Anybody need a vacation home?

My Sainted Mother-In-Law has been hard at work for the past six months, rehabbing a house she and her sister inherited last year.  It's finally finished and on the market, so if you've got a few spare $$$ sitting around and would like a place on the Shore, check it out:

http://www.coldwellbanker.com/property?action=list&freeTextAddress=15250+locust+street+onancock+va&countryId=1

I mean come on, who wouldn't like a view like this out of your sunroom?

Looking to spruce up your walls?

Might I suggest that a print from G Sees would look great in almost any room in your house?



You guys are always saying I should sell my photos, and now is a great time to support me and get a jump on your holiday shopping. Plus, I'll include a free gift to the first person to actually buy something from my shop!

Shameless plea for donations

Dudes, I'm running out of time here.  If you haven't already, please pony up a few bucks to support breast cancer research.  And start sending some good weather mojo my way for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Mid-70s and overcast would make all 900 walkers very, very happy.  Surely if we put the power of the Internet behind this, we can control the weather, right?  After all, if eating chocolate that has been meditated over can improve your health, a bunch of moms and nerds ought to be able to effect massive weather shifts with their minds, right?  Or is that just the desperation talking?

Oh, and Cleveland folks - you can come and cheer for me and the other walkers.  Here's the link to the cheering stations that will be open along the route.  Signs, cowbells, and offers of piggyback rides are all great ways to show your support!

Geez, nobody guessed my new project is "mushroom farmer?"

Ha!  Just kidding!  I leave all fungus propagation to the professionals.

In reality, I'm working on a new blog, (Sort Of) Sustainable Summer.  It's me rambling about my attempts to feed my family this summer using mostly locally- and/or organically-grown foods.  I'll be collecting and sharing my resources, both national and local, and talking about how I'm weaning my kid off string cheese and V-Fusion and onto real food.  When I find good recipes - ones that even my non-locavore friends will eat - I'll pass them along, and hopefully all our lives will be tastier as a result.

The project is just starting right now - I'm about done with the research, and I'm almost ready to pack away all of my processed "food" items and start eating better ... just as soon as I get back from vacation in early June.  Because if you look at our handy made-just-this-morning harvest calendar, you'll notice that May is pretty darn sparse on local produce when you live in the snow belt.

And since I don't have a pantry full of local produce I "put up" last summer - and I do have a pantry full of crap we bought and probably should eat up - we'll take baby steps until June.

So pop on over to the new blog and check it out.  You won't find much in the way of ranting or proselytizing, but hopefully you'll find it interesting.  And if it makes you think about your food in new ways, well, then that's a good thing.

Also - cute pictures on farms and stuff!  Just wait until we go visit the lady who raises chickens down at the end of our street ...

Damn, she photographs nicely

And for once, I'm not talking about the kid.

Shawls are usually so jammed up on the needles that it's next to impossible to see the pattern develop as I'm knitting, so blocking a shawl is almost always a delightful surprise. This was even better than most. Half an hour ago it looked like a big purple snotrag, but a quick soak and a bit of tugging revealed this beauty - behold, my Morpork Pi shawl designed by MMario:

Wow.

Now that's a rather impressive use of 3 1/2 skeins of sock yarn, wouldn't you say?

Closeup of the pattern near the edge:

Closeup of the center section:

You didn't think I'd skip the fundraising message here, did you?

My apologies to those of you who got my e-mail and have to read this twice ... but since most of you haven't donated yet, I don't feel toooooo bad about the duplication.

This summer I'll be participating in a very special event called the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. I'll walk 60 miles over the course of three days with thousands of other women and men. But as crazy as that sounds, that's not the end of it ... or rather, that's not the beginning. Because in order to survive walking 20 miles a day for three days, I have to train, and train hard. I'll be walking four times a week, every week, in every kind of weather, from now until the end of July. I'll be averaging more than 30 miles every week, for a total of more than 600 miles by the time I'm done. I'll be rearranging my schedule, fighting blisters and chafing and boredom, and dragging my 5-year-old "training partner" behind me in a wagon for part of it. Why on earth would I do this to myself? Because net proceeds from the Komen 3-Day for the Cure walk are invested in breast cancer research and community programs. I've been lucky so far - while breast cancer has touched the lives of my family and friends, so far it hasn't taken anyone I know. But unless something changes, it's only a matter of time. Consider these chilling facts: - Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and is the leading cause of death among women worldwide. - One person is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes in the United States. - A woman dies from breast cancer every 68 seconds. That's why I'm walking so far. To do something bold about breast cancer. With every step I take, I'll be helping to stomp out breast cancer. I hope that you'll share this incredible adventure with me - by supporting me in my fundraising efforts. I've agreed to raise at least $2,300 in donations. So I need your help. Would you please consider making a donation of $60? Keep in mind how far I'm walking - and how hard I'll have to train. I'm hoping to complete my fundraising by June 1, 2010, so that I can more fully concentrate on training as the event approaches. You can give online at The3Day.org. Just follow the link below to visit my personal fundraising Web page and make a donation. You can also call 800-996-3DAY to donate over the phone. Thank you in advance for your generosity! Sincerely, Gretchen P.S. Ask your employer if they will double your donation through a matching gift program! Click here to visit my personal page. If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address: http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/2010/ClevelandEvent2010?px=5018396&pg=personal&fr_id=1464&et=Py5QUNZdp2wZculbOglr5w..&s_tafId=415331

