Sheep & Wool

I really don't even know where to begin... it was amazing, scary, thrilling. Our "premier" went better then I imagined it ever could. I had such an incredible weekend. Even just this first success changes my view of myself and the world. I still need some time to get my head around it all before writing about it here. But just to relive some of the details...

We stayed at a cute little B&B (well a cute little "room" rental) in Saugerties. The beds were comfy, and we were soooo tired! We had dinner at Miss Lucy's Kitchen... and it was absolutely delicious. I had a filet for dinner and butterscotch pot de creme for dessert. It was such a cute, cozy restaraunt and so much fun to have dinner with grown-ups.

It was amazing to see all our work come together in the booth. Lorrie and Michael have fine-tuned their show presence and we were lucky enough to have them as our mentors. We would NEVER have been at the show without them.

Saturday was just crazy-busy and fortunately we sold tons of buttons. Each and every sale, along with each person who told us how much they liked them, completely took me off-guard. I love the interaction with people in a retail atmosphere, but when you are selling your own creations it is a completely different thing. There is a vulnerability that comes with it. It feels like such a risk to put yourself out there.

Sunday was not as busy in the booth, so I was lucky enough to have some time to shop. I bought a couple of felted purse patterns, some yarn & some roving which I can't wait to get my hands through... just as soon as the total exhaustion passes...

Liz & I talked the entire way home... comparing our opinions, ideas and some serious arm chair psychoanalysis.

Now, some serious sleep & regrouping here at home, and then some posting on etsy!

Rhinebeck or bust

Wow! It's amazing how your entire world can change in a weekend. Getting everyone off to school this morning is first on my list, but next up is a post about the NY Sheep & Wool Festival. Hopefully now, I'm writing to more then just myself & my sister. It was so exciting to meet so many people. Back soon!

ONE MONTH LATER....

( If you have ever watched Sponge Bob, you can hear this line in your head. Spoken by a man with an accent I can't describe.)

Pushing down the pity party. Ten days to go. I really am excited. It's great just to do it and see what will happen.

Back to frantic button making. Oh, and by the way, feel free to post away should you feel that a month is too long in between posts. [wink, wink]

CAUTION: Pity Party Ahead!!!

Thank God you commented on the family website... because if not one person had commented in all this time, I think I may have cried!

In the Zone

I'm in the zone.  Panic gets me there.  Pressure inpires me.  I'm THERE.  Finally.  

Motivation: (from BNET Business Dictionary) the creation of stimuli, [i.e, PANIC], incentives, [in my world - PRESSURE] and working environments [here, CHAOS] which enable people to perform to the best of their ability in pursuit of organizational [or maybe creative] success.  Motivation is commonly viewed as the magic driver that enables managers [no, ARTISTS] to achieve their targets.  (Yeah, I know, I should credit BNET in a specific way - how the heck do I do that?  Kind of like a bibliography for the internet...  I don't know...)

Anyway, we stand at 500 buttons each for the week - pretty good if I do say so myself  - and what? Six weeks left?  

BAAAaaaa.   Button frenzy.  

Mickey.

So, I think we have a mouse... mice. As I am sitting here in my {finally} quiet house, I have heard two snaps which I believe are the two brand new mouse traps my husband put in my kitchen cabinets. It has completely and totally freaked me out. Unnecessarily, I suppose. But truthfully, I am contemplating sitting here in my chair all night until my husband finally wakes up to eliminate the 2 victims and reset the traps for a couple more. I fear that we have a whole family, not just one or two. I could be exaggerating, but honestly I detest and fear bugs, rodents & reptiles. I don't know why. They don't scare me outside, but inside they may as well be man eating lions. They just terrify me.

Aren't you glad I have returned to the world of blogging? By the way, I just know these 2 cute mice pictured above are some crazy person's pets not vermin that have infilrated their home. I have made 500 buttons for the wool show and I promise to make more if I ever gain the courage to put my feet down off my chair.

Happy Birthday!

This is one of my favorite photos of my sister. I can not express what she means to me. She has always taken care of me... and everyone else. I can remember sitting on the front step listening to the radio (it was a blue ball shaped radio with 2 silver buttons that looked like eyes) when boys constantly came to see her. I'm sure I was a terrible nudge & embarrassed her a million times with my incessant talking... but she always let me stay. She is selfless & thoughtful and has more creativity in her pinky than I can ever dream of having! I hope that your birthday was wonderful & happy. I love you more then words can say.

tagged

My sister in law, Karen tagged me on her blog and since it gave me the chance to have a more "in depth" post (which seems to be difficult for me lately), I'm gonna play along...



Here’s the game: you have to answer the question with ONE WORD only and then you have to tag 4 people.



Where is your cell phone? purse

Your significant other? work

Your hair? bedhead

Your mother? worried

Your father? honest

Your favorite thing? computer

Your dream last night? none

Your favorite drink? (iced) tea

Your dream/goal? (financial) security

The room you’re in? art room

Your hobby? crafting

Your fear? sickness

Where do you want to be in 6 years? philanthropist

What you’re not? organized

Muffins? banana

One of your wish list items? laptop

Where you grew up? Jersey

The last thing you did? sleep

What are you wearing? pj's

Favorite gadget? camera

Your pets? sleeping

Your computer? pc

Your mood? content

Missing someone? definitely

Your car? Mazda

Something you’re not wearing? shoes

Favorite store? Joanne's

Like someone? Dad

Your favorite color? green

When is the last time you laughed? yesterday

Last time you cried? Tuesday

Tagging? Liz & Kimberlee (ok, I don't know anyone who blogs, except Karen, who tagged me)

So, there you have it. Wasn't that fun? Now you try it. :)

tag by Jen Wilson Designs

I'm bringin' home my baby bumble bee...

She is every bit a yellow jacket. Really. This week my little bumble bee had her closing play & ceremony for kindergarten. She was chosen to play the yellow jacket in the production of "Bugz". She was seriously unhappy about this from the beginning. She really wanted to be a butterfly... better yet, the monarch butterfly who had a solo and everything, after all the monarch is the "most beautiful". "Everyone will think I am as mean as a yellow jacket", she said. "I don't want to say those mean things to the stink bug!" Her teacher and I convinced her that she would be such a good actress... that this was a juicy part. And truthfully, it was... several lines & a couple good laughs. It was juicy... but really, she does really fit the part! She was adorable and did a fabulous job! It kept us laughing so much, that we didn't really focus on the fact that kindergarten is over... another once in a lifetime event is history.

I made this little notebook to go with the teachers gifts this week. I included them in a little straw purse from the dollar store, some adorably shaped paper clips (I even used one on the front) and a gift certificate. I think they really came out cute. All in all, it's been a very crafty week around here. Cards & gifts for teachers. Buttons being made. Art table clear. Blog posted. Yep, very crafty indeed.

Oh, and just as a thought, rather then comment on my post... you could post about my post... and that might beef up this blog a bit... just a thought, not a requirement. :)

I have been working on another website this week and I've neglected this one in the process. Uggh! I wish I had a better "balance" control. Too often, I'm all or nothing.

I have been working on a family website. Uploading the photos I've scanned and scanning more. In that process, I have come against 2 major questions. The first, exactly how much photo repair should I make to these old photos and then, how to save those changes. Should I alter old photos at all? I'm not talking about appearance overhauls... because that I just won't do that (well, except maybe to myself.) I'm mostly talking about cropping, repairing tears, wrinkles, lighting etc. Should I keep both the original file & the "altered" one? Needless to say, my hard drive is filling up quickly.

The second question is more philosophical. Should you stir all this up when someone is dying? I can write about this now while my blogging is certainly unknown to my almost all of my family... Is this the right time for looking back & remembering while that person is still here or is it just too painful to stir it up and should we continue in our denial of the inevitable? Being the kind of girl who rides her emotions kind of like a bike without brakes sometimes, it seems to me a good time to look back before it's too late for that person to know how you feel. But I come from a family that, for the most part, feels very differently. They believe that when dealing with emotions you should always use your brakes!

You know, really, I have 3 questions (of course, I have questions)... what the heck is wrong with me that I feel the need to hold onto these photos & memories (many of which aren't even mine)?

The photo above is both set of my grandparents at my parents' wedding.

frame by Nancy Comlab

We only need one fool

This morning, Daniel wanted to plan a play date with his friend but he was up with a fever during the night and so, I had to explain that there would be none of that today. He thought about that for a moment & this was his conclusion...

I guess he's right about that.

crown by Lori Davison; frame by Amy Hutchinson ; wordart by Michelle Underwood

Liar.

I hate when people say... come back tomorrow & read my post about {insert teasing item here}. Really. I do. and now I did it. In fact, it might be the second time I've done it. Yup, my real life got in the way.. again! I know that's the way it's supposed to be, as opposed to thinking my real life is inside the box I'm sitting in front of... but still, I wish I had posted when I said I would. I suppose I could delete it, but it's not my plan to alter reality to suit my flaws.


Also, I never called you back on Thursday night. Yep, life again. Have I ever mentioned that David is miserable when he can't exercise. And BTW, I'm pretty miserable when I have to exercise... opposites attract? His knee is swollen from his camping escapades of a couple of weeks ago and it's not pretty in my world. oh, well. It'll pass.


Now for that fabulous post I teased you with last time. I made a really cute banner (if I do say so myself) for Mother's Day for, of course, my mother.

frame by Studio Flergs

It's not the best photo in the world, but it's something to post about. I love to read other blogs and watching their crafting escapades... so maybe someday someone else will read this blog and look back at these lame early posts and be amused by them :). For details about this little beauty, it is hung on a vintage tape measure which I thought was pretty crafty of me and I really love how the "e" is covered in buttons. I tried to glitter it and it was not cooperating, so the buttons were an emergency fix, but I really like 'em.

Do you like how I keep switching my writing from acting like your the only one to read this blog and then as if there are "others" reading, too? Oh this blogging thing is fun but very, very odd.

Screaming Mud Puddles (or Here We Go Again)

Well, at the rate of my current posts, this blog is not up to speed. I read in Somerset Studio that to draw people to your blog you should post at least 3 times per week at about 200 words each... oh- and include fabulous photos. That is not easy and frankly, I'm not sure I'm up to it! I just don't think I have that much to say. Ok, that's not true but I guess I'm going to have to share some of the more mundane parts of my life (Isn't it scary that it gets even more boring then the previous posts). So here we go... again.

A few posts back I mentioned photographing my day. I did ok at that... I wouldn't say that I was a news hound with the camera by any means, but I did capture a few things I wouldn't normally photograph. My 13 year old wouldn't get out of bed.. so I captured that moment. Somehow I'm sure I'd be violating his privacy if I posted that, so I'll move on. I photographed my health obsessed husband stretching in the morning... again privacy issues. The highlight would have to be my seemingly adorable 8 month old golden doodle who had horrible diarrhea (screaming mud puddles!). I stopped myself from documenting the worst parts, but here is a picture of his driveway bath which was witnessed by my entire neighborhood and 5 additional children who were here for playdates with my various children.



frame by Melissa Bennett

Now that I have shared these fabulous moments of my life maybe people will Google me to see how I do it all. I even amaze myself! Tomorrow I'll post about the Mother's Day gift I made for my mother... now I know you'll be back for that!

I "discovered" a great blog. It is an angel blog meaning that the images on the blog may be used for your own artwork. You definitely need to visit The Graphics Fairy.

la, la, la...

I am having too much fun with this blog... even if only 2 of us are reading it! I figured out how to add music! Ok, I will totally admit that it is a WEIRD mix of songs, but some I just like and others make me laugh. As I type this, I'm listening to "Popular" from the Wicked soundtrack. It just cracks me up. I will add songs or delete songs... just let me know what you want. Meanwhile, you'll just have to listen to my weird mix... of course, I suppose you could just turn it off if it really makes you crazy! :)


I think this looks like a cool idea... and I'm gonna TRY it tomorrow. Click the photo to check it out. Go ahead. You wanna.

