I wrote this post while sitting in my car yesterday morning in a little notebook that I carry with me everywhere. You never know when inspiration will hit or when you'll need to kill some time. I was waiting in the parking lot for my appointment at the nearest Apple store which, unfortunately is an hour and a half drive from my house. I probably left too early but with traffic and construction, you never know.
My brand new laptop, that I'd had for only a week, was very ill. Actually, ill doesn't quite describe it—it was more like in a coma. I had this brilliant idea that I'd try to run Windows on my Mac and there are programs that can make that happen. I use Quicken for my business accounting and, while they do have a Mac version, it gets terrible reviews and you can't convert files from one platform to another. That means five years of unusable backup files and inputting all of 2009 all over again. No thanks.
So, I followed all the directions to load this new program and it didn't work. Not only did it not work but it totally trashed my original operating system. As in, all software, all files, everything gone. I spent an hour on the phone with support trying to fix it but nothing worked. So I set up an appointment at the store. And made myself sick worrying for two days while I waited. They couldn't do a quick fix either so I left it, drove back home, and worried some more.
I just got the call that they were able to repair it - yay! Not so good that I lost all the software I'd already loaded, but I hadn't gotten far and can do it again. And I hadn't transferred any of my files over so I didn't really lose anything that I can't get back. As for that program and running Windows, I think I'll pass. Brian says I can put Quicken on his PC and run it from there. I wish I'd thought of that in the beginning!
Now I'm off for another 3 hour round-trip drive. I swear, I haven't finished a thing work-related this entire week!
4.30.2009
4.19.2009
a walk in the woods
A walk in the woods this time of year doesn't seem like it would be all that exciting. It's only just starting to warm up and the woods are still very brown and gray. But, if you look very carefully and at ground level, there's lots to see.
Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica) is one of the earliest flowers to appear and it's really tiny so it takes a sharp eye to spot it.
The Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) has spotted leaves that are said to resemble the spots of a brown trout.
Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) look like little pairs of white pants hanging upside down...
Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) is also called Squaw-vine because Native-American women used it to treat irregular and painful menses and for pain during childbirth. I thought at first that this might be wintergreen but you can smell that by crushing the berries. These had no smell.
This Nodding Trillium (Trillium cernuum) isn't blooming yet but I thought the flower bud was kind of cool-looking. I'll check next week to see if they've opened.
I'll be checking back often to see what else is popping up.
Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica) is one of the earliest flowers to appear and it's really tiny so it takes a sharp eye to spot it.
The Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) has spotted leaves that are said to resemble the spots of a brown trout.
Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) look like little pairs of white pants hanging upside down...
Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) is also called Squaw-vine because Native-American women used it to treat irregular and painful menses and for pain during childbirth. I thought at first that this might be wintergreen but you can smell that by crushing the berries. These had no smell.
This Nodding Trillium (Trillium cernuum) isn't blooming yet but I thought the flower bud was kind of cool-looking. I'll check next week to see if they've opened.
I'll be checking back often to see what else is popping up.
4.14.2009
...and bears, oh my
I have to apologize for my lack of posting lately. Sometimes I just lose my voice and can't come up with anything interesting to say. Most of the time I do okay with writing but it doesn't always come naturally and I've been busy with other things (the garden, sewing, taxes) and haven't put in the effort.
We spent a quiet day on Sunday. The friends we usually have Easter dinner with are in New Zealand for their son's wedding so we had a quiet dinner at home. After spending the day working outdoors. Brian made good progress on the stone wall he's building on the side of the vegetable garden. And I did battle with two extremely overgrown climbing roses that quite possibly have never been pruned in their lifetimes. They were twisted around dead tree trunks and some of the runners were twenty to thirty feet long. In spite of wearing long sleeves I still got scratched up, but they've been cut back to a reasonable height. And I can keep an eye on them in case they get out of control again.
Saturday wasn't nearly as quiet as Sunday. We woke up to scattered bird feeders with the poles they were hanging from bent to the ground. The bear that came around in the fall was back, or so we thought. But later in the afternoon our neighbor called and said they'd just driven past our house and saw a bear and two cubs in our front yard. By the time we got outside they had moved down to the creek that runs alongside the road across from the house. We were able to watch them with binoculars until they disappeared from sight.
But about a half hour after that one of the cubs showed up in our side yard. Mom and the other cub were still down at the creek and I have no idea how they got separated. Cars were stopping in the road to gawk and one guy was standing on the other side of our stone wall taking pictures. Needless to say, the cub was freaking out, crying pitifully and making that breathy huffing noise that they make when they're scared. He scurried up the tree and wouldn't come down for almost a half hour.
The tree is just a couple of yards from our screened porch and I tried to take pictures through the screen but it just wasn't working. So, I went out and crept along the outside wall to the corner of the porch and managed to get a few pictures. Boy, was that scary. One thing you may not know about bears is that, although they look kind of fat and bumbly, they can run really fast! This one was more scared than I was.
Finally, it got dark enough and quiet enough that he felt safe coming down. We watched him run across the yard (very fast, from tree to tree) and then across the road. But that's not the end of the story. Fifteen minutes later he was out by our front porch revisiting the scene of last night's bird feeder crime. We chased him off and he crossed the road again. Still searching for mom and his brother or sister.
We realized after doing a little online research about bears that these were not newborns but second year cubs (they were pretty big for babies). They hibernate with the mother over the winter and in the spring she cuts them loose to make their own way. Which may explain the separation from Mom and the slightly panicky behavior of the cub.
