The Big Goodbye Project: Something Even Cooler

Yes! I'm back! I know, I know...I've been gone for a while. What can I say? I've been busy. Vacation. Post vacation laundry. Tax holiday shopping. Back to school. Sick kitty. You know, all that "life" stuff that sometimes interferes with blogging. But the main thing that kept me away was the Big Goodbye Project.

Our good friends moved back to Germany last Friday. This makes us very sad. With a daughter Ladybug's age, a son Buddy-boy's age, interesting perspectives and conversation that revolved around more than sports and the latest movie...well, they were just perfect for us. Saying goodbye was something no one was looking forward too. So like any good handmade-junky, I threw myself into creating meaningful mementos for our friends. The brain damage involved in creating the perfect gift from scratch can really keep your mind off your troubles.

You may recall my fused-bag project from a couple of months ago -- if you don't, you can check it out here: Something Very Cool (June 28). I've been dying to try my hand at this again (fusing plastic shopping bags into a sewable "fabric"). I decided this would be the perfect way for the kids to create going away goody bags for their friends. Last time I tried the fused-bag thing, I used Sharpie markers to add color to white shopping bags. Since the idea of my kids playing with permanent markers gives me the vapors (which has to be pronounced VAY-puhs -- like a good southern woman would say it), I decided to try something else...acrylic paints.

So I got my supplies together, taped down a couple of Target bags and gathered the kiddos around the playroom table. Buddy-Boy painted surfers, sand & the boardwalk (still fresh in his mind from the previous week's trip to Santa Cruz). Ladybug? She's really all about the pink these days. Pink, pink, PINKALICIOUS!! (and if you have a girly and you haven't check out the book, you really ought to.) Me? Well, I just got all sentimental and patriotic (in a Texas kind of way.)

After the paint dried, I sandwiched 6 layers of shopping bags (the white backs of 4 target bags, the painted bag, and a clear produce bag) between two sheets of parchment paper and "fused" them together with an iron set to medium heat. It took about 10 minutes, working in 60 second intervals to get the bags completely fused together. I then ironed a layer of fusible interfacing to the back sides so the finished goody bags would be crisp, strong and have a nice interior. I added some coordinating trim and handles.

Voila! Something even cooler!! Just wish I'd remembered (or had time) to take some good pictures of the finished products before I had to give them away. Or that I could just call my friend, go over to her place, drink a cup of her fantastic coffee and take pictures of the bags. Actually, what I really wish is that I'd never had a reason to make the them in the first place. I just hate saying goodbye.

Next up... The Big Goodbye Project: Photo Albums the Hard Way

"Bear Hugs"

That's it! Bear Hugs. The name of my new semi-regular customer appreciation feature. ("Semi" because you know I'm way too lame to commit to anything regular.) I like it. It works with the Teddy-thing, and it's got the word "hug" in it. Hug. The word just makes me smile a little. It gets right to the point. It's short and sweet -- unless of course you're talking to me after a couple of margaritas -- in which case I can easily turn "hug" into a 3-syllable word. (Yep, I'm fluent in Texan after a margy or two.)


"Bear Hugs" was TZel's suggestion. She chose the Love Birds pendant from my FlutterbyGirly shop as her prize. Her daughter loves chickadees, so she's going to give it to her as a gift. A quick email exchanged with TZel revealed many interests and passions: photography, healthy cooking, home schooling, ecology, and travel among them. But high on her list is juvenile diabetes. Her daughter has diabetes and is soon to receive her own Diabetes Alert Dog. Everyone knows dogs are fun and useful, but did you have any idea dogs could help individuals living with diabetes? I sure didn't! You can learn more about these amazing dogs here. Diabetes runs on my husband's side of the family, so I'm always interested in learning more on the subject. So thanks to TZel, I have a feature name and a new insight into managing diabetes.
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I want to say thanks to everybody who responded. AlyGatr gets an honorable mention here for providing me with the "out" of not tying the feature to a specific day of the week. Now I can be my inconsistent best! (BTW, if you haven't checked out AlyGatr's blog, you really should -- it's always lots of fun.)I really appreciate all the suggestions and your willingness to do the brain damage for me. I'm seriously thinking about solving all of my bothersome little problems this way. I'll never have to think for myself again! As a matter of fact, let's start now: what should I make for dinner tomorrow night?

