Crafts & Hobbies #62: Decoupage

Decoupage is one of those crafts that goes why back. I can remember decoupaging pictures we cut out of magazines or books onto pieces of wood that we then covered with mod podge, added a hook and it was ready to hang. I remember making one in particular with a picture of Holly Hobbie on it for my room. Though that was over 30 years ago I have decoupaged in more recent times. I remember one time I decided to decoupage a notebook for everyone in my group of almost 30 ladies and I bought a new product I'd never used before and it never dried? It was a sticky mess that never worked out and I ended up throwing all 30 notebooks away. I never told that ladies in my group either, hope none of them are reading this now. Most recently I've made decoupaged clipboards and composition notebooks. They make great gifts for teachers and teenage girls that like to keep journals. If you purchase the right kind of pen you can make matching pens by wrapping a small strip of the same paper you used to cover the clipboard or composition book, around the ink inside the pen and reassemble the pen and you have a nice matching pen.

I loved the poster chairs mentioned in the iHCPL blog! Another site to look at for ideas is Split Coast Stampers.

Geek the Library

Ok though I am not sure when the word Geek became a verb and not a noun and of all words to associate with Library I'm not sure geek is the best choice but nonetheless check out this campaign to increase awareness and and therefore support for our local libraries.

The ‘Geek the Library’ campaign, was made possible by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and built by OCLC. It highlights what people are passionate about and how libraries can support them, in an effort to heighten awareness about the critical funding issues public libraries face.

Whatever You Geek, The Public Library Supports It All

"Public libraries inspire and empower. Everyone is welcome. Almost anything can be explored. And they play an important role for individuals and for communities."

Make sure you check out the facts section!

The Goal of the "campaign hopes to inspire a conversation about our incredible public libraries and their urgent need for increased support. We hope you tell people what you geek, how the public library supports you and your community, and that everyone in your community benefits from the services your local library provides."

Crafts & Hobbies #61: Craftspiration!

I have been a crafter of all sorts for as long as I can remember. It started with coloring books, construction paper and Elmer's glue but since then I've done many things including; cross stitch, (even went as far as to cross stitch a monopoly board) hooked rugs, embroidery, crochet, quilting, scrapbooking, stamping, and sewing. I've taught myself how to do all these things though my grandmother, great aunt, aunt, mother, and mother-in-law were all crafters and definitely helped me with things like putting in my first zipper, making my first french knot and holding the yarn and hook just right so you could control the tension. I did take a quilting class once, in which I made my first quilt, as a way to keep busy while we lived in an apartment which I found a lot less work than owning a home. I have always wanted to learn how to weld/solder because I thought that had huge crafting possibilities but I have yet to do that. I discovered Etsy almost a year ago and love the ideas there but it is time mainly that keeps me from visiting the site as often as I'd like and completing any projects I see there. The only thing I'm tempted to do is spend money because that's quick. However, if I were ever looking for a project to undertake, I'd certainly turn to Etsy for ideas. One craft I have spent time doing lately is scrapbooking. I was trying to get my daughter's scrapbook all caught up by the time she graduated. That did not happen as she graduated in June but in her scrapbook she's only almost 4 years old. But I am still plugging away at it. I love to go on scrapbook retreats where you arrive Friday night and stay until Sunday afternoon and all you do is scrapbook. Your meals are prepared for you, there are no family obligations to run someone to the movies, work, etc.., no phone calls (unless of course you choose to answer your cell phone), nothing but scrapbooking. I've been to 4 now in the last several years and they are great. Some of the sites I use for ideas are Split Coast Stampers and Creative Memories.

I did check out some of the craft sites as suggested in this module and loved some of the crafts I found particularly, the Snowman Ornament Pattern from Roxycraft

I thought the idea of Repurposeful was pretty neat. When my kids were little we used to get ice cream from Schwan's and it came in these plastic tubs which we always saved and reused to store their little toys in. Schwan buckets are how we organized many things even my craft supplies. To make them look nice in the closet I even sometimes covered the lid with fabric. They were white and we could easily mark the container with a sharpie marker noting the contents. At one point they even gave out handles that could be attached to the sides making the containers even more useful.

I can see how learning a craft technique or hobby by watching a video could be helpful especially if you didn't have someone to show you how. You may also want written instructions but sometimes written instructions aren't as helpful as watching someone show you how.

What libraries are worth to us by Krista Ramsey

It is needlessly provocative and shamelessly antagonistic behavior to pit books against technology. No one should ever do this. They are both sources of information. They are entirely different species, never meant to compete with each other. None of which explains the delicious thrill some of us feel when we hear that book reading in the Public Library system of Cincinnati and Hamilton County skyrocketed 12.5 percent last year while audio-visual circulation climbed a "mere" 5.7 percent.
No insult to DVDs, CDs, Twitter, Flutter, Flipper, Dipper or Gumby. It's just great news to learn that books, whose death is periodically predicted, are no longer on the endangered list - at least not here. Last year 15.6 million items were checked out of the 41 libraries in the Hamilton County system. The Main Library downtown is the single busiest library in the nation despite serving the 34th largest market. People may have stashed their credit cards in a drawer, but 250,000 Hamilton County adults, teenagers and kids flashed their library "plastic" last year.

In lean times and fat times alike, the public library is the one place where it's always OK to overindulge. The economy is no doubt a factor in the library's banner year. Not only did the borrow-rather-than-buy principle find new appeal, but people flocked to reference materials and programs that helped with job searches, resume writing and interview skills. Still, there is more to the library's appeal than economics. Much of it has to do with how a library makes you feel.
Sanctuary might be an overly serious word, but a library projects an unmistakable sense of civility and calm. Young and old come together peaceably here, rich and poor, readers of mysteries and lovers of ancient philosophy. A library is a bastion of non-judgementalism and one of society's great equalizers.
This atmosphere is in no way accidental. Librarians are almost eerily aware of what goes on inside your head. They know your tastes better than you do, being trained to cut through your vague references to plot or author and put their hands on what you need.
So they know, for example, about that independent streak that makes you want to handle your library business yourself. When 12 libraries put in self-checkouts last year, usage soared. There's something oddly empowering about knowing how to unlock DVD cases all by yourself.
Equally appealing is the library's unusual status as an intensely private public space. It's the one place you can move in the presence of others without saying a word and not be thought rude. The library "dance" is the epitome of socialized behavior, strangers gracefully giving way to one another as they peruse books and DVDs. Yes, cell phones ring and children sometimes use their playground voices, but library users still rank among the most civilized creatures on earth.
That is not to paint too Victorian a picture. The library's Web site had 87 million hits last year, making it the far busiest "branch" in the family. Patrons download audio books onto their MP3 players and reserve books at 3 a.m. from the privacy of their home computers. This week, the library's summer reading program kicks off for children, teens and - this year - adults. There are prizes to be won, plus you get smarter. Nice way to spend a summer.

Next fall, Hamilton Countians may be asked to support a library levy. The state has cut $10 million from the local system, and its reserves are being eaten through.
It wouldn't hurt a bit, as we enjoy their bounty this summer, to think about what public libraries are worth to us, and how to keep them strong. Bad economy or good, it's never wise to let such a gem slip through our fingers.

Krista Ramsey is a member of the Enquirer Editorial Board; kramsey@enquirer.com.

Cy-Woods Inaugral Graduation 2009

Congratuations Danielle, We are so proud of you!

Recession Busters # 60: Food, Fun & Frugality

I absolutly adore Clara! I watched several of her videos. Does anyone remember the Tightwad Gazette? I used to read her newsletter long before she was published in books. Amy Dacyczyn was my hero. In looking for a recession recipe to post to, I found a recipe that I used to make all the time when I was a kid. The person who posted it to her blog called it Ghetto Pizza

Ghetto Pizza
2 tbsp spaghetti sauce from a 26 oz. $2 jar — $0.071

slice of white bread — $0.101

slice cheese (mozzarella, swiss, etc.) — $0.15
optional pepper, dried oregano — negligible
Total: $0.32

When I was in college I worked in the Rathskeller, our college's central gathering place where you could buy a drink and a snack. We made something similiar to these pizza's but we used a bagel instead of bread and pizza sauce from a jar instead of spaghetti sauce. I wish I could remember what we charged for them.

You may also want to check out this title - 10,001 Ways To Live Large on a Small Budget. by The Writers of Wise Bread. The bloggers at the personal finance site WiseBread.com offer thousands of ways to spend less while still enjoying life. The frugal living part includes ideas from gourmet cooking on a shoestring to cheap sunburn remedies. There are money-saving tips on travel, entertainment, and most other aspects of life. The book's second half is devoted to personal finance topics like budgeting, credit, housing, and even how to hire and/or fire a financial adviser.

It cracks me up that a lot of the money saving ideas (getting in free here, save 15% percent there, etc...) still all involve spending money of some sort. How about staying home? You could:

• Watch TV which you are probably already overpaying for because you have cable or a satelite dish.


