Thrifty Craft Supplies & Storage Solutions

March 7, 2024

Nothing beats the back to school sales for stocking up on basic craft supplies like glue sticks, crayons, markers, scissors, construction paper, etc. For items such as yarn, ribbon, pom poms, felt, wiggle eyes, craft foam, pretty craft paper, feathers and the like – check for sales at Hobby Lobby and Joann throughout the year.

Otherwise, I’ve found Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree to be the best places to buy general craft supplies everyday.

Dollar Tree is usually my first stop. I’ve picked up small caddies in the school supply section to hold scissors, glue sticks and crayons. The book section is a great resource for simple workbooks, puzzles and stickers. The crafts aisle generally has a little bit of everything in smaller packs so it’s perfect for small scale crafting or just trying out a project without spending a lot of money. If you need to scale a craft project for a large number of kids, I suggest shopping for supplies at Wal-Mart or Amazon.

My find this week was SureFresh round containers to store our bagged/random Perler beads by color. You’ll find them in the kitchen section near the zipper bags and plastic wrap. Each container holds at least 1,000 beads and you get 5 containers in each pack. This works out to 25c per container. Much less expensive than some of the other options I’ve found available. BTW, these also work great to corral wiggle eyes, pony beads and buttons.

For storage solutions, I like the bins that latch with a carry handle. I picked this one up at Michaels, but you can find some variation of it at most craft and big box retailers. All 20 bead boxes, beads to be sorted, tweezers and small Perler templates are in the box. Ironing papers and design charts fit on top before adding the cover. Once the beads are sorted, there should be enough room to add the larger Perler templates. This means I’ll be down to one carry bin and one large jug of assorted melty beads. Perfect!

Do you participate in QALs that are published in magazines?

March 6, 2024

One of the quilting mags I read is hosting a log-cabin style QAL that started earlier this week. On a FB post, admin warned group members against posting pictures of the pattern, cut measurements or directions. Such posts would be immediately removed. Posters are to keep questions general or message the magazine staff directly. Readers are then directed to three ways to obtain a copy of the QAL pattern:

  1. Buy a print copy of the magazine containing the pattern.
  2. Buy a digital issue of the magazine via Zinio.
  3. Buy a pdf pattern from the magazine’s website.

As a librarian, I can advise there might be an option not included in the above list. You’ll need a library card, which should be available for free from your local public library. Download the Libby reading app and check to see if that particular magazine is offered in a digital format through your public library. Here’s a screenshot of what’s currently on my Libby bookshelf. And yes, the quilting mag referenced in this post is there!

Unlike e-books, most digital magazines do not limit the number of simultaneous readers. This means you can check-out a magazine for the typical loan period (usually 2-3 weeks) and renew it as needed. No waiting like for a popular e-book title. The magazine will be returned automatically once the loan period expires. If templates are required, magazines will usually have instructions on how to download the templates from their website. Tip: Need a working copy of the cutting instructions so you can keep track of what pieces you’ve cut? No need to hand copy. Use the screenshot feature on your device. Import the image into an app like Goodnotes to make digital notes or print the page and write notes the old-fashioned way (with a pen).

Happy quilting and reading!

Retirement conversations

March 4, 2024

Today, hubs and I had lunch with some long-time friends. They wanted to pick our brains about excursions offered by the Rocky Mountaineer. We’ve taken trips aboard the Rocky Mountaineer in both the USA and Canada. If they are only going to take one trip, our recommendation is to do the Canadian Rockies excursion from Banff/Lake Louise to Vancouver. They were planning to go in 2025. Now, my friend texted to say they’re going this year instead! Enjoy!

Photo by Ali Kazal on Pexels.com

Another conversation ensued regarding what we both do all day since we’re now retired. In our friends’ situation, the husband is retired and the wife is still working. Apparently, he’s bored and trying to figure out what to do. Al shared about volunteering with Team Rubicon. Our friend’s face lit up. His wife was happy to see him get excited about something. A mutual friend who retired at 54 advised my husband to always have at least one thing scheduled on the calendar each week, so he’d have something to look forward to. The rest of the week would fill in. Very wise advice.

I work part-time on Mondays and sew with friends on Fridays. Each week, there’s usually something Sadie related (therapy dog visit, groom, play date, hike with friends), quilt guild related and my sewing biz related. I try to keep at least one weekday completely clear for whatever I want to do. Sundays are usually reserved for family. The funny thing is no two weeks are ever the same.

Over the past month, I’ve spent a fair amount of time following up on my retirement application and health insurance matters. We’ve made the final hurdle into the “retiree” category on our health insurance. (Yay!) What no one tells you is that each transition (active employee – COBRA – retiree) requires a “new account” with the health insurance provider and there is a 7-10 day delay while everyone’s system updates. From what I understand, it’s due to COBRA rules and there’s absolutely nothing I can do to speed up the process. Hopefully, Anthem will show us with active coverage again by Friday. What if something happens before then? It’s a hassle, but we’ll have to pay out-of-pocket and get reimbursed or ask the provider to delay billing for a few days.

There’s a teacher retirement/health insurance FB group I follow. More than a few folks mentioned having to resort to getting an attorney involved to resolve issues with situations outside the norm (like mine). Hmmm. I looked into renewing my lapsed PAGE membership as their legal team are experts on dealing with SHBP and TRS issues. Turns out, my part-time employer is a participating “school system” in PAGE. You bet I renewed ASAP! To me, the $175.00 is money well spent as I navigate the next six months or so.

Then, I asked myself, “How did I ever handle all the crazy stuff like this when I worked full-time?”