Frugal Village Forums banner

Stash Management 2021

87K views 3K replies 20 participants last post by  marthamfi 
#1 ·
Wow - it feels great to be typing something besides 2020! This is where we theoretically focus on managing our various stashes, but it’s also a place where we share our projects. It’s become primarily a yarn/thread group, but we don’t limit ourselves to that and all leisure activities and their accompanying stashes are welcome. Join us as we see how our leisure projects unfold over 2021.
 
#736 ·
Good you got the HSTs ready, CH. One step at a time still gets you there eventually.

More cold and snow coming today. I wish the washer tub stand and cream can were painted, but it has to wait. If we ever have a basement again, it's going to have a spray booth with an exhaust fan. And a floor that doesn't care about paint drips from brushes. And a shop. A girl can dream.

I think today will be spent recovering from yesterday. I hate shopping.

I see Husby set the bread machine out, which is what we do to remind ourselves we need to bake bread. Glad he's starting to bake bread on his own.
 
#737 ·
Love the fabrics, the NPS quilt will be really nice. I have not been doing much, definitely over-taxed my back in the yard Tuesday. Just reading in bed.
I have been in touch w/ the breeder from our dog club, she is letting some older "retired" females go to pet homes. She knows I am interested in a 2nd dog, whenever she has availability. Decided I really need to clean out a few closets and rearrange storage, let some things go to donation. Another dog will require more space.
 
#738 ·
I hope all the aches and pains and headaches have vanished and everyone is feeling better by now.

I got a lot done in the last couple of days. It feels like it’s moving along faster now. My goal is to be finished with it by tomorrow night and then hope someone can make the last attic expedition on Sunday. And then start having fun again next week.

The first part of the isopod order came yesterday. Substrate — looks like boring dirt — dead leaves and four little pieces of cork bark, all part of the mini start up kits. The rest and the critters will ship Tuesday. I will eventually need a couple of larger enclosures, and I have a big gift card balance at Amazon from returning the shelf unit and walker, so I went ahead and ordered them. I also found a really good bundle deal on sale at a specialty store that has plenty of substrate, wood, and leaves for both of them, so those will be ready to go when I need them. This fall I’ll get LG to gather fallen leaves for me here, but this isn’t the season for them so I’m stuck buying some. Who knew there was such a market for dead leaves? What’s mostly for sale is oak of various kinds, magnolia, and Indian almond. I’ve also seen sycamore and sea grape, whatever that is. From here I can get fruit tree leaves, if they don’t use any insecticides this year, maples, river birch, and any random hardwood leaves. I don’t know what might be in the uncleared area at the back of the property. They will probably also be able to find me some dead, decaying wood back there, but I’ve never been back there.

I got more done on stash thread last night. I think the only thing left is to put tatting thread on the spools. There’s no hurry to do it, but I can work on it in the evenings. I’m not letting myself do any stitching until the house is finished so I might as well do that. Eventually I’ll also transfer the Anchor floss from bobbins to key tags since I have enough on hand, but that can wait indefinitely. I’m not using it now and it’s tucked away neatly in its cubby bin.
 
#739 · (Edited)
Last weekend I did a little sewing on my machine. I know I bought a pack with three spools of white and three of black for my sewing machine, but I just can't find them.

So I ended up using this really old looking spool of thread that looks like it could be older than me. Years ago I bought some lots of used sewing supplies on eBay, so it is possibly older than me. It is from Woolworths which went out of business almost 25 years ago.

I started a new embroidery. This one will say joy in orange letters. I like doing words in embroidery.

I am thinking of doing a reverse embroidery word after this project. I am not sure if that is the right word for it. The word itself is left unembroidered. But every thing around it is filled in. So the word is blank white on a colorful background.

Edit - I just did some searching and found out this was called negative space embroidery.
 
#740 ·
Yesterday I took a workplace survey on telework. It will be interesting to see the results and what they do with the results.

