It's Only String

One Little Word

2011-01-04T15:28:00.002-05:00

My One Little Word for 2011 is EMBRACE.

Looking in a thesaurus, similar words are:

clasp, cinch, cling, grasp, cradle, cuddle, encircle, enfold, entwine, envelop, hug, nuzzle, seize, squeeze, wrap, accept, accomodate, admit, avail oneself of, go in for, incorporate, involve, make use of, provide for, receive, take in, take on, take up, welcome.

Whew! So many words to work with! I find it interesting that a synonym is seize. Carpe Diem! Part of my goal to embrace life for 2011 is my challenge to seize the day; each day, every day.

I was rather surprised to discover that an antonym to embrace is to RELEASE.

It's clear that my One Little Word is really meant for me. I have so much I need to release: the guilt I feel over my dad's death, the exhaustion I feel after caring for dad and mom for the last four years, the pain of my own health issues.

This is the year I will release all of that, in my quest to embrace a new life.

One Little Word

2011-01-03T16:42:00.004-05:00

I've joined a class over at Big Picture Scrapbooking that is designed around concept of choosing One Little Word at the start of new year to focus on throughout the year. You can read more about OLW HERE.

My OLW this year is EMBRACE.

This year is going to be full of many changes in my life. We have just moved 3000 miles away from our home, our friends and our family; as a result so our daily lives are going to be quite new and different. We have new places to visit and new things to experience. This is the year I hope to have my knee replaced, and I am looking forward to a year of improved health and vitality.

I have spent the last few years just struggling to deal with all the issues in my life, whether it was my own health issues or as a caregiver for my parents. Moving so far away allowed me to hire a care manager to take over my mother's health care routine and has given me the freedom to start to embrace life again.

I am looking forward to this new life and hope to EMBRACE all of the wonder, and even the not-so-wonderful.

The definition of embrace is:

To clasp or hold with the arms, usually as an expression of affection--I hope to embrace the opportunities here with joy.

To surround or enclose--I want to surround myself with health.

To include as part of something broader--I plan to include myself in the broader opportunities that are here in this area, both for my family and for myself.

To take up willingly or eagerly--I want to willingly and eagerly take up a lifestyle that allows me to experience all the wonders and joy I can find.

To avail oneself of--I hope to avail myself of any and all opportunities to LIVE!

So my One Little Word for this year is Embrace.

What's your word? Join the journey.

10 Memories from 2010

2011-01-03T15:59:00.002-05:00

I'm participating in a journaling challenge...the challenge is to journal every day. I'm not sure how long I will last, but hopefully I can keep up with the challenge, weekly if not daily.

So my first assignment is to write about 10 memories from 2010. Hmmm.

1) The biggest memory of 2010 is that we had our home of 13 years on the market for most of the year. We first listed the house in November of 2009 and really didn't think it was going to sell until this recession was over. There were so many homes for sale in our little town, and way too many foreclosures with great prices. But after a long wait, the perfect buyer came along and, YAY! We sold the house is September. After keeping the house neat as a pin for 11 months, we were outta there!

2) DH took a job in California. He had been job hunting for a while, and when the perfect chance came along, he took it. Since our house hadn't sold (see #1 above), he commuted back and forth from the west coast to the east coast, starting in May. It was a strange time, but he loves his new job, and we love living in the Bay area!

3) We moved from New England to California. I think that's all I need to say.

4) My beloved Father-in-Law passed away. He had been sick for a while and really went downhill quickly, but it was still a difficult time for us all, especially DH. May his memory be eternal.

5) Youngest DD took a semester off from school and moved home. The house had been so quiet since both girls had moved on to the college life, so we were thrilled to have one of them home again. And lucky for us, she has moved to California with us!

6) We took our annual summer week at the Jersey shore, but for the first time had DH's mom staying with us. We also had a short visit with youngest DD's boyfriend, so it was a lot of people in a small house and a lot of fun. We played a ton of games, finished a few jigsaw puzzles, and ate a ton of ice cream. All in all, a memorable week.

7) DH and I started playing Super Mario Brothers for Wii in 2009, when he was still retired and we had just listed the house. We were trying to keep the house neat and tidy and couldn't find anything to do, so we decided to give it a try. This particular video game is unique because we could both play together as a team. Let's just say that neither of us was raised on video games, and we are REALLY bad, but it didn't take us long to get hooked on the game. What did take us long was finishing the game. We would spend days or even weeks on one single "land." But we persevered, learned to work together and take advantage of each other's strengths, and in 2010, we managed to beat the entire game! Yahooo! The only downside is that we haven't yet found a game that can take it's place.

