Tree your Mind.. The Rest will Follow

It is Tree Huntin' time.


This is the first year we teamed up with my sister and her family to hit the tree farm.
This farm is our family's traditional tree spot.
There is a 3 mile drive in on a one lane road.. navigated by SUV's who only visit once a year.( eek.) After you pull into the drive you will be greeted by kid standing next to a bon fire, who will hand you an enormous saw..( Demonstrated by my brother in law.. ahem.)



Next you drive to the grove of your choosing and look at all the trees. Big and Little:



After you have selected and severed your yule tide treasure, many families bring sugar laden hot cocoa and candy refreshment, to celebrate the kill.





Then home to watch the PeeWee's Playhouse Christmas Special on VHS...untangle those lights.. get out that electric train.. and have soup... and more cocoa.

Because this is the gossamer sugar coated beauty that childhood memories are made of.

Trick of the Light

First, a big thanks to everyone who was able or even considered checking out Craft Lab..
My Step-Dad (Best One in the Universe, BTW..), said I could be on the Today Show and everyone else's compliments were equally as head swelling. I appreciate them all so much. Just to be fair though, when I was taping it I was picturing all of you naked so I wouldn't be too nervous.

Lauren gets the Pom Pom Sheep and thanks for checking out the blog, lady.


Here is a recent addition to "the etsy shoppe".. I took the photos between cloud bursts on my deck yesterday. I like the way these look.



I don't generally take great pictures. I was never much of a shutterbug and now I am finally taking the time to understand more about it.. Out of 100 pictures I generally only get a couple worth keeping. Thank god this isn't in the days where you had to pay for film and developing!



The obi has been a fun thing to have at my last 3 events. People have really taken to them. I made my first one last winter and since then Bitter Betty Industries have put about 30 of these little babies out on the open road. Not bad at all.




I added an accessories shop with that goodie and this little number:



The ultimate thing to wear when you are zipping around town on your vespa picking up those last minute gifts. Perfect for crisp white shirt, black cigarette pants, black flats and a red wool jacket.

I am still working on getting the rest of my gear in the shop but I can only upload for so long before I need to go download.
And I have these 7 swap ornaments and holiday commissions that need to get off the to-do list. I am off to get my craft on.

TV time

10:30 Pacific time tomorrow I will be on tv.

I will not be watching it .. We don't have cable. Now that Michelle doesn't have cable I believe I know no one within a reasonable driving distance who I can encroach upon in order to watch.. Which frankly is fine with me. I don't think that it will be a bad show but watching myself on video has always been mildly excrutiating for me since I hit about 8th grade.

I actually recorded this show about 14 months ago. I recorded a different show 2 months ago.. That will air in spring.
Prerecorded television is like a time capsule. People i told when I recorded the show have since drifted out of my life.

It is much better that my mom will record it and will, in all likelyhood, be kind in reporting that I looked cute and sounded witty.. Then I can watch the recording at a time when perhaps a strong cocktail will help to ease the chafing sensation of self conciousness.. And hopefully it will be at least moderately entertaining. I had fun prepping the crafts and recording the show.. If that counts for anything, I at least have that in my corner.


I will be putting up all the tshirts on Etsy while I listen to the rain over the next day or so. And visiting all my blog friends I have neglected during this crazy holiday week..

see ya soon.

UPDATED:

Show is Craft Lab and it is on the DIY network 1:30 eastern..

I guess I shold have a trivia question for anyone who gets to see it... A pom pom sheep to whomever is the first to answer what I used to stamp the skulls on the gift bags...

But you must tell me I looked cute and sounded witty..

Cute Buns.

ooooh.. Look what I got!!!
His name is Kimo and he was lovingly handmade a new friend I made at the house party, Roselle Ellison.

I traded a Bunny-child doll named Heidi for this gorgeous little creature made from vintage french angora.
He is even softer than he looks. My husband asked which of our wee child friends would recieve such a lovely item.. I replied "MINE." I am not a very good sharer. I don't knit or crochet so I am always extra thrilled to get something i couldn't make myself.

I had a great time at the house party. Met lots of great people and still have a bunch of good stuff to put in my shop. By far my favorite part of that whole experience was meeting other crafters like Roselle, and Jessica from Antiquie Deeky..

I am posting the remaining 3 bunny children on Etsy today.
Heidi is gone but I still have Fritz, Sparticus, and Esmerelda.. all come with a pom pon friend for the holidays.





