A Daunting Task Ahead..

I always considered my sister the queen of procrastination (she would agree).  It was like clockwork, I would get a call from her some random afternoon just to chat.  It was always suspicious....my family doesn't "chat" much.  We call with a purpose only.  So, I always knew that she had some sort of ridiculous deadline the next day that she was procrastinating for.  Too funny.  I would give her her much needed break from the writing and she would (hopefully) get back to her work with a fresh outlook. 
So, I guess I better call her now because my piles are getting bigger and my deadline is getting closer.
Why is it that when I need to get more physical stuff done, I go into cleaning or organizing mode instead of work mode?  Yes, it feels good to organize my fabrics according to size, product, color and design(what am I doing?) - but is it necessary?  Wouldn't I benefit better from actually making an item instead of preparing to make it easier to make the item? hahha of course.
So, what do I do now to get out of the procrastination funk?  I have already drank a half pot of coffee, played with the boys, set up new apps on my little fingers gifts facebook page, cut 10 yards of terry cloth for burpers and read a gazillion FB comments about the royal wedding (I dvr'd it to watch later - heh heh - I cant believe I just admitted to that).

Oh, I know - blog about it.  Maybe now I can get back to work - talk to ya later.....(hopefully not)
:-)

Week #4 of Single Parenthood in 7 Weeks...

I guess that sums it up. 
Soccer practice last night, dance class and girl scouts tonight and soccer practice again tomorrow night.
"Letters from Juliet" tonight and an enormous Peanut Butter Cup Sundae from the local creamery.
Or sleep.
We'll see how I am if he has to go again in two weeks....you may not be able to comprehend any of my words anymore...

Every Baby Deserves Something Handmade...

I have been inspired - a cloud has passed and I am feeling like a whistling bird again!  I read such a lovely discussion on Etsy Success about how important it is to convey the soul of your handmade item.  In this day and age - so many more people are going back to basics with different aspects of their lives: growing their own food, buying organic, shopping at farmstands, joining CSAs, buying  eco-friendly or sustainable products.  You can see it everywhere --- even at the big ticket stores.
Hey - I am all for it!
I also think that many of us are finding that certain things are better and certain things are worse.  These days, an appliance is made to only last 5 years - a table you purchase at a big store will fall apart in 7 years - nothing is made anymore with enduring qualities...craftsmanship is not found here.
It is a common thread.  Unfortunately, with this economy, most of us cannot afford to buy from local artisans all the time.  I remember my last home in western NY state - there were Amish folk everywhere.  They grew the best flowers and veggies and were so friendly and affordable.  They built gorgeous cabinets and furniture - wow, I wish I could furnish my whole house their wares.....They took great care with what they made - using skill and artistry to build each and every piece of furniture, - rocking chairs, beds, bassinets, the family table. 
True craftsmanship.
So, this Etsy discussion was about how to convey your soul in each piece that you make and sell on Etsy.  It made me think about how I label my gifts and describe them and tag them.  Maybe it shouldn't be about cookie cutter explanations - it really should be about the story behind that particular piece - what made it special to me.  It reminded me that each and every piece I make whether it be a blanket for a friend or a bib to post on my site is made with the utmost care by me, Heather - a person with a story just like everyone else.  I choose all my fabrics, wash, dry and fold them, cut the patterns, sew them together like little stories.  I know who I am making them for - little fingers - that's where the name came from.  Soft, chubby little fingers that every parent has kissed, held onto while learning to walk, taught to clap, washed gently and softly placed on their own cheeks.  I know these gifts are for your children and your friends children and with every choice, cut and stitch I believe it shows in my work.  Yeup - they are baby gifts and you can buy baby gifts at Target or Walmart or Babies-R-Us....but, don't your little fingers deserve something handmade?  yes, especially something that is stitched with love...love from me.

Rainy Days and Mondays...

....always get me down?

Nope.  Sorry, Carpenters.  Karen, you have a beautiful voice and you apparently know how to sing about depression, but I am not agreeing with ya today.

I am sooooo enjoying this rainy day.  Ok, so it's not a Monday, I can't control that.  But, it is rainy and cold and just plain "yucky".  At least, that is what my 2 1/2 yr old called it outside even though he wants to walk around our spongy soaking wet lawn with his Bubble Mower.  I guess yucky is a good word to a little boy. Go figure.

Yup - the kind of day you get absolutely nothing done, because you don't want to move a muscle for fear of getting chilled even though you are wearing your pajamas under a sweatshirt with knee high fuzzy socks and sweatpants meant for a defensive football player.  Oh, and you have two blankets piled on top of you too....and a purring cat.

 Oh wait, I got something done!  I blogged.

Week #3 of Single Parenthood in 5 Weeks.....

Ugh.
Ugh.
Ugh.
Yeup - my husbands job is unpredictable because it is located in another state.  Sometimes, he has to go back to his main office for a week at a time.  Sometimes he goes once in 3 months - sometimes it's more.  This just happens to be week number three in the past 5 weeks of him traveling for his job.  I am exhausted.  Kids, house, new business, new garden, waaaaaaaay too much compost to move with the wheelbarrow, and no break from my husband for 5 days.  My body hurts.
Good new is - I get to watch whatever I want on tv while I sit around in my bright orange sweatpants and overly enormous sweatshirts and drink tea and eat whatever girl scout cookies we have left for dinner.A little catching up on some series like Pushing Daisies, Chuck, Vampire Diaries and Fringe and maybe some chick movies like Dear John or A Room With A View, or maybe some eye candy like the new Spartacus series...mmmmmmm yum....muscles.

