1" Empty Gumball Capsules for Home Claw Game: The Destiny of Things, Story 537

1" Empty Gumball Capsules for Home Claw Game:  The Destiny of Things, Story 537

Another new use for these gumball vending machine plastic capsules!

 10 or 20 or 30 empty gumball plastic capsules carnival circus table confetti claw machine pinata filler St Paddy's birthday fiesta taco party, available here.

Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

Here is the note I received:

These eggs were perfect for my at home claw game. Kids love it. Total success!

Total success is music to my ears!  I wonder what a home claw game looks like and what kinds of prizes were inside these capsules?  I've seen claw or grabber machines at arcades and stores, like Frys, but not a home claw game.

Thank you google!

Oh, I see, it's just a mini version of the arcade sized claw machine.  How fun!  Kids can practice their fine motor skills.  I don't see any capsule prizes in this one!  But I can see how the capsules could hold alternative prizes to candy, like coupons inside to skip a chore or get an extra story read at bedtime, small toys, even a dollar bill!

If you need a larger amount they are on SALE 50 or 100 EMPTY gumball vending machine capsules wedding confetti exit box cake topper candy container fiesta beach pool birthday taco party favor pinata filler, available here

Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

Saying Goodbye:  These have become one of our best seller, so we won't be saying goodbye to these any time soon, especially since Etsy buyers keep coming up with so many different uses for them.  It still amazes me!  Home claw machines prize container is new way of using them for me.

They come in 9 different colors, but we get so many requests of all black or all white or black and white mix, that we sell them separately.

What I Learned:

1.  Etsy buyers are so creative! It never ceases to amaze me at all the different ways one can use these plastic capsules!  Let me list the ways off the top of my head:  cupcake topper sprinkles, wedding exit confetti, seeds, dry flowers, rice, etc., some turned them into pineapples for themed table confetti, some have turn them into little apples for bento boxes, to hold bath bomb surprises, like money and jewelry.

I've use mine to ship off lots of jewelry, especially religious medals, bracelets, rings and necklaces, also samples of small things in the mail, like spices and tea because these are basically crush proof, however they are not leak proof, so liquids will not fair so well, but slime might, like unicorn poop and oobleck.

2.  I've bought enough stuff for my new Etsy adventure and I'm finding I'm just using the stuff I already have, so I guess I'm saving it for later, until I really get the momentum going!  All I know is that I'm doing what I love with all the gusto I have and have no idea where that will take me!

 We have the capsules in all one color too, like green above, if you need some to pinch proof yourself for St Patrick's day and/or need to pass out some luck of the Irish candies or four leaf clovers!

Available here at The Destiny of Things

Thank you Etsy buyer for ordering from JunkDrawerAndMore and letting me know how you used them.  And I learned something new, like what a home claw game looks like and what kind of prizes are in them. 

I've been working on a Farmer's Market bag for the past six years.... wow, has it been that long already?  The only reason why I know is because I embroidered a quote on it and the date reads 2013!  I've been kantha stitching on it and experimenting with free style sashiko on it.  The last couple of days I turned all the edges.

I'll take photos of it this weekend, but it's still in it's early stages with a lot of hand stitched bias stitches and safety pins to hold the two fabrics in place without getting all bunched up.

It continues to rain, so I'm still rain washing a lot of boro, kimonos, happi coats and other stinko quilts and clothing.  Other people's laundry detergent smell so strong these days!  Good thing a lot of it is boro, so I can keep on washing it til the smells come out!

As a matter of fact, I'm shortening the time I spend on this blog posting, so I can get back to my projects!  How exciting is that?!? 

Any new excitement in your life?  I'm so excited about my new creative outlet and hoarding alternative that I noticed I need less food and sleep to function and have a lot more energy now.

Need pastel colors for spring, Easter or baby shower party?

Available here from The Destiny of Things

My goal of listing on each shop until each has 180 items had been reached at 3 shops!  but more hoard has sold!  So I'll be new listing again this weekend.

We are having 20% off sales at all our shops at the moment.  They are kind of rolling shop sales, which just seemed to happen, so I think JunkDrawerAndMore's sale will be ending soon.

