Love it when good news comes in the mornings.  AnneMarie from the Netherlands has put my Wishbone Cable Handbag into one of her treasuries on Etsy today!  I adore free advertising.  So I visit her blog and she is quite the crafter!  Her blog today is call "Link Your Stuff" where you can put your own items into her blog post to show off.  Yes, more FREE advertising!  It's amazing how such an old art of using yarns has come back with such zest and creativity.  Check out her blog post and "LINK YOUR STUFF"!!

ANNEMARIE'S BREIBLOG to LINK YOUR STUFF

I linked the "Love Me or Leaf Me" bag.......
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I didn't NEED anything from Joann's, but when there's a sale AND a coupon involved you must force yourself to at least see what's there.  But I did end up with more bargains than I'd anticipated.  Could not resist these fleece pieces for baby blankets with crocheted edgings.  This bunch will make a total of eight blankies!
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I've been fleeced. :)
And while I was in the notions aisle, somehow I ended up wandering over into the purse makin's aisle - and every, yes EVERY handle was $4.00 no matter what the retail price was!  So here is the goodie bag full of handles......
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Getting a handle on things..... tee hee
And finally, the real reason for being in the ribbon and notions aisle was to see if there were pre-made flowers for my new black purse.  Of course I had a 40% off coupon for this baby and it topped it off perfectly!
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Complete! And it's all mine. :)
 
Also day #5 of this headache/spasm/whatever - arggggghh.   But anyway, wanted to share a little more trivia from 1981!  How about a little music, so we can sing along with Mitch and count a-one-a and a-two-a........

According to Billboard, here are the rankings:

# 1 Physical - Olivia Newton-John
# 2 Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes
# 3 Endless Love - Diana Ross & Lionel Ritchie
# 4 Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) - Christopher Cross
# 5 Kiss On My List - Daryl Hall and John Oates
# 6 Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield
# 7 I Love A Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbitt
# 8 9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
# 9 Private Eyes -Daryl Hall and John Oates
# 10 Rapture - Blondie

It was kind of fun to see that the top MOVIE of 1981 also had a top ten musical hit, also.  Kinda cool trivia.
 
Most Popular Feature Films Released In 1981  (according to IMDB.com)
1.  Arthur (1981)  - LOVED IT!!!
 Arthur is a happy drunk with no pretensions at any ambition. He is also the heir to a vast fortune which...Dir: Steve Gordon With: Dudley MooreLiza MinnelliJohn Gielgud.  Comedy | Romance  97 mins.
2.  Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)  -  Adore Harrison Ford
 Archeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the US government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis.Dir: Steven Spielberg With: Harrison FordKaren AllenPaul Freeman  Action | Adventure115 mins.
3.  Das Boot (1981)  - Haven't seen this one.
 The claustrophobic world of a WWII German U-boat; boredom, filth, and sheer terror.Dir: Wolfgang Petersen With: Jürgen ProchnowHerbert GrönemeyerKlaus Wennemann  Action | Drama | History | War149 mins.
4.  Excalibur (1981)  -  Yet another GREAT epic movie - SUPERB!
 A spirited accounting of one of the most obscure periods of the world's history. This reprisal is magical in its execution and gives its audience something to watch.Dir: John Boorman With: Nigel TerryHelen MirrenNicholas Clay  Adventure | Drama | Fantasy140 mins.
5.  The Evil Dead (1981)  -  Haven't seen this one either.
 Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.Dir: Sam Raimi With: Bruce CampbellEllen SandweissRichard DeManincor  Horror85 mins.
6.  Stripes (1981) -  A laugh a minute - good movie.  One of Bill Murray's best, other than "What About Bob".
 Two friends who are dissatisfied with their jobs decide to join the army for a bit of fun.Dir: Ivan Reitman With: Bill MurrayJohn CandyHarold Ramis  Comedy | War106 mins.
7.  Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)   - Mel Gibson?  Of course!!!
 In the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline rich, community escape a band of bandits.Dir: George Miller With: Mel GibsonBruce SpenceMichael Preston  Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller95 mins.
8.  Escape from New York (1981)  - Kurt Russell is hot.  :)
 In 1997, when the US President crashes into Manhattan, now a giant max. security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in for a rescue.Dir: John Carpenter With: Kurt RussellLee Van CleefErnest Borgnine  Action | Adventure | Crime | Sci-Fi | Thriller99 mins.
9.  Clash of the Titans (1981)  -  Watched this movie at least 798 times.
 A film adaption of the myth of Perseus and his quest to battle both Medusa and the Kraken monster to save the Princess Andromeda.Dir: Desmond Davis With: Laurence OlivierHarry HamlinClaire Bloom  Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Family | Romance118 mins.
10.  For Your Eyes Only (1981)  -  James Bond never dies.  :)  I do like Sean Connery better as Bond though.  Now HE'S a VERY hot older gentleman!  
  Agent 007 is assigned to hunt for a lost British encryption device and prevent it from falling into enemy hands.Dir: John Glen With: Roger MooreCarole BouquetTopol  Action | Adventure | Thriller127 mins.
 
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We're going to celebrate!  Yes, 30 years ago this week we were blessed with our son, Tyler. As most of you know, he has been celebrating with Jesus for seven years now.  So let's have some fun, remembering back with some trivia, historical happenings, and just plain fun - that's what the 80's was all about, right?  And Tyler loved to have fun and laugh.

