Today's craft fair

Not so much in the way of customers today-that's OK. I always meet the nicest people at craft fairs. And I did make a few sales, a few contacts for future work and of course bought a few items. Who doesn't need soap that looks like a slice of cake? And a shirt with a moose skeleton silk screened on it? I know sounds weird but a few things I had to have today. So I bought them. Helps out my fellow crafters also. I tired something a little new today also. I offered a purse up for raffle to raise money for American Cancer Society. Only got one taker so she automatically won. Oh well, I'll try again next week with a different purse or maybe lower ticket price. I had 5 bucks on them, maybe I should try 2. So of to make up a few orders I got last week.

Art Show

Woo Hoo- I entered an art show this month! never thought I would be the one in an art show. This one is specifically all about purses so I figured I should give it a try. Free advertising if nothing else. I made the bag from all recycled materials. I felted a wool sweater, used vintage lining material from my Mom, thanks Mom and the bamboo handles were off a discarded purse. Only thing new is the thread and the interfacing. The beads, sequins and shells are all 'found items" from tag sales, thrift stores and people cleaning out drawers. they say , "Here you want this stuff?" And of course I say, "Sure, I'll find something to use it on" Which is why I have so musch stuff! Love it though, allows me to make stuff on the cheap. So ihave the purse for sale too. See what happens. Here are some photos of it. And Tom and I did go to the opening wine and cheese party last night.

New Floor Pillow

Decided to give a floor pillow a try. I was asked to make them for someone else and haven't heard from her in a while so I am putting them out there and see where they go. The kids next door liked them that's for sure. They used it one night while I was babysitting, gave it a test ride for me. I imagine your dog or cat (kinda big for a cat) will love it to. Although I can't get my own dog on it, she sticks her nose up at it and heads for the bed instead. Choice of three different fabrics, all machine washable, 100% cotton and all made in America, the fabric, labor and pillow. Let me know what you think.

Rainbow Room in NYC

Wednesday I got to go to the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller center in NYC. We went (my cousin and I) to the WCBS Woman's luncheon. I went pretty much just to eat there and throw my business card around. Why not? A room full of women, someone must need a purse! Well no one has yet but maybe. So lunch was good and the speakers were good. Sad to hear the restaurant will be closing in June, it is a pretty neat place, views are spectacular from the 65th floor. So after lunch we went and did a little shopping. One of my favorite stores, Anthropolgie was right across the street. Picked up a few things then went over to Saks. Wanted to see if they had a clearance section-they do not. We did see that Clinique was having a nice give a way bag of goodies so we headed over to their counter. Ended up getting full face make up done. I was hot! Or so I was told. Also dropped a hundred bucks on make up. It was fun and I am worth it. Headed to Grand central after that and then home. All in all a good day. here are some pics, taken with my cell phone so not all that great of the views form the 65th floor.

April 20, 2009

Hey finally got around to sending in my Burda Style Bow Ties. They will be auctioned off to raise money for the cancer fund. You can visit the link below for more info. I made 3 all together, one for Dad, Little Peg and Patrick. Hope they are OK to auction off, never made bow ties before. Matter of fact the 1st one went in the scrap heap. Had a bit of trouble with turning! So here are some photos and I will keep up on any results, if they give them out.
http://www.burdastyle.com/blog/show/837

April 18th, 2009

Whew-Busy again. Our daughter had her appendix burst last week(turns out that was what was wrong with her when I last posted and I babysat for her) so needless to say that left me a little out of the loop and doing hospital runs all week. She is fine now and back home. School for her on Monday and maybe we can return to normalcy around here.
On the craft side of things, sales are very slow. I did make a sale today on Etsy, first one since February but no surprise there. I am not too good about keeping up with listing. I will try harder. Trying the Saturday night sale tip I got today from another Etsy vendor. See how that works out. Also did a few shows in the last couple of weeks. Made a few dollars but not a lot. I did make some good contacts today for retail sales. I am going to put some totes/grocery bags in 2 locations in Bethel and I have a name and place in Southbury to try. I have plenty of inventory so that isn't a problem. Got to get the pillows done for Terri too. Trying the wholesale business on that one. We''ll see how that goes. Other than that the weather is finally turning warm, got a little sunburn today sitting on the sidewalk waiting for customers.

