creativebebe

Liar Liar Pants on Fire!

*She sheepishly walks into the blog room with cheeks flushed and head hung low*

I'm so sorry about not posting my garage sale items yesterday. After much resting, my roommates and I decided to push the garage sale back to the following Saturday, 9/19. The bulk of garage sale items are mine and I have yet to go through it all and price it; and here it is late afternoon on Friday. I have taken pictures of my vintage items to post in my Etsy store, so you can check those out early next week. I am slowly, but surely getting to the bottoms of my piles of stuff. No pictures today....just my apologies for not keeping my word in getting those garage sale items up on the site. Will be better about announcements next time. :0)

Take some time to pray for the families of those who died on 9/11/01 and let your own family, friends and co-workers know how much you appreciate them and having them in your life! 

Blessings to you all!

~creativebebe

Progress in the de-cluttering process

Yay! I am blogging again. Once a week. Sounds and is doable. Ideas ruminating in my head of different things to blog about, but alas, this clutter cleaning and simple life project is under way and is taking A LOT of time and energy! This is my respite time of year and I need to take advantage of this free time to get as much accomplished as I possibly can. What I have realized this respite period is that I was mildly to a little more than mildly depressed from staying at home in my new role as caregiver. I worry all day long and don't realize it. I have not let go of the worry and planning for an entire year....and the house has gone to pot! With the unrealized depression I went thrifting and garage sale'ing without moving things out to make room. Then my mojo was trapped in a house of clutter.....then fear gripping me with the thought of "Am I becoming a hoarder!?" Oh No! So this respite, with the help of my BFF/Roommate/Sister, we started tackling the mess I have made. The previous post pics are an indication of just how bad things had gotten. Here are some "In progress pics" to document the journey and keep me accountable to finishing the tasks at hand. 

Beads mostly organized now

shelf 1 of 3

shelf 2 of 3

Piles of some of next weekend's garage sale items

items inside new buffet cabinet for sale....not the cabinet! :)

New Design/Crafting Studio 

found this idea from a flickr site. next day saw a listing on craigslist for the exact same cabinet. i know, shameless copying of studio solution, but it is so brilliant....!

New dresser replacing fabric shelf

Getting there, but it sure is taking some time and physical energy leaving me walking like a tin woman needing her joints oiled! LOL My BFF is a little worse for the wear, but we will both recover after next weekend's garage sale. I will try and post pics of items onto my flickr account for you all to see what I'm selling, by Thursday, 9/10/09. If there is something you are interested in, please let me know and maybe we can work something out through paypal and the USPS. :)

Here's wishing you all a wonderful Labor Day week! Until next time....keep it sane, and simple! 

~creativebebe

I'm back....seriously.....I am

Okay, it's been over 1 year since my last post and it was my fifth one. Not a good start to blogging, but then, a lot has been going on since then. Okay, just another excuse. I am resolved to be consistent with blogging and am just diving in starting today! 

As I was thinking all year about what this blog should be about, I figured, why not let it be a sort of accountability to the projects I keep putting on the back burner. I don't know about you, but when I am tired, bored or overwhelmed I procrastinate. I also get bored very easily, and coming from working full time since I was 16 years old to becoming a stay at home daughter/caregiver has been quite an adjustment! Giving up a nice paycheck, the routine, the challenges, the social aspect....to waking up, getting breakfast, bathing, physical therapy, bills once a month, doctors and dental appointments all done before lunch.....it's such a huge difference! This entire year has been about taking care of Dad and then being bored out of my mind....sleeping or surfing the 'net. 

I have fabric up the wazoo  

bedroom closet...

craft shelf....1 of ?

creative storage....? hehehe

vintage fabrics trims....

more fabrics.....

and more fabric.....

ties for tie quilt and dress and purses.....

more ties, trims and decorator fabric samples......

batting and flat sheets for quick quilt projects.....

vintage buttons, tons of yarn and lots more craft supplies stored in pretty boxes....

Enough beads to open a store 

chains, czech glass, sterling silver findings.....

crystal, gemstone, and fiber optic beads......

silver and gold tone findings, earrings, necklaces and more czech glass beads.....

A house full of vintage thrift finds 

just one shelf of many vintage finds along with more beads....cloisonne, cane, pearls, charms, etc....

waffle maker, flower frog, mid-century baby clothes, dish cloths......

vintage tablecloths and fabric.....

dishes, coffee maker, boxes, toys, etc.....

