Trepidation

Yes, trepidation!  Of what?  Blogging?  Perhaps!  But, it begins way before the actual blogging process takes place.  It begins with attempting to turn on the computer.  Yes, it took nine times of pushing the button to get it to come on.  The button is tempermental.  Yes, tempermental.  I looked it up and that is the exact word for that button!  We had the computer guru do his magic while we were away during the summer and he did say there were some “issues” which were (for lack of a better word) inoperable.  So, it is not a question of IF but a question of WHEN the ole’ gal will no longer draw her last breath.  Mr. Guru assures us the device he placed on the computer will back everything up….pardon me if I am skeptical (which is not his fault)!

So, the issue of getting the computer turned on is part of the delay in blogging.  Once the computer is on molasses in winter is faster than dealing with the delays.  Perhaps the title of this blog should be FRUSTRATION!  Speaking of frustration, I do not look forward to the process of finding a new computer and then learning how to use it.  Yes, it WILL be different, as this computer was purchased in 2002.  The year, not the movie!

It has been so long since I last blogged the format has changed and I am having trouble posting a photo!  If when you read this there is a photo you will know I somehow muddled through and if there is not, you will know, once again of my ineptitude at figuring out how to do computer “stuff”!

This coming Saturday is my final show of the year.  It has been an ordeal in preparing for it.  My therapist could buy an island after dealing with this one…if I had a therapist.  I have come up with some new things just for the upcoming holiday season.  Not my usual offerings…well, sort of, but different for me!  The show we call the Bird in Hand Country Christmas is once again, Saturday, December 3, 2011, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the American Legion Hall on First Street in Los Altos, CA.  There are a variety of choices there for you from Christmas to Folk Art to Antiques to birdhouses to rejuvenated gems!  One stop shopping and you are supporting America by buying from people who are actually making the items themselves right here in America. There is a huge difference in the goods from China.  They are tempting, but the quality is definitely not there.  So, I ask that you consider supporting the American made goods.  It will make a difference in the lives of our countrymen and countrywomen.  We also have live music and a few goodies for you to munch on to keep up your strength while you shop!

Sounds like rambling.  The wind is (literally) blowing up to 45 mph, so if they do not blow away to the next county, the things I put outside to dry from my dying process should be ready to come in for the next step!

Thank you for reading.  I am feeling a little less trepidacious (how’s that for a word?) Carefully consider your holiday purchases this year.  Remember we all need our oil changed, cars washed, go out to eat at locally owned restaurants or would enjoy seeing an independent film at the local theater.  Pass this along to your friends, if you feel so led.  Remember to be kind to someone you have never met and leave me a comment!  Until next time.

Bird Pin Cushion

Does My Head Hang Low?

Yes, yes my head DOES hang low!  Only because it has been sooooooo very long since I have last posted.  I wanted to.  I really wanted to.  I suppose you are asking, “If you really wanted to so badly, why didn’t you?”  Well, let me tell you why.  I am weak.  If the computer is on I will think of something I want to look up, and the next thing you know, it is an hour later and I have not completed the thing I am working on to take with me to my next show.  It is the same as unplugging the telephone (yes, I just dated myself on that one….who unplugs their phone any more?  We just set the cell phone to vibrate, or “power it down!”)

 

The other “reason” for not posting, is my OLD computer is so, so, so slow it takes forever.  I am into this posting at eighteen minutes and I STILL do not have the picture up and inserted.  I need to get a new computer.  There, now you know what trials I am facing.  Not to  mention I am technologically challenged!  I thought I would let that one go, but, since I am being honest it is only right I include it as well.

Let's celebrate Halloween!

You can see I have been busy getting some fall things ready.  Seasonal offerings are not my strong suit.  But, I do manage to get some done, usually.

 

So, since we were last together, David and I traveled to northeastern Washington to do a quilt show at the Buggy Barn quilt shop.  Never before have I done a quilt show on the prairie.  Well, hats off, once again to the folks that crossed this vast country of ours (often on foot for a majority of the journey) and settled in places where there was (and in many cases it remains true, still, to this day) nothing and no one! Courage and fortitude I do not possess.  Here is what I saw from the front of our booth.

I wasn’t kidding, was I?  (lol!)

 

To pass the time as we drove past miles and miles of wheat fields, David read from a book of love letters written between a civil war officer and his wife during that great war. In addition, we had great adventures to include stopping at one of my favorite places, Crafter’s Warehouse.  Two hours in there just flew by with purchases of things I need and cannot find anywhere else!  We stopped by a couple places to eat which were featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.  The most unexpected stop was a visit to Shipwrecked Beads in Oregon.  It is about the size of a grocery store.  WOW!  Found things there I need!  Then we came across a town with several little antique stores.  We had the best time, and of course, found a few little treasures to bring home!  I cannot wait to go back there again.  All this and we had the Quilter’s Companion with us and found several inspiring quilt stores along our path.  Good stuff for the old inspiration factory!