I've been trying to adopt this new way of thinking, "Be willing to forgo all perceptions of gain, desire or profit and thereby be willing to be of selfless service to life in all it's expressions," but it's really difficult for me and putting it in to practice is very wishy washy for me.  Anyone out there have any suggestions to help me?

I'm still trying to figure out how to price items and how much I should charge for my time.  I feel carefree about the time it takes me to make things, but not so much when it comes to new listing, describing in detail, especially vintage items which usually have some sort of flaws going on and Etsy chores, like cross marketing.  Anyone out there have a reference guide from their own experiences I could try? 

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.  

Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed weekly: HoarderRehab with 180 items, The Destiny of Things- 180 items, VintageToGoEasy - 179 items and JunkDrawerAndMore - 176 items.   

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

 If you need all black for a little informality with your black tie dinner affair, or all white for your pure white wedding or black and white for a themed party, they are available here at Hoarder Rehab.

"What you accumulate can be yours, but can not be you."  Sadhguru

Thank you for visiting my Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things!  Happy Friday!

Surprise Snail Mail Chiapas Dress: The Destiny of Things, Story 536

Surprise Snail Mail Chiapas Dress:  The Destiny of Things, Story 536

You won't believe what I got snail mail from an Etsy shop owner!  BEFORE:

This was packaged simply but oh so cute with vintage tissue paper and drafting tape, so I can reuse it all again! and it came with a little note.  You can see it in the upper left hand corner of the dress.  The Chiapas dress from LadyFriends is obviously gone, but she has lovely unisex Chiapas shirt available here!  

She had bought a religious medal from my shop and when I wrote a little thank you note I told her I love all the vintage clothes in her shop and I was eyeing her Chiapas dress and if it ever went on sale to email me and let me know and lo and behold.... it literally landed on my door step!

AFTER:  Plus I love her little note back, it's very inspiring and motivating!  It's on a post it, so I keep it by my packaging and shipping area as a reminder that miracles happen and that the kindness of humanity is boundless!

I wish my cat head looked happier because I sure am, but that's our latest feral cat, Tim Tim and he's been starved and overly suspicious!  The Chiapas dress is from LadyFriends  and she has beautiful Chiapas unisex shirt available here!  

So here's my story:  I've been hoarding again!  but for my new vocation and I had a lot of packages coming in and I was saving them because I usually wake up at 3 am and get all my personal wellness protocol done by 7:30 am to start my day, but I got sick and ever since I haven't been able to get up without a reward!

Unfortunately, I'm a reward based person, even though I'm trying to get away from it.  Anyways, my reward was to open my "vocation" packages if I got up at 3 am.  So I was down to the last 2 and let's say it probably took me three weeks to a month of off and on getting up at 3 am.

I was quite surprised one Sunday morning when I opened this package and saw this Chiapas dress that I had been eyeing in LadyFriends shops for weeks!  I kept telling my life partner over and over, can you believe this?  Look at this beauty!  I've been wanting this dress!!!!  I think I carried it around for hours in a stupor of happiness beaming from ear to ear until it finally dawned on me to try it on!

And then I couldn't take it off!  It's going to be my all time favorite summer dress!

I love the embroidery on this Chiapas jumper dress and it has a unique red line embroidered down the front of it.  I just love that detail too!  The Chiapas dress is from LadyFriends  and she has beautiful Chiapas unisex shirt available here!  

So this surprise of all surprises was a great way to kick off the New Year!  Thank you A from LadyFriends for the reminder that life is bigger than myself that you, a stranger took the time to nicely wrap, write a kind note and send me this heartfelt gift, as a random act of kindness.  I love everything about it, literally and figuratively!  Thank you!

Saying Goodbye:  I won't be saying goodbye to this dress ever!  And I'll be wearing it into my senior senior years!  I'm going to take good care of it, so it outlasts me!

That's the back of the dress and that's me jumping up and down with joy! In fact, so joyful my cat head can't stop spinning.  I am still dazed with happiness when I think about it all!  Thank you A from LadyFriends  and did I mention, she has beautiful Chiapas unisex shirt available here!  

What I Learned:  

1.  Everyone is connected at all times and any time I need a reminder of that, I'll have this dress!  The Chiapas dress of happiness and kindness!  Whatever happens happens to all of us.  I've been trying not to judge it as good or bad, but that is very very very difficult for me, but I'm taking the necessary baby steps.