April 5th, 2009

Wow what a week. I hope our 3 bad things(things always happen in threes) have happened and this is the end. On top of my Dad getting diagnosed with cancer, my nephew tried to light a fire using gasoline. Needless to say that literally blew up in his face. He is OK but what a scare. Now my brother in law is in the hospital, his diverticulitis inflamed and burst open so he had emergency surgery on his gut. I'm tired just writing about it. It's all very stressful too. I think that makes me tired also. good news is we sold both radio towers, one is already down and gone and the other should be out of there by Saturday night. Lot of hard work but it will be done and that's a good thing. Oh yeah and then last night I had to babysit because Meta had a bug of some sort. Didn't really mind, the boys are good, just not what I wanted to do.
So here is a picture though that will make me smile-asparagus is up. Yippee- pretty soon I'll be over doing it and the fiber will kill my gut but I don't mind.
Mmmmmm-asparagus

Made some wristlets over the weekend. This is one of them.Very easy and I don't need too much fabric. I like using up the little leftovers I have from my big purses. Also can "bundle" my products now. Offer a wristlet with a purse in coordinating fabric and give them a combined price. My new marketing strategy. OK so off to the sewing room to see if I can finish this floor pillow I am trying to get done. Hope this endeavor works out. Could be a big bust or it could be a real money maker. Terri seems to think they will sell. We'll see.

End Of An Era

My Dad has been diagnosed with cancer and is 86 years old. He must be thinking his end is near-we don't think that way- because he is starting to dismantle his house. He has been an amateur ham radio operator since he was 16-spent most of his free time on the air, building radios, fixing radios or going to radio flea markets. It was his passion and his hobby. Anyway last week he became insistent while he was in the hospital that the towers/antennae on the house come down and be gone. We didn't believe him at first and questioned him repeatedly to see if he really meant it. I hope he really did because he nominated my husband to take them down. And Tom did just that yesterday. So after all these years of listening to the squeaks, warbles, funny voices and Morse code emitting from the basement it will all be silent. No more tower whirring around on the roof . No more cold suppers because he was on the air waiting for a sched to talk to the other side of the world or a satelite to go by so he could transmit. It was a big part of our growing up listening to all that-he even put a speaker on the front lawn way back when so the neighborhood could hear Sputnik go over our heads.
I suppose the neighbors will be glad to see or not see the tower any more. It is rather ugly and did stick up pretty far over the roof. But to me the house will seem empty without it. A big part of my life was taken away yesterday too.

73's

Amy

Fabric Giveaway at A La Mode!

Another fabric giveaway! Cool stuff
http://alamodefabric.blogspot.com/2009/03/la-mode-giveaway-rules.html

Aww look how cute

I made these little fairies as give aways. How cute they are and fun to make to boot. Pretty much used stuff I have around the house. Pipe cleaners, yarn, silk flower petals and bits of lace. The only thing I had to buy were the beads for the heads. I then painted and sealed each one so all the faces and hair styles are different on each one. I did put pin backs on them so you can wear them if you want. So buy a purse and get a fairy!

March 26th 2009

Busy day today-off to the mat first thing to felt a load of sweaters. Not my favorite job but its the only way to get it done. Then ran to the grocery, not a real fan of that job either. Also must get done. Got home and called my little friend to catch up-1 1/2 hours later we a were done catching up. Before I knew it the 2 little darlings from next door were here so I could watch them for an hour or so while their Mom went to a kindergarten orientation. I have forgotten how quickly a toddler can trash your house. Somehow there is now hay all over the downstairs. Drat, I must get the vacuum-later. So needless to say I did not get any sewing done except for another eyeglass case while I sat at the laundry mat. So now I catch up and go downstairs maybe. Last night I was able to finish one of the dance bags I have on order. Came out pretty cool if I say so myself, good job on the color selections. Just hope the woman that wants it thinks so also! OK so of I go to see what I can get done.

Vintage Handerkerchief Eyeglass Case

Here is a couple of eyeglass cases I fashioned from just folding and hand sewing around the edges.
They do have a little padding in between the layers to protect your glasses when they are in the case.

Sevi Design Give Away!

