Rain's Stuff Here

Stirrings of Spring

2012-01-31T12:20:00.001-06:00

The title seems a little silly, considering the current temperature of 58, with a projected high of 67, but I know it is still winter. There are hints of real spring coming, though. For one thing, I've been obsessively organizing and decorating my space.

I'm working on emerging from my winter cocoon, to speak and interact, and to post things more regularly. I've been attending to business and answering questions from customers and taking orders and staying quite busy, but not a lot of posting on the blog or facebook, or listing new things in the shops.

I have plenty of good things to share, though! I have an ad that will be in the new issue of Witches & Pagans Magazine, which should be appearing any day now. I've been working on solidifying my yarn brand and bumping up production. I've been working on developing some new altar cloth designs, and creating some new fabric designs for custom printing at Spoonflower. I've been working on the transition from my original huck towels to my new lines of towels, with better quality and greater selection.

And, after being on this path for nearly 20 years, apparently I actually do have a patron deity. At least She has a sense of humor! There have been hints and signs for awhile now, but I finally caught on, and I can hear Her laughing at me, for taking so long to put the pieces together. At any rate, after a series of nudges in that direction over the past week, here's a picture of the fabric Brigid's Cross I made for my sewing room this morning.

Butternut Squash, Cherry and Pecan Salad

2011-10-06T09:13:00.000-05:00

This is the recipe for my butternut squash, cherry and pecan salad. I brought it with me to a Harvest Home celebration last weekend, and I remembered just how much I love it.

If you need exact measurements, then this is not a good recipe for you. I'm sorry about that.

Years ago, I worked at Whole Foods in California. They had a salad in the deli that I absolutely adored. It was my inspiration for this.

Large butternut squash
Dried Cherries
Pecans
Brown mustard
Maple syrup (Real, or don't bother.)
Lime juice
Cumin
Poppy seeds
Thyme
Parsley
Cooking oil (olive, peanut, canola--something good.)

Peel the squash, then cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. (You can set those aside and roast them later.)
Cut the squash into cubes, toss with some decent cooking oil, and lay out the pieces on a baking sheet or 2.
Roast them in a 400 degree oven, until they're tender but not mushy. You want it to stay in cubes when you toss the salad. Start checking at 15 minutes, then every 5 minutes or so after that.
When the squash it cooked, leave it on the baking sheet to cool down, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Add the dried cherries to the bowl. (I used a whole bag. I think it was about 5 ounces.)

Put the pecan pieces (I used about 2 hands full. Be generous--there are only 3 main ingredients.) into a skillet, then turn the stove on medium heat. Stir and toss the pecans until they start to smell nice and toasty. Be careful, because they can go from perfectly toasted to burned quickly. When they are nicely toasted, add them to the bowl.

Now for the dressing. No oil is needed, because the squash has some nice oil already. add some mustard, some maple syrup, and some lime juice to the bowl. Add some thyme, parsley, and poppy seeds, and just a bit of cumin. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss the salad, then cover and refrigerate for at least several hours. Overnight is better. This is definitely one of those foods that is much better the next day.

I didn't take any pictures, but it's a beautiful salad, in addition to being delicious. The colors are rich and harvesty.

I did take this picture of something I was working on this week, though.

A Tale of Refinancing a Car

2011-07-12T12:31:00.001-05:00

On the first of March, my husband and I bought a beautiful new car. 2011 Ford Focus, the fancy version. They gave us 2 choices for financing. Ford Motor Credit was offering 0% financing. Bank X was offering a fairly low interest rate, plus there was a $3000 bonus that went with that one. Turned out that the offer from bank X was actually better than 0%.

Then, they said that if we wanted to raise our monthly payments by a bit, that we could have 90 days before our first payment was due. We went for it.

In May, before we'd even made our first payment on the car, we found out that we could probably get refinanced through Credit Union Y for an interest rate of approximately half of what we had from Bank X. Because we felt that a relationship with Credit Union Y was likely to be far more beneficial to us than Bank X, and because the difference in interest rates was not negligible, of course we went for the refinance.

Paperwork comes, we sign it, and we take a check and pay off Bank X. Then we wait for the title to arrive in the mail, so that we can get Credit Union Y added as a lienholder, and finish the process.

We wait.

We aren't sure how long this should take, so we keep waiting.

We get a Release of Lien in the mail from Bank X and file it, expecting the title to arrive any day now.

We're still not sure how long it is supposed to take, but it's feeling like Too Long, so we call Credit Union Y and tell them that we know that we're supposed to be sending the title, but it hasn't arrived yet, so please don't jack up our rates to the unsecured loan rate, OK?

We call Bank X and say that we haven't received our title yet, and do they know what's going on with that?

They tell us that they never received the title in the first place, and that they had asked the dealer about it, but hadn't really heard anything. They said that they would send us a Release of Lien, and that we could take that into the county clerk's office and apply for a duplicate title, and that should take care of things.

So, on July 8, we took the Release of Lien to the county clerk's office, and explain what we need. The woman there told us that we should go to the state office in charge of titling, because the state can print out a title while we're standing there, as opposed to possibly taking 4-6 weeks if the county does it.

Considering that we had just gotten a letter from Credit Union Y saying that they needed the title within 60 days or they were going to change our loan to the unsecured rate, we agreed that driving over to the state office was definitely the way to go.

We got to the state office, and said that we needed a duplicate title, and gave her the release of lien. She then says "I need your release of lien from Ford Motor Credit."

"Wait, what? Ford Motor Credit didn't finance the car, and doesn't HAVE a lien."

So, she starts looking things up. Then she figured out what happened. "So, it looks like when the county got the paperwork from the dealership, they mistakenly put Ford Motor Credit in as the lien holder, and sent them the title. Normally, FMC would send back the title in that kind of situation, but it looks like they didn't. So, you need to get something on company letterhead from FMC saying that they don't have a lien on your car, and we'll issue a duplicate title"

I went to the internet and figured out a phone number for FMC customer service. I call. The computerized system says "To expedite your call, please enter your account number or social security number." uh, I don't have an account. So I wait. "You have entered an invalid answer. To expedite your call, please enter your account number or social security number" And this process repeats for I don't even know how long. Eventually, the system realizes that for whatever reason, I can't or won't input an account number or social security number, and connects me to a person.

"Thank you for calling Ford Motor Credit. May I have your account number?" "Um, well, actually I don't have an account number. Apparently, you were sent my title in error, and I need a letter frm you saying that you don't have a lien on my car so that I can get a duplicate title." "Oh. Um. What's your name?" So I gave her my name. "Um, what's the VIN number? I just need the last 6 digits" So, I located the VIN and gave her the last 6 digits. "What kind of car was that again? That number you gave me doesn't match up with that car. Can you give me the whole VIN please?" So, I read off the whole VIN. "Oh, OK, yeah that VIN is right for that car, but I don't see you in my system."

"Right. We don't have an account, because you didn't finance our car. Bank X financed our car. The county apparently sent you the title in error."

"Well, I don't have any record of that."

Right about now, my brain pretty much quit working.Looking back, I wish I would have said "Of course you don't have a record of it. It never happened. I just called you to tell you that it never happened." Instead, I am pretty sure I reiterated something about the county, and the error, and that I needed something from them saying that they didn't have a lien on my car, which they clearly didn't have, or else they would have some sort of record of it, right?

She wound up saying that if I could get whoever sent the title in error to call and ask, that they would send a letter. Then, because there was no possible way to get back to the county clerk's office before they closed, I told my husband that I would pursue this Monday, and that we needed to go find someplace to eat.

When we got home, we found a letter in the mail from Bank X. It was a release of lien. Then we looked closely at the original release of lien they sent, and it had the correct names, correct VIN, and completely incorrect make & year....it said 1981 Ford. I don't even know what to think of that. The new one, that they sent in response to our phone call asking what was up with our title, had ALL the correct information, which makes me happy. Sort of. I'm still rather baffled by 1981.

Skip to this morning. I called the county clerk's office and explained briefly what was going on, and that the state had told us to call FMC, and that FMC said that they needed to hear from the county. She puts me on hold a few times, pulling up paperwork and trying to figure out what exactly is going on. She asks me if I have a phone number for FMC, and I give her the number I called Friday. She promises to call them, and then call me back.

A little while later, the phone rings, and it's the lady from the county clerk's office. She tells me that she was talking to the people at FMC, and that they were going to send the letter, but then she noticed something in her paperwork.

Last week, on the 6th, someone at the county clerk's office went in and corrected the title, stating that FMC was entered mistakenly, and put Bank X in as the lienholder. There was a note in there that FMC had been sent the title due to county clerk's error. She then tells me that she has my title sitting on her desk, and that we can bring in the release of lien paperwork and loan paperwork and be good to go.

Out of my curiosity and hers, she investigated a little more to figure out who went in to do the correction and why, and it turns out that FMC sent the title to the DEALERSHIP, along with lien release paperwork, saying that they didn't finance that car, and then the dealership sent it in to the county clerk.

Of course, that was on the 6th, and we were in there and at the state on the 8th, and why it didn't show up then is a mystery.

Now, theoretically, we ought to be able to take our paperwork in, say that the title is on S's desk, pay $11, and have the whole thing taken care of. Right about now, I'll believe it when I see it.

I'm growing birds in my garden again!

2011-06-09T15:35:00.001-05:00

I have birds nesting in my garden again this year!

Last week, I was starting to feel very sad, because there were no birds nesting in my garden, so I assumed that I was not going to have any birds nests in my garden this year. Every year that I've lived here, including one year when I was not able to deal with a garden, so I just had a hanging basket or 2 out there, I have had at least one bird family build a nest in my garden.

Well, it was silly of me to think that it was too late for birds to nest out there. For one thing, it was not actually late. I pulled up some of my pictures of nests, eggs, and baby birds, and the nest pictures are all from within a week of today.

There are 2 nests out there right now, and I think a third is likely in the near future. For those of you who don't already know this, I'm not talking about a big garden or yard. I live in an apartment, and my garden is in containers on my balcony. It's a nice big balcony, but still only a balcony.

There is a Carolina Wren nest in my topsy turvy tomato tree. So far there are 3 eggs in there, and I think they usually lay 4 or 5 eggs. Carolina wrens build cool burrow-ish nests in enclosed places. They're tiny birds, so they hop into the holes in the top of the tomato tree, then they dig a hole, and build a nest in/around the hole with soft decayed leaves and bits of plastic and things.