Anyone wanna join me? Maybe there will be wine...

Green Things Are Growing In CT

Is it strange that our biggest and best news of the day is about getting a pile of compost dumped in our yard?  Well, to each their own, right?!
I am excited.  But, to be fair, I am excited because it means I can fill up our new raised bed for veggies and I can plant my asparagus crowns and start some peas, radishes and lettuce.  My boys are excited because, well, because it's a pile of dirt - that's why!

Erik even told the dentist this morning about how he was going to use his new wheelbarrow and gardening tools today to help Mommy move dirt.  How sweet.  We'll see how long the work lasts and when I start seeing him just climbing up the 5 cubic yard pile of black gold.  It is black gold, by the way.  We ordered it from Collins Compost last year and we're so happy with the results, we may be making an annual order.  Collins Compost is part of Collins Powder Hill Farm.  They are famous in my kids eyes for their Creamery - the creamiest ice cream ever and a happy place on the hill to eat it on a warm summers day.  Oh, did I mention that it is only a couple miles from our house! Yippee.  My garden is happy, but not my waistline!

Anyway, our 4' X 16' garden was a huge success last year, so we made another (much to my husbands dismay I put it right next to the other one where he thinks the kids will kick balls into it all the time)  Now, we just need to fill it up and get the cold crops going!

I already have lots of veggies and flowers growing in my basement - with the advice and help of my friend Sam who is, a master gardener!  She helps run an incredible venture in Morristown, NJ called Grow It Green (check it out www.growitgreenmorristown.org ) where they provide a wealth of information for the community about gardening, sustainability, the environment, flora and fauna, etc.  The teach a multitude of classes and hold events all the time.  They have created the most amazing community garden and urban farm right in the area.  It really is truly incredible!  A wonderful venture and a wonderful opportunity.  She is my "go-to girl" if I have a gardening question and I am sure she is quite used to my quick little messages asking about how to thin seedlings or when to plant winter squash.  So, I hope I can somehow show her I have been listening!  We shall see when it is time to harvest.

Last years garden was excellent - shelling peas, sugar snap peas, green pole beans, 3 different kinds of lettuce, broccoli, strawberries, carrots, radishes, pumpkins, birdhouse gourds, peppers, onions, 2 types of tomatoes and a very poor attempt at cucumbers (we'll have to fix that this year)  All in all, I would say it was definitely a success! Who knew 4' X 16' could hold so much! Yeah, succession planting!  Now, I am going to add brussel sprouts, asparagus, baby leeks, parsnips and more types of carrots (they were the best!)

Is it strange that I am excited about this? Well, maybe just as strange as my love for birds.....I am sorry to say this, but gardening and birding is considered such a "senior" type of hobby. My sister, the happy birder, will pout when she reads this, but I am sure she agrees.  All I can say is, at least my sister, Sam and I (and many other friends and family that I know) are trying their best to change that mentality in this day and age.  I am happy to see many young people starting their own gardens or joining a CSA -Community Sustained Agriculture.  My family is doing a local CSA again this year at Easy Pickins Farm ( www.easypickinsorchard.com) even though we will be growing our own as well.  My husband and I want to support locally grown food and hopefully show our kids the importance of community that is harder to show these days.  No farms - no food, right?

Not only is this an important issue, but the whole pesticide issue comes up too.  My husband and I are going to sit down to discuss what foods that we need to buy organic even though we simply cannot afford to, with one income and three kids.  But what choice do we have? The amount of pesticides on fruits and veggies is staggering!  Countless articles are proving links to cancer from eating pesticide ridden strawberries! Strawberries!?????  My kids LOVE strawberries! Are we slowly poisoning our own children?  Geez, people.  

So, we grow our own, we buy locally grown organic produce and hope we aren't killing our children.  I guess I better learn to can my food.  My goodness.  At this rate, I will be using a washboard to wash clothes and leaving pies to cool in the windows...just call me June....you all know how much I love my housewife duties!

Babies Love Skulls!

 Is it strange that I should find skulls, daggers, tattoos  and cowgirls appropriate imagery for a baby bib or blanket?  Hmmm.....
I always love finding the strangest fabric I can (love the basics too) to make my gifts.

Scary - Silly - Novelty - Absurd - Burlesque - or just plain Ridiculous! (I am going to be making stuff with playing cards and dartboards - hehehehee)

Honestly, I guess the question is really this - do OTHER people find this imagery appropriate?  I hadn't really pondered that question until I opened my etsy shop last month.

http://littlefingersgifts.etsy.com

I was a mad and maniacal computer woman - checking my sites to see if anyone had favorited the shop or an item of mine, if anyone was viewing my gifts or liking my facebook page or reading this blog. My kids only got a dazed look from me when they came to see me, wondering if they were going to be fed or if they were just going to have to fend for themselves with Kix and crackers...

Funny thing is this - on my etsy shop, the most views I get ARE for my oddest fabrics!  I have been open for one month right now, I have sold 17 items online, had my shop favorited by 8 people, and had 12 specific gifts favorited and one of them put in a treasury list.  Out of the 12 favorite items, 5 of them are my crazy novelty fabrics! So, I guess the answer is yes! - other people find my novelty fabrics fun too.

Now, would ya just buy 'em since ya like 'em, people?  Every baby needs their own skull bib! :-)