Me, At Work

This is my sewing room. Oh, I know, it's glamorous and flashy and all that, but it's work. It's actually much better looking than it was a month ago. I decided that I would get a jump on that "must get organized" resolution and so I went after my work space the week after Christmas.
Before the "big cleanup" I had hand-me-down plastic shelves and a few bins. It just wasn't working. I went through my stash, of both fabric and scrapbooking supplies, and decided what I needed. The cube storage units you see are from Lowe's, as well as the green and cream bins that fit inside. I thought about getting some more of the bins, but I like being able to see my fabric stacks. It's easier to make design decisions when I can see it all on display like that.

It looked worse than this. Really.

By the way, I'm listing that bag in my etsy shop later today. If I can get good photos. But that's another blog day.

I Live in a Swamp

I often tell people that we live in a swamp. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I regularly comment on the weather in the swamp. I'm not kidding. It's not a metaphor or a comment on current social conditions in the world. I really DO live in a swamp.

We're on high ground, and most of our soil is quite sandy, so our house is pretty safe from flooding. It amazes even me how much I love where I live. The water is usually very quiet, but when the river is running high, you can hear it moving through the trees. Eerie? A little, but in the most delicious kind of way.

Dr. Mommy's Toy Clinic Is Open

Being a stuffed animal is apparently a hazardous lifestyle choice, at least around here. I've had to do surgery on two, yes TWO, stuffed animals already this week. Last night it was a bear who needed stitches near his ear. He's feeling much better today.

This afternoon it was a sweet tiger, one of my son's favorites. His paws needed cosmetic work, but that hole on his leg required immediate attention. Here's his picture, resting at the window.

I have fond memories of my mother doing "surgery" to repair my favorite toys when I was a child. Her sweet attitude, of taking great care to not only do a good job, but to make sure they rested after getting stitches taught me to be gentle. She started with stuffed animals and dolls and, as I grew, she showed me how to have compassion for our animals and most importantly for the people in our lives.

I remember going to visit an elderly lady, who had helped my mother around the house when I was little. Years after she stopped working, we would still visit her occasionally, and my mother always baked her a birthday cake. We would go together to deliver it to her house.

It is my hope that my children will learn those lessons, too. Even though my mother is no longer here to teach them, her spirit lives on when my son says, "My tiger needs to get plenty of rest tonight. His paws are sore from surgery."

My Ongoing Quest for Amazing Photos

I'm trying. Honest. I really, really, reeeeally want to take fabulous photographs for the etsy shop and my blog, but I'm not a photographer. Well, in the strictest sense of the word I am; I mean, I do take pictures but they don't look at all polished and professional. So, what's a girl to do? There's no budget for hiring someone, or even for a new camera. Hmmmmf. (Picture me sitting with my arms crossed, hunched over, frowning.)

Okay, pity party's over. Make do with what you have, missy. So I read and search and read some more and then try stuff to see if it works. It's been so cloudy and rainy here that using outdoor light hasn't been an option, but since it wasn't actually raining yesterday, I went outside anyway. Here's the result:



The above photo was taken just outside my door, using only natural light and a little bit of editing. I'm pretty happy with it and it was a cheap solution. It only cost some time to gather a few things from the house--a big piece of paper, a metal bucket from my bathroom, a pitcher and a laundry basket.

Below is the setup:


Considerably less glamorous than a fancy studio, but that's pretty much the story of the craft business. I know, it looks flashy from the outside, but it's almost like a real job. Honest.

Christmas Peddler Craft Show

The Bede Sisters had a great time at the Christmas Peddler Craft Show in West Columbia, SC, this weekend. It's a small show, but the best run show we've done all year. Many thanks to Darius Suber, who coordinates this event. He is readily available all day, making sure things are running smoothly and that vendors are well cared for. There's a vendor break room, with coffee and doughnuts, and lunch is delivered right to the booth. You read that right--lunch, from Subway, is included in the booth fee. Great job, Darius and staff!

The photo below is of Lori's jewelry table. Her husband came up with the pendant tree after seeing a gargantuan pendant tree in Tennessee. Our setup is...shhhh...a bowling ball inside a plastic flower pot with tree branches stuck into the finger holes. Lori wrapped the flower pot in a tree skirt for the Christmas show. Leaving it exposed does have an advantage, though. Men will come into the booth to check it out, and hopefully, bring their wives with them.

This photo is of my scarf and market bag table. Many of the scarves are made of bamboo, which is my new favorite thing. It's amazingly soft, just feels like air. I'm planning to photograph them this week for our etsy shop, bedesisters.etsy.com.

So, how was your weekend?

Great weekend!

Lori and I had a wonderful time at the 39th Annual Christmas Craft Show in Aiken, SC. There were so many amazing crafters there, from woodwork to metal craft to quilts. Our reversible aprons got lots of attention, as did the bamboo scarves. Unfortunately, the jewelry slots were already full when we applied, so we didn't get to bring Lori's charm pendants. We'll have them with us next week, though, at the West Columbia, SC leisure center show.

We had an interesting afternoon out yesterday. The four-year-old stayed with her oldest sister, while the rest of us went shopping and to the movies. Yikes, $47 dollars just for the tickets! But it was just about worth it. We saw A Christmas Carol, with Jim Carrey. He did a fantastic job as Scrooge and the animation was amazing. Some of the scenes were a little intense, even for our eight-year-old, but he liked it anyway. If you are looking for a movie to get you in the Christmas spirit, do give this one a chance.

How do you take your oatmeal?

I'm having oatmeal for breakfast. It's chilly in the swamp today, below freezing, (honest, I live in a swamp) so oatmeal sounded good. Please understand, I'm a southern girl, so grits are still an important part of the morning menu, but today it's oatmeal for me.

Growing up, my mom made a classic breakfast every morning-- eggs, bacon, toast and grits if she were feeling particularly chipper. She and my dad were active people, so they burned it off by 10 am most days. But oatmeal was rarely on the table until later in life, when they started to watch cholesterol levels and even then, they were more likely to have cereal than warm oatmeal.

So, on to my life today. I'm not a morning person. I freely admit it. My husband is usually in charge of breakfast for himself and the kiddos. I'm on my own, mostly because I don't want food for a couple hours after waking.

My "recipe" is 1/2 cup quick oats, 3/4 cup of water, microwave for 1.5 minutes.

As to how I take my oatmeal, it should be sweet. I know some people add salt, but salt is for grits. No self-respecting southerner adds sugar, honey or syrup to grits. It must be butter and salt, red-eye gravy, or on occasion, a cream gravy. For oatmeal, it should be brown sugar, syrup or honey. After that, it could be any combination of cinnamon, raisins, butter, maybe even apples.

Today, I had butter, cinnamon-sugar and raisins. Yes, I know the butter kind of defeats the cholesterol-lowering benefit of the oatmeal, but I have to draw the line somewhere.

I'm always looking for other ideas to dress up my humble bowl of oatmeal. How do you take yours?