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?