Making a mess of things

For my last post of 2010, I sure managed to make a mess of things.

First, I posted a blank blog.

Next, what I really wanted to post was some piccies of a baby shower I had for my DIL last November...she is looking gorgeous and the baby is due any day. The uploads from a foreign (to me) file are not loading...Grrrr... it was going to be such an uplifting post about a new life in 2011.

Next, I was determined to show whole treasuries using the treasury widget on craftcult. Can't get that to work . An etsy staff member answered my plea for help on the etsy forums, suggesting I go to this site, but I can't make head or tail of that either. What an dinosaur I am.

However, all is not lost. 2010 is going out with a bang on etsy for me. Items from my shop have been featured in all these super treasuries this week.

LavenderBouquetPhoto used this vintage wedding dress in a divine T Vintage Winter Wedding. I was so pleased as I had just listed the dress. Do check out this shop with its youthful, fresh photographs.

I love every listing in Lets Set the Table Green curated by Pienzacal. a quirky vintage shop with a lot of neat items.

Carfarellagen...another beautiful vintage shop used this romantic scarf in oooh so feminine...the name says it all.

Moonandlion always makes great treasuries. This one, featuring this taupe scarf, Want to feel fabulous today is no exception. Macky is organizing a BNR sale for the expats team on Monday, this is no mean feat as the members are located all over the world.

Another expat singingheartjewelry, made this lush treasury something from here,something from there using my vintage sari. Debbie lives in South Africa, and her jewelry is just gorgeous. I believe this was her first treasury...she's a natural.

Finally, from the official expats site Tasty Stripes used these vintage pillowcases. I sure if you took Just one look, you would find out who curated it.

NOW...do NOT forget...Monday January 3rd 2011...Expats BNR Treasury sale. What a great way to start the new year!!!

Bite the bullet

I have finally bit on the bullet and caved in to Flickr's demand of my credit card number...I did want the pro account and there was no way they were going to accept paypal without it. Even paypal wrote 'perhaps they do not want to take other payments'. Well,

I'm not a big paypal fan either. ...what an old curmudgeon I am.

I very much wanted to add to my Jacqmar scarf file. Here is my all time favorite 'pubs of London'. Fantastic sketches along with script. The photos do not do it justice. ...I listed a few more yesterday . Conversation R...."what are you doing?" me..."playing with my scarves"

.

Talking of pubs, Linda of JustOneLook included this scarf in a super etsy treasury 'Make mine a black and tan please'. I thought you had to be a Brit of a certain age (like Linda and me) to know what that meant. But no! other expats knew as well. I well remember pulling a few pints of black and tans for my father, along with some lager and limes.

Serendipity Child ( a charming, whimsical British shop) put together a nostalgic collection Blue birds over the white cliffs of Dover that featured this very interesting souvenir.

When I have finished my Jacqmar collection I might start cataloging souvenir scarves, after all I have to use my $24.99 a year Flickr pro account.

Wonderful Jacqueline, from Tangentine, curated a warm, loving collection 'The perfect cure for post hoilday blues' and used my vintage woven placemats. She always does a terrific, dramatic job, just like her jewelry. (ps. she has free worldwide shipping till the end of January)

Do check out these diverse etsy shops.

Figgy pudding

I trust everyone had a satisfying Christmas day.. I know we did.

My figgy pudding, doused in rum.

the tree decorations are the same, year after year. Personally I can't stand 'decorator' Christmas trees.

Etsy news...after a quiet few days, things are picking up, and a couple of items have been featured in attractive treasuries.

This 50s scarf was shown in 'chartreuse', one of my favorite colors . Cindy from TheVintageHatShop put this together...no need to say what she sells... a store that is just up my line.

and an antique quilt top that is for sale appeared in older than dirt curated by BeadNLight, a vintage shop that is full of personality. So nice to see 19th century items featured.

Hearth and Home

Browsing my antique magazines, I thought this would be a suitable image for today. Mary Anne gave me a big box last month and I am savoring each one.

Hearth and Home is packed with ads...many pertaining to ill health

Bed Wetting the remedy is better than spanking

Gallstones, killing millions

Goitre, can be cured

He stopped Whiskey, an odorless and tastless treatment

Asthma relieved or no pay

Fat Conquered by Hollywood doctor......

its a relief to get on to

the October 1923 issue of Needlecraft magazine.

I learn something from every issue, I now know what lattice lace is (its knitted) and Cluny-Crochet. Did you know that a lady is judged by her handkerchief?

I'm not sure what linen straps in Filet-Crochet are for, and I would like see and feel some surf satin.

Goodbye Costa Rica, Hello Toronto

Thank you to my dear friends in Monteverde for a lovely, welcoming and restful week.

Margaret and Paul practice a little Bach.

The road to Monteverde is always a challenge, (it is little more than a stony path) takes about 3 hours to get down to the highway. But, the views are always worth it.

Views down the St Luis valley on one side and looking down the the Nicoya peninsular on the other side of the road.

Late flight back to Toronto, arriving home at 3 am. I awoke to a very cold, but bright day, I had better get used to it.

Monteverde market.

Saturday morning farmers market in Monteverde; it takes place year round in the high school gymnasium, quite modest but obviously acts as a social meeting place as well.