8) Special Family events of 2010: my niece got married and DH's neice had a baby, the first grandchild in the family.

9) I discovered Clean Eating...which in my book means no white foods (sugar, white flour, potatoes, etc.). It's hard to do at first, but really helps keep my arthritis pain at a minimum. Now if I can just keep it up in 2011. Wait, really I need to say, "now if I can just get back to it!" LOL

10) We had both DD's here in the new house for Christmas this year. Eldest DD brought her boyfriend along, and we had a great time--lots of games, lots of ice cream, and lots of fun. We loved making new family memories in our new home.

Sending a prayer of Thanksgiving for all the blessings of the last year and a hope for continued blessings in the year to come.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T12:06:00.004-05:00

I haven't posted in quite a while. Last fall I temporarily closed my Etsy shops, and since this blog was originally designed to promote the shops, it fell by the wayside as well.

I closed my shops for a couple of reasons. DH and I were busy dealing with an upcoming move across the country, from Connecticut to California. Since a lot of my shop items were made by my mom, I wasn't sure how I would get the items out to me--I do the photography and mailing, so I need the items in my hand. It is so difficult to get a decent price for hand knits anyway, I hated to add another cost in order to ship the items across the country to me so that I could prepare them for sale.

But I am also quite discouraged at the path Etsy has taken in the last year or so. It is obvious that Etsy management has decided to allow resellers a place in Etsy. Right now, however, they allow the resellers to misrepresent "who" is actually making the item. These resellers pretend the item is handmade in the USA when it is really made in a third-world country for slave labor wages. As a handknitter in the USA, I cannot compete with these prices.

I have no problem with Etsy allowing these sellers as long as the seller is clear about where the item was made and who really made the item. Then the buyer can make an informed decision. Purchase the cheaper handknit and support the reseller rather than the actual knitter, who probably earned pennies for his/her work, or support the actual artisan who made the item, but pay a higher premium

Many buyers would probably choose the less expensive option, but at least it would be an informed purchase. As of now, there are people all over the internet complaining about making a handmade purchase on Etsy from a seller in the USA, only to find a "made in Tibet' (China, India, you name it) tag inside the item.

So for now, my shops are closed. Our move is finished, and we are loving our new life in the Bay area. I'm watching Etsy closely to see if changes are made that would warrant our revisiting the idea of selling handmade knits again.

I'm planning to use this blog for more "esoteric" musings, so feel free to stay tuned if you are interested!

And a blessed new year to all!

Childhood Memories

2010-03-03T09:13:00.004-05:00

When we moved into our current home 13 years ago, I considered myself very lucky that the house came with a full-size unfinished attic with a finished stairway. No pull down rickety stairwell or hole in the ceiling, this is a real stairway leading to a huge empty space. At the time, I had visions of finishing off the room into a craft space.

The craft space never materialized because, all too soon, the attic became the family storage space. Every time my parents would visit, my mom would drop off a box or two full of vintage whatchamacallits. Boxes of dishes. An antique kitchen table. Boxes of dishes. Victorian jewelry. A primitive spinning wheel. A vintage dressing table. Books. Handmade quilts. Old family coffee table. Did I mention dishes?

Now the kids are in college and we've decided to downsize. We cannot take all this "stuff" with us to a smaller home, but what to do with it? Going through the boxes is such a difficult process. Most are family treasures with a story attached. The story makes them real, gives them substance, creates a history that makes that item valuable. The value may not be monetary, but rather in the sense of continuing the family legacy.

My mom knows all the stories and has told them so many times that, when I look at a piece, it "belongs" to someone and I see that person reflected in the item. The china is not just a set of pink flowered dishes , they are Florence's Dishes. That battered oak table is not just a table, it's the table Papa Harold cut off the legs so that it could serve as a Coffee Table.

And then there are the books. My mom was an only child who grew up in an old Victorian home with her parents and grandparents. She lived a relatively quiet life and loved to read. When I grew up I had a huge library at my disposal full of my mom's childhood books. I read them all--The Bobbsey Twins, Anne of Avonlea, Heidi, Jane Eyre. You name it, I read it. I grew up reading all these old fashioned treasures.

Now all these books are in my own home. Two generations old; most of them have that dusty, musty smell that old books acquire. I haven't read one in years. My daughters never read a one of them. The books aren't treasures to them. While I know there is no good reason to keep these books, they are like old friends. So much of my childhood is dusted over each and every one of them.