 

Last weekend was the show at Goat Hill Farm, in Soquel, CA.  It was a true working farm, complete with lots and lots of dust!  And sun!  Phew!  Let’s just say a shower and a beer were in order immediately after the close of the show each day!  This was only the second time for the Goat Hill Faire.  All of the vendors were terrific with treasures galore.  The owners of the property were marvelous, kind, easy going, generous, and gracious hosts.  (Let’s just say when I needed help backing up the van it was offered just as easily as if we’d known one another forever!)  BUT, that was nothing compared to Cyndi Garafolo, the show organizer.  She was kind, patient, caring, and just a dream.  I say, “thank you, and I am a better person because of you”.  I also could not have done it without the help of my friends, Karen and Cheryl.  They came out in the dust and heat and helped me break down and load the van at the close of the show.  Thank you both.  I am empowered by your strength.

 

Guess what!  October 1 and 2, we will be in Paso Robles for the 3 Speckled Hens event at the fairgrounds.  I just adore those ladies and cannot wait to see my friends from there!  This is the fourth time I have done this show.  (I should say, “we”, as David is the brawn and companion which makes it all come together!)  Having said this, I realize I need to get back to work so I have some more things made to take along with me in JUST ONE WEEK!  So, if you can, come by and say, “Howdy!” (it is cowboy country down there).  It will be nice to see you!

 

Thanks for stopping by.  If you are so moved, share your comments and tell a friend or two to do the same.  I appreciate each of you.  Do something nice for yourself and a kindness for someone you never met before.

 

 

The Common Thread is…?

A Bit of This and a Bit of That

The above is just a little something I am putting together! It will travel with me – soon. Which leads me to a riddle for you. What common thread is there between a Buggy Barn, a goat, Three Speckled Hens, fishes, 3 Pugs, and a Bird in Hand? Oh, you clever folks probably already guessed it… Those are (in part) names of upcoming shows I will be attending!

The Buggy Barn is just that. A lovely quilt shop in Reardan, Washington, known for their publications, fabrics, and love of all things primitive and antique. They have an outdoor quilt show every year. The week before the quilt show nationally recognized teachers come to teach and then the rest of us show up with our wares to share with folks! I believe this has been happening for the past 15 years. It is Gypsy Threads’ first visit. I am really looking forward to meeting all the wonderful folks I have been dealing with these past several months.

Now, for the goat part. Next month I will be traveling to Los Gatos, CA, to do a truly fun show called Goat Hill Fair. You can check them out at http://www.goathillfair.com. It is their second event and my first for attending as a vendor. I must say, I am honored to be on their postcard for mailing! Those of you who are local will be receiving one in the mail to remind you to stop by and visit. It will be fun!

The 3 Speckled Hens are no surprise! The first weekend in October we will be returning to Paso Robles for a terrific time with all the gang. We just feel like that is home for us. A real family!

Fishes…wondering about that one, are you? I have been invited by a friend in Carmel, CA, to bring my wares to her home for a trunk show! She is inviting a group of her bestest BUDS to come do a little early Christmas shopping! I know it will be a delightful afternoon.

I am leaving Carmel, and traveling to Phoenix, to visit my daughter and her two pugs, Stella and Brie. Which, I know, you are thinking my math is off – again. No, because Pearle will be traveling with me! I cannot wait to see these three gals together. Only Stella and Pearle have met, but from what I hear, Brie loves just everyone and never stops wagging her tail…which for a pug is something to see! I may do a couple of cold calls and take my things a few places and see who might be interested in some Gypsy Threads!

Last, but not at all least, is Bird in Hand. That is our holiday show in Los Altos, the first weekend in December. The usual gang will be there. Antiques, paintings, folk art, and some goodies to munch on!

Wool Heart Pincushion

Of course, there will be more information as the time gets closer. Aren’t you excited? I know I am. I have been hard at work making some never before seen items, all the while knowing a vacation is in order! Guess I can rest when I die! At least I am not getting in too much trouble! Although we did go to four estate sales over the weekend. They are such fun, because you just never know what you will find. The last one we went to on Sunday afternoon and when we pulled in the sign had my favorite words….everything is FREE!!!!!!!! We did find a few things for David, like rusty nails for birdhouses and the like.