All of this sampling plus more, sitting on a shelf in my garage, dining room, bed room and some other nook or cranny I've forgotten about! 

So here are my goals:

• Post my beads for sale
• Post my vintage finds for sale 
• Sew useful giveable/sellable things with all my fabric 
• Lose 100 lbs 
• Downsize all of my "stuff" aka "crap" to minimalist style 
• Finish my Bachelor's degree 
• Start writing a book....on something 

So there you have it. A huge list based on content and doability with some strategic planning and a whole lot of accountability! Here I am, putting myself out there to journal my journey into finishing what I've started and completing tasks that will make life easier and simpler!

Please comment and give advice, opinions, persepectives, encouragement. I will read them all. 

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and blatherings!

~creativebebe  

Dad's 1 Year Stroke Survival Anniversary

Hello everyone!

Just wanted to let you all know that 1 year ago today, Dad had a massive stroke that paralyzed his right side.

He was not given a good prognosis. It was thought at the time, by his doctors, that he would quite possibly not survive the 72 hour "wait and see" period. But he did and to the surprise of his doctors, without his brain swelling.

The next prognosis was that there was so much damage to his brain on the left side and some on the right, that he would not be able to eat, talk, or walk again. Today, Dad eats whatever is put in front of him (except veggies, unless they're fried in oil or butter, preferably with bacon!).

Dad now walks around the house and takes himself to the restroom. Dad also talks to us and responds in kind with his witticisms.

I'd say that Dad is proof that the "reality" of his situation was influenced by faith. Faith in a Creator that still has plans for Dad. He still has a purpose to fulfill and God is daily healing not only his body, but his heart and mind. There are moments when a tv show, or conversation or observation will prompt a conversation on an emotional level and the discussion will lead to a memory that has not been resolved for him. We talk it through and pray. After awhile, sometimes a few minutes and sometimes a couple of days, and there is an inner healing of that memory. The next day, Dad will be walking straighter, holding his right leg up on his own, talking more and recalling more words, or using his right arm more. It's amazing the mind, heart and body connection. God never heals just the immediate crisis, He always goes to the root of the crisis so there is a complete healing that lasts, not a sub-standard healing that will potentially bring back the crisis again or an even bigger crisis than the first.

So remember this, If your reality looks grim, Faith can influence it to change. Faith in God, a Creator that loves you; and that you are not tied to the reality you can see, but that there are limitless opportunities in the unseen for change to happen so long as there is Faith in Christ to make it possible.

Here's to the second year being filled with more miracles; for Dad and for each of you.

Be blessed! -Michele

Got Rice?

NO! I can't believe how the media hype on the rice shortage has created such a frenzy that even Costco ran out of rice! I mean....NOTHING...NADA....there was not a grain of brown, basmati, jasmine, short, fancy or sweet rice to be found. When my 2 other asian roommates asked a passing employee, "What aisle is your rice in?", the reply was, "We ran out. Once the shipment is put out, it is gone in about 2 hours". 2 hours and Costco volumes of rice are out of stock until the next shipment...even with rationing! Are we going to have to start dusting off those ration stamps from wartime days of yore? I hope not! If you are 1 of the many people who does not run a restaurant and are buying the 4 package minimum to send in a LBC or Forex box to your fellow country...PLEASE....stop and let some of us here in California buy our stock! Whew! I needed to vent that out....I may look caucasian on the outside, but my asian side is internal and rice is my preferred staple! That is one carb that is very difficult for me to give up....so please, for the sake of my sanity....give me some rice!!!! Thanks for letting me vent. *she says as she curtsies with a shy smile*

Swapping...what a new and fun adventure!

Last week while I was on vacation, I signed up for a website called "swap-bot". Here, you can find people all over the world to swap fun things with. Crafting items, ATC's (artist trading cards), decorated matchboxes, cute dolls called "Dotees", fabrics, paper, crafting supplies, jewelry, beads, Blythe theme items, and so much more! I've already completed two swaps and am signed up for 3 more. This is going to be so much fun! I didn't get a chance to take pictures of the swap packages I sent out, but I will definitely take a picture of the items I received and post them here. So until next time, ciao Bellas....and any handsome hunks out there!

Hello...my name is Michele

Hello world! I am kind of new to this blog thing, I've just not made time to actually do my own. I've just been reading other people's blogs....crafty ones...funny ones....cool ones...! :)