Valentine's Day Cracker Party Popper Filler Ideas: The Destiny of Things, Story 533

Valentine's Day Cracker Party Popper Filler Ideas:  The Destiny of Things, Story 533

This is actually from Christmas, but it'll work even better for Valentine's Day crackers!

An Etsy buyers loved these for Christmas crackers, but since the fish tells your love fortune, they come in handy for Valentine's party poppers too!  Fish in 30 to 100+ count here or fish in 4. 6, 8 to 25 count here.  Photo via VintageToGoEasy

I would make my cracker party poppers from toilet paper rolls, tissue paper or wrapping paper and stickers pertaining to the celebration.

Here is an example of supplies you'd need:

photo via Google, but here's the link to "not Martha" and she gives more instructions and different ideas of what to put inside, many of them free, like "free" hugs, kisses, even dish washing!

If any one needs an ample supply of toilet paper rolls, let me know, I have a ton of them, but don't list them anymore because they come in handy for packaging items so they don't move around in boxes and fireplace kindling.

Below an Etsy buyer said these were perfect for her Christmas crackers.  How fun!

12 or 24 count mermaid and animal mix cake or drink toppers or all animal toppers, available here.

Photo via VintageToGoEasy

i can just imagine everyone at the party enjoying their drinks and opening up their party poppers and when finding one of these inside, plopping them right on the rim of their drinks!  And after a few drinks fishing for them and seeing their "love" mood with the fortune telling fish!

Cracker snap party poppers would be fun for any celebration or holiday.  A long time ago, I saw the cutest simply made Dynamite cracker shaped party poppers, but I can't seem to find it again, but I did find these for inspiration.

photo via Google

Great for end of they year classroom party or if you change "year" to "time" you could use them for your party favors for any occasion.

photo via Google

Easy and cute way to wrap a small or tubular gift too!

Saying Goodbye:  We will be saying goodbye to all our animal and mermaid drink toppers soon because we will not be restocking them.  Although these are one of our best sellers from my hoard of hoard, they are a labor of love and a lot of counting!  and double counting!  Plus I'm moving on to my next love!

Valentine's cracker party popper filler for boys, rings with weapons on them, available here.

I know it's not the greatest thing for Valentine's day, but boy's filler seems to be harder to find and my brother and I loved stuff like this as kids.  Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

What I Learned:

1.  I'd never thought I'd be saying goodbye to all my cocktail drink toppers!  But they take a lot of time to sort, count and package carefully so they don't break in shipping, so I'm happy to be moving on to my new love.  I've been doing a ton of acquiring lately and I hope it's a short run because it hasn't helped my hoarding one bit, but in the long run I think it will be fine because I think I've collected enough stuff now to keep me busy for at least 2-3 years, which is usually how long one of my art projects take to run it's course to it's new adventure!

2.  I'm really excited about it and only buying what I love for my next new adventure.  I'll be listing some next week hopefully because it does take a lot of time of washing and ironing and I can't decide to put them in book form or in envelopes.  Decisions, decisions, decisions, but that's okay because with this new love, everything is more fun and alive!

3.  Now that I feel as though I've found my new vocation and it's taking me into a direction that feels so right, all I need now is time!  Washing and rewashing and ironing takes up a lot of time, but I guess that's my new labor of love.

What has been your labor of love lately?  A lot of our best sellers on Etsy are basically a labor of love, we either break even with the time and money or make enough to get more and to donate.  We try to donate once a month, but it's not a ritual yet, so we usually give 10% of what's accumulated at least 4 times a year.  I have our donation list somewhere.  I know one is Fixnation and another is Benevolent.

More cute and even practical mini erasers for unisex 

party popper fillers and they fit in the empty gumball capsules we have too, vintage mini erasers available here.  Photo via VintageToGoEasy

Thank you Etsy buyer from VintageToGoEasy for sharing your Christmas story and allowing it to go one step further by adding to the excitement of Valentine's day arriving,.  I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when everyone opened their Christmas crackers!

My purge pile is still in the corner of the living room by the front door and I've decided to let it go to a donation station and see how I feel about it.  I'll still be listing my "old" hoard because I still have plenty of it, but the things that don't find forever homes will be donated from now on.

I haven't made it to the donation station yet because my new found vocation keeps me so happy.  So happy, I lose track of time, nor do I get hungry or do anything else for that matter.  Meals have been huge pots of soup, yesterday I made pot roast that should last us awhile, so I don't have to think about meals or what to eat for the next couple of days.

Here are the empty gumball capsules that the erasers or a small bit of candy will fit in for Valentine cracker party poppers.  These are also great for the last thing in surprise balls, especially to hold expensive jewelry, like popping the question engagement ring!

Available in 50 to 100 count here, or in smaller counts of 30 or less, here.

Photo via Hoarder Rehab

Sales for January are still a roller coaster ride, up and down, but I don't really mind with my new vocation because now I have more time to create.  I've finally caught up with changing all the listings to reflect USPS shipping and Etsy fees increase, which is 5% per sold price, 3.5% increase per price of the credit card transaction, plus 25 cents per and 5% on shipping.