In addition to my handmade shop, I also have a vintage shop on Etsy, Peanut and Tommy Too. Most of the vintage items in this shop are treasures I've pulled from the boxes in the attic. I wish I could say that I'm listing new items daily, that the number of boxes is going down, that the attic is empty and we're ready to go on with our new life. But that wouldn't be quite true. It takes me forever to choose an item and post it in the shop. I have to think about each one, go over the memories, visualize the owner, and decide on the perfect home. If the item has a story, I try to tell the story in the listing so the new owner will take on the history with the treasure.

Luckily for me, most of the items that I've sold in the vintage shop have gone to new owners who love them for the same reasons they were loved in my family. The books are the most fun to sell--I always get a note about the buyer's excitement at finding this specific edition. Wrapping up a book to send on to a new owner is quite satisfying--like sending a child off into the world, knowing there is a new life just around the corner.

Tunisian Crochet

2010-02-25T07:08:00.005-05:00

When I was first learning to knit and crochet...long ago in my college days.....I came across an antique lap blanket that one of the great-grans had made back in the 1800's. I was so intrigued, as I'd never seen that stitch before. My mom called it "afghan stitch" and said that it was done with a very long crochet hook. Somehow, before the days of the Internet and all kinds of information right at your fingertips, I managed to find an afghan hook and instructions for the stitch. Using the long crochet hook is so amazing--it's like the best of knitting and crochet all in one. The best way to explain it is to say you are knitting with a crochet hook. Needless to say, I was "hooked!"

What I found so interesting is that the afghan stitch makes little squares in your material. The squares are just the perfect size and shape to be used for counted cross stitch. So you knit/crochet up the blanket and then you embellish it with a cross stitch design.

I was so excited that I gathered up a ton of materials and copied the antique blanket. I must have found a pattern somewhere because my cross stitch design is quite a bit different from the antique blanket I copied.
My next project was a full size afghan that I made for my parents. It took me almost a year, and was a ton of work. I loved the process of creating this work of art, but when the year was over I decided that I could make only so many blankets. At the time, I couldn't quite figure out what else could be done with the afghan stitch besides embellished blankets, so I put my long crochet hook away and forgot about it.
Recently I'd been hearing about this new technique called "Tunisian Crochet," which interestingly enough is really just the old afghan stitch with a new name. I did a little research and discovered tons of books and patterns for Tunisian Crochet. I was really surprised to discover that the stitch I had used for the blankets--that made little squares in the finished product--is really just the basic Tunisian stitch and that there are a ton of variations. You can even use a Tunisian hook to create work that looks just like knitting.

So it's no surprise that I dug out my old afghan hook and some yarn and went to work playing around with the different Tunisian stitches. Once again I am hooked! I love using a large-size Tunisian hook and thicker yarn--the project goes so quickly and the end result is so beautiful.

The scarflette to the right was my first Tunisian project. It is made with lovely, soft organic cotton. I'm working on a few more similar style scarflettes that will be in my Etsy shop soon.

Etsy Twitter Team Shop of the Week

2010-02-04T07:12:00.003-05:00

I'm a member of the Etsy Twitter Team. This is a fun team made up of Etsy shop owners with a variety of handmade, vintage and supply items in our shops. The one connection we all have is that we like to Twitter. I love the variety in the team membership!

This week's Twitter Team Shop of the Week is FoxyGKnits. Since FoxyG is a knitter, she's also a kindred spirit! Check out her shop for GORGEOUS knitted items. As a knitter myself, I know that FoxyG's items are quite intricate and very well made.

Here's my favorite:

To learn more about FoxyG and her amazing shop please use the links below:

EtsyShop: http:FoxyGKnits.etsy.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/foxygknits
Facebook biz page: http://www.facebook.com/foxygknits
Blog: Foxy G’s Den of i-KNIT-quity: http://foxygknits.com

Getting Ready for the Holidays

2009-09-10T08:28:00.003-04:00

We have a new item in our shop, our latest handknit Nativity set. We try to make at least one Nativity a year. They are very time consuming and intricate work. This set includes two pieces of cotton fabric to help with your holiday decorating. One piece resembles rocky ground and the other is quite dark with small sparkly stars scattered all over it.

Each piece of cloth left unfinished so that you can cut or drape it to fit your space. In the first photo, I stacked up empty cereal boxes in different heights before draping the fabric so that I have different levels on which to place the dolls.

This set includes Mary, who is holding the baby Jesus in her arms. Joseph is holding a lantern. The Angel is carrying a heart. The Shepherd has a crook and one sheep. The three Kings are carrying their own special gifts.

Featured!

2009-07-18T10:07:00.004-04:00

Yahooo! My Etsy shop has been featured on another blog! Ripper Arts Studio Gallery (http://ripperarts.blogspot.com/) has a lovely blog which features handmade art in a variety of media.

