Get Ready for the Weekend Top Ten Metal Shops

After Dan's battle with a grinder (he didn't win the battle, either) he is not doing much metalwork which is leaving me with a yen for good metal...and him with a to do list that keeps growing. Here's a list of the top ten finds for the week. Just looking at the metal work makes me feel good...and makes Dan find something to do so he'll be too busy for my ideas. :) This list can be found on twitter, too @ http://twitter.com/goofingoff Baconsquarefarm.etsy.com Love these magnets. Architiques9890.etsy.com has some beautiful frames http://www.etsy.com/shop/1byliz, these clocks are from bikes! twobeans.etsy.com has unique wire work. JLHCopperDesigns.etsy.com has the most wonderful wind chimes. metalgardenart.etsy.com can help you dress up your world, inside and out. Say what you feel in metal. EdiesLab.etsy.com merritthyde.etsy.com has some beautiful birds. creativenuts.etsy.com Check out the sculpture! I love this cat!! WonderfulWire.etsy.com has awesome wire work. Love it!!! There, I feel better now. I got my metal fix for today. Hope you enjoy!

New Listings in GoofingOff.etsy.com

Just listed some wonderful out-of-print and vintage patterns in the GoofingOff shop. Here's a great looking Vogue blouse pattern from the early 1990's. It was designed by Calvin Klein. The pattern is complete and in a size 8. Here's a Vogue Attitudes pattern by designers Tom and Linda Platt. The pattern is uncut, unused, with the original factory folds. Emanuel Ungaro has been designing the most elegant clothes for years. Here is an outfit he did for Vogue in 1997. It is wonderful, so sophisticated. The pattern is uncut, unused, with the original factory folds. I have lots more to list, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Come back often to see what I've found on my rounds.

Just about done with another class, Epidemiology, so I can get back to blogging about life. The class wasn't too bad with an awesome professor. A few more classes and I will be able to walk for my BSN diploma. It's been a journey for me but I am enjoying it. I wish I had done it sooner. I could blame putting it off on lots of things, kids, marriage, money, and those are all good reasons, partly true, but the real reason was me. Hard headed, I wanted to do more than nursing, something else besides nursing. I still do but that's O.K. A Bachelor's degree is a degree well-earned and I am working damned hard for it. I am going to walk with my head held high when I get that diploma. It's been a long time coming.

Miracles of Hanukkah

Hanukkah is coming and a Hanukkah party with a scavenger hunt is going on now to get everyone in the mood. There are wonderful prizes and great creations waiting to be discovered. There are 37 shops taking part in the party. Check it out! Look for the menorahs in the shops and win prizes! Go to http://etsychai.blogspot.com/2009/11/miracles-of-hanukkah-promotion-sales.html and click on the links. Get your Christmas, ahem, Hanukkah shopping list done with wonderful gifts....and have a jelly doughnut while you're there. L'Chiaim!

Unpaper Napkins

Having done away with paper napkins in my home years ago, I was happy to find people who embrace the idea of unpaper napkins. When I did it, I was considered a firebrand, one of those long-haired hippie folks. The first time I made cloth napkins, I just grabbed some fabric from my sewing closet, a pair of pinking shears, and cut some squares. Imagine my surprise when I found the way Etsians do napkins! I've made some cute ones but check these out! Here's some examples: Jazz Brunch Cotton Napkins by ME2Designs I love the colors in this fabric. It makes me think of New Orleans and Sunday brunch. Set of four cloth Hanukkah dinner napkins -AprilAdelsonDesigns Sweet napkins just right for potato latkes or jelly doughnuts! Owls and Trees Fabric Napkins from thepurpleoctopus The colors are so vivid, absolutely lovely. They would look great on a Thanksgiving table. I am so glad people are using cloth instead of buying paper. It saves so much money, not to mention trees. We all have to do our part, but these Etsians show how doing our part can be done so beautifully!