Well, thank you for reading. Please share this with your friends and plan on coming and seeing me somewhere or all the “wheres”! I love to read your comments so keep those rolling in. Until we connect again, remember, eat thoughtfully and organic as much as possible, and be kind to yourself and someone you have never met before.

Lists

A place for everything....

This morning I am preparing to leave for Aptos, CA, to do a show in La Selva Beach this coming Saturday at their Community Center from 10 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. It is a nice little show and their is no admission charge. A variety of local folks bring plants, garden items, pottery, a few antiques, and lots of creative treasures for gifts for friends and family or just yourself. Generally I am outside, but this show I am doing by myself, so I opted for an easier setup – all to fit in my little car! You will find me just inside the door of the Community Center.

Of course, any time I am getting ready to travel I have lists. Lists of things I wish to create and how many of each. Lists of things to pack. Lists of things I need to take with me to work on before and during a show (and, no, I haven’t “learned” I don’t always get time to complete anything!) Lists of ideas of things to do when I return to my studio. To save you a lot of eyestrain, I will say, that I have tremendous ambitions and would need about fifty hours in a day to complete any one of those lists. Now, being a prudent person, I do not discard those lists. Why? Often there are sketches of something I want to create that I did not get done in those little 24 hour days. And, to my credit, it may take me months, even years, but I have noticed I have actually gone back and done several items I have been pining after for years. As a matter of fact, I did one item for this show (no exaggeration, honest) I have been wanting to do for fifteen years. Yes, years. It was on a list!

Inside of the box

Here is a big surprise…this box was on a list! I love boxes and think there are others who do as well, I did wrap a lovely piece of vintage burlap around the outside. It will be with me on Saturday!

Okay, since I have all these lists awaiting me, I can cross off, “Blog” before leaving for Aptos. Thank you for taking the time to read. Leave a comment, if you would be so kind. Also, tell a few dozen of your friends about my mad rantings and ask them to leave me a comment as well…better yet, why not just follow me! Remember to be kind to yourself and someone you have never met before.

Gratitude

Expression of Gratitude

Gratitude is one of those things that can be so easy to set aside and take for granted. It has to be an activity. An action verb, if you will. Something you do on purpose. Just like change cannot come about if we are not active toward a different outcome. Being grateful for what we are experiencing or where we are living is not always easy. However, being aware that each experience is part of the fabric of our life – each weaving together for us to look back upon in gratitude at the whole cloth of our life and how far we have traveled.

Summer where we live is hot. I am not particularly fond of heat. I am grateful, however, that when I just cannot stand it any longer I can turn on the air conditioner. I am grateful that after dark (when no one can see!) we can travel over to the pool and jump in the cool water and hear ourselves sizzle in relief from the heat. Thank you.

I am grateful to all those service members who give their lives so I can live the life I live. I do not want to get into the politics of whether or not the current war efforts should or should not be what our government has determined is the best for our country and the remainder of the world, but I do recognize that it is a call that many feel drawn toward and their sacrifices are vast. Thank you.

Even though my computer is old, I am grateful each time it comes on again. Recently it went in for a little tune-up and we were told, perhaps a year, at most. I find myself wondering how I will get used to a new machine. In one more year there will be even more amazing things the computers will be able to do! The most amazing one I encountered just today was…as I was purchasing a song on ITunes my telephone let me know I no longer have to hook up the phone to the computer and “sync” it…it just goes there to the phone, automatically! I consider that to be amazing! I am grateful for that! The History channel had 101 Gadgets that have changed our lives. The number one was smart phones. I would say, “Yeah!” I am grateful for what it can do, every day! I talk to my daughter every day and we can take pictures and go on the internet to look at menus from restaurants and get directions to the theater to see the movie we just read a review on on our phone! Can you imagine if General Lee had had a smart phone, y’all?

I am grateful to each friend who helps me when it is time for a show. They travel and help me unload my van and set up the canopy and move in the furniture and wait for me to make up my mind where I actually want it to end up, which is never where I initially thought it would go! Then, when it is time for it all to come down and we are all tired, the sleeves get rolled up and the process begins in reverse! I could not do it without them. I am grateful. Thank you.

I am grateful for the individual who says, I have an extra bedroom, come stay at my house. I generally am a very private individual, but am finding that those friendships are more and more dear as time goes by. Thank you.

I am grateful to MDH. MDH stands for My Dear Husband and will forever more be referred to in that manner! He puts up with my unfaltering madness that comes with lack of sleep and frustration over…well…most anything! The fact that there are killer dust bunnies looming in nearly every corner of each room and the sheets are not always changed each week and for some unknown reason my “stuff” ends up, well, on nearly every flat surface…in piles does not bother him…much. I am grateful. Thank you.

