Triage From Home

Win Your Choice From Juicybags - and lots more!!

2009-02-21T07:59:00.000-08:00

I'm participating in a HUGE giveaway contest on one of my favourite blogs. Please check it out at His Boys Can Swim. If you're pregnant or a parent, you could win one of 31 prizes, worth close to $1600 in total, including your choice of anything from MY SHOP! There are going to be 31 winners, so it's really exciting and you'll have a lot of fun doing your entries. Their blog explains all about how to enter. See you there:-)

Good luck!

Couch Surfing?

2009-02-20T00:28:00.000-08:00

I mentioned a few posts ago that my daughter and her friend packed up and took off on an adventure to Alberta a couple of weeks ago. Against my (better, I think) judgment, off they went in her friend's car, with barely a dime between them, no job prospects, a shaky plan about where to stay and really no idea what they were doing. Not to mention, driving through the Rocky Mountains in winter. I ended up paying for them to stay in hotels for 2 nights on the way there so they wouldn't be trying to sleep in the car or drive for 24 hours straight (I can remember being 19 pretty well sometimes!)
I continue to struggle with my maternal urge to protect her and the desire to let her learn from this experience...
They started out staying in an apartment that her friend's father owns in the city. It turned out that the apartment was connected to a business that he has there and they weren't able to stay more than a few days. They both got jobs in a restaurant after about a week. Then, they got a 2-day gig over the weekend, house-sitting for someone who works in the office.

Here's the situation now:
Since Sunday, they have been 'winging it', staying at some random friend's house and sometimes sleeping in the underground car park under the apartment building. This is where I started getting "nervous".

Ok, a bit more than nervous maybe:-) My brain was screaming "ARE YOU GUYS CRAZY? YOU COULD BE RAPED OR KILLED!!" but I restrained myself slightly and said something like "I bet that's cold."

Then I talked to her today and she was hanging out in her friend's car all day while her friend was at work. When asked where they were going to go tonight, she had no answer.
My brain screamed again "MY CHILD IS HOMELESS! I MUST SAVE HER!"
but I said something like "do you guys have any idea where you could go?"
Of course, she had no ideas and said they would probably stay in the car park tonight.
Well, my maternal super-hero couldn't resist. I started looking up hostels in Calgary online and found one not too far from where they were. I ended up faxing my credit card info to the hostel so they could stay there tonight. *sigh* Of course, Aly was all teary and thankful and sorry they hadn't planned it all better, etc, etc, etc...

So now my brain is screaming (a little less loudly now) "what are they going to do tomorrow?" and then my sweet, wonderful husband sent me an IM saying 'what about couch-surfing?'

"YES!"

So, off I went on my google search, and found Couchsurfing.com which is an online community of folks all over the world who offer up their couches, extra beds, and sometimes a room to travelers for a night or a few nights....for FREE! What a neat concept. I had read a bit about it on SparklytoSingle's blog. She had an interesting experience in Europe with couch surfing, (and stirred up quite a controversy on her comments) but I'm not going to think about that right now:-) Besides, I've only sent requests to couch-offering females. Now, I'm just waiting to hear back from a (hopefully nice, kind, sweet, friendly) person who will allow my child to crash on her couch for free.

Whew, this teen stuff gets more and more challenging. Moms of 20-somethings keep telling me it gets better...I sure hope so. This has got me sprouting grey hairs everyday!

New Home For Triage From Home

2009-02-18T13:41:00.001-08:00

I'm transitioning my blog over to my own domain, so please come and visit there. For the time being, I will continue to update both blogs so I don't lose anyone, but please update your following status and bookmarks to my new page:

www.triagefromhome.com

I've found a wonderful graphic artist to develop a custom theme for my new blog and I'm really excited about that. The trouble is- she is very busy so I have to wait a couple of weeks until she has a chance to work on it for me. In the meantime, my new blog looks a bit plain, but hopefully it is clear and easy to navigate around. Let me know if you have any suggestions to make it better while I wait for it to be revamped and beautified:-)

Ooh La La Mama! Start Your Bids!

2009-02-18T05:25:00.000-08:00

Please place all bids at the new blog site HERE

I've decided to start posting the auctions more frequently than once weekly because I've been getting lots of wonderful donations of products and I can't wait that long to share them all with you!
Don't forget that the Love Letters Wall Monogram auction is still continuing to take bids until Feb 23rd, so get your bids in quick.

Today's auction was very generously donated by Cindy from Ooh La La Mama! a very unique clothing store for kids. Cindy has offered up for auction ANY ITEM on her site! The winning bidder can choose his or her very favourite item and in the perfect size:-)

Cindy is a full-time ER doctor, as well as a mom of two little ones herself. You can read all about how she got her clothing line started on her website. If you browse around there a little, you might find some pictures of the celebrities who love her kids' apparel too:-)

Here's How To BID (it's easy!):

1: Hop over to Ooh La La Mama! Have a look around to choose your favourite item from the shop.

2. Come back here and leave a comment, telling us:
a) the name of your favourite item
b) the $ amount of your bid for the item you want!

3. Check back often during the week, to see if you've been out-bid. You may bid as often as you like.

4. Bid increments for this item will be $1 minumum (for example: if the highest current bid is $10, you must bid $11 or more)

5. Bidding starts at only $10.00 for YOUR CHOICE of any item from this shop!

Bidding for this item will end at 12:00 noon PST on Feb 25th.
Winners will be notified by email and must respond within 48 hours with their shipping details. Item will be shipped directly from the supplier.

All payments for items won can be paid via my online donation page at the End Cancer website (or I can invoice you via Paypal if you prefer) Net proceeds from the walk go directly to the BC Cancer Foundation.
Your item will be shipping directly to you from the donating shop owner.

Want to see your products here?
Please contact me at helen(at)triagefromhome(dot)com if you would like to donate something for the weekly auction. I would love to showcase your shop and products. Let's help each other!

Winner of the Sweetheart Pendant Giveaway!

2009-02-16T19:21:00.000-08:00

And the winner is: (chosen by the random integer generator)

Danetta, who said:

"Everything in her shop looks so fabulous! One of my favorites is the Another Dimension Sprinkle Star Pendant"

Congratulations Danetta!
Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway.
Please shop at Everythingsblue's Shop- her jewellery is so much fun!

Brainstorming For Fundraising Ideas

2009-02-16T13:19:00.000-08:00

So, ever since I signed up the other day to do this 60 km walk for breast cancer, I've been brainstorming to try to come up with ways to help me raise my goal amount of $3200.00 in donations by August.
I've started the online auctions, as you can see by yesterday's post, and I got the first bid today-- Yippee!
Some of the other ideas I've been bouncing around:

1) Holding a BIG yard sale next month, once the weather warms up a little.

Since I'm not much of a hoarder, I don't have a lot of stuff to sell, so I'm thinking of dropping a flyer in everyone's mail slots in the neighourhood asking for donations of stuff to sell.
I found some 'Awareness Ribbon' shaped cookie cutters online, so I thought of making pink-iced ribbon cookies.
I also found pink ribbon temporary tattoos for sale online for cheap. I could sell those to the kids:-)
My brother suggested checking craigslist in the FREE section regularly and trying to pick up anything nearby that might be worth selling.
I thought of selling pink balloons, seeing if I can wangle the donation of a helium tank for them.
Perhaps getting a cotton candy machine rental donated.
I know signage is a big one. Will have to make some clear signage and draw big pink awareness ribbons on it.
Of course, I'll advertise it everywhere FREE I can find- craigslist, etc.

This is starting to sound like a circus...LOL

Anyone else have any good fund raising ideas?
Any good tips on how to have a successful yard sale?

I just had a little fund raising fantasy sitting here while I'm working: I was thinking that if everyone who is following me on Twitter donated $1 to my fund-- I'd be nearly done:-)
(I told you it was a fantasy, but it's nice to think something like that is possible!)

Love Letters- Auction for Breast Cancer Walk!

2009-02-15T09:51:00.000-08:00

Here is the first item up for auction to raise funds to sponsor my 60 km walk this August, during the Weekend To End Breast Cancer!
There will be lots of auctions here, so please keep coming back to check them out. There will be some GREAT products offered here that I know you're going to love.

Today, we have a Custom Monogram Wall Decal, graciously donated by Rebekah at Love Letters. The colours will be customized to the winner's preference, as will the name (child's name, last name, etc.)

I recently purchased 2 custom wall decals from her shop and they are great! Excellent quality and she was so much fun, friendly and easy to work with. You can see my LoveLetters decals here.

Rebekah is a former TV News Reporter turned stay-at-home mom. She loves words, writing, quotes, quips, you name it. She wanted to do something that would allow her to stay home with her children, working only when they sleep, but also combine her love of words and creating. Thus, Love Letters Vinyl Lettering was born. It's truly a labor of love. She LOVES finding a new quote and turning it into a design, doing custom work, and knowing that her designs will be a part of a home. But most of all, She LOVES her little family and the blessing that this business has been for them.

Here's How To BID (it's easy!):

1: Hop over to Love Letters. Have a look around to choose your favourite item from her shop.

2. Come back here and leave a comment, telling us:
a) the name of your favourite item
b) the $ amount of your bid for the auction prize item.

3. Check back often during the week, to see if you've been out-bid. You may bid as often as you like.

4. Bid increments for this item will be $1 minumum (for example: if the highest current bid is $10, you must bid $11 or more)

5. Bidding starts at only $5.00 for this lovely Custom Wall Monogram!

Bidding for this item will end at 12:00 noon on Feb 23rd. I will notify the winner via email and once payment is made, Rebekah will be notified so she can ship the prize.
Anyone can bid, as Rebekah has agreed to ship the item anywhere (thank you Rebekah!)

Before She Grows Boobs!