2.  My hoard started growing again.  I thought it was growing in a good direction, but with trying not to be judgmental or opinionated, I need to say, it's growing again.  At least it's stuff I love, oops that's an opinion.  I probably shouldn't even call it hoard then.  Hmmm... I wonder where all this is going to take me this time!

3.  I can say, I'm living my life and I love it!  Since I'm not out of the judgmental stage of my life at least I love my life, every minute of it.  I couldn't say that much about it positively before.  I have changed aspects of my life, but I would like to transform my life, especially to the point where I wouldn't need rewards to just get up!

4.  I'm going to begin some experiments because I used to be able to wake up at 3 am without an alarm and without any rewards for a couple of months, although I did need both to get started.  What am I going to try first?  I'm going to start eating less cooked foods, eat more live raw foods and liquid fast again 3 days a week and see if I feel better than I do now.

Between Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Chinese Lunar New Year and Valentine's there's been a whole lot of festive over eating going on and I think that's why I feel dull, zoned out and a bump on a log!

What motivates you the most?  Unfortunately for me it's rewards and I wish it wasn't.  I wish it was reward enough for me to get up at 3 am, but I'm just not wired that way.... yet!

Here's a close up on the embroidery part of the dress.  What a creative way to use two different scraps!  Dress courtesy from A from LadyFriends of Etsy.

Thank you Etsy buyer for ordering from VintageToGoEasy  and then sending me the surprise dress from your shop, LadyFriends.  Your shop has such much good stuff and after exploring, I'm starting to wonder if you made this dress!  Did you?  I love your other hand sewn items, like this top you made here and your quilted linen wall hangings! One here and the other, here.  Both are beautiful and meticulously hand sewn!

There are several denim and chambray items I love in this shop, but since I'm hoarding again, I think I'll have to think about it until I can only choose one of them!  I have my fingers crossed that you'll one day write me back, but I know how busy you are and how impatient I am, lol.

It's been too rainy with flash flooding to get to the donation station with my purge pile, but maybe this weekend will be the magic purge day!  I've started mending again since it's been raining so much and my garden of weeden is growing like weeds!  I did some weeding some time back and placed some seeds of lettuce, cherry tomato, parsley, epazote and cilantro in those areas and now I have enough for soups and salads!

I've been rain washing a lot of boro, kimonos, happi coats and other stinko quilts and clothing.  Laundry detergent smell so strong these days!  I'll be trying Quilter's Rule soap soon and Odoban when the weekends get sunny again and I'll let you know if Odoban is one of those sprays that just masks the smell with another smell.  

Any suggestions as to what you've used to take out musty odd smells from fabrics?  Vodka seems to work on some fabrics, but later the smell just comes back, especially with some of the indigo fabrics.  I've tried charcoal wash, Dr Schultz's air detox spray, baking soda, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and more, but right now I'm drawing a blank, so moving on.....

Chiapas is officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas (Spanish: Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the 31 states that along with the federal district of Mexico City make up the 32 federal entities of Mexico.  Read more here on wikipedia.

My goal of listing on each shop until each has 180 items has been reached at 2 shops!  Sales for January and February are up and down, but I haven't really been paying attention anymore, since I'm busy getting ready for the Lunar New Year and my new vocation.  

We are having 20% off sales at all our shops at the moment.  They are kind of rolling shop sales, which just seemed to happen, so I think JunkDrawerAndMore's sale will be ending soon.

Lately I've been in conflict with 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.  It seems being busy with the Chinese Lunar New Year cleaning that I've fallen back into my old habits of pricing somewhat lower than the other prices I find, instead of what I think off the top of my head.

I'm still trying to figure out how to price items and how much I should charge for my time.  I feel carefree about the time it takes me to make things, but not so much when it comes to new listing and describing it all.  Anyone out there have a reference guide from their own experiences I could try?

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.  

Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed weekly: HoarderRehab with 181 items, The Destiny of Things- 181 items, VintageToGoEasy - 179 items and JunkDrawerAndMore - 177 items.   

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

This is the results of the custom order request I got a few weeks ago, available here and here.  I had to make a lot of them before they started resembling the request.  They are small art patches for mending.  The custom order request is photo 6, on the first listing via Hoarder Rehab.