For more information about the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure or Susan G. Komen for the Cure, visit The3Day.org or call 800-996-3DAY.

Cue the triumphant music

It took about three months of frequent work, 1.5 kilometers of yarn, and about 3,000 beads, but the Shawl of Insanity is finished!

More pics in my flickr photostream. (If the link doesn't work, I'm LazyMamaDesigns on flickr ... it should be pretty obvious which ones are the shawl pics!)

Judging from the response at the yarn store when I went in for sock club today, I done good. One of my knitting friends borrowed it because the store was chilly today, and I thought I was going to have to hamstring her in order to make sure she didn't walk off with it at the end of the day. It's that cozy ... and pretty ... and sparkly ... and mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Now, off to crochet some mindless hats before I start on another mind-numbingly difficult project (which will probably be, oh, next week sometime).

Look! Free press for Lazy Mama!

http://www.parenting.com/activity-parties-gallery/Activities-Parties/Click-to-Buy-Homemade-Halloween-Costumes/16/

Mermaid costumes ... get one before some strangers at parenting.com snatch them all up!

Rapunzel braids now for sale!

You can find them here.

Lazy Mama Designs going out of business?

Okay, so if you're at all crafty you have probably heard about this, but it could stand to be repeated here because it WILL impact my business.

The government has recently passed a rather poorly-thought-out law,
the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act, which goes into effect February 10 2009. On the surface, it sounds good, requiring additional testing of children's toys and equipment to reduce exposure to lead and other harmful substances. Great! I'm all in favor of not poisoning our children.

The problem is, this applies to EVERY toy and children's item, not just those manufactured by large companies or places with histories of problems in the past. And the testing has to be done by an official third-party testing facility, which can charge hundreds of dollars for one test.

So, for example, the tummy time quilts I make to sell on etsy for $18-50 would have to be sent away for testing to make sure the materials and design are safe for kids. Every quilt is made of a unique blend of fabrics and a unique design, so testing one quilt won't apply to all of them. And pretty much every etsy artist who makes things for kids faces the same problem, unless they are large enough that they are mass-producing items (which includes maybe half a dozen etsy folks ... the rest of us make very limited runs of whatever we make). We're stay-at-home moms, crafty parents, owners of small businesses, people who just like to make little stuffed animals. And we're pissed.

Come February, we're going to have to make a choice - quit selling children's items, or be non-compliant and risk major fines and legal entanglements. Personally, I plan to quit selling kids stuff - the most profitable and popular part of my product line - rather than risk getting caught. And I know a lot of etsy folks feel the same way. So next Christmas, good luck finding handmade children's items that don't cost an arm and a leg ...

Unless we can modify the law. If you'd like to learn more about the topic and find a list of ways you can support artists who would be put out of business by CPSIA, pop on over to the round-up on Cool Mom Picks. Write your congressman and senator, contact the folks at the CPSC, sign the online petition, add the button to your blog.

Please take the time to look into the issue and add your voice of support, if you can. Thanks!

Well, that was quick

Hope nobody had their hearts set on those exact bowls, because somebody snapped them up already. Rest assured that I'll be making and listing more in early December. By then I'll be so sick of looking at socks, making 400 bowls in a row will seem like a piece of cake.

Trying something new

I learned how to make these fabric bowls years ago, then promptly set that idea aside in favor of other crafts. I was looking through my stash recently, though, and I found a couple packs of hand-dyed fabrics that I thought would lend themselves to bowlage (bowling?). I think I was right:

I love these fabrics, which I purchased something like eight years ago when I was first getting into quilting. They were made by a small company in Alaska which appears to have gone out of business (or at least dropped off the Internets) since then, which is a shame. Because eventually I'm going to run out of fabric, probably before I run out of bowl ideas.

