Happy Thanksgiving!

 

This sentiment kind of sums up the way I feel about things these days. 

Yesterday I had to go to the store and I anticipated an ordeal...

But Absolutely everyone was smiling At Each Other.

It was delightful!

Sometimes it seems to me to be a new world on the same old planet. 

It occurs to me that the way we measure what things are worth is changing. 

If Time doesn't equal Money...

What can it Equal? 

 Options? Experience? Joy?

There are plenty of moments in every day to embrace the notion that

Less CAN equal More.

Participating in the Joy Economy.

Thankfully.

And Then It Was November!

Pumpkin Boots for my new niece or nephew!

Howdy Do Bloglandeers,

Today I found myself doing some holiday craft supply and birthday gift shopping, and just ACCOSTED by carols in every shop. Certainly, as I buy the bottle brush mini trees and the tag paper  cones, I am thinking "Holiday", but the music just about freaked me out.
Really? Already? Not even a mix? 
And playing in every store.
So now, I guess it's just all Holiday from now... until January. No wonder people get so stressed out this time of year. I love carols, but I need moderation.

To be fair it, wasn't just the ever so slightly premature jing- jing- jingling that un-nerved me. It also may had something to do with the fact that normally, by now, I am well on my way with my Handmade Holidays: projects picked, lists made, and even a portion of the sewing/creating completed. This November 1st, I don't think I have done item one. I don't even have a plan. I have an inspiration board on Pintrest, but it's whimsical, not practical (which made it much more fun to make... by the way).

I expect lots of blogs are probably all geared up with a full schedule of tutorial goody goodness, adorable pdf printable checklists, and all manner of comfort and joy, but I think I'll just be documenting my strategies and plans as I fully punt my way through the next two months. I need to find awesome fast, fun gifts to make, I need to find time for me and my family to celebrate and socialize and I want to leave stress at the doorstep.

My other goals are that I want to do is get back on the blogwagon AND focus on the holiday at hand...
So, I plan to blog every day in November about something I am grateful for...
(as well as the progress and process of the Handmade Holidaze Unprepared.)

A Full Month of Thanksgiving.

November 1st: 

I am grateful (and excited) that my sister invited me to be there when she has her baby.

I think this is going to be fun.
Anyone want to join me?
It's easy.
We all have so much to be thankful for.

Thankfully yours,

Betty

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

Hi.

Is anyone still checking in here?
Couldn't blame you all if no one did. I just disappeared.
Suffice it to say that I just wasn't too sure anymore about what I was trying to do here and so I just started living in the "meatspace".

And I went to Italy.

It was great...
But I came home just Obsessed with Food.
So for awhile now that has been what I have been crafting up the most.

But now there is some new sewing on the horizon, a sale to sew for, and a new sewing circle forming.
Maybe I can find something to say about sewing and cooking and growing.

Just in case there is anyone still out there.

If there is:
Hi! I missed you!

Something has been holding me back!

But I am on my way to the studio 

to put a stop to all this nonsense.

Please stay tuned!

I am not Slacking!

I'm Working...

On a tutorial or two,
(Next Week!!)
on a bunch of Easter goodies for my lovely friends  at The Iron Dog,
and a few extra for Etsy...

(April 1st the Chick N' Carts will be for sale. No Foolin'.)

On keeping the home fires burning in our stormy woods,
with the power going out here and there.

I'm getting a little tired...

But I'm not slacking.

Happy New Year

 

1/365

My friend Blaize has a January thing where she does something for 30 days. (31 days?)

Meg is taking a picture everyday for a year.

I'm going to play along with both. I'm doing 30 days of "finishing stuff".

Today I'm finishing an embroidery piece I started in July...

Tomorrow, I'll post it.

I tried  a 365 project before, but it was all self portraits.

Maybe I'll get closer this year?

Here's to that hope that springs eternal! 

Let's make some Big Plans, People!

Monday Musing about Meet-Ups.

First Things First:

Karen... you're the winner! 

You get a genuine Utili-Obi. 

Please send me your address!

Karen was the first to correctly guess who was in the photo with me:

It's Dorie from Tumbling Blocks! 

