Sticker Storage

I'll admit I am sticker crazy.  I loved to put stickers all over snail mail as a young child and still do!  But there was also a time when I was an extreme scrapbooker which required a ridiculous amount, more of an over-abundance of stickers.  After 15 solid years of hardcore scrapbooking I got burned out and I demoted myself to paper-crafting only.  Literally fifteen years of scrapbooking, from 15 years old to 30 years old, from 1998 to 2013.  During that time, I created a divided sticker box to control the clutter and to make them easy to find.  

 No longer do I own this box but I wanted to share with you a great way to organize your stickers.  This is perfect for anyone who owns stickers, not just scrapbook and paper-craft hobbyists.  We are all too well aware of how sheets of stickers can become overwhelming to take care of.

**Disclaimer** This is not my best work.  I created the box years ago with whatever I had lying around the house and did not use exact measurements.  Please excuse the sloppiness.

Materials Needed:

Large storage box 

Poster board

Pencil or Pen

Self-Adhesive Tabs

Ultra Fine Sharpie

Staples
Stapler

Titles to List on Tabs:

Letters

Words

Phrases

Quotes/Sayings

Celebrate/Party

Seasons

Holidays

Travel

Family

Animals/Pets

Food

School/Education

Wedding/Religious

Flowers/Nature

Hearts/Romance

Fashion

Vellum 

Borders/Designs

Congratulatory

"Licensed" (for things like Major League Baseball or Disney)



Instructions:

1. Measure the poster board down to whatever size you need to fit inside your box.  Make sure you have cut enough for all of your categories.

2.  Hand write or type the categories for your tabs.

3.  Attach the tabs with staggered positioning so that they are easy read.

4. You may need to reinforce the tabs with staples.

Tips:

• Use a fun fabric covered storage box.  These are easily found for a low price at stores like Home Goods, Marshalls, and T.J. Maxx.  
• Create as many tabs as necessary for your collection.  Everyone's is different.
• Putting all vellum embellishing sheets in one tab makes it easier than several separate tabs for pictures or sayings.  Unless you are making a separate box just for vellum.
• "Licensed" would be for various stickers like Major League Baseball or Disney.
• Label the outside of the box as "Stickers" for easy access.

Fabric box with fabric lid

Various titles are labeled and staggered.

All Vellum in one area

Due to tabs not adhering well, I stapled them in place

~With Angela O'

Pressed Pennies Tastefully Secured

Do you know all those pressed penny machines that people get suckered in to using while they are visiting a tourist attraction?  They are everywhere...Disney, Universal, zoos, aquariums, skyscrapers, some gas stations.  You know?  The ones that you had so much fun as a kid making and your parent couldn't say no because it was the one souvenir that was actually affordable. Fifty-one cents. Two quarters and a penny.  Hopefully you had a shiny penny.

Well, I have a lot of pennies from when I was younger and I really enjoy the memories for each one.  During the first few years of my marriage we were on an extremely tight budget.  If we ever visited a tourist location the trinket that we knew we could afford (and too avoid bringing home excessive junk) were the pressed pennies.  As silly as they were we are delighted to look back at them.  

At home and in the workplace I love having everything exactly in its place.  I do not like junk everywhere but junk itself can be okay if setup tastefully.  I have never had a nice way to store the pressed pennies and I never liked anyone's suggestions.  Even the little penny books sold in the tourist retail stores were out of the question for me.  So for a long time they sat in a photo box on our bookshelf.  Well, eureka!  I happened to come across some heavyweight page protectors that were made for slides and they measured at 2"x2" and were three-hole-punched.  The accessibility to use binders for keepsakes are very important for me. All of my albums have been transferred to cloth D-ring binders by American Crafts.

Materials:

• Scrapbook Paper
• Small Labels
• Acid-Free Marker or Pen
• Glue Dots, the larger size
• 2"x 2" Slide-style Sheet Protectors, sized for 3-ring binders
• Scissors or Fiskers Photo Cutter
• 3-Ring Photo Album or Binder

Instructions:

Measure the paper down to the size of the protected pocket and cut into the 2"x 2" squares.  Write a description on the label and attach it to the cut paper.  Then secure the penny to the cut paper by using a glue dot.  Super easy and very quick.