What's in a Name?

Gramma and Grampa had wicked sweet tooths (teeth?). When they came to visit, they brought Blackout cake and crumb buns, pies and tea biscuits - all boxed and stacked and tied up with string from Ebinger's. Was always cause for afternoon tea. Always a special occasion.

When we went to visit them, they didn't always have those sweets in the house; I guess for the same reason I can't have those sweets in the house - overindulgence. But at Gramma and Grampa's house, there was always the makings of their secret recipe in the cupboards. Bread (white bread - whole grains didn't matter then) and butter (not margarine) and sugar. Put them all together - a thick layer of butter on that squishy, doughy bread combined with a heavy handed tilt of the sugar bowl in sweeping, side to side motions. Heaven!!!

And that, dear reader, is where we got our name.

Just thought you'd want to know.

Ladies Who Launch

Yesterday, I borrowed "Ladies Who Launch" from the library. I haven't had a chance to read much more then the cover, but it looks interesting... maybe just the pep talk that I need. I need almost constant pep talks. I even give them to myself, if I'm really desperate. Although, I must admit that mine are never as good as an outside source! It's amazing to look at yourself at (yikes!) 4o and think what am I going to be... when will I grow up? Don't get me wrong, I do LOADS of grown-up things in a day, but when will it "click"? Am I a "late bloomer"? That seems kind of like a bad thing to be, but I guess better late than never. So I'm going to spend some time reading that this weekend. The first page has a warning that it'll will change you life... well, let's hope so!

whew... that was

a long gap between posts.. a holiday, kids home from school, a visit to the emergency room all add up to a long break, but now I'm getting it back together.

Monday night, we had a great workout with Lorrie. We worked out some of the "button making kinks and figured out some ways to improve the process. SO much fun. Also, we have lots of buttons to start posting on Etsy. So I gotta get a jump start on that, too. I can't wait to see it!!



I really feel like a post isn't complete without a photo... so here is a totally random, but sweet photo of my grandmother & her sister.

why is this post so difficult?

WELL, my turn to post here is overdue, but I just have not been able to think of anything clever enough to write about. So here begins what will probably be a rambling post about nothing... but I need to do something!!

On Saturday, Liz & I made a visit to a local bead show which was cool. I didn't spend even a dime which for me is an accomplishment, but I felt like I learned a lot. It was great to see other people doing similar things... how they present their product, how much product they have on hand, etc. I feel like there is so much to learn.

I feel the need to make a felted bowl, so I searched the internet looking for a pattern and I found this one: http://www.deborahgray.org/2006/11/25/knitted-felted-bowl-pattern/. I'm not sure if it will hold lots of buttons, or just one sewn into the bottom. I'll definitely post photos when I get it going.

The button above is one of my favorites... I really love the glaze.

frame about: Kate Hadfield @ The Lilypad

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, Have You Any Wool?

No, but we have buttons....

It looks like we will be going to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival on October 18 and 19 in Rhinebeck, New York!!!!! How exciting! We've got so much to do; so many buttons to make.... It will be our very first show and, lucky for us, we'll have our mentors to help us along! Only problem is, we will be in a barn separate from the fibers - quite possibly alongside the sheep. Oh well, at least we'll get a foot in the door. (Unfortunately, that foot may have a bit of sheep stuff on the bottom.....) (Note to self: wear boots.)

Now we really have to get a move on - time to make the buttons!

Here we GO!

Here are the first scans of some of our buttons! I really am so excited... we are doing it! This number is one of my favorites so far. Love the whole thing... the pattern, the color. This sounds pathetic and very self promoting, but I'm just so excited that this is finally happening! I am so proud of us!



