Silent Seconds. A tribute to Ralph

I've been delaying about a month now. And here is why. Someone I was very closed to passed away. While it was expected, it still hurt. We went on many adventures. Including hikes, walks, and just scenic trips. He drove me to doctors appointments and pregnancy classes, even the emergency room during my pregnancy. He helped me take my maternity pictures. He sold me my first car, taught me to change oil, change and repair a tire, and how to check my fluids. My daughter calls him Bampa. Here is Ralph.

Silent Seconds Spring and Art

 Silent Seconds. Where I don't say anything, save for this, and just show you pictures.

 

Frugal Firsts! What is a budget and how do you do it?

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Butterfly Dark! I'm so glad you stopped in.

   Welcome to my Frugal Firsts post for the month of April. Last month we covered how I go about shopping at Goodwill. This week, you're going to see how I budget. I believe that every person before graduating high school should know a few basic things, such as how to fill out a job application, what FICA is, and how to fold a fitted sheet. One of the most important things they need to know is how to manage money, and create a budget. Now let me make this clear. I AM NOT telling you how you should be spending your money. Everyone has their own system and they do what works for them....mostly. Some people have absolutely no idea how to budget, or even what a budget is. This is just how I go about things.

   I've lived my entire life on a budget. When I was little I remember my mother always scribbling numbers on the back of an envelope or scrap pieces of paper. I also remember her jotting down the balance in her checkbook. Later, when my mom taught my Life Skills class, she taught me how to properly budget.

Messy Draft

   First thing is I have a little calendar. A pocket size one. I keep important dates, especially what day the bills are due. I also use it to keep track of how many hours I work and when my paycheck is due, I get paid every two weeks and work two jobs. This calendar helps me determine what bill I can pay with what check.

My calendar

   My bills are pretty simple. I pay rent, utilities, insurance. I have a car, a cell phone, one credit card, and student loans. Also keep in mind I have a two year old daughter, who is growing like a weed and I can never ever ever find her socks.

    So the first thing I do the night I get paid is go get rent money. My landlord (my parents) take cash. I give them the money for half of my rent at a time and my share of utilities and food. That right there is a large chunk of my budget.

   Then I tackle the smaller bills due between now and the next check. This week I paid my car insurance, cell phone bill and credit card bill. In two weeks I'll make my car payment and student loan payment.

   That's it for all my bills that are a fixed rate. The last one changes constantly, we ALL know this one. Gasoline. The best thing you can do is estimate how much you spend in gas. I always estimate on the high side. I spend about $80 in gas a month.

   Now with working two jobs, and after I pay all my bills I have, theres usually a bit left over. I normally have about $80 left after everything is said and done. I make sure my flower has everything she needs, wipes, soap, tooth paste and clothes. I get some craft supplies and maybe some lunch stuff.
I might have $40.

My more refined draft

  Now what would you do with an extra $40 every two weeks? I haven't opened a savings account yet, although it would be a good idea. I have a mason jar in my desk. All my loose change goes in the jar and so does that $40, and so does my debit card when I'm at work. That's how I keep from overspending.

   So my tips for actually saving money? First is my cell phone. I don't have a contract phone. I go through Straight Talk. I've tried out several different companies and they're the company that I have least trouble with, and I can bring my own phone if I want. I don't have the latest phone, in all honesty I don't really need it. I just need something that lets me call, text, take pictures and maybe browse social media.

   Never shop without a list. I watch my mother do it all the time. She plans out a menu for the week, compares it online to what is on sale at her two favorite stores and makes a list of what she needs. She also uses coupons if possible. We NEVER go to the fabric or craft store without coupons.

   Clothing if you can sew, learn how to mend things or even repurpose them. I converted a few of my flower's onsies into t shirts when she became too tall for them. Exchanging little one's clothes that they have outgrown but still in good condition for store credit is a good idea. Once Upon A Child is a favorite store of mine.

   On occasion I sell stock photos, or a sell a commissioned art piece.

   That's pretty much it. I try to keep it simple. I try to live below my means, and spend as little as possible. This doesn't mean be cheap, it means don't buy what you don't need. Some things are completely worth spending the money on. Quality over quantity. If you buy something that is well made, but a little more expensive it will probably last you longer. Especially when it comes to clothing.

   I'm so happy to say that as of last month I have one less bill to pay. I paid off my car. This is a HUGE accomplishment for me. My car is still in good condition. I've kept up on the maintenance. As long as I keep up on that it should last me a lot longer until I'm ready for something new. With some family developments, I may need a minivan. But that's a story for another time.