Check out this link for a Amy Butler give away. Neat stuff on her blog too!

http://sevidesigns.com/

Amy Butler Giveaway at the Fabric Shopper

Follow this link to an Amy butler give away
http://the-fabric-shopper.blogspot.com/2009/03/5-weeks-of-amy-butler-week-5-bag.html

March 23 2009

Good Morning! Looks to be a sunny day although a bit nippy. Good day for a brisk walk which I will be doing shortly. Got to find some way to get rid of some of my winter fat. This retirement is tough on me too. I have more access to food and believe me I use it. No self control at times. Ahh well it could be way worse, 20 pounds overweight is nothing compared to troubles others have. Speaking of which, my Dad may be getting moved today to a rehab place. No side effects as of yet from the chemo, he just needs some PT to get his legs back under him, he is very shaky on his feet. So hopefully that will happen today.
As for craft news, got a few wristlets made yesterday, started a denim purse and worked on displays for the small items. I never like the way our table is set up. I am not good at this setting up stuff but i keep trying and i will get it. Plus Sue is very good at this she'll figure it out.
OK so off to start the day

March 22 2009

First flower in my yard this year! I did get out there and clean up the rest of the gardens. All done with that chore, now the fun part comes-weeding :(
Not for a while yet though, Tom has started most of our seeds and the greenhouse is open. I think this is the best part of the year.
Did get a few minutes down in the craft room and did finally take the dog for a walk. She's happy and so am I.
We went to see Dad last night, he is way back to normal-barking orders and assigning jobs. I think this is the best he has looked in quite a while, color was good and his hands aren't shaking anymore. He is getting way to used to being waited on though. The nurses and aides on his floor treat him very well and he really likes it. I hope he doesn't think this is going to continue at home!
So back to the basement after I put supper in the oven.

MArch 21 2009

Woo-Hoo -already hit a tag sale today. Spring must be here! Scored some cheap wool sweaters for felting, a few other useless items that I have big plans for and now I can get to sewing. Actually the sun is out so maybe I'll do some more yard work. I have a few gardens yet to clean out. It's a little nippy out there but once I'm moving I'll be fine.
I have 2 special orders to make but I don't want to start the until I get the go ahead on the fabric I picked out. Meta took it with her to dance today to get the OK. Tom suggested making heavy duty bags for gardening, I may go downstairs and see what I have for canvas that I can use to make a couple. I did sign up for 2 shows in April, now would be the time to sell gardening bags. Duh!
So I'm off -talk to you later.

March 20th 2009

Happy Spring-in a few minutes winter will be behind us! The robins are out in full force in the backyard, no worm is safe right now. Daffodils are half way up and it just smells good out there. Pretty soon I can drag out all my ornamentation that I use in the garden, Tom says it is the Italian in me. I must have cement chachkies(?) in my yard.
Last night I went to the studio to pick up Meta and I got 2 orders for bags and sold one wristlet. Woo-Hoo! So this is working so far. Tom came up with the idea of a brochure I can hand out with the bags that outlines all the products I make and what I use to make them. I really like that idea, I'll be working on that today. And on making a few bags too. So off to start the day.

March 19th 2009

Good Morning! Just posted my recycled felt potholders on my Etsy store last night. Let's see how they go. Feel good about them, using up scraps and they are effective to boot!
Also made myself a dance bag, have to do some advertising for myself. And I finished another small tote to bring to the studio and a wristlet. Got a lot done yesterday.
Dad is up and on his feet. The therapist had him walk up and down the hall yesterday, he should be getting released soon I think. Might have to go to rehab for a week or so then home.
Off to meet Monica today also. She is a vendor I met at the last craft sale. She makes doll clothes and can use my small pieces of fabric that I can't. So once again I feel good about not throwing something out. Best part is she lives near Southbury Thrift store. So I get to maybe pick up some good bargains and do some recycling at the same time. I'll let you know what kind of treasures I picked up!

March 18th 2009

Our amaryllis are blooming as you can see, 1st day of spring is Friday! yippee!!
Dad was much better yesterday, back to his self thank goodness. Still weak and hasn't got out of bed but at least his mind is back. I'll go up later this afternoon to say hello, looks like all the shifts are covered for today.
So while I was at the hospital yesterday I read the paper. Saw this recipe for an Irish dish I thought would be interesting to try. My family loves potato pancakes made from mashed potatoes. I had our corned beef and cabbage all ready planned so I didn't make these yesterday but will try it this week. Here it is, let me know how they are if you make them.