Tin Can Flowers Tutorial

I have the hardest time growing flowers in my yard. Maybe it's the trees. I have lots of oak trees, big beautiful oak trees, that give shade and protect the house from the wind. The down side is there is a lot of shade, the ground is acidic, and the soil is poor. I've tried lots of plants, killed them really, no matter how much organic matter or water they get, they still die, so I got very excited when I found this book, Decorating Inside and Out from Leisure Arts, about tin can flowers. It is perfect for the recycler in me. I made them. They look whimsical and cute. All you need are tin and aluminum cans, tin snips, wire, paint, a hammer, 1 nail and paint. Here's how I did it: Save your cans and the lids. You can use any size. Remove the labels. Wash them well, but be careful and watch for sharp edges. Cut the cans from the end to the center using your tin snips. Curl the strips down so they form petals. Next, cut leaves from aluminum cans. Now's the time you need the hammer and nail. With you nail, put 2 holes into the end of the leaves and 2 holes in the center of each flower. Now, take your project outside or somewhere where it is safe to paint. Don't forget to wear a mask so you don't breathe in paint. I paint the centers first. For these flowers, I painted the centers black. When the centers were dry, I covered them and then painted the petals. Then I painted the leaves green. Here's what the flower looks like when the paint is dry. Now, take some wire (green Floral Wire is the best) and run the wire through the holes punched in the leaves and the flowers in the pattern that pleases you best. Now your flowering tin can vine is ready for the fence or anywhere you want some color. Just think, flowers that don't have to be watered, won't die, and will stay blooming right through the winter!

Winding Yarn

I found this Royal Yarn Winder in my travels and I started to think about yarn. I know so little about yarn. I used to knit and crochet but my knowledge of yarn was limited to what I found at Woolworth's. Nowadays, there are so many different yarns made of so many different materials. What I see at Michael's or JoAnne's is nothing compared to some of the incredible yarns available on Etsy. One seller, MishMashYarns, sells recycled yarns rescued from sweaters destined for the dump. The yarn is outrageously beautiful. Another seller, Lollyarn, pulls, cards, dyes, and spins the fibers by hand...from her own Angora rabbits. The colors of the yarns are scrumptious. Then, there is Liberty Fiber who creates hand dyed yarns, rovings, and wool yardage. The work is amazing! Who knew? Lollyarn's creation LibertyFiber's yarn

Amelia Earhart

What happened to Amelia Earhart was one of the great mysteries of the last century. A daring, brave, and beautiful woman, she was greatly admired by many and still is today. The new movie about her starring Hilary Swank and Richard Gere celebrates her life and brings her story back into the public eye. With that said, you'll can just imagine the excitement I felt when I found this sweet vintage Amelia Earhart train case. Until that moment, I didn't even know Amelia Earhart had a line of luggage. No mirror or key, but it still is in very good condition. Just sweet!

Sewing Patterns

I sell patterns, all types, all brands. I love the pictures on the pattern packages and envision what can be made from them if only there was enough time in a day. Since I don't have enough time to sew (and I am not near as talented as some of the people I sell patterns to), I love to see the creations of some of my customers. I just wish more customers would let me see what they create. It is part of the fun. Here's a few of my customers: Maisy Brown creates some of the most scrumptious outfits with a rockabilly, vintage look that I've ever seen. BebeChic's Boutique has cuddly, sweet baby items like burp clothes and receiving blankets. AlltheNumbers has cute, original clothes and quilts and Gbellasmom makes cool aprons. http://www.MaisyBrownReproRetro.etsy.com http://www.Bebechicboutique.etsy.com http://www.All the Numbers.etsy.com http://www.Gbellasmom.etsy.com

Vintage Luggage

There's a picture of my grandmother at an airport that comes to mind whenever I look at vintage luggage. The picture is from the 40's and she is standing there in her glamorous glory, tall and thin (she was, just didn't pass it down to me), with a cape that came to her hips, and a train case in hand. She looked like a movie queen so beautiful and chic! Today's luggage is much lighter in weight and doesn't have the longevity or the glamour of the older pieces. Sure, I can toss a tote over my shoulder but a train case shouts "I'm Glamourous!" I think of old Audrey Hepburn movies, Idewild Airport before it became JFK, and grandma. I just posted the orange suitcase in my shop. It might have been a child's bag since it is small but it has a mirror inside. It is so cute and ready for upcycling or just being left the way it is...wonderful.

Team EtsyChai and Judaica

I guess it had to happen. I finally filled my home with so much yard sale finds that I had to take a break. Taking a break to me means finding something else to do since I never could keep still. Creating is just my nature. As a member of Team EtsyChai, I always felt sort of lame since I usually don't do much in the way of Judaica,that is, until now. I make these absorbent, thirsty stone coasters and thought "What if I write some sort of Hebrew phrase on them? That would be Judaica!" From that humble beginning, the Shalom stone coasters was born. I do other coasters of the local wildlife, too, but this is my first venture into Judaica. EtsyChai is a great team. It is the Etsy Jewish Street team. We have members representing all types of arts and crafts. It is inspiring, and for a person living far from my peeps, it gives me the sense of belonging I needed. Here are some things from some of the members.