The Man with the Mechanical Mind - Yard Saling With the Hubby

I usually thrift and yard sale alone but every so often the hubby is in the pilot seat. It gives me a good chance to scout out the signs and stuff so I don't mind, as long as he stops when I see something good. Kind of scares me though when he makes a u-turn a little too quick. Well, the other day we were heading to the store and saw one of my favorite yard sale ladies. She has the place just across the bridge and there is no telling what she's got out front so I stop whenever I can.
This time I looked through the boxes and didn't see much but a peach lustre ware saucer (Fireking). On one of her tables was a big pot with a separate bottom and an electric cord coming from it. The lady asked "Do you know what this is?" I told her I had no clue. I thought it was an old electric deep fryer (turkey size).  She got this gleam in her eye and told me it was an old portable washing machine from 1946. Said it worked and she had looked it up. Very interesting.
When I got in the car I asked my husband if he knew what that thing was on the table. He had the windows up and the radio on so he didn't hear the conversation. "Yeah, it's a washing machine. The motor is on the bottom" he said. "How did you know that?" I asked. "I saw it" said he and we went down the road.

Darn. The man has this mechanical mind where he can just look at something and figure out how it works, even remember how to put things back together when he takes them apart. Not so for me. Sometimes I think I have a touch of dyslexia when it comes to hands-on application. Where he can look at something and get it the first time the same thing takes me forever, like a gazillion times (ok, maybe 3 or 4) with someone holding my hand.
So anyway, did I get the washing machine? No, I little more than I wanted to spend. She does have cool stuff, though. And I got another peach lustre saucer.

Strawberry Meringue Tarts, Sunbeam Mixmasters, and "New" Patterns

Wow, what a hit! Everyone liked the tarts. I probably should have made a prettier presentation but oh, well. No leftovers (always a good thing when the eats are at work).
Looking through the notebook I found  some more cool old recipes to use. There’s a Sunbeam Mixmaster booklet from 1950 with ideas to “Make the most out of your Mixmaster.”

How to Get the Most Out of Your Sunbeam Mixmaster
The booklet has pictures of Sunbeam accessories and attachment available for the mixer back then. I knew about the meat grinder but I didn’t know there was a butter churn attachment. Awesome!

Sunbeam Mixmaster Attachments, 1950
There are yummy-sounding recipes for Old-Fashioned Apple Spice Cake (good for Rosh Hashanah), Prune Spice Cake (I guess for those special times), Gold Sunbeam Cake, and Prune Whip (what’s with the prunes?). I don’t know about the Prune Whip (I am not full of sh*t) but I might try the applesauce cake.
In the meantime, here are some cool vintage sewing patterns about to go to the GoofingOff Etsy Store.

Simplicity 5473 from 1971. Includes placemats and napkins I love the strawberry placemat on the bottom and the flower one at the top. Too cute! Just right for summer!

Mail Order Pattern, M322, Bert Geiger designer in size 18. Printed by Reader Mail. Size 18 fits 40” bust, 31” waist, and 42” hip. This pattern is uncut. It is so cool!
Well, that’s all for now. The patterns will be posted in the GoofingOff.Etsy store tomorrow. I’ll be baking that cake, too. No, not the prune whip!
Post by Eileen Patterson, GoofingOff.etsy.com and GoofingOff.Artfire.com

Cookbook Collector and Meringue Tarts

I am a collector. Some might think I am a hoarder-in-training but no, I am a collector. Trouble is I collect many different things and my organizational skills are somewhat wanting. That’s another story though, and would probably take a lifetime to figure out. This is about old cookbooks, or more specifically, old recipes. I love looking at old recipes. There is something about the old cookbook and recipes that captivate me. Deep down inside me I think “if only I have the right recipe the food will be wonderful.” Not always the way it goes but I keep trying….and looking and every so often I do good. Today was one of those days.

Not too long ago I went to this auction house down in Ocala and found, among other treasures, a loose leaf binder. After getting it home I started exploring the book and, lo and behold, it was full of recipes! Some looked like they were cut from magazines in the 60’s and 70’s.

One recipe, Bonnie Meringue Tarts, caught my eye. The recipe is on the back of a June 1954 calendar. The thought of meringues is a little special to me. When my daughter was little I made meringues and she loved them. Only did it once but for some reason she brings them up like I made them everyday. Special place in her heart I guess.  I thought they tasted sort of like marshmallows but they are low calorie (compared to other cookies). These meringues are made into a shell and I though with strawberry filling they would be the bomb! Strawberry season is upon us in Florida so the timing is right. I tried them out and they are pretty good. They look great and would make a fantastic presentation. Here’s the Original recipe:

Bonnie Meringue Tarts

the writing is small so I copied it so everyone could see it better.