Etsy Oops!

OK, short post tonight. Not because I'm lame or anything -- because we've pretty much established that I can be very lame at times. But tonight, I just want to see if you're on your toes. So, tell me what's wrong with this package.

Thank You Thursdays!

OK, so it's not Thursday. Well...I suppose you might be reading this on Thursday, so maybe it's Thursday for you, but it's not for me. For me it's Blogday, which is Sunday -- or at least Sunday used to be blogday for me. I broke my streak last week and didn't get a post up. Since no one harassed me about it I'll assume it didn't ruin anyone's week. Thank goodness because that kind of pressure's just too much for me.

Anyway, back to Thursday. I've decided to add a regular Customer Appreciation feature to my blog and I'm thinking about doing it on Thursdays. I've had some really great customers since I started this Etsy thing, and it's time to share the love. So, starting next week I'll be introducing you to the great folks who've bought my stuff. Before I get started, I need a little help.

I really feel like I need a catchy name for my feature but I'm at a total loss. I don't know if it's the heat, the creative drain of keeping the kiddos happy during the summer, or what. I feel like I don't have a clever bone left in my body. So I'm going to let you all do the work for me. Great idea, eh?!? Here's the deal: YOU come up with the clever feature name for me...I'LL send you a little prize. I'll even let you pick your prize. You can have a pot of my Once Bitten after bite treatment or you can pick a penny pendant from my FlutterbyGirly etsy shop. It's a win/win!!

Now for the details. Leave a comment with your idea of a great customer appreciation feature name. Also leave your choice of prizes and a way to contact you. Easy, right?! As for the feature name, it can be anything that gets the point of appreciation across. It may or may not include the day of the week. I'm not married to Thursday either. I only selected it because it begins with TH - just like the word "Thanks". Get it? THursday...THanks.... (See what I mean about creative-drain?) I'm open to just about anything as long as I don't have to do the brain damage. My brain's damaged enough.

Cranberries Part 2: "Where'd They Get That Red Hair?"

This question is addressed to me when I'm with my children. I hear it at least once a week...and after 4 1/2 years it throws me into a homicidal rage! The first time it happened, my son Jake, was hangin' out in the Baby Bjorn. We were head to head at the ticket counter in the airport getting ready to rendezvous with Daddy in Maryland. The question was posed by a gate agent -- a self-proclaimed "former redhead". At first I thought he was joking. He had to be.

OK...before I get too far ahead of myself. Let me introduce you to the family:

This is me

These are my kids, Jake & Delila (aka: Buddy Boy and Ladybug)
(Yes, I have better pictures of my kids, but I just can't resist sharing this crazy photo with the world as often as I can. Admit it -- made you laugh!)

This is me with my kids
(and yes, I hate this picture of me in the "will call hat", but it's the only one I have of our three heads together.)

Now seriously...would you ask this woman where her children got their red hair?!? Am I not a redhead? My friends don't understand why this question sends me around the bend. That's because they're not redheads.

You see, I was stereotyped the moment I was born, and I've been defined by my hair ever since. I was "the ginger one" (according to Uncle Maurice). I was called "Red" and "Carrot Top" (UGH!!). I was "fiery" and "hot tempered" (Ok, so maybe that part's a little true. In 1st grade Kevin called me Carrot Top so I whopped him in the head with my lunchbox - the old metal kind with the heavy glass thermos inside. Hey, he had it comin'!) And then as I got older I had to put up with all the "Hey...are you a natural redhead?" crap. "Why, yes I am. And no, I'm not going to drop my pants and prove it to you." Grrrrrr!

After a lifetime of BS like that, I'm entitled to be recognized for handing down the gene to my kids. I have earned the right to be a redhead forever! Granted, my hair doesn't blaze like it used to. The color's mellowed a little with age -- and so have I. (I haven't clocked anyone for asking me where my kids get their red hair...yet.) But I'm still a redhead, g'dammit!!!

