I'm not feelin' the brotherly love

Hiya folks!  You all know (or maybe you don't know so I'm gonna tell ya) that I hail from the lovely city of Philadelphia.  Some people would put sarcasm quotes around the "lovely," but I won't.  Good and bad I like living here, though I often shake my head and think "Are you flippin' kidding me?"  The city is constantly cash-strapped, but those of us who pay our taxes can't figure out why (other than the obvious mismanagement of funds)--they want to impose trash pick-up fees (which we pay for in our taxes already) and extra taxes on soft drinks (which I don't care about since I don't buy soda but know plenty who do so I'll be agitated for them).

So here's what's got my goat this morning.  A friend of mine clued me into this, and I immediately got in touch with my old friend Google.  It appears that Philly now wants to impose a $300 fee on bloggers who sell ad space on their blogs--to buy a business license!  These ads bring in mere pennies, unless you're running a super-blog, so this fee seems extra exorbitant and ridiculous.  Some articles say that a blog has revenue potential, so they want to tax that.  As a commenter said to this post (see below) "I have lots of potential. I should start paying on all of it." Would it really be that difficult to weed out the corruption and overspending in city government so idiotic ideas like this don't need to be proposed?  I laughed as I wrote that part.  I'm with Technorati on this one.  As well as Aaron Proctor.  And the Washington Examiner.  And the Daily Caller.  And GeekSugar. And most of the comments on my own Inquirer.

(** UPDATE: according to the Mayor they are only requesting this of people who claimed revenue on their federal income taxes, but did not report to the City.)

You may be thinking "Bee. You don't sell ad space. Get mad about something that affects you directly."  OK, I will.  This next part was my originally intended post--the above just seemed too timely to ignore.

For the past two years the Philadelphia Phillies have been the Major League Baseball National League Champions, and in 2008 were the world champions.  While there are a lot of bandwagon fans, there are also a lot of hard-core fans.  And some of these hard-core Phillies fans want diaper bags made out of Phillies fabric, yo.  I ask you this seriously:  do you have any idea how difficult it is to find Phillies fabric that isn't fleece? Neither did I!  It is dang near impossible to find!  And when you do manage to find it? CAH-RAZY expensive! I can't imagine why they wouldn't make plain cotton with team logos on it for quilts and other items, but they make fleece. I understand fleece for football, played in the colder months.  I don't understand fleece for baseball, as though fans would only want a blanket in the winter instead of perhaps a quilt or something.  That something being a diaper bag.  This is the fabric I'm after:

I love it because it has such a classic look!

And these are the "deals:"

• 2.5 yards...for $175!!!!
• a fat eighth...for $20!!
• a 10 X 10 piece...for $10!!!

It's rare and discontinued, so I get these prices.  My question is: why is it rare and discontinued?  Why can you buy fleece, but not cotton?  Don't they have any idea that crafters would snatch these things up to have a chance to make something for the sports fans in their lives?  I would think it's a major win-win for major league baseball and crafters alike.

Now, you may be thinking, "Bee. Please get some more coffee and chillax."  So I'm off to give the people what they want.

Back soon with some weekend sewing pics!

Pop Garden Pleated Eye Candy

I made another one of those ginormous pleated bags over the weekend.  I have yet to make one of these for myself, but it is one of my most favoritest bag designs.  And it really is quite a sturdy thing.  The colors of this one I just adore--bright, but very sweet and fun.  Makes me want to put on my red ballet flats and go shopping. The lady I made this for chose the fabric, but asked for the same pocket features as this bag.  The side pockets add a bit of time to it's construction, but it really does add a little something to it.  Here, have a look-see:

This is Heather Bailey's Pop Garden line in 'Peonies.'

I had the perfect red on hand to match the lining.  But I forgot about the zipper. Usually I have enough zippers on hand to...to...I have a lot of zippers.  Except for the ivory color I wanted.  I tried about six different colors and was thinking I'd be heading out the next morning for an ivory color when Mumsy says "Try that green."  And whaddya know?  Perfecto!

I love the way it came out.  Just enough to pick up the green of the accent dots but not enough to go "Hey--lookee me--I'm a green zipper!"

You've seen enough of the insides of my bags--so I'll spare you.  But here's a loverly closeup of the fabric:

 And some nice even pleats.

I really don't want to give this one up.  It's just so fresh and fun looking.  And the red shoes.  Don't forget about the red shoes.  Actually, go and buy yourself a pair.  They're very liberating for the spirit.

You So Salty

I've been having nocturnal difficulties lately (read: trouble sleeping), so I've been hearing more talk radio than I normally do.  Last night as I was toggling between asleep and awake they had a gentleman on to discuss some proposed rule that salt be removed from restaurant tables because its overuse can lead to high blood pressure and other health problems.  His reponse to this was that one's body needs salt; it cannot survive without it.  He also thought sugar should be removed, but I'm going to pretend I dreamed that part.  In an interestingly timely fashion, I came across this article on the many uses of salt.  Here are a few that are craft related:

• Keep cut flowers fresh:  A dash of salt added to the water in a flower vase will keep cut flowers fresh longer. (You can also try an aspirin or a dash of sugar for the same effect.) 
• Arrange artificial flowers:  Artificial flowers can be held in place by pouring salt into the vase, adding a little cold water and then arranging the flowers. The salt become solid as it dries and holds the flowers in place.
• Make play dough:  Use 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons oil, and 2 tablespoons cream of tartar. Stir together flour, cream of tartar, salt, and oil, and slowly add water. Cook over medium heat stirring frequently until dough becomes stiff. Spread onto wax paper and let cool. Knead the dough with your hands until it reaches a good dough consistency.
• Set color:  Salt is used commonly in the textile industry, but works at home too. If a dye isn't colorfast, soak the garment for an hour in 1/2 gallon of water to which you've added 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup salt, then rinse. If rinse water has any color in it, repeat. Use only on single-colored fabric or madras. If the item is multicolored, dry-clean it to avoid running all of the colors together.
• Clean a gunky iron bottom:  Sprinkle a little salt on a piece of paper and run the hot iron over it to remove rough, sticky spots.

The rest of the article has oodles of nifty tips (46, to be exact) for everything from removing various stains to helping with mosquito bites.  Might be a handy list to have around.  Especially the gunky iron part.  Some of us have various adhesives from interfacings and such on the bottom of our irons. Not ME of course...ahem.

What's Your Creative Style?

Have you seen this quiz?  I don't remember how I came across it but it's kind of interesting to have a look-see into the subconsious of your crafty brain.  It's a few quick questions, and presto! Your creative side is psychoanalyzed!

As this quiz has it, here's me:

"You communicate through creativity.  You think of art as a means of reaching out to others but, at the same time, you use it as a shield to some extent. It’s a way of participating in society, in a community. It’s the way you communicate with others and the way they can communicate with you. Seen in this light, creativity provides the basic materials to build a bridge between you and other people, so you can’t think of it as something that lies outside your relationship with others. You like the attention and good opinion of others. When you show people what you’ve made — a birthday cake, or a piece of music you’ve written — it’s your baby, so you are very sensitive about any criticism. You need to be able to distance yourself from the result, and allow others to enjoy it and feel part of it, without it reflecting on you alone. Your creativity allows you (or would allow you) to feel part of the world. You’ve got an inner exhibitionist and you think that this strengthens your relationships. What you really want is for others to see the good in you. You prefer to get on the stage than stay in the wings analysing your inner life (although you do that, too). So let the show begin, but make sure your life doesn’t depend on the applause."

I don't know what the other results are, but this one seems pretty spot-on for me...at least most of the time.  I feel most comfortable around people I don't know well when I can discuss something crafty, whether it's a craft I take part in or not.  I do tend to be a little sensitive to criticism, but I honestly feel that I've gotten much better at accepting it, so long as it's constructive (because who takes destructive criticism well?).  I love communicating with the online crafting community--not only does it help with difficulties I might be having with a project, but it assures you that you are NOT the only one who sewed a bag with the zipper closed so that you couldn't turn it right-side-out and had to take apart most of it.  The hardest part to get over is the "applause" factor.  I worry entirely too much about if someone is excited about something as I am, or if they really like something I've made or if they're just being polite.  It should be about the process and the artistic release, and a good result (but not necessarily a popular result).

Enough about me...take the quiz and find out about you!  And share if you dare!