( Please note: Dorie requested that we pose properly as demonstrated here.)

We had a fantastic meet up in Japantown in San Francisco a week ago and we just happened to be there for the Cherry Blossom Festival which was much more fantastically chaotic than the name would imply.

   ( random costumed gentlemen who were happy to pose- pretty sure this is cactaur from Final Fantasy and a white batty thing I don't recognize...)

There were actually quite a bit of folks dressed up in Anime and video game inspired outfits, as well as quite a few ladies dressed in the gothic lolita genre.

I was so thrilled to get to meet Dorie because Tumbling Blocks has been one of my long term, must read blogs.
And she made that paper doll sweater and wore it to the meet up just like I was reeeallly hoping she would!

We both started blogging a few years ago and have had similar interests, in fact we have even been in a couple of "Pretty Little" books together... except she can knit and has actually really quilted and can write code. ( Which makes her somewhat of a hero of mine.)

We poured over the craft books at Kinokuniya for what would have been far too long for mere mortals and  both bought a fashion book by the same author, sort of like sewing soul mates.

Had a blast, wish she lived closer!

This is actually the second bloggy meet up I have had in the last month. I also got to meet a blog buddy in Hawaii too!


Kristin LaFlamme was kind enough to wait around as we stumbled our way through Honolulu looking for the World's Greatest Shave Ice place.

Now Kristin found her way into my heart during KnitSonya's mushroom swap when I found her via the Flickr group when she made THIS:

I know.. Unbelievably cute huh? I got one of hers and she got one of mine and boom: Internet friends.

These days Kristin is dominating the world of marbling on fabric, and in the mean time was kind enough to wait for us and bring us the biggest bag of treats for our plane ride home. (BTW Red Coconut Ball Candies are like bite sized macaroons from paradise! They would make really cute cupcake embellishment!)

These experiences are leading me to tell you all something Very Important:
If you get a chance to meet someone you like and admire out there in Blogland:
Do It!
If you are going to a town/city/ general vicinity where one of your blogland friends live,
Email them!
Meet up!
It is fun!
I know you probably feel a little shy but, it will be fine!
It is a chance to me another kindred spirit, face to face.
Odds are definitely in your favor that you will like each other in real life too!


Thanks Dorie and Kristen for the great meet ups. Awesome on the internets+Extra Awesome IRL.

Tuesday Teaser

Guess who I met on Sunday?

 Be the first to Guess it Right and win a prize!

Manic Monday

Here we are at Monday again.

My cold is getting better.

I sewed up 3 garments since last Thursday.

I can't wait to show you.

I met up with a blog friend IRL... and she's awesome.

This is on top of a great meet up I had with a blog friend in Hawaii.

There will be details. I can't do either of them justice today.

I am so inspired to sew right now,

I almost don't mind that the rain seems to be on it's way back.

Except I want to go out to the ranch and take pictures.

All of that is just the tip of the iceberg.

I am so distracted, inspired, excited, and full of fledgling ideas, 

that I just burned my lunch to a crisp and the house is full of smoke.

Oh well,  who has time to eat?

( macro lens practice pictures: tulips from the grocery store, lit by my skylight)

Work In Progress Wednesday: Only Enough Ambition to Annoy Myself

First a quick but heartfelt Thanks to comments on the Red Ridinghood cloak and also on the Alice post. I had so much fun doing them. I am really looking forward to doing more if those kinds of posts.
They are the best kind of challenge. Multi-level creative using varied craft spazz style skill sets...Yeah!

So her are a couple of bits of a couple of bits I am working on lately.

 Needle felted lambypie goodness and a grown up garment with needle felt applique.

But like usual (for everyone, I'm sure) This isn't ALL I 'm working on.


For Instance:
I'm doing my spring body clean up.
Shedding the solid mass of delicious indulgences that stretched from Early October until Mid January, and generally cleaning up the mess that it made of my mid section.

My big kitty, Harold, has kidney issues and that brings vet trips, weird feeding and containment tribulations, gross stuff to clean up and all that. As of now, he is on the mend but sadly will continue to be delicate for the rest of his life. Poor Harold.