No sign of them since so maybe they've moved on. But, I'm not taking any chances—the bird feeders are coming inside at night!
We spent a quiet day on Sunday. The friends we usually have Easter dinner with are in New Zealand for their son's wedding so we had a quiet dinner at home. After spending the day working outdoors. Brian made good progress on the stone wall he's building on the side of the vegetable garden. And I did battle with two extremely overgrown climbing roses that quite possibly have never been pruned in their lifetimes. They were twisted around dead tree trunks and some of the runners were twenty to thirty feet long. In spite of wearing long sleeves I still got scratched up, but they've been cut back to a reasonable height. And I can keep an eye on them in case they get out of control again.
Saturday wasn't nearly as quiet as Sunday. We woke up to scattered bird feeders with the poles they were hanging from bent to the ground. The bear that came around in the fall was back, or so we thought. But later in the afternoon our neighbor called and said they'd just driven past our house and saw a bear and two cubs in our front yard. By the time we got outside they had moved down to the creek that runs alongside the road across from the house. We were able to watch them with binoculars until they disappeared from sight.
But about a half hour after that one of the cubs showed up in our side yard. Mom and the other cub were still down at the creek and I have no idea how they got separated. Cars were stopping in the road to gawk and one guy was standing on the other side of our stone wall taking pictures. Needless to say, the cub was freaking out, crying pitifully and making that breathy huffing noise that they make when they're scared. He scurried up the tree and wouldn't come down for almost a half hour.
The tree is just a couple of yards from our screened porch and I tried to take pictures through the screen but it just wasn't working. So, I went out and crept along the outside wall to the corner of the porch and managed to get a few pictures. Boy, was that scary. One thing you may not know about bears is that, although they look kind of fat and bumbly, they can run really fast! This one was more scared than I was.
Finally, it got dark enough and quiet enough that he felt safe coming down. We watched him run across the yard (very fast, from tree to tree) and then across the road. But that's not the end of the story. Fifteen minutes later he was out by our front porch revisiting the scene of last night's bird feeder crime. We chased him off and he crossed the road again. Still searching for mom and his brother or sister.
We realized after doing a little online research about bears that these were not newborns but second year cubs (they were pretty big for babies). They hibernate with the mother over the winter and in the spring she cuts them loose to make their own way. Which may explain the separation from Mom and the slightly panicky behavior of the cub.
No sign of them since so maybe they've moved on. But, I'm not taking any chances—the bird feeders are coming inside at night!
4.07.2009
beetlemania
A visitor to my garden this past weekend...
The light was pretty harsh when I took this photo so it doesn't quite capture how electrically green he was. But the metallicness of it shows up pretty well.
That may be the last sun we see for a while since they're predicting rain (and possibly snow!) all week. I'm glad I got the chance to get some work done outdoors. The strawberry patch and herb gardens are weeded and I'm making good progress on edging the shade bed along our stone wall. There's just sooooo much more to do.
The light was pretty harsh when I took this photo so it doesn't quite capture how electrically green he was. But the metallicness of it shows up pretty well.
That may be the last sun we see for a while since they're predicting rain (and possibly snow!) all week. I'm glad I got the chance to get some work done outdoors. The strawberry patch and herb gardens are weeded and I'm making good progress on edging the shade bed along our stone wall. There's just sooooo much more to do.
4.06.2009
hostess with the mostest
I sometimes wonder whether my website is becoming too large. I do know that I need to redesign a bit to make it easier to find things because some of the items I'm selling get lost in the shuffle. Like my vintage knitting and crochet pattern books. See, I bet some of you are saying "I didn't know she sold those!"
I've always had a smallish section for these booklets but I've been finding more of them lately so the section is slowly expanding. Most are from the 1940s and 50s and there's a wide assortment of patterns, everything from baby clothing to socks and mittens. Lots of doilies and edgings, too.
I added about a dozen new patterns this morning and I love the one shown here. The 16-page booklet, published in 1956, includes about ten designs for embellishing hostess sets with crochet. Hostess sets are table linens (in this case placemats) with matching aprons. Several of the sets are shown in color photos and I love how kitschy they look. A perfectly-coifed housewife in a pretty apron arranges the dinner table just so.
There seems to a heavy use of vegetable-shaped serving pieces throughout. You don't see that much these days, although the dishes can be fun if used as accent pieces. I often see them for sale in antique malls and, while I don't collect them myself, I do have a relish dish shaped like a bunch of celery around here somewhere.
There's something very Stepford-wives about this photo. Her posture is so stiff and that vacant expression. I wonder what she's thinking?
Anyway, now you know about the patterns. And, if you thought I just sold pillows, sachets and tissue cozies you may want to visit the Vintage Finds section of my website. I found some gorgeous vintage eyelet trims over the weekend and getting them ironed, photographed, and listed is my project for today.
I've always had a smallish section for these booklets but I've been finding more of them lately so the section is slowly expanding. Most are from the 1940s and 50s and there's a wide assortment of patterns, everything from baby clothing to socks and mittens. Lots of doilies and edgings, too.I added about a dozen new patterns this morning and I love the one shown here. The 16-page booklet, published in 1956, includes about ten designs for embellishing hostess sets with crochet. Hostess sets are table linens (in this case placemats) with matching aprons. Several of the sets are shown in color photos and I love how kitschy they look. A perfectly-coifed housewife in a pretty apron arranges the dinner table just so.
