The Update Update...

Milo is resting up before the update.

Okay.. It is almost time to go in the Etsy shop...

And there's a sale too!
All the leftover goodies from the November-December update are all marked down. Birds were 28.00 now 19.00, all necklaces are 29.00, off from 42.00.

As always, all the domestic shipping is included, even on the sale stuff... and if you want it: gift wrap is free.

So come by at 11:00 am. Milo will be looking forward to your order.

What's Shakin' at Chez Betty (with tiny tutorial for Tuesday)

( Make an Orchid Under Glass yourself! Directions at Bottom of Page!)

Hey, Bloglandeers! Craftopians! and Various Passers-by!

Well, I spent the weekend in Tahoe in weather so frozen and dramatic we actually had to wait overnight to get off the mountain. Wore myself out skiing and am desperately considering doing actual exercise in order to be able to keep up with my fellas on the slopes. What is the world coming too? Next I will be claiming to need an endorphin rush. Okay, that remains unlikely.

( white roads, white outs and white knuckles)

More snow pics here.

Been crafting in the rain and thrifting vigorously. Having a lot of fun with the vintage books. I found a couple that are over 100 years old and one of them was inscribed with a wood burner. I also got a great hat for Jacob, linens and some great old costume jewelry.

I kept myself busy making altered books a la Home Companion (October 2007 issue.)
A satisfying and meditative craft to be sure.

I am finished with a couple of New Vintage garments but hard to get the photo shoots scheduled with this inclement weather.

The "orchid under glass" is the tiny tutorial for this Tuesday:

Whether in a garden cloche, bell jar, or just a really big jar, orchids love a terrarium style environment and don't really require a pot. They just hate it when their roots stay soggy so follow the watering directions for real success.

• Pile the bark medium that comes in the plastic pot with the orchid on the plate for a dome or in the center of the bottom of your jar and arrange the orchid roots so that they are supported underneath.
  
• Then used the small stones to "prop up" the orchid placing them so the orchid naturally stands upright. Just try it.. It is easy. (You may need to remove or replace any attached supports tied to the flower stem. when reattaching I like copper wire and moss to secure it... or short raffia.)
  
• Mist with a few squirts from a spray bottle
• cover.

After it is finished, just spray the stones and bark medium daily or every other day with a regular spray bottle. Orchids like bright, indirect light and temps between 55 and 80 both of which are pretty easy to find in most homes. The jar will protect it from drafts (which they hate) so you should have a bloom for up to a month.

I am still planning on putting the lace necklaces and some vintage goodies up on Etsy at 11:00 AM PST tomorrow... Hope you can come check it out.

Glitter Thrift and 7 Weird Jobs

Magpie Eyes... I have too much of this good stuff. The pink bracelet even has the tag attached: Gay Paree by Star. I tell you...They just don't name them like they used to.

These sweeties will also be listed on Etsy... Just in case you need to get yourself a Valentine. I usually try to get myself a back up, just in case Mr. Betty has one of his "It's a stupid meaningless Hallmark Holiday anyway... And I forgot." years.

It happens.

And after 16 years.. I'm pretty much over it. I just cover my bases and get on with my February. That's Modern Romance for you.

Seriously, I'm not bitter... It's just a nickname.

The Shop will be Updated On Wednesday.(In case you were wondering.)

On a completely seperate note: Kathi tagged me for 7 weird things so I am going to make it

7 Weird Jobs I Have Had...

1)I was the pink haired Vegetarian counter grrrl at Burger King in San Luis Obispo circa 1986. When people asked me what was good on the menu...I rolled my eyes at them.

2) I was the "Put your Face On Rambo's Body" T-Shirt Maker at Fisherman's Wharf for about 9 days.

3) I was a classroom presenter for the Sexual Assault Prevention Team. I was a date rape specialist for the high school set. My presentation partner was a recovering heroine addict, ex-hooker. No, It wasn't court ordered... it was a regular job. And my partner was really quite nice actually. And the high school kids were, without exception, pretty well behaved.

4) And at the same time I was the Juice Bimbo at the local racquetball club. The beer swilling racquetball players were much ruder than the high schoolers. A mini skirt was required part of the uniform.

5)I was the artsy-fartsy semi punkish office go-fer for an imitation crab company.Ironically, I got in trouble here because my skirts were too short.. But in my defense: My hose were opaque and my shoes were flats. I did the filing, the photo copying, and I picked up the tiny bagels for the imitation lox tastings in the fancy company car. Perks? "All the fake Krab you could eat". Eew.

6) I was a professional actress, paid 50.00 for the entire run of the show. I played one of the Pigeon Sisters in the Neil Simon classic the Odd Couple. I was 15... My "sister" was about the same age as my mom (which would have been 37, at the time).. and my British accent was pretty spot on.
No! Really, It Was! The theatre survived and is still in operation.

7) I was a visual merchandiser/stylist for a major upscale department store. It also survived and is still in operation.

If you are looking for something weirder I have done this before as well, back when it was 6 things... Not enough? I also played 2 Truths and a Lie... I hope you enjoy..