More new stuff will go in every day this week (except Thursday of course....)

Happy Holiday prepping this week..

So much to be Thankful for!!!

Alternative Materialism

Holiday spending....

Well, I am doing my very first "house party". I have never been to one nor participated in one before.
I do not know exactly what to expect...

I have done 2 craft shows..
I was a vendor at Dicken's Universe Literary conference at UCSC..
and I have done a couple of impromptu trunk shows for close buddies.
I have sold a whopping one item on Etsy.

This one I am doing because I was flattered.
I made a t-shirt for my lovely sister and one of her clients commented on it.
The client has a party featuring her friends who are crafters and through my sis, she asked If I'd like to be involved.
Pretty flattering. All she asks is 15% in trade for what I sell that day.

Good for me and good for her too.. There are several of us and if we do well, she will have a big bunch of presents for covering shopping responsibilities for the Holidays. She is expecting 70 people. That is quite a crowd.

I like this idea. When I was a very small kid we had no money. My mom was a single parent for a couple years and she made us dolls and bought us a book apiece for Christmas. All other presents came from the grandparents. Her family got home baked goodies. When she married my thoroughly fantastic step-father when I was 8, financially things were not so tight. She still wanted to do handmade Christmas.. which was fine by us. My mom makes excellent stuff.

After a while she became more political.

She became involved in a group called Beyond War. They were committed to starting a community dialog about the dangers of the nuclear arsenal. One of the statistics that she learned during that time was that the United States economy was based on two main components: The War Machine... and Christmas.

Mom said.." Well there is only one part of that I want to participate in."
I think that year my sister and I got a stereo from Santa...amongst a pile of goodies that dwarfed the tree.

I drove one boy friend crazy when I insisted that I would only shop for the holidays at small independent retailers because I knew half a year's money is often earned in 2 months for them. (He was dying to go to Macy's.) My mom really made the point that dollars are votes for what you believe in.. And she was Pro Santa and Anti bomb. I still am a huge "mainstreet not the mall" fan even despite working as a mall doll for the last 6 years. I love a cute boutique (Picture today: boxes going to Angelina's cute boutique..), and independent bookstore, a craft fair and this year I will have a handmade Christmas myself... and help the economy.. by shopping in all those places and on Etsy. And hopefully selling some stuff to other people of like mind. I love the idea of some one getting something I made as a gift.

Now.. what do you believe in?
Will you put you money where your heart is?

You CAN Have It All..but not all at once

What can I do? Good fortune and BAD photography has kept me from posting for 2 weeks. It is raining so the photography is still a bit challenged but... there ya go!

I have been batch reading all my favorite blogs.. Reading whole weeks at once. Avoiding the computer in order to stay on task with the making of pretty things. At this point I am not finished but I am accomplished.

I have finished 14 necklaces. 10 which will go to Angelina's new store in McMinnville, Oregon.




I was so touched and excited that she contacted me to participate. She just got a new storefront and she is all set to take off like a rocket. If you can't get to lovely Oregon.. she haswebstore goodies too...

I made 9 t-shirts, Including this reconstructed Joan'd Arc made from a loved 't' sent by Amanda from Pandora's Button Box.




The package was loaded with fantastic goodies from her wares. I am so Lucky! I have to get on task to make a return gift..



I made 4 obi's, 4 velvet, leopard print, neckscarves and a commission of 6 ornaments and filled an order for my friend's bookshop.



I started looking for a dog. (whether this is a good idea, or not, is open for debate.. opinions anyone?)

I cleaned like crazy.

I made two big pots of soup.

I thrifted once.

I am helping someone from my hometown design her logo and get her streetfront signage made.

All this is great and I am so excited about these things and having two crafty-party-thingies coming up.. I was thoroghly disstracted I just couldn't make myself take good pictures..
Also we have a guy working on our house. He is a very nice man but he makes me arrange my day differently and think much more self consciously. That kind of messes with my creative process, especially in the post writing arena. Is that wierd?
Anyway the alleged two weekend job that has held our back door ( main entrance to the house) hostage for 2 months now and cost more than double the original estimates ( our fault, not the nice guy's) should actually be pretty much finished on Monday. Phew.

I love my blog.. why did it get squeezed out?
I should have blown off the vaccuuming instead.. or the floor scrubbing.
Well, here is to better priorities for the month of November..

And more fun adventures in BlogLand..