Dreams: Christmas Cards

What's more unique than a handmade Christmas card? A hand painted Christmas card.

My Christmas factory has been busily designing, creating and painting Christmas cards. Thanks to a good friend, Rick, I received and finished my first order of 16 homemade, hand painted cards! Done in layers of colored paper with the main image painted in acrylics, I have illustrated Cowboy Snowmen.

For the Cowboy Snowman and snow, I used a base of purple with glaze then add layers of white and blue. The hat is painted in layers of yellow ochre with glaze, tan and brown using white and black to highlight and shadow.

But I'm not limiting myself to just Cowboy Snowmen. I'm painting poinsettias, ferns, Christmas balls and holly. Interested? Please go to my website millerswrappedexpression.com

Dreams of Saving Money

It's difficult to save money these days what with the economy the way it is. If you're without a job or your hours have been cut back, it's next to impossible if not entirely impossible to save for that rainy day, vacation and/or retirement.

My parents didn't teach me how to save or economize. They didn't tell me to save at least fifteen percent of my pay checks. It wasn't until I was in my thirties I even heard about putting a portion of my income away into a savings account. They also never suggested to me to wait for sales to buy clothing, vehicles, food or anything for that matter. And, how many of us have ever heard the words don't buy what you can't afford? What we do hear plenty of is buy with credit. We're inundated with that message.

When I was a kid growing up on a farm, whenever my parents needed extra money Daddy would sell a hog or two. Unfortunately, I don't have that option today but I have learned to not buy what I can not afford.

This brings me to my list of things we do to save.

• There are no credit cards in this house. Nothing is purchased with credit. What would happen if we did then found ourselves without jobs? Think about it because in today's world losing a job is more likely to happen than not.
• We paid off our car early. Yes, I did say I don't buy what I can not afford but few of us have ten thousand dollars laying around to buy a used car.
• That's another lesson I learned: Don't buy a brand new vehicle. Think of the money lost in interest and car value when you drive it off the lot. I saved at least ten thousand dollars (not including interest) buying used instead of new.
• In a past post, I wrote about using coupons. Wait for the coupon. We NEVER buy glucosamine at full price nor do I buy supplies for my hobbies at full price. We wait for the fifty and forty percent off coupons. In truth, we use coupons for everything from dish soap to oil changes.
• Our bank offers the opportunity to save when we use our debit card by rounding up the dollar amount then putting it into a special savings account. At the end of the year, they match the savings up to $250.
• When I saw our bank was charging us a minimum balance fee, I called and threatened to change banks. We pay no fee what so ever.
• We mow our own lawn, turn out lights, keep the thermostat at sixty eight during the winter and eighty during the summer.

What is the number one thing I do to save? Fear. I use my fear of being without money as the main driving force to save. If you've never been able to pay for utilities, make the car or house payment, or pay rent, you will understand the fear. Other wise, you'll simply have to use your imagination.

Website and Blog Optimization: Not for the Amateur

My dream of optimizing my website, https://sites.google.com/site/millerswrappedexpression/, and blogs (this blog plus http://paintcreaterepurpose.blogspot.com/) has been shot down. Finding that I can't took nearly a day.

My biggest road block? I'm not familiar with HTML and using a free optimizer requires that I do. I could wing it but I risk screwing up my website and I have no friends to help me here in town. According to the free optimizer instructions, if I don't know HTML then I should find a web master to help me. So much for retaining independence.

So, what do I do now? The answer: Continue researching using key words like optimizer. That said, it is one of the basic necessities for getting a website known. Use key words people most likely would search.

Next, I will find other websites like mine and ask for a reciprocal link.

I already have my blogs and website URLs in the signature of my email which is helpful.

As for my blogs, I have begun clicking the share button to share them on a social network.

For both my website and blogs, I have taken advantage of AdSense, a free add-on that puts advertisements on my sites according to content. According to my account, people have visited my sites and I have had click-throughs which has earned me about ten dollars. Still, it's exposure.

Many people have the information I need. I find it all over the Internet. It's simply a matter of reading, studying and using the information I find.

If you can't afford a website and you utilize free space offers on your own with no help from a web master, expect to use the basic of basic methods to get traffic moving through it.

Dream of Making/Earning Extra Money or Income

I dream about making extra money all of the time. Some questions I ask myself are, "What can I sell on Craigslist?" "What legitimate websites offer opportunities to earn extra income?" "How can I optimize my website and blogs using the tools Google (and other search engines) offer?"

