Thing 30: Spend a weekend shopping in Seattle area

This time of year I usually go to Phoenix to visit my snowbird parents. Since they didn't go south this year, mom and I decided to take a trip to Seattle (and Vegas, but more on that later!). Mom found a really good deal with the Clipper for two nights and a return trip on the ferry. We've never taken the Clipper and I was interested to see what it was like since living on the Island, I'm a veteran of the BC Ferries and pretty familiar with the Coho as well. I don't have any pictures from the trip down because we left at 5 pm Saturday night and it was soon dark. I was going to take pictures on the way home but that didn't go as planned.

We only had one day in Seattle itself as the Clipper was supposed to leave at 8 am Monday morning. We've been to Seattle many times so we weren't interested in going up the Space Needle but it was close to our hotel and had a monorail that took you downtown. Downtown was more compact than I was expecting. We shopped our way around including a stroll through the top of Pikes Place Market. We booked tickets to the 5th Avenue Theater to see the Music Man at 7 pm so we went back to the hotel for a few hours before heading back downtown to the show. 

The theater was amazing! It is beautifully decorated in a Chinese theme. There was a dragon hanging from the ceiling holding the chandelier. The Music Man was entertaining and I suppose that it qualifies for another thing on my list, Thing 9 - See a play. It was more musical than play though. 

When we got back to the hotel, there was a message from the Clipper. They needed us to be at the terminal at 6:30 am. When we got there the next morning, we found out the sailing was cancelled and they were putting us on a bus for Vancouver. (I forgot to ask what would happen if the BC Ferries weren't running, but they were.) The bus ride was 2 hours and we cleared customs at the border, then off to the BC Ferry. We ended up home a couple of hours later than if we had taken the Clipper so it wasn't too bad. It was disappointing that we didn't get to see the view from the Clipper on the way home or shop the duty free. They did give us breakfast and lunch and a letter for 50% off an adult fare to be used in the next year. The Clipper did everything in their power to get us home in a timely fashion. They can't help the weather. All in all it was a good weekend in Seattle. We'll end up doing more shopping later on this month when we drive down to fly out of SeaTac to Vegas.

Week 6 - Start/Done - Dragonfly screen door bug

I'm about halfway through selecting recipes for my board so I did a quick craft this week.

I bought this beaded dragonfly for my screen door in the Butchart Gardens gift shop. I like it a lot and wanted a few more, but they were a bit pricey and I haven't renewed my Butchart Gardens pass, so I decided to make some.

I used 20 gauge jewelry wire, beads and a pair of 3 in 1 jewelry pliers that I picked up at Walmart. I bought most of the beads at Michael's but I also used some from a broken necklace that I had saved. 

The one in the middle is the original. I think they turned out well. It was helpful to have one pre-made to look at and copy because winding the wire gets a bit complicated for the wings.

Week 5 - done

I'm in the process of selecting recipes to use on my new meal planning menu board but the board is ready to go.

I like cute magnets.

I laid out the calendar on paper first, then used the pin striping to mark it on the board. I printed the months, the dates and a few general menu planning titles for when I'm away, planned a night out or planned to stop by the folks place. The recipes will be in colour so I thought I'd keep the rest white. I printed these on card stock, cut them out and covered them with packing tape to laminate them. I then applied a small piece of magnet to the back. I keep the extras in a small container that I also attached magnets to and keep on the side of my fridge. I'll also keep the recipe titles I don't use in a month the same way. 

Week 5 - Start - Meal Planning Calendar

Up for this week is part of a larger project to get my food purchases in order. I've already organized my coupons, now to plan meals and grocery shopping. I usually bring my leftovers to work for lunch but I've been slacking on making dinner so no lunch or lots of PB&J. Don't get me wrong, I could eat PB&J every day for a long while before I got bored with it but a little variety is nice.

Source: robbygurlscreations.blogspot.ca viaBrenda on Pinterest

First up is to make a calendar for my fridge to plan my meals out on. I saw this pin on Pinterest and wanted to make one similar but much smaller.