They're available in my etsy shop, of course, and would make - ahem - excellent holiday gifts. I'll have some in a purply-navy colorway coming in the weeks ahead, too, and possibly some other shapes, so let me know if there's something specific you're looking for.

Just in case anyone forgot

I do sell stuff online, you know, and the holiday shopping season is pretty much upon us.

If, like us, you celebrate the holidays really early with part of your family, FEAR NOT! I can still get stuff shipped to you before you leave for Thanksgiving ... or ship directly to wherever you'll be celebrating. Heck, tell me when you order and I'll even wrap the sucker for you!

So click on over from my sidebar and buy something already!

Or just tell me how awesome my stuff is, whichever you'd rather.

But the compliments aren't going to buy me a new computer next year, is all I'm saying.

Feeling very competent right now

Last night as I was getting ready for bed I heard the ominous seal-like cough coming from Liza's room, indicating that it was time to haul out the vap-o-rub and humidifier. Luckily after we got her to stop screaming and take some drinks of water, she was much better, and she slept through the rest of the night without a peep.

She was still gargly this morning, though, and I had to make the call about whether to send her to school or not. On the one hand, she wasn't particularly snotty or coughing, and she didn't have a fever. On the other hand, she still sounded like she had a shot of Listerine in the back of her throat, and she was a lot less, um, manic than she normally is in the morning. And I really needed some time to finish up a project I'm smack in the middle of for Lazy Mama.

In the end I had pity on the other preschool parents and kept her home. I really don't want to be the mother everyone else silently curses because her kid hacks all over theirs all day at preschool. And I think I did thr right thing, since Liza was remarkable well-behaved at the grocery store (when she doesn't make a grab for the candy in the checkout line, it's a tip-off that something's not right), and when she had a tantrum a few minutes ago I laid down with her on her bed, and she was out like a light about 3 minutes later with no books, no CDs, and no complaints.

Hallelujah!

Let the pattern editing commence! Because I've got some Tummy Time on the Prairie quilt kits that are burning a hole in my craft table, waiting to get out the door, and I've only got a 24-hour window before I come down with whatever Liza's got.

Pimpin' my homies

http://www.clevelandhandmade.com/?page_id=70

The Cleveland Handmade etsy team has an orange-and-black challenge going, with voting continuing until Sunday, October 26, so stop by the site and pick your favorite. Sign up for the mailing list at the same time, and you're entered to win a gift certificate good at any of the participating shops. Just in time for holiday shopping!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, I do have an entry - the Halloween Hexagons quilt. Go forth and vote for me!

Behold the awesomeness

See what I done designed and knit all by my lonesome? A hat with stripes that swirl away into nothingness at the top. It will be for sale in the etsy shop as soon as I get some good photos of it ... in the meantime, you can just meditate on its mesmerizingly incredible awesomeness.

Fun at the lake

Went up to Lake Erie today for a photo shoot for my newest etsy merchandise, the mermaid tail and tiara costume set. It was windy, but I think things turned out pretty well. What do you think?




Not bad for someone whose modeling fee is an ice cream cone from Dairy Queen on the way home. She takes direction well, at least when she's well-rested and properly bribed. Thank god.

Mermaid tail for dress-up

Okay, when Liza spends all morning playing with her new imaginary friend, Alice the Mermaid, you can't expect me to refrain from busting out the sequins during naptime to make a mermaid tail, can you? Didn't think so.

So, moms and dads - what would you pay for a reversible, custom-sized mermaid tail for dress-up play? I'm thinking of making them for my etsy shop, but I want to make sure there's a decent profit margin to be had. The sparkly stuff can be up to $15 a yard, so my materials cost will probably be higher on this than on most of my other merchandise. I'm thinking like $30 for a kid-sized one, and closer to $50 for an adult one. Would you pay that for a gift for your kid, grandkid, niece, kid of a friend? And what colors would you like to see available? I was planning to go with just green or blue to start, with others available if somebody specifically requests one (and it's available locally).

You know you want one ... or two ... or four ...

Look, Mom! I finally found a use for the 400 zippers you gave me!

Get 'em while they last, only $9 each at my etsy shop.

Oh, and having a kid who stands still and moves her arm the direction I tell her to when posing for a picture - priceless. The kid's got a bright future as a hand model, don't you think?

New free pattern available

The hat pattern is now up on my blog for Lazy Mama Designs. You can find it here:
http://lazymamadesigns.blogspot.com/2008/08/free-pattern-lazy-lids.html

Go forth and make many, many hats. Just because YOU live in Texas doesn't mean that all of your relatives do, after all :)