A couple years ago - way before the Covid telework situation - they reduced telework options. Management made the claim that most people they talked to did not care for telework and missed seeing coworkers in person when they teleworked. More than a few people were skeptical of this claim.

I suspect the majority of people will be strongly in favor of telework, especially in the DC area where long commutes are really common. How will they respond if that happens.

So far nothing from work on returning to the office. Except to say that we are still in full time telework status and you will get 30 days notice before you have to return to the office.

A little off topic, but it is related to how much time I can spend crafting. And to some extent what I make for wearables.
 
#742 ·
If I were working, I would vote for telework in a heartbeat. Unfortunately if I had the same job, it wouldn’t be an option. You can’t get books off the reserve shelves for students from home. But I think it should be allowed. The less commuting to work, by either public transit or especially by car, the better for the planet. Aside from anything else.

The house still looks like a train wreck, but I think it’s mostly superficial at this point. I got a lot done yesterday. Well, except for the worktable that I’m saving for the grande finale. There really is hope to get it essentially done today. By tonight, if anything is left, it should only be stash bits that need to be put away, but they will all have definite places to go.

Happy spring! We got another 1.8” of rain yesterday and last night. When it warms up again next week the grass is going to go crazy. The neighbors will have no time to do anything except mow. I really hope they can get everything moved to the attic tomorrow.
 
#743 ·
Our grass is already going crazy from all the rain and snow the past 2 weeks. DH hates mowing. We had a lawn service once but they were sloppy and you had to pay even if the grass did not need mowing late in the summer when it got dry. The kids around here are not reliable.

Anyway, it is sunny and beautiful today, the lilacs are in full bloom. I might do the next step on the mystery quilt, but probably it will wait. I have one more lattice panel to paint and I might be able to get half of one side this evening. It should be dry for a couple days. DH and I were talking about how to best attach them. The problem we had with the last set of panels was the wind was so strong it ripped them off -- multiple times -- and eventually destroyed them. The new panels are smaller and I hope they don't catch as much of the wind.

There's some organizing I want to do in the basement while DH isn't working down there, too. Stuff got shoved into cabinets, but it could be arranged better to use the space and be more accessible.
 
#744 ·
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you, Kathy. I hope you can work at home at least part of the time.

Since I'm in desperate need of clothes to replace the rags I've been tossing over the past year, we hit a couple garage sales today. Yea, freedom! Unfortunately the excursion went to our heads and we were unable to stick to just clothes, though I did get 3 LN tees for $1 each, which will help a lot. One is a really nice, women's style, plain yellow so I can wear a necklace with it. It looks new. The other 2 have advertising but I need clothes for wearing at home more than public stuff so I don't care.

Picked up a "wire side" qt blue glass Ball Ideal jar for my collection for $2. That's cheap anymore.

Got a pair of LN jeans at thrift for $8. Also 4 cones of Maxi-Lock serger thread, NIP, and a nearly full cone of Dual Duty II for .99 each. Good deal, since Maxi-Lock sells for $4 each and Dual Duty is something outrageous for a tiny spool now.

At one sale I picked up an oak door from an entertainment center. It was free. I've been stuck on the jewelry storage project I started a long time ago, using a medicine cabinet with 3 doors. I realized a month or so ago I don't work on it because I hate it. I really tried to like it, but I don't and no matter what I do to it, I know I won't. I have the long dresser I bought a few yrs ago, and it has a large mirror. I'll move that to one end of the dresser, then use the door to build a big jewelry armoire on the other end. I was planning to do that with the hated medicine cabinet, but this will be way better. Should be a fun project and relatively simple. One side of the door frame needs to be reglued and clamped, and it needs a couple little clips replaced to hold the glass in, very minor repairs. A good cleaning and scratch remover will spruce it up. Eventually I'll paint the dresser and armoire so it's all matchy, but probably not while we live here.
58419


We found an old multipane window for $5. Still can't believe it. I've looked for yrs but the few I've seen were in such rough shape I didn't want to bother rebuilding frames, replacing glass, etc. The one we bought only needs a good cleaning, not even paint. The panes will be a nice size to put cross stitch in.
58420