Using Craigslist was easy but a hit and miss endeavor. It involves testing items to sell. Last Spring when I started my garden I decided I would test selling young, three inch tall sunflower and tomato plants. Once they were to height, I listed them in two separate listings for $2 each. The listing titles simply said, "3" Sunflower Plants", or "3" Tomato Plants".

To my surprise, I sold them all and had to plant more to sell. I concluded young plants generate interest as Spring gets underway; that next Spring I will plant other flowers in addition to the sunflowers and vegetables in addition to the tomatoes. I will also ask $3 for the young seedlings upping the price by $1.

On the other hand, I have listed two solid wood end tables. These I listed at $10 each. The post generated interest but nobody was willing to pay $10 each for solid wood end tables. I'm not willing to go down on price because they're solid wood. That people don't want to pay my asking price leads me to believe people who can afford new furniture don't shop Craigslist.

I have also tested hand painted wine bottles, new teddy bears, Styrofoam(TM), plastic vases, homemade candles, etc. None of the items sold.

The thing about test marketing is this: The success (selling the item) or failure (not selling the item) depends on many factors like the time of year, consumer confidence, if people are able to get out and about to purchase (i.e. is there a virus going around or is there flooding), if what you're selling is desirable. There are more factors to consider but you catch my drift.

But I'm not letting up testing unsold items on Craigslist. I will continue listings those unsold items but I will change the verbiage, pictures, or pricing. Any one of these changes might make a difference as to whether I sell the items or not.

The other two questions I asked myself (see first paragraph) I am still researching. I'm sure to find the answers at some point.

Some Dreams Don't Come True

I had a dream of becoming a contributor for a popular how-to site. I enjoy writing especially about things I have conceptualized and made. Although I know I'm not a fantastic writer, I thought I would submit my application. After all, the worst that could happen is they would say no.

The application process required a resume. I dug out my back up CDs, found my resume, re-worked it then saved it to my personal desk top folder.

The website also required sample writing. What I should have done was submit a piece I had written and re-written several times to ensure there were no mistakes in spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. Instead, I wrote a new piece. I read it over several times, corrected the mistakes I found then headed to the website to fill out the application.

I entered all the required information which was basic like my name and address; attached my sample piece and my resume, hit the submit button then waited.

It took only a couple of hours to receive their response; surprising considering they must receive hundreds of applications a day. My application was declined. I was hurt but only a little as I had no great expectations but I did wonder what was wrong with my writing sample. I pulled it up and re-read it.

Tarnation! There was a mistake in the last paragraph. I had re-written a sentence but neglected to remove a word. Obviously, I hadn't re-read what I had corrected. Lesson: Be sure to re-read what you have written before submitting it as a sample of your work especially if you seriously want to be hired to write how-tos for money.

I dreamed; I tried but apparently sabotaged myself. So, on to the next dream...

Easy Homemade Rug or Repurposing

Browsing second hand and donation stores is a favorite pastime of mine. It's even better when I score.

At Goodwill, I found two tapestry-like pillow shams for 59 cents each that I converted into bathroom rugs. Although they were pretty thick and cushy already, I wanted them to be thicker so I cut an old towel in half and inserted a half into a pocket at one end of each sham. If I had wanted them even thicker I would have inserted a whole towel in the pockets by laying it flat and inserting one end in each pocket.

Next, I folded the shams in half (along the long edge not the narrow edge) and whip stitched the edges together with matching embroidery floss pulling the floss though the gold cords that adorn the shams' edges. The sham rugs add a classy touch and look much better than a folded towel on the floor. What's even better? They were inexpensive!

Homemade Thanksgiving/Autumn Candle Bouquet

I was on a mission to make our Thanksgiving table more decorative this year. True to form, I began searching the house for materials and ideas when I spied the orange candles I made sitting in glass holders. It didn't take long for me to decide I wanted to make something a bit more attractive for them to set in.

My husband had set aside vegetable cans he had emptied the contents from and rinsed. Grabbing them, I set to work.

First, I washed and dried them. Next, I wiped the exterior with alcohol to remove any sort of film then I set about painting them with acrylic paint. After choosing the colors, I painted the background. Because there isn't one spot in our house that is formal, I didn't mind if the silver of the can showed through a littler here and there. And to tell the truth, you'd have to use several layers of paint to entirely cover the metal.

After the paint dried, I sprayed them with flat finish lacquer.

I didn't have any artificial flowers on hand and I knew the hobby stores were having great sales on their autumn flora so off I went to find a great deal on flowers. I found a small bouquet of orange and red flowers for 60% off which was perfect and matched the cans I painted.