• Play a game, which you probably already own a closet full of.


• Clean out your junk drawer, you might even find some money in there.


• Clean out your garage, you might find some things you haven't touched in years, list them on craig's list and make some money that way.


• Read a book from the library - free except for the gas to pick up and return the book.


• Listen to an audiobook you downloaded from Overdrive - free except for your internet service.


• Knock on the door of the person that lives across from you and introduce yourself, if you already know your neighbor stop in and have a chat and get caught up on one another.


• Take a walk around your neighborhood, free and good for your health.

Yes, it is hard to be a bored teenager in my household because this is just a sample of the things I say to my girls when they say they are bored. Being bored is just one of those things I have never been nor can I imagine myself being. That coupon you just got in the mail from Kohl's that will save you 15% throw it away and you'll save 100%! What do you really NEED anyway.

Money & Finance #59: Credit, Money Management, and Saving

What a Good Fico score looks like!

Read the article How Credit Scores Work - Ok the article says " Fair Isaac and Company, which developed the score, felt that the score would only confuse consumers since there was nothing to tell them what it meant or what lenders were looking for." I don't know who they think they are kidding I don't believe for a minute that's why credit scores used to be hidden from consumers. And even now that they are available, we must pay and it's not inexpensive. IMHO, I think they should charge the business for accessing our credit scores and if they already do then charge them more! and not charge the consumer at all (it's their information after all). Then companies might think twice about offering credit so easily and ultimatley the consumers may be in less trouble. Thankfully I have good credit not because of anything I've gone out of my way to do just used common sense and paid back what I borrowed when I said I would. However I can see where this would be helpful information to someone who didn't know about credit and how it works, got into a bit of trouble and is now trying to work their way out of the problem. I took the Credit Score Quiz and scored a 10 out of 10.

I've never made a formal spending or budget plan but I looked around at the resources listed in the blog. The one you can complete in about an hour looks pretty basic and easy. It really is wise to know how much you make, how much you spend on absolute necessities, how much you spend on things you don't really need and how much is left over and what you are doing with it. Everyone should have an education on budgeting and managing your money. If I were to make a formal spending plan I would use the Quicken software that we have and use for daily. Once in awhile my husband and I will say to each other hey where's all the money going and we'll sit down and run a few reports on Quicken and it will tell us and we'll say hey, we really need to cut back on eating out, buying gifts, boy that phone bill is out of line with all the others did we (teenagers) go over? or that water bill looks high do we have a leak? etc...

With regards to the TCDRS site I did check it out and was happy to find that even though I am part-time I may still receive retirement benefits. Now start the countdown...29 years, 9 months, and 29 days to go....

Money & Finance #58: Banking, Budgeting, and Spending

The first thing I did was of course take the quiz; I love taking quizzes. I scored a 70 on the quiz and it said "You've got a solid grip on your finances."
On to the exercises....

• Yes, our bank offers free online banking and we use it regularly. I only use online banking from my home computer which is not a shared computer. I like that you can see images of the checks written so in case you forgot to write the complete information done I can still enter it in Quicken with the complete information. In addition to the user name and password they use a sitekey as well.


• We use Quicken and have for years. I like that it is only on my computer and I don't have to upload all the information to a website to track my spending. When you enter expenditures in Quicken you categorize everything so whenever you want you can see where your money is going. For example, you can ask for all restaurant purchases in specfic time frame and see what you've spent eating out. If I were to use one of the budgeting tools I would probably use Mint because"Mint is led by an experienced team including industry veterans drawn from the ranks of Charles Schwab, eBay, Expedia, Intuit, PGP and other leaders in the finance, security and software industries." I don't think I'd use expensr because of the social networking aspect. "The idea behind the social networking aspect is depending on your tags and categories you can compare yourself against other persons similar to your financial situation and as a result determine whether your spending practices are good or bad." I don't think my financial decisions can be determined if they are good or bad based on how they stack up to persons similar to my financial situation. I feel confident that my financial decisions are right for me but not necessarily everyone in my "financial situation" and the same goes for others financial decisions maybe be right for them but not me. I'd also want to know more about Shawn Gupta and Reman Child before I used expenr. Wesabe's executives, directors and advisors appear impressive so they might be second in line to Mint if I were to ever use one of these online tools. Foonance looks like the bargain basement alternative to online budget software. I couldn't even explore the site without logging in. Buxfer - good visuals but the professional "Team" consists of one guy? Shashank Pandit who is "currently on leave until Buxfer makes me rich or bankrupt." Spendji may know what they are doing when it comes to financial services and entrepreneurship but they didn't know what they were doing when they loaded a video to their website that is a copyright infringment. Rippleplay sounds like a system very similar to your mortage company selling your mortage and how some financial analysts try and explain how we got in the financial mess were in now. It almost makes for humorous reading. Scred didn't look helpful to me at all because I never do anything with others in which there is a financial obligation so complicated that we would need software to assist us.