There is a House Finch nest in one of my hanging baskets of petunias. I learned several years ago that house finches think that asparagus fern is a fabulous nesting material. I learned today that Thyme is really nice for building nests. I would be annoyed, except I was not likely to use THAT much thyme, and anyway, wouldn't you want a pretty nest made of thyme for your babies? They build really nice, strong, well woven nests, with sticks and grasses and asparagus fern and thyme. They line it with soft bits of lint, feathers, etc.

I think that there may be a Mourning Dove nest out there soon. I went out and startled one who was hanging out in one of the other hanging baskets. Their nests are very minimalist--not much more than a bit of a platform of sticks. We'll see soon enough if she was just resting there for a bit, or getting settled in to build a nest.

I also have bunches of baby tomatoes. I have 5 plants out there this year, and they're all producing. Last year I had 2 plants that never produced anything, so this should be fun.

Baby Purple Cherokee Tomatoes

Baby Patio Tomatoes

Lizard

2011-06-02T17:22:00.000-05:00

Good morning, bloggy people :)

OK, so now it's afternoon, bordering on evening, but it really was morning when I said Good Morning.

The title of this blog post is Lizard. That is because when I went out to the garden yesterday to check on the plants, I saw a lizard peeking out at me from between two pots. As I usually do when I have a visitor to the garden, I looked up the totemic significance of Lizard. Wow, what a Lizard day it was, too!

Lizard symbolizes dreams and intuition. It also symbolizes sudden change and dropping old patterns. The kinds of changes we're talking about are not slow, or subtle. Just like a lizard can drop his tail and run away when necessary, sometimes we need to drop old habits and patterns and change direction right away.

How was my day Lizard-ish? Well, there was a fun supply crisis, and the sudden understanding that real changes needed to be made to the Pagan Team Coffee Chats I host on etsy, plus I started a new listing every day challenge. There were also some really interesting business possibilities that came up.

I'll finish with some unrelated pictures of my booth at Pagan Unity Fest.

Full Moon Thoughts on Prosperity Magic

2011-01-19T11:48:00.001-06:00

Some of you know that I host the Pagan Team coffee chat on etsy, monday and wednesday mornings. Now, the rest of you also know :) Monday and Wednesday morning, 9 AM Central time (10 Eastern, 8 Mountain, and 7 Pacific) in the etsy chat room. You do not have to be a team member to attend, you just have to have an etsy account.

Anyway, the actual point is that the topic of prosperity magic came up today. I mentioned that I ought to add leaving some etsy feedback into my prosperity magic for today, and one of my friends asked if I do prosperity magic every day. I answered that I don't, but I should. Another friend said that she had heard that doing prosperity magic every day makes the Universe angry.

No, no, and no! It's not true! For one thing, the Universe has much better things to do than wandering around looking for people to be angry with. For another thing, even if the Universe WERE so inclined, doing prosperity magic every day is not going to make the Universe angry.

The Universe is not going to become angry with someone eating healthful and nourishing food every day, or taking care of their family, friends, and belongings every day, or delighting in the beauty of creation every day. Add the proper mindfulness, and those things are all prosperity magic.

I call myself a kitchen witch because I am far more inclined to quiet, practical magic instead of the more familiar rituals with scripts, candles, and wand waving. So, some of my most effective prosperity magic is the same sort of things that needs to be done, done MINDFULLY.

My sales tax return is due. I could sigh and whine and be angry while I fill out the paperwork, because the government is stealing my money. That would not be prosperity magic. I could gather my form, my pen, and my checkbook, and be joyful about the sales that I made, and envision the good things that those taxes will be used for in my community, and KNOW that I am doing what I need to do, and that there will be more sales, and more opportunities to help my community in the future as I write that check, and it becomes powerful prosperity magic.

I can be mindful of how and when and where I spend my money. I can support people and businesses and causes that are important to me with the money I spend, and that's prosperity magic shared.

The kinds of mindful prosperity magic that are possible are practically endless. Appreciating what you have, taking care of things that need to be done, community volunteer work, and any sort of creating, nurturing, and supporting.

Of course, just like eating the exact same healthful and nourishing food every day eventually will do harm, doing exactly the same sort of prosperity magic every day will do harm--possibly by becoming greed, possibly by wearing yourself and your resources too thin--but truly working prosperity magic is never going to make the Universe angry with you.

One Card Draw, going on now!

2011-01-14T12:37:00.000-06:00

miintikwa is doing one card draws on her blog today, until 4 PM EST. She does these for free, although donations/tips are highly appreciated. If you've got a question for her, head on over!

Good People and Good News

2011-01-07T22:43:00.000-06:00

When was the last time that you read a news article that brought tears of awe to your eyes? For me, it was just a few minutes ago.

Read this article, and feel a little better about the world!

Egypt's Muslims attend Coptic Christmas mass, serving as "human shields"

Tikka Masala

2011-01-06T20:54:00.000-06:00

A long time ago, I promised to post about my tikka masala. Since I'm in a mood to do some corrupting, now seems like a good time!

Chicken Tikka Masala

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs

1 cup yogurt
1 Tbsp curry powder
2 Tbsp Tikka Masala spice (I get mine from http://worldspice.com)
2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 medium chopped onion
1-2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup tomato puree
1-2 Tbsp ginger paste
1-2 Tbsp fresh crushed garlic
1 tsp salt
2 tsp honey
1 tsp curry powder

Cut chicken into chunks.
Mix yogurt, lemon juice, tikka masala and curry powder. Add the chicken and marinate overnight.

Next day, saute the onion in the oil until it starts to caramelize.

Scoop the chicken out of the marinade, and into the pan with the onions. A decent amount of the marinade will come with the chicken, but leave what you can in the bowl. Set the marinade aside, and cook the chicken until there is no pink showing on the outside.

With a slotted spoon, scoop the chicken out and put it in the bottom of a casserole dish. Most of the juices and onions will stay in the pan. Sprinkle the salt over the chicken.

And you're left with this in the pan.

Add the ginger, garlic, honey, curry powder and salt to the pan the chicken was cooked in. stir it together. Once it's mixed, add the tomato puree. Cook it all together until it starts to thicken and hold together as a sauce--about 5 minutes.

Pour the tomato sauce over the chicken. Spread it around so the chicken is covered, more or less.

Pour the leftover marinade over the top and spread it around so it's all in a fairly even layer.

Bake it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Start rice cooking just before you out it in the oven, and they should be done at the same time. Some steamed green beans go with it really well, although it's not exactly traditional.

I have made this with tofu instead of chicken, and it worked well. I would add some extra yogurt to the leftover marinade, because the tofu will definitely soak up a lot of moisture. Use extra firm tofu, and press it for several hours/overnight before putting it in the marinade, then follow the same procedure.

Happy 2011!

2011-01-03T20:32:00.000-06:00

Happy new year, and I hope that 2011 is a happy and prosperous year for all of you! It's a prime number, which starts it off as interesting at the very least.

Yule and Christmas were lovely. The lead-up was hectic, as usual, and we spent Christmas weekend at home. There was enough snow on the ground to provide a good excuse for not leaving the house at all, and it was perfect.

My embroidery machine finally managed to let me know what her name is, so I can finally post a picture of my workspace and introduce you to everyone.

On the desk, you can see my laptop, Matilda (after Empress Matilda) and my Husqvarna/Viking sewing/embroidery machine, Aelfgigu. The big embroidery machine is Mama Ocllo, and you can see my new serger on the table. Her name is Elizabeth, after Elizabeth of York. Katherine (after Katherine Swynford) is my older Singer sewing machine, and you can see her case under the table.

You can't see the other computers, because they're in other rooms, but I'll introduce you anyway. Eleanor is my desktop, and she'll be moving down into the work room soon. Jane is my netbook, and she goes with me to shows/events. Anne is new to me, and will be taking over in my office, in Eleanor's current space.

In the event of a machine uprising, I'll definitely be one of the first to die. My machines and I get along well, everyone is treated well, but if it came down to an uprising, they'd really have no choice, right? Especially considering that my husband's computers are not included in that list.

Latest Batch of Yarn

2010-11-29T23:15:00.002-06:00

Here is my latest batch of yarn. As soon as I can get nice pictures and figure out names for them, I'll be listing them on etsy, in the Celebrations store. If you'd like to speed up the process, you can suggest some names :) What cities do those colors remind you of?

My attempt at daily posting really fell apart, and I missed like 10 days. All I can say is that it was a rather busy 10 days.

Remember the serger research I mentioned? Well, I went to the dealer to check out their Black Friday preview sale, and found the one I had decided on 55% off, so needless to say, I now have a serger. All I need to do now is figure out how to use the thing! Surprisingly enough, I have never used one, in all the time I've been sewing.

Last Saturday evening, I went to a friend's full moon gathering and housewarming party. Colorful kitchen towels and/or dishcloths had been requested to break up the beige a bit, so I brought these 2 towels for a housewarming gift.

I made this floursack towel in the same batch of dyeing, and I think it's going to end up being an embroidered altar cloth.

I had some good knitting fun this week, too. Finished up the scarf, and started working on the matching hat. The hat went super fast! And then, I was left with no knitting to work on. My hands did not like the sitting still that entailed. So, I made plans to go to the local yarn shop and get myself another project. I am not a big Black Friday shopper, and never have been. I do like to go out to a few selected places, though.

Once we got to the yarn store and started poking around, my husband picked up some yarn and said that he liked the color, and that it felt nice, and that if I wanted to make a scarf for him, he would wear that. So, while another scarf had not necessarily been on my list of near future projects, I jumped on the opportunity to make something for him. He doesn't generally actually want me to make anything for him! Because he likes plain, simple things, and doesn't like to make anyone go to extra effort on his behalf, even if it is fun effort.

I love it when it starts getting into cold weather. Winter squash, and soup, and other good, hearty winter food is SO nice. I got to make one of my favorites the other night--kielbasa, pierogies, and onions. So simple, and so good. Basically, you just slice up some onions and sautee them in some butter. Add some sliced up kielbasa, and then a few minutes later, throw in the pierogies. (I like potato and cheese) sautee everything until the pierogies are nice and golden. Add a little bit of beer while it's all cooking (or use water if you must.) Then, have the beer that's left to drink with your delicious meal!

