shop update

My computer class is finally over so I'm now able to devote all my time to sewing and restocking my website and retail accounts! I've just added six new covered notebooks to the website—lots of crazy floral combinations and my favorite polka dots. I'll add more in a couple of weeks but most of the ones I just completed are already spoken for.



I'm also introducing a new product - vintage fabric key fobs. I know—everyone in the world makes these but I'm hoping that my use of fun vintage fabrics will set mine apart from the crowd. These may not sell so well on my website but they'll be great for craft shows and some of the shops I sell with have expressed an interest so we'll see. I think they'll be great low-cost stocking stuffers for the upcoming holidays. You may not be thinking of holiday shopping just yet but you can bet that I am!

thanks

Thanks for all your kind words about Little Bear. It hasn't quite sunk in that she's gone because I still look for her, then remember that I'm not going to find her. She had a habit of taking off for periods of time - a few days sometimes - we said she'd gone walkabout.

Last weekend's show went OK - not great, but I did sell some things. It was really more of a church bazaar with one tent of crafts and the person in charge told me afterward that people just weren't buying. That tells me I should probably skip the local show I did last year - the one where I barely made back my booth fee. Maybe things will pick up as we get closer to the holidays - it's still early (said with fingers crossed).

I'm still taking my class on Wednesdays - two more sessions to go!

Other than that I'm working on a new batch of pillows, and more hanky sachets, and then I have a custom order for three handkerchief pillows to get started on. I love doing custom orders! Will post pictures soon.

rest in peace

I've mentioned at least once over the past year and a half that we've been feeding a stray cat. I named her Little Bear because we do have black bears here, and she looked like a miniature version of one. My husband called her Waddles because she did get kind of fat after a while. What was I going to do—let her starve?

She showed up one day last spring and decided to stay. I patiently picked ticks out of her coat and we nursed her through a bad bite that got infected. For the winter we made her a shelter because we couldn't let her inside the house. Let's just say that my two cats don't take kindly to strangers. We did the best we could for her.

She died last night and we found her along the side of the road this morning. She was always so good about crossing the road—I don't know what happened this time. Trucks and cars fly along our road, even though it's posted at 40 mph—I'm sure it was someone going too fast.

So rest in peace, Little Bear. I'm going to miss your funny face looking in the window at me every morning while you patiently waited to be fed.