I am grateful for change. Grateful at the joy of watching my plants grow and change bring forth beautiful leaves and blossoms. A feast for the eye, the nose and the ear as the bees buzz, the butterfly alights, and the hummingbird dips in his beak.

I am also grateful to each of you for taking time to visit. Leave me a comment and let me know you were here and what is it exactly that you are grateful for. That way I do not feel so alone in the world. Please ask your friend to do the same. I will be ever so grateful! Remember to be kind to yourself and also to someone you have never met!

Post Show Recovery

Just a quick note to say how much we enjoyed the show this past weekend in Paso Robles. The Three Speckled Hens know how to throw one lovely bash, complete with food and “drinks” for all the vendors on Saturday evening! I always leave with treasures, ideas, and many new friends. Who wouldn’t love that?

Returning home to re-enter the “real” world revealed the lives of all the individuals in the middle on the country who lost all their worldly possessions and even loved ones. Our prayers and thoughts go out to everyone touched by this. I hope each of us will take the time to do something, no matter how small, to help these folks put their lives back together. An experience that will remain with them for all their days.

One week from today I will be packing up to travel to Turlock for a new event being held June 3 and 4, at American Country – a wonderful primitive shop housed in a rebuilt Ohio cabin, out of town a little distance! There will be food, music and all sorts of fun – plus folk artists with their latest wares!

Have a lovely day and know I appreciate your taking the time to read my words and meanderings of my heart. Please pass this on to a friend – it makes a difference in my life! Remember to be kind to yourself and someone you have never met.

My Heart is Filled With You

It took HOW long?

It must be love. Only love would take three, yes, three weeks to create what is in these little envelopes. About seventy little envelopes in all. Just what is in these little envelopes you ask? Insanity!
I decided I just had to make pennants. Small pennants with a special word spelled out to keep you focused on that which means something to you. A sort of “touch stone” for the eye, if you will. Now, a sane individual would cut out a pennant for each letter, stamp on the paper and string it together. Mind you I said, “sane.” So, if you know me at all, that is NOT what I did!
I collected an old French language book, music, recipes, a salacious novel, an old dictionary…well, you get the idea…so each letter would have a different paper, of course. Then if I did a particular word more than once, the papers needed to be different in different order. Then there were the letters used to make the words…yes, they too needed to be different, individually stamped on separate paper and then affixed to the pennant – oh yes- and a little color added to each.
That is why it took me three weeks…in addition to the fact that I stitched the paper so I could make a channel to feed the butcher’s string through for hanging. Here is what I came up with…

All the while, my computer is running slower and slower. The one day it took 25 minutes to bring up my homepage. Who has that kind of time to wait around? Mind you, the computer is, (are you ready?) ten years old! After some wrangling, weeping, and a little wailing, the tower went to the guy who performs miracles on out of date machinery! This morning the wrangling began, again, and the tower was hooked up to all the various components that configure my computing system. Viola, I am back!

Why am I making countless pennants? Well, in two weeks we will once again be traveling to Paso Robles, CA, to do the Three Speckled Hens show! I couldn’t figure out how to get their flyer on here, but you can go to http://www.ThreeSpeckledHens.com and get the information!

This is all for today. Thank you for reading. Please, please, please share this with your friends and hopefully they will subscribe and share with their friends. I need more publicity, which means, I need YOU to help me with that! Have a terrific weekend and remember to do one kind thing for someone you do not know!

It’s Been Awhile…

Spring!

Yes, it HAS been awhile. Guess my brain has been on pause for some time now. That sort of gray fog that gets irritated if you attempt to clear it away and when you do attempt something toward that end, it (the fog) just becomes thicker and laughs in a deep, evil way. Let’s just say, the deep laughter just wore me down and I gave up.

Often when you give up there is a sense of relief from letting go of the struggle. Not me. A sort of funk (if you will) grows up and around me. Encasing me in a web so thick there is no breaking through. There is no cure. Just time. Once the little bits of greenery from last year’s garden appeared I realized there might just be a weeeeeee bit of hope.

Speaking of weeeeee…I know you have seen the Geico commercial with the pig in the backseat of the van expressing the delight of the wind in his face…well, there is a free ringtone of that delightful sound he emits. I decided I would download it to my phone. How hard could it be? Well, considerably when you are dealing with a thick fog-covered web of funk! Okay, so, I got all the way to the final step only to find out there was a problem with the site and could I try again later? I felt totally defeated and wounded. My wound has yet to heal. Perhaps I’ll peel back the bandage in a day or two and give it a try again. I’ll let you know if and when I achieve success.