Hand dyed!

2010-11-19T19:40:00.006-06:00

When I say that something in my shop is hand-dyed, I really mean it. See?

I worked on a few different dyeing projects today. Most exciting, I managed a good black dye job on some towels and a shirt, and I'm just delighted. Black is really hard to get right. I'll take some more pictures after I wash things out tomorrow.

I promised to tell you about my new tarot deck earlier. It's the Shadowscapes tarot with art by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law, and I just love it. It has faeries, foxes, fish, swans, and a bunch of other creatures, and the art is absolutely amazing. Here is a handy affiliate link if you feel like taking a look. :)

You'll have to remind me to do a post about my tarot collection sometime. I am not sure off-hand how many decks I have, but I think it's in the 25-30 range. Tarot is a good tool, but each deck is also a nice little collection of art, and they can be really nice for studying various mythologies, too.

Who likes coupons?

2010-11-19T14:16:00.003-06:00

I am taking a short break from attempting to turn my kitchen many shades of most colors (AKA dyeing stuff) to find something to eat and share something happy-making.

Etsy has finally come out with a coupon codes feature! So, I have set up coupon CODE10 in both of my shops, good for a 10% discount on your purchase through the weekend.

http://rainsews.etsy.com
http://rainfeather13/etsy.com

I also have a new tarot deck I'd like to talk about, but the washer just stopped so I need to get back to work for right now. I'll come back later this evening. :)

Gloomy Day

2010-11-16T21:34:00.005-06:00

It's been so gloomy the last couple of days, all I really want to do is curl up in bed with a snuggly cat and a book or some knitting. Alas, I have been much more virtuous than that, filling orders and getting things ready to dye.

The towels I embroider come sewn with polyester thread, so they're not great to dye. Every once in a while, though, I'll come across one that is really crooked, and I can't use it without taking out the hems and cutting it straighter. I generally set these aside, and after I take them apart and cut them straighter, I sew them back together with cotton thread so that they'll dye well. I have an order for the wonderland designs on a rainbow of colored towels, so it's time to fix up the stack of (now formerly) crooked ones.

I have yarn, towels, and cloak linings to dye for sure, and if at all possible, I'd like to get in some fringed silk shawls, a dye painted dress, and some dye painted altar cloths.

On the knitting front, I have learned to do ribbing, and my scarf is officially over halfway done. So, half a scarf and a hat to go, and then I need a new knitting project. Sighhhhhh... you people are going to make me join ravelry, aren't you?

In which there is a cute cat, and a trip to a yarn store

2010-11-13T21:32:00.004-06:00

I thought it might be nice to start with a picture of my cat being cute. I got a thread order in yesterday, and they packed the box with crumply brown paper. As you can see, crumply brown paper is snuggly and comfortable.

I missed blogging yesterday because by the time I finished up at the PaganPacks faire, my hands were very tired of typing, and my head was starting to hurt again/still, so the best thing to do was go to bed. The faire went well, though, and I managed to get many new listings up in both etsy stores. I actually have every tarot bag that I have in stock listed now, which may have happened once before, years ago, but I think this is actually the first time it's happened. I also got all of the winter/yule/christmas/hanukkah towels listed in the celebrations shop. I have more planned, but there's a nice bunch there.

Today was a busy day of running errands, as is usual for a Saturday. The Red Cross would have really liked for us to give blood today, but I decided this morning that I couldn't truthfully answer "Are you feeling well and healthy today?" with "Yes." Oh well. They will still want blood next week.

I finally decided what fabric to line the kids' cloaks with, and went to JoAnn to get it. It's going to be tie-dyed! I am getting really excited to see how they turn out. Got some Yule shopping done while we were there, too, which is good.

Had my first visit to a yarn store this afternoon. Didn't buy anything, but only because I want to finish my scarf and hat and decide if I still like knitting, before I start building a stash. Yeah....I'm pretty sure I'll be going back and buying yarn, but at least I have an excuse not to for the moment.

Speaking of knitting, here's the progress I've made on the scarf. Not bad at all, considering that I have not been devoting much time to it.

Let's hear it for prosperity magic!

2010-11-11T20:52:00.003-06:00

It seems that the prosperity magic I mentioned on Tuesday was effective. Now with a little bit of luck, I will be crazy busy from now until Yule :)

My favorite prosperity magic, and what I have found to be most effective, is to find something good to spend some money on, and do so with purpose. No, grocery shopping doesn't usually cut it.

I am sorry that I missed blogging yesterday. I was fighting a migraine for 2 days, and when I sat down to the computer last night, it got bad enough that I just couldn't deal with looking at the monitor. Luckily it was more annoying than debilitating most of the time, because I had to get some product finished up, packed, and shipped.

My plan was to get things together yesterday, and then take a trip downtown today, and then I realized that the post office would not be open today, due to Veteran's Day. So, I figured out which package could wait until this weekend, and got the rest ready to go. I had 2 international packages, so I needed to work with actual people during business hours instead of the APC (automated postal center) whenever I happened to get there. I adore the APC!

While I was downtown, I stopped by The Painted Cupcake (warning: music on website) to get a coconut cupcake and do my part to support local business. Then I realized that cupcakes do not qualify as actual food, and I was HUNGRY, so I headed over to the library and Provence for a 4 cheese panini--white cheddar, muenster, brie, and swiss cheese on pugliese bread--a grown-up, totally decadent version of grilled cheese.

On the knitting front, I learned how to purl, and did stockinette, and a yarn change! Woohoo! (My knitting friends tell me that this is the last time I will ever be excited about stockinette.) By the time I am done with this scarf, I will also learn ribbing, binding off, end weaving, and blocking. Plus I get to do a hat with all of that, plus decreases and seaming. I am happy to find that knitting doesn't kill my wrists and hands the way crocheting does.

Tomorrow is the PaganPacks Oak Seed Moon Online Faire. The faires are a lot of fun, with games, prizes, fun people, good sales, and the opportunity to make new friends and support pagan businesses. If you get a chance, be sure to stop by. It runs from 11 AM to 11 PM EST, in the chat room here: http://paganpacks.com/

Blatant theft in this post.

2010-11-09T17:36:00.004-06:00

I did not embroider that cool menorah design. It is the new design for the day at Urban Threads, and I just stole their picture to show it off. That's not to say that I won't be embroidering it, because I totally will! Possibly tomorrow, depending on how quickly I get my orders taken care of. Anyway, there is something you should know about Urban Threads. They are one of my favorite places to get embroidery designs, and I am always happy for an excuse to spend more money there. So, if you ever decide to go browsing around there, and see something that you need to have embroidered on something, let me know!

Today, I stayed busy embroidering Goddess towels, getting some packages ready to mail out, and doing an inventory of my thread so that I could order more thread. I get to mail a package to Australia this week, which is exciting. I always love it when I get to add a new country to my list of places I've sent things!

I pulled out the rest of my fall decorations and put away the specifically Halloween decorations. I think I should be able to find the time to go out and hang up the fall stuff tomorrow. I will see about getting some pictures to share.

As proud of my knitting as I was yesterday, that did not stop me from undoing it all. Once I had a better feel for what I was doing, I decided to pull it out and start over, because I would actually like for this scarf to be wearable when I get it done. It looks much better now.

Peer Pressure

2010-11-08T16:36:00.004-06:00

Happy Monday everyone :) It has been a good and busy day, including sewing, digitizing, prosperity magic, and plenty of peer pressure.

I woke up this morning to actual SUNLIGHT coming in my window. I am always happy when the time changes for daylight saving time or to go back to standard time. It will definitely take some getting used to the darkness in the evenings, and it will make it a little more difficult to practice driving, but it is SO nice to wake up when it's light outside.

Started out my work day by hosting the Pagan Team's Monday Morning Coffee Chat on etsy. One of my teammates pointed out this beautiful team treasury with a tree theme that I'm in. There was silliness, and fun, and sharing of new creations, as usual! One of the new creations is something that I suggested that NwyvreWeaveWyrks ought to make a few weeks back, and I think that it turned out really cool. Go check out this awesome purple and black chain maille necklace with an ourobouros pentacle!

After the chat, I worked on a bit of digitizing, and then headed downstairs to take care of some machine maintenance and work on some more quilt block piecing. Then, after the mail got here, I succumbed to peer pressure.

I have mentioned my knitty friends before, and how I started dyeing yarn so as to have an excuse to have a yarn stash, even though I don't knit. Well, a couple weeks ago I had to order some yarn for a custom dyeing order. While I was shopping, I saw a learn to knit kit and a basic knitting tool set, and they fell into my cart. (Betcha didn't know that things could fall into a virtual cart. They can.)

When my package arrived, I swore that I would just LOOK at things, and set aside the learning to knit stuff until I got a few things done. I unpacked everything, and petted the yarn, and did not find the knitting tool set. Oh, sad! No knitting for me. Made a phone call, and they promised to send out the missing tool set right away, so sorry!

This time, when I opened the package, I forgot to tell myself I had to finish other things first, and decided to try learning to knit.

Ta-da! That is actual knitting! Rather wobbly and uneven knitting, yes, but KNITTING!

Theoretically, it will become a scarf someday.

Productive weekend

2010-11-07T19:24:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to stop in for a short visit while dinner is cooking. We're having chicken tikka masala and spiced okra tonight. It's one of my more time consuming meals, but oh so good.

The chicken has to be cut up and put in to marinate overnight, and then the cooking is a 3 step process. Cook some onions and brown the chicken, then put the chicken in a baking pan and cook the sauce, then add the sauce to the chicken in the baking pan and bake it.

The baking time is perfect, because rice takes half an hour to cook, and the baking takes half an hour, so meal timing is a piece of cake.

I'll be sure to post the recipes sometime soon, along with a link to the company I buy my spices from. They are awesome, and at least once or twice a year, I get a box of spices in the mail that makes my whole house smell good and spicy for days. Makes me wonder what my mail carrier thinks about my spice packages.