Boxty

1 pound Idaho Potatoes, peeled, rinsed and grated
1 cup 2 percent milk
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon parsley flakes or 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
Nonstick cooking spray

Squeeze the excess water from the grated potatoes. In a large bowl, stir together the potatoes, milk, egg, flour, salt and pepper and parsley. Generously coat a nonstick pan with the cooking spray or use a large griddle to cook several at a time. Working in batches, pour about 1/4 cup of the batter in the pan. Spread it thin to ensure the potato cooks through and is golden brown on both sides. The texture should be similar to a pancake. Serve plain, with honey or butter or filled with meat, cheese or vegetables.

March 17th 2009

Happy St Patricks Day! My Dad is finally out of his stupor. He woke up yesterday afternoon and asked me where he was, he had no recollection. Seemed to be back with us all day. Our assumption was right, he was over medicated. Thank God. I don't want to think about how life would be if he stayed spacey like that. And Mom is very much relieved as you can imagine. So my shift at the hospital is this morning and then hopefully I can get down in the craft room and make some stuff. Or at least get some photos taken of the things I have made while sitting at the hospital. Been cranking out felted potholders while I am there watching him sleep. I was thinking of hanging a sign on the door for craft class sign ups, we had quite a bit of interest in our sewing the other day.

Looks to be another beautiful day also weather wise. A little frosty right now but its early. Looking forward to some outside time too. Oh, also got to bring the dance bags down to the studio and set those up for sale. Got my fingers crossed those will go over well. And check out the bag on ebay-it is now up to $128.50 !

March 16th 2009

Wow-the purse on eBay is up to $117.50! I'm impressed. Hope this also generates some sales with it or at least some page views. Been working on trying to get exposure on the web, reading about SEO and joined Twitter. I watch my Google Analytics every day, not quite sure what they all mean yet or how they can help me but I try to learn something new every day. I am now getting page visits without listing a new item so that is a good thing, people are finding me other ways. I have to get going on taking some pictures and listing some new items I have made. Think that would help too.

Went to see my Dad last night, he was out all day yesterday. They had to give him a Haldol to knock him out-he was restless and combative. He was finally awake when Meta and I went to see him. Still dopey though, he was still trying to fix a radio . Don't know what he was seeing but he had a mission. So today hopefully the pain medication will be out of his system and he can start coming back to our world. Hope so. Don't like seeing him like that.

Looks to be a beautiful day today-off to the grocery and then a walk. Probably back tot he hospital for a bit after that.

March 15th 2009

Wow just checked my purse on Ebay-it's up to 102.50. I'm impressed. Hope it sends some business my way on top of raising money for the pooches. Didn't get a chance to bring my bags to the dance studio yesterday, spent too long with Dad at the hospital. Well never too long but by the time we left the studio was closed. He was better in that he was up and talking all day but it was nonsense. Funny nonsense, he had us laughing most of the time. I just hope he comes out of this once the medication is backed down. Well that is IF they do something to relieve his pain other than dope him up. Sometimes the situation seems hopeless, other times I have the feeling he will be back home and back to normal soon. I went back after supper last night and we stayed until 10:30. He wouldn't go to sleep, he tried to get up out of bed and Mom wouldn't go home until he was sleeping. The nurse came in and kicked us out. She said she would stay with him until he went to sleep. He is in a bed with an alarm on it if he gets up but he was quick last night, he almost got out before we stopped him. This is so weird in that he was fine last week and now he is a total wreck. I don't know if modern medicine is good or not sometimes.
OK off for my walk with the dog, at least she remains constant-pestering me until we go!

March 14th 2009

Whew- long week. My Dad went into the hospital on Wednesday. I have spent most of the daylight hours there. He is on so much pain meds he is not too lucid. We have to feed him, he can't get out of bed and he isn't too coherent. They are going to start some type of treatment next week on him, he does have a form of bone marrow cancer that originated in his spine. Doesn't appear to have spread anywhere else that they can fins so hopefully they can get this spot and he will get better.