• From the CR article - I've aways questioned this advice. "Shop around for the lowest gasoline prices. One way to do that before leaving the house is to check http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ for a list of Web sites where motorists can report and check out the latest prices by location." But how do you decide when to drive further for a better price? I buy gas from the Kroger's that is just outside my subdivision and generally notice when looking at prices at other stations while driving around that the price I pay there is right in line with the other places. I know gas is expensive but my time is valuable too and spending time researching the best price on gas and then driving to get it seems to be alittle overkill but to make sure I went ahead and checked the website just to see how much of a difference in price stations could be and how far away I'd be driving to get this less expensive gas. So the last time I filled up I paid $1.82 ($1.85 less my .03 discount for using my Kroger card). According to the gas price chart the cheapest place to get gas in my zip code is at Murphy USA @ 290 and Cypress Rosehill @ $1.78. According to Google Maps that is 6.6 miles and 17 minutes from my house. I work in the opposite direction and if you've ever been near the intersection of 290 & Spring Cypress you would avoid it like the plague, trust me. Buc-ee's has gas for $1.81 but that is even further away and would still require I drive past the dreaded intersection of Spring Cypress & 290. Kroger's, H.E.B and Randalls came in next with prices of $1.81, $1.82 and $1.83 respectively but all of these are off 290 and again in the opposite direction of my work or any places I frequent so they would all require a special trip which goes against the "plan your outings" advice from the same CR article. So I think I'll stick with my neighborhood Kroger and spend the time I save researching gas prices deciding what to make for dinner. Read the article on ways to cut back on your speam ending. Blog about 2 or 3 ideas mentioned that you'd like to incorporate/implement into your financial plan.


• Groceries - I spend what I spend and my kids still say "there is never anything to eat here."


• Utilities - My thermostat is on 65 in the winter and 78 in the summer. Hmmm....


• Phone, Internet, TV - As far as I am concerned it is all overpriced! Ok maybe you can save lots of money with promotional rates but when the promotion is over you have to keep switching and that takes time waiting while your put on hold to cancel the old service and sign up for the new service. Whatever happened to paying for loyalty? Taking advantage of promotional rates is something I just don't have the time or patience to deal with especially since you really do have to read the fine print and sometimes that is similar to reading assembly instructions written by a technical writer.


• Personal finance - I never use ATM machines unless they are my own banks even then I almost always go in the bank. I don't like to pay any fees at all. I've never paid any fees for banking as I used a credit union from the time I opened my first account till I moved to TX. Even though I still have the credit union at home as my main bank, we did open a local bank account and until recently it was "free" as well. However when we paid down a loan we have with them to under a certain limit (set by them) our accounts were no longer free. So let's see we were penalized for paying back our debt. That doesn't make sense, it would seem to me that's the kind of customers they want, ones that take out large loans and actually pay them back as opposed to those who don't pay them back. Suddenly our monthly bank statements had $20.00 maintenace fees on them that were never there before. Whatever happened to keeping the customers you have? It seems to be all about getting new customers. Again I don't have the time or patience to be switching banks very couple of years.


• Insurance - We did our homework when we shopped for our home owners and car insurance when we moved to TX. I marked that off my list then and frankly I've never had any reason to put it back on the list. I like our coverage, our company and the service they provide. Our rates have flucuated and again I suppose we could have saved some money by switching around but I value the security I have knowing that our insurance premiums are taken directly from our bank regularly and it's one less thing to worry about.


• Health care - my health care alternatives are decided upon by my insurance. The only decision I can make is whether or not to go to the doctor's, get the prescription filled, or go to the hospital.

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Ever wonder what the "I'm Feeling Lucky" tab on Google is?

I found this on Wikipedia explaining how Google loses $110 million a year as a result of this feature.

"Google's homepage includes a button labeled "I'm Feeling Lucky". When a user clicks on the button the user will be taken directly to the first search result, bypassing the search engine results page. The thought is that, if a user is "feeling lucky", the search engine will return the perfect match the first time without having to page through the search results.
According to a study by Tom Chavez of "Rapt", this feature costs Google $110 million a year as 1% of all searches use this feature and bypass all advertising."