Weekends are often spent running errands, and true to form, we didn't spend a whole lot of time home this weekend. At least, not home AND awake--we both slept in late both days, because we both seemed to really need the rest. Got some stuff I need for dyeing, and the first of the Christmas/Yule/Whatever shopping done, plus did the last bit of research I needed to do before deciding what serger I'll be getting. Good, productive weekend!

The garden is cozy for winter

2010-11-05T16:30:00.004-05:00

There's my garden, all snuggled in for the winter! The chest in front of the plants usually sits back in front of the window where the plant shelf is now. The quilt on top of the chest is one that I made, with corduroys, denims, flannels, and other good, heavy fabrics. It has several pockets, too.

We're supposed to get a hard freeze tonight, so most of today was spent taking care of the garden. I cut down the tomato vines and everything that is dead. I rearranged the furniture in the living room to make room for a shelf so that I could bring in the plants that are likely to survive the winter.

There are still a few plants out on the balcony. I have some petunias, marigolds, and a few other flowers that are going to die, whether I bring them in or not. Since I have limited room inside, I decided to leave them out. They're still pretty, if nowhere near as lush as they used to be, and it's possible that they'll last a decent while longer.

Now all I need to do is get the cut stuff bundled up and off the balcony, and clean out the bathtub. It's full of dirt and bits of plants, since I gave everyone a nice soaking as they came inside.

Before I go for today, I have one more picture for you. It's my garden, back in July, when it was very lush and jungle-y.

Quilty fun

2010-11-04T15:52:00.006-05:00

Oops, missed a day! I'll have to keep trying to post every day anyway.

Today, I have sewing pictures for you. First of all, I told you that I picked up a lot of fabric within the last month. I meant it! Here's a picture of it all, washed and folded. Actually, no, not quite all of it--there's a bundle of scrappy batik pieces that I forgot to put in the picture. Anyway, the purple and green at the top right are corduroy that I'm going to use for a couple of kids' cloaks. The gold brocade at the bottom of that stack will be the lining for a cloak made of dark green velvet. There's a good bunch of black twill there for a simple cloak, too.

This picture is one that I took when I got up from my sewing machine for a minute and thought "oooh, that looks pretty!" What you're looking at here is a whole lot of 1.25 inch fabric squares, sewn to each other on the way to becoming little four-patch quilt blocks.

Once they are four-patch blocks, they will be combined with these triangle pieces to become snail trail quilt blocks.

Like these! 8 down, 262 to go.

I designed the layout for this quilt, bought the fabric, and cut out all the pieces about 3 years ago. Then I got too busy to work on it, and put the carefully stacked pieces away neatly in a cabinet. I've pulled them out a few times since then, decided I was too busy to work on it, and put them all back.

Hopefully, I will soon get too busy to work on it again, but I just felt like the best way to get settled in for a bout of sewing was to put in some work on an old project. At any rate, it's going to be really nice when I get it done, and it will be beautiful and warm on my bed! Even if it does take me another 3 years to finish.

Yep, no doubt, it is definitely November.

2010-11-02T11:28:00.003-05:00

I know, right....any idiot can tell it's November. We just turned the calendar page yesterday, so this is not exactly remarkable.

What I really mean, though, is that the whole November thing is pretty obvious, even without the calendar thing. My garden that looked like a lush jungle not too long ago has morphed itself into Halloween decorations. My email inbox is due to be purged of the thousand or so emails that didn't get deleted right away, but also didn't get read over the last couple months. The heat has been turned on.

Long, warm skirts feel so nice, and the sweaters are back in rotation. The laundry hamper gets much fuller much faster, due to the aforementioned warm skirts and sweaters.

And, most tellingly, there is an embarrasingly large stack of fabric sitting in the vicinity of my sewing room, waiting for me to wash it all. I spent a week in Utah, where there are quilt shops in abundance. Plus, I decided to make cloaks/capes this fall & winter, so I bought the babric when the prices were good, regardless of the fact that I knew I wouldn't have much sewing time until November.

And now it IS November! I get to wash the fabric, and start figuring out the details...what do I want to embroider on that green velvet cloak lined with gold dragon brocade? What kinds of appliquees do I want to use on those cute bright kids' cloaks?

I left it later than I intended, but I decided to list my sugar skull pincushions for Dia de los Muertos anyway. I just listed the first one, and I'll be getting more of them up this afternoon.

I need to find more tie-dye printed felt, because the sugar skulls I made with the bit I had were AWESOME and sold out within a day of getting them finished. I have to at least share a picture.

Also, I just found out that I won a prize! I am delighted! Go check out The Year of the Cats blog, where she has links to 10 other awesome blogs today.

Happy November!

2010-11-01T14:17:00.006-05:00

Congratulations to DK Spins, who won the witchy towel giveaway. I'll be getting that package mailed out as soon as I can once I get the address.

To everyone who participated in the giveaway: Thank you so much for your input, your sweet comments, and your excitement. I've been having a wonderful time getting to check out some new blogs and shops, and following some new people on twitter.

I have several friends who are positively giddy that November is here, bringing with it an opportunity to try to write an entire novel in one month. I wish all of those crazy people all the luck in the world! I will not be making any attempt at novel writing this month. I am, however, open to the alternative possibility that is NaBloPoMo, wherein someone attempts a blog post every day for a month. Even that seems like a stretch, considering how frequently I have blogged this year. If you have any questions or thoughts about things you'd like for me to blog about this month, feel free to ask your question or suggestion in the comments and I'll see what I can do.

As promised, here is the costume picture! The bottom of the skirt is not showing, which is a bit of a shame. I took several different types of fabric, all black, sheer to some extent, and shiny or glittery, and cut them into long triangular pieces. I sewed a zig-zag stitch along the edges, which made them kind of curly. Then I layered them all up, attached them into a waistband, and had a skirt that really barely qualifies as a skirt. Then I used some tulle and ribbon and made a nice fluffy overskirt. The bodice, as you can see, is made of several different fabrics. You can't see it in the picture, but there is a crescent moon appliqueed on the back. The shirt under the bodice is made of fun sheer metallic spiderweb fabric. You know, that stuff you always pick up and WANT at the fabric store, without being quite sure what to make with it?

Oddly enough, this was the first time I've ever dressed up as a witch for Halloween. I guess it just never seemed necessary :)

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T14:20:00.004-05:00

Happy Halloween everyone! Welcome to all the new followers. I'm so glad to have you here.

We went out for a fabulous brunch this morning, including lovely things such as grapefruit & ginger mimosas, elderflower mimosas, duck confit crepes, and shrimp & grits that were so rich and delicious that I couldn't finish.

When we got home, I finally got my halloween decorations up, and picked all the rest of the tomatoes hanging out on the vines. Now I'm contemplating a short nap before it's time to get dressed for the trick-or-treaters (and get the promised pictures taken!)

There is still giveaway fun going on! Today's giveaways are awesome and wonderful. There's a super witchy gift basket from October Farm in Salem here: http://www.confessionsofapagansoccermom.com/2008/10/giveaway-from-october-farm.html

and a full set of the Weiser field guides here: http://www.confessionsofapagansoccermom.com/2008/10/giveaway-from-weiser-books_31.html

PLUS my giveaway is still open until noon tomorrow. Here's the link for that one. http://www.confessionsofapagansoccermom.com/2008/10/giveaway-from-rains-stitchery.html

I hope you all have plenty of treats, and just enough tricks to be fun!

Giveaway Day!

2010-10-30T06:32:00.006-05:00

Be sure to go check out Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom this afternoon, because my giveaway will be going up! Mrs. B decided to extend yesterday's giveaways a bit, so they're still up right now. She'll be putting today's giveaways up this afternoon, and run them along with the Halloween giveaways until November 1. Because we're all busy anyway, plus we have Halloween AND weekend stuff going on!

If Mrs. B sent you over, Welcome! I hope that you enjoy your visit.

Do you know what all the buttons, dials, and switches on your camera do? I definitely don't know, but I figured out what at least one of them does. Unfortunately, what that one DOES is makes pictures all completely blurry.

I took pictures of my costume and my setup at Moonlight Festival, but unfortunately the camera was on the super blurry setting the whole time. I will have to try to get pictures from some of the other people who were wandering around with cameras last night.

Meanwhile, I have put the camera back to the normal picture setting, and I'll get some pictures of my costume tomorrow night.

Plans for an autumn day

2010-10-29T08:37:00.004-05:00

Good morning!

I desperately want to win this giveaway on Mrs. B's blog today. http://www.confessionsofapagansoccermom.com/2008/10/giveaway-from-diary-of-bald-girl.html It is an absolutely stunning garnet and amethyst goddess necklace, plus a scarf. I love garnets. My wedding ring has dragons and a garnet, even!

While I was following links, I came across another fun giveaway, this one for a mini witch hat and Dia de los Muertos bracelet. They are both cool prizes, plus there is a story there about an awful halloween costume experience, which I am sure we can all sympathize with. http://www.yearcats.com/2010/10/25/oh-mom-please-dont-make-me-wear-that-for-halloween/

I had an email this morning telling me that I'm included in this etsy treasury. http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cca6584e22e8eeff19bd823/flight-of-fancy-filigree-fun-gift-guide Treasuries are great, because I get a chance to see a nice selection of items by various artists. In this case, it's all things with a filigree look or feel.

I think I'm going to go downtown today to mail a package, get myself a cupcake, and get my change fund in order. It's chilly outside, and it feels so perfectly autumnish, it'll be nice to go enjoy it. I may have to stop by Provence and get some soup, too.

Moonlight festival is this evening, so I have to be home in time to get things together, but that shouldn't be a problem. I have enough practice now that packing and loading doesn't take very long.

I've worn the same costume for the last 3 or 4 years. Probably just as well, since I paid plenty for the materials, plus the time to make it, but I am going to wear something different this year. Most of it came out of my costume closet, but I made a new top to go with my bodice--just finished it yesterday. I always wanted to make myself something with sheer metallic spiderweb fabric! I'll be sure to get some pictures, and put them up either tomorrow or Sunday.

Stuff and Things

2010-10-28T13:14:00.003-05:00

Time is a very tricky thing--seems like it is constantly moving faster and faster!

First of all, there are 2 giveaways on Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom today, and they're both great. You should go enter both of them. If you don't actually want to win, go enter anyway, and you're perfectly welcome to send me the prize!