   So how do you handle money? How do you budget?

Thanks for reading!

Found Fourths Spring is Here!

Hello! Welcome to my first Found Fourths post! Found fourths is where I'll write about something that was found, weather it be something physical, online, or a mental or emotional discovery.

   This week was the first week of spring and it has been glorious. We had a few days with lovely sunshine and even though I was inside for most of them, it make working in the drive through window a little more pleasant.

  Today was Easter Sunday. I would have loved to go to church, but rarely is that in the cards. I did get to spend some beautiful time with my flower in the sunshine. She likes being outside and her favorite outdoor activity is going down the slide. We've been trying to take walks when the weather is nice. Today we went to a place called Freedom Park. I'd only ever been there for the small water park that opened last summer. Found out today it had a nice walking trail. must have been about a half a mile.


Our neighbors have some nice yard decorations

 

  Earlier my flower and I tried to take pictures. We have a nice big pond behind out community. My flower was sitting on the wood fence, watching the ducks and geese. I heard something and my eyes went to the grass. Thinking was just the wind, went back to entertaining my daughter. I heard the grass rustle again and saw something move. It looked like a rat tail. Sure enough it moved again, but it was not attached to a rat. It had a head. It was a small snake.


My flowers favorite outdoor activity.

Growing up in Nevada, I knew all about snake safety. I had never actually seen a snake in Indiana though. I was caught completely unprepared. I didn't know what kind it was, so I whisked my daughter away quickly not wanting the worst to happen.

   So what did you find this week? Is the sun finally shining in your area?

Thanks for reading, see you next week.
Britanni



Tutoroal Thirds! Drawing Challenge.

Hey everyone!


   Its the third week of the month, which means its tutorial thirds week! We had to skip this months Silent Seconds due to some technical difficulties. But we are back and we are ready to show you what we've got.


    So the tutorial isn't too much of tutorial, more of showing you how my drawing process goes. I teach drawing at a Michael's craft store in Indianapolis, and I used to be darned good at it. Kinda had to be to get my degree. But having a baby changes things, and I've fallen out of practice. I've resolved to get back into it, and found a wonderful tool that will help me. My goal is to maybe pick up some illustration work when I feel I'm ready.



   The tool I found was at my fingertips. I do have a pinterest account under my name. I found some 30 day drawing challenges. Day 1 is something you can't live without. My answer is my Flower.

Here are my materials. A simple sketch book, I carry this one in my purse all the time. A drawing pencil, this one is an H lead, or a kind of medium lead. A kneaded eraser, a sharpener, and an ink pen. This pen is a rollerball, and the ink is very fluid. Normal ink pens, I just don't like the ink, and it looks amateurish.

 

 
 
 

I started with her head. She's only two so she's got the baby chub we all love in the cheeks. Her eyes are super big, I love her doe eyes. and her nose and lips are closer together than an adults would be. You might notice this quality in a lot of Disney characters, causing them to appear younger.

Now that I have her face mapped out, I can add in the details of her features and refine what is already there. Her chin is very square, her lips are a lot like mine, very full on the bottom.

Then I added her hair. In the reference picture, which has mysteriously disappeared from my phone, her hair is all over the place. In her defense, she had just woken up, and she has my hair, which is naturally crazy curly. Seriously the stuff needs a straight jacket.  Then I drew over the marks I wanted to stay permanent, starting with the hair, with my ink pen. Another reason I prefer the roller ball pen is sometimes ink doesn't go over graphite well. Rollerball ink normally does a better job than most inks.

Finally I erase all the map lines.  So this is day 1, and a cartoonish version of my daughter. This was just a quick sketch, maybe took me 20 minutes beginning to end. A lot of people use these challenges to keep their skills sharp, or in my case, to get back into shape. Trust me, this is not a masterpiece by any means. Those kinds of drawings take hours and some serious time with my iPod.

   Now during the process I was interrupted. Her name is Yuffie, and she's very affectionate. At night only. Any other time of day, she hides, or demands food.

   So there you have it. Show me what you do to keep your skills sharp, whatever skill that may be. Until next week!

Structure our first Frugal Firsts!

Hi everyone.


For the last two months I've been just writing posts about random topics. I'd like to add a little more structure to my writing. I'd like to stick to some themes.
 
  The first week will be called Frugal Firsts, and based on anything we do to save money, stretch our dollar, and conserve resources.

