!

I was telling my mom, this week, that I stocked up on a bunch of the 'natural' potato chips and rice chips at the grocer using coupons because they were all clearanced out. {The Lundberg Sesame & Seaweed Rice Chips are so good, by the way! They're also gluten-free. I'd never tried them before. They sort of reminded me of a 'subtle ranch flavored chip'. Nikayda balked at the 'seaweed' part until she tried them. She and Carter loved them. Aapo--surprise! surprise!--didn't. Of course, all he did was lick the corner of one...}

We rarely ever have chips in the house, except for Mark's lunches. I quit buying them months before we jumped on the 'Dave' bandwagon in order to try to make our house a little healthier. So, when I saw these on sale, I thought they would be a fun little treat. Only thing is, the 'sell by' dates are Jan. 25 and 26 on all of them.

My Mom said that grandma used to put their chips in baggies for their school lunches and stash them in the freezer. I'd never heard of such a thing before and was very intrigued. I did a little search and found quite a few links to tips on freezing them--Who would have thought?

So, I threw the unopened bags in the freezer ('opened' or 'unopened' makes no difference...) and thought I'd pass along that fun tidbit for anyone else who may not have known. It's supposedly a great way to preserve and prolong the freshness.

P.S. I'm still having trouble with Typepad--I'm unable to change the text to aqua when I do a link. Some posts it works, some it doesn't. It's quite odd...

Etsy Shout Out

A couple of family friends have started Etsy shops recently. When you have a moment, I'd love it if you'd take a moment and stop by their shops!

Ginny's Shop: Knitwhit500 - Super cute hand-knit baby hats and other items. (She also accepts custom orders!)

Laura's Shop: LauraKCollection - Adorable handmade baby dresses and costumes.