Grab A Coffee! Favorite Things from 2019

Hello, cafe friends!

It's the last day of 2019. A busy year! I thought I'd brew some coffee and talk with all of you about some of my favorite things from 2019.

And let's just start with coffee. Remember way way way back, before $5 lattes and pricey K-Cups? Seriously. Who could have predicted we'd be blowing our retirement savings on caffeine? Way way back, my mom and sisters and I used to look forward to the holidays so that we could buy Hickory Farms Holiday Blend coffee. I was feeling a little nostalgic for plain old brewed java this month, and I picked this up at the mall. Cinnamon and Vanilla...mmm! Tastes just like I remembered, too! It's been a nice treat. If you are at the mall, you should pick it up while supplies last.

Let's start with some of my favorite non-crafty things from 2019, in no particular order:

* My Fitbit. I used to say that I didn't need a device to tell me that I was lazy. But apparently, I do! It has been a good motivator for me to get active. And the competitive side of me likes to beat my husband at step goals every day.

*Mini-trampoline rebounder: And speaking of getting active, I really love the cheap rebounder that I bought from Aldi last winter. I use it at least four or five times a week. It helps me reach my step goals, too! Some of the health benefit claims are that it helps with lymph nodes and lymphatic drainage (I think it's true), it helps strengthen the pelvic floor (a good thing for women!), and it helps with joints. I can say this: last Christmas, I was on crutches from a torn miniscus injury. Painful. Usually, those sorts of injuries require surgery. But thanks to 30 minute morning workouts on my rebounder, I have no pain and my knee is working perfectly.

*Natural Bliss Cinnamon Cream coffee creamer! It makes my home brew taste like a Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Latte! Pair it with Cinnabon cinnamon K-Cups, and it's perfection.

*Spotify! My son got us subscribed just before Christmas last year, and it is nice to have so much music available at a Google voice command!

*My large print compact bible. I love a good study bible, but this sweet little book is so much more portable. I take it with me everywhere.

*Kitchenaid spiralizer: It did a great job with all of that summer squash and zucchini!

*ThredUp and Poshmark: I got some great deals on clothing this year! Some barely used, some brand new with tags!

Now, on to some of my favorite crafty things!

*Taylored Expressions earring dies: these were so fun to play with this year!

*Taylored Expressions blending brushes: yes, you can buy makeup brushes that are very similar, and I have. But this colorful rainbow of brushes has been a nice addition to my crafting space.

*Stencils! Works well with blending brushes.

*Pixie Spray: works great with stencils!

*Distress Oxides: I waited a long time to try these, but when I did, I knew I'd have to get all the colors! Blends like buttah!

*Embossing folders: An oldie but a goodie. I got a few more this year, and I think they can add a lot to a card.

*Simple Stories: I love all their collections, but this last fall they really knocked it out of the park! So many pretty papers, washi, and accessories.

*Buy/Sell forums: I did a LOT of crafty shopping from them this year. And when the new SU catalog came out, I managed to snag a lot of items that had been on my wish list for deep discount prices.

*Spellbinders die tool: that pokey thing with the brush end really does a good job of releasing those tricky dies.

I will try to think of some of my favorite new stamp sets later.

Tell me, what were some of your favorites from 2019?

Blessings on your New Year, cafe friends!