Ripper Arts Studio Gallery is an Etsy shop packed with beautiful handcrafted wood and fiber art items.

Take a look at this lovely maple and cherry cutting board! It would be a great gift for a new bride or graduate who is going out on their own.

Eco-friendly Scrubbie Giveaway

2009-07-16T07:31:00.003-04:00

I'm giving away one of my eco-friendly scrubbies! Check out the post on my Etsy crochet team blog CreateCrochet.

This is a crocheted loop scrubbie for cleaning all around your home. This scrubbie is two sided--there are fluffy loops crocheted into each side to help you clean and shine all around the house. The yarn used in this scrubbie is 100% acrylic yarn that has been blended with positive silver ions, which makes it more resistant to mildew and bacteria than regular acrylic yarn. The acrylic yarn holds it's shape well and scrubs like a breeze.

You can enter the giveaway by going to the CreateCrochet team blog and posting a comment about your favorite item in my shop in the giveaway comments.

Christmas in July!

2009-07-11T14:05:00.003-04:00

I've started listing items in my Etsy shop that have been made specifically for the holidays. We don't make many of these little gems, and they usually go quickly, so be sure to check the shop regularly. We should have a hand-knit Nativity in the shop in the next week or two!

This cable-knit tote was made by my mom with a Micro Suede yarn--lovely and soft to the touch, but it's polyester so it's easy care. What a bright, happy bag to carry during the holidays!

Eco-Friendly Amigurumi

2009-07-10T15:35:00.003-04:00

Meet Mr Froggy!

Mr. Froggy is a small amigurumi critter. He's a little quirky, but that's what makes him special.

Mr. Froggy is always in a happy mood--gosh, he just makes you smile.Mr. Froggy is soft and huggable, and small enough to hide away in a backpack or bag.

He's a perfect friend to sit on your desk at work. Your coworkers will be so busy laughing with Mr. Froggy that they'll forget why they came over to pester you.

Aha! It's that froggy charm!

Froggy is knit with an eco-cotton blend that is made from 75% recycled cotton. His face has been hand embroidered. He is stuffed with 100% bamboo fiberfill.

You can see Mr. Froggie and lots of other handmade goodies at my Etsy shop, Peanut and Tommy.

Eco Friendly Cleaning for your Home

2009-07-08T11:36:00.007-04:00

Here is our latest fun idea! Magic Scrubbers made from Cafe Kitchen yarn by Daruma.

Cafe Kitchen is a fluffy, 100% acrylic yarn that has been blended with positive silver ions, which makes it more resistant to mildew and bacteria than regular acrylic yarn. The acrylic yarn holds it's shape well and scrubs like a breeze.

The Japanese call these scrubbies "Magic Scrubbers." They use them to clean without detergent in the kitchen and bath.

Do they work? You'll have to try one to find out!

Check our our Etsy shop, Peanut and Tommy, to see more of these cute little scrubbies.

Eco-Friendly Knitting

2009-07-07T10:42:00.006-04:00

I've been branching out with my knitting, and I'm making a serious effort to use upcycled or organic yarn for my knitting projects.

This week, I'm going to feature some of the eco-friendly items for sale in my handmade shop at Etsy.

This is a handknit caterpillar, who is made with organic cotton yarn with natural colors. No dyes, pesticides, herbicides or other agri-chemicals were used to grow or color the yarn.

In addition, he has been stuffed with all new fiberfill made from bamboo, which is a sustainable resource. Bamboo fiberfill is naturally antibacterial. It makes a soft, yet firmly stuffed critter.

Happy Fourth of July!

2009-07-04T08:00:00.005-04:00

A big thank you to our troops for all you do for our country!

Thought I'd add a little patriotic bling to this post with a photo of this lovely doily, which was hand crocheted by a friend of mine, who owns a delightful Etsy shop, JBCrochetDelights.

Be sure to take a look at Jennie's shop for all kinds of crocheted loveliness!

My Latest Project--The Story of Me

2009-06-25T16:10:00.002-04:00

I've been a scrapbooker for quite a while now. I've got a ton of albums packed full of stories about the kids, about our trips, about many of the adventures that go on in the life of our family. However, when you look though many of my albums, there is one person missing....me! Since I am usually the photographer as well as the historian, the stories are from my point of view, but rarely about ME.

So to challenge myself, I've just begun a new online scrapbooking class over at Big Picture Scrapbooking. The class is called "The Challenge of Me" and it's taught by veteran scrapbooker Lisa Day. The goal of the class is to create a scrapook about myself. The class began today, so I'm just getting started, but I'm really excited about the idea of featuring myself for a change.