There seems to a heavy use of vegetable-shaped serving pieces throughout. You don't see that much these days, although the dishes can be fun if used as accent pieces. I often see them for sale in antique malls and, while I don't collect them myself, I do have a relish dish shaped like a bunch of celery around here somewhere.
There's something very Stepford-wives about this photo. Her posture is so stiff and that vacant expression. I wonder what she's thinking?
Anyway, now you know about the patterns. And, if you thought I just sold pillows, sachets and tissue cozies you may want to visit the Vintage Finds section of my website. I found some gorgeous vintage eyelet trims over the weekend and getting them ironed, photographed, and listed is my project for today.
3.30.2009
meow
Aren't these fun? Original can labels for Kalico Kat and Fuzzy Wuzzy brand cat foods! I found these at the Olde Engine Works Market Place in Stroudsburg, PA on Saturday. We woke up to a forecast of rain and figured we wouldn't get much done outdoors so we headed out for a day of antiquing.
I found a few cards of buttons, a small stack of sewing patterns, and some crocheted and embroidered hankies. And this funny appliqued towel—guess men didn't like drying dishes in the 1950s either!
Overall I found much less than I normally do. Maybe the economy is affecting the antique business, too—there were several empty booths and some of them had items that didn't seem all that old to me. David Bowie albums, for example? Maybe I'm being much pickier about what I buy. It is very early in the season and most of the outdoor flea markets haven't opened yet. That's where to find the real bargains.
We also had a nice lunch at Siamsa (I highly recommend the chicken pot pie, although you won't be eating dinner after eating it for lunch) and spent an hour or so browsing at Carroll & Carroll Books, both on Main Street. Found a lovely book—Some Flowers by Vita Sackville-West—with gorgeous watercolor illustrations accompanying short essays on her favorite flowers. For $9.98!
3.20.2009
spring has sprung
Happy first day of spring! And this seems like an appropriate time for my annual getting-ready-to-garden post. And it also coincides well with the news that Michelle Obama plans to turn part of the White House lawn into a vegetable garden. This will be the first vegetable garden since Eleanor Roosevelt's victory garden during World War II.
There's a group of food activists, including Michael Pollan and Alice Waters, who've been encouraging the Obamas to consider this idea and I'm glad to hear that they've decided to go ahead with it.
I am disappointed that they won't be planting beets (because Barack doesn't like them); obviously he's never tried the baby variety like the one I'm going to plant this year. Even if you don't like the root part, the greens are so good sauteed in a little olive oil and garlic. Yum!
Our garden this year will be kind of basic with the usual peas, spinach, lettuce (several varieties), cucumbers, beets, green beans, carrots, tomatoes, and potatoes. We'll try growing corn again, although maybe not as many plants—I like corn but not every day! Herbs, of course. I always grow lots of cilantro and basil—both Italian and Thai.
And that's a point I want to make. While I have space for a big garden and the White House garden will be huge in comparison to mine, maybe you don't have much space to work with. That's OK. Just start somewhere. You'd be surprised what you can grow in just a few pots on your porch. Or even a windowsill in your kitchen. No matter how small some of the places I've lived have been, I always managed to grow something.
It will be a few weeks until we get started with planting. Peas will be first and conventional wisdom around here is that you plant them on Good Friday. That's what we'll do. And since we're still getting light frost in the mornings I'm happy to wait a few weeks.
There's a group of food activists, including Michael Pollan and Alice Waters, who've been encouraging the Obamas to consider this idea and I'm glad to hear that they've decided to go ahead with it.
I am disappointed that they won't be planting beets (because Barack doesn't like them); obviously he's never tried the baby variety like the one I'm going to plant this year. Even if you don't like the root part, the greens are so good sauteed in a little olive oil and garlic. Yum!
Our garden this year will be kind of basic with the usual peas, spinach, lettuce (several varieties), cucumbers, beets, green beans, carrots, tomatoes, and potatoes. We'll try growing corn again, although maybe not as many plants—I like corn but not every day! Herbs, of course. I always grow lots of cilantro and basil—both Italian and Thai.
And that's a point I want to make. While I have space for a big garden and the White House garden will be huge in comparison to mine, maybe you don't have much space to work with. That's OK. Just start somewhere. You'd be surprised what you can grow in just a few pots on your porch. Or even a windowsill in your kitchen. No matter how small some of the places I've lived have been, I always managed to grow something.
It will be a few weeks until we get started with planting. Peas will be first and conventional wisdom around here is that you plant them on Good Friday. That's what we'll do. And since we're still getting light frost in the mornings I'm happy to wait a few weeks.
3.09.2009
cut paper ACEOs
I don't know how many years it's been since I received my first promotion from illustrator Judith Moffatt. I know that I lived in Indiana at the time and was art director of a children's magazine there. It spent lots of time hanging from my bulletin board and then it traveled with me to my next job. Such a simple idea—a cut paper spider as Halloween card but also very clever in that it fit perfectly with her name (Muffet - Moffatt, get it?). Anyway, it wasn't long after I received it before I called to give her that first assignment. And I still have the card!Mostly I didn't get the chance to meet the illustrators I worked with in person, but I did get to meet Judy at a function hosted by the next magazine I worked for. She's as delightful in person as she is on the phone. But the point of this post isn't to reminisce about my past life as an art director; maybe some other time.