This one is a Vintage Witches Charm Bracelet by Laughing Vixen Lounge. Go check it out, seriously! http://www.confessionsofapagansoccermom.com/2008/10/giveaway-from-laughing-vixen-lounge_28.html

The second one is a set of photo cards from Judy's Photos. You even get to choose your own photo from her photo blog! She's got some really pretty ones, for sure. http://www.confessionsofapagansoccermom.com/2008/10/giveaway-from-judys-photos.html

So, last week, I managed to post here 2 days in a row. Somehow it has been over a week since then. One of these days, I swear, I will get on here as often as I want.

Over the weekend, I was not online. I was hosting a planning meeting for the WomenSpirit Spring 2011 event. I am the Event Coordinator this time. I am still not entirely sure how that came about, but it seems to be working fine so far :) Anyway, I had 6 fabulous women visiting here in Nashville, and it was a lot of fun to have a chance to show off my town. We went to the Parthenon to visit Athena, and stopped at Calypso for lunch. We had a wonderfully productive planning session, and came up with a theme and some ideas to go along with it that are really exciting.

This weekend, I have some good plans, too. For one thing, I will be having my giveaway on Mrs.B's blog. I'm not going to tell you what the prize is or what day the giveaway will be...just that it's a good prize, and it's obviously one of the 3 remaining days this month. You'll just have to live with the suspense a little while longer.

Friday night is the Moonlight Festival at Center of Symmetry. It's the weekend of Halloween, and the last Moonlight Festival for the year. You should definitely stop by and see me if you get a chance! I'll be set up upstairs.

More Collaborative fun!

2010-10-19T15:52:00.005-05:00

Good morning! Yes, this *is* the second blog post in 2 days. I am impressed, too.

There are 2 giveaways on Mrs B's 31 Days of Halloween today that I just love.

Intuitive Goddess is giving away a Samhain reading. You know that if she's going to put that kind of thought and care just into her photographs, that she's also going to but a great deal of thought and energy into her readings. Go here and enter to win one. http://www.confessionsofapagansoccermom.com/2008/10/giveaway-from-intuitive-goddess.html

I would also dearly love to win this Pentacle of the Goddess pendant from Lytha Studios. It's flowery, viney, and pentacley, and just plain beautiful. Here's the link to enter: http://www.confessionsofapagansoccermom.com/2008/10/giveaway-from-lytha-studios.html

Due to peer pressure from my knitty friends, I desperately wanted an excuse to have a yarn stash. Yarn is fun, and pretty, and it feels nice. And I don't knit. It made for a real conundrum, until I decided to dye yarn and sell it. This yarn turned into a great opportunity for collaboration!

I have been lusting after the knitted goddesses that my friend GreenFingers makes for a long time. As I was staring at my lovely pile of yarns, I was struck by inspiration, and approached her with my idea. After a bunch of discussion back and forth, here's what we decided to do:

I put together kits to make goddesses, including my yarn, her pattern, embroidery floss and stone beads.

She put together this beautiful goddess for me to use as a display. Plus, now I have a knitted goddess of my very own!

I also put together some ACEO blanks for her to embroider, and she has the first couple of finished ones for sale.

I also have to show off the gorgeous woodsy goddess that she made with some of the yarn I dyed. Warning: you will want to protect your keyboard from the drool.

There was more collaboration where that yarn was concerned. I realized that I would need names for the yarn to be able to list it in my shop. I asked my husband if he had any suggestions, and he told me that I ought to name it all after places. Several names came to mind immediately, so I concluded that naming it all after places was a great idea. There were several that I was still stuck on, though, so it was time for more collaboration! This time, I took the problem to my fans on facebook. Soon enough, the yarn was all named.

Collaboration is fun!

2010-10-19T14:36:00.004-05:00

I have been doing all kinds of fun collaborative work lately, and it's been adding some really interesting dimensions to my shops and my life in general.

Let me start with the most time sensitive. Mrs B. from Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom has an annual event called The 31 Days of Halloween. There are daily giveaways, guest bloggers, and a haunted blog tour. It is tons of spooky fun. You will want to check back the rest of this month, because among all the fabulous giveaways, there will be one from me. It's a nice one, if I say so myself.

Today, one of the giveaways is a set of Carnelian Runes from Kadiera's Cauldron. They are beautiful, and I am hoping to win them, so I am decreasing my chances by telling you to go enter!
http://www.confessionsofapagansoccermom.com/2008/10/giveaway-from-kadieras-cauldron.html

My very, very favorite recent collaboration is my new website. Same URL as it ever was, but it's been expanded and prettified. http://rainsews.com The new Gallery is especially cool! A million thanks to my husband for his work there.

The collaboration that has been in the works the longest is the set of sabbat tea towels that I am in the process of digitizing and embroidering. Liz Staley did the artwork for me. So far, I have Lammas, Mabon and Samhain. The rest will be coming soon.

I have more collaborations I'd like to tell you about, but I think they'll need to wait until tomorrow. See you then!

Busy Busy!

2010-09-02T09:34:00.004-05:00

What you're looking at is a table full of my projects in progress. Not all my projects in progress, just a table full. You can see here the phoenix wallhanging I've been working on for a couple weeks, and will be finishing up within the next few days, a tote dyed in harvest/tree colors that is asking for an autumn leaf applique of some sort, and some embroidered pieces that are going to be pieces n some patchwork tarot bags.

Now, I nearly always have at least a table full of projects in progress. A couple times a year, though, I push myself and my machines as hard as possible, getting things ready for big shows/events. It's very satisfying to see how much I can get done in a fairly short period of time!

In addition to the things on the table, I'll be working on a gorgeous set of sabbat towels in the next day or 2. I have some 4 seasons towels and 4 seasons goddess towels I finished up last week, which I will show you as soon as I can get pictures together.

One last thing for today: I have custom fabric for sale! Only one design so far, but I'll get a second one put up within the next week. Rainbow Pentacles

Hummingbirds

2010-08-30T08:14:00.005-05:00

I like to tell people that I grow birds in my garden. Since I moved into this apartment with its perfect for gardening balcony, I have had at least one nest of birds out there every year. This year, I've had a nest of Carolina wrens, and 2 nests of mourning doves. There is a great bird tree right by the balcony, too. I see wrens, various finches, blue jays, doves, robins, cardinals and chickadees out there regularly. I've also seen crows or ravens a few times, and one morning I woke up to see a hawk out there, hoping to have blue jays for breakfast.

The last couple of weeks, I have seen a hummingbird out in my garden, sipping nectar from the flowers. I've only seen one at any time, so I have no way of knowing if it's the same one, or several.

I was talking to a friend the other day, who mentioned that a lot of people had been having encounters with Hummingbird as a totem recently. Hummingbirds have a unique ability to fly backwards. Thus, they teach us that sometimes it is necessary to go backwards in order to progress. They also teach us to stop and delight in flowers, sweetness, bright colors, and being shiny. Nearly everyone can benefit from being shiny now and then.

Between my hummingbird encounters and the fact that we're a little over a week into mercury retrograde, it definitely makes sense to take a step back, reevaluate old patterns, and picking up some old, neglected, or stagnant projects to look at them with fresh eyes. I've been enjoying the process, and it is definitely leading to some new shininess!

Today's new shininess comes in the form of a new hummingbird related listing in each of my etsy stores.

Hummingbird Lavender Silk Pouch at Rain's Obsessive Stitchery

Floral Hummingbird Tea Towel at Rain's Obsessive Stitchery: Celebrations

Nashville Flooding

2010-05-04T12:21:00.004-05:00

First of all, I am safe and dry at home, so I'm in a much better situation than many, and I appreciate how very blessed I am.

Now that the rain has stopped and we've had a chance to figure out what the situation is, it is apparent that the situation is BAD. Really bad. The affected area is incredibly widespread. Temporary shelters are at capacity. There are people missing and unaccounted for. Homes have been destroyed. One of 2 water treatment plants in Nashville is under water, so we have got to conserve as much water as possible.

Nashville's treasures: historical buildings, greenways, museums, entertainment venues, sports arenas, hotels, and so on are flooded. Many of them are without power to pump out the water, and will remain that way until maybe Friday. Aside from the obvious reasons why this is bad consider the fact that Tennessee does not have a state income tax. The tax revenues generated by these businesses are utterly crucial parts of our economy.

I will say that it has been really wonderful seeing people band together as a community to help each other out in this situation. People with boats have been out rescuing their neighbors. Others have gotten together to help with sandbagging.

There are quite a few ways to help, whether you're local or not. Here's a list of what I know of.

Hands on Nashville ( http://www.hon.org ) is organizing local volunteer efforts. Recovery is going to take some real time, so even if you're not immediately available, there will be opportunities later.

Red Cross ( http://www.nashvilleredcross.org ) You can donate through the website or by calling (615) 250-4300. You can also text 'REDCROSS' to 90999 to donate $10 to disaster relief. Please note that the text method sends money to the Red Cross as a whole, not necessarily Nashville. Of course they're going to do good things with it, but it may or may not be here.

Second Harvest Food Bank ( http://www.secondharvestmidtn.org ) Donations of money can be made through the website.

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee ( http://www.cfmt.org/floodrelief ) is accepting donations to support flood relief, restoration and clean up online at or by calling (615) 321-4939.

Nashville Humane Association ( http://www.nashvillehumane.org ) is the place to send your donations if you'd like to help out pets who have been affected.

One of the people who was killed in the flooding is Joshua Landtroop. He was a father of 2 young boys, Heath and Tristan, and a friend to many. If you'd like to contribute to the memorial trust fund for his sons, you can send via paypal here http://landtroop.com or send a check to Joshua Landtroop Trust Fund at Family Advantage Federal Credit Union, PO Box 39, Spring Hill, TN 37174

Happy Anniversary to me!

2010-03-04T12:25:00.004-06:00

My husband and I got married 5 years ago today, and I still feel incredibly lucky. I guarantee that Rain's Obsessive Stitchery would not exist if I didn't have the support of a wonderful partner. Also, I can make pretty things, but it's his fault that they look pretty on the internet, and that my website, blog, banners and avatars look good.

So, because I know you've all been waiting impatiently to hear, I decided to work on altar cloths first. But only the spring and summer ones--I can't bear the thought of working on fall and winter things just yet. Right this minute, my embroidery machine is stitching away on a Green Man at the center of a Litha altar cloth.