Inside Joke Sewing

MONTHS ago someone asked me to help him out with a gift for his groomsmen in his wedding.  It's an inside joke between the three of them.  OK, I said.  No problem.  The details:  3 golf club covers.  Easy enough.  The kicker?  They have to be in the shape of Blinky.  Not Blinky the pursuit-loving ghost of Pacman fame.
Blinky the 3-eyed fish from the river near the nuclear power plant of The Simpsons fame.  Need a visual?

 This.

 Not this.

This was not an easy task.  There is not a single assist with this ANYwhere.  The closest I could find was how to cut a fish out of a piece of felt (like a kid might cut a fish out of paper), but I had to take a flat image and try to make it 3-D.  I had several samples that I worked up, different kinds of eyes, etc. Last weekend, I finally just went for it. I took my time, tried to think about each step, and finished them.  They're not the greatest, I wholeheartedly admit this.  BUT I do think they're pretty adorable.  And there shouldn't be much confusion as to what they are supposed to be.  I avoided a classic Bee blunder and made sure they fit the golf club before I finalized everything.  So, here they are.

The photo on the left cracks me up because the way the eyes are makes this fish look so concerned.  I guess it should be having three eyes and all...

He asked me to add just a touch of shading over the eyes to make it really look like the character.  I tested different markers on a swatch and eventually ended up with this:

 

Adds just the right touch...

So that was my sewing ordeal I mentioned at the end of this post.  I feel they should maybe be fatter or something, but I don't know.... I'm not an artist so I don't have that sense of perspective and spatial whateverness to figure it out...and I needed a pom-pom size between this size and the next one down for the eyes to be almost perfect.  I was so worried these wouldn't be good enough, but he absolutely loved them.  He filled me in on why these were so important to him and showed me what else he had come up with as part of this present, and let me tell you this--if someone ever gave me a gift with this much thought and time and effort behind it, wrapped in memories and good times, as a symbol of their appreciation for being beside them on their wedding day, I would flat out cry.  That's how touched I'd be.  I'm glad people don't give me gifts like that.  I get grotesque twisty-face when I cry.  It's not attractive.  No lie.

He gave me an exorbitant gift card to my favorite craft store as a thank you.  So everyone's thrilled! The best kind of business deal.

Book Review: "Saint Francis" by Robert West

The book "Saint Francis" by Robert West is a brief biography of Saint Francis of Assisi.  This compact little volume (so comfy to hold, by the way) reviews his brief life in a matter-of-fact writing style, as well as covering some of the history of the region in which he lived and preached.  Francis was born into a comfortable lifestyle, one in which he reveled through his earlier years.  He did things that made his parent shudder, as well as having the townsfolk look at him aghast (the way that one might look at some of the things teenagers do today).  And then one day, touched by God, he devoted himself to prayer and preaching, extreme poverty, and devotion to Christ.

This book was a little too dry for my taste.  A beautiful story was made a bit wooden, doing the subject a disservice by making him seem more like a nutter than a servant of the Lord).  There was also a bit too much speculation for a biography--there were too many instances of "It is possible that..." or "We can imagine that he may have...."  Towards the end, when Francis' miracles were being discussed, as well as his demise, the language became prettier, and made him seem more accessible.  I honestly struggled to complete this book.  The timeline was a little too jumbled, and I wasn't always sure of when certain events were occurring.  I did enjoy learning a few bits and pieces I was entirely unaware of (i.e. his participation in the Crusades), as well as reviewing the things I knew of (that touching little sermon to a flock of birds).  This would be a great book if I was writing a research paper on Saint Francis, but as a casual book left me a little uninspired.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Check out my other BookSneeze reviews by clicking here.

One for the Boys

Remember these?  I needed a few for a soon-to-arrive little guy.  Since baby anything is unspeakably cute I took a few photos, even though it's kind of a repeat.  My sister told me these don't technically qualify as a craft as all I did was iron them on; BUT I used a ruler for placement, and I bought them at Joann's Fabrics and Crafts, so....

It's gloomy weather today, so the lighting isn't so hot.

What's that you say?  You'd like to see a few close-ups? 

Aren't they just so cute you want to find a baby and pinch its cheeks?

And here is my favorite:

Look at that cute little duck tushy and the little bit of water under his sailboat!  Makes me want to snuggle with something... 

So that's that...just a quick share of cuteness.  Hope your day is nifty!