I've been reading Judy's blog regularly but only recently got back in touch with her on Facebook. And she's just opened an Etsy shop where she's selling original hand cut paper ACEOs. In case you don't know (and I didn't) ACEO stands for Art Cards, Editions and Originals. These cards measure 2.5” x 3.5” and are sold as originals or limited edition prints. Each one is a mini work of art (one-of-a-kind, dated, and signed) and Judy's themes are taken from the more than 50 books she's completed during her career. I especially love her illustrations of animals and I know she uses her own cat and dog as models.
So, if you're looking for something unique and fun, check out her shop. I've seen Judy's work up close and you won't be disappointed—it really is wonderful!
3.01.2009
he likes it!
Remember the baby quilt I was working on for my friend Jenny and showed you all the stages of it's creation here on my blog? Well, I delivered it early last month but forgot to get a picture. Jenny, of course, has had plenty of things to occupy her time besides taking photos. Until yesterday. She emailed me some pictures last night and the quilt looks pretty good if I do say so myself. Thomas is pretty cute, too!
2.26.2009
you can never have too many cats
I've been really good about staying away from Ebay lately. Not that I don't still look but I'm more careful about what I bid on and how much I'm willing to spend. I lose more auctions, but that's OK. Sometimes my patience pays off and I win something great. Like this super cute stamped-for-embroidery linen towel.
One thing I've learned is that I can always sell pillows with animals on them, especially cats and dogs. Three kittens sailing in a tea cup with a spoon for an oar—no problem!
This towel uses the Colortex process where the lines to be embroidered are printed in color instead of black (or blue). The idea was that you knew which colors to use for embroidering each section. I find them too limited and like to do my own thing when it comes to color. I really don't have time to complete this right now so I'll be setting it aside for a while. It's sure going to make a cute pillow though!
One thing I've learned is that I can always sell pillows with animals on them, especially cats and dogs. Three kittens sailing in a tea cup with a spoon for an oar—no problem!
This towel uses the Colortex process where the lines to be embroidered are printed in color instead of black (or blue). The idea was that you knew which colors to use for embroidering each section. I find them too limited and like to do my own thing when it comes to color. I really don't have time to complete this right now so I'll be setting it aside for a while. It's sure going to make a cute pillow though!
2.21.2009
coyotes
I've been reading The Daily Coyote: A Story of Love, Survival, and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming by Shreve Stockton about her adventures raising a coyote pup. I've had a fascination with coyotes since the summer after we purchased our house. That's when we first heard them in the woods out back and down near the creek across the road. They have a wide range so it's sometimes several weeks before they come back around but they're fairly regular visitors. They really do howl and it's the eeriest sound you've ever heard.While we hear them all the time, seeing them is a much rarer thing. Last summer around dusk two of them ran across the road in front of my car but it happened so fast that I could almost convince myself that it didn't happen at all. I'd given up hope of ever seeing one up close and personal. Last weekend it finally happened.
I was driving to the grocery store that's about 4 miles from my house and there was a truck stopped in the opposite lane. I stopped, too, because that usually means a deer is going to run across. Believe me, you don't want to hit one if you can help it—they can total your car. The guy in the truck pointed over to the field and there was a coyote standing there. He must have just crossed the road, and was walking across the field. There was no one on the road behind me so I sat and watched him for a few minutes. He stopped, looked back at me, then walked along the creek at the back of the field. Gorgeous golden fur and a bushy tail and, even though they're in the canine family, you'd never mistake it for a dog.
Anyway, the book is pretty interesting and the author is a photographer so lots of cool photos. The cover shown here is courtesy of Amazon.com where you can purchase the book if you'd like.
Coyote hunts are a popular sport where I live. I'm not sure how I feel about that because they're beautiful animals and they were here long before we were. I do understand that the population can easily get out of control and hunting helps to keep their numbers manageable. I was happy to hear that hunters are cooperating with local researchers who are studying the coyote population and physiology. At least some good comes from it.
I still hope to see coyotes on our property but I'll take what I can get.
2.19.2009
for the birds
In spite of the two inches of snow we got yesterday afternoon and last night, it's 40 degrees today and the snow is quickly melting off. In my studio it's already looking very much like spring. I didn't set out to do a bird theme for my spring pillow line but, as I was going through my linen stash, birds kept popping up. I think they were trying to tell me something so, OK, it's not a bad idea :)
I have quite a lot of things that still need to be embroidered—I'll get to them next—but, for now, I'm concentrating on using up pieces that are already ready to go. I finished four pillows yesterday, two with bird themes. And I have several more tops done! Will finish the backs later today.
This little guy is from a pillowcase I bought last spring at a flea market for $3. It had a very stubborn yellow stain running across the front right above the bird so I had to cut it a bit closer than I would have liked. Sometimes you have to work with what you've got.
Likewise for this one. I used this piece for a pillow a couple of years ago but I was never happy with the result. And, when I photographed it, I noticed a yellow stain that I hadn't seen while I was making it (note to self—always check linens outside in natural light). I threw the whole thing in my reject pile (yep, I've got one of those). Yesterday I revisited it, took the whole thing apart, then cut off the stain and ended up with a narrow piece.
And this is what I ended up with (still need to do the back). Much better the second go-round!
Which just goes to show that there's no right way to design something. And that's also why I don't design multiples. It would be easier, sure, just because anything done in production-line fashion takes less time. But I'd rather take matching motifs and create something completely different with them. Like this pillow that uses half of an embroidered vintage runner.
The other end is exactly the same, but I'll do a different design with it. Not sure what yet but there are some pretty blues and purples in the birds and I might go in that direction.