Domestic First class mail increased by 3.9% on average because they have been raised prices by zones, which can get complicated and Domestic Priority increased by 6.3%, effective January 21, 2019, according to the Etsy shipping article here, but according to USPS, there are rates won't increase til this Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019.  Yesterday when we got packages ready to ship out they were still the old rates.

I'm still working on and taking little baby steps to change my thinking about abundance, profits and how much my time is worth and pricing, etc and my new thinking of being more of service with labors of love towards Etsy and the world in general and I feel as though it's starting to work!  But I still find myself either in conflict about it or backsliding to how much my time is worth, which I used to set by my teacher hourly wage, lol.  I need a new or no reference guide now.

My new love for making textile art automatically sets my priorities for me in a way I never imagined.  Some of it's on Hoarder Rehab in the handmade by me section, here.  And the best part is that it's been finding "forever homes" and I've gotten 2 custom order requests and I'll be listing it next week.

Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed weekly: HoarderRehab with 175 items, The Destiny of Things- 173 items, VintageToGoEasy - 177 items and JunkDrawerAndMore - 174 items.   

Maybe you'll find something and give it new life and a new home!  Thanks for looking!

And who wouldn't love a pure white porcelain heart box filled with tangible and intangible wishes, this Valentine's?  Available here.  Photo via VintageToGoEasy

"Your flaws are perfect for the heart that's meant to love you."---Trent Shelton, Football player.

Thank you for visiting my Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things!  Thank you for stopping by!

2019 Date Stamp Journal Inspiration: The Destiny of Things, Story 532

2019 Date Stamp Journal Inspiration:  The Destiny of Things, Story 532

Many years of date stamp journaling fun!  BEFORE:

2019 DIY mechanical date stamp with rotating dial a date of months, days and years.  Almost 10 years of date stamping fun!  Available here.  Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

Here is the note I received:

Date stamp arrived within a week of ordering. The package arrived happy mail style including a hand written note and black ink stamp pad. I'll be using this date stamp in my journals for years to come.

Of course, I wish I could take a peek of her journal to see how she uses the date stamp!  Hopefully next time!  So I decided I will take the plunge and start my own journal using the date stamp myself!  However, I am not very good at keeping daily journals and if I do, I don't use the date stamp, I just write in the date!

AFTER:

Below is most likely the best way of journaling for me.  I do like to keep track of minor and major events in my life and often use them as point references for other events, but most often can't pin point the correct or exact date.  And if I keep them in a book journal I'll have difficulties finding

This probably more my style of journaling with a date stamp

Photo via google

For instance, I'd like to keep better track of gifts I've given through the years to relatives and friends, especially for birthdays and what we ate for different holidays, birthdays and other events we celebrated with food! 

Over here we find all kinds of reasons to celebrate and we mainly celebrate with food and friends and most likely we'll have our own pre and post celebration to go along with the main event!

 I make sure each one has the year 2019 and some go into the future as far as 2028 and some go into the past with 2017, but I don't check each one for the future end year and the starting past year, so safe to say your date stamp may end at 2026 or 2027, but more likely 2027 or 2028.

Available here.  Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

This simple stamp is small but mighty.  To make sure you don't accidentally stamp the date upside down, it has a simple way to help you.  The above photo shows the rounded end of the stamp handle and if you use it that way facing you, it will stamp upside down.  The other side is flat and your thumb will feel more comfortable holding it and it will stamp right side up.

This is much neater than my daily journal, but if I used a date stamp daily, I'd wish it looks like this one!  Most of the time, my writing looks like scribbles in mine and I just use a Composition Book for my daily journal that usually just keeps my ideas and to do lists.

Photo via google

 

Here is a photo of the flat side of the handle, as long as the flat side is against my thumb, I know I'm stamping correctly.  This date stamp stamps the numeral day first and the abbreviated month is in the middle and the year is last, which is how I've written my dates since college.

Available here.  Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

Saying Goodbye:  I've been using date stamps like this one for over 30 years now.  I originally used them in the classroom because my third graders at the beginning of the year weren't used to writing their name and date on papers, especially in their journals, so this came in handy as a reminder for them the first several months and students thought it was fun and you can have a date stamp monitor in charge of it all!

It works for all ages!  Great for pre school and kinder who can only express themselves with drawing, until they learn the alphabet!  Photo via google, but you can check out her blog too!

2019 date stamp available here.  Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

What I Learned:

1.  Who knew some of my hoard would become our best sellers.  There was a time when I was teaching when the year ran out and I could not find a replacement stamp that didn't fit in my teacher budget, so when I found them again at a reasonable price, I kinda "hoarded" them!

They really come in handy in the classroom, I kept one at my desk, for multiple letters home, field trip slips and  most other anecdotal notes.  I kept one in the filing cabinet, in case the date monitors lost theirs.  I kept one at home for grading papers. I had one at the art center for students to add a creative industrial touch.  They also make great teacher gifts, especially for first year teachers.