Happy Valentine's Day!  Thank you for visiting my Hoarder Rehab and The Destiny of Things!  

Airmail Envelopes for Honor Flight Veterans & 60th Birthday Party Memory Letters: The Destiny of Things, Story 534 & 535

Airmail Envelopes for Honor Flight Veterans & 60th Birthday Party Memory Letters:  The Destiny of Things, Story 534 & 535

12 or 40+ Airmail envelopes DIY International passport travel bon voyage theme birthday party invitations vintage retro style stationery, available here.  Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

Here is her note:

Very quick shipping and replying to any questions. These are perfect for our upcoming Honor Flight.

Later she ordered more letting me know that people had written thank you notes to put inside the envelopes and she was going to pass them out during the Honor Flight.

What is an Honor Flight?  An Honor Flight is conducted by non-profit organizations dedicated to transporting as many United States military veterans as possible to see the memorials of the respective war they fought in Washington, DC, at no cost to the veterans. Wikipedia

That is so cool!  I wonder which non profit Honor Flight she was volunteering for?  We had several WW2 Veterans in our family, but they have since passed.  One of my Great Uncles was a soldier when Dachau was liberated and was able to record his story at a non profit center and his name and other family Veteran's names are on the "Go For Broke" monument in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California.

I wish he was able to go on an Honor Flight, but I'm thankful that other Veteran's are being honored with flights to see the memorials of the war they fought for us and receive personal thank you letters for their services.

12 or 40+ Airmail envelopes DIY International passport travel bon voyage theme birthday party invitations vintage retro style stationery, available here.  Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

Here is another great idea on how to use these from a different Etsy buyer:

I purchased these envelopes for my mom's 60th birthday. I'm having people from her past and present.... a total of 60 people write memories and or birthday blessings for her and stuffing the letters in these envelopes and putting them in a decorative box to give to her on her special day. Thank you so much for having these available to help this come to life 😀

What a heartfelt and unique way to remember someone for their birthday with memories and/or birthday blessings.  I've only used these for pen pals and haven't done so since childhood, but if I ever need to throw a birthday, moving overseas party or bon voyage party,  I'd want add memories, well wishes and thank you's too!

12 or 40+ Airmail envelopes DIY International passport travel bon voyage theme birthday party invitations vintage retro style stationery, available here.  Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

Saying Goodbye:  I used to have a stash of these for myself, but not anymore!  I just use 1 or 2 a year for International mail and sometimes use them as pocket pages in a homemade journal to hold little things.  So thankful I'm not hoarding these or other airmail envelopes anymore, however.... I am still hoarding used envelopes!  especially the kind with neato security designs on the inside!

I'm saving them because one day I think I'm going to either make more collages or make a garland with them!

Here is a triangle or rhombus garland made from the inside of security envelopes.  I prefer the round ones, but this one fits in a matchbox!  If you need an ek rhombus triangle paper puncher to make these, there is one available here.  Photo via google

What I Learned:

1.  I have more ideas than time to complete all the projects whirling around in my little head!  So I better get going!  But that means less blogging, which is my time to share all the creative things from Etsy buyers combined with my Hoarder Rehab therapy. 

Cut down on my Etsy time.  I wouldn't mind eliminating some of my Etsy chores, like cross marketing, but maybe there is a way to cut down on the Etsy chores.  I like new listing, except I do take a long time researching my items and inspecting for flaws and such, but I could spend less time writing descriptions!  Let's see what gives!

2.  I could hire some people to complete my projects, like the guy in "Exit Through the Gift Shop" did.  I wonder how he found those people and how did he have enough resources to pay them?  Maybe I could hire a cleaning service to clean my house and spend less time cooking, so I have more time for my projects!

3.  I did spend this Sunday, cleaning up the living room that looked like Pandora's box exploded, just so the floor could get vacuumed and one could sit on the couch!  And I did the same with the second room, that is one day going to be an art music room, instead of the hoard storage space!

Now as a recovering hoarder that is a huge feat!  because the first sign of when my hoarding is getting bad is, "where is the floor?"  If I am walking through little pathways through a maze to get through the living room, then it's time to reevaluate!