All of the pillows I'm working on now will be listed in a few weeks. It's been a while since I've done new pillow designs and the older ones are still on sale at my website. If they don't sell soon, I'll be taking them apart for reworking. It's hard to know why something doesn't sell. Poor design? Not connecting with the right customer? Bad economy? Who knows? But, judging from my recent redesigns, whatever they become next will probably be better than they were before!
I have quite a lot of things that still need to be embroidered—I'll get to them next—but, for now, I'm concentrating on using up pieces that are already ready to go. I finished four pillows yesterday, two with bird themes. And I have several more tops done! Will finish the backs later today.
This little guy is from a pillowcase I bought last spring at a flea market for $3. It had a very stubborn yellow stain running across the front right above the bird so I had to cut it a bit closer than I would have liked. Sometimes you have to work with what you've got.
Likewise for this one. I used this piece for a pillow a couple of years ago but I was never happy with the result. And, when I photographed it, I noticed a yellow stain that I hadn't seen while I was making it (note to self—always check linens outside in natural light). I threw the whole thing in my reject pile (yep, I've got one of those). Yesterday I revisited it, took the whole thing apart, then cut off the stain and ended up with a narrow piece.
And this is what I ended up with (still need to do the back). Much better the second go-round!
Which just goes to show that there's no right way to design something. And that's also why I don't design multiples. It would be easier, sure, just because anything done in production-line fashion takes less time. But I'd rather take matching motifs and create something completely different with them. Like this pillow that uses half of an embroidered vintage runner.
The other end is exactly the same, but I'll do a different design with it. Not sure what yet but there are some pretty blues and purples in the birds and I might go in that direction.
All of the pillows I'm working on now will be listed in a few weeks. It's been a while since I've done new pillow designs and the older ones are still on sale at my website. If they don't sell soon, I'll be taking them apart for reworking. It's hard to know why something doesn't sell. Poor design? Not connecting with the right customer? Bad economy? Who knows? But, judging from my recent redesigns, whatever they become next will probably be better than they were before!
2.17.2009
read all about it
I did an interview a few weeks ago with a writer from HomeStyle, a bimonthly syndicated publication of a company called Content That Works. They provide lifestyle/special interest content (in this case, home-related) to more than 500 newspapers and media outlets (radios stations, Web sites, independent local publications/magazines, etc.) throughout North America.
Thanks to my weekly Google Alerts email (a great way to keep track of your company on the internet by the way), I discovered that the article ran in the Evansville (Indiana) Courier & Press last week. It's about mixing vintage linens from the past with modern pieces from the present, and the author used several of my quotes and a couple of my photos, too. You can read it online here.
Since the content just came out, it's possible that the article may get picked up by other newspapers over the next month or so. I'll be watching my alerts carefully :)
Thanks to my weekly Google Alerts email (a great way to keep track of your company on the internet by the way), I discovered that the article ran in the Evansville (Indiana) Courier & Press last week. It's about mixing vintage linens from the past with modern pieces from the present, and the author used several of my quotes and a couple of my photos, too. You can read it online here.
Since the content just came out, it's possible that the article may get picked up by other newspapers over the next month or so. I'll be watching my alerts carefully :)
2.14.2009
Dr. Duck says...
Happy Valentine's Day!
Artwork from a vintage valentine card that I bought recently.
Artwork from a vintage valentine card that I bought recently.
2.02.2009
more buttons
Wow, February already! At least that means that winter will be over faster :)
I've been keeping track of my camera's progress—it's been received and they're working on it—so I should have it back soon. I was going through withdrawal but then I stopped worrying about it. I had taken a bunch of pictures before it left and I've been processing those. And working on new items—lots of sachets coming soon!
I would love to show pictures of the buttons I purchased last week because they truly are spectacular. They were from the estate of a seamstress in Albuquerque and she had wonderful taste in buttons. They're all in near mint condition and many are in very large sets. I often have people on my website try to order several sets of buttons (they haven't read the fine print) and I just don't have more. Now I'll be able to offer some options. I know what it's like to find vintage buttons that you really love but there are six and you need eight—or whatever. Some of the buttons are the same style but different sizes so there will be that option as well. There are slightly more than 1300 individual buttons, most on cards, so it's going to be a very big job getting them all ready!
In the meantime, I've added about 50 new plastic button listings to my site. I know some of you who bought buttons last month were wondering when I'd have more. I do! Since I hate posts without pictures, here's a closeup of a pretty gold plastic button with a green jewel in the center (1950s-60, one card of six available).
I've been keeping track of my camera's progress—it's been received and they're working on it—so I should have it back soon. I was going through withdrawal but then I stopped worrying about it. I had taken a bunch of pictures before it left and I've been processing those. And working on new items—lots of sachets coming soon!
I would love to show pictures of the buttons I purchased last week because they truly are spectacular. They were from the estate of a seamstress in Albuquerque and she had wonderful taste in buttons. They're all in near mint condition and many are in very large sets. I often have people on my website try to order several sets of buttons (they haven't read the fine print) and I just don't have more. Now I'll be able to offer some options. I know what it's like to find vintage buttons that you really love but there are six and you need eight—or whatever. Some of the buttons are the same style but different sizes so there will be that option as well. There are slightly more than 1300 individual buttons, most on cards, so it's going to be a very big job getting them all ready!
In the meantime, I've added about 50 new plastic button listings to my site. I know some of you who bought buttons last month were wondering when I'd have more. I do! Since I hate posts without pictures, here's a closeup of a pretty gold plastic button with a green jewel in the center (1950s-60, one card of six available).
