2024, Art, Nature, Seasons

Neither Snow Nor Rain….

35 Comments

One of my holiday projects is a handmade calendar in a 6 x 6 format; I make four of them every year.  You may think that it’s a little early to start worrying about this but 3 layers of paper per month times 12 months times 4 versions comes out to 144 pieces of paper.  One of my rules is that I can’t purchase anything but the paper to make these calendars.  All the stamps, die cuts and assorted accessories have to come from my stash.  But 144 pieces of paper is still a chunk of change so I do have to keep an eye on cardstock sales and since I almost always get the paper at Joanns (they have the best selection), I start watching the sales early on.

The best sales are the 50% off sales but this year Joann’s went all out for President’s Day and offered 10 sheets for $3 on all the open cardstock (normally .79 to .99).  Even though it’s only February, I haven’t seen a price this good before so I didn’t want to let it go by.  I kept the sales mailer on the dresser waiting for the first day of the sale.  It was listed as a Doorbuster, which sometimes means the sale price is only good for the first morning, so my plan was to be there Thursday morning at 9 a.m., when they open.

Then on Monday the forecast said we would get a dusting on Wednesday.  Then on Tuesday, the snow jumped up to a possible inch.  By Wednesday afternoon they were talking 3-5 inches.  Yikes!  By bedtime on Wednesday it was snowing but now they were only predicting 1-3.   Woke up to about 4 inches and a big pile at the bottom of the driveway.  I waffled for about an hour about how much I really needed cheap paper and then headed out.  Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night can stay me from a good paper sale!

What will you brave the elements for to get your hands on?

35 thoughts on “Neither Snow Nor Rain….”

  1. There haven’t been many elements to brave this winter but when I am in the middle of a project I hate to have to sit on my hands and wait for more congenial conditions when there is something I need to proceed. What materials that might be varies, of course, with the project.

    I did make a dash down to the Apple Valley Joann store last November when I determined that it was the only branch that still had yardage of a particular fabric I wanted for my Christmas cowboy shirt.

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/billinmn/53521592075/

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    2. Holy mackerel, Andy! You really go town on those shirts, Bill. I scrolled left to see some of the others, and I was especially drawn to the one with the snakes and the one with the tsunami like waves. They are all unique and appear to be well crafted. I’d love to hear the inspiration for each of them. WOW!

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      1. Many years ago I used to make cowboy shirts for myself and I had a hankering to make one this last year. Once I got started I kept finding interesting and decidedly non-western fabrics for the yokes and just kept making them.

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    3. It’s never occurred to me that you have seasonal cowboy shirts. Are there others? Spring? Easter? Fourth of July? Thanksgiving? Halloween? Pi Day?

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        2. I love it! I would love to see and exhibit of these shirts somewhere were more people can see them. Do you ever get comments on them when you wear them?

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        4. People ask me if I make them for other people, but that would entail a personal fitting and each takes many hours to make. I don’t think they would be prepared to pay what I would have to ask or that I want to spend my time that way.

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  2. Certain food items, esp. if I have set my mind on making a particular dish and come up missing one of the non-substitutable ingredients. (Huh, I didn’t think substitutable would make it past spell-check.)

    And I’m sure there are days when I’d go out in inclement weather for chocolate.

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  3. In Mankato nothing is ever very far away. Joann is only 3 blocks from me, but I live right by the main shopping area. No heroic travels for me except to Sandra. Everything here is on the bluffs or below the bluffs. I am above, she is below. The weather has only stopped me once but more because we have we have not had much bad winter weather. Marathons and bike races can make me take a long route.
    after Covid there are many things I want I cannot buy here. That is my challenge. So many stores closed. Our small Target tries to have a bit of everything so it has nothing. Really, do they need to be in the grocery business? They are barely in the clothing business. I will rant on and on about this if you let me.

    Clyde

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    1. Our local Target has, in effect, less than nothing as it places more and more of its merchandise in locked cases. I won’t deal with that and so there is little reason for me to go there anymore. From my perspective the Targets of the world are pushing their customers into online shopping, where the variety is greater and there are no locked cases.

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      1. I can’t imagine being a retailer in certain areas. Prior to the pandemic, when Hans and I would alternate taking our friend with FTD on weekly excursions, I’d sometimes stop at the Aldi on Franklin Ave because Ken loved to shop. 

        On one of those trips I was looking for a particular piece of beef that was advertised as being on sale in their weekly flyer. When I didn’t find it, I asked an employee about it. He told me that they didn’t carry that particular item because it was too easy to conceal under clothing. Essentially, he said, customers steal these expensive cuts of meat, so the store chose to not carry them.

        I have shopped in many different Aldi stores, and I have often wondered about how different their vibes are, depending on where they are located, and what clientele they serve. Some of them have a security guard at the front door. Sadly, it is obvious that more affluent suburban neighborhoods are safer shopping environments than some inner-city, poor neighborhoods. I hate the conclusions that many people draw from this.

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  4. We have been known to drive 100 miles to Newell, SD to a particular butcher shop for lamb. We get two lambs at a time. Fargo is our go-to for special food stuffs, although I am more likely to order from Amazon these days than to jump in the car.

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    1. Huh, weird. I have pictures of Newell SD where my great, great grandmother was a settler and divorcee. by the 1880s she was four times married, once divorced and widowed three times. I found a news article from the 1920s when she purchased a car and DROVE IT. Apparently women just did not do this. This is the place my grandmother visited as a child. Her grandmother made her go pick up dried buffalo dung to burn in the stove as fuel. Grandma still was not over that one when she told me about it in her early 70s.

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  6. When I am home I can Like Bill’s shirts, which I do.

    Mankato has three craft stores, assuming I can call Joann a craft store, which is how I use it. One owned by the smuggler.

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      1. The founder of Hobby Lobby imported many thousands of artifacts from the near and Middle East without license or permission. They fought the federal government for many years in court and lost and paid a $3,000,000 fine and agreed to return the artifacts. But claim they kept such poor records they are not sure which they are. This was all for their ridiculously spurious Museum of the Bible which they claim proves every word of the Bible is true. It will not surprise you to know they are big supporters of the big Orange.

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      1. Oh yes… in fact, I’ve been to three (there are only two of them now) over the years. You can always find me there on small-business Saturday morning! Always a great sale that day.

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  8. OT – Just a shout out to baboons in general, but at this particular moment, to VS in particular. What a great network, I treasure these connections immensely.

    Today VS delivered 2 dozen farm fresh eggs from Ben to my house (along with some fresh parsley I had asked her to pick up along the way), and we had a nice visit. I know several other baboons will also be receiving eggs today and tomorrow. Linda, if you need a dozen eggs, I’m willing to share mine. I have a doctor’s appointment on Friday, and if you want, I can swing by with them afterwards, just let know in advance.

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  9. Black licorice. Especially since I’ve learned that licorice is bad for high blood pressure and needs to be eaten in moderation. I’ll eat it carefully. Rationing it as a reminder.

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    1. My husband is addicted to the stuff. He especially likes the salty and extremely potent Danish stuff. He gives it to me to hide and ration it for him because he knows it sends his blood pressure off the charts.

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