Although I am pretty excited to be tagged... I think I have to say "play along if you want to and leave a link in the comments to this post if you do"... Because I love reading about all you people, But despite what my loving Hub may say about me.. I am not real comfortable telling people what to do.

Something Tattered

I have been absent because I am sewing up a proper town dress from previously thrifted fabrics and trims. I am pretty darned excited about it. It is really fun but consuming... I learned how to use two new feet on this machine of mine. Needless to say, my newly embraced housework is slagging a tad. Ooops. I will recover the ground I had made...I remain undaunted by setback.

I also made some new lace necklaces for my next Etsy shop update. Thanks so much Ambika for your kind post a few months ago. It inspired me to get back into it.

All of these are hand sewn together on a dress form to get the weighting, balance and scale just right. The laces are all from small unusable scraps, carefully and nervously snipped. Some of the lace is handmade and I think some bits are machine made but so very high quality, that it is a pleasure to work with them.

I think when I first posted about making these, I wrote about the idea that I had of Mrs. Haversham's house in Great Expectations and imagined they were the sort of thing a girl might make from the abandoned detritus of a romance gone bad
to help ease the boredom of her own isolation.

I still think about that while I make these.

I sew in the beads and chains knotting each bit individually. Each necklace is initially laid out in bits and then built and layered until it lays perfectly and looks finished. They are a delight to make because of the way that they evolve and surprise me.

And it is fun to save some one else's beautiful handwork.

2 More Beautiful Films..

Here are two more Beautiful Films...


Second Hand Lions




and Mrs. Henderson Presents


both just made me glad to be alive, you know?
Both are beautiful to look at.
And both made getting older seem like the adventure might just be starting.

I let Jacob see both as well even thought Mrs. Henderson does have a plethora of boobage.
It was, for a good cause, after all.

I am mostly pro boobs... and anti-serial-killer as far as R ratings go.

Made It Myself Monday: A Bonafide Romantic.

This post is a Beautiful Film Week Post.

It is about a mom, a boy, an issue, a creative solution and and a really happy ending.

Okay, cartoons on commercial tv aimed at kids over 7. Have you seen this stuff? There is a ton of real Crap out there. I'm sorry, I am a true animation fanatic and I love unconditionally some pretty marginal stuff, but acting Truly Idiotic and Gross is not as funny as they seem to think. My boy was sucked right in. He was talking like these truly appallingly stupid characters, and he thought it was funny. I thought it was pathetic, obnoxious and quite beyond annoying. I nagged... but I wasn't getting through. His Dad nagged...Not registering even a slow down in the "duh" levels at the house.
Seriously- This is why we don't have "TV". (By TV, I mean cable or any way to receive "broadcasting"... The television machine does reside at our house and we watch tons of movies. My son became infected just by viewing at other people's houses. That is mighty Potent Lameness. )

But Back to the Point: I decided that Jake really needed to be exposed to smart humor. Stat. Cleverness. Cary Grant. Audrey Hepburn. Charade. Suave, wisecracking, and well dressed, our hero and heroine face murder at every turn ... with minimal mushy stuff. We hit paydirt. Jake loved it. The next time we were looking for a dvd rental he asked "Are there any movies like Charade but maybe with a robbery or something and chases?"

Sure, why not To Catch a Thief?

We started watching all kinds of old movies together. His dad is not into it and I was very glad for the company. The "duh factor" was ebbing. For my birthday I got three Audrey Hepburn movies, one of which is my beautiful film # 1: Roman Holiday.




I am just going to assume you have seen it. So fantastic. The intrigue, the adventure, the double cross and a princess playing hookey. Jacob was really into it. When it finally comes to the end of the movie, he watched the scene with Gregory Peck and Eddie Albert at the formal press reception with his knees up under his chin. He giggled when she got the pictures from Eddie Albert and then when everyone is gone except for Gregory Peck, I noticed it seemed like he was holding his breath a little and as Gregory Peck walks slowly out of the empty hall, he cried out:

"Wait! Isn't she going to come out? That Can't be the end! How is he going to get back to her? It's not Over, Is It?"

That's my boy.

Best ending to a movie ever.

WIP: Nesting

I am committed to craft for the home more this year. We have resources but things are getting shabby. Not chic either.. Just Shabby. We are in need of a spruce up.

I am coming more to grips with the fact that by-in-large this whole craft for cash thing is mostly, well, not a failure, but definitely an experiment that has caused me to redefine my situation.

Yup, by-in-large, I am a housewife. A woman married to a house. (Not really, and I know that being a house wife is really freakin' hard.. why do you think I spent a year trying to avoid it?) The foray into career-craft-worker had turned my house into something like a tiny, messy, live-in factory. ( I do not craft cleanly..and the craft cave cannot contain my crafty exuberance, let alone my set-up sewing machine.) As I clean up for 2008, I am seeing that this is not ideal. I also am coming to grips with the fact that there will be no studio space for Betty in the near future...Optimism alone can not create out buildings.

So since I am now a housewife with all the powers and privileges that title entails, , I must assume some more active responsibility for the condition of the house and surrounding grounds. Otherwise I am just a very crafty Kato Kalin. (And I will be quite satisfied with a small, manageable, online craft business on the side... way on the side.)