1.27.2009
seeing spots
You know how much I love polka dot fabrics, so I especially love when I find colorful and unusual variations on the theme in a vintage fabric—it doesn't happen all that often. And not often in purples and oranges either. A recent Ebay purchase—
I'm sad to report that my posts may be pictureless for a while. My trusty (and beloved) Canon Powershot A80 is on it's way to the factory for a fix. It's been acting up lately—with a smeary pink blog in the viewfinder instead of whatever is supposed to be there. It only happens occasionally but it's a known problem and they'll fix it for free so I packaged it up and shipped it off to Illinois this morning. Of course, I frantically photographed products all weekend to tide me over while it's gone. I probably should buy a backup camera but I'm holding out until I can afford a really good digital SLR.
I know I haven't been posting often and I can't believe how quickly January has gone but I've been working away at several projects that have been keeping me busy. I have added lots of new buttons to the website and will be listing more in the coming weeks. I've arranged to purchase a very large group of buttons from the estate of a seamstress in New Mexico and the photos of them look gorgeous. Can't wait for the package to arrive!
I'm also working on a custom embroidery job—the cottage I made a pattern of for Susan at T-Party. This is definitely not a beginner's project and is taking me much longer than I thought it would. I'm working it on a heavy cotton/linen and I'm getting a serious case of eye strain counting threads for the cross stitch parts. Almost done with that so I'll be able to move on to the embroidered details—lots of lazy daisy flowers and leaves. If my camera gets back in time I'll try to take some pictures to show you.
I'm sad to report that my posts may be pictureless for a while. My trusty (and beloved) Canon Powershot A80 is on it's way to the factory for a fix. It's been acting up lately—with a smeary pink blog in the viewfinder instead of whatever is supposed to be there. It only happens occasionally but it's a known problem and they'll fix it for free so I packaged it up and shipped it off to Illinois this morning. Of course, I frantically photographed products all weekend to tide me over while it's gone. I probably should buy a backup camera but I'm holding out until I can afford a really good digital SLR.
I know I haven't been posting often and I can't believe how quickly January has gone but I've been working away at several projects that have been keeping me busy. I have added lots of new buttons to the website and will be listing more in the coming weeks. I've arranged to purchase a very large group of buttons from the estate of a seamstress in New Mexico and the photos of them look gorgeous. Can't wait for the package to arrive!
I'm also working on a custom embroidery job—the cottage I made a pattern of for Susan at T-Party. This is definitely not a beginner's project and is taking me much longer than I thought it would. I'm working it on a heavy cotton/linen and I'm getting a serious case of eye strain counting threads for the cross stitch parts. Almost done with that so I'll be able to move on to the embroidered details—lots of lazy daisy flowers and leaves. If my camera gets back in time I'll try to take some pictures to show you.
1.19.2009
shopping trip
What do you do when you wake up on a Saturday morning and it's minus twelve degrees outside? Go shopping, of course! Hey, it was warmer in my car than in my house :)
Actually I had planned this trip earlier in the week. For some reason, since around Christmas, I've been selling tons of vintage buttons. And I do mean tons. I'd had an order that was so big it filled one of those flat-rate boxes and cleaned out about half the buttons on my website. So, I really needed to get some new inventory. Luckily, one of my favorite vendors at an antique mall about an hour away had lots of new stuff so I easily replenished my supply. That and the two auctions I won on Ebay should keep me in buttons for a while. At least I hope so. Now to get them sorted, photographed, priced, and listed. This is going to take a while so don't look for new listings until next week at the earliest.
I also found some cute aprons and linens, some of which have petit point embroidery like I talked about a few weeks ago. So, I'll leave you with some eye candy today. I have a custom embroidery job to get started on so I'm heading into my studio for the day.
A petit point rooster in bright colors from a set of six ivory linen cocktail napkins
A petit point clump of violets and matching border from a vintage handkerchief
A dresser scarf with designs on both ends—cross stitch girls in red bonnets with orange and red French knot flowers
Actually I had planned this trip earlier in the week. For some reason, since around Christmas, I've been selling tons of vintage buttons. And I do mean tons. I'd had an order that was so big it filled one of those flat-rate boxes and cleaned out about half the buttons on my website. So, I really needed to get some new inventory. Luckily, one of my favorite vendors at an antique mall about an hour away had lots of new stuff so I easily replenished my supply. That and the two auctions I won on Ebay should keep me in buttons for a while. At least I hope so. Now to get them sorted, photographed, priced, and listed. This is going to take a while so don't look for new listings until next week at the earliest.
I also found some cute aprons and linens, some of which have petit point embroidery like I talked about a few weeks ago. So, I'll leave you with some eye candy today. I have a custom embroidery job to get started on so I'm heading into my studio for the day.
A petit point rooster in bright colors from a set of six ivory linen cocktail napkins
A petit point clump of violets and matching border from a vintage handkerchief
A dresser scarf with designs on both ends—cross stitch girls in red bonnets with orange and red French knot flowers
1.16.2009
good intentions
I've been following the many discussions about the new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) regulations but haven't talked much about it here. It's overwhelming to say the least (just try reading the original documents and you'll see what I mean). It seems, from much of what you read in the media, that the regulations only apply to children's toys. Not true. It affects every product that is intended for children under 12, including the vintage children's items I sell on my website.