4 egg whites 

1 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vinegar

1/2 cup quick rolled oats uncooked

Add vinegar, vanilla and salt to egg whites and heat to a soft foam. Add sugar gradually, about a tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition and continuing until the mixture stands in moist peaks. Fold in rolled oats lightly and pile in 8  mounds on a lightly greased baking sheet, using a spatula or spoon to hollow out the centers and build up the sides to make shells. Bake in a 275 degree oven about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Then cool slightly and remove from pan with a thin bladed spatula. Fill with sweetened strawberries or other fruits in season and top with slightly sweetened whipped cream. This will make 8 tarts.

I modified the recipe a little:

for the 1 cup sugar I used 1/2 cup Splenda (everyone I know is on a diet)

for the salt I added cream of tartar

I left out the oats

Instead of a lightly greased pan I used parchment paper. Good thing. Meringues can be a little sticky depending on the humidity. I live in Florida. Enough said. The parchment paper also cuts down on clean up. Yippee!

Here’s how the shells looked before baking:

and after baking for 1 hour at 275 degrees.

And here’s mine before I ate it. Yummy! The strawberries were lightly sweetened with Splenda, too.

I hope they look as pretty when I get them to work for my team mates.

Give them a try and let me know what you think. They’re pretty, and tasty, too.

 

Post by Eileen Patterson of GoofingOff.etsy.com and GoofingOff.artfire.com.

Crocheted Water Bottle Cozy

 

I am in the mood to crochet. Like other crafty people, I know how to do a number of different crafts. I’m not really an expert at any but I can do a few things. I know how to knit a little, crochet a bit, and sew. My problem is I get distracted easily. I need to create when the mood is right. The pattern has to be challenging enough to get me interested but not too challenging to make me give up.

I have always been a recycler. I don’t like waste and plastic bottles of water make me cringe. I still buy them but cringe. I do have a refillable water bottle, though and thought it would be a great idea to get water bottles for my sisters and make holders to go with them. Since I am in the crocheting mood, it seemed a natural to buy some yarn and start hooking.

I used Peaches & Creme cotton yarn for each bottle. Each bottle uses a little less than 1 ball. I tried to complement the color bottle with the yarn. It’s been a while since I crocheted anything so I went to WikiHow to get me started.

Like the WikiHow article, you make a disk for the bottom of the bottle. Chain 6 stitches, slip stitch (sl st) to make a circle, and Rd 1 single crochet (sc)6 stitches into the circle. Rd 2 chain 2, then 2 sc into every stitch (total of 12 stitches in the 2nd rd), join the 11th stitch to the top of the chain with a sl st. Rd 3: Ch 2, *1 sc into 1st st, 2 sc into next st, continue until you reach the chain, sl st at top of chain. Rd 4: Ch 2, *1 sc in next 2 st, 2 sc into next st, continue until you reach the chain, sl st at top of chain. At this point the disk is probably big enough to fit the bottle, if not, crochet another round increasing the number of stitches with each round.

 

Once the disk is complete the creativity starts. You can use a simple sc stitch the entire way up until the cozy is tall enough. Simple sc lends itself well to embroidery or flowers. The one I made for my sister is done with a row of popcorn stitch alternating with 2 rows of half double crochet.

 

The handle starts with a chain of 40 stitches. I sc down 2 rows from the top and made a chain of 40 stitches. I then sc in each stitch of the chain and sc the end of the handle to the cozy to make it secure.

Here’s a picture of the completed cozy.

Just weave the loose threads in and it is done. Takes a few hours from start to finish. Good to do while watching TV or listening to music. Best of all, if I am stitching I’m not eating. 

I liked making the cozies so much I made one for myself.

Simple single crochet stitch, scalloped trim at the top, and a crocheted flower for a little bit of embellishment.

Abbreviations: Rd: round, sc: single crochet, hdc: half double crochet, sl st: slip stitch, ch: chain, st: stitch.

My thanks to Dvortygirl, Lois Wade, Krystle, Eric, and anyone else involved in the article. http://www.wikihow.com/Crochet-a-Water-Bottle-Cozy

Post and patterns by Eileen Patterson of GoofingOff.etsy.com and GoofingOff.Artfire.com

Margarita Day?

February 22 is Margarita Day. Who knew? Maybe I should celebrate even if I’m not a Margarita drinker. Hmmm, salsa & chips, Tex-Mex. I feel a menu coming on. Imagine that, Washington sharing his birthday with a Margarita Day. I have to work that day. Just think, a pitcher of virgin Margaritas (I’m a nurse, can’t drink tequila at work), Tex-Mex, salsa….Could be.