2009-02-13T16:40:00.000-08:00

I did it!! Today, I registered to walk 60km over 3 days in August to raise money for breast cancer research. I have been thinking about doing this walk for several years, but was always put off by the seemingly HUGE task of trying to raise at least $2000 in donations.
This year, I'm pretty sure with the help of my blog and twitter that I can do it! I'm open to ideas as well.
My first idea is to ask for donations of items I can promote and sell via 'auction style' bidding here on the blog. I will post up one item per week and take bids all week. Bids can be made by leaving a comment under the posting of the item you are interested in. The item will be sold to the highest bidder and all funds will be collected directly via my personal online donation page at the Weekend to End Breast Cancer website. That way, I don't have to handle the funds at all and bidders can feel comfortable in knowing the funds are going directly to the cause! The items will be sent out directly by the person donating them- just like during a normal blog giveaway.

Please let me know if you'd like to help by donating a product. I will promote you and your shop and will require bidders to visit your shop to choose their favorite items when they are bidding.

If you'd like to make a direct money donation to help me, you can donate directly here. The first 5 people to donate will get a free Juicybags coin purse! Leave me a comment on this post after you've made your donation and I'll connect with you for a shipping address:-)

I'll be walking in honor of my aunt, Sharon who died much too young from breast cancer. She wasn't there to attend her daughters' weddings, or to meet the 4 grandchildren they have had since she died. She didn't get to meet my wonderful husband or to come to my wedding either.
I also walk in honor of my father, Frank who died of cancer a few months before my aunt and has been gone for 10 years now. He missed so much too.

I miss them both very much and I hope by walking in this event, the money I raise can help to prevent other people from missing out on great times with their friends and family.
Let's find a cure for breast cancer SOON!

Winner Chosen for Juicybags Giveaway

2009-02-13T11:25:00.000-08:00

I recently donated one of my totes for a giveaway on Keeper Of The Cheerios blog. The winner was chosen: (drum roll please)

Kelly from Circular Logic -- an Orange and Strawberry Kiwi Totebag is coming your way!

Congratulations:-)

Vinyl Wall Decals = Fun!

2009-02-12T12:29:00.000-08:00

I just finished putting up some really fun wall decals that I bought on Etsy from a shop called Love Letters. They look great and I think they add a sense of humor to my laundry room and the kids' downstairs bathroom.

I was thinking of asking the shop owner if she would like to do a giveaway contest. I'm really pleased with the product and she was wonderful with creating these custom decals for me to my specifications.

If you know teenagers, you know that you sometimes wish you could charge for showers and supplies!

The bathroom is quite small, so it was hard to get a good photo of this one, but you get the idea:-)

Update: Yeay! Rebekah from Love Letters has agreed to do a giveaway on my blog on Monday, so come back then to enter!

Juicybags Camera Cases

2009-02-12T09:57:00.001-08:00

I recently did a custom order for an Etsy customer. One of the things she was looking for was a small case for her pocket camera, to prevent it getting scratched up in her purse. Most regular camera cases are padded and quite bulky and not practical for tucking inside a purse. I created these little Juicybags camera pouches for her.
The sides are made from strips of recycled denim, just like my larger totebags. I may tweak the design a bit, perhaps using a narrower bias tape for the edges, and make some more for my Etsy Shop.
What do you think?

Winner of My First Giveaway!

2009-02-12T09:42:00.000-08:00

I chose the winner for my first weekly giveaway by using an online random integer generator. The winner of the set of prints from John W. Golden is:

Erin from Dinner Time Chimes
Congratulations Erin!

Thanks everyone for entering!
Please enter this week's giveaway contest for a really adorable Sweetheart Pendant from Everythingsblue

Wordless Wednesday- My guys

2009-02-11T06:36:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite pictures from 2001 of Jon and Devon.
Love my guys...

Swiss Breakfast Muesli

2009-02-10T02:17:00.000-08:00

We had swiss style muesli like this when we were on a cruise with Holland America Lines in 2005 for our honeymoon. It was so yummy, but I'm sure their recipe was loaded with high fat ingredients. After we got home, I googled it to see if I could find a recipe. I found this healthy version and I try to make it as often as I can. It's low-fat and full of those 'super foods' like oats, almonds, yogurt, apples and honey. Try it and let me know what you think. It's the only breakfast that keeps me going well into the afternoon without getting hungry, and it's really tasty too.
Wish I could get my teenage son to eat this, but he'd rather have Cap'n Crunch...bleah:-(

2 cups large flake oats (not quick oats)
1 cup low-fat milk (I use 1% because that's what we drink)
1 Tbsp. honey
1 cored and grated apple (I leave the peel on)
1/4 cup sliced almonds
low-fat vanilla yogurt (or any flavour you like)

Mix oats, honey and milk together. Cover and let sit in the fridge overnight. In the morning, transfer it to a larger bowl and add almonds and grated apple. Mix well. If you're eating it all right away, mix in enough yogurt to make the consistency you like, divide it up into bowls and serve.
This makes 4 large servings, so we like to add the yogurt to each serving just before we eat it and store the rest in the fridge till the next day.
Fresh fruit is great on this too, cut up grapes or berries....yummmy!

Enjoy:-)

Monday Giveaway - Sweetheart Pendant

2009-02-09T16:06:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited about this week's giveaway. I recently bought an adorable heart pendant for my daughter from Maria at Everythingsblue on Etsy. It was a big hit and the best thing was that none of her friends had anything like it;-) Maria's resin jewellery is so much fun to wear.

She has offered up one of her latest heart pendant designs to one of my lucky readers! This pendant is so SWEET in every way. Yes, those are real candy sprinkles encased in resin. It looks good enough to eat!

Maria lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons. She does all sorts of different crafts, like crochet, knitting, sewing, and a little painting but resin is her true love!
She's a self-proclaimed resin junkie and partakes in her craft when everyone else is snoozing. She started her Etsy shop in May 2008 to support her resin habit and has never looked back!

It's so simple to Enter to WIN this adorable pendant:

**Just hop over to Maria's shop here, have a look around and then come back here and leave a comment telling us about your favorite item in her shop (don't forget to leave your email for contact)**

For additional entries:

1. Follow me on Twitter here
2. Follow my blog.
3. Add a link back to this giveaway on your own blog (give us the URL in a comment here)
4. Blog about this giveaway with a link back here (worth 3 extra entries!)
5. Add my blog to your blogroll

Please leave a separate comment for each of your entries. The contest will run for a week, from Feb 9nd till Feb 16th at noon (or as soon as I get a chance to do the draw that day)
Winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email or through their blog. The winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn and you'll forfeit your prize. One entry per an entry method per person.

Good luck everyone!
Maria will ship the prize anywhere, so everyone can enter.

Gonna Be a Wordpress Girl

2009-02-06T17:44:00.000-08:00

Jon is transferring my blog over to our own domain and we'll be using the Wordpress software for it. I'm excited because it's going to add lots more functionality:-) and FUN I hope!
I'd like to get customized 'look', something like Miranda's blog at Keeper of the Cheerios. I love the way her blog looks; so fresh, cute and fun, and it's so easy to follow her links to the different categories with the tabs across the top.

On a completely different subject: My oldest has (temporarily) flown the coop! She and her friend took a road trip to Calgary and are settling in for a yet-undetermined-length stay. They've barely got a dime left between them after the trip to get there (12 hours on a the highway through the mountains) but it sounds like they are doing okay so far. It's an uncomfortable feeling knowing she is so far away and that if she needed me urgently I wouldn't be able to get to her right away. She's been calling every day though. Even today I was looking up the Alberta Health advice nurse number for her. "Mom, I have such a sore throat, I can barely swallow!"
Then I see from her facebook photos, she was out clubbing last night (their first night in town!) so maybe she used her voice a bit too much...? heehee...
It's so true what they say about being a mom: It never ends. My mom still worries about me and my sibs, so why would I be different? Just gotta hope that some of the stuff I've been nagging about for 19 years sunk in, right?

Tuesday Tips- Kids and Fever

2009-02-03T12:17:00.000-08:00

Fever is so misunderstood in general.
I answer many calls about fevers every day, mostly from worried parents. When I worked in the pediatric emergency room, many patients visited with fever everyday.
Fever scares parents. It's easy to understand why, since some very serious illnesses present with fever as one of the symptoms; such as influenza, pneumonia, and meningitis. The truth is that most childhood fevers are due to mild viral illnesses which require nothing more than home treatment, and will last for less than 3-4 days. Fever is the body's natural way of resisting infections. Fever all by itself is not dangerous in any way and is part of the body's defense system. It is normal for a fever to fluctuate over the course of the day.
You might wonder why doctors and nurses advise giving medication to reduce fever, since most fevers are helpful. Well, if you've ever had a fever yourself you know how it makes you feel: shivery and uncomfortable, achy and tired. Taking fever medications like Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (Ibuprophen) can bring the fever down temporarily to give comfort and allow the patient to rest.
It's important to realize that these medications don't affect the underlying cause of the fever and have only a short term affect. They also need to be given carefully according to your child's age and weight. If you're unsure, always check with a pharmacist to clarify the safe dosage to give.

Myth #1: Fever causes brain damage and seizures

The truth is, a normal childhood fever won't cause brain damage. The brain controls how high a person's temperature can go. Occasionally, a young child can have what is called a febrile seizure, meaning a seizure caused by fever. It is believed that these seizures are caused by the body's temperature rising rapidly. A seizure like this may look very frightening, but is not dangerous or damaging. It usually lasts less than a few minutes and the child recovers quickly. It is always a good idea to seek medical attention for a seizure, especially if it lasts longer than a few minutes or it is the first one your child has had, just in case the fever is not the only cause.