So in that spirit:
here are two chairs... recovered by moi.





A teeny bit less shabby, a smidgen more chic.

Just a girl on a mission, trying to earn her keep.

New Vintage #14: What I Was Doing New Year's Eve

This is my new favorite dress in the whole world.
I made it with fabric I got for my birthday (Thanks Again, Valerie!)
It is one of my older patterns (early to mid fifties) and it needed no alterations ,which I love because then sewing is really pretty fast. I felt like this one just Flew Together.
It is comfy and effortless and the fabric is so pretty (Joel Dewberry...)

I have been sitting on this project for a little while because of handmade holidays and getting ready for the C is 4Craft shindig. Let's hear it for sewing for yourself ...

Whoooo Hoooo!!!!!!!!

I am excited to try more 50's patterns and do some more of my own pattern making.

Part of the reason for no alterations was the fact that this is a wrap dress. Stinkin' Cute. Looser for the "Bigger -Post Holiday-No Girdle in My Stocking -Thank You Very Much" Betty and we will just cinch it on up when I magically become "Bikini Ready- Body of A 20 Year Old" Betty.. (I request that the dubious keep their negativity to themselves.. I am trying to develop will power through positive thinking here, people.)

I love this dress so much I put a Bakelite button on it from my treasured and minuscule horde.

Now that is LOVE people.




(Photo credits are to Michelle... My usual photographer is far too preteen these days to (ugh) take pics of his MOM. eeeeeew.)

Tutorial Tuesday: Sally Stitch with Pleats and Tucks

Click on the image to enlarge!

Hello my friends!
Well here it is Tutorial Tuesday, and a long time ago we started with our wonderful sewing comic book which I have been presenting in serial form. This is all thanks to the generosity of my dear friend in craft, Lindy, whom I owe an email! ( I will email you! I promise!)
This is chapter 5, and Mrs. Homemaker is just getting warmed up!

In my great New Year's Organization Frenzy I am hoping to figure out how to put all the lessons on the side bar for easy reference... Because I am all about "the many fascinations of the dressmakers art".

Manifesto Monday

You know there is nothing better than having the family around.. But after 2 weeks of vacation there is nothing better than having them get the heck out of the house... and get back to their real lives. I get harassed a little on the home front for my blogging. Not too much, but it tends to keep me off the internets more, when witnesses are present. Between the guilt trips and the power outages, I have had plenty of time for non-electronic reflection lately. Please do forgive this wordy post.

I am still really involved in the "New Year's Purge" around here. So far, the linen closet, the hanging portion of my clothes closet, and some (read: an exorbitant amount of really aging) magazines are all "reorganized and downsized".
I need to get to my books, I am about 3/4 of the way through the craft cave, and I am working on a Futuregirl like system that will use binders for my daily schedule and inspiration stuff. I love my recipe binder. It helped me try a lot more new recipes last year, which helped us use more of what came in the veggie box. Maybe this will help me out in other areas too.

The main idea that I have for 2008, I guess, "my mission statement", is basically "Live within Your Means". To me this is a principle that think could really improve my life and cause me to have a more positive impact on my planet and my family too. This isn't so much about sticking to a budget fiscally, (that is a good idea too,) it is about really coming to grips with the way I budget my time, the size of our little cabin and living economically. That is cutting out all the stuff we have accumulated and don't really use. I am all about getting rid of the luxury of "stuff" to make way for the luxury of space. Embracing the idea that you don't buy 3, you buy one good one. Unless you are talking about underwear... but I digress.

I want apply "living within my means" in an ecological sense, being even more conscious of the little things I can do to Use Less. This in conjunction with "living within my means" on the "house" level should help me finish projects and use up the stash that threatens to envelop my entire house and surrounding out buildings. This is very much a win win situation, to my way of thinking. In any case, my mission statement and My crafty manifesto are related but they are not the same thing, and hopefully they encompass all my aspirations in a manageable way.

My mission statement- 2008:
"Live Within Your Means"

Bitter Betty's Crafty Manifesto

I acknowledge it to be my life's work to develop a myriad of skills to be able to use materials (preferably, at hand, rescued or reused or recycled) to make things that are beautiful, useful, and reflect my curiosities and obsessions.
I will do my best to use my imagination and talents to delight myself and inspire and amuse others in ways that will have a positive impact on the world around me... Which isn't to say I will be sunny and not sarcastic. It is my intention to create dialog.. even internal dialog.
I will do my best to share what I know so that anybody, and everybody can play along.
And I will rejoice in, and allow myself to always be inspired by the craft of others, even if it does make me feel a little bit jealous.

Craft On!

WIP: Bitter Betty's Crafty Manifesto

I am working on my Manifesto, My Mission Statement.
It is the first and perhaps only real "Re-soul-ution" that I will undertake until I get my kid back to school and my husband back to work.

I am Not Finished With It yet.. but was inspired by this quote:

"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You Imagine what you Desire, you Will what you Imagine, and at last you Create what you Will."
George Bernard Shaw

and of course:

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."
Gandhi


Taking a couple days to clear my vision..
be right back.