Here's another for your viewing pleasure (ok, potentially just my viewing pleasure, but I'm really enjoying this!). I really want to felt a purse just looking at these babies. Knitty has an adorable shrug called Nob hill which I would LOVE to knit & put one of our buttons on... I've never done short rows, so I am a little afraid to try! The new issue of Knitty is out today and there are really great patterns inside(as always!).

Ok, enough previews for today. I didn't want to publish this and push down my sisters post, but I know she probably didn't want the spotlight for too long anyway! :)

doodle frames by Kate Hadfield @ The Lilypad

Blogging Debut

Okay, first let me say - blogging is not exactly my thing. I'm not sure I even totally understand the concept. Personal - sometimes very personal - musings sent out over the world wide web? I have a hard time making conversation at a cocktail party... But my sister is growing impatient with my procrastination. That photo she included of me two postings ago - in the red snowsuit with my hands over my eyes? Perfect representation of how I feel now... the world is waiting for me to say something and I... I am conspicuously shy.

So, as I approach my fiftieth birthday, she pulls me into this blogging thing. This is a place for 17 to 45 year-olds, so the demographics say. I don't understand it - linking and downloading and all that stuff. And evidently, there is even blogging etiquette! For god's sake, I am just getting comfortable with e-mail. But just wait till I learn how to put pics in with my words - I have plenty of nerdy little photos of her, too.

She says that blogging is a great networking tool - I'm sure she's right. And though, yes, we have attempted working together before, I think that this time we are finally both ready. My goals for this venture are simple - to be fun and mildly profitable (emphasis on FUN!) And so, with equal amounts of me pushing her and she pulling me, here we go!

{40 tiny tins}

This cool little item is on sale at Stampinton (image is clickable). It holds 40 of those little containers. So, I bought one. My best friend will turn 40 in September and I'm going to start working on her gift. This is us on our first day of kindergarden (me on right).

I'll only mention that my sister is still a no-show on the posting... but I'm just writing for myself here. *hee, hee, hee*

layout by Dani Mogstead @ Sweet Shoppe Designs

{a post about nothing}

I really have nothing interesting to say, but I didn't want to skip TWO days of posting. I sent my sister and invitation to post, but I have had no RSVP... but seeing as we are likely the only 2, maybe 3 readers, I'm sure she will see this and think.. "I really need to get on and post." :)

frame by Marcie Reckinger

{today's work}

So, today's work was buttons... buttons, buttons & more buttons. I've made about 165 over the last 2 days, and so far, I have to admit I'm lovin it. Believe it or not, it feels rights. Feels like we are on our way.... whatever way that is (I think I might need a GPS here). Don't they look like cookies in the picture? Sugar cookies I think... but ok moving on.

The other, slightly interesting & somewhat informative thing I have to say is that Scrap N Fonts has 20 fonts on their site, completely free... and if you love fonts (and i do) that is a treat for today... no calories & no cash required. "This offer may end without notice." That's what my email says... so be warned. :)

frame: Nancy Comlab @ The Lilypad; flower & sprinkles: Gina Miller Designs

{the work of art}

Today I was reading my new issue of Cloth Paper Scissors and was struck by the last article, "Tuesdays We Do the Wash". I am not a person who is organized or inclined to do repetitive tasks... like housework, unfortunately. I always opt for the most entertaining task, if I possibly can. I am like a fireman in my approach. I do what is the emergency first, and if there is no current emergency-- well then, time for a break! The author of this article, Loretta Benedetto Marvel made real sense to me: "We all wish to be the diva stamping her foot rather than the devoted chorus member mastering every part. But I am learning that all cannot be genius every day, not unless genius is born from sweat and toil." So... uh... that's my reality check for the day. I don't see myself as a diva, but I guess if I expect it to be easy then maybe I am.

{just your type}

This isn't the first time we've tried to work together. There was that transcription service. We had a perfect name... "Just Your Type" and we made flyers. We went to probably 2 dozen or so local doctor's offices... and then discovered the typo on the flyer. Needless to say, the phone never rang. But really, why not... "just your type"...catchy. How could you NOT call?

Then there was that other time, about which I can only say this....