That's all I really have to say for now. I'm working on putting up new listings over in my Celebrations store. I think that the next one should be this Wonderland towel set. Embroidery designs by Urban Threads.

Spring is coming!

2010-03-03T08:28:00.004-06:00

Spring is coming! I keep telling myself this. It seems that Winter is going to have to be dragged out, kicking and screaminig the entire way, but that's OK. Spring will be here soon. The equinox is only a couple weeks away.

I've been doing what I can to bring on Spring. I have a whole stack of towels here with birds, flowers, and butterflies embroidered on them. I've been working on some suncatchers, and I have a bright new banner that'll be going up at http://paganpacks.com/ sometime soon.

Here's a picture of one of the new towels. I'll be listing them for sale very soon.

I've picked up a couple of new events recently. There is a craft fair at Two Roads Cafe once a month, which is a great way to support local business and art. Pagan Packs has regular online faires, which are great opportunities to meet new people, play games to win prizes, and to support pagan businesses. Here is a list of upcoming events. The Pagan Coffee House is a social event only, and I'll have my wares available at all the others. Let me know if you need any more information about any of them.

Nashville Pagan Coffee House
March 13 12pm-3pm
Cafe Coco, Nashville TN

Two Roads Cafe Arts and Crafts Fair
March 20 12pm-5pm
Two Roads Cafe, Lebanon TN

Pagan Packs Online Faire - Waking the Willows
March 26 10am-10pm central

Full Moon Gathering
March 27
Chelsea's House

Full Moon Gathering
April 24
Chelsea's House

Pagan Unity Fest
May 13-16
Montgomery Bell State Park, TN

Now I just need to figure out whether I want to work on tarot bags, altar cloths, bibs, or T-shirts next. Any suggestions?

I missed you!

2009-12-18T08:37:00.002-06:00

Good morning blog! I missed you.

I have worked on quite a few interesting things since last time. I've been working with several dyeing techniques--vat dyeing and painting, with both silks and cottons. It's really interesting how completely different the processes are for the different materials.

I have made progress learning to digitize--I recently finished up the first design that is 100% mine--I drew the design and then did my own digitizing, and it turned out great. It's a Thor's Hammer design, and I will definitely be getting some products using it ready for Pagan Unity Fest.

Tomorrow, I will be setting up at the craft fair at Two Roads Cafe. Stop by if you're in the area!

For now, I need to go finish getting things ready for said craft fair. I'll be back soon, though, I promise!

Major Celebration Giveaway WINNER!

2009-06-22T10:29:00.002-05:00

The winner of the giveaway drawing is Oreon!

Thank you to everyone who participated, and thanks for all the wonderful birthday/Solstice wishes.

My husband gave me a dremel for my birthday. He is the best husband ever! I have wanted one for years, and I'm super excited to play with it.

Major Celebration Sale and Giveaway at Rain's Obsessive Stitchery

2009-06-19T11:07:00.009-05:00

I have a lot of great things going on this month, so I'm celebrating all of it with a big sale and giveaway! Saturday is my birthday, and Sunday is the Summer Solstice. I am also celebrating my first etsyversary, the grand opening of a second store on Etsy, and the launch of my new website: http://www.rainsews.com/

From now through Sunday, take 20% off anything in either of my shops. http://rainfeather13.etsy.com/ and http://rainsews.etsy.com/ Just send me a convo on etsy with your selections, and I'll set up a reserved listing for you with the sale price.

Enter to win the tarot bag of your choice or a set of tea towels* from my store! There are several ways to enter.

1-Look through my shops, and post a comment about which item is your favorite, and why. Be sure to include your email address or your user name on Etsy.
2-Post something on your blog or twitter with a link to my sale/giveaway, and send me a link.
3-Every item purchased during the sale will count as an entry.
4-Send me a birthday present! (Just kidding, mostly...)

All entries need to be in by 11:59 PM Sunday, and I'll do the drawing when I wake up Monday morning.

*A set of tea towels: any 4 towels regularly $7 or less, from either or both of my shops.

Mercury Retrograde and the Horse You Rode In On

2009-05-08T17:17:00.010-05:00

by Rain's Mr

In understanding that the planets revolve around the Sun, we have insight that was not accepted until a mere 450 or so years ago. Up to that time, planetary motion was a puzzle of enormous complexity that drove people to higher math. With the Earth as the fixed center of the cosmos, there is scarce any reasonable explanation for what you would observe as planets not only wander but brighten and dim as if by whim. This does much to explain the ancient Greeks and others deifying the planets and attaching capricious personalities to these gods/celestial bodies.

[source: http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4212/p3a.jpg]

Because of its implied principle that (never mind the earth) *we* are each the center of the universe, Astrology frames these irregularities of motion as key events to be understood as just another indication of the innate complexity of life. At various times from our perspective on Earth, planets can appear to slow down, stop and even move in the opposite direction. Astrologically, this principle is expressed through three terms... moving forward is "direct motion", stopping is "station", and moving backward is "retrograde".

To simplify things to an entirely inadequate analogy, Astrology presents the planets (and other derivative expressions) as parts of a metaphysical being: Sun as core self, Moon as emotions, Mercury as reason, Venus as aesthetics and so on. Further, there are signs (dominant qualities of these parts), aspects (significant interrelations between parts) and houses (facets of life susceptible to the effects of these qualities and interrelations). For each of us, this is all imprinted onto us at the moment and in the location of our birth and set into motion like a wobbly electromagnetic turbo clock to influence, affect, attract, repel, collide and otherwise comingle on the crowded playing field of countless other wobbly electromagnetic turbo clocks.

And of all of the mechanisms in this configuration, Mercury is the one that's most in charge of mapping things out and getting you where you're going. So, what happens when you apply a backwards motion to your navigational system? That seems to be the experiment taking place during Mercury Retrograde. Especially for those who depend on reason and communication, Mercury Retrograde poses challenges. Couple this with the notion that it happens three or four times a year, and the situation looks grim for rational thought, but that's not the only possible way of looking at it.

Retrograde means "going backwards", and the thought of things going backwards tends to fill us with an uncomfortable queasiness, and Mercury Retrograde is met by many with that same displeasure. After all, Who really wants their rational faculties going backwards? But, when you pull into a parking spot, the most reasonable way out is often to back up. Mercury Retrograde affords the proper climate for looking back over your thoughts and applying your energy to finishing and finalizing things that have been left "for later". Those things that all you needed to do was "get around to"? This may be the proper time for them.

In short, retrograde means "going backwards", and sometimes you just need to go backwards. Or rather, going forward at all costs is a behavior that will not be rewarded by retrogrades.

So, my tip for Mercury Retrograde? I've found it's a good time to do "maintenance thinking" such as reviewing and refreshing data storage and recovery plans, the fire safe's contents, financial plans, and so on. Also, I've also found it's a good time to record the ideas that have been floating around in my head. One caveat, though, computers and other such technology can be disproportionately affected by Mercury Retrograde, so it's wise not to casually trust that everything will #¿»æ.##$¥.

Oh, that's ok. I was pretty much done.

Hey! Get Your Own Gremlins!

Pagan Unity Festival

2009-04-03T21:27:00.002-05:00

May 28th - 31st 2009

I've never been to Pagan Unity Festival (PUF) before, but I've heard from friends that it's a lot of fun. This year, I'll be able to find out for myself how fun it is. I'm going to be there as a vendor, and I'm working on building up some stock.

I'm really excited, because I've been experimenting with some interesting techniques, and I'll be bringing a fun selection of items. Of course I'll have my kitchen towels and tarot bags, along with my wallhangings. I've been working on some jewelry and suncatchers, and they're turning out really neat. Pretty soon I'll be embroidering some T-shirts and aprons, which I'm really looking forward to. I have some really neat designs that I've been dying to use, and they'll be fabulous for those projects. I also have plans for some altar cloths, refrigerator magnets, and a few other little things.

I'm going to be sharing my booth with my friend Edie. She's a terrible influence on me, and I love her for it! If not for her, I would not have gone to WomenSpirit in the fall, and it was a really wonderful experience for me. Edie has a ministry for pagan women in prison, and she'll be selling some beaded jewelry to benefit that.

I'll be missing spring WomenSpirit. PUF and WomenSpirit are both in May, and I had to choose one. I wasn't sure that I could come up with enough stock for 2 events that close, plus it was just going to be too expensive to go to both. I decided on PUF because it's less expensive, it's local, and it gives me a chance to work on some nice things for men and kids. I really hope I'll be able to make it for fall, though.

As it turns out, it was a smart decision to be frugal. My husband lost his job last week, so we're putting some considerable effort into conserving our money and finding him a new job. (Know anyone looking for a good web developer in Nashville?) As stressful as the situation is, I'll admit I've been enjoying his company. He's enjoying having the opportunity to spend some time working on my website and online business presence, keeping his skills fresh and learning some new things.

Music for April 2

2009-04-02T11:02:00.005-05:00

(posted by Rain's Mr)

More low-labor content. This time it's Erin Mckeown. I saw her open for Ani DiFranco a few years ago, and she's such a treat.

Erin Mckeown - James! | official site at erinmckeown.com

Yes, you may notice a trend here.

Music for March 28

2009-03-28T15:46:00.007-05:00

posted by Rain's Mr) Ok, I've got time to subject you people to my taste in music.

Joanna Newsom - Sawdust and Diamonds | official site at Drag City

Rain's good stuff... St. Germain elderflower liqueur... trashy historical documentaries... Cool, big-hearted etsy folk

An actual blog post by Rain

2008-12-13T23:43:00.003-06:00

My wonderful husband has been behind the last couple of blog posts, and I appreciate him immensely for it. I have been very busy, and mostly accomplishing things with my busy-ness. After finishing a couple things up this morning, I decided to give myself the rest of the weekend off from sewing. Of course, I have plenty to work on come Monday morning.

Awhile back I talked about the printer cart that I assembled. It was part of a 3 piece set, along with a desk with hutch and a file cart. I finally got them all assembled, and realized that they matched the bookshelf we already had along that wall, perfectly.