Myth #2 : High fever = more serious illness than a low-grade fever

This is not always true. Children and babies often have more frequent and higher fevers than adults. Rather than focusing on how high the fever gets, it is more important to notice whether or not the fever responds to home treatment (does the fever come down at least 1 degree celsius an hour after giving fever medicine and other cooling measures? does the child 'perk up' after the fever comes down?) and to notice what other symptoms the child might have:

Things to check for:
Breathing: Is your child breathing rapidly and shallow? Is she wheezing or having other noisy sounds with breathing? Is her colour pale? Is she having a hard time nursing from the breast or bottle because she has to break suction to breathe? Does he have a persistent cough?
Hydration: Is your child still drinking fluids well? Having wet diapers or urinating at least once every 6-8 hours? Is the urine pale or dark? Is your child having vomiting or diarrhea?
Level of Alertness: Is your child alert when awake? Confused or very irritable? (It's fairly normal for a child to be a bit clingy and tired when the fever is high, but he should perk up somewhat when the fever comes down) Does your child respond to you normally?
Any other symptoms: Complaints of pain, excessive crying that is hard to comfort, pink/cloudy or foul-smelling urine. A new rash or bruising. Neck stiffness or pain and headache. In babies- is there a bulging or sunken area over the soft spot on the scalp?
Prior Medical history: Any prior medical conditions, such as being born prematurely or having a congential heart condition, diabetes or asthma can make your child at higher risk in cases of milder illnesses.

Myth #3 : It Is Urgent to Bring a Child's Fever Down to Normal

As mentioned, since fever is not dangerous, it's not urgent to bring it down. If your child is sleeping comfortably there is no need to wake him to give medication for fever. Simply remove any extra layers of blankets and keep the house at a comfortable temperature. A hot environment and too much clothing will make it difficult for your child's body to let off the extra heat to cool itself. If he becomes too hot and uncomfortable, he will wake up to let you know.
Cold or even cool baths are not necessary and are actually very uncomfortable when a child has fever. They will usually cry and resist, get goose bumps all over and start shivering. Shivering is actually the body's way of trying to warm the skin, so this will work against trying to bring the fever down. If your child wants a bath, make sure the water is warm enough that it doesn't cause shivering.
Dress your child lightly in enough clothing to cover and prevent shivering. Give fever medicine if the child is uncomfortable and re-check the temperature after an hour.
Sometimes older children with a fever will find it soothing to have a cool cloth on their forehead, but just for comfort, not to try to cool their body down.

IMPORTANT note about babies under 3 months of age:

ANY fever (37.6 C or higher, measured under the armpit) in a baby under 3 months of age should be evaluated by a doctor immediately, even in the absence of other symptoms. Very young babies don't have a well-developed immune system and are at higher risk for serious illness.

Here is a really helpful website to refer to if you'd like to use an online tool to go through a symptom checklist to decide if your child needs medical attention for any symptom. Just type the symptom into the 'enter health topic' field and click on the GO button.

For example:
If I type in "fever" the first 2 results are:

'fever, ages 3 and under' and 'fever, ages 4 and older'

Choose the appropriate topic, then click on "check your symptoms" in the right hand list. This will guide you through a list of yes/no questions which will help you decide if your child needs more than just home treatment. It's very easy to navigate.

There are over 3000 topics to choose from with lots of detail and resources listed, and all the information is updated regularly to keep it current. It's a fantastic resource for any parent to have in their bookmarks.

* As always, the information I share here is general and comes from reliable sources, as well as my pediatric nursing experience. It doesn't replace a doctor's advice and is not meant to diagnose. If you are concerned about your child's symptoms, you should always contact your doctor for specific advice *

My first Monday Giveaway!

2009-02-02T08:21:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited about my FIRST weekly blog giveaway! John W. Golden's work is wonderful and he was kind enough to offer this set of three 5x7 prints from his Lunastrella series for my readers. This is my favorite set from his site, but since I can't win them, I am putting them on my wish list. I also love the print of the low-top sneakers. His prints can be made with many different colour backgrounds, to fit in with any colour scheme.

His Etsy shop is here
Etsy just did a feature on John the other day and it's here

John been involved in art since he was 11 years old. In that time, he has created a large catalog of work in photography and illustration, and his commercial work in design and animation has been seen on Cartoon Network, Animal Planet, Nickelodeon, CBS, TNT, TBS, PBS, and TechTV.

He creates all his work digitally, mostly starting with a blank screen and using the mouse or a pen and graphics tablet to create an image. He uses scans in his collage work, but everything else is painted or drawn within the computer.

Here's how to enter to WIN this great set of fun space prints! It's so easy...

** Visit John's Etsy shop here, then come back here and leave a message telling us about your favorite item from his shop**

For additional chances to win:

1. Follow me on Twitter here
2. Follow my blog.
3. Add a link back to this giveaway on your own blog (give us the URL in a comment here)
4. Blog about this giveaway with a link back here (worth 3 extra entries!)
5. Add my blog to your blogroll

Please leave a separate comment for each of your entries. The contest will run for a week, from Feb 2nd till Feb 9th at noon (or as soon as I get a chance to do the draw that day)
Winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email or through their blog. The winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn and you'll forfeit your prize. One entry per an entry method per person.

Good luck everyone!
John will ship the prize anywhere, so everyone can enter.

A Sad Ending

2009-01-31T21:22:00.000-08:00

I've been a member of an email group through Yahoo for several years. I think I joined around 2001. It's a support group for couples in long distance relationships. Most of us had met our partners over the internet in one way or another. The group is moderated by a couple who live in Australia (her) and Texas (him) Their story was so inspiring to me at the time because they had been having a long distance relationship (LDR, we call it) for a few years by that time. I was in awe of the strength they seemed to have and the fun they would have when they were together. They were determined to keep their relationship strong, despite not knowing if they would ever be able to live together. There were some obstacles and I don't know all the details-but she had children and he couldn't travel for some reason. So, she would travel to Texas to visit him whenever she could, and they would share their stories with the rest of us and we would try to comfort them when they were apart.
During all this, my husband Jon and I were having our own LDR. He was in England and I was here in Canada. We knew we would eventually be together, but it was a rough few years before it actually happened. Jon has been here for 5 years now and I've stayed on the LDR email group, mainly just to keep in touch with what was going on with the other couples, but also because I wanted to be there if and when the Texas/Australia couple were ever able to become an NDR (near distance relationship:-) I wanted to see their happy ending.
Well, today she sent a message to tell us that after 11 years of their LDR, he passed away yesterday in Texas- just a few days after she had to go back to Australia. He had been quite ill for a few years, but I don't think anyone can ever be prepared for the end. She is so devastated. My heart is heavy for Carolyn tonight. Rest peacefully Donn.

Green Thursday- for Swingers!

2009-01-29T09:11:00.000-08:00

As you can probably tell by the crafts I make- I'm into re-use and recycling. I've decided to start a regular Thursday posting dedicated to earth-friendly topics. Could be a product review, giveaway, advice on being green, websites of interest on the topic or anything else I can think of:-)
If you are making or selling something 'green' and you'd like me to blog about it, please contact me. helen@juicybags.ca
I chose Thursdays because it's our garbage and recycling pick-up day. Maybe it will help me remember to get the bins out to the curb on time...yeah right! Let's see, I need a title for it, maybe 'Green Thursdays', or perhaps 'Oh-Crap-I-Forgot-Again'

Today, I'm going to show you something TOTALLY cool, made out of recycled tires. I remember seeing something similar to this quite a few years ago when my kids were small. I wanted to buy one, but at the time we didn't have our own yard, so I had nowhere to hang it. I just surfed around this morning, trying to find it online and I found this:

Close The Loop is a company in Kunkletown, PA (love the name) that makes the most incredible kids' swings out of recycled tires. I'm not just talking your normal run-of-the-mill tire swings here- not even CLOSE. Check these out:

Yes! A motorcycle!

...and a dragon!
Not to mention all the others they have pictured on their site, including a kangaroo, an airplane, a shark (so cool!), an elephant, a T-Rex and many more.

They're priced from around $90 to $120, depending on the design, which I think is very fair, considering they are handcrafted and so creative.

Looks like the only deliver inside the USA *pout*, not that I have anyone to buy one of these for at the moment...but Canada isn't like overseas or anything, sheesh.
Anyway, all you lucky American parents and kids can go and check them out or buy one of these swings here

Update on Pretty In Pink

2009-01-28T19:25:00.001-08:00

What is wrong with the marketing department at CapriSun? How dare they change their packaging without consulting me? Don't they realize that some people LIKE pink? Lots of pink...entirely PINK?!
Nope, I don't think they considered me in this decision. Not only can I NOT get them here in Canada, now it looks like the pouch on the right is the new packaging that I'm stuck with from now on. What do you think? Are my bags still going to be pretty, even if they aren't ENTIRELY pink?

The Laundry Room- Loads of Fun

2009-01-28T07:47:00.000-08:00

It's funny what kinds of things get me excited:-) My sweet and smart husband built these shelves and work surface (bracket system is Antonius from Ikea) for our laundry room. Check out the fold-down drying rack above the sink. Ikea ROCKS! The shelves he cut and finished himself so we could do custom sizes. We just bought the new machines from Sears, after our 30+ year old existing dryer stopped working. The laundry sink is quite new too. The old one was falling off its broken legs when we moved in. Looking at these before and after photos you can see that pretty much everything has been replaced. The back door was replaced when we changed all the windows and doors in '05. Jon put an electronic combination lock on it so the kids don't have to worry about forgetting their keys. (trouble is- they tell all their friends the combination!) All we need now is the new floor, but I promised I wouldn't go there just yet...

I painted the room Cabbage Patch green a few months ago and I love it. Don't you just love paint names? Sometimes I think the colour names influence my choices. My living room paint is Warm Muffin and my dining room is Ryegrass. The only one I think I didn't like the name of was the bathroom-- Candlewax...reminds me of earwax- eww!
Anyway, I digress...now it's time to find some nice storage boxes and open bins to use on the shelves to make it look all tidy and Ikea-Catalogue-ish.

Update: High praise came from my 16 year old son Devon, who said "hey, the laundry room actually looks like a laundry room now"
:-)

Tuesday Tips

2009-01-27T09:34:00.000-08:00

As you know by my little bio up there in the corner, I'm an RN. I have 15 years experience in Pediatrics, mostly from the emergency department in a children's hospital. For the past 5 years I've been working as a telephone advice nurse. As you can probably guess, I get many calls from parents about everything from A to Z, including growth and development and symptoms of illness.
There are many subjects that come up over and over again. I thought I would address one question here each week to try to shed some light on some of the common concerns. I would love it if readers added their comments. If you have a question you'd like me to cover here, please send it to RN411@juicybags.ca

**This information is not a replacement for your doctor's advice and I don't diagnose. All the information I share is from reliable sources and my nursing experience and is general in nature. For advice on a specific child's situation, please consult your Health Care Provider**

Today's Question: Why won't my toddler eat?