Home junk: Taking down the temporary winter greenhouse we use for out tender succulents, garden and household "big chores" (like a complete fridge and freezer scrub down and inventory control, taking apart garden beds and the like).

And preparing for the GOOD STUFF... our first big (distant and semi-exotic)  family vacation in 3 or 4 years. While the trip will be great, keeping the pets and plants alive will require staff of some sort and that's a challenge. Then there's the planning reserving and packing stuff. Cleaning the house for a house sitter...
detail details details.

It's times like these that make getting to the creative stuff harder for me. It starts to feel simultaneously urgent and like it's just another mess to clean up, and then blogging? that is like the final step that just doesn't get taken. And then I feel bad. Like I could be successful if I would just make it a priority. And then I wonder "Successful, how? What does that Even Mean in Blogging?" I'm not writing the book proposal that I think about from time to time. At least that would succeed or fail. I don't advertise here, so I don't have to keep my stats up or lose revenue. There never has been revenue,  because I don't  make the time to investigate whether or not I even want to have advertisers. I haven't even made the formatting changes that I am dying to make for my own ideal vision of this space because I'm too intimidated and distracted to sit down and do the research, put it together and test it.  It makes my shoulders seize up and my mouth get all flat just considering it. Why? Because it's not my thing. I don't know the first thing about it and it is one of the few things that can bore and confuse me at the same time.

I seem to have only enough ambition to annoy myself.

I'm allowing myself to write down this rationalization/pity party by telling myself that I'm reaching out to other bloggers who might be feeling the same way, so if you are please, do share a comment and validate me in my favorite way,

with a comment on the old blog.


But, Please don't stop reading. I swear, I won't whine for at least 6 more posts. Just Craft-No Complaining.

And another new garment waits in the wings...

3...2...1...0...

Yep it's Countdown day today. That is to say, if you sign a check today, you write the date and the numbers will be 3-2-10.

It is also the month that will start my 4th year of blogging. 4 years!
wow.

I have been kind of agonizing over the blog lately. Like thinking "Is this a power for good or bad in my life."? "Does it feed my very soul to connect with other people who like to use their hands to speak their minds or does it just create chaos and conflict over my personal creating, as in: am I doing it for me or for the blog?"
I haven't shared 3 of the last New Vintage dresses I've sewn, and I am not sure why.
I made the capelette for the felt flower collar... But I haven't done the photo shoot.
I want to. But there are always reasons. Other paths that need taking.

so... what is today looking like?

I seem to be getting in my own way when it comes to sharing and I don't really understand myself.

This year I decided that I wanted to put more Art in my Arts and Crafts, so I have been doing that.
But I have yet to post about it. Shy? Not usually. More  like Lofty Aspirations that can be a bit crippling because you might not acheive the desired effect.
Still, it feels like a good decision and I think I want to write about it but, I hope I don't run people off in droves with my narcissism. "OOOOh, do let me tell you about My Art!"

Everyday is a decision on a direction.
Today it feels like commit or quit.
But it doesn't have to be that way...
This pressure is all in my head.

Does this ever happen to you?

PS: I think I'm excited to see Alice In Wonderland. Anyone else?

Good Intentions Mean Nothing If You Don't Post.

It's kind of crazy how much I'm thinking about blogging when I'm not doing it. Everyday I get started on some project and I let myself get carried away because I want it to be good enough to blog about.

That is one thing I really like about blogging. I think it makes me take extra steps to get things the way I want to see them. But sometimes those extra steps are just what bogs you (meaning  me) down and the project goes for some time... semi finished and in the way.

Well, anyway, that is what has been going on around here. I keep meaning to post Grand Tutorials for Projects of Great Importance... and finding myself not up to the Challenge. (The early dark is really bad for photography too, is also on my blog absentee excuse list.)

it kind of looks real, in a papery kind of way

So, Today I share: My Crepe Paper Amaryllis. This is my first from-scratch /self-designed crepe paper flower, that I made with techniques  I learned At The Castle In The Air  in Berkeley (4th Street) at a class taught by Anadamai Arnold and Aimee Baldwin. (It was what I did with my sisters in lieu of a Birthday Bash. Guinness Milkshakes afterward, an excellent night to be sure!)