The intentions of this bill were good—who doesn't support protecting children from harmful substances—but did anyone actually read the bill before voting on it? It's so vaguely worded and overreaching that it's going to have devastating consequences for small businesses that make children's products. And ones who resell them, too. That means thrift stores, eBay sellers, and children's resale shops. I've heard some talk of exemptions for this but nothing has been settled.
Basically, I'm required to certify that my products don't contain lead or phalates. And the only way to do that is to send them to a lab to be tested. It's quite expensive and they do what's called destructive testing so the item is destroyed during the process. Obviously that puts me (and anyone who sells one-of-a-kind items) in an impossible situation. It's one thing for a manufacturer who makes thousands of the same thing to comply with this law; it's quite another for the small businesses, many of them sole proprietors working out of their homes, to be able to. Or afford to.
So, what can I do? I can continue to sell the hundreds of dollars of children's inventory I have on hand and risk being prosecuted. I can throw it all out. Or hold onto it until some time in the future when the laws are amended. I'll definitely have to scrap my plans for the bibs, embroidered burp cloths, and children's aprons I was working on developing. Luckily, children's products are such a small percentage of my business that this won't put me out of business. Unfortunately, the thousands of artists and crafters whose entire line is children's product are going to be forced out of business.
What can you do? Read more about it (links below), spread the word around the crafting community, join some of the online groups, and sign the petition. It very well may be too late to do anything about this but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try.
A few links (there are hundreds—just google CPSIA):
Save Small Business from the CPSIA
Handmade Toy Alliance
National Bankruptcy Day
Fashion Incubator
Etsy-The Storque-Craftivism
New law could wipe out handcrafted toy makers
Pelosi's Toy Story
CPSIA-Central
The intentions of this bill were good—who doesn't support protecting children from harmful substances—but did anyone actually read the bill before voting on it? It's so vaguely worded and overreaching that it's going to have devastating consequences for small businesses that make children's products. And ones who resell them, too. That means thrift stores, eBay sellers, and children's resale shops. I've heard some talk of exemptions for this but nothing has been settled.
Basically, I'm required to certify that my products don't contain lead or phalates. And the only way to do that is to send them to a lab to be tested. It's quite expensive and they do what's called destructive testing so the item is destroyed during the process. Obviously that puts me (and anyone who sells one-of-a-kind items) in an impossible situation. It's one thing for a manufacturer who makes thousands of the same thing to comply with this law; it's quite another for the small businesses, many of them sole proprietors working out of their homes, to be able to. Or afford to.
So, what can I do? I can continue to sell the hundreds of dollars of children's inventory I have on hand and risk being prosecuted. I can throw it all out. Or hold onto it until some time in the future when the laws are amended. I'll definitely have to scrap my plans for the bibs, embroidered burp cloths, and children's aprons I was working on developing. Luckily, children's products are such a small percentage of my business that this won't put me out of business. Unfortunately, the thousands of artists and crafters whose entire line is children's product are going to be forced out of business.
What can you do? Read more about it (links below), spread the word around the crafting community, join some of the online groups, and sign the petition. It very well may be too late to do anything about this but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try.
A few links (there are hundreds—just google CPSIA):
Save Small Business from the CPSIA
Handmade Toy Alliance
National Bankruptcy Day
Fashion Incubator
Etsy-The Storque-Craftivism
New law could wipe out handcrafted toy makers
Pelosi's Toy Story
CPSIA-Central
1.12.2009
customer service
I've recently had two frustrating experiences ordering from online companies and it's got me thinking about how important customer service is. I always go out of my way to package orders carefully, ship them quickly, and communicate by email with customers. Ordering online can be scary for some people and I want to make the process as easy as possible for them. I almost feel, as an online company, that I'm responsible in some way for their online shopping experience. So, it always disappoints me when companies larger than mine seem to care so little about it.
I ordered some pants for a Christmas gift for my husband on December 8th from a company that shall go unnamed. I'd been getting their catalogs for some time but hadn't ordered and I decided to take advantage of their free shipping offer. I received a confirmation email that my order was processed and then nothing. I waited a week and a half and called them. The item was in stock but they were busy and it hadn't shipped yet. The person I spoke to was nice enough but clearly didn't care. I waited some more. Finally, four days before Christmas I got an email that the order had shipped. And it arrived on Christmas Eve. I was steaming mad by this point and thought really hard about just refusing the package. I'm sorry but there's just no excuse for waiting three weeks to ship an order. If you're that busy, maybe you should hire some extra help for the holidays—it's not like there aren't people who need jobs. Lesson 1: Ship in a timely manner and, if you can't, let the customer know.
The second order was from a company that sells fabrics for cross stitch. I have a custom order scheduled and I wanted some nice linen to work with. Again, I got a confirmation e-mail but then no communication at all for a week. Last Friday I got the email that the package had shipped and it arrived today. But, when I opened it there was only one of the three items I ordered and that one was the wrong size (larger than I ordered so that worked in my favor). I called, they were very apologetic, but now it will be another week before I get my stuff. Lesson 2: Check and double check every order before it leaves your premises. I print out an extra copy of every invoice to include in the package and I check off every item as it goes into the box. And I pack one box at a time or keep them far enough apart that there's no confusion.
I seriously doubt if I'll ever shop with either of these companies again. There are other clothing companies and other shops that sell embroidery materials; shops that will ship orders on time and include the right things in the package. I have lots of choices. Lesson 3: (the old standard) You only get one chance to make a first impression. If you have a business you want people to shop with you again. It's much easier to get past customers to return than to attract new ones, so why screw that up. And, if you do make a mistake, make it right as quickly as you can.