This is a very common issue and there are many things that contribute to feeding problems in this age group. I get so many calls about this and the problems that it causes. First, it's important to remember that a toddler's stomach is very small and their appetite is easily satisfied with small amounts of food.

Bottles and Sippys
Keeping their stomach size in mind, if they are drinking milk or juice (anything other than plain water) from a bottle and/or sippy cup throughout the day or night, their appetite will be low for other foods. Excessive milk or juice consumption is a big problem for toddlers. It can cause tooth decay when bottles and sippy cups are used as pacifiers. It can also cause constipation and iron deficiency anemia.

Too Much Cow's Milk or Juice
Did you know that a toddler's daily milk intake should be limited to 16 ounces per day? That's 2 cups over 24 hours. Juice should be limited to 4 ounces per day. It can be offered in small servings at meals. Milk or juice is not a good snack if it exceeds their daily requirements. Teaching your child to use an open cup early on (while seated to prevent spilling and choking) rather than carrying a bottle or sippy is preferable. Other dairy products like yogurt or cheeses should be given in moderation as well. Remember that servings for toddlers should be smaller. Drinking too much milk can also contribute to iron deficiency anemia, because milk is very low in iron. Anemia makes kids sluggish and tired and can interfere with brain development. I once cared for a child who was 3 years old and drank ONLY cow's milk and drank it constantly from a bottle. She ate no solid foods other than pancakes. Her anemia was so severe that she didn't even have the energy to play. Of course, this is a very extreme example!

When I child drinks milk or juice at night, the natural sugars in milk or juice pool around the emerging teeth and erode the enamel. There is even a name for it: Nursing Bottle Caries. Many parents don't even know their children have this problem until it causes them pain and needs surgical intervention. The cavities (or caries) begin behind the upper and lower front teeth so they often aren't noticed until they spread around the teeth or cause pain. As you can imagine, damaged teeth can affect the child's desire to eat solid foods. The teeth often require extraction or crowns. It's heartbreaking to see a young child with rotted or missing front teeth from such a preventable problem!
Too much milk and dairy products can also cause constipation. Constipation can be very painful and can become worse once toilet teaching begins. If milk or dairy products replace fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your child's diet, bowel problems are very likely at some point. If your child starts to resist toileting due to fear of pain, the constipation will become worse and then the cycle begins. Once constipation becomes a long-term pattern, it takes a long period of treatment with diet and sometimes stool softeners or other treatments to get it under control.

So, you might be wondering if that's enough fluid for a child to drink in a day. Well, water is the best thing for thirst and will also help to prevent constipation. Plain water should be available to your child throughout the day to quench thirst. It won't satisfy hunger the way milk or juice does, so your child will be more likely to try new foods and eat more solid foods. If you are trying to transition away from a night-time bottle or sippy cup, try offering water only in the bottle, although it is obviously much better to avoid starting the bottle-in-bed habit than to try to change it later on! Get your own water bottle and model water-drinking to your child.

Variety and Autonomy
It's important to offer your child a choice of a few different foods at each meal and serve them food when other family members are eating. Make mealtime enjoyable but not distracting. No TV, video games or toys at the table. Let them feed themselves (I know it's messy, but it's all part of the learning) and offer milk or juice after the meal instead of alongside. Meals and snacks should only be served with the child safely seated to reduce the risk of choking. A suggestion for breakfast might be: a small bowl of hot whole-grain cereal, a few pieces of cut-up fruit and 1/2 a scrambled egg, with 2-4 ounces of milk offered in a cup after he's finished eating. He may not eat it all, but he will likely eat more than if you offer only one food. Allow your child to decide when he is full. Don't force him to eat more than he wants. It's important for him to learn to eat to satisfy hunger, not to please Mom! Focus on offering whole grains breads and cereals, fruits and vegetables at each meal. Since toddlers' stomachs are tiny (and their attention spans are short!) 3 small meals and 2-3 snacks per day are recommended.
If you are breastfeeding, nursing after meals is preferable at the toddler stage, to encourage the child to try new foods. Breastfeeding doesn't cause the same problems as cow's milk, but limiting night-feedings can help to encourage a more varied and complete diet.

Remember to offer foods again and again periodically, even if your child rejects them the first few times. Children's tastes change, and they will often accept foods they previously refused (or threw across the room!) This is even true in my house where the kids are teenagers now, although they don't throw food (when I'm around anyway:-)
Try to offer your child similiar foods to what other family members are eating. Toddlers like to copy what older siblings and parents do. Mealtimes are excellent opportunities to model healthy eating habits.

Here is a good, general online resource for Toddler Feeding advice in PDF format.
From "Toddler's First Steps"

This is a big topic. I tried to keep it concise, but there's a lot to be discussed and I'm sure other parents have great tips to share. Feel free to comment!

Giveaway Mondays

2009-01-26T11:06:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about running giveaway contests here once a week. I picked Monday because I think most people would like a little something for FREE on a Monday, just to make the start of the week less painful:-)

Who wants to giveaway something in this space? I'll do a nice little write up on it, tweet about it on Twitter, (I have over 2000 followers there) and post a couple pics for you too. Great way to get traffic (and sales!) to your shop or website.
Email me helen@juicybags.ca and I'll get back to you so we can work out the details!

I'll need:
-photo of the item
-second photo you'd like me to include
-where you will ship to
-any other offers you'd like to add (discount for buyers during the giveaway, etc)

My Juicybags Giveaway is currently running HERE until Feb 6th, so make sure you get your entry in on time!

Sunday love

2009-01-25T09:54:00.000-08:00

I got this idea from another blog. Meg Fowler-She's here. I thought I'd add my 'Love List' to share. It's easy to forget all the positives in life at times and dwell on what seems to be lacking.

My Loves:

1) Jon: My very significant, significant other:-) He makes me smile everyday, just by being here. He keeps me steady, slows me down when I'm in too much of a hurry and basically keeps me going! I wondered if I'd ever find someone right for me, but he's definitely my 'other half' and I'd be lost without him.

2) Alison: My social butterfly daughter. She's a lot like I was at her age; all about the friends and the fun. She is getting prettier everyday and I see as she grows that our relationship just going to get better. We've had a rough few years, but I love her through it all and always will.

3) Devon: My sweet boy. He'll be my baby forever, even though he's nearly 17:-) Creative, smart and funny. He makes me laugh and frustrates me all at the same time. He's got a very special part of my heart forever too.

4) Mom: My kind, tiny, loving and wonderful mom. She taught me so much. She stands behind everything I do, even if she disagrees. I'd do anything for her and I know the feeling is mutual. She raised 5 children-- an incredible accomplishment for any woman. She stuck with a sometimes very difficult marriage and kept our family together. My mom has a lot to do with the person I am today. BIG love for mom:-)

5) Dad: I miss my dad very much. He died 10 years ago, but I can still see and hear him clearly in my mind. He taught me a lot. He took care of me and loved my babies. He had a tough life and wasn't always an easy person to be with, but I wish I could tell him again how much I loved him. He was proud of me and that meant a lot. I wish he'd lived long enough to know Jon. Dad would have loved him. He wanted so much for me to be happy and "taken care of" -You got your wish, dad!

6) The Sibs: I'm so lucky to have sibs that I love and can count on for anything. They are all great in their different ways. I know we will always be there for one another. I love them very much.

7) My BFF, Yvette: We've known each other longer than any other friend I have. We've been through marriages, getting jobs, losing jobs, going to school, moving away, moving back, working for peanuts, deaths, divorce, boyfriends, break-ups, babies, weight loss, weight gain, sadness, fears, joy, and everything in between. She's been there for me when I thought I had nobody who understood. She's my rock. She never judges me, just helps me see things more clearly. I don't know what I'd do without her. She's my bonus sister. She'll always be family to me. Love her, no question.

8) Buster: our crazy little neurotic Malti-poo. I love you even though you're a little nutty.
9) Molly: our silly, energetic bundle of fluffy Maltese/Yorkie cuteness.

...and the little things:

- my daffodils coming up in the garden
- morning coffee
- toast and peanut butter
- fireworks on a summer evening
- cuddling in the morning after working a night shift
- either of my kids being happy or excited about something
- ice cream
- new appliances
- the first snowfall of the season, especially snowing at night
- Christmas morning
- painting a room a new colour
- watching Jon fix things
- emails from Jon
- Devon emptying the dishwasher without being asked
- Alison calling to check in
- getting cards from Jon
- sunshine in the morning
- fresh, clean sheets
- having a fire on a cold night
- chips and salsa for dinner
- warm feet against my cold ones
- getting sale in my Etsy shop:-)
- Getting comments on my blog!

Post yours on your blog or in the comments. I'd love to read them!

Keeper of The Cheerios: Juicybags Tote Giveaway

2009-01-23T12:41:00.000-08:00

Keeper of The Cheerios: Juicybags Tote Giveaway

Here's your chance to WIN one of my Juicybags! Click above and go visit Miranda's blog for your free chance(s) to win! Good luck:-)
**Contest is open Jan 23rd to Feb 6th at noon**

Night shifts are for the young

2009-01-23T05:20:00.000-08:00

I mean it. Being over 40 should get you a 'get out of night shifts free' card. I remember how easy it was to do night shifts when I was a new grad. I was 23 and could sleep right through the day, waking up around 5pm in time to get ready to go back for another night. Piece of cake!

These days I struggle to stay asleep past noon between night shifts. At least working from home has made things much easier. No commute time and the freedom to work in my PJ's if I want to. (and I do)
If there's one thing I didn't know would be so difficult about being a nurse, it's working nights. Why can't people just get sick during the day time?
I just LOVE sleeping too much to work nights. I get cranky when I haven't slept enough. My kids will tell you they can tell when I haven't slept enough after work. One wrong word and you get your head bitten off.
Well...hopefully this night shift thing will be ending in March. I'm supposed to be starting a full time line with only days and evenings. Oh- to be in bed every night like a normal person...
Bring it on!