These babies aren't just flamboyant holiday decoration, they solve an ongoing problem. The spot where they are placed can't support real plants. They All Die There. And I have other plants that survive so, it's not  me. Not 'mostly me', in any case.

So all that said,  I have some lovely tutorials to post as soon as I finish them up. Trees Made from Books, My World Famous Biscotti,  Houses Made Of Sugar, and How to Glorify Rescued Ribbons...And How to Trap Tiny Humans In Christmas Ornaments.

Hmmm, I better go get something Finished.

Crammed To The Brim With Holiday Spirit,
Betty

PS: Did you find the Snow Baby Box Tutorial at the Castle Blog? Another item on the Crafty To Do List.

PPS: I HAVE been staying on top of the wrapping. and I simply couldn't be more full of myself about it.

So Where Ya Been Betty? Saturday

Man... Where do I start. I have been everywhere and up to everything.

Last I checked in here you saw me scrubbing my ceilings. That was fun and productive and all that goody goodness. It was all part of a grand effort that went far beyond a mere spit and polish!

Later that weekend, I retired to Indian Springs in Calistoga to do a little Spa-ah down time with a lovely group of ladies.

Spa Ladies
( Polaroid Land Camera Photo. Kristen Jones Photographer)

I think this is the 7th year ( 6th for me) that this annual get away has happened. This year we took a bike tour of the local wineries to boot.

Bike portrait with basket damage
( Polaroid Land Camera Photo)

Fine Winery
( Polaroid Land Camera Photo)

That was a kick and improved the experience of soaking in the geyser heated waters of tranquility.

Indian Springs Pool
( Polaroid Land Camera Photo)

It was also the perfect time to show off some great New Vintage Wardrobe creations... and I will hopefully have them for the blog very shortly.

I threw a tiny but festive 42nd Birthday dinner for my Mister.

Over the last couple of months we kicked it into high gear on the fix up/clean up front to get ready for our families to gather for Jake's Middle School Graduation. (High School next year???... gulp.) He has now officially survived 3 of the most universally acknowledged as harrowing years of the human experience. I want to thank all of our loving family members who came to celebrate. We love you all, so much.

the Graduate

I'm working on gathering some before and after pics of the many little home improvement projects we took on, but my computer is acting like a neglected boyfriend and is acting out. Falling asleep in the middle of my projects, etc. Perhaps it needs a trip to the computer spa.

Anyway, for those of you who have been leaving comments and asking questions and checking in, I send my smooches and gratitude and I will be getting to the aging pile of emails as well.


Phew.. Well here's to summer! I hope it's a gem!

Here's to Splashing in your Sprinkler,
Betty

January Is The Monday Of The Year

Well, my blog reliability must be bad because people have started emailing to see if I am okay.
Sorry everyone. I'm okay. I'm not depressed, or quitting blogging, or anything. I'm just really, really boring, and I have been reluctant to share this unbelievably dull side of my personality with you all.
My muse, while she hasn't deserted me, she has been terribly busy trying to stay on top of the laundry, lose the 6 pounds that I gained and eradicate the enormous drifts of pet fur that have become the main focus of my day. (Quite frankly, it's astounding to me that all the animals aren't completely bald at this point.)

I have been doing the necessary. Last year ended up being very productive and that also meant that it ended with a remarkable number of unfinished projects as well as finished ones. So one thing I have been up to, is sorting through that quagmire and finishing what I can.I'm trying to get my self psyched up to finish the ones that will take more than 45 minutes, and failing. My Mojo...Where Has It Gone? Into the shallow end of homemaking. In all truth, I simply don't want to start any big projects because I finally got the mess from the holidays picked up.

How dull am I? I have a chore chart that I actually fill out for myself. I quite often vacuum more than once a day. Lately, I drop off more at the thrift store than I buy. Today, I mucked out the most disgusting previously frozen slimy leaf goop from a few areas in the old garden. Doing that, and installing some of those slider shelves in the "snack cabinet" in the kitchen were pretty much the highlights of the whole day. I've read a couple of novels lately, and they were only kinda good. Good enough to finish, but not good enough to recommend.