Next, at a dollar store, I found a roll of moss for - you guessed it - a buck. When I got home, I rummaged through the garage and found the Styrofoam I had removed and saved from some teddy bear candy bouquets my husband was unable to sell.

The blocks were not so large that I couldn't simply shove them into the cans but I knew if they were too large I could take a serrated knife and saw off the edges.

After the Styrofoam blocks were in place, I glued the moss on using hot glue; removed some fabric flower heads and sprays from their plastic stems then hot glued them into place.

The candles sticks wouldn't set on top of the Styrofoam so with a small knife I cut out a shallow holes, put some plumbers putty on the bottom of the candle sticks then pushed them into place.

Now all I have to do is make napkins and place mats for our Thanksgiving table.

Coupon Hound or More Income Supplement

In all of my adult life I have maybe clipped coupons twice. As far as I can remember the coupons remained on the kitchen counter because I ran off to go shopping without them. What made me think about coupons is the Google Adsense advertisement on my blog for Kansas City Restaurant coupons.

Back in the day - I mean, way, way back in the day - if I did happen to look at coupons in the Sunday paper all I found were high-end name brand coupons, name brands I would never consider purchasing, first of all. Second of all, way back in the day, even with the discount from the coupon the name brand was still more expensive than the off-brand product I would purchase which - in my opinion - was just as good or dang near.

This isn't the case these days. John, my husband, is the opposite of me when it comes to clipping and using. And, he finds great deals even on off brand products.

"Do you need laundry detergent? They've a got 2x 32 load bottle for $1.99," he'll call to me from the living room.

Sometimes and more often than not, he'll come home from the grocery stores - because he'll shop at more than one - laden with plastic bags full of items and with the excitement of a child finding a five dollar bill on the sidewalk says, "Boy, did I make a killin' on pork roast. I got it for $1.48 a pound!"

"Is that good?" I ask in ignorance because I haven't grocery shopped in years.

"Oh yeah," he replies. "It's normally $1.99 a pound."

I have to give him credit, he manages to save us money. I haven't calculated how much but I have a feeling he manages to save us a bundle during a month. This of course means more money in our pockets which tickles John to no end. There's only one thing he likes better than getting a good deal with coupons and that's getting something for free.

And speaking of free, we haven't bought toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste or tooth brushes, etc. in a very long time. He travels three times a week selling to hospital gift shops. Part of what he furnishes and sells is what he calls sundries; shampoo, condition, aspirin, etc. Whenever he finds a damaged box of these goods he brings the box home rather than using company money to send it back.

Also, because he stays in motels three times a week, he'll stuff the extra roll of toilet paper from the motel bathroom into his overnight bag to bring home. Granted, it's not the softest nor the thickest toilet paper in the world but the way I figure it my bottom doesn't really care. It's not like it's going to pucker up and not do its job. And, like I said, John like getting things for free.

We're not rich by any stretch of the word but the money he's saving us using coupons and taking the motel toilet paper is in our pockets and not in the store's coffers.

Supplement Income

Have you ever been in a bind when you needed some quick cash? We were two years ago when my husband's doctor told him he is border-line diabetic. His insurance paid for part of the office vist and his supplies but didn't cover them 100 percent. We were left finding a way to produce more income to cover the costs and I am out of work and unable to a job.

The most immediate solution I thought of (or to stay with the theme of my blog, dreamed of) was to have a garage sale. We didn't have enough items to sell so I asked my mother and brother if I could rummage through their closets and garages explaining to them that I was having a garage sale to earn some money to help pay medical expenses for John. They were more than happy to have me go through their unused items as long as I got their permission to sell what I found. Also, they allowed me to keep all of the money I collected since - in essence - I was helping them to consolidate unused items literally cluttering their storage spaces.

Since I wasn't willing to dip into our income for the additional expense of advertising the garage sale in the local newspaper, I used Craigslist, a free service for people like me to advertise items for sale. The web site as well as the registration process were easy to navigate and in just a few minutes I was on my way to creating an ad.

I wanted to make sure I enticed not only women to the garage sale but men, too. I did this with the header or title of the listing, "Garage Sale Tools & Household items". Then in the body of the advertisement, I typed out those things I had gotten from my brother like rolling toolbox, tools, air compressor. I knew these would be the high ticket items. Below those I listed the things I had and had gotten from my mother like end tables, king sized mattress, homemade candles, etc. Making sure I had entered my address and the time of the sale, I waited for the day to come. I made no preparations like pricing items but I did set up the garage with tables on which I put my smaller, not-easily-seen items.