Let's start with the cost of living 30 years ago - this was an eye opener.  :)

Cost Of Living 1981How Much things cost in 1981
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 10.35% 
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average  875 
Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve  15.75% 
Average Cost of new house  $78,200.00 
Average Income per year  $21,050.00 
Average Monthly Rent  $315.00 
Cost of a gallon of Gas  $1.25 (WOW!!!)
Sinclair ZX80 $199.95 (what's this?)
19 inch Color TV $399.95 


WOW!  Do you believe all that?  Wish the gas prices were as low as then, or even double the old price would be okay.  HA!  
Video killed the radio star!  And who doesn't like Pat Benatar!  WOW!  And where are those VJ's these days?  This is wonderful - give it a watch and it will take you back and make you smile.
 
Needed a HUGE break from the normal stuff today, and out of the blue comes an idea.  A new purse.  YES!  That was the ticket!  I needed a new purse, it's the first day of spring, and it DIDN'T rain today like I'd thought!  Win, Win and WIN!  So I located some black fabric I'd been hoarding that was originally $19.99 a yard, but mind you I didn't pay that price.  My nose for deals was obviously working that day - in whatever year that was.  And I'm going to keep this purse for myself.  Yep, selfish, but I adore this fabric.  I forgot to take pics of the stages of construction, but at least I can share the finished (almost) product.  I just need a big BLACK flower to pin onto it and then it's complete.
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(Yes, those are Bill's shirts in the background, un-ironed. He'll live.)
You probably can't tell from the photos, but the black flowers are actually fuzzy!  Yeah, that's me and that texture thing rolling again.  But isn't it cute?  LOVE IT!
 
Four items are listed, which means now they can get business cards put in them and bagged up in plastic for safe keeping.  The listings are the hardest part to do and takes me forever!!!  UGHHHH  I'm not a writer by a long shot and could sure use some help in that area, but that's the way it goes, right?  Four items and two hours later, I'm ready to get off the computer and get back to actually making something worthwhile!  :)  Here's the listings......
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There is one more thing to list, but it just may not get done today.  But that's okay!  

Thanks for looking and happy creating, everyone!
 
Just learned it is National Quilt Day!  I'm not surprised as it is National Craft Month also.  Hence all the crafting madness going on around here.

Wanted to throw a link out to all you fabric addicts out there from Fabric.com as they are running a fantastic sale today!  So head on over there and look at all the gorgeous designs they have to offer - and ON SALE no less!!!  And always free shipping on a minimum $35 order.  Can't beat that one.
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I had to post these pieces as they just made me giggle.  "Be a Man" rebel patches and "Be a Man" cold one.  Now what could I make out of something like this?  Isn't this just too funny?
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Absolutely CRACKS ME UP!!!!
 
After having a very enjoyable morning at work (and I mean that) I needed to stop at Walmart (ick) for some essentials.  While there, thought I'd pick up some iron-on batting as theirs is the least expensive, even with a coupon at Joann's.  They had some great bargains in the main aisle, and yes, I fell for it.  Hook, line, and sinker.  Actually did not get a whole lot accomplished for the my on-line stores today, but tomorrow is another day.  So here's the non-eventful events of the afternoon......
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Who can resist $3.50 per bin, huh? And $3.50 for a pack of 3 smaller ones?
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Poky Puppy and Little Golden Books fabric came in the mail yesterday. See the gorgeous stuff on the right? OOOOO Yep, lady bugs, to the left.
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Look!!! I found my sewing machine table!!!
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And set up those cheap bins with fabric, paper, pens, appliques, you name it. But it's organized! And the mini cutting table is cleared off! WOW ME!
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I only located 1/2 of the guest bed, though. OH, well.....
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This last photo is me determined to fix every demo to perfection and add something to its package so I can list each on Etsy tomorrow.  So each of the mini folder/binder thingy's are now fixed, getting a bonus item done, and yes..... I need more decoupage stuff.  crap

The case you see at the top left hand side of the photo is Bill's grandpa's special collection that he has nowhere to hang at his office.  Yet.  His office here in town has not been completed yet so he figures hanging it in the hallway where his desk is probably isn't the right thing to do.  And his office in Omaha is just too far away to put this treasure.  So here it lays, on our dining room table - but it's safe and sound.  But should I be using a paint brush around it?  Hmmmmm

As the hub has a gig, me and Mark Harmon will keep up with each other this evening, keeping busy doing something.  I really do wish he'd get a different haircut in that show, though.  tee hee  

Get creative - and have a blessed weekend!  I'll update something tomorrow, hopefully.  :)
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I was given a new challenge by a co-worker the other day:  a 3-ring binder covered with fabric.  Hmmmm, I say..... I've done those a trillion times, but not in years!  I remember my mom's bookshelf sitting behind her favorite chair, lined with her fabric covered notebooks, some with cross-stitching on the front, but every one holding something very dear to her.  And it made for a very colorful bookshelf, too!  So I took on the challenge this evening to see if I could still do it.  Out came the rulers, the pins, the scraps, the scissors....  This is what I came up with as a demo using a 1" 3-ring binder I got at Staples today....
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Bad pic of it closed....
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... bad lighting, bad photo. First photo is truer in color....
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The leatherette logo worked great with this design....
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Binder standing up with Karen in the background getting voted off American Idol. Yet another awful photo.
It was a successful project and was actually fairly pleased with the end result.  See the wire cooling rack sitting on its side to the left there?  There was enough of the muffin patterned fabric to make a little notebook to go along with it and stick in the inside pocket.  The mini book is drying on that rack with only two more coats of decoupage to go and a nice trim.

As you all know, I don't cook or I'd keep this one.  :)  But it could be filed with plastic cover sheets, photo pages for recipe cards......... the options are numerous.

Give me more ideas, everyone!  Are there enough pockets on the inside cover?  Should there be something else added?  Taken away?  

Keep creating, folks, and enjoy LIFE!