I also came to the conclusion that moving my workspace twice a year is going to be essential as long as we live in this apartment. There are SO many things that I love about living in a town house, but temperature regulation is not one of them. The office is the warmest room in the house, and the living room is the coolest. So, while it seemed like the best idea ever to take over the living room over the summer, once winter hit, I was freezing off various body parts, and it was really interfering with my productivity. Most importantly, though, I don't like being cold.

So, the solution was obvious...move back up to the office, where my sewing room was to begin with. That was easier said than done, though. For one thing, I had gotten used to being able to spread out ALL over the living room. I had to figure out how to streamline a bit to be able to make a workspace really work in the office. Plus, the office never really got finished when we moved in. You know how the unfinished room ends up....anything that doesn't seem to belong anywhere in particular gets put in there, until a better place can be found for it. Well, the office is still not done, exactly, but at least now pretty much everything has been put somewhere that makes at least some sense.

I had a good flurry of sales and custom work for Yule and Christmas, which has also been keeping me busy.

While I was being a bad blogger, I got packages in the mail from Greenfingers and gypsycaster. They were both absolutely fabulous sellers to work with, and I love the things that I got. Check out their shops!

My husband and I are not known for conforming to dates as far as holiday celebrations go. This year we had our Thanksgiving dinner on actual Thanksgiving, but it definitely doesn't happen like that every year. We already have most, if not all, of our gifts. Like the TV, and the furniture set, plus a bunch of DVDs. He also gave me a set of acrylic paints with 48 different colors, and The Absolute Sandman, Volume 2. I have been playing with the paints today in celebration of my days off.

Last thing before I finish up for the night: I have entered a contest. Vote for my entry by adding my Yule Altar Cloth to your favorites!

Music for December 9 - On the Radio

2008-12-09T22:40:00.005-06:00

(posted by Rain's Mr)

I told Rain I'd keep the blog from getting too dusty while she gets things accomplished (like building furniture and wrestling with the office to turn it into a workspace for her). So, here's more of the stuff I know...

Regina Spektor - On The Radio | official site at reginaspektor.com

P.S.
Rain highly un-recommends the Black & Decker Steam Advantage Iron. She's gone through 2 of them in a very short time, and they weren't exactly "value" priced.

Music for December 5 - Volcano

2008-12-05T19:14:00.014-06:00

posted by Rain's Mr)

Kina Grannis - Volcano | official site at kinagrannis.com

Start drooling.

2008-11-26T10:14:00.007-06:00

Just a quick drive-by posting to share some pictures. Excuse the threads that need clipping and the markings on the fabric--they are works in progress. They will be tarot bags, though, and you'll see them in my store soon.

Out Wandering

2008-11-21T23:45:00.003-06:00

I had a doctor's appointment first thing this morning. I left with half a pharmacy worth of medications, because breathing is a good thing. Ironically, I realized a little later that it's been exactly 3 1/2 years since I quit smoking.

Because of the way the bus system in Nashville works, in order to take 2 busses, you have to go downtown. So, when I have appointments or errands to run, I often take advantage of being downtown.

Today, I mailed out a few packages and then walked over to the library. It was a beautiful, sunny day, but it was cold, so staying outside for long didn't sound like much fun. When I finished at the library, I went to the bakery/coffee shop in the same building. I got a pastry and an eggnog latte, and read my book for awhile. It was very relaxing

Dinner tonight was something we decided on at the grocery store yesterday. We found a package of ground lamb at a really good price because today was the sell by date. We decided to make something like kebab-type meatballs, and a yogurt-based curry sauce with spinach. I knew it was going to be good, but it turned out much better than I expected. I generally don't do much in the way of carefully measuring and following recipes, so I probably wouldn't be able to duplicate it exactly, but I'm pretty sure I could come close enough. We will DEFINITELY be making that again. I actually think it might have been one of the best things I've ever cooked.

We finished the evening off by watching several episodes of Heroes. We really couldn't watch it before we got the bigger TV, because we couldn't read the subtitles.

Of course, before I could go to bed, I had to be sure to list a new item in my store. It's a Circle Goddess Kitchen Towel.

This and That

2008-11-20T21:40:00.002-06:00

I mentioned earlier that I was reading everything by Sara Douglass that I could get my hands on. I have gotten my hands on, and read, all but one of her books. I'll read the remaining one sometime. Now, I am reading everything by Juliet Marillier that I haven't already read...and re-reading some that I have. Right now, I am reading Blade of Fortriu: Book Two of The Bridei Chronicles.

I am shipping out 3 orders tomorrow. Hooray! I enjoy sending packages to people. I guess I assume that other people get as much joy out of receiving mail as I do.

Remember that faery towel I posted about a few days ago? I listed her, along with one of her friends. Check it out!

I assembled a printer cart today. I *love* assembling furniture. I am pretty sure that makes me certifiably insane, but that's fine with me. It's like putting together a big 3D puzzle, plus playing with tools. Interesting fact about me: I brought the power tools into my marriage. And big fancy toolsets--the ones with a little slot for everything--are always very exciting for me to look at, even when I don't know what half of the tools are for.

For those of you that like puzzles, check this out: Jigsaw Puzzle of the Day. No furniture assembly involved, I promise!

Alchemy

2008-11-19T19:35:00.005-06:00

Alchemy is about turning lesser metals into gold. My project for the day was an attempt to turn gold into...red.

I was not successful in my attempt, either. At least, I was not successful if the ONLY object was to turn gold onto red. Since I learned some good stuff and ended up with something beautiful, but not red, I also can't say that it was a failure.

I mentioned that I went to the fabric store yesterday. I needed some fabrics for the appliques involved in my sibling shirt sets, some black silk, and some dark red silk. I ended up with all the applique fabrics I needed, gold silk, and a yard of brocade. I couldn't resist the brocade--blue, purple, and silver on a black background. Their silk selection was really depressingly sad, but I found a beautiful remnant piece of gold silk, at a great price. I knew for a fact I could dye some of it black, and I also thought there was a possibility of getting a useable red. After all, to print red, you use magenta and yellow ink. Gold id pretty much yellow, and I have magenta dye, so it was worth a try. I knew that if it turned out really bad, dyeing it black was always an option, so it was no risk to try.

Final verdict: Very pretty, but definitely not red. Here are some before and after pictures.

Now I need to decide what kinds of embroidery designs would be good for some burgundy tarot bags. I'd love to hear your suggestions.

My newly listed item for today is a tarot bag in green silk with a green triple goddess symbol.

Excitement in My Etsy Store

2008-11-18T21:54:00.004-06:00

Today was an eventful day in my store! First of all, when I checked my email, I saw 3 etsy conversations from 2 different people, neither of whom I know. When I read them, I realized that they were all about the same item. I had to go over to etsy and see what was going on.

I saw that the number of views on that item had jumped significantly overnight. It had been right around 20 last night, and it was up to 81 this morning. Now, it is up to 111. I checked to see if I had been in a treasury, on the front page, or anything else like that, but couldn't find anything. I googled myself, my store name, and the item name, and still couldn't find anything. I do feel loved, though.

Once I got home this evening, giddy over the fabrics I bought today, I settled in to catch up on what I missed in the forums, and then do some socializing. I sold 5 items (to 2 people) within half an hour or so. Apparently the paypal fairy hanging on my desk works!

The items I sold were all things that I could relist immediately, so I did. I also listed a new item, since I made the rule yesterday that relisting doesn't count for that goal. Here is is: Celtic Knotwork Embroidered Kitchen Towel

My wonderful husband/live-in web expert made some really nice progress on my website today, too. It's still very simple--embryonic, really, but it's getting better all the time. It should be up and running in some kind of finished way by the end of the year. If you'd like to see how it looks so far, just ask and I'll be glad to give you the link.

Good Mail Day!

2008-11-17T21:55:00.002-06:00

Today was a good mail day for me. I got the onesies and toddler T-shirts I had ordered, as well as the paypal fairy button that I ordered from the fabulous lizstaley on etsy.

The T-shirts and onesies are for my Sibling shirt sets, plus I have ideas for some other embroidered kidswear up my sleeve. At any rate, I got some really fun, bright colors to work with, along with some classic pastels.

I also had a dilemna to face today. I had to decide if relisting sold items counted toward my goal of listing a new item every day. In the end, I decided that it does NOT count as a new listing. I may reevaluate that rule after the holidays, but for now, it has to actually be new to count.

Today's new listing is an Aries Embroidered Bookmark.

I love this towel!

2008-11-17T10:44:00.002-06:00

I'll be listing it soon enough, but I have to share this picture. I love the way this faery design turned out!

Football Fun

2008-11-16T20:54:00.003-06:00

I've been a Titans fan for a few years, but it has never been quite so fun as it is now. No one seems to know quite what to make of the situation, including me. Watching football has been especially fun today, because we got a new TV. It's HUGE! 22 inches! Yes, I know, that probably doesn't sound all that big to some of you, but our old TV was 14 inches.

We went to Best Buy yesterday, and were just about to buy a TV and a few other things, but the TV didn't seem to be in stock, and the people working there were uncharacteristically not around to help. This morning, we decided to check the new sale paper online, and found that walking out empty handed yesterday was, indeed, a good move. We found what we were looking for, saw that it was all in stock, and at better sale prices. Then we placed the order online, with store pickup as the shipping option.

Those are exactly the kinds of situations that make me think that it's a good idea to walk away, when it seems like it's taking too much effort to force things to happen. Especially when I'm not all that sure of them in the first place. I tend to think that's Life's way of trying to give me a clue.

I listed 2 new items in my store tonight. Check them out, if you're so inclined!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17423817
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17423360

Holiday plans at Rain's Obsessive Stitchery

2008-11-15T00:21:00.002-06:00

I've been thinking about holiday plans for my store today. If I keep up my new habit of listing at least one new item in my store every day, I should be able to get some exciting things up in my store in time for holiday gift giving. Today's Goddess Keychain listing makes 5 days in a row.

You can look forward to seeing some new Tarot Bags in my store before too long. Not only do they make good gifts on their own, but they would be a stunning way to wrap a special gift of jewelry or another small treasure. If you would prefer a customized bag, with your choice of color and embroidery design, it is not too late for me to get that done for you.

My Goddess Keychains and Embroidered Bookmarks make great stocking stuffers. I have several of them listed already, and I will be listing more of them all the time. Please let me know if there is a color or design you have in mind that isn't listed in my store--I may have it ready to go, and just haven't listed it yet.