   The second week I'll call Silent Seconds. I won't write anything, I'll just post pictures and let them speak for themselves. These pictures will probably be of clients who I've been working with for professional photos, or of my nature walks with my daughter or our adventures around the city,

   The third week will be Tutorial Thirds. I'll post a tutorial of something I've made, either a craft, piece of fine art, or cooking. If there is a source I'll be happy to share it.

   The last week will be Found Fourths. Something I have "found" new, as I'm always trying to learn new things. I might have found it on pinterest, or in a book or some found object art.

If there happens to be a fifth Sunday in a month, I'll publish it as Freaky Free For All Fifth. I"ll find something that to normal people might be freakish, or in my case just right up my alley.

   So this is my new structure, I hope you all enjoy it like this, and I'm hoping it will help me improve my writing. On to our first Frugal First!


    A lot of people already know the joys of thrift shopping. When it comes to clothes there is very little I will buy new, and with a small child who grows like a weed, thrift stores are one of my best friends, along with knowing how to sew.


    There are two Goodwill stores and a Goodwill outlet within five miles of my house. These stores have been good to us. In December we were able to purchase a sectional couch and coffee table in order to accommodate with houseguests we would be hosting later that month. Both is very good condition. I was able to get a glider for my daughters room too. Every night she happily sits on it while I read her a story, if she gets to the glider before me, she climbs in it and proclaims "MAMA ROCK!"

   Of course clothes are bought here. There are two things I will absolutely not buy in a thrift store unless they are still in a sealed package, and even then I might have doubts. These things are undergarments and socks. When I'm looking for clothes, I look first for quality. Does the fabric hold up well? Is it stretched out? Are there holes, frays. weak spots, or stains? If so, can any of it be repaired easily. Second, where am I going to wear it? Where will my child wear it and how often? And lastly and this is probably the MOST important for people who are curvy like me. Try it on! There is nothing like the disappointment of finding an awesome article of clothing, purchasing it, and getting it home, only to find out it doesn't fit. Or worse it doesn't look good on you. I'm still trying to figure out what looks good on my shape. But try it on.

   I found a fabulous red dress last summer. It was kinda vintage looking, which is my style. So I tried it on. It hit a great length, hugged my curves without emphasizing my problem areas, but I couldn't get it zipped up past my shoulders. I was just too chesty.

I just couldn't get it zipped up.

Ended up buying this instead.

   Today I went looking for something different. Last summer I resolved to make my steampunk cosplay out of as many repurposed materials as I could find. I found some beautiful red metallic curtains with lining that became the bottom part of my corset and bustle skirt. I bought some black lace and lace trim from the fabric store, and that was all I needed. I'm making steampunk apparel and accessories for my shop and I want to repurpose materials this same way.

The bustle skirt

Making a corset

  














 I went to two stores. I found nine different fabrics. Mostly these are old curtains or bed skirts. I found one dress and one shirt that will make decent waist cinchers. These are all sturdy, thick and some brocade like. All seem in new or almost new condition. I'm really excited to start making these.

The light is off, but from left to right, purple, pink, green and silver.

   Thanks for reading.

Our first giveaway of the year!

Hello everyone!

   My apologies for the absence the last two weeks. Between the two jobs, I haven't had a day off in two weeks. But I've been brewing up new things for the Etsy shop, opening very soon, and cooking up our first giveaway of the year. I'll tell you how to enter shortly.

Our bow Shamrock Charm

   I love celebrating holidays! Doesn't matter how small or how big. Any day you wake up is cause for celebration, and honoring some traditions can be really fun. We have two coming up in the next month. St. Patrick's Day and Easter. I've been working almost every night making super cute hair ornaments for St. Patrick's Day and have the materials for the Easter bows.

 

Our Luck o the Irish flower

St. Patrick's Day is one of my favorite holidays. Not for the drinking, I don't do that anymore, but because I am Irish. Well half Irish anyway. Half my DNA is from Ireland. I want to celebrate my heritage. A lot of people believe its just corrupt corporate America trying to get us to buy stuff we don't need anymore and the real meaning of the holidays have been lost, and some of that is totally right. But I see no harm in celebrating anyway.

 

 For our giveaway we are giving away one of our convertible tunics. These beauties were our best sellers last year and they're so versatile. You literally can wear them 100 different ways. I may just post a video on how to wear them.


Our Romantic Red Tunic 2015 Best Seller

   All you have to do is like the post that we announce the giveaway, and comment. We are giving away our Leopard Light Tunic. The giveaway will end on Saturday March 5th at Midnight and we will announce the winner on Monday the 7th.

Our Leopard Light Tunic

Wear it like a poncho.

A beach cover up?

Fabric Detail

So go, like comment, and spread the word!

Thank you!