My youngest daughter just graduated from high school; this fall both of our girls will be away at college. Taking this class is a way for me to close the book on the mom I've been for the last 20 years and open the book on this next stage of my life.

Stay tuned...I will post updates along the way!

My Favorite Place

2009-06-07T16:25:00.003-04:00

Every summer we pile the kids in the car and take off for a couple of weeks of beachy bliss on a small island off the Jersey shore. It's a quiet place, no boardwalk and not much to do...which is just how we like it. We spend a lot of time on the beach, reading, swimming, just doing beachy things.

The kids aren't small anymore, my youngest graduates from high school next week, the oldest is in college, but they still look foward to the relaxation and renewal that comes from our beach time.

This year's beach week is coming soon. Yahoo!!

Operation Gratitude

2009-06-04T14:51:00.003-04:00

I'm a member of the Etsy CreateCrochet Team. The team is organizing a "knit a scarf" project for Operation Gratitude.

Operation Gratitude seeks to lift morale and put smiles on faces of our service men and women by sending care packages addressed to individual Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines deployed overseas.

Operation Gratitude care packages contain food, hygiene products, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation, all wrapped with good wishes of love and support. Check out their website here for more information.

If you would like to knit a scarf for Operation Gratitude, you can check out their website and mail the scarf straight to them, or contact the CreateCrochet Team leader in her Etsy shop here. There is no set pattern you must follow. The scarf should be 5-7 inches in width only, and no more then 50 inches long. Subtle colors are preferred -- maybe go with greens,blacks, tans, browns, maybe a little blue, white -- stuff similar to military uniform colors. All yarns are accepted, but go for something soft.

Cable Knit Tote Bag

2009-05-25T23:55:00.006-04:00

My mom is really into knitting tote bags lately, and we have several in the shop. I especially love the cable knit bags--they're perfect to carry a magazine or two, your planner or spiral notebook, a pen and your wallet and keys. Each one is lined in a matching cotton fabric, with inside pockets for added organization.

Great for a summer day, just grab it and go! Check out our shop here to see all our bags and other knitted lovelies.

A Franciscan Travel Blessing

2009-05-24T15:38:00.004-04:00

This is one of my favorite quotes. I love the message. I used it on the last page of one of my daughter's high school scrapbooks, but it would be great for a graduation card too.

~~~

May God bless you with discomfort
at easy answers, half truths and superficial relationships
so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
so that you will work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed
for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war,
so that you will reach out your hand to comfort them
and change their pain into joy.

May God bless you with the foolishness
to believe that you can make a difference in this world,
so that you will do the things that others tell you cannot be done.

A Cute Etsy Giveaway

2009-05-24T07:44:00.002-04:00

Here is a cute giveaway from an adorable Etsy shop called Mary's Granddaughter. You can win either a greta doll or a greta brooch of your choosing from this little shop. Check out Mary's Granddaughter's blog for details:

Mary'sGranddaughter

My Etsy Shop

2009-05-21T08:31:00.000-04:00

I started a little shop on Etsy in the summer of 2008. The shop really wasn't for me, it was more for my mom. She just LOVES to knit toys, and spends hours crafting the cutest little lovely stuffed plushies. She would sell her toys at a local craft fair to earn money to donate to a favorite charity.

I helped her out at a fair one summer day, and was shocked at the prices she was putting on her little friends--basically, she was charging people for the yarn and stuffing. A real crime, considering the hours of labor that went into each little plushie. The day of the fair was unbearably hot and humid, and by the time it was over, we were completely wiped out. And for all that work, she had probaby cleared $50.

I had been trolling around Etsy for a while then, and I talked mom into opening a little shop to sell her toys. Peanut and Tommy was born! We had so much fun getting the shop set up that I started making things to sell--knitted and crocheted toys, scarves, you name it. Most of our items are one of a kind, and you never know what we'll come up with next!

The name of our shop comes from a series of stories my dad created when my brothers and I were little. Peanut and Tommy were two little boys who had a lot of adventures and a lot of fun. Mom is thrilled that the shop honors my dad, who was always so supportive of mom and the toys she knits.

Starting a blog

2009-05-17T08:11:00.000-04:00

The dashboard is set up, the space is organized. All kinds of little empty boxes sit on the screen in front of me, waiting to be filled. I need to dig out some words; fill the text box, complete the sidebars....hopefully there will be followers in the blank empty space that sits there now.

I clear out some time in my day to WRITE THE BLOG. I go to the desk, all business. NOW I am going to write the blog! It's time to get going....gotta put something in that empty space.

And the computer just sits in front of me, blank page glowing softly.

Guess I'll start the blog tomorrow.