You'll also be seeing new kitchen towels on a regular basis. Faeries, another goddess style, knotwork, and several more holiday designs will all be showing up soon. I will also be introducing some flour sack towels. They are great for drying glassware, because they are soft and lint-free. They're also useful in bread baskets, or as aprons, tablecloths or altar cloths.

I have some other ideas of things I would like to make in the next little while. I have some brocade patchwork purses in the works, and some really pretty tree ornaments. I'm also looking forward to embroidering some onesies and toddler T-shirts. If there is anything on that list that sound particularly interesting to you, please tell me so that I can make it a priority.

I hate migraines

2008-11-13T22:39:00.005-06:00

Very short blog entry today, because about the most interesting thing I have to say is...

I really hate migraines. And I really wish this one would go away.

I did manage my 4th day in a row of listing something new n my store, at least. It's a Knotwork Heart Kitchen Towel.

Today's ramblings

2008-11-12T22:05:00.001-06:00

Being pagan, it's not uncommon to run into confusion as to what name to use for holidays. Yule, Christmas, Midwinter, Solstice, etc. My normal reaction to those moments of confusion is to shrug, smile, and say "Eh, I'll celebrate most anything." That's not to say I'm going to throw a party because someone's puppy died, or anything like that, but I'm definitely of the mind that the more things there are to celebrate, the better.

That is part of why I love the calendar I have. Here's a link to the 2009 version. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1602370575
First of all, the artwork is gorgeous. I have a serious weakness for celtic knotwork. It also has a lot of holidays/observances, from different countries and religions. For example, today is a Bahá'í holy day, the Birth of Bahá'u'lláh. Interesting stuff!

Some of you are probably a lot more interested in what I did today than what my calendar says. Specifically, what I did related to etsy, and crafting. I am trying to get in the habit of listing at least 1 new thing in my store every day. This was my 3rd day in a row of success in that attempt. Today's new listing is a reindeer kitchen towel.

I worked on embroidering some more kitchen towels today. Some of them were for custom orders, and some will end up in my store. One is a beautiful faery with pink and purple wings. I'm hoping for a sunny day soon, so that I can take some pictures, because I am very happy with how that one turned out.

Bad blogger, try again.

2008-11-11T21:08:00.000-06:00

I have been a very bad blogger. I keep meaning to post, but can't think of what to say, or get really busy and distracted, and all of a sudden it's been over a month since my last post. I will do better!

Since the last time I posted, there has been cool stuff that I could have talked about, so I'll talk about some of it now.

I posted previously about having a booth at Nashville Pagan Pride Day. It was great. I had a lot of fun, I learned a ton, and I met some wonderful people. One of those people convinced me to go to Womenspirit.

Womenspirit is a UU pagan women's retreat. I set up a booth there, too. I made some improvements based on things I learned at Pagan Pride Day. I learned even more good stuff, met a LOT of wonderful people, and considered the weekend to be a smashing success. I ran out of Goddess towels very early, so next time I will have to be sure to bring more.

Since I got home from Womenspirit, I have attended the UU church twice. Once on a Sunday, and once on a Wednesday night for Religious Education. I've enjoyed it so far, and plan to go to Religious Education tomorrow night, too. I've met some really wonderful people there, too.

Apparently meeting wonderful people is the theme of this blog post. I wasn't sure what the theme was going to be when I decided that I really had to blog tonight, about SOMETHING.

Really, other than making stuff, the past several months have been all about meeting people. I'm finding myself beginning to be a part of several communities, and it feels good. It feels a lot like juggling, but I'm supposing I'll learn some juggling skills eventually.

Sneak Peek

2008-10-06T14:06:00.000-05:00

Here's a sneak peek at a couple of the towels I'll be listing in my etsy shop today or tomorrow. http://rainfeather13.etsy.com

Let's Play "What's That Plant?"

2008-10-06T13:05:00.000-05:00

Here are 3 plants that I have. I have no idea what they are. I do know that they're not TOO easy to kill, because, well, they're not dead. I've had the first 2 since January, and the last one since last October. If you know what any of them are, or how to continue keeping them alive, I'd love to hear it.

Big Brother and Little Sister shirts

2008-10-01T13:33:00.000-05:00

OK, technically, the little sister shirt is a onesie, but you get the idea. This is a custom set that I just finished. I hope it's as much fun to wear as it was to sew. The pictures need a little work, but I'm not sure I'd be able to repeat this formatting marvel, so I'm going to leave them as they are, at least for now.

After I finish posting this, I am going to go work on embroidering some kitchen towels. If you have a suggestion about what kinds of designs to use, I'd love to hear them.

Equinox sale in my etsy store

2008-09-22T09:40:00.000-05:00

I have a sale in my etsy store to celebrate the equinox. Tarot bags are on sale for $20, regularly $25. I'll be posting a bunch of new stuff for sale today, too, including goddess towels and keychains, astrological wallhangings, and a bunch of tarot bags.

http://rainfeather13.etsy.com/

Here is one of my goddess keychains, based on a design by LMDesign.

Goddesses Galore!

2008-09-03T20:47:00.000-05:00

I spent most of today making goddess keychains. I knew they were going to be cool, but I actually underestimated the coolness. They are SO CUTE! I think I have figured out how to post pictures. If I am right about how it works, I will post some pictures of the goddess keychains tomorrow, along with the pictures of the goddess kitchen towels that I promised last week.

I made 6 bookmarks this morning, finishing off all of the astrological bookmarks--48 of them in total. I may put together some pagan bookmarks, if I can figure out what to put on them. Suggestions are welcome!

I made some progress on my custom astrological chart wallhanging today, too. I really can't wait to see it finished. I recently aquired a set of really cute kids zodiac designs, so I think I'll put together a wallhanging with them. I also have an idea for another growth chart, and I'd love to get it done in time for Pagan Pride Day, but time is getting a little short, and I don't know if I'll get it done or not. I suppose I'll find out soon enough.

I like accomplishing stuff.

2008-09-02T21:23:00.000-05:00

In my early 20s, I didn't need to go to the gym. I went out to bars, and danced until the wee hours. It was a lot of fun, and I was in excellent shape. It did tend to make it hard to keep a job, though.

Now that I am in my early 30s, I am not in such great shape. I really need to lose 30-40 pounds. More than that, though, I need to get back into decent shape. I'm not looking to run a marathon, but it would be nice to just take off walking and not completely tire myself out. Plus, the, uh, marital relations were quite nice when I was not such a lump. I'm working on getting myself into better shape. I've spent more time in the gym in the last 2 weeks than any time since high school. I have had some kind of sore muscles constantly since I started going to the gym, but it feels good.

Today was a great day for getting stuff done. I watered the plants and harvested some tomatoes. I paid 3 bills, and then went to the gym for awhile. I walked 2 miles on the treadmill and did some work with some of the weight machines. Then I came home and started cooking pork chops for dinner in the crock pot. I got 3 loads of laundry done, ironed some fabric, and embroidered 18 bookmarks. I did some work on managing my embroidery design collection. That is a job worthy of Sisyphus. I have thousands of designs, and I'm constantly getting more of them. Finally, I got some goddess keychain designs ready to embroider tomorrow.

Now, I think it might be time to curl up with my book, my cat, and a glass of Tia Maria, then go to bed so that I can be productive again tomorrow.

Sometimes you just have to embrace non-productivity.

2008-08-28T21:11:00.000-05:00

When it became clear to me that I wasn't likely to accomplish much sewing today, I decided that a change of scenery would probably help. I decided to go downtown and visit the library. I had a book to return, and I had an email telling me that some books I had requested were ready for me to pick up.

The weather was beautiful. Sunny and hot, but not oppressively hot. I managed to catch busses that were not full of shrieking teenagers on their way home from school, and the drunk guy who wanted to strike up a conversation and/or relationship noticed that I was reading, aplologized, and left me alone. Bus adventures don't get much better than that.

I've been reading everything by Sara Douglass that I can get my hands on, lately. The hold shelf at the library had 3 of her books that I had requested, including the next book in the series I've been reading. (Pilgrim, which is book 5 in the Wayfarer Redemption series.) The only thing that could have been better would have been to have Crusader waiting for me too.

I checked out my books, then wandered around the library for a little while, just enjoying the quiet. Then I decided to go treat myself to coffee, since there is a nice little french bakery/coffee shop right in the same building. While I was there, I saw that they had Bacon and Lentil soup. I decided that I had to have it for lunch, and it was delicious. I love lentils, and I love bacon, and together they are even better.

By the time I got home, I was feeling quite a bit more productive, and managed to get a good amount of ironing done. That should help a lot when I get ready to start sewing tomorrow. Ironing can be really soothing, but it can also feel rather daunting when I just want to get going on a project, and all the fabric has to be ironed first.

Apparently I am a business now.

2008-08-27T20:04:00.000-05:00

I just told the state of Tennessee that I am a business. It was actually disturbingly easy to do--I think that I have dealt with more complicated forms in some online checkout processes. I also have an etsy store, business cards, business thank you cards, and matching return address labels, which obviously makes me an even more official business. I suppose now all I need to do is sell something.

I have some embroidered silk tarot bags and a cute growth chart that I have already posted on my etsy store. I have some towel bibs that are ready to be posted, as soon as I find the time to go through the posting process.

I have been working on some other projects that may eventually end up in my etsy store, if they don't get sold while I'm at Nashville Pagan Pride Day, where I will have a booth. Pagan Pride Day is Saturday, September 13, 2008, 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM at the First Unitarian Universalist Church on Woodmont Blvd.

I've been working on several interesting projects for my booth. Most recently I have been working on some kitchen towels embroidered with goddesses. I plan to do some more kitchen towels with fun things like pentacles and celtic knotwork designs. I have a whole slew of tarot bags in various states of completion. I've been working on some bookmarks and goddess keychains, too. I have an astrological wallhanging completed, and I'm working on a sample custom astrological chart wallhanging. I'm really excited to see that one come together. Since I don't actually know what I'm doing with this whole blogging thing, I am not going to attempt to post pictures tonight. I will figure that out in the near future, though, I swear!

I can't complain about my productivity today. Not only am I a business now, but I am apparently a blogger, too.