The ad worked. At 15 minutes to the official start of my garage sale, men began meandering in and looking. In fact, I had more men than women who didn't start wandering in until after nine. In no time at all, I had sold all of my brothers tools, tool boxes, air compressor, grinder, etc. Although the women bought nothing whatsoever, I still made a whopping $200 which was more than enough to pay for John's medical expenses.

And that's how I made some quick money.

Ferrets and Rehoming

I like getting up in the morning and drink coffee while perusing Craigslist. Lately I’ve been drawn to the pet section of the web site. Partly because I enjoy reading what kinds of animals are being re-homed and partly because I’m half heartedly searching for a ferret to be a bedmate to my four year old ferret whose bedmate died late last year.

I’m specifically looking for an older ferret who’s more the age of Ponc. If I get a younger one then I’ll be in the same situation when four year old Ponc dies that I’m in now; looking for a bedmate for the ferret left behind. They live to be - on average - eight years old. Pogo, Ponc’s former bedmate, died almost exactly at eight years of age.

But I haven’t found an older ferret being re-homed. The ones listed are anywhere from ten weeks to one and a half years. This has really begun eating at me. Why, I have asked myself, are only young ones being re-homed while middle-aged ones aren’t? Most of the listings indicating they have no more time and their little friend isn’t being let out to exercise enough concern the ones ranging in age from one to one and a half. I can certainly understand taking on extra work or taking the opportunity to work full time considering today's economy. These people have had their ferret since it was a baby and hate giving it up but know that it's for the ferret they do this. But what about the little bitty guys - the babies - who are being re-homed? Well, I’ve come up with my own theory regarding people rehoming them.

I believe those people who are listing their young ferrets on Craigslist purchased a ferret before researching and learning about them. This is an absolute no-no when buying any pet. You must research in order to make sure you will be happy with your choice prior to buying. Why? Well, if you’re wanting a dog do you want one that needs a lot of exercise because you enjoy either walking or running? What if it’s a barker; barks at a fly in the house or a leaf falling from a tree? Or would you rather have one that enjoys quiet time and is content simply laying at your feet? Size is important. How much food can you afford? Is your house large or small? There are so many important factors to consider before purchasing any pet. Period.

Ferrets are naturally curious creatures. They enjoy slipping through cracks and holes, love burrowing, and want to investigate every part of the room in which they are exercised. They will not hesitate climbing into and tipping a waste basket. They’ll force their heads into holes in bass speakers. They will crawl in between the cushions and get into the inside of your couch or recliner. Some enjoy digging at rugs or carpets creating holes while others don’t. They can open cabinet doors on entertainment centers, climb up onto shelves if there’s a way up and knock everything off the shelf.

One of Ponc’s (my four year old ferret) favorite activities is opening the door on the little cabinet sitting on the floor and that houses all of my Cds and DVDs. He enjoys pulling out all of the cases or climbing in behind them and shoving them out onto the floor. I let him because it doesn’t hurt anything, I don’t mind picking up after him and I know he occasionally gets bored.

Sometimes he gets it into his head that he simply can’t live unless he has done a couch dive (my term for squeezing past the cushions into the interior of the couch). I might have to get up twenty times to retrieve him. If he does manage to get in there and falls asleep inside the arm of the couch I will play hell trying to wake and bribe him out.

He’s not a digger, thank goodness but he does love pooping and/or peeing in one corner of the room. Some ferrets can be litter trained; others can’t. I live during his play time to wipe pee and pick up his poop. This reminds me, they must have time out of their beds/cages to exercise otherwise you’ll have one very unhappy and untamed ferret on your hands. They must be let out at least twice a day for an hour.

To keep Ponc from roaming the rest of the house and possibly climbing into the back of the refrigerator or finding a hole to climb into within this sixty-year-old house, I have put up a baby gate onto which I stapled cardboard. The gate is too high for him to reach the top if he stands on his hind legs and the cardboard too slippery for him to claw up. He is confined to one play room in which I spread his boxes, plastic bags, old jeans and old throw blanket. Periodically, he gets a new paper bag or a suitcase I don’t care about to play in.

I adore the little guy. He’s fun and comical but I’m telling you there are times he’s a pain in the ass and I could just shake him silly after I’ve gotten up out of my chair for the twentieth time to retrieve him from the sofa.

So honestly, if you can’t put in the time to watch him while he‘s playing, have no patience for curiosity, or don’t have a way to keep a ferret from climbing into the walls of your house, into the back of your refrigerator or squeeze beneath a stove, please I beg you not to purchase a ferret.