Pretty In Pink

2009-01-19T15:22:00.000-08:00

I've had a couple of customers ask about a smaller bag for little girls, or something that could be used as a handbag, so I came up with this tiny tote the other day. I made it out of CapriSun
Berry Breeze pouches which are mostly pink. It's got a velcro closure inside the top, so it could be used as a handbag or an
open-top tote bag.
I'm going to have to hunt down some more of these pink pouches,
because the bag sold just a few minutes after I listed it in my Etsy store, and I've got at least 2 more customers that are interested in buying it.

I Should Have Gone Back To Bed

2009-01-18T17:50:00.000-08:00

Ohhh yesterday was a real winner for me. Our upstairs toilet was running really slowly, so I tried using the plunger on it. That wasn't helping, so I went for the big guns and dug out the toilet snake (we have teenagers- our toilets get plugged alot!)
As I'm looking down, trying to get the end of the snake through the toilet something flies past my face, and CRASH! The handle of the snake had bumped against a heavy crystal vase that was on the window sill. The vase came down and landed on the lid of the toilet tank. Both the vase and the tank lid shattered all over the floor. I think I was just having an emotional morning for some reason...I just walked into the bedroom, sat down on the bed and started crying.

What a mess!
(then I got the camera and took a picture of the disaster so I could blog about it of course!)

Looking back on it today, it must have been quite comical to see. Especially when my daughter came upstairs and I was showing it to her and I picked up a piece of the broken porcelain off the back of the toilet tank and cut my finger on it! The day certainly didn't start out well.
Of course, it could have been alot worse. This could have happened after we'd renovated the bathroom. Luckily it was the old toilet with the giant tank that we want to get rid of anyway. We just weren't planning on replacing it NOW.

The day did eventually get better. We went downtown to the Taboo Naughty But Nice Sex Show which was lots of fun. We made a few excellent purchases and saw some crazy stuff. It's a 4-day event, so next year we'll make sure to go during the day and not on a Saturday night. It was so crowded it was hard to see the shows and no chance at all of getting a seat for any of the seminars. I was thinking that the vendors must have done incredible sales though. There was a woman there who was selling handmade corsets and period clothing. Jon asked her if she'd spent the whole year sewing to get ready for this show and she said yes. Her work was pretty amazing. Her shop is called Felix & Kitty She tied me up into a corset and WOW-- I can see now why women used to wear them. They give you a defined waist and it actually feels really comfortable. My sore back stopped hurting too! I'm not sure I could wear one all day long though.

New Blog I Discovered

2009-01-17T11:29:00.000-08:00

I came across an amazing blog the other day. I think I found them via Twitter. It's written by a young couple who are experiencing their first pregnancy. They are blogging in secret from family and friends, so that they can express every detail freely. It has a great title too: His Boys Can Swim. They call themselves Tarzan and Jane. LOL!
I LOVED being pregnant, even though everything about it wasn't enjoyable. I wished I could have had more than 2 children. I always wanted to be a mom, every since I was a little girl. I still love babies and I'm fastinated by pregnancy. In fact, I always wished I could have had twins- I know it sounds crazy! Even though there were sleepless nights and times the babies were sick or whatever, I loved the time when my kids were small. It's harder now when they are teens, maybe because it's just so hard to let go. In my mind, they will always be those babies. My desire to continue to protect them and take care of them is so strong. It's like they have become different people as they grew and I miss the babies I used to have. It's funny, when they were little I used to look forward to each stage in their growth (finally-no more diapers, no more night feedings or finally- they are in school all day, etc) but now that my job as a mom is nearly finished, I look back and wish that the time had lasted longer. No more little ones jumping up on my lap for hugs, no more stories before bedtime, no more making pancakes with faces on them on a Saturday morning, no more quiet times in the middle of the night rocking my babies to sleep.
So I guess the message is: If your babies are small or you're looking forward to becoming parents, try to focus on the present, enjoy your kids at every age. They grow so incredibly fast and it doesn't last very long...

New Year, New Stuff

2009-01-13T03:31:00.000-08:00

Wow, I haven't updated in weeks. I took a break from Etsy, Twitter and the blog over Christmas. We did our usual Christmas morning at home with the kids. Jon created scavenger hunts for the them (and me!) which was really fun. He makes up the cutest hints and each hint carries a letter- put all the letters together and unscramble them to find the location of the gift. Examples of his hints: 'Touch this drawer and the dogs will bark like crazy' (drawer we keep the dogs' leashes in) and 'Jon spent a long time under this lately with not much progress being made' (leaky bathroom sink) It draws out the gift opening for a while and makes the morning more fun. We had our (now traditional) baked breakfast casserole and baked french toast. Then we made our way over to my Mom's place in Langley for Christmas dinner. My aunt (my mom's older sister who is 91) was here from California over Christmas and my sister, her husband and daughter came from Campbell River, as well as the rest of the local family members. It was so nice to have everyone together.
Jon and I spent Boxing Day in our traditional way: in our pajamas watching movies. We had a nice fire in the fireplace and nibbles and drinks while we watched "Wall-E" (loved it) and "The Dark Knight" (I was lost half-way through).

New Years Eve was spent having a fondue dinner with the kids, who both ran off to parties afterwards. I think Devon and I might have poisoned ourselves by eating the chicken. I do remember touching the raw chicken with my fingers when putting it onto my fodue fork to cook it. Probably cross contaminated....I started to feel quite ill a few hours later. Jon and I watched "Slumdog Millionaire" and I had to go to bed before it finished (at 11:30!) because I felt so sick. We finished watching the rest of the movie the next night. Great film if you get the chance-- see it! I haven't seen many good movies lately, so this was a treat.
Backing up a bit, I think it was right around Christmas time; our clothes dryer stopped working. The drum wasn't turning. Jon took it apart but it wasn't obvious what was wrong. We did a search online and found that the dryer is about 30 years old. Here's how our laundry room looked before we moved in:

I think we both realized it was time to take advantage of some Boxing Week sales (I hate that term, it's BOXING DAY, there is no Boxing WEEK!) Anyway, we bought a set of front loaders at a deep discount, no PST and a hydro rebate of $50 on the washer, no payments till April on our Sears card. We even got the delivery thrown in free of charge. I found someone on Craigslist to come and pick up the old machines, which saved us another $40 Sears was going to charge to take them away. We waited 10 days for them to be delivered and then spent 2 whole days washing and drying everything we could find. The clothes come out of the washer so dry already from the high speed spin, that the drying takes no time at all. We love our new laundry team! Jon even got a new vent pipe and exhaust for it. Now he is constructing some shelving and a work surface to go over top of the machines for me. (Yeay, Ikea) I love order and organization:-)

My Christmas Memories

2008-12-24T08:01:00.000-08:00

Christmas is very important to me. I'm not very religious, so for me it's more about family and traditions and making memories. Every year at work, when we choose vacation for the coming year, my first priority is to make sure I have Christmas Day off. I worked a day shift once on Christmas Day when I was a new grad. It wasn't good:-( I have been very fortunate to have been able to get vacation or do a switch to get the day off every year since then.
Here are some of my Christmas Memories. Feel free to post yours!

1) When I was about 7 or 8, I got a Baby Tenderlove doll. The best part was that my mom sewed a doll wardrobe for her, (including matching pajamas for me and the doll) and made a box full of 'baby care supplies' for me to go with it. I still have that doll.

2) I think I was 9 when I got a 'new' bike for Christmas. I remember there weren't many gifts for me under the tree and then Mom or Dad said "I think Santa left your gift next door" and my dad went out and came back with my bike and brought it right upstairs into the living room. I didn't know it then, but it was a used bike that my dad spray painted himself and added new pedals and a new seat. I was so excited! It was orange with a sparkly yellow banana seat:-) Even though I had a cast on my wrist (fell out of my brother's tree fort) I took it out to the street for a test run.

3) One year my sister was sick on Christmas Day. I think she either had a terrible migraine headache, or something like mono. I just remember her being in bed and missing Christmas morning completely. I felt so sorry for her but she was so sick I don't think she cared much.

4) My sister and I used to share a room and at one point we shared a double bed. I remember waking up with her so early one Christmas morning because we were so excited. We knew we couldn't get up yet, so we turned on the radio and listened to someone reading a Christmas story. I remember it was still very dark, so it was probably about 4:00 AM. I think we held out till 6 or 7:-)

5) Every year when I was still at home with my parents, we had Denver sandwiches for Christmas morning breakfast. Now, I make a breakfast casserole and baked french toast so that there's no morning prep work, but Denvers (with ketchup!) always mean Christmas to me.

6) My dad used to get my mom a new Christmas ornament every year and he'd attach it to her gift, which was always beautifully wrapped in expensive paper (probably by a store clerk!) with a pretty card. I don't know where he found those gorgeous ornaments, but they were usually very unique and probably handmade. He wasn't the best at choosing gifts (a microwave oven one year--yikes Dad!) but those ornaments are treasures.

7) My mom's Christmas baking: Butter tarts (my favourite), shortbread, Paul Bunyan sugar cookies, rice krispie squares, nanaimo bars, mince tarts.....mmmm...

8) We always found a mandarin orange in the toe of our Christmas stockings.

9) In 1989, Alison was born on December 23rd. We brought her home from the hospital on Christmas Day. It was the only year of my life that I didn't have a Christmas tree and we didn't even exchange gifts. We got the most precious gift in the world instead:-)
My ex-husband's friends brought over all the food and made Christmas dinner for us. I just remember...all I wanted to do was sit and gaze at my baby. It was a wonderful Christmas.

10) My saddest Christmas was 1998. My dad was terminally ill. We all gathered at my parents' place and tried to have a normal Christmas for the kids and for my dad. He wasn't able to stay out of bed for long, but he watched us open presents for a little while. We helped him open gifts that we knew he would never use.