Well, I got the salsa ready for tomorrow. Just need to pick up the chips. Maybe wear a sombrero. Then again, maybe not the sombrero but definitely the chips and salsa. Ole’.

How to Make a Crocheted Back Scrubber

Early in my marriage my husband, a mechanic, did engine and mechanic work. He would come home so dirty that one would think he rolled in grease and mud. Luckily the company he worked for supplied uniforms that offered a laundry service, a great deal at any price. Getting the grease off of him was another story. He would have me scrub his back to get him clean (a labor of love, true) but there were times that I couldn’t be there or, surprise, had other things to do. My solution to the problem was to buy a back scrubber, one with a long handle and a nylon loofa. Good idea for a while but like most other nylon scrubbies it fell apart. I tossed it in the trash figuring that some day I would make him a back scrubber that would do the job and not fall apart in a month or two.
Well, the day finally arrived. I wanted a scrubber long enough for him to wash his own back with handles on each side. I thought out the pattern in my head and here’s what I came up with.
You’ll need
4 oz. of 4 ply worsted weight cotton yarn (I used Peaches & Creme. Each skein is 2 oz.)
Peaches & Creme cotton yarn

Crochet hook “I”
Chain 4. This will be your first handle. *Chain 3 stitches, hdc in the next 4. Crochet 20 rows in half double crochet stitch. This might seem a little big but my husband has big hands. You can make the handle smaller if necessary.
At the end of the 20th row, chain 10 stitches then crochet onto the other end of the handle. You should have a total of 18 stitches across. Now start the body of the scrubber. To crochet the scrubber body, *chain 3, hdc in the next 17 stitches, hdc in the top of the end chain at the end and turn. Follow this pattern until you achieve the length you need.
Handle made, working on the body of the scrubber.

The body of the scrubber will depend on who you are making the scrubber for. Since my husband is almost 6 foot tall, I made the scrubber 38 inches (96.5 cm)  long. After crocheting the body of the scrubber to the length I needed I added the other handle. *Ch 3, hdc in the next 3 stitches, hdc in the top of the end chain, turn and chain 3. Follow the directions for the first handle for the next 20 rows. When you have your 20 rows, attach the handle to the other side of the scrubber. In the last 4 stitches of the end, sl stitch the handle in place. Tie off and weave in the end yarn. 
Finished back scrubber.

I made the scrubber using basic stitches but the scrubber can be made with shell, popcorn, or any stitches or pattern you desire.
This pattern was created entirely by me. There might be similar ones but this is my own creation. If anyone wants to copy it and sell the finished product, you have my permission. Just give me credit for the pattern, please.
Post by Eileen Patterson of GoofingOff.etsy.com and GoofingOff.Artfire.com

Edgar Allan Poe

 

I love a good book. I have always enjoyed reading and need to read something, a book, a magazine, a blog, something with words. The best books are so luscious and delicious that each word is savored like a fine wine or a good steak. These books aren’t the quick reads, at least not for me. The books I savor the most are the classics written by Steinbeck, Sir Walter Scott, or Hemingway, to name a few. The books have the ability to carry me away to places I have never been, to see things I only dream about, and to have adventures I can only imagine.

The Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe Vintage 1966 edition from Doubleday and Company.

 

Edgar Allan Poe is one of those great writers. He mastered the art of mystery and suspense.  His poetry and stories are so well written that the reader hangs on every word. His works have been described as genius and haunted. He was a true American master of the word.

I think of Poe, his difficult life (he was an alcoholic who died at the early age of 40 alone), and his wonderful words, every time I see a black bird. “Quote the Raven, Nevermore.”

Vintage Viko Cookbook

I love thrifting. There is something about picking through piles of stuff that my mother would call junk that gets me excited. I feel as if I am on a treasure hunt. I thrift/hunt where ever I am. I usually look for the funkiest looking places and hope I find a buried treasure. Sometimes I come up empty handed but every so often the hunt is worth the dirty hands.

This time I had to go to Ocala. Don’t know why I had to go to Ocala (probably didn’t have to go there but ended up there anyway). I saw a sign for an auction house that was open on non-auction days. I must have driven by the place a few times before but that was with the hubby and he doesn’t always want to stop. I was on my own and pulled in.

In true auction-style there were seats set up for an audience with the coolest antiques and vintage items set on a table in front for people to look and plan their bidding. I asked about prices on some of the things on the table and got a little nervous. Nervous enough to leave that table but not nervous enough to leave the place.