On another note, I received an email from one of my customers that let me know she has posted a purse I made for her on bay to auction off to raise money for a Doberman rescue operation. Link is below:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Unique-Doberman-Purse-Belt-Bonuses-Helps-DobeGuy_W0QQitemZ180336454300QQihZ008QQcategoryZ10839QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

March 9th 2009

Whew-what a party! Those kids of ours are so much fun. We had a full house, only one missing was David. The foos was excellent, the beer flowed like wine and the music was ompah-ing. So here's a few photos to showcase our silliness. Gotta have fun while you still can.

March 8th 2009

Looks like another great day for temperature coming up. Changed the clocks ahead too, yeah more sunlight! Today is out winter birthday bash also. Hope it goes well. We have found out my Dad has bone cancer in his spine. Not good news for this family. The kids will take this pretty hard, they love the old man. Anyway I hope we can still have fun today and not dwell on what may come, sooner than we would like. So in honor of the old man, here is a picture of him and maybe you can get a sense of why the kids think he is the cutest!

March 7th 2009

What a glorious day! Finally a temperature I can stand. We have the back door wide open, the heat off and it feels wonderful. To hell with the economy, I want spring. Took the dog for our walk this morning and I was hot on the way back, was stripped down to just my shirt, no jacket. Speaking of the dog, check out this picture. She loves standing on "things", including us. I saw her on these cement blocks out in the back yard yesterday surveying her kingdom. Of course when I opened the door she jumped down but I was ready for her. All that snow around her is just about gone too. Fine with me, I've had enough.
Sean ( our oldest) stopped over today too, that always makes me happy. And tomorrow is the big winter birthday bash so that should be a good time too. I believe everyone will be there so lots of noise and food as usual. OK, on to some work in the basement for a few minutes before I have to come back up and make the pizza. It is Saturday night you know.

March 6th 2009

Yeah! Friday! I still look forward to the weekends, even though I am not working, old habits die hard I guess. been emailing back and forth with Terri about the pillows for her website. Hope this works out, we'll see. Finished a couple of special order purses last night also. Been working on making pot holders from the leftover wool scraps I have, they are soooo cute! I love to recycle. Also been trying to come up with a dance bag I can sell at the studio. Suzanne said she thought that would be a great idea, I just have to make it so it works for the dancers. Work in progress with Meta as my consultant. Making a small version and a large version. You know little feet and bigger feet. OK todays picture will be another reminder spring is on the way.

March 5th, 2009

Good Morning! Warmer today and the sun is out. I feel spring is on the way so all is not lost. Yesterday I went done to my parents house to keep an eye on Pop while my Mom went out to paint for a while. She hasn't left the house for long in weeks since he hasn't been doing so good. Pop is on pain pills for his back and is kinda fuzzy right now. You can see it on his face how much it hurts. I hope there is some relief in sight soon for him. Another Dr visit today and hopefully some treatment to follow. I am sure this will be a topic for a while here for me.
On the craft side of things I think Terri and I are going to go ahead and do this pillow idea she had for her website. She is going to sell it on the site and buy it from me wholesale. Could work out for me, depends on how well they sell. I have to find a few fabrics and get some examples made first. I'll be working on that today.


Here' s a preview of what should be here in a month or so!

March 3rd

So a lot has changed since my last post. First and most importantly I have been able to retire from my full time job and now am at home full time. It feels so good not to have to go to work every day! Of course this occurs at the same time the economy has gone down the tubes which affects our retirement investments. Oh well, we are pretty good at living frugal.
That brings me back to being home all day. Oh the things I have time for now. I can clean out drawers, dust spots I haven't seen in the day light for years, make some of the projects sitting in piles around the house and even do nothing and not feel guilty about it. This leaves me more time to spend with our daughter at home and go see my parents every week. Sometimes I would go months without seeing my Mom and Dad. Maybe now I can even keep this page up to date!
So I will try to keep posting every day, adding new pictures and maybe even recipes. Here's a few pictures of some items I have been able to make.



A crayon caddie, it rolls up and you can carry it in your purse or a kid's backpack, great for traveling or going out to eat. Cool party favors too!










This is an eyeglass case I fashioned from a vintage handkerchief. I folded and sewed it together with some padding in between to make the case. A useful way to use the hankie since no one uses them for their intended purpose any more.