Friday, November 30, 2007

Hot Pink Christmas

I'm thinking about some new color combinations for my Christmas Puzzle Balls, so I thought I'd try one out on a friend of mine. Here's what she (and her daughter) said about it:

Here is a few (not really great) pics of the kid with her favorite Christmas Ornament.
It's a mini puzzle ball made by Donna Pool.
She can take it off the tree and it comes apart in three peices and she has to figure out how to put it back together.

She really loves it!

She's so excited b/c of all the ornaments on the tree... she knows that that one... she can take it off and play with it!












So what do you think? Leave a comment and tell me if you think I should make more like this to post in my Etsy shop. I'd love to hear what you think!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Flying Teddy Bears

I only had a handful of Teddy Bears in my Etsy shop so when I sold two recently I resolved to make more. As soon as those two arrived, the buyer came back to my shop to buy two others I had in stock, too! Now I'm down to one. They're just flying out of my shop these days! Wish my fingers could fly, too, since I stitch these entirely by hand!

I think part of the interest is because of all the toy recalls. These are very baby safe, very soft, throw them in the washer kind of toys. I think a lot of moms are looking for something like that. So I guess I'd better step away from the computer and get back to stitching Teddy Bears!

Here are the most recent bears to go:



Thursday, November 22, 2007

And there I Am...Again!

Something new to help you find your way around all those wonderful Etsy artist's shops:

http://etsymini.blogspot.com/


Just click on the categories in the sidebar there and you'll get a glimpse at what each artist has in their shop. This is just a sampling of artists who have submitted their shops to this particular blog, but it's a good place to start.

I submitted my shop when I saw that there was a category for "Miscellaneous and Eclectic", because I can't seem to stick to one particular type of project! So, click on that category, and there I am, on page 2:

http://etsymini.blogspot.com/2001/12/miscellaneous-and-eclectic-page-2.html


Take a look around the blog and click on anything that looks interesting...like, maybe my stuff!

Etsy Mini Blog

Monday, November 19, 2007

And There I Am!

The Eco Etsy blog has been featuring the different Etsy sellers who are participating in the 20% off sale running through Nov. 30th. This time, it's my turn! Check it out:

http://ecoetsy.blogspot.com/2007/11/eco-etsy-team-sale-malinb-and-donna.html


I think this is my personal favorite among the standard size Puzzle Ball ornaments I currently have in my shop:



And this is my favorite among the Mini Puzzle Balls:



If you see anything you're interested in, better get it while you can. These take a while to make and if your favorite design sells out before Christmas, I may or may not have time to make you another one!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Eco Sale on Etsy 20% off

I belong to several of Etsy.com's Street Teams as a way to get to know other sellers, learn about how Etsy works, and help promote each other's shops.

Yesterday was the beginning of a sale for members of the Eco Etsy Street Team. Participating members have taken 20% off the price of selected products in their shops from Nov. 17-30. Everyone who buys one of these items will be entered in a drawing for free items from some of these sellers that will take place on Dec. 1. Take a look at the Eco Etsy blog to find out more about it and to see featured discounted items from member's shops.

I've discounted all the Puzzle Balls and photo notecards in my shop and changed the prices on these items accordingly. If you see something you like, just go through the checkout process as usual.

My fingers are sewing like crazy these days, but I can only stitch so fast, so if you see something you like, grab it while you can!


Click here to see this one in my Etsy shop



Click here to see this one in my Etsy shop

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Just Like Mom? Not Hardly!

My mom was a home ec major so there are a lot of things she did that I'll never do!

Some of it is because of technology...I don't have to iron everything because of perma-press fabrics, for example.

Some of it is because I overloaded on it while I was kid. I had so many Toni home perms and restless nights on sponge rollers and pin-curls that I've always sworn I would never get between my daughters and their hair. When my daughter dyed her hair hot pink I secretly admired her sense of adventure, knowing that if I'd tried something like that when I was a teen-ager my mother would have keeled over!

One thing my mother always did that I will never do is to keep a list of the menus for the evening meals of the week. She'd always cook a nice meal, everything in serving dishes on a neatly set table...with a centerpiece, no less...every night of the week (except for Wednesdays, when we had supper at the church). And we always knew what we were having every night because we'd check the notepad in the drawer next to the refrigerator. Meat, 2 veggies, bread, dessert...all planned not only for nutritional value but also according to texture and color. No, I'm not kidding...home ec major, remember? When I got to the meal-planning unit in my junior high home ec class, I told my group, "Oh, I've got this one covered!" She also had another notepad with a grocery list in progress, with items listed according to their sections in the grocery store...dairy, produce, meats, etc. She'd add to it during the week as she noticed things we needed, then take it with her when it was time to shop. Not a bad system, huh?

These days our schedule is pretty unpredictable...I tell my friends we try to plan things five minutes in advance! There's no way I could even know who will be home for dinner, much less plan what to fix every night. Not that I'm the one who does the cooking...my husband is the chef in our family!

Well, I just returned from a trip back home to Dallas to help my sister go through my parents' house and decide what to do with all the stuff. My mom died about a year and a half ago and my dad recently remarried and moved to another town with his new bride and he wants to sell the house. As we were going through the things in the kitchen, just for grins I checked that drawer next to the refrigerator...and there they were. Two notepads, one for meals, one for groceries. I have to say it really stopped me in my tracks, seeing my mother's handwriting there and realizing they'd been there for all the years my mom had been housebound and later, bedridden, before her death from a chronic lung disease. The notepad with the meal plans on it was dated "Dec. 13, 1999". Here's a picture: