there's no business like show business

There's never a dull moment when show day arrives, except maybe for the little kielbasa, who sat like a twenty two pound meat loaf on my legs while Robin and I casually discussed what seemed like anything but our plans for the day ahead while we got ready to leave for the show. There's no point in over planning, we've both discovered, though I am often still the one that seems to be inclined to overpack stuff, just in case we need it.

Besides the extreme heat and cold, doing an outdoor show is always an adventure, to say the least. Last year, it was all about being located in the apparent - and accumulated - pooping grounds of the homeowner's dog, and this year, it was the previous night's pretty smattering of snow which randomly plopped out of the overhead trees and melted on our goods as the sun rose in the sky. Minor setbacks, really, as winging it seems to play such a major role such affairs. We always manage to have a blast no matter what happens, and thankfully, the people we meet do, too.

Folks started streaming in before we were really ready, and so no pristine booth shots, but a few happy disheveled scenes that I was able to take between the waves of folks needing to checkout. A busy, busy day, but as always, so fun!



PS - yippee! Harriet the extremely long legged dachshund will have a forever home this Christmas, purchased as she was to be a thoughtful gift for someone lives in a complex that doesn't allow pets. Bye bye, Harriet, I just know you'll be very much loved! :)

me likey dat & get crafty: my outdoor lighted doxie

Hey folks, it's me, Baxter, your roving rover reporter reporting to you today in the almost dark from here in my front yard. As you all might be aware, I've been keeping an eye out for Santa cuz I was hoping he would bring my present early this year and for that to happen I figure I need all the help I can get. Which is why I'm really excited about the lighted Christmas Doxie my mom wired up for me. Nothin says Santa stop here like slightly bigger than life sized lighted version of me pointing at my front door, right? I really like his festive green wreath that he's wearing around his neck. Something tells me I would look really good wearing that, too. But mom says electricity and boys like me don't mix very well.

Well speaking of Santa, duk duk told me I should really write him a letter so he really knows what I want, so I am going to turn over my report now to mom. This is Baxter your roving rover reporter saying hi mom!



Hee hee, um, thanks Baxter. First off, super thanks to Joey & Maggie for sharing the original lighted doxie back in July. And for posting the budget version that came as a zero instruction, light it yourself frame only. That's what I bought, keeping my fingers crossed that it would all work out. Which it pretty much did, so I thought I'd share some lessons learned and tips for anyone tempted to do the same (like me, who hopes to do one every year til all our boys past and present can light the holiday night.)

First, the wally world shopping list.
1) 18ft rope light in clear
2) the smallest zip ties they carry - four inch I think? one pack, but consider two because they're pretty cheap, under a buck each. I bought 1 pack and had only like 5 left - not much room for mess up or detail zip tie work

If doing the neck wreath
3) 100 mini light string in green for the wreath (I'm wondering if 50 lights would have been fine, but wally world didn't have this size)
4) One or two packs of replacement mini bulbs in red
5) A multi plug stake timer, cuz mini light string will not plug into the rope light

If doing the bowtie
3) Colored duct tape

How to & hints:
1) Decide which way the doxie will face to establish the front. This is the side that rope light will be attached to. Personally I like to work with the strings lit, so if you're like me, just plan on working near an outlet or extension cord.

2) Starting with the receptacle end of the rope light (the end that isn't the one you plug into an outlet), start at the outermost foot under the tail and work the underbelly first, zip tying as you go to affix the rope to the frame and making sure to be generous with the zip ties when turning corners or making tight turns. Snip exposed zip tails after tightening.

3) For this first doxie, I avoided lighting certain parts- like the hamhock leg line that splits the two hind legs for feasibility reasons and the odd secondary straight line at the chest for artistic reasons . I also avoided doing the bowtie because I didn't think I had the electrical means to splice in a different color rope light. But I have an after thought on this, so more on that in step 7.

4) Continue working your way around the doxie, thinking of it in terms of making a continuous line drawing - loop de loop the nose and eye and ear and have faith that the zip ties are long enough to do the job because they are. In the doubled parts, you might just need an extra hand to keep it all together/do the pulling, or really strong teeth. (I never said anything about looking dignified while making this, did I?). The finish line is obviously the same as the starting line, so you'll know when you're done.

5) Wind the green light string loosely around the neck over and over and over til you've used it all up, being mindful to end with the plug in back. Loose (but not too loose) helps minimize the number of wraps and also gives the wreath a fuller look. Too loose and it'll look, amorphous. Too taut and it could look like spikes - which might not be a bad thing if that's the look you want - oooh, can you imagine that in the bigger lightbulb? Yeah that would be totally cool. Whoops I digress.

6) Swap out a few of the green bulbs with red ones and voila! Done!

7)There will be a surplus of rope light - maybe three feet or so. I wrapped mine in the duct tape I had on hand which happened to be red, thinking it would obscure the light, but lo and behold, I got red rope light essentially. So here's the eureka and there might actually be enough rope light to do it - try doing the bow tie as you work your way around the doxie, remembering what I said about loop de loops, and wrap it in colored duct tape! Ditto for the eyes if you want colored ones of those as well. Alternatively, you should still be able to get at least a collar line our of the surplus length, just be sure you're able to zip tie a straight line as needed for it.

So that's it! I'm really excited about the duct tape idea. One of these years Baxter's lighted doppleganger just might be wearing his very own lighted orange dapper doxie dud! :) Happy Monday!!

ps - think i'm gonna do a little red tape at the nose, for a little baxter the red nosed doxie action. and cover that red taped slack so it's not so, uh, well, cecelia mentions it in her comments! :)

up on the rooftop, woof woof woof!

Tiny chumley couldn't help but crash my etsy photo shoot today, curious as he was at the hubbub that was happening just out of his line of sight.

whatchoo doin up there? got anythin for me? his nose did inquire while his toes tippy tip toed around my little table.

"Nope, there's nothing you'd really want up here, little friend," I told him. "All this stuff I need to photograph today is for humans. You know, like for Christmas? But you're right, before I upload all this stuff to Etsy, maybe it's time we took a break."

And we both pranced off into the kitchen to search for something snackielicious.

welding elf & thrify treasures

For me, the creative process doesn't always work the same in every instance. Sometimes, I start with an idea and find the materials, and other times - most times lately - the materials find me, and then I have an idea. And yes, our house is full of materials.

Days, even years can go by before things get made, because of a lack of time, inspiration, or skill, and sometimes all three. As was the case with the Christmas wreath I knew I wanted. Ever since leaving the land of normal, I have always known I wanted something interesting to hang on our front door during the holiday season. Eons ago we did the fresh evergreen wreath, transitioned to the more practical fake but festively festooned wreath, and in more recent years have switched between nothing and the last minute ol burgundy (most recently bright red) plastic velvet bow cuz I once again ran out of time to make anything cool.

But not this year. And I owe it all to my new welding elf, our friend and Robin's son, Takato himself. Who happened to be taking a welding class this semester, the same time that I scored a six buck bag of silverware from the flea market. Who took my bag of goodies and delivered this wonderful creation to our doorstep this weekend.



Complete and total wooty woot, right? I'm so proud of his first crafty welding adventure, I can't wait to make more stuff of my own so I can contribute to the mig welder we both want him to have. So he can always be my occasional welding elf, and we both can watch where his creative journeys might take him.

Now, I'm still thinkin of doing a bit more adornment work on the wreath, and I am sure one day the flea market or thrift store gods will shine upon me that which I need, like maybe some vintagey 50s glass ball ornaments or a luxe piece of wide red ribbon, but until then, Takato and I found some super stuff at the flea market before he had to make the long journey home. Wooden bowls for more hat stands, a little wooden shoe form, and a few bits of jewelry. Combined with all the stuff I scored this week at the thrift stores and last week's flea visit, tiny chumley's curious nose had a field day investigating all the new and strange smells. And yet it's just another day, here in the happy life of this little doxie. :)

get crafty: harriet the extremely long legged dachshund

Whee! Double posties today, cuz I couldn't wait til I got back home to share what I made here at Robin's house. Meet Harriet, the extremely long legged dachshund, who will be on display in our booth along with all sorts of other wonderful handmade goodies at today's holiday bazaar. The three or so foot tallish Miss Harriet is a spin on a stuffed animal found in the very cool book, Sew Me, Love Me: Best Stuffed Friends to Make, something that will definitely go on my Christmas list this year, to hopefully help me work down all my mountains of fabric scraps and make tiny chumley's world a little less like living in the Grand Canyons.

Happy Sunday!! :)

adventures in metalworking: lord of the bracelets

So Big Boyfriend is away, visiting family while tiny chumley and I hold down the fort. So far, I've been pretty good with the dishes, and I've even managed to take in the mail and newspaper rather than call to have it all held for when our pack is back together and life is as it should be. Everything is relatively normal, save for the facts that we miss him, that chumley shifts into extra barky protector mode at the slightest noise, and of course, that I lose all track of time doing all things crafty.

Messin with metals with enough time to spare to load them on Etsy was the name of the game yesterday. Tiny bits of metal shavings flew everywhere while I drilled and hammered the day away. Background noise for Baxter, really, who spent most of his day lazing in the sun, and peering out at all the critters attracted by the sprinkler outside.

As his luck would have it, by the time I finished my projects and looked over to my sleepy boy, my mind didn't go down the same pathway that it did a year before. This year, no unneutered adventures in felting, but rather a regal look for my sleepy little friend. This year, I give you Baxter, elfin Lord of the Bracelets!



Oh yeah, here's a peekypoo at what I just loaded over at the kalyxcraftopia Etsy shop. Pretty baubles inspired by the prom, but with a very modern metals twist. Because everybody can use a little happy on their wrist. :)

and pigs flew over the moon

hey what's that i smell -
might there be a souvenir
for me those bags??

- baxter, 3.75 years old, sniffing the air as his mom unpacked some of her supply goodies from the NYC portion of her trip.







Talk to me about my trips to New York City and there almost always be three things you'll hear about. The fabulous food, the moments of inspiration, and the shopping. Of course the shopping. Most definitely the shopping. Most of the time there's a story about how Robin and I bought an entire roll or three or four of this or that in the garment district and lugged it down the street to the closest avenue and tried for minutes to hail a cab that would accept both us and our unruly belongings. And I'll gush at how we found wonderful shirtings for song or sumptuous velvets and unusual woolens perfect for making who knows what. But not this time. This time, this trip to NYC, pigs most definitely flew. Not a yard of fabric did we purchase, not a single fabric store did we grace with our ever entertaining shopping ways.

But fear not, our single shopping day in NYC was still spent in and around the garment district, focused as we were on finding wonderful trims and beads and metal findings and supplies. Our craft, I've come to realize with verbal clarity, is not only built on fabric, but ornamentation. And our success lies in having tons and tons of both from which we can mix and match and create to our hearts' content.

And so Robin and I had a blast, spending hours in the bead and trim stores, and soaking up the information so generously offered while we filled our basket with cool vintagey filigrees and jewelry making supplies at the metals store.

A peek at some of the goodies I brought home, most of which will eventually find their way on to purses and serged cashmere scarves, but some that will work their way into new experiments in adornment that I can't wait to start when summer finally says goodbye.

you're invited! bucktown - booth 161 (lyndale & western)

Hooray, while tiny chumley sleeps peacefully at home, we've been scoring majorly with the discovery of Goodwill Outlets in Ohio and Indiana, finally arriving here in Chicago yesterday with enough time to take pictures of a few of Robin's hats. And so, an expanded peekypoo at some of the things we'll be unpacking early tomorrow morning at the Bucktown Arts Fest, as well as fabulous dyed silk scarves and quilted throws and inspired wall hangings. I'll even have a special few pupperina necklaces to show anyone who asks, and my trusty measuring tape will be close at hand for for my little four legged friends who might be intereested in orderin a little special sumptin, whether it be warm winter duds, a spiffy halloweenie dud, or a fantastic gift from Santa. So if you're in the Chicago area and have a few moments to spare this weekend, please do drop on by to say hello.

is this thing on?

i hear mom talking,
but she is not here at all.
i am so confused.

- baxter, 3.7 years old, on his first skype video chat with mom.








Whew! What a day yesterday, spent figuring out display (not as easy as it might sound) and then jamming - er, packing - everything up. But mission accomplished and today Robin and I are off on our great craft show adventure!

Some pics below of a few of goodies we're bringing to Bucktown, and keeping my fingers crossed that we'll have regular access to the internet these next few days, in which case I can also share pictures of Robin's absolutely fabulous hats. You really gotta see them to believe them! Allons-y!

get crafty: hat display

Today, a peek at some curious objects fresh from the foyer workshop. A vintage-meets-munchkinland mushroom forest to those of us who are three and a half apples high, or hat displays to those of us who are not quite so height challenged.

tiny detour

There's something to be said about being flexible, about sometimes diverting from common sense. If I had listened to my inner business brain and ignored my crafty fingers, I would have - totally should have - worked on making purses or serging cashmere scarves or tagged or done SOMETHING relevant to our upcoming show at Bucktown. I know, cuz I laid out all the things I've made yesterday night, and it's not nearly as much as I like to have.

"what's all the fuss?" my little boy sleepily asked late Saturday night as he stepped all over the goods I had put out. While my business brain furiously made a mental list of the artistic holes that needed to be filled, little kielbasa realized we would be in it for the long haul. "we both are gonna be so sleepy tomorrow", he sighed, and settled perpendicularly on an empty spot on the carpet in the hallway, turning himself into a slumbering doxie speedbump that was sure to do the job of waking him up when I tripped over him on the way to our bedroom.

We both awoke on Sunday morning with the full intention of following through with the plans we made the night before. Me, sewing, and Baxter, well, sleeping, because I kept him up so late. Except for the time he managed to spy a kitty in our backyard which caused momentary mayhem, Baxter otherwise did a fine job executing his snoozing plan. My plan to sew the day away? Totally out the window.

But had I listened to my business brain, my crafty fingers wouldn't have made all this. A couple of rings, a couple of pendants, and even a pin, things that I had started had started on my brief overnight stay with Robin a few weeks ago, that I have been itching to finish cuz I now can most definitely confirm that I am that person who gets her gratification from staring at the visually intriguing. Hopefully, the shoppers at Bucktown will be equally gratified by my digressions. :)

aw shucks

A happy new kitty perch for the little kielbasa, made in large part from scraps of wood and foam that have been sitting in our garage for years, and a wonderfully soft and rich textured orange chenille fabric that had been waiting for just this moment. A fine get crafty project for my brother and me to make for the little kielbasa, who knew the moment he saw it finished that it was his to enjoy.

all for me?, his little eyes twinkled as he hopped atop his new perch,aw shucks!

get busy: buried treasure snack bottle

So a few days ago, Baxter made short work of his inheritance from the boys, the beloved blue snack ball, and with little boy all still ants in his pants, I checked out some of the great leads for smart toys were sent to me. Pretty cool stuff that I totally want to pursue soon, but there's nothin like instant gratification on a hot summer day. Enter the buried treasure snack bottle. Free, cuz it once was full of yummy popcorn that we popped, and kinda green, cuz the bottle was on its way out to the recycle bin. And most importantly, available, so we wouldn't have to venture out in the heat or wait forever for today's entertainment.

Shirts now too hole-y to play giant shirtball? Behold, the buried treasure snack bottle.

And yeah, it helps to keep the bottle top to make a hole in it later when more difficulty is inevitably required. And of course, chumley stays well supervised when messin with things like this. How could anybody not watch tiny boyfriend use his cute stubby paws?

giant

when i grow up, i will be as tall as the trees.

- baxter, currently measuring in at 4.5 apples high

get crafty: pupperina necklaces

Yippee! Just finished some happy etched & riveted copper doxie necklaces and posted them to Etsy, save for one that I personalized and hope to send soon to my nieceypoo as a belated birthday present. Metal has been an interesting medium to mess with. In some ways, easier than working with fabric, yet in other ways, a new challenge to explore.

It's all the same, however, to tiny chumley, who really just sees all my creative endeavors as time suckers that keep him from pursuing the paths that he'd like to explore. Eating, hunting, and playing. Not exactly new paths for this little boy, but ones that make him so endearingly doxie.

Really?, his eyes will speak when he finally got a chance to sniff over what I've been working on. These things aren't even edible. Let's go out n chase some squirrels instead, ok?

the dog, the stitch, and the wardrobe

There's a simple design philosophy out there that suggests looking into your closet for inspiration on how to decorate your home. Look into my closet, and I guess the rest of our house would have a decidedly unique, schizophrenic look. Sort of white wedding dress meets Kohls & Target basic tops meets thift store scores meets TJ Maxx bargains meets Ann Taylor & Banana Republic it-was-on-sale-and-it's-silk, meets Martin+Osa after christmas clearance meets stuff from the 80s and 90s that I no longer wear but hold on to for the day I need to cut them and use them in some wild project. Meets the hanging yardages of rich colored velvets from a millinery shop that was going out of business, meets the one vintage aqua kimono with gold threading that I didn't cut up from the box of old kimonos I got from Japan as a present from Big Boyfriend a few years ago, meets piles of bargain home dec and corduroy and yes even quilting fabric. Meets mauvy striped knockoff Kate Spade purse from Frisco Chinatown I bought in a moment of weakness, dresses and patent leather shoes in a variety of shapes for those just-in-case-i-need-it-and-i'll-never-be-able-to-find-it-then moments, sweaters from practically every decade since the 80s, and comfy cozy pajamas in a variety of weights and form factors.

You get the idea, and come to think of it, our house is decorated rather eclectically (though I drew the line at "wedding dress chic"), but really my point here is that despite all the stuff I have in our closet, I don't always seem to have something to wear. Like this summer, where I'm finally ready to let go of that surplice top look in favor of something more breezy and light, and, I'm sure to everyone's relief, less revealing.

Thankfully, I found an easy peasy Cynthia Rowley pattern from Simplicity that'll work really well for the hair up days of summer, that can either dress up or down depending on accessories and the fabric used. That can handle shorts or skirts or capris. And that will use up some of that fabric I've been collecting over the years. Win win all around, except for our poor overstuffed closet, and for tiny chumley, who thinks my time could be better spent rubbing his tummy and admiring his pinky pink ears.

optay ecretsay

dear diary,
guess what! i am spy! well, no not really. but i am involved in a special project for somebody and that's just like bein a spy, right? cept well, i'm not a spy. i'm just helpin and there's really no snoopin around at all. it is kind of disappointing cuz i really had high hopes when mom asked me if i wanted to help out with a special project. this is a prototype my mom made to see if her idea would work and this is me tryin it out. yeah, same as always, i know. but at least i got to learn a new secret language that nobody will be able to understand except for u know who. u know. the somebody this this project is for. i can't wait to talk to duk duk in my new language cuz boy won't he be confused!

well, i hope u have a fun memorial day. mom and dad said something about puttin dogs on the grill and i sure hope they're not talkin about me or any of my friends! well, unless they want me to lick it clean. i would be happy to do that so long as the grill isn't hot. yum.

toodles!
b.

ps - ihay moamay! ommay oughtthay atthay isthay ightmay ebay evelopedday toinay ouryay deaiay orfay moamay's elmethay. atwhay oday ouyay inkthay?

downward dog

Tiny chumley has been a trooper this week, hanging tight in his blankie cave while my crafty hands made all sorts of things, and happily gobbling up treats for his modeling endeavors. Yesterday, I put the finishing touches on this, a special order yoga mat bag that might just well hold the little kielbasa. Alas, as much as I wanted to test my theory, Baxter's ears and eyes proclaimed, "Oh pleeeze no. Not in front of the squirrels." Pint sized pride, from our little downward dog.

science sunday

Hey, it's me, Baxter, your roving rover reporter reporting to you today from the back door of my home. What I'm really here to report about is on the deck, but mom says I have to report from here on account of the fact that they don't make rubber gloves and protective goggles and chemical safety suits in my size. You see, today I am reporting on my mom's metal etching project.

Now, there's a lot of science goin on that frankly, mom and I both find boring, so lemme just say that if you're ever visiting my house and you think we're serving cocktails outside in these nifty glass containers, think again. In fact, don't even try tasting or touching or even going near those glasses, which is why mom put that old strainer on top of everything. Yeah, I know, I thought I should say something in case you thought you were looking at another one of duk duk's contraptions.

Anyhow, the point of today's science experiment is to etch some cool patterns on a tiny brass disc that mom wants to put on annabelle's new dapper doxie dud. To be quite honest I didn't get to see how it was all done, cuz, well, hee, since I couldn't be out there where all the action was, I went to work on my tummy tan and kinda fell asleep.



But hey looky, by the time I woke up everything was done and I heard mom hammering away. Get a load of what I saw. Pretty cool, huh? I want mom to make me one that says "more rawhide, please".



Well, anyways, today is mother's day and I think I need to get started on making mom breakfast. Kibble pancakes! I know, it's gonna be so tasty! I've been saving some kibble all week so I would have enough. This is Baxter your roving rover reporter wishing you and yours a scientastic sunday and happy mother's day!! :)

dapper doxie duds : la mariposa rosa

i may be wearing
pink butterfly fairy duds,
but i can still chase you.

- Baxter, 3.3 years old, slightly bending the rules of haiku while responding to the squirrels laughing in his backyard.

Ever the intrigued hunter and multitasker, tiny chumley managed to snitch snippets of time to check out the squirrel scene between poses for my latest dapper doxie dud creation. This time, a pink and golden yellow damask harness to round out an order from precious annie, with removable and bendable beaded butterfly wings stitched with lace and iridescent threads. I can't wait to hear about annie's adventures as she flits about the flower garden in her new wings!




update 4/27/2010: Just wanted to post a pic of the "before", a picture of the suggested primary elements for this dud n wing combination that I temporarily posted on the sidebar for Annie's mom to consider a few weeks before the duds were completed.