Speaking of phones, I have the second generation Iphone…which I just found out AT&T is no longer going to provide service for and I will need to upgrade my phone. I have mixed feelings about this. I do not have many apps on my phone, maybe ten or so. Of those ten I only use four on a semi-regular basis. That is about all the fog will allow through.

And another thing…there are certain types of music that drive me insane. Like 93.5% of country music, 95% of celtic music, 98
% of jazz, and 99.999% of rap/hip hop (those are two separate categories, right?). I just don’t get any of them. Country/celtic seems to only have about six different songs. Jazz, well, jazz sends me to the kitchen for that butcher knife (metaphorically speaking, of course). The final category I do try listening to from time to time, and I have yet to put any on my Itunes.

I have done some soul-searching on the days the fog is not as thick and have come to several conclusions. It is difficult to find restaurants that actually cook (not frozen stuff heated up) and I refuse to spend money at those establishments. Technology is wonderful, if you understand it. My understanding is merely one drop of mist from a sneeze. There is no substitute for friends. Living further than an hour from a major airport complicates life, as that usually means “things” you need in life to keep you from going insane are generally within 30 minutes of said airport. Knowing what to say in a blog comes more easily some days than others!

Thank you for reading. I would love to have 100 people following me by the end of May. My birthday is next week, so for that special day, see if you can find a group of friends to read my blog and sign up to follow me and ask them to do the same and then I’ll get to my 100 goal. For the 100th individual to sign up I’ll send something special from my very own hands! Remember to be kind to yourself and someone you have never met. Until next time, I’ll be looking through the fog for you!

Listen to this playlist: gypsythreads’s Playlist

Something New

Bless the Bees!

Many new things have come into my life recently. Some good and others, not so good.
Let’s begin with the most recent. This morning I activated the latest tool for my business. It is called a Square (to be found at SquareUp.com). It allows you (the business owner) to accept debit/credit cards on your IPhone or IPad!!!!! Now, get ready for this next part…the little Square is about 1.5″ square and attaches right to your device!!!!! You swipe the card on the Square and the customer signs the screen. Done deal! But, that is not truly the best part. No, the best part is it is FREE and there is no annual contract or fee if you do NOT use it! A small amount per transaction is charged, but it is a very reasonable amount and opens the way for better sales. Let’s face it, how many of us carry cash any more? And, from the viewpoint of a business owner, checks are very rarely a problem, but every once in awhile it does happen! The funds go right to your own bank account. I cannot wait to try it out. I’ll let you know how it works for me.

The next new thing is, I discovered the actual carpet that covers the floor of my studio. I only discovered it after spending hours (no exaggeration here) putting wool and fabrics and paper and buttons and on and on back in their proper places. I vacuumed, which required relocating Pearle several times, and when we were done, we both agreed it was worth the effort. So much so, I finished a piece I began before the San Francisco quilt show last month. Yes, that is it at the beginning of this blog. What do you think? Leave me a comment so I’ll know if I should create others like it.

While cleaning and creating it became clear that the system of organizing my DMC floss that I put into place 30+ years ago had outgrown its confines. Off to a variety of stores to procure supplies (which included a label maker! I know, how did I ever get along without one all these years?) and after HOURS of reworking the system, it is, at last in place and from my initial use, seems to be just what I wanted. That means I can EASILY find, retrieve, use and return the floss I am looking for and it is much closer to my stitching chair. Wonderful.

Next on the new list was I heard from The Creative Connection Event (which I participated in as a vendor last year) that the registration will begin on April 4, with returning vendors being able to register first! I must say, I am very impressed. They actually listened, heard, and adjusted the concerns of those of us who were there last year. That kind of effort and respect goes a long way in my book. So, just as soon as I have registered I’ll let you know! The dates are September 15-17, 2011 in St Paul, Minn. at the Crowne Plaza.

The last events are the sad ones. The past few weeks several people who were a part of our lives quite unexpectedly left this earthly path. Each one left such a vacant place in my heart. It still hurts to think they just are no longer here. I don’t know if these feelings are more intense now that I am nearer the same path, but it really moved me in a way that even my mom and dad’s passing did not. Bill, Lisa, and Grandpa Jett, I miss you, every day.

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. I hope there is something new/and/or wonderful that happens in your life today. Thank you also for telling your friends to check out my blog and leave me a comment as well. Remember to think about what it is in life you want…not what you do not want…you will notice a big difference if you can try that out for awhile. Be kind to yourself and someone you do not even know.