I started poking around in corners and found a box of magazines and books. Old Life and Look magazines from the 60’s priced good enough to take a chance on. Kept looking. Then I found a bag with a hospital basin in it. Hospital basins are good for lots of things like holding old cookbooks and recipes and that was exactly what was in the basin.

Published in 1939, the “Viko the Guaranteed Aluminum New Many Feature Cook Book: A Mirro Product” is a spiral bound, 264 page book loaded with recipes.

Many of the recipes are comfort foods, soups, dumplings, and vegetables that have fallen out of favor with gourmets but are loved by many. The previous owner even added some of her favorites cut from newspapers (one of the clippings has a Defense Bond ad on the back) and from her family. 

The recipes come from a time when chicken was hard to come by in the city (City Chicken recipe, page 77), bread and rolls were made with cake yeast, lard, and didn’t come from the grocer’s refrigerated section (Parker House Rolls, page 18), and Butterscotch Pie was made on Saturday for a proper Sunday dessert (Best Butterscotch Pie, page 212).

The fun part of the cookbook isn’t so much the recipes but the glimpse into life before World War II, before rationing, before the changes that swept through the world during and after the war.

In all, it’s a fun book, kind of like watching an old Fred Astaire movie. 

Post by Eileen from GoofingOff.etsy.com

Finding a New Home

Every time I find awesome vintage finds I fall in love with the item. I love the color, the shape, and the history of the item. I have a difficult time understanding why someone else doesn’t love the items as much as I do, why others don’t see the beauty I do. The Liberty of London Scarf I had in my Etsy shop was one such item. Its beauty was appreciated by many, something I could see by all the hearts it received. Still I wondered about it. Well, this fabulous scarf now has a new home. I am so happy for the scarf and the new owner.

One such item in my shop is this little guy. OK, not near as awesome as Liberty of London (what is?) but so cute and adorable in its own right. I think it would be perfect on the breakfast table with milk for cereal or maybe syrup for pancakes. Maybe just cute enough to grace a shelf with its presence.

 

Well, got to go. Need to get on that treadmill my darling hubbie put together for me.

Bye, y’all.

Applying Leadership Skills to Etsy Shops

Recently I attended a nursing conference. One of the speakers, Tim Cleeton, spoke about leadership. At first I thought this information is great if I was planning to go into management, but when I listened to him I thought of how a lot of what he spoke about could be applied to my Etsy shop, GoofingOff, and online marketing in general.

Have a Vision

When I started my shop I didn’t expect to make a million or be at the top (be nice but didn’t happen). I did expect to make it a way to enjoy doing what I love doing, finding awesome vintage items, providing sewing supplies, and making things from recycled materials while making a couple of dollars at the same time. I hope to build my Etsy shop into a separate website tied into the Etsy shop that I can work at long after I retire from bedside hospital nursing. My vision is having a website that people will think of when looking for cool, recycled pincushions, bags, and whatever, not to mention the most awesome sewing patterns.

Believe It Can Be Done

I am my worst enemy, the biggest burnout, and my harshest critic, still I believe I can make my shop work. It just takes time, lots of it, and work, lots of that, too. Can I do it? Not just yes, but Hell Yes! Just the same, I have to believe in what I do even when the sales and views are slow. If I don’t believe in what I am doing, no one else will either. Some of the best sales people aren’t great because the product is great, they are great because they believe in the product and get you to believe in it, too.

Have Energy and Momentum

Tim had a great quote that I’d like to share. “Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted.” I don’t know who wrote it, I just know it’s good. Having energy and momentum was pretty easy when I first started. I talked Etsy to everyone. I was excited, especially when I made my first sales. I knew I could do it. Maintaining that same level of energy and momentum is difficult when sales are slow, or doing jobs that aren’t fun. Finding the cool vintage stuff is fun, taking pictures aren’t near as fun, and counting pattern pieces, well, no fun at all. Still all those jobs are part of the big picture. I use my slow times to organize (an ongoing job), list more patterns, refine photos, and think of ways to improve my shop.

Know Purpose

Mine is to supply sewing supplies, vintage patterns, vintage items, and create cool things from recycled materials. My purpose isn’t to make a living off of it, but making a living might be the purpose for someone else. Knowing purpose makes a difference in the pursuit of the goal.

Connecting

Connecting means connecting with my customers, connecting with other Etsians, and becoming a part of a team whose members have similar interests or beliefs as me. When a customer contacts me, I try to reply as quickly as possible. I try to be an active member of the team, whether that means making a treasury or taking on a job.

Empowerment

For me, empowerment means doing what I need to do, making the decisions necessary for my business, and taking responsibility for my decisions. I am empowered.