Here's what I bought to get the job done. A small magnetic whiteboard with a strip of cork, magnetic tape and clear packing tape for the recipe titles, and pinstripe tape from Canadian Tire to mark out the calendar. The photo album will be used to hold the recipes once I've selected them.

Week 4 - Done

Well for a quick project, It took a little longer than I expected only because I have nowhere to spray paint at home.  It's too cold to do it outside so I took it to work and did it there after hours. 

I decided on purple (big surprise) and the edges are black and silver although the silver doesn't show up in the picture. Weird. 

I also spray painted the hooks silver as they were gold which isn't a favourite of mine.I pre-drilled the holes for the hooks and drilled a shallow hole in the back to hang the holder from a nail. I was going to add a design to the front but figured it would get covered up once the bracelets and anklets were on it.

Here's a before and after of where I hung it. All in all it was an easy project, if not as quick as I was expecting.

Week 4 - Start - Necklace/Bracelet Holder

I'm a bit busy this week so I decided to go with a quick project.

I have this earring holder one of my Aunts made me and a necklace holder that my Grandparents made me that both work well to contain my jewelry and since it's on the wall, I wear it more often.

The necklace holder is getting a bit crowded as I decided to add my bracelets to it as well. What I need is a separate holder for them.

While browsing at Michael's after Christmas I found their section of unfinished wood plaques. I picked out a small one that I thought would work. I have cup hooks left over from another project that will work, as well as spray paint to make it pretty. I haven't decided on which colour but I have a few options. I'll also get to try out my new drill. I never thought I'd need one in an apartment but lately I keep having to borrow one so I added it to my Christmas list this year.

Week 3 - Done

Here's my new coupon binder. It's big enough to hold my Entertainment Book as well which means I may actually use those coupons this year.

I have nephews, they sell me stuff like coupon books and chocolates for their school. 

If I were to make another one, I'd forgo the monthly planner refill and just get dividers. There are many templates for pages on the internet or you can make your own.
Actually I did just get dividers for next year, but since I opened the refill package I can't return it.

I ended up with 15 categories for my coupons and labeled all the pockets.

Along with the 15 categories, I have a spot for coupons that need to be filed, a spot for ones to use soon and ones I plan on using my next shopping trip. I also have a place for fast food coupons, Canadian Tire $, general store coupons like for Michael's and Old Navy and coupon policies of stores I shop at often.

I customized an Excel monthly calendar for next year and created a weekly meals planner and shopping list divided into similar categories. I added a zippered pouch to store a small pair of scissors and a pen.

I also made a list of all my coupons in an excel file that I can update and print out so I know what I have. Sounds a little obsessive I know so we'll see if I keep it up. I can also organize them by expiry date so I can decide whether to use them or at least leave them on the shelf in the store so someone else can use them.

Week 3 - Start - Organize Coupons

So my coupon organizing project this week will hopefully help me with my menu planning project for a future week.

I coupon. I'm not an extreme couponer. I'm not sure you can even do that in Canada like you see on TV. I'm not a stockpiler either, unless there's a really good deal and it won't go bad before I use it and I have the space in my tiny apartment to store it.

I currently have a bunch of coupons I've gotten from inserts and online stuffed into a small accordion file that I keep in my car. If I don't leave it in my car, I forget it and I usually forget it in my car as well.

I never said I was a good couponer!

I looked at a bunch of storage ideas from binders to big accordion files and even bigger boxes and settled on a variation of the binder idea. I want to be able to take it into the store but not look like I've come from school. I picked up a half sized binder (8.5" x 5.5" ) and pocket protectors and a day-timer monthly planner refill.

It's a bit bigger than the accordion file, but still portable. Lets see if this will work for me!

Week 2 - Done!

Gosh, there was a table underneath all that stuff!

Now there's a place for books in my bedroom, the place I read the most.

 And all my crafty stuff finally has a home!