2.  I think I found my new next adventure!  and it allows me to hoard, guilt free!  I'm only buying what I love and even though I love a lot, at least this time around, I'm asking myself....would I rather have this or that other one... or how can I use this particular piece for the project I have in mind.  It at least slows my buying down!

In the old days, I'd just allow myself to buy both of the items I loved.  Back then, I didn't necessarily have to love or have a purpose for my hoarded items, I just bought them because they were on sale, or because they were a total bargain, as in practically free or better yet, if there were free I'd get my favorites of the pile.  I even bought things just because I loved the packaging.  I still do buy items when the packaging tugs at my heart strings.  I don't know how to get over things that ooh and ahhh me.

3.  So I'm so excited about my new projects!  I'm keeping the ideas inside me to build up for even more excitement and energy, plus I don't want to jinx myself by letting it out and actually putting it on paper just yet because a lot of the supplies are still on their way to me and I want to give myself a lot of time to experiment with them all!

Not only does this journal show how my date stamp actually stamps with the numeral day first, then month and year, but what she wrote makes so much sense to me, but I don't do social media or really look at other people's images or updates on them.  I do occasionally use it for inspiration, when I google something and the image looks like I might see more similar on their social media.  However, I would wake up and get stuck in Etsy land, doing the mindless this and that to my shops because it was such an easy task or chore, but now I too, start my day easing into "inward" routines to heal my mind, spirit and body.   Photo via google from the blog of Jen Morris, here.

4.  I'm so crazed about my new projects that some days I can't even get to sleep!  My life is so much happier and energized thinking about my new adventure and I'm so thankful I've found something I love.  HINT:  It takes my love of mending and hoarding old discarded things that I love that are wrecked and giving them new life.  It also involves a lot of washing and ironing, which is at the bottom of my cleaning house list, along with vacuuming, but since I love the rest, it doesn't matter.  

I don't even know if my new adventure will sell well on Etsy, but that isn't keeping me either because I love it all so much!

I've even been thinking about branding, which I don't think I'll need because it takes me so long just to finish something, but neither don't matter to me and I've started practicing on my own stuff first and I know I'm going in the right direction because I need less sleep and food.  Overall I'm happier and more peaceful and I don't feel a single stitch in time!  One minute it'll be the morning and the next it'll be past dinner time!

5.  I started this post at the second week of January, but it took me a couple of more weeks to remember to take photos of the 2019 date stamp because we hadn't updated our date stamp photo since 2013.  Better late then never!

I'm even using this date stamp in my new adventure, which means I'm practicing being more disciplined with my record keeping!  2019 date stamp available here.  Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

Thank you Etsy buyer from JunkDrawerAndMore for sharing your story and adding to the excitement to my new projects with giving me an idea for record keeping journal style!  I wish I could see the part of your journal using the date stamp but I'm thankful to have found other examples.

My purge pile is still in the corner of the living room by the front door and I've decided to let it go to a donation station and see how I feel about it.  I'll still be listing my "old" hoard because I still have plenty of it, but the things that don't find forever homes will be donated from now on.

I think Jen Morris uses the same date stamp I do.  I wonder if she ordered it from us.  We've sold hundreds of these on several of the shops and I'd rather spend the time on my new projects than to search each shop and see if she did, lol.  I never thought I'd find a love that would take over other priorities that easily!  2019 date stamp available here.  Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

Sales for January 2019 have been up and down, but are keeping up with last year's overall weekly to monthly average so far.  I've changed almost all items to free shipping, which is a lot easier on me, since I don't have to think about it or calculate postal zones for any items, but and this is a big BUT..... USPS is raising their rates by a lot!  

Domestic First class by 3.9% on average because they have been raised prices by zones, which can get complicated and Domestic Priority by 6.3%, effective today.  We've been busy changing all our prices at all 4 shops to reflect, not only the USPS rate increase, but also Etsy rates, which increased by 5% per items total sale, plus 5% increase on credit card use and another 5% for shipping since July of 2018.  I haven't had the time to see if free shipping is more economical overall or not, but it's been on my to do list since July to figure out!

I'm still working hard daily and with little baby steps to change my thinking about abundance and scarcity and all my new thinking towards Etsy and life in general and I feel as though it's starting to work!  Mainly because doing what I love now over throws whether or not it will sell on Etsy!  Did I just say that?

Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed weekly: HoarderRehab with 174 items, The Destiny of Things- 171 items, VintageToGoEasy - 176 items and JunkDrawerAndMore - 174 items.   

Maybe you'll find something and give it new life and a new home!  Thanks for looking!

This is as far as I've gotten with my new journaling daily, but at least it's a start!  I used to tell my students that if they didn't know what to write in their journal to write that they didn't know what to write over and over until they did and if they got tired of writing, "I don't know what to write" to draw or even doodle and scribble and see where it takes them.  2019 date stamp available here.  Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

Thank you for visiting my Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things!  Thank you for stopping by!