Then there's the set of night tables. They match but one has fire damage. But the fix won't be too difficult. Then I'll paint them and change the hardware, since I hate that early American brass. They are solidly built, excellent quality pieces with dovetail drawers, and need only cosmetic rehab, so should be more fun than frustration and will be really cute when done. Only $10!
58421


It's fun to have some new small projects to think about again. Hope I'm up to doing them, but I can do them slowly, in stages. Husby can do stuff like sanding that I can't do much of yet. I've been spending way too much time looking at Pinterest the past couple months, and this is the inevitable result. Furniture rehab, and making assorted spice blends!🤣🤣🤣
 
#746 ·
Targeted adds often do opposite of what I want. For example, sometimes I will do a search like " non dairy cheese reviews". I have lactose intolerance so I can't eat real dairy cheese.

But of course the system hones in on the word cheese and gives me lots of cheese adds.

A similar thing happens when I try to explain on line why I don't drive. The system picks up on the words drive and car and floods me with adds.

As far as I can tell, the system does not pick up on words like no, don't want, and alternative to.
 
#747 ·
Oops! Poor little isopods. Hated by algorithms.

I took measurements and found out the new little nightstands will fit by our bed. Not much will, because of the drawer base underneath, which we really need for storing bedding. Can't believe we're finally going to have matching night tables! And ones we actually like! Huzzah!

I have a Martha Washington sewing cabinet in the bedroom now. I'm almost ready to let that go. I like it because it's different, but it's never worked out for me like I thought it would.

These night stands are proof of my theory that my subconcious is always solving problems I haven't even articulated. I've known we don't have the right furniture for when we finally move the bed, after the wardrobe gets moved, but I haven't thought about what we might need. Hadn't taken measurements or done any research or anything. We were actually leaving the sale but had to drive head on toward the garage. I saw the two tables again and it just seemed like we needed them, though I couldn't think why. But we brought them home and then started trying to think where they could go. I don't usually do this unplanned furniture puchasing anymore and I'm happy about that, but today I'm even happier my impulse buy won. As soon as I thought about using them in the bedroom, it just felt exactly right. Love when that happens!
 
#748 ·
good for you spirit! great deals. hope everyone is feeling well and the cat is better. started raining here so nice! not nasty but more then a week of no rain so is needed. lord those ads even w ad block they don't stop. our lilacs are starting but don't know if I will get many this year. others are mowing the yarn but I don't care lol and not that long. plus a thistle type plant from old neighbour is all over the yard. kathy your embroidery sounds nice. problem w work is that logical thinking doesn't mean much but hopefully you get to work at home.

haven't done much cus up late and then grocery shopping..shocked it was only $121 but lots of the veggies etc were on sale. since even if free you have to book so did a while ago for a museum visit.. had a mandrake the magician display and his son was doing tricks so that was fun. son is a senior now. plus some textiles displays. something different at least.

plus more playmobil..scooby doo and caron baby cakes on sale at that michaels. stopped by krispy kremes and baked beans and weiners for easy dinner. I did order from a local charity some flowers and veggie plants for the garden. started the cookie monster lovely.
 
#749 ·
I think we spent about $400 on groceries last week. Lots of stockups of stuff we were running out of, like assorted flours. We stopped buying breads completely for the past yr and see no reason to go back, and Husby started making dog biscuits, too. We go through a surprising amount of flour for 2 people.

The time has finally come to defrost the upright freezer. We've been putting it off at least a yr, which is really stupid. I'm surprised it still works. We're never buying a freezer again that's not frost free. Husby is going to have to do almost all of it because it's all about lifting things.

I've been pecking away at getting jar storage organized. A lot of stuff is in the wrong size containers, and lots of containers are in the wrong places. It seems to be making a difference, slowly. I've been slapping paper handwritten labels on jars for yrs and need to haul out the label maker to upgrade all those, unless they're temporary. I can handwash the plastic labels. The paper ones, not so much. Besides, I have nicer so should use nicer. First I need to organize all the rolls of label tape. It never ends.
 