The whole living/dining room looks bigger without all that stuff. The bench and chair went to my brother, the other table got taken apart and thrown out, and these new cubby style book shelves from Canadian Tire are a perfect fit. I also got new drawers for paper, a card organizer I turned into marker storage for my Spectrum Noir pens and a few boxes for the less pretty craft supplies. All in all, I'm pleased with the results.

I can't wait to mess up that table with a project!

Week 2 - Start - Organize my craft area

There is no finished post for Week 1 as it was create the blog and the post would have been very short. Here's the blog! Post done. 

In deciding what I wanted to do for week 2, I looked to my crafting area aka my dining room table:

Quite the mess eh? 

If I am ever going to get anything done, I need somewhere to do it. Last year I went around my apartment and cleaned and organized every area starting at the closet by the front door and working my way around. Guess where I stopped. It's quite intimidating and I got busy working on my trailer to do much at home.

I had this old table my Dad made me when I was a kid sitting in front of this bookcase he also made me when I was a kid, surrounded by more stuff. The table was outside on my balcony and I replaced it with a nice tile one. I brought the old one inside to get rid of it but it kept being a handy place to craft and do things because the other table was a mess.

The plan for Week #2 is finally get rid of that table, move the bookcase into my bedroom, getting rid of the chair and organ bench I have in there, and create a craft storage area where the bookcase was. It's a good project to do this time of year because one, it's cold and miserable and usually dark outside and two, all the organization and storage solutions are on sale everywhere in January. As for the cost for all the new storage gear, BC Hydro just sent me $75 for reducing my energy usage by 12% last year! Go Team Power Smart!

Thing 20: Do something environmental

I told my friends about my list for the year and welcomed them to join me on any of the things I want to do. It's always more fun with friends. They seem very excited and I have a few things in the works already thanks to their enthusiasm.

My friend Wanda already had planned something that happened to be on my list so I decided to join her. We cleaned a beach! China beach on the west coast of Vancouver Island to be exact. The Vancouver Island chapter of Surfrider foundation holds monthly cleanups at local beaches as a part of a Combing the Coast campaign.

It was a nice drive out there and a lovely walk along the beach considering it's January and cold. There were about 25 - 30 people there and it's well organized. There wasn't a lot of garbage which is a good thing. With the news going on about the garbage from the tsunami created by the earthquake in Japan, I was expecting more garbage.

We did find the usual beer cans, coffee cups and random bits of plastic. All in all, If I were to do it again, I'd pick a beach or shoreline closer to home. Somewhere I actually use and see more than once every 10 years or so. I live along the Gorge Waterway and every year our community association has a clean-up. I think I'll join them this year.

Week 1 - Start - a Blog

Funny how Thing #4 and Week 1 are the same. Sort of like I planned it that way :)

I don't have a list of 52 things to do but a general theme of one artsy crafty thing a week. I have a few projects that are unfinished, a few I have yet to start and a whole lot of pins on Pinterest that I want to do. I've decided that I will do a post at the beginning of the week showing what I plan to do for the week and one at the end showing what I've accomplished.

Week 1 - Start a blog. In starting this blog I had to figure out all sorts of things. Things like where do I put the blog? What will I blog about? What will I call it? Should I make a logo? How do I make a logo?

Obviously I've figured out all those things or this would be a blank page that didn't exist. Throughout the week I will be adding and tweaking the layout until I get it just right. I'm also not too sure about the logo so that may get some tweaking as well.

As for now, the cat is lying on one arm and it is getting hard to type so I'm done for today.

Thing 4: Start a Blog

I've reached the top of the hill. The other side doesn't look so bad. I want to change things up this year so I made a list. It's a list of things I want to do this year. It's not set in stone so the list may change as I find new fun things to do. It's a long list but I have a whole year. I won't offer explanations here but I will blog about doing these things so you'll get more details as I complete each item. 

This blog and post starts #4 - Start a blog. 
The rest of the list after the jump or over there ---> on the side. For future reference.