Under Promise and Over Deliver

What a fantastic customer service concept that I am taking to heart. My customers are my business. I need to make every purchase seem like the most wonderful experience they ever had. This concept builds trust and hopefully return customers.

So, I guess I was paying attention to the conference. Hopefully this advice will work for me and maybe for a few others as well.

2.4.2011 Day Late and A Dollar Short

Today was a big day for me. I went to a conference and had a poster presentation to do, my very first. My friend and I worked on it for a while fine tuning it until it looked good, submitting the abstract, the whole mishagos, and today was the day to present. It also happened to be my day off. Like so many others I like to sleep in on my days off. Not long; I am not a 10 AM person, just an extra half hour and I am thrilled and refreshed.

Well, I looked at the conference schedule and thought, Cool, it doesn’t start until 8AM and since I usually get up at 5 AM, I could sleep in until 5:30, do the treadmill, and still get there in plenty of time. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men…it goes for nurses, too. Not only did the dog and cat not cooperate but my phone wouldn’t work right, either (what the hell did I do before cell phones?). Halfway to the conference my friend called. “Are you OK? You’re late. (I had copies of the abstract. Good thing I didn’t have the poster).” When she called I was about 20 minutes away and the conference had already begun.

Well, once I finally got there I tried to chill out (too much coffee and traffic) and came up with these rules.

1) If you don’t get up at your usual time OR EARLIER you will be late.

2) If you are running late expect your dog not to “do” what he or she should do (shy bladder). Also, expect your car not to start or you phone not work right (sigh). Those things might work perfectly well any other time but they won’t today.

3) Expect a friend to call you when you are en route and ask if you are OK. Although the call is well meaning (and my friend is well meaning, the salt of the earth) this will increase your stress level.

4) Every school bus will be on the road. Not just any road either, but the road you are traveling. The school zone lights will all be flashing, too. I really think the school zone lights are somehow set to my clock to slow me down.

5) Every car in front of you is not doing the speed limit but 5-10 miles an hour UNDER the speed limit. It is as if they all just got speeding tickets and are making sure they don’t get another one.

6) You will hit every red light on the way. You will. It’s in the stars.

7) No matter how fast you want to go, how many cars are on the road, or if the street light is green, you can’t go faster than the car in front of you. You just can’t.

After realizing rule 7 was just about the most important rule on the list I took a deep breath. Not much else I could do but smile.

I still got to the conference and missed a couple of opening remarks, a small part of the 1st speaker’s schpeel, and breakfast but that’s OK. I really didn’t need a bagel.

Good News! The vintage Liberty of London scarf has a home! I am going to miss it. It is beautiful. I guess that means I need to hunt for more.

 

 

5)

Old T-Shirts and Coffee Filters

Wednesdays suck. Long day for me at work, so long I get little done at home. Sound familiar? I want to do so much but by the time I make it home I barely have time to visit with my husband before it is time for bed. As usual, I have myself involved in a project, albeit a good project, but a time absorber just the same. Oh well, could have said no but I get so excited. Lots of reading and research to do which leads me to things to keep my hands busy while I read.

Old t-shirts seem to reproduce in my home. The good ones are snapped up quick by the hubbie and I am left with holy Joes that are beyond fixing but being my thrifty self, I can’t let them loose. I cut the shirts into 1 inch strips and crochet with them (too thrifty to buy yarn, at least at regular price. Maybe at a yard sale, though). So far I crocheted a coosie for my water bottle (hate the way they sweat) and a couple of scrubbies for the kitchen. I also make dog and cat toys for the humane society in town. Now I just have to think of what to do with the sleeves other than using them for rags. Maybe toys for the cats? Any ideas? I’ll make a few things and post the picks. Post yours, it’ll be fun to swap ideas.

Which leads me to this thought. I have a friend who got a good deal on coffee filters so she bought them, lots of them. So, what do you do with coffee filters? OK, other than clean windows and cover your food in the microwave? Any artsy ideas? I’m sure there are a few.

Hump Day Music: Tunes to Help You Get Through the Work Week 2/2/11

Wow, another Ground Hog Day. I wonder if Phil will see his shadow. With the way snow is coming down across most of the country it doesn’t look like Phil is coming out for anything if he’s smart.

Well, since many are stuck inside trying to keep warm, the idea of a nice big pot of hot soup on the stove is pretty inviting. A simple lentil or split pea soup is easy, filling, and can be made in a crock pot leaving a crafter free to do other things, like sewing! All you need is bread and a salad and a meal is born.

As promised, a little music to sew, cook, and craft by.

 

Enjoy!