11) The first year Jon was here over Christmas, he gave me a digital camera. It was the best gift- a gift that preserves memories. 7 years later, I still love my camera and use it all the time.

12) I n 2004, we sold my townhouse in November and moved in to the apartment while we were looking for a house. It was the only time I have ever spent Christmas away from Alison. She was living with her father in California that year. I really missed her, but we had fun in the little apartment, with the Christmas tree squeezed into the living room and the 2 dogs causing havoc. Buster stole a chocolate orange off the coffee table when we weren't looking and we caught him hiding in the bedroom eating it! Frantic searching on the internet followed to determine the amount of chocolate that could hurt and 10 pound dog. Luckily it didn't seem to affect him at all.
Jon created a scavenger-type hunt with clues for Devon to follow to find his big gift. Each clue gave a letter and all the letters together spelled "dryer" which was where he found his Nintendo DS. It was so much fun watching him de-code the puzzle to find his present.

13) Last year, I wanted to send out pictures as a Christmas card. I found some really great ideas on the internet, and ended up coming up with this. The kids had fun with it, and everyone we sent the cards to had a laugh. Couldn't think of a better idea this year though.

Merry Christmas Everyone, and be careful out on the roads. I think this Christmas is going to be remembered as the 'Year of the Big Snow'

10 Reasons It Sucks Being a Teen's Mom

2008-12-17T00:38:00.000-08:00

I could probably think of way more than 10, but I need to vent a bit tonight, and I don't want to slide over into complete and utter depression, so I'll stick with 10. I should probably be trying to think of 10 reasons that I LOVE being the mom of teens. It would likely be more productive, but I feel like whining. Feel free to join in. You know what they say about misery.

1) They think you are old, no matter how young you are.

2) They despise helping out around the house. It almost seems like you're causing them physical pain when you try to ask them to do anything.

3) They like to eat crappy food and they criticize your cooking. They view vegetables as if they were raw sewage (ok, maybe that's just my son. My daughter likes most veggies)

4) You cannot force them to do ANYTHING. Homework, studying, sleeping, eating well....yes, you can encourage but if they really don't want to they will find a way around it and thwart all your efforts.

5) They don't respect anyone else's property. They figure if it's in the house, it's fair game to be taken out and left at friends' houses-- never to return.

6) They think laws that they don't like are "dumb" They have no concept of the risks of things like driving without seatbelts or having 5 friends in the car with you when you're a brand new driver.

7) They lie....alot.

8) They don't crawl up your lap anymore and give you hugs 'just because' (not that you'd want them on your lap, but you know what I mean)

9) They stay in the shower too long and don't hang up their towels. Let's also throw in using too much shower gel and shampoo and never re-filling the dispensers. I don't think they know how to put the toilet roll onto the dispenser, never mind taking the empty one off.

10) Because looking at them reminds you that your sweet, cuddly babies are gone forever:-(

Only 9 Days Left!

2008-12-16T15:44:00.000-08:00

I'm not really panicking. I've shopped for the most important gifts, and the tree is up and decorated. We aren't having Christmas dinner at our house this year, so all we have to do is bring potatoes (mashed for my kids, roasted for Jon) I've made the Christmas pudding (my first attempt)
So, why do I feel anxious that there's only 9 days left then? I think it's just mandatory to feel stressed in the couple of weeks leading up to Christmas. My daughter is having a stressful week too. She's been trying to plan a party bus and dinner for a HUGE group of friends, to celebrate her birthday and her friend's birthday. They are the last 2 in their group to turn 19. Look out-- they're all going to be 'legal' now. Why is she planning her own birthday, you ask? She says if she doesn't do it, something will go wrong and it won't happen. It has taken a lot of work to get money from each of her friends to come up with the deposit for the bus. I just hope they don't let her down after all this trouble she's gone to. They want to have a bunch of kids over here prior to the party bus for hot dogs and hamburgers...at least I'm not working this weekend, so I can try to help and supervise a bit.

I've been wondering what happened to my sales in my Etsy shop for the past 10 days, but then I realized today that I've been getting emails from local buyers all week. It's actually been my best week of sales so far, and that's all overflow from the craft fairs I did, people who picked up my business cards or saw one of my items that a friend bought. It's been great! Even got a second order today from someone who received her first items and wanted more (thanks C!)

I'm working on plans to open my second Etsy shop soon. Jon is building me a light box because the first sets of photos he took weren't up to his standards:-) This next shop will be really fun because it involves doing something I really enjoy. Juicybags is fun, but I got a bit burnt out from all the pouch cleaning and sewing. I will keep it going, but on a smaller scale for a while- listing items on Etsy that I have in stock rather than doing custom orders.

I met someone briefly at the 'Best of 604' event last week. She's a local blogger with a very interesting story and I'm enjoying reading it. I especially enjoyed this post. It's a list of 20 memorable moments of her life. I thought it was a great idea, so I tried to write one myself this morning. Maybe because I've got about 15 years on her-- but my list is really LONG already and I'm not done. I keep remembering things and adding them into the middle. One thing I noticed while reading it over...sadly it seems to be the negative things that stick out in my memories the most. I must try to balance it a little before I dare post it. Everyone will think I've had a horrible life and that's definitely not the case!

A Custom Order

2008-12-13T11:44:00.000-08:00

Just finished this little mini backpack purse yesterday for a customer. It has adjustable shoulder straps, a drawstring top and buckle closure. There is a little denim pocket inside for her phone. The lining is made from soft flannel fabric. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. (even though I had to actually BUY Koolaid to get enough pouches for this:-) My supply of pouches is down at the moment-- not enough Blue Raspberry left.
Today I will finish another order and get that into the mail. Then I really have to get my Christmas shopping done! Yikes-- time is getting short.

I'm also working on something completely different, new and exciting!
Keep checking the blog as I'll be posting all about it soon.

Down With Big Box!

2008-12-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

I have to whinge today (my husband is British- it's means whine and complain and be all cranky about something, it's a good word:-) about the crappy customer service at Big Box Stores. I'm gonna name names too!
The other day my friend told me that Future Shop was having a one-day-only Customer Appreciation Sale: 10% off everything (except Ipods of course, nobody discounts the mighty Apple, perish the thought)
So, I log in and find the cutest PINK Canon Powershot digital camera for my daughter's birthday. On sale already, plus the 10% off, cool.--- ok, I log in and order it. Ohhh....and LOOK- you can set it for pick up at your local store to avoid the shipping charges. Perfect. We have a Future Shop within spitting distance from our house. Oh, Not Perfect. They are out of stock at our store. That's ok, find another store about 25K down the road that has it listed in stock. Checkout. Confirmation email. Great!
Next morning I wake up to an email saying my order has been cancelled due to the camera not being available at that store. It says my credit card has not been charged and I need to start over and order it again.
But wait...that was only a one-day sale! So, I call up the customer service number on the website. Nice, friendly call centre guy says "no problem, just order it again and call us back and we will credit you the 10%' Ok, that's a bit annoying, but it will work.
Back to the website. Ordered it again, this time at a store downtown. We had plans to go to an event near that store 2 days later (last night) so I set it for pick up there. Checkout. Confirmation email. Great! This time, I get a "your order has been filled" email. Yes!! We're all set. It says "you have 3 days to pick this item up at the store" Perfect.
I call the customer service number back. "I'm sorry ma'am, but we can't apply discounts for online purchases. It will be up to the store to decide if they want to give you the discount" He says he will call the store for me and find out. He comes back and says "ok, they agreed to do it if you bring in the appropriate flyer mentioning that sale" I figure the flyer must be in the pile of newspapers I have waiting for recycling, so I agree. (of course, the flyer was no where to be found) I figured I'll just argue for the discount in person.

So, last night we get to the downtown store and line up in the (long) line at the Customer Service counter. I show the printed copy of my "your order has been filled" email, and the worker bee goes off to the little room around the corner to find our camera. We see an empty box for the same camera behind the counter and the other CS guy says 'this is what it looks like' and puts the box on the counter. We discuss how we are going to carry that around all evening (ridiculously large box for a tiny pocket camera) Our CS girl comes back out of the room empty-handed, smiles at us slightly as she walks by and out into the store "I'll be right back" she says. I realize she's going out to the camera dept to try to find one on the shelf and I KNOW she isn't going to find one. The website showed low stock and very few stores with any left.

She's gone for a while. (we are now late for the event we were attending) The other CS guy says "I know we have one of those locked up" and goes off after CS girl. We stand there for many more long minutes. We see CS girl across the store animatedly chatting to another worker bee. Obviously not work related. We imagine "yeah, I'm going out after work tonight, what are you doing? That's sweet dude, where did you get your nose-ring?" Blah blah blah. We shift from foot to foot.
Eventually, she saunters back over to the CS dept (empty-handed as we expected) and lays our paper on the counter. "It seems to be gone" she says flatly. Other customer service guy steps in as I say incredulously "Are you kidding me?" He starts tapping on his keyboard and brings up a list of stock. Negative 2. I say "someone sold my camera to another customer?" CS girl says "you have 3 days to pick it up" I say "this is day TWO--- here we are" CS guy says, "hmmm, it says there is one at Metrotown store, shall I call them?" I rant and rave a bit about "how could they sell an item that was clearly already sold to another customer?", etc etc. Jon says something about how they get commission for sales made in the store (unlike online sales) CS guy makes the call...."are you sure? No, Charles-listen- the PINK one. The one with case included....not on the shelf? not in the back? It says you have one left (we are now seriously late for the event we were heading to)....can't find it? Oh, ok"
He turns to us with a fake, sympathetic look and shrugs. I say "this is the worst customer service I have ever seen" He looks like he wants to shrug again, but restrains himself. He says "the best I can do is sell you a silver one for 10% off" I say "No. I wanted that camera" He mumbles something about throwing in a $25 gift card as well. I think he was scared that I was going to start shouting soon.

We take our USELESS order confirmation paper and walk out.

