Sewing Machine Blues

So, after burning up the sewing machine preparing all that inventory for the show that bombed, Tina and I took our beloved Janomes to the old time sewing machine/vaccum cleaner fixer dude. Now, I have to say, I love patronizing people like sewing machine/vacuum dude because he is like a blast from the past. However, that said, HE STILL HAS MY MACHINE!! How rude! It has been a week. I mean, I am going nuts here! The only positive thing is that I was able (and motivated) to start painting again. I painted a picture that was inspired by a photo a friend of mine took for a card I bought from her. She takes really wonderful photographs of flowers, birds and bugs (my favorite!) using the name Karenb Photography. Hopefully you will be seeing her stuff on etsy soon. I am going to paint again today AFTER I pick up my machine. Tina and I plan on camping out in front of the dude's shop and picketing with signs that say "Give me my machine or give me death" or maybe "My name is Karen, you killed my machine, prepare to die!" (If you haven't seen the Princess Bride, you won't get that one - and btw it is a great movie). Anyway, we'll keep you posted.

New Stuff

Well, even though the craft show wasn't what we'd hoped for, now we have lots of stuff for etsy. So Tina put up a couple of bags and I put up a bag and two of my beloved fabric roses. I may be totally delusional, but I would like to think there are people out there that will love my fabric roses. I even tried to make my photos more artistic, although I usually fail miserably! :)Tina is much better at the photography end of things. I am going to start painting again. I actually started a painting but I am not sure I like it yet. It is a cat in a chair but he looks like he should be saying something like "Yeah....that's not going to happen...". He has one of those cat stares that looks bored and disgusted with human-kind. You know the ones if you have ever had a cat. Anyway, we will have to see how it ends up. So here is the "artistic" photo of my roses. :)

Depression City

Well, the big show that Karen and I have been working our tails off for was yesterday. To describe it as a flop would not do it justice... it was below flop. Because of our tremendous run of luck, the temperature for the day had to be at least 106 degrees and humid! Hey! I would not have been there if i didn't have to be. To get to the hall where the show was being held, people had to walk through a portion of the Arboretum, and pay an entrance fee to do so. If the day had been nice, people could have made a day of the event by coming to the Arboretum, see the show and then walk through the lovely grounds. Nobody in their right mind would want to step out of their air conditioned homes or cars and stroll through gardens when their skin is being fried off of their bodies! Needless to say, we will not be doing another summer craft show in Southern California! Well, at least we have a lot of inventory to put up on Etsy now.

Really Big Shoe

Okay, dating myself again. Actually, I never watched Ed Sullivan. He was before my time! (Hard to believe, I know). Anyway, the big craft shoe is tomorrow and Tina and I are geared up and psyched! Hopefully we will do well despite the hideously hot temperatures. I am busily working on one last fabric bouquet. It is actually a Christmas one (I know, I know) but I just want to see if there are any forward thinkers out there, that are shopping in July. You never know....

Hot Dog

Well, this month for etsybloggers we are supposed to write about hot dogs. I love cooking hot dogs on the barbeque outside. There is something so summery about it. Personally, I prefer Hebrew National, with mustard and relish. And it must be on a bun. When I was a kid, my mother never bought hot dog (or hamburger) buns. She would wrap a piece of (yes, I am dating myself here) Wonder Bread (eeeeewwww) around the hot dog. The bread got all gooey and nasty. Put me right off, I can tell you. I still tease my dad about how I had to seek professional help with my hot dog bun deficiency later in life. Which is why my children always get a bun with their hot dogs. They may need therapy for other reasons but, no hot dog therapy for them! But my favorite hot dog is my wiener dog (that's what my boys call him) Toby! :)

Miesmama

Just wanted to tell you guys about a shop on etsy that is being showcased this month. Miesmama sells handmade pins, headbands, bags and other wonderful items. Miesmama was already a favorite shop of mine before she was showcased. I love how creative her pins are. You can attach them to a garment to dress it up or put it on a bag to make it extra special. Check out her shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5122298

Handsome Dog

So I finally got around to taking my dashchund (did I spell it right this time???) Toby to the groomer. He hates to get in the car because he is extremely intelligent and he knows he is:
a) taking a trip to the vet or
b) taking a trip to the groomer or
c) taking a trip to grandmas where I will leave him for a short period of time (which is multiplied by 7 in dog days remember!).
None of these trips makes him happy. Not that he doesn't like grandma, but he feels a pure and unconditional love for me. Anyway, he got in the car after much prodding, and I took him to the groomer who absolutely loves Toby. She always tells me how good he is when she bathes him, how sweet he is to her, etc. and I just want to say "Are you sure you haven't got him confused with someone else's dog?" because, as anyone who has not grown up in his household knows, Toby does not tolerate interlopers (i.e. anyone he doesn't know intimately) in his domain. But, I guess he becomes docile as a pussy-cat when he is not in his home territory. Hmm. I mean, this is a dog who still barks at my dad's wife, who, at one time, he saw a couple of times a week, and my dad has been married to her for 6 years! Get over it, already, dog! But, I have to say, it is the funniest thing when he gets home from the groomer, he knows he looks good and he prances all around making sure everyone tells him how handsome he looks before he can settle down and sleep off all the excitement.

