Good

Today I found a new magazine to love. This one is called Good and I found it while browsing the reading materials in an airport store, looking for an interesting periodical that I don't already subscribe to. Not only did the pink cover make me pick it up, but the great photo of the cow and the headlines had me sold, too. I read it cover to cover on my flight, absorbing its goodness and feeling the need to subscribe. Its even printed on good paper--paper I want to save and reuse in craft projects. Another good thing about Good--the subscription cost ($20) is donated to the charity of your choice and the magazine reports back on the goals and contributions to each charity. How good is that!?! This magazine is full of good stuff.

Bargain of the Day: Rx Glasses for $8

A friend recently sent me a link to a site where she said I could get prescription glasses, complete with lenses and ready for my eyes, for eight bucks. It sounded too good to be true. She had complimented a cute guy's trendy frames while standing in line for coffee and he told her about the site. Well, for eight bucks--I was willing to give it shot. I needed a spare pair anyway. I have now ordered three different pairs and sent the link on to everyone I know that's visually impaired. Shipping was about four dollars--for a total of 12 bucks--for a complete pair of glasses. (And the shipping cost didn't go up when I ordered two pairs at once.) I won't even go into the stories I've heard from others about how much they usually pay for glasses, so this is definitely the deal of the day. At this price, you can get a pair to match every outfit in your closet, and even consider donating some to charity! Check out your options at: http://zennioptical.com/cart/home.php

Wisdom

Thought for the day... "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
-- Reinhold Niebuhr (American theologian, 1892-1971)

Featured Artist / Etsian: Dawn Houser

I have THOUSANDS of rubber stamps. I kid you not. I don't use them much anymore, but I used to collect, buy, use, design, and sell them when I was in high school and I've never been able to part with my huge collection. It is nearly 20 years later and most of them are still boxed up. I have pulled a few out now and then, but I always tell myself that I can NOT buy ANY MORE STAMPS. I broke my own rule when I went to the Stitch fashion and craft event in Austin. I stopped at Dawn Houser's booth and snatched up several packs of the stamps she designed for Inkadinkadoo, including this set with an Asian theme, as well as some holiday stamps. I could not resist her style, and ended up adding about 10 new rubber stamps to my collection. (Aaack!)

I later found Dawn on etsy, the site where I sell my jewelry. Her etsy site [http://dawnhouser.etsy.com/] includes some of her hand knit items, gorgeously eclectic aprons (Oh! I wish I needed an apron!), and sometimes some of her art or collage materials are available. (My wallet is thankful that her rubber stamps have not shown up on etsy.) Dawn also has a wonderful blog about her life in San Antonio as an artist, mom, thrifter, baker, knitter, crafter, reader, and pet lover. Through her blog [http://dawnhouser.blogspot.com/], I discovered that she's also designed stationery for Crane's. I purchased several boxes of these lovely papers for holiday gifts. I hope to one day meet Dawn in person at one of her open studio tours in the Alamo City.

Pie

I had a random thought while I was eating my dinner tonight: My mom is the best! At Thanksgiving she makes a pie for every person who requests one, making sure everyone has their favorite. My favorite is her apple pie. But that's not what this blog is about. This past Thanksgiving, I was trying not to eat the high cal indulgences that the holidays revolve around and was having a bit of anxiety about being around eight different pies and being able to say, "No, Thank You." Knowing this, and indulging everyone with their own pie, my mom made me "Too Good to Deny Pumpkin Pie" from the Hungry Girl website, my go-to source for recipe swaps and tips on healthy restaurant options. This pie was DELICIOUS. And pumpkin is a vegetable, right? So, can I get my "five a day" with five servings of pie?!? OH MY! ...So, my random thought came to me tonight because I wish I had some pie. 133 calories per slice pie. Or any pie. http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/chewdetails.php?isid=1261

Superday

I can easily say that I'm not a super sports fan, especially when it comes to televised sports. When the "super" Sunday comes around at the end of football season, its a given that I'll be at my parents' house snacking the day away on the game day buffet and wishing I was at home crafting. Knowing this about me, my mom came up with a craft project for us to do while the game was on this year. I couldn't have been happier! It was a project she'd seen on one of Martha Stewart's television shows, which usually intimidates me because Martha's crafts tend to require precision, skill, immense patience, and a laundry list of exotic supplies. But this project involved stamping, a craft I mastered back in the 90's. The project was simple and I was impressed with the results. We made kitchen towels stamped with an apple pattern--using a real sliced apple. The materials included cotton towels (we used rectangles of muslin that mom hemmed), apples, acrylic paints, fabric medium for the paints, and a paintbrush. You just slice the apple, apply paint, stamp on the fabric, let it dry a bit, then draw on the seeds and stems. Voila!