Today, we're off to our local PHOTOEXPERT to find the perfect camera. You know what? I really don't care if I have to pay more. I KNOW they will give me excellent customer service and will probably teach my daughter how to use it if she goes in after her birthday with it.

DOWN with the BIG BOX. Shop the little guy stores....they actually care!

Bonus-- Just checked their site and they have the SAME CAMERA there. SAME price as evil big box empire....yeay! Today is a happy day.

Update: Got an email from Future Shop online asking me to fill out a survey about my online purchasing and store pick-up experience. I can't say I've had more fun filling out a survey in a very long time. I'm sure I will not hear back from them, but it was a nice way to vent my frustrations!

The Christmas Tree Lights Debate

2008-12-08T16:14:00.000-08:00

Every year Jon and I debate our preferred lights for the Christmas tree. I like multi-coloured lights and he likes all-white. Up until he came into my life, our tree was always covered in coloured lights. That's the way it was when I was little, so it just seems 'right' to me. He hates it and thinks it looks overdone, and that all white is the way to go- simple and classic.
A couple of years ago, we noticed that our artificial tree was on it's last legs (last trunk?) and so we went shopping for a new one, armed with a 20% off coupon from Linens 'n Things. The perfect tree awaited us....pre-lit (yes!)....with strings of coloured lights AND all-white lights. It even came with a little remote control so you can switch them on and off easily. The best part though- you can choose to have all the lights, just the coloured lights, or just the white lights- at the simple flick of a button.
This is the best tree EVER. No light strings to fight with, although I do ask Jon to get all the strings plugged into each other properly and set up the remote for me every year. (that's his contribution to the decorating:-) I hate dealing with mini light strings, even if they are attached to the tree already!

So, my dear blog readers. The debate continues. What do you think, colours or whites?
(not the best photography I know....and that carpet...how 80's is dusty rose? Someday my hardwood, leather or cork floor will come:-)

Business Cards Work!

2008-12-02T08:57:00.000-08:00

I got an email, then a call from a customer who had seen my bags at a craft fair recently. She picked up my card and ended up making a big order!
(Including a big beach tote like this one)

I just re-ordered my business cards today:-)
They really are great to have. When I'm out and someone asks about my wallet or my coin purse, I always have one of my business cards to give them. It's fun to see the hits to the website and where they come from. Really gives you the feeling that your cards are working!

Today will be spent going to my fave thrift shop that sells the $1 blue jeans to get more denim to make bags, then dropping off the above-mentioned customer's order. Then I've got to spend lots of time sewing. It's so hard to know how the craft shows will go in terms of traffic or sales, but I guess if I make lots of things and bring them home again I'll have lots of things to list in my Etsy Shop. I'm not listing any new items this week. No time! Next week-- listing frenzy:-) depending how things sell at the show this weekend.

Ahhh- Coffee!

2008-11-30T12:43:00.000-08:00

Just woke up from sleeping after my night shift last night. I've got a list here of the Gift Card Holders I need to get made today for my Etsy orders. These are turning out to be my most popular item! I guess it helps that I've posted them as a 3-for-the-price-of-2 special. Everybody loves getting a little something extra with an order:-)
One of the fun things about selling online is seeing how far and wide your items are traveling. Today, 3 sets of Gift Card Holders will be going out. One each to California, Wisconsin and Burnaby, BC (very close by) Once I get my website Juicybags.ca set up to be more than links back to here and Etsy, I'd like to have a map where I can show where I've shipped things.

Yesterday's craft fair was so different than the others I have attended. Very low-key. It was a dark, rainy, gray day. I'm not sure if that was the only thing that contributed to the low turn out, but it was incredibly quiet. Maybe lots of other things going on this weekend in the area? Hard to really say. Jon came with me which was much appreciated because we had a chance to spend time together and we made it fun. Turns out, I ended up making really good sales anyway-- mainly to other vendors! I sold my favorite little Blue Raspberry Mini Backpack, which was very exciting. I knew I would find someone to love it:-)

Actually, there were TWO buyers who wanted to purchase it, so I'm making another one for buyer number two. Custom orders are so fun because I can add features that the customer would prefer to make it just right for them.

On a different note completely: Jon sent me a link last evening to a site with recipes for making bath bombs. These look like fun to make and I want to try it! I really have to focus on Juicybags this week though as I have another show booked for this Friday/ Saturday.

"A Real Gem"
Jewelry and Accessories Gift Show and Sale
Friday, Dec 5 (6-9 pm)
Saturday, Dec 6 (10 am to 4 pm)

Ocean Park Community Hall
1577- 128th St, South Surrey

Busy week here

2008-11-28T08:08:00.000-08:00

It's been so busy here. I've been working every day this week, and trying to get things made for my next craft show...tomorrow! This one is here:

Sunnyside Elementary School Click the link for info and address.

The other day I spent hours making a whole bunch of Gift Card Holders. These seem to be really popular. So many people are buying gift cards now. It's so much easier than trying to find exactly the right gift. Last year I gave my 18 year old daughter a Mall gift card which was valid for nearly every store in a HUGE mall near us. She was thrilled because she went shopping AFTER Christmas and hit all the sales! She ended up with things I wouldn't have been able to buy for her at holiday prices.

The holders are such a fun way to present a card and can be used as coin purses after 'gifting' or as an ID or bus pass holder.

I made another batch of bi-fold wallets and finished them last night. Today I need to try to get some more pencil cases done and maybe a few more clutch wallets. I have no idea when I'm going to do it though! I'm working 12 hours today until 8 pm and I have to be at the craft fair at 8 am for set up in the morning!

I wish I'd had time to get to my favorite Thrift Store this week, because I really need some more denim to use for making bags. They sell jeans there for $1 a pair. Can't beat that! Well, I didn't have time to make more bags this week anyway, so I'll be sewing next week when I'm off work. I have a 2-day show the first weekend in December, so I'll need to work on my stock for that.

After that- it's Christmas shopping time. I bought a nice second-hand TV for Devon for playing his XBOX games on at a good price from a co-worker. For Alison, I think she could really use a new digital camera. She is going traveling in January with a friend. They have hopes of ending up in Europe and then on to Australia. They are starting by going to Texas to see her ex-step-mom and half-sibs. (wow, their titles are getting really complicated) She says she plans to work there to save enough money to go on to Europe. At least she can legally work in the US since she was born there. I wish her luck- I say travel now while you're young and have the freedom! Of course I will worry, but I think it will be a great experience for her.

I Couldn't Resist

2008-11-24T18:22:00.000-08:00

I was picking up a few things at the store today, and there they were: the gigantic boxes of Holiday Rice Krispies. I don't normally buy Rice Krispies at all. My son is addicted to the worst cereals there are....Cap'n Crunch is his favorite. I used to stress about this and try to limit his intake, or buy Cheerios and Corn Flakes. He's 16 now- I gave up a long time ago. C'est la vie:-)

Anyway...this box was calling to me "rice krispie treats, rice krispie treats..." so I had to bring it home. Am I the only one that thinks it's weird that some people regularly buy packaged Rice Krispie Treats? This took me about 5 minutes to make--tops. The element on the stove took longer to warm up than it took to make these:-) Now, I can see buying Naniamo Bars, or even Brownies which take a minor amount of skill to make, but Rice Krispie Treats?? C'mon!

(The tray is half gone already)

Great Craft Fair + Etsy Gifts I Bought

2008-11-23T11:31:00.000-08:00

The craft fair yesterday at Herbert Spencer Elementary in New West was fantastic! I was selling fast and furious and it was so nice to hear so much positive feedback on my work. The day was perfected by running into an old friend of my mine who I worked with for years at Children's Hospital. It was so great to see her again. Her daughter is 13 and she said she and her friends had heard that the "Juice Bags Lady" was going to be there and they were very excited...COOL! She was so cute, I let her pick out a present for free. She picked a Cherry wallet:-)

I sold so many things that I'm going to be scrambling this week to try get more things ready for the next one at Sunnyside Elementary thi s Saturday. Looks like there are going to be some other great sellers there too.

My Recent Awesome Gift Purchases from Etsy

I thought I would blog about some of the great giftsI found on Etsy. I can't post all of them, because certain people like to read my blog (ahem, my darling husband) but I will post a few anyway.

These first 2 are from one of my favorite shops called Nothing Like It. This girl is an amazing artist. Her stuff makes me laugh out loud:-) Here are the little ABC (already been chewed) Gingerbread Men for my Christmas tree. Hey- so I bought myself a couple gifts too, so sue me!
This reindeer ornament is hilarious too. I love the tongue sticking out, it just makes it perfect. I had to have this one. I justify these purchases because I misplaced (or maybe lost) some of my precious ornaments when we moved in 2005. That's a good reason, right? :-)
Check out her sold items. Everything she makes is one of a kind and she creates your items to-order. If you can imagine it, I think Robin can make it.

The next one are some amazing soaps I bought from Sunbasilgarden These are true works of art. Bacon and eggs soap with the scent of pancakes for my bacon-loving teenage son, and Gingerbread man soap with gingersnap scent for my sweet-loving daughter. This shop has lots of other soaps, not all novelty like this- many gorgeous colours, shapes and fragrances.

Next is a shop I found while reading the Promos forum on Etsy. There was a thread where you buy something from the last shop on the list and then someone else will buy something from your shop, etc. I clicked on JesseJanes Shop which happened to be last on the list at that time and YES!! I found the coolest pendants made from Scrabble tiles with images from the Twilight book series. My 18 year old daughter is a big Twilight fan, so I bought her this cool set of pendants that come wrapped in a tin box for giving. She is going to be so excited and thrilled when she opens this!

These are so neat! I found these Mario and Power-Ups Magnets by Spooons for my son who is a long-time Nintendo fan. (well, he's moved on to X-box 360 now, but he still has nostalgia for the mario-days) He will think these are really sweet. I found Spooons shop through this item which was running on OwnTheHour

Last one I can safely post....this is from Everythingsblue I think I found this shop through her a tweet on Twitter. This is the sweetest little Sweetheart pendant, it's made of resin and filled with real candy sprinkles. Another one for my daughter who loves cute stuff like this. Her jewelry is really interesting and fun.