I am doing that new year reflective thing, where I ask myself where I am going with this bloggy thing, and my crafty thing, and my housewifey thing... Because I like to play this game with myself where I make plans, set goals and then let the winds of life toss me about like one of those crazy, flying, plastic bags. I don't know why I do that, but I always do.



In that vein, I've already started making plans to be done early with my holiday presents again. And I'm clearing out the junk. Still trying to live up to last years resolution. Hopefully I'll get my groove back and unleash the chaos and craftiness, off on to some odd tangent again real soon, or maybe all that is behind me and it's just tidy, organized and dull from here on out. (At which point, I really will have to reconsider blogging all together, because otherwise I could find myself brought up on charges for boring my internet friends to death.)

I just have to remind myself January is sometimes full of extra time and energy and the promise of a year of adventure... But sometimes January is just the Monday of the year, and it's hard to jump up and get going. But Mondays never last forever.

Blog? What Blog? (Or The First New Excuse)

Okay.. This is actually more like a practice post. A post to say I am going to post and keep on posting. You know... like the old days. I read your blog and you read mine.

 I do miss you blogland. I keep meaning to come by. I really have so much to talk about. I just get distracted.

 

A couple weeks ago, when I first dissappeared, I ran away from home to the Northern California Coast (my mom and dad's house...Hi Guys!), and I took my neighbors. 

Pretty, Huh?

That was 5 fun filled days. 

Hanging out at the river:

Jacob was amazing with the littler kids. It washed out months of built up pre-teen sass.

Cooper was socialized.. People and dog style.

And we all go our summertime relax going.

And right on my way out of town I got a lovely package from Jennifer over at Infinity More Monkeys with an awesome road trip mix cd and all these:

Thanks Jennifer!! Perfect timing!


Stay tuned for what happened to the other 12 days..
They actually contained some photographable CRAFT.
Seriously.
Don't look at me like that.

I mean it.

Design for Mankind...and I'm in the E-zine!!

Well, Isn't this just about the coolest!?! My head is huge!




My little old bedroom is in a design inspiration e-zine with some Really Cool People... and it was all thanks to the lovely, super sweet, extra gracious Erin at Design for Mankind.I love her blog and she has such a great online "prescence". I love people who you get all delusional that you "really know them" after just a post and/or photo or two. Don't you?

And a special shout out to Shannon for making the fabric, that fills the frame , that shines in the mirror (that is pictured in the e-zine) that hangs on the wall at my house.

and here is yesterday's Made it Myself picture... Violet's Birthday Outfit!!



I can't wait for her to model it. Loud and proud, like summer playclothes ought to be!



and a special Thanks to Lindy for sending Milo and I lovely goodies!!
Milo is enjoying his ball...


( no books..sorry. if only I knew what to write about....)

Hey! It was My Blogiversary and I forgot to check!

2 years!!!!!



Yep. 2 years last week.

and the New Vintage Wardrobe Project is a year old too...

And I started 365 on my Blogiversary.

March must be my "new big thing" month.

Let's Celebrate with a new Handprinted Fabric Swap.
And Margaritas.

2007: A Pretty Decent Year

I read 24 Novels.

I read 8 (or more) "how to" books.

I bought my 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Japanese crafting book.

I learned to can veggies.

Redecorated my bedroom.

I made my first Jam.

I learned to silkscreen.

Hosted my first serious swap (handprinted fabrics, doncha know?)

Started Using Bloglines.

I learned to needlefelt.

I had my first pattern published.

Made my 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th handbag design.

Made 7 tiny dogs, 2 monsters, a naked gnome, 10 birdies, and some bug people.

I made 13 New Vintage articles of clothing for myself...
and found lots of new blog buddies because of it.

I finally got into the double digits of sold items on Etsy.

I met 2 really cool Bloggers from SF.

I was on tv in CraftLab reruns, twice. ( Don't know what happened to the other episode we taped.. oh well.. Maybe next year?)

Met 4 Craft Stars in person.

Made 27 new recipes.

Made 34 Holiday gifts by hand... Not counting cookies or food.

Posted 103 times.

Did some half-assed gardening.

Cleaned out my craft cave twice.

Had a pet tragedy.

Tried again and adopted the Best Evil Kitten In The Whole World.

