Credit Man

The other day I was driving down the road and I saw a sign in front of a Buy Here Pay Here car lot. On the sign was a cartoon super hero called "Credit Man." He looked harmless enough. He was strong, broad shouldered and rather Super-Man looking. His dark hair was slicked back and he had a dollar sign on his chest.

Of course! Who wouldn't want a handsome super hero to swoop in and save the day. You need a new car and you need it now, so just come on in, trade in your old car and Credit Man will help you get a new one - and at only 10% interest! (rates subject to change without notice. if at any time you miss a payment your interest rate will increase to 21%. loan must be repaid in three (3) years or interest rate will be increased to 50%. we reserve the right to take your car, your home and your first born if you don't pay.)  Isn't credit just wonderful?

The more I learn about our own debt and the more I learn about credit in general the more I think of Credit Man like this:

(image from http://www.idfpr.com/finlit101/Kids/K-Index.asp)

scary right?

And the more it causes me to scream at the sign as I fly by "You're no Hero! You're a Villian!!!!!!" At which point I'm sure my fellow drivers immediately got as far away from the loony in the mid-90's Ford as possible.

Thanks for that Credit Man...



Terrific Tuesday: How About Orange

Ok, I know it's not Tuesday but I just couldn't keep this one to myself one more minute! I discovered this blog this afternoon and I can't wait to try out these crafts! Tomorrow is my day off from work, so you know what I'll be doing...after I finish my chores of course...

It's called How About Orange and it's run by Jessica Jones from Evanston, IL. Her blog is absolutely adorable and I must admit I wish mine was half as cute! It's called How About Orange since that's her favorite color (we like that color here at "the table" as well!) Not to mention she's super clever and witty (again, wishing I had half of that) and her directions are not full of obfuscation simple.

Check out some of these adorable crafts: (These photos were used without permission, and I usually ask permission first. But I was so thrilled with her site I hopped right on here to promote it and hopefully since I'm promoting her blog she won't sue the pants off of me...)

DIY Cathrineholm Candleholders

(easy enough if you have a cricket machine)

A Chair Before and After

Picture Frame Project with Inkodye

Fabric Covered Magnets



I absolutely cannot wait to start digging in my fabric box tomorrow and start working on some of the projects from her blog. You simply must check them out! Or you're missing out!

Birthday weekend

I had a marvelous birthday weekend. (Even if the Patriots did lose.) I'm so thankful to everyone who made it great. It started out with a family dinner, followed by an Asian cuisine potluck and ended with a good old fashioned food fight.

And Reeve got me a new Jacket and a TomTom so I won't get lost anymore. :)

Thanks everyone. You're the best.

Craft: Glitter Shoes

I love glitter. I love it. Actually I love anything shiny (just ask my husband who frequently has to drag me away from jewelry stores...) I love glitter and beads and ribbons and pretty things. So these shoes were totally caught my eye.



But as I'm trying to get out of debt and all, I really didn't think these $576 Christian Louboutin shoes fit into the budget this month. (Oh who am I kidding?! I'll never own a pair of $500 shoes! That's ridiculous!)

And aren't these $325 Kate Spade shoes precious? And only $325! That's it! No biggie, I'll just grab my fancy Chanel wallet here and shell out a few hundred dollar bills and...Wake up people!

So, having said all that, I think we all know we can make these shoes with shoes we already have in our closet for a fraction of what these folks are charging. I used a pair of canvas wedges I had in my closet and my mother-in-law (the decorating guru) gave me the other materials I needed. Which are as follows:

Glitter - any color you like

Decoupage or Modpodge

A disposable paint brush

Spray acrylic (it has to dry clear!!!) or spray glue intended for use with glitter.

A plastic cup

Here we go.

Step one: Lay out some newspaper and set out all your materials.

Step two: Put some decoupage or modpodge in your plastic cup.

Step three (my favorite!): Add glitter. Add lots and lots and lots of glitter. I mixed blue, fushia and silver.

Step four: Start brushing your glitter onto your shoes. Take your time and let it dry between coats.

At first you're going to think "Uhhh, these don't look so great," but trust me, the decoupage/modpodge is going to dry clear and will not affect the look of the glitter. 

(My sweet husband took some pictures of me glittering up my shoes even though I'm pretty sure he was super nervous I would end up coating the house in glitter. This is why I own a Dyson - more on that later.)

After your shoes are completely coated leave them to dry overnight. The next day spray them with acrylic and allow them to dry for as long as the can says.

I'm so stinking thrilled with the way these turned out. I think I'll wear them to a wedding next month with a black dress. 

Happy Crafting!

Growing Puppy

Judah is getting so big! They grow up so fast!

We try to walk as often as the weather allows. Can't wait for winter to be over so we can really start training for our furry 5k.

Four-Eyes

It's amazing the difference a pair of glasses can make. Suddenly I can read books and the computer screen and see things close to my face. I didn't know how much I needed them until I put them on! I only wear them while I'm reading or at work but they are so helpful!

My co-worker kept complaining that my screen was blurry and I kept saying I didn't know what she was talking about...until I put on my new glasses. Suddenly I realized the screen WAS blurry. So blurry in fact that I had to switch it out with a spare monitor in the office.

So now I'm a four-eyes. But that's ok because now I can see!!! (And since I only paid $7 for my glasses I'm even more thankful!)

My Husband's Old Glasses

Not too long ago I posted about the prices I got on glasses and contacts at Coastal.com. Well our glasses and contacts came in this week and we are thrilled.

Before we bought these glasses Reeve kept insisting he didn't need new ones. (Yea right.) His prescription had changed and his glasses were so destroyed. The lenses were barely still in the frames because the frames were bent beyond belief. The lenses were so scratched you could barely see through them and the black arms had faded to white in places. I mean, check these sad things out:

Thankfully, he finally allowed me to get him a new pair (which I only paid shipping for after the $60 voucher we bought in August - for $9. Seriously, $14 for prescription glasses can't be beat!) Check out these snazzy new things!

Smart looking right? I'm so thankful we had the chance to buy that voucher and that my sweetie can see again!