That's where the cranberries come in. I have decided that, after 4 decades of going au naturel in the hair department, I'm going to give my hair a little boost. Apparently, rinsing my hair in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cranberry juice will liven up my red a bit. On the advice of my hairdresser, I'm using the regular stuff: Ocean Spray Lite Cranberry Cocktail. 'Lite' because I don't want my hair to get fat. (Huh? Wait. I'd love some fat hair...and some phat hair. Scrap that. I'm going fully sweetened!) And nothing organic or preservative free, because according to the haircresser, the purer the juice the more permanent the color. Since this is my maiden voyage, I'm going to stick with the stuff that will wash out after a few shampoos...you know... just in case I end up looking...well...like a cranberry.

I'm going to try it for a week. I'll post the before & after pictures for you. Now, if anyone would like to join me on this voyage, feel free. Here are a couple of options -- just in case you don't have what it takes to be a redhead:

Dark hair: rinse with 1/2 c vinegar mixed with 1/4 c soy sauce. Leave in for 15 to 20 minutes. (BTW, soy is very nourishing for hair -- loaded w/proteins that make hair nice and strong.)

Fair hair: brew a strong cup of chamomile tea. Spray/comb into dry hair. Leave in for 20 minutes before shampooing (sitting in the sun during the 'leave-in' period will further enhance the effects). This will lift the color and add subtle highlights to light brown and blond hair. The effects of this probably wont wash out since it's not really an 'added' color. If you have an itchy scalp, this should be great for it since chamomile is very soothing to the skin.

Let me know if you try it. And stay tuned for the results!

A Cranberry For My Thoughts

What am I thinking? I'm thinking about coloring my hair.

Why, you ask? And just what's that got to do with cranberries? Well, you'll have to check back later this week to find out.

Seriously. This is all I have time for today, but I didn't want to break my Sunday blogging streak. I know...it's a little lame, but then so am I. And seven weeks in a row of anything is a big deal for me.

See ya later!

For My Dad...

I know. Father's Day was a couple of weeks ago. But I never got around to showing off the beautiful gift I had made for my Dad. Dad's are so tough to buy for, aren't they? My Dad doesn't really have much in the way of a hobby, he's not a huge sports fan, he doesn't play golf. So really, what's a daughter to get a guy like that?!

One thing my Dad likes to do is read. He's always got some huge book he's lugging around with him. On his last visit, I noticed he was using an old envelop as a bookmark. That got me thinking.... I just knew I could find a stunning bookmark on Etsy. At last, I'd finally found the perfect gift! Of course, I didn't find it until June 11 -- and I wanted it customized and shipped to me so I could ship it to him. Talk about under the gun! Well, Kim at LeatherwoodDesigns jumped right on it. She had this beauty stamped with his initials and out the door to me lickity-splickity quick. I got it packaged up with Borders gift cards from the kiddos and in the mail with a day to spare! Best part, he loved it! How do I know?

me: How'd you like your gift, Dad? (hopeful)

him: Ah, yes. Very nice. (deadpan)

me: Now you don't have to use old envelops anymore. (beginning to think I'd struck out again)

him: Ah, yes. (deadpan)

...:*pregnant pause*:...

him: You know, the thing about a nice bookmark is where do you put it when you're done with the book. (slightest hint of a chuckle)

me: In the next book, Dad. (sarcastic & elated)

This is pretty much how it goes with my Dad. If you get more than a two word response from him, you know you've hit the jackpot. That or else you know you're in a world of trouble. That's why when I saw his cellphone number come up on my caller ID Friday I got a little anxious. It was either going to be really good news...or really bad news. It wasn't good news. Don't know exactly how bad just yet -- there are tests to run, 2nd opinions to get, and way too much waiting for my liking. But in the meantime, it's got me thinking about Dads: how hard they work to provide for a family, how strict and seemingly unforgiving they can be, how unsung their heroics and stoicism really are, and how we really need more than just one day to honor them. So here's to my Dad...again, and to all the other Dads out there, and to the little girls they'll someday leave behind. May it be much later than sooner.

(Artwork: 'Autumn Walk' by MogenCreative)