Picked for Whiplash once.

Participated in Handmade Parade, and C is 4 Craft.

Went to the Maker Faire.

Taught my kid more about modern art.

Let him see Rushmore even though it is rated R.

Helped him get on the Honor Roll 3 times.. the first 3 times it has ever happened.


Not Bad... Not Bad, at all.
I am trying to clarify my goals for 2008... But I just wanted to take a minute and look back...
It was a satisfying review.
Let's hear it for 2007!!

Now, Bring On the New Year! (Would someone get that dang tree out of here already?)

Had a Happy Week

Well, I am having a run-away mom girl weekend with my best friend from college this weekend but wanted to do a bit of a weekly recap.

I think that Very soon I am going to try and do themed posts.

You know:
Made it Myself Monday
Tutorial Tuesday
WIP Wednesday
Thrift Shop Thursday
Fashion Friday

Or something less nauseatingly alliterated.
or not.

But back to the recap of The Week That Was:

Very decent Thrift-shopping:

• The 4 cup pyrex measuring cup... I only had the two cup.
• 5 mini fluted pyrex pie plates. These are fantastic. I will use them all the time!
• Handy dandy potato ricer/fruit press: appears to be vintage but unused, cute and handy.
• Nice vintage robe pattern: maybe a holiday item for Mr. Bitter.
• Red beads and a black patent leather frame handbag.

The table cloth was from a previous thrift-venture but it pulled the look together.

I think it is funny how what you buy from the thrift store usually has something to say about you current obsessions. Lately I have been cooking about a thousand times more interesting and complicated meals. Hence the small dishes and huge measuring cup.
But Betty why are you cooking so much more? Why, when there is sewing and embroidering calling out to be done? Why?

The CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Box. It is like an Organic Veggie Subscription.

This is a pic of some of the stuff we got this week.

Last week I made: fresh tomato soup, pumpkin bread from fresh roasted pumpkin, butternut squash soup, cornbread, eggplant dip and sauteed shrimp, margaritas, pita croutons for a salad made with mint and feta cheese, blue cheese-cranberry-pecan salad, apple crisp, pumpkin bread caramel sundaes, gingered lemon drops ( The cocktail, mind you.), tuna casserole with green beans, ceasar salad,

and tonight we will have almond crusted local salmon with creamy leek sauce, scalloped sweet potatoes with fennel, and mixed baby greens with pumpkin seeds and apple chunks.

Normally its just: pasta, burritos, pasta, grilled fish, soup, pasta.. and maybe an omelette.

I am going to have to find a happy medium someday because my craft time has been pretty sparse.. and the huge amount of dirty dishes.. aye-aye!

but for now we are fat and happy living off the CSA Box.

Weekly Gratuitous kitten photo:

Well, off I go to take my big orange cat to the vet. He hurt his paw trying to escape from this little terror.

Maybe I will get a chance to finish my New Vintage Shirt before I hit the road.
Well, a girl can dream, can't she?

Bloggers Gone Wild.

Bloggers Gone Wild., originally uploaded by bitterbethany.

What could be better than being out o the town with some Buddies of Blog?
Sonya and Claire of Knit Sonya and Little Lovelies Handmade and their darling kiddles met me in The Mission District for some hard core thrift and tart adventure.

Bring on the Tartine Coconut Cream Love.. To be featured under the next New Vintage garment as padding. Worth every bite.. every calorie.

Next a photo op filled trip down Clarion Alley headed to Thrift Town..







This was so great to see all the murals. It reminded me how much I loved living in the big city and checking out all the street art.
Murals, stencils, painting done over the tops of advertisements.
Interesting discussions on this and also Street Craft on WhipUp lately.
And even though I am raised by mild mannered civil servants. I fall more on the anarchy side of this arguement especially when it comes to artistic statements for the disenfranchised. ( as opposed to scrawled obsenities and spraypaint territorial pissings et al.)
Not everybody gets to be in a gallery show... after all.

But Being Bloggish: we then went to Candystore..
where Some People do.



Oh we will do, what we do... Won't we?

Thanks Ladies for a Lovely Day out.

More Gratitude Tomorrow!