Memoriesinmosaic

The mirrors that Christine makes are absolutely gorgeous! My grandmother (the little lady from France) did mosaics, along with every other craft you can imagine. I was always in awe of all the beautiful pieces of colorful tile artfully placed to create a beautiful picture. She use to have a trailer parked at a beach that in Orange County called El Morro. This was long before the existence of the 405 freeway, so we had to travel on long roads through orange groves to get there. And, this was before air conditioning in cars! My grandfather, who refused to speak English to my sister and myself, would reluctantly stop the car and G.G., my grandmother, would get out and illegally pick oranges until he started shouting in Spanish for her to get into the car before we got shot... or something to that effect! G.G was fluent in French, Spanish and English.. a talent I did not inherit! Anyway, we would collect shells on the beach and G.G. would create gorgeous mosaics with them. What a cherished memory I will never forget!

Memoriesinmosaics

Christine of Memoriesinmosaics on etsy, has a wonderful shop that sells, you guessed it, mosaics. She makes the most beautiful mirrors. Each one is incredibly unique. I think you would end up looking at the mirror more than your reflection! Here are a couple examples. Aren't they amazing?

Laundry Fairy Would be Nice

I have to agree with my esteem friend that laundry sucks! I have spent the majority of the past two days doing tons of laundry. And, just to add to the "fun", it's about 100 degrees these past few days in the wonderful San Fernando Valley. I have been sewing like a fiend trying to have more inventory for the show. When the show is done, i am going to sit some Saturday and read a book. I adore reading. It is right up there on my list of therapeutic practices as sewing. I love losing myself in books. Imagining the characters and the landscape. And, I'm not a snotty reader. I read everything from classics to total chic lit. I love it all and i'm not ashamed to admit it! My mother-in-law insists that she will only read "Non-Fiction".. or as she frequently says, "I don't read fiction." My response to that, too bad.. she's missing some great fun! Anyway, i digress, as usual. I'm just saying, when this show is done, i plan on relaxing a bit and enjoying some summer time fun and some great books.. and no laundry!

Laundry Fairy

First, let me say, that I really hate doing laundry. It's not "soothing" or "thought-provoking". It is mind-numbingly boring. I need a laundry fairy. And he/she (I am not sexist although I have to say men can't fold) must include folding and putting away in his/her resume. Why does laundry multiply exponentially when you don't have time to do it? And if you neglect to do laundry for even a day, the one outfit you really wanted to wear always seems to be in the pile of "disgustingly dirty" items. And heaven forbid my oldest son doesn't have the correct pair of jeans to wear. Don't get me started on that. What I really want to do all day is sew and paint. Would that it were so (or sew)! Ah well, that would involve a cleaning house fairy and a taxi service fairy too.....

Happy 4th of July

Today we are going to Laguna Beach because it is the last year they are putting on a fireworks show. How very sad that this economy is taking away such a simple pleasure. Okay, now I will tell you how I really feel about fireworks. I am totally over the NOISE! Man, I must be getting old because I love seeing them in the sky but I totally hate how LOUD they are! And they start too late. They don't start them until 9:00 pm and by that time I am ready for bed. Okay, I am officially a loser. Well, at least I am still going to pretend that I love them, for the kids' sake. I do love going to the beach and walking around watching the people. People get very territorial with their beach space on the 4th. They stake out their territory at 6 am with their towels and blankets and there are always arguments on "you put your towel on my space" or "we were here first" and "you left so you lose" etc. It's all very exciting!

Football People are Nuts

You can tell it's me (Karen) posting again. Tina is too nice to call people nuts (even when they are). Plus, we have already discussed my opinions on football people. Okay, so Jon hurt his neck at football on Monday. I wasn't sure if I should rush him to the xray machine and ruin his chances to reproduce. I mean, how do I know if he fractured his neck?? The coach told him to "run it out"! Ex---cuse me?? By the time I got him home he couldn't hold his head straight. He looked deformed. But I (being the calm collected type in an emergency) told him to get in the shower, gave him some motrin and promptly ran to the pharmacy and spent $400 on sore muscle products. Okay, maybe not $400. I exaggerated a tad. But not much. Anyway, he went to sleep and woke up looking worse. Tina told me about this magic pill that is now over the counter and used to be prescription. It is a muscle relaxant and sounded like just the ticket. I gave one to Jon before practice. I insisted he show up because "I don't want the coach to think you are a flake." Okay, I am officially a football person. Nuts. He looked at me and his eyes were completely dilated and he looked like he was falling asleep (which come to find out, he practically did all through practice). So now the coach doesn't think he's a flake, just a drug addict.

It's hot and i am sewing frantically trying to get ready for the show on July 19. I didn't have to go to work today because I had to take my daughter to see her doctor at UCLA. We have been going to this man for 15 years and I still feel like i have to explain everything to him that I have told him over and over again. Why not change doctors you may ask? Because my husband has some strange affinity for this man and basically hates change. It's too much work. Anyway, as the man (the doctor that is), was droning on and on, all i could think about was the sewing I could be doing! Oh well, we basically solved very little during the 2 hour ordeal and left us all feeling a tad exhausted. And, I'm trying to be better about not turning on the air conditioner, but at my age, hot and sweaty is not an attractive look! Well back to my machine!