Here is the chicken...

and some veggies

Monteverde is also home to Casem... started in 1982, a homegrown womens artisans co opereative. I have been buying gifts there for many years, but this time, nothing caught my eye and I feel they have 'gone off the boil' in recent times. Perhaps its because they are consciously making for the tourist market.

here in the cloud forest I am still plugged into etsy.

Two very interesting and unusual treasuries have featured some of my items this week

A vintage 40s silk scarf was used in She's a natural beauty was put together by LauraGlassArtQuilts. She has a lovely etsy craft shop, original and very pretty.

and this 60s woven bedspread was used in patches of fire and ice, a super list curated by Hagarae, who has a brilliant jewelry shop in Israel. Both worth checking out.

another day on top of the world

Day 3 of my stay on top of the world (or so it seems). This native cloud forest plant, stachytarpheta, attracts many varieties of hummingbirds.

Monteverde is a community full of talent, including my hostess's brother Paul, who is a painter, instrument maker, sculptor and viola player ; always looking for a trio or quartet to play with. Sometimes he comes over and plays with Margaret on the piano.

Her sister is also staying a while . Lorna is a potter whose work I have admired for many years. Lorna is also painting nearly every day whilst here.

Despite using at least 5 grapefruits and 2 sour oranges I only managed to get two jars of marmalade.....but is it ever good.

We took some more grapefruits from the garden to the local store. They were happy to have them.

Journey to Costa Rica.

A week in Cost Rica....cheap flight and we are staying with friends in Monteverde, which is in the mountains. We stopped for lunch on the way up at the Rio Coribice, where the boys were having a great time....I think school must be out already.

It is considerably cooler up here. This grapefruit tree at the edge of the garden is just laden with fruit....must be about 300 of 'em. I resolve to make my friend some grapefruit marmalade, perhaps enlivened with a wee dram, whilst I am here.

So, off I went to the local store for sugar. Guess who was trying to shop at the same time.

Even here in the cloud forest I can catch up on etsy news

Lovely Linda, once again featured a vintage quilt top of mine in this beautiful treasury 'its a cool december.

and this vintage souvenir scarf was used in 'gifts with an exotic feel', put together by Tialeyvintage, who has some really interesting items in her shop.

The entire etsy community does a gallant job promoting themselves and others with these gorgeous, handpicked lists.

getting ready for 2011

Couldn't resist these spectacular heirloom root veggies from Cookstown Greens, my neighbor at the summer Brickworks farmers market. Ready to go into the oven.

Time for a change....after years of lugging around a well stuffed filofax, (or faximilie thereof) always using a diary with a week to two pages,

Iv'e switched to a two page per month format. The reason?

Two years ago on a trip to Florence I bought some charming, small notebooks intending to give them as gifts. Only one was given away. I started to use them, just jotting down ideas, thoughts, specially related to my little business. I find I don't use as much space in the big diary, perhaps I don't do as much! Such a pleasure to use these pretty books.

Etsy news

Delighted to have a vintage scarf from my shop featured in this warm and tasty treasury 'gingerbread' put together by Arlie.

that time of year

Its that time of year....R bought a couple of huge, hybrid poinsettias for the house. The pink and cream combo is just right for me and the living room.

Part of a very large and successful family Christmas cactus. My daughter picked the pot out of the trash some decades ago so that she could plant some grapefruit seeds. The citrus tree grew and flourished for about 15 years ( it got to about 4 ft), but the cactus that sprung up around it won't stop. It is about 3 feet wide, blooms twice, sometimes three, times a year. We can't give the cuttings away fast enough, all the neighbors and family at home and abroad have them. It is completely pot bound...but, hey! if it's not broken, don't fix it.

Two bashed up, personal quilts. Not the best photos but they are the sort of quilt that appeals to me. Simple geometrics with glowing colors. This one has a scrappy look...all silks.

This one has 1/4" strips. an elegant color scheme, again silk. Although in both cases the silks are disintegrating, they have almost immaculate backs.

etsy news.

Macky made this beautiful treasury'gifts for the girl with faraway eyes' that included my 50s scarf. Macky is a very talented young woman who lives in Majorca. as well as having a rock n roll band (she is the lead singer) she is an artist who sells her work on etsy...moonandlion

Flickr problems and a guilty secret

A guilty secret....my family have rebelled about the amount of vintage Pendleton shirts I have collected at the cabin. They tell me the shirts have to be culled.

but here are my latest finds, tucked away in the basement. (covered by a sheet)

Would love to catalog them on Flickr....but flickr will not accept my paypal...I spoke to a real person at paypal (who was hopeless) who suggested Flickr send me a single invoice....ha, ha.....

I looked at Flickr forums (kindly suggested by briskmama) and there are pages of complaints about the same issue. I will have to look for another picture hosting site.

Have to boast that I have my 100th follower, Halfpenny Home, please look at this gorgeous shop in England that I would love to frequent.

Etsy news

EtsyExpats had a BNR treasury sale on Monday, many of my scarves and fabrics were featured. It went on all day and the items and colours were changed frequently.

As a thank you, this blue treasury was created, Congratulations...We Rock it includes my blue quilt top.

What do you know...2 equestrian themed treasuries this week used my items

Equestrians Shopping Guide used this classic scarf, and was put together by 5gardenias, who has a charming etsy shop. She hails from Buffalo, not too far from me and I noticed one of her vintage brooches on the FP yesterday.

Equestrian Elegance featured an item from my vintage linens section. This was curated by Jasmine, her etsy shop sells fab Russian dolls and other ethnic items

Check 'em out.