#750 ·
Sounds like everyone is keeping busy and finding things to do. I would like to do some quilting but not sure what. Before that I have some garden and trellis work, and basement to rearrange. By then I'll probably be out of energy. Should throw some laundry in. On the plus side, today's our anniversary, so DH is taking us out for dinner.

I don't want to think about when I'll get a chance to defrost my upright. I've got 25lbs of butter and at 1 stick a week... it's going to be a long time. I'm trying to get through the frozen vegs and packaged stuff in the smaller freezer. I made an inventory last night for menu planning. I got two boxes of pie crust last Thanks giving and never used them. We just weren't in the mood.

Here's a pic of the fabrics I got a few weeks ago. Lots of bright colors. The rainbow is 5" charms squares in solids. The hospital green and white FQs were random choices, but at least I got 2 of each and they mix well with the other greens and neutrals I got in January.
58422
 
#754 ·
I've been thinking about that, next time we have a pot roast. Leftovers would make good hand pies. If eggs go on sale again I'll get extra and maybe do a quiche. I've got lots of cherries left from last year, too. But then, my friends lost one of their trees over the winter and someone bought the house across the street that we gleaned last summer, so I'm not sure we'll get more this year. I have a jar of pecan pie filling that sounded really good last winter, but haven't brought myself to use it. Choices, choices....
 
  • Like
Reactions: marthamfi
#752 ·
Labeling derailment. The label maker is broken, so will have to wait till a new one comes. Oh, well.

Project Defrost is underway. Some places had about 3" of frost. What a mess! The freezer was so stuffed, I don't know how there was room for that much frost. We still have 2 baskets embedded on the top shelf, even with 2 big stock pots full of hot water in there. That's what procrastination gets us. A one hour job will probably be a three hour job now. It will be great to get everything organized though. Although we didn't find any surprises or mystery foods, and mostly things were grouped together. I thought it would be worse.

I selected a darkish forest green for the night stands, so now I just have to go through the paint to see if I have any. Need to research chalk paint some more. I guess that doesn't require much prep. I paint stuff but don't know much about painting correctly.
 
#755 ·
I am so tired today! Yesterday I took a couple of long breaks, but kept working and finished gathering everything for the attic about 3:30 am. LG’s mom and dad came over last night and put what was done by then in the attic. I didn’t expect that, but it really helped. I doubt the rest will be moved today because everyone off today is working on a huge tree planting project. Several years ago Sharon bought lots of tiny saplings fir $2 each, if I remember correctly. They have flourished and are large enough that they need to go in the ground. That’s a lot more important than than my attic. I’m always happy to see new trees.

I have a lot left to do putting things away. It’s at the point where it’s a wildly miscellanies collection that goes here and there and everywhere. I am beyond ready to have this all done, and really want to finish it today but ... I am so tired. Maybe I can find the energy.
 
#756 ·
Take a break, D. It will be nice to get done, but don't wear yourself out.

Got the freezer done and organized. Lots of room in there now. It took 3.5 hours. We really need to make sure we do this job in winter so stuff doesn't thaw. That was the plan but we didn't get it done, and it couldn't wait till winter. It sure looks nice now. Chest freezer needs to be done too, but it only gets frosty around the top edge and that takes yrs. The upright grows frost so fast we still can't believe it, and can't figure out why.
 
#757 ·
sounds like naptime dc! lol think projects find us if we like it or not. that is cute fabric ch. and yours too spirit...would be nice bags. got some to dos off the list for today. I don't know why uprights get ice fast maybe cus more stuff exposed when you open it. I just put stuff in cooler and under blankets and attack the freezer w a hammer lol after hot water and open for an hour. somethings in there remind how old they are cus kroger brand lol haven't been to fred meyers since covid. used up some pearl onions from there today.

watching the oscars while chicken roasts. not worth watching the whole thing esp commercials so tape and skip. that damn yarn still wasn't dry ..outside for 2 days inside for more..some tangled in the bag handle so cut it to free and put in the dryer for an hour.. so much lint could stuff a pillow. will donate cus tired of it! needs some untangling but not back. better to use up the yarn that actually cost me real money. esp since I got two more baby cake yarns since sale and will be gone soon.
 