This is also a great craft project for kids who collect their pennies!

Angela O'

Lysol Stinks Unless...

... it is the ORIGINAL scent.  Yup the original, no fluff, flower or fuss most basic scent.  The yellow can.  For years I have been frustrated when I shop for Lysol because the stores only offer me disgusting stinky versions that I cannot stand.  Crisp Linen, Spring Waterfall and Summer Breeze are just a few of the new-age scents that cut my air off.  

Well, the day has come when we can get back to the basics.  The only store that carries the Lysol Original scent on a daily basis is .... HOME DEPOT!  Woo Woo!  Yes.  The Lysol Original scent is considered part of the "professional" series in this modern day and that is why it is carried at the awesome depot.   It is approximately $4.75 to $5.00 for a 19 ounce can.

So for all of you that have a very sensitive nose...the problem has been solved.  Now I can actually enjoy the air I have sprayed.  Ahhhh

With Angela O'

photo credit:  www.homedepot.com

Unfortunately, there are times when you need it right away and there is no trusty home depot around.  I get it, I've been there.  Here is a quick link you can use to order it through my affiliate program.  Using this link will give a portion of these proceeds to support my blog.

Lysol Professional Disinfectant Spray, Original Scent, 19 Ounce

The Linen Closet

Time has finely come for us to purge all of our towels and washcloths from our college days and twenties.

A mish mosh I absolutely hate includes one red joe boxer washcloth, a few cartoon and superhero cloths, and a cute little coral cloth with red hibiscus I made for all my bridesmaids.

Lord knows I can't stand it when certain things in my home aren't exactly how I foresee them. However, this one project I could never justify the necessity to change. At least not until this year. We had moved so many times and a couple of those moves were cross country. We rarely had overnight guests in our apartment and we are young with no children. So really why spend those extra funds on nice towels when it was only John and I? Don't get me wrong, I have a four nice thick and textured neutral colored towel sets that I keep on reserve for special occasions. They only come out when we have dinner guests, party guests, etc.

But now that it is time I am finding it hard to determine where to get our new towels. I need help ecspecially when sticking to some criteria. 1. They need to be an investment. Once these are purchased they better live through all my expectations. I do not want to replace them for a minimum of ten years. They had better not fray from wash or use. 2. They need to be thick and cushy. We need comfort. 3. I want a full set that matches from wash cloths and facial clothes to extra large bath towels and hair towels. 4. I need a large set in an even number. I expect all my dishes to be on twelves for entertaining and on some occasions in eights. I do not expect anything less from my towels. 5. I'm not opposed to colors but my all time classic favorites are sands and whites. It needs to maintain the classic through the test of time. 6. Since it appears that I will be buying at between 32 and 48 linens I need to get them at a spectacular price point.

So where is the heck do I buy all these requirements rolled into one at a decent price? I'm willing to hunt in upscale department stores like Neiman Marcus down to mass warehouse stores like Costco. Just as long as each requirement is fulfilled.

So I ask for your advice on where to find these towels and your guidance on a good price.

How Long Is Too Long To Keep Email Conversations?

Seriously, when is it too long to keep an email conversation?  I am not talking about business conversations that one uses in there daily log but personal conversations.  I have the most silliest and shortest conversations ever from all my friends and family members in my personal email.  I am talking from like 2008 or before.  Help me!  Do I just trash those conversations as if I am trashing memories?  I don't know?  I don't ever go back and reread them.   I do want to reduce the ridiculous email clutter.  Help!!  Please give me your opinion.  It is rather odd that I have this little bit of inbox clutter since everything else about me almost OCD organized.  On the brighter note I do have them organized in folders, but honestly that is just as gross!

Dearest Rhonda Feltman, I do need your response on this one!!  Aunt Shirley and Allison Lemp you better offer up too!!

~ With Angela O'