Just some advice in case you're thinking of starting a business of your own.
Update: I received the second package from the embroidery supply company and guess what? It only contained one of the two missing items. So, I called again and was told that the third item was backordered. And how exactly was I supposed to know this? The person I spoke to didn't seem all that concerned when I told her I wouldn't be shopping with them in the future. Now, that's a poorly run business!
I ordered some pants for a Christmas gift for my husband on December 8th from a company that shall go unnamed. I'd been getting their catalogs for some time but hadn't ordered and I decided to take advantage of their free shipping offer. I received a confirmation email that my order was processed and then nothing. I waited a week and a half and called them. The item was in stock but they were busy and it hadn't shipped yet. The person I spoke to was nice enough but clearly didn't care. I waited some more. Finally, four days before Christmas I got an email that the order had shipped. And it arrived on Christmas Eve. I was steaming mad by this point and thought really hard about just refusing the package. I'm sorry but there's just no excuse for waiting three weeks to ship an order. If you're that busy, maybe you should hire some extra help for the holidays—it's not like there aren't people who need jobs. Lesson 1: Ship in a timely manner and, if you can't, let the customer know.
The second order was from a company that sells fabrics for cross stitch. I have a custom order scheduled and I wanted some nice linen to work with. Again, I got a confirmation e-mail but then no communication at all for a week. Last Friday I got the email that the package had shipped and it arrived today. But, when I opened it there was only one of the three items I ordered and that one was the wrong size (larger than I ordered so that worked in my favor). I called, they were very apologetic, but now it will be another week before I get my stuff. Lesson 2: Check and double check every order before it leaves your premises. I print out an extra copy of every invoice to include in the package and I check off every item as it goes into the box. And I pack one box at a time or keep them far enough apart that there's no confusion.
I seriously doubt if I'll ever shop with either of these companies again. There are other clothing companies and other shops that sell embroidery materials; shops that will ship orders on time and include the right things in the package. I have lots of choices. Lesson 3: (the old standard) You only get one chance to make a first impression. If you have a business you want people to shop with you again. It's much easier to get past customers to return than to attract new ones, so why screw that up. And, if you do make a mistake, make it right as quickly as you can.
Just some advice in case you're thinking of starting a business of your own.
Update: I received the second package from the embroidery supply company and guess what? It only contained one of the two missing items. So, I called again and was told that the third item was backordered. And how exactly was I supposed to know this? The person I spoke to didn't seem all that concerned when I told her I wouldn't be shopping with them in the future. Now, that's a poorly run business!
1.01.2009
resolutions
First off, happy new year! I didn't do anything special to celebrate—in fact, I fell asleep before midnight so I missed the whole thing. You'll see as you get older—sleep is more important than staying up late partying :)
I'm not big on resolutions. It's easy to make them but much harder to actually keep them. Been there before.
Last year I resolved to do my bookkeeping at the end of every month and I actually followed through. This was an easy one to keep. I just thought back to the end of March last year and how many hours I spent trying to track down what I paid for something or how many miles I drove to that antique mall. Except for December's, which I'm in the process of doing now, every month is in a folder and done! And that's going to make my taxes so much easier to prepare for.
This year I'm going to be smarter with purchasing supplies. Buying in bulk really does save, although you shouldn't buy more than you have room to store or be able to use up. Take packaging materials. I often run down to Staples when I need mailing envelopes but it's much cheaper to buy them in larger quantities from a company like Uline. I already buy lavender in 15.5 pound bags and last year I began cutting that with buckwheat hulls to keep costs down. All of which keeps me from having to raise my prices.
What else? I've felt kind of guilty about some of the comments from readers who say they stop here every day to read. Because I haven't been blogging every day and I haven't done a Stitch School post in months (in the blogging world that's forever). I'll try to do better.
And, I'll make the same resolution that everyone makes—to eat more healthfully and to exercise more. I used to say I was too busy but now that I work at home that excuse just doesn't cut it anymore :)
Now I'm off to my studio to continue with the big cleanup I started last week. I've thrown out two big bags of stuff so far and it's looking better already!
I'm not big on resolutions. It's easy to make them but much harder to actually keep them. Been there before.
Last year I resolved to do my bookkeeping at the end of every month and I actually followed through. This was an easy one to keep. I just thought back to the end of March last year and how many hours I spent trying to track down what I paid for something or how many miles I drove to that antique mall. Except for December's, which I'm in the process of doing now, every month is in a folder and done! And that's going to make my taxes so much easier to prepare for.
This year I'm going to be smarter with purchasing supplies. Buying in bulk really does save, although you shouldn't buy more than you have room to store or be able to use up. Take packaging materials. I often run down to Staples when I need mailing envelopes but it's much cheaper to buy them in larger quantities from a company like Uline. I already buy lavender in 15.5 pound bags and last year I began cutting that with buckwheat hulls to keep costs down. All of which keeps me from having to raise my prices.
What else? I've felt kind of guilty about some of the comments from readers who say they stop here every day to read. Because I haven't been blogging every day and I haven't done a Stitch School post in months (in the blogging world that's forever). I'll try to do better.
And, I'll make the same resolution that everyone makes—to eat more healthfully and to exercise more. I used to say I was too busy but now that I work at home that excuse just doesn't cut it anymore :)
Now I'm off to my studio to continue with the big cleanup I started last week. I've thrown out two big bags of stuff so far and it's looking better already!
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