#758 ·
Mine has a layer in the top 4-6" deep, hasn't been defrosted in years. Thought I was going to do it in early 2020, had it almost empty and then you-know-what. Ice forms on the coils every time the door is opened. Especially bad in summer when it is humid in the garage. I get mold on the door seals too, and clean it with bleach every so often. Don't have a cooler, so I'd have to empty it first. Can't use a hammer on it, because of the freon coils built into every shelf. PITA but it was free and has been very useful.

M, sounds like you got a good bit cleaned out and donated today. Wish I had more energy, stuff is piling up in the garage again. I've got to talk to DH about getting rid of crap. We're not getting any younger and it's not going to get any easier to manage it.
 
#759 ·
no lol I didn't so don't feel bad ..the paperwork was from doing taxes and all in the latest box..ignoring the other stuff. and is sitting in the living room and those vintage lights have been sitting in the basement for like 2yrs .. i suggested to dh to if he wanted to get rid of stuff in the office. noooo. said dd could sort his woodworking mags since I used to buy stacks of used ones at thrift stores as gifts for him so I know he has doubles he can donate. you know ones numbered so people collect. there is the dump pile in the back.. nothing happens unless I nag. ds doesn't listen..asked him to weed and he started doing his laundry assuming that is what I said and vacuum.

I think we have feon too but I have it down to an art form lol hit it and it cracks etc. hair dryer on tough parts. I do a bit and then go back to it when it melts more. cus you know get it though the coils top and bottom so thick and hard to get out.
 
#760 ·
When I moved here and bought a new larger freezer, upright, to replace the smaller one I had, I debated frost free. There are apparently some downsides for the food, but decided that was just too bad. Defrosting the freezer wasn’t a hard job, but we all know it’s a really easy one to put off - lol. So I got the frost free and love it. I would be kicking myself all around the block if I hadn’t. One more thing I don’t have to do ever again.

I worked hard yesterday - not. Making a heroic effort I sorted a few buttons. Not put away, just sorted. And just a few. I was totally exhausted and kept falling asleep. That last day of work did me in proper. After sleeping almost all day and most of the evening and all night, I’m ready to tackle this again today. M - nap time is short of the mark. It was full on hibernation mode.

This has been a colossal amount of work and it deserves a colossal reward. I ordered a stupidly expensive book on isopods - think textbook - that the Youtubers who seem most knowledgeable all recommend (fundamental life rule - never start anything new without a book). And as per my usual non frugal leaps into things, I have ordered a 50 count “lottery mix” of the species I’m focusing on. It’s drawn from 13 color varieties the seller works with. I will already have 2 of them, but the others could potentially be some very expensive morphs I covet but would never buy outright. It will be wonderful fun to see what comes. It’s lucky I had ordered the larger enclosure with the gift card refund. With this, and all the money I’ve spent on the house the last couple of months, I’m as of now checking out of supporting the economy in style. I’ve done my part.

it’s time to get breakfast and dive into the great clean up so I can play with my bugs when they get here. And stitch again.
 
#761 ·
This week, I plan on working on my not quite mending project.

Sometimes the skin on my shoulders gets ridiculously sensitive and the shoulder seems on some of my shirts just feels unbearable. So I am working on sewing bits of a very soft ribbon inside the shirts to cover up the seems.

I did one a few weeks ago and it worked good. I did one this morning. Hand sewing can be so incredibly relaxing for me. I will be doing another one this afternoon and maybe starting on more.

I have the almost finished skirt I planned on finishing today, but I just feel like hand sewing today.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top