This looks like a cute airmail adventure journal for someone who went to Oahu!  I like the daily tabs for all her voyage days!  Photo via I'm not sure due to the language barrier, but you can visit here.

12 or 40+ Airmail envelopes for your nest travel journal, available here.  Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

4.  I did open my own Pandora's box of hoard when a family member suddenly passed and I was looking all over for his childhood art that he had given me as a kid.  And guess what?  That was a year ago!  It doesn't seem like it's been a year, but I had to give up looking for it last Sunday and put everything away and off the floor to get ready for the end of Chinese Lunar New Year.

5.  The American and Japanese New Year have the same date and I'm never ready for it.  I'm usually ready it for by March, which includes spring cleaning, burning all the unnecessary important papers, and starting my resolutions that I usually write by the New Year.  This year I'm compromising by trying to get it all done by the end of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which ends this February 19th, so far I'm ahead of schedule!

How do you make more time for yourself?  I think I'll try cutting down on some Etsy time, look into a cleaning service and get less sleep and get back to waking up at 3 am.

She looks like she has closed the envelopes and are using them as pages to write her adventures. Photo via I'm not sure due to the language barrier, but you can visit here.  12 or 40+ Airmail envelopes DIY International travel bon voyage journal or make one for a bon voyage gift available here.  Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

Thank you Etsy buyers from JunkDrawerAndMore for sharing your stories and inspiring and motivating me to spend more time making my ideas come true!  I love your Honor Flight air mail envelopes for thank you letters to Veterans to read while they fly to their perspective memorials.

And your Mom must have had a delightful 60th birthday party with 60 airmail envelopes full of letters with memories, blessings and thank yous, as keepsakes and to read over and over for the rest of her her life!  I am thankful to be a tiny part of your way to make your Mom's birthday so special!

I still haven't done anything with my purge pile except to decide to let it go to a donation station.  It's on my "to do" list and it's got to go soon!

I'm still loving my new vocation, but it seems with the clearing the floor and cleaning for the Lunar New Year, I haven't had much time for it much, except for the buying part! lol.  

Also I've been doing a lot of laundry because most of it's either dirty or smells like heavy duty laundry detergent and/or must.  Luckily it's been raining a lot over here, so it's possible to rain wash and air dry some of it.  I'll be trying Quilter's Rule soap soon and Odoban and I hope Odoban isn't one of those sprays that just masks the smell with another smell.  Oh, the things I can buy out of desperation!

Fun place cards or name cards for wedding or dinner guests.  Inside, you could add a menu and thank you note for your guests and some little wedding favors, like photos, fortune fish, here and raffle tickets, here to keep them busy, especially children, til food is served.

My goal of listing on each shop until each has 180 items is back on!  Sales for January and February are still a roller coaster ride, but I haven't really been paying attention anymore, since I'm busy getting ready for the Lunar New Year and my new vocation.  

We are having 20% off sales at all our shops at the moment.  They are kind of rolling shop sales, which just seemed to happen, so I think JunkDrawerAndMore's sale will be ending soon.

I'm still struggling with 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 in conflict these past few weeks.

I still find myself backsliding to how much my time is worth, especially when I'm new listing and researching the item.  Pricing and our hourly wage is the hardest for me to set and it fluctuates between volunteering my time to what used to be my teacher hourly wage, lol.  I need a new or no reference guide now, but I'm not sure how to figure that out yet.

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."  I am so thankful the 2 custom listings were happy sales and have already come and gone!

Click on the shop names to visit new hoard listed weekly: HoarderRehab with 181items, The Destiny of Things- 178 items, VintageToGoEasy - 175 items and JunkDrawerAndMore - 174 items.   

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

Need a date stamp for your travel journal, you could pre date stamp it ahead or International letter writing?  Available here, photo via Hoarder Rehab

"Learning how to use it, instead of being used by it."  as it relates to my hoard.  Author unknown.

Happy Lunar New Year!  Lunar New Year officially begins on February 5th, 2019, and ends on February 19th.  You've still got time to get ready!

Wedding invites or your Lunar New Year thank you notes!  12 or 40+ Airmail envelopes DIY International passport travel bon voyage wedding party invitations, available here.  Photo via JunkDrawerAndMore

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