Please check out all of these shops. They won't disappoint! Send me links to your fave shops too. I love to browse:-)

Another Craft Fair

2008-11-21T18:56:00.000-08:00

I made this wallet the other day in Christmas Colours. I think it looks really festive. Santa and Rudolph are just there to help create the mood...

Tonight I'm trying to get everything together for tomorrow's craft fair at:

Herbert Spencer Elementary School
605 Second St.
New Westminster, BC

10am- 4pm in the school gym.

It's been a hectic couple of days. I always feel pretty ragged when I'm working nights. I took my bags to the office the other day and left them there for yesterday's office craft fair. Only sold one wallet, but it's good to get exposure anyway. Besides, I've got 3 more craft fairs including tomorrow, and not much time for sewing. I'm working Tues-Fri days next week, then a craft fair on Saturday and then working that night as well. I have no idea when I'm planning to do ANY crafting.

I MUCH prefer online sales, even though they are less predictable. It's just lower maintenance. The craft fairs have been good experiences so far because it's so nice to get positive feedback on my work, but they take so much time and energy.

Well, back to my checklist now. Gotta make sure everything is packed and ready to go. Off to Devon's hockey game in an hour and I won't feel like doing all this when we get home.

Warm and Fuzzy birthday

2008-11-19T21:41:00.000-08:00

Today was my birthday.
I don't expect much from birthdays anymore, but it's really nice when something makes me feel special on November 19th every year. 7:00 am and a little knock came on my bedroom door. Jon was still up from the night before and was in his office, still plugging away on writing code for his evening class.
Devon (my 16 year old son) came in carrying a plate and a glass- Breakfast in Bed- with a little homemade tent sign on it that said "happy birthday mom" Before I could thank him and get my eyes completely open, he was heading back out the door saying "wait, that's not all!"
Across the hall he went and I could hear him plugging his guitar into the amp:-) Suddenly the strains of a very well-practiced "Happy Birthday to you" are filling the house!
Sometimes teenagers really surprise you, ya know? It was the nicest present he could have given me. I had tears in my eyes and the biggest smile I could manage before a cup of coffee.
Next, Jon brought me some presents to open and a card. Jon's cards are amazing. He must know of some special card shop that I've never been to, because the cards that he buys for me ALWAYS make me cry. Not just a tiny wetness that makes your eyes swim either. I'm talking full-on blubbering.
Now, whenever he hands me a card, my eyes start tearing up before I even open the envelope:-)
As expected, it was a beautiful card, a lovely verse inside and his own added words...so wonderful. Birthdays are great because they remind me what a lucky woman I am.
Then, another beautiful card with heartfelt sentiments from my sweet mom came in the mail...more happy teariness.

The middle part of the day was filled with running some errands. Had to go pick up one of my Juicybags that I sold last night so I could get it mailed out, dropped off some more things at work where they are having a craft fair tomorrow, stopped at the post office to get my Etsy orders shipped out.

Alison was at home when I got back with more birthday presents for me and a cute and funny card. In her card she actually thanked me for always taking care of her, but secretly I think that means she can't wait to get out from under my eye:-) She got me some sweet mini Christmas ornaments of Rudolph, Yukon Cornelius, the Abominable Snowman and Herbie the mis-fit elf. ("Herbie doesn't like to make toys!") When we moved to this house a few years ago, I misplaced a box of Christmas ornaments that were very precious to me. I'm still not sure if they might be lost in the crawlspace somewhere- I cling to that hope:-(
She knows I love all the old Christmas cartoons, so she also found a collectors edition of the old 60's classics: Rudolph, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, the Little Drummer Boy (which still makes me cry everytime) and Frosty the Snowman. Will be fun to sit down and watch them one night with a fire going and some hot chocolate after we get the Christmas tree up.

Then tonight, poor Jon was exhausted and asleep by 5-ish, so I ordered sushi for all of us and went to pick it up. Now I'm working overnight. Not exactly my favorite thing to do on my birthday, but I had a very nice day leading up to it.

Feeling all warm and fuzzy now from birthday goodness:-)

Be A Magpie!

2008-11-17T20:40:00.000-08:00

Twitter is amazing. It's gotten me sales, contacts and sooo many views to my store and blog. In fact, I've sure many of you reading right now found me through Twitter:-)

It's very addicting. I've shopped myself silly through links I've followed from Tweets (shhh- don't tell my hubby...oh yeah, he reads my blog too*giggle*) Don't worry honey- I would have been shopping for Christmas anyway, right? :-)

Anyway, have you heard of Magpie? It's a way to advertise your shop or business through Twitter, but you don't have to do the tweeting yourself. Your magpie (me, or someone else who tweets about things that are relevant to your shop) will do the tweeting for you, automatically. You get to set the code words that are important to you. For me it would be things like 'crafts' 'etsy' 'ownthehour' 'handmade' and other craft related topics. This way, your magpie tweets will reach the people who are interested in what you offer.

Check it out. Email me and I'll show you their advertiser's guide which explains it really well.
juicybags.info@gmail.com

Monday bits and bobs

2008-11-17T11:17:00.000-08:00

Just picked up my stock from the craft fair they were on display at this weekend. Yesterday the traffic was so slow through the venue that the organizer didn't charge me the second days' table rental. I made a few sales though, and I didn't have to stay there, so I'm still glad to have participated. Next year I think I will have a better idea of the types of shows I want to be involved in. I think this year will be a good learning experience.

Today Amanda from Vancity Concierge is coming over. She is going to choose some of my products to use as sample gifts in her display for her table at the Mompreneur Holiday Tradeshow which is taking place at the Roundhouse in Vancouver Nov 22 (click the link for more info) Cool- I just noticed that she's got one of my bags on her blog.
Nice format on your blog Amanda;-)

I was contacted by Lynn this week, who has a company called Celebrate Green to do a Juicybags coupon for her coupon page. Email me juicybags.info@gmail.com if you'd like to be on the email list and I'll send you a coupon- 50% off one of my most popular products! Check out her website. They have amazing links for living green and healthy.

Greener bag for the brown-baggers

2008-11-15T20:11:00.000-08:00

Here's a new little bag I made tonight. I've been trying to think of a way to make a sturdy, reuseable lunch bag. This one is made from tropical fruit flavour Koolaid Jammers and trimmed with black binding which gives the seams extra strength. It closes with a double fold at the top and a strip of black velcro. Just the right size to fit inside a bag or backpack.

Washable....super-cute....eco-friendly too!

Just posted it for sale on my Etsy store. I think I might be making lots more of these.

Interesting craft fair today. It was set up beautifully, with lots of Christmas decorations and music, goodies and tea. It took Jon and I about an hour to get everything set up for display. It was laid out without space behind the tables (they were back to back) so there wasn't any space for crafters/sellers to sit. Good thing I had followed the organizer's instructions when she said we should put shop name and price tags on everything. They had a central cash where they collected the payments for the sellers. We stayed around for a little while, but when it was clear we were just going to be in the way, we decided to head out and do some shopping and get a few errands done.
The show runs through tomorrow as well, so everything gets left there overnight. I've already made more than my table fee for both days today, so I can sigh a relief and tomorrow's sales are gravy!

The Tote That Started It All

2008-11-15T07:09:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder: This weekend I'll be at the following Craft Fair. This one has been going on for 18 years, so it should be really good! Come and see me if you're in the area.

Saturday and Sunday, Nov 15 + 16th, 10 am to 4 pm
My Home for the Holidays Craft Show
Arbourside Court in the Piano Lounge
13751-74th Avenue,
Surrey, B.C.

Last evening was great at Annieville Elementary School. Lots of people were excited about my products and I made some great sales! Met lots of very nice people too. One crafter made barbie doll clothing that would make any little girl's eyes light up. Just beautiful stuff!
Jon and I talked up Etsy to everyone and I told a jewelry crafter about it and passed on the website info. They had very pretty items and I loved their shop name: SPLURGE.....perfect!

I also sold the very first tote bag I ever made. The tote that started it all:-) Pictured above- now being enjoyed by Brenda. Thanks Brenda!

I'm on NeatoStuff today!

2008-11-14T10:51:00.000-08:00

I'm being featured on NeatoStuff.com today!
Front page, Yippee!

This site has (you-guessed-it) the neatest stuff. It's a great gift finding site with lots of ideas for men, women, kids, babies....probably pets too

Snack bag pouches

2008-11-14T00:09:00.001-08:00

This post is really for my promo girl in NC:-) She wanted to see my potato chip pouches. I made some of these a while back, but was never really happy with how they came out. Last weekend at the first craft fair- they were a big hit. I only had a few and sold them all, so I thought I'd try it again. They are a bit fussy to do, what with all the layers and turning them back out after sewing, etc. I figured out today while I was doing them that I think the reason I don't like doing them is that I can't see how well they have turned out until they are completely finished, and by that time it's kind of late to fix any mistakes.

Anyway, they are pretty cute. The inside is a soft red flannel lining and I added some wrist straps on the chip bags which are probably little-girl sized. There is a layer of strong vinyl sewn onto the outside, so it makes them quite tough.

My daughter Alison thinks these are my cutest products! I just wish I enjoyed making them more.

New Juicy Wallet

2008-11-12T20:55:00.000-08:00

I made a new Juicy wallet tonight- trying it out with Capri Sun pouches. I hadn't made one yet because don't get very many of these (They are purchased in the US because I noticed there is no French labelling on them) and it takes 10 pouches to make each wallet.

I should make a bunch more wallets tomorrow because they seemed to be my 'hot' item at last Saturday's craft fair, and I've got 2 more fairs this weekend. One requires me to price and inventory tag all of my items because they have a central cash. Not looking forward to doing that, but Jon will help me with a spread sheet, etc.

Lots more to get ready for this weekend, and I just don't feel like doing any more tonight. Jon will be gone volunteering at Free Geek tomorrow and then off to class in the evening, so hopefully I will get things done while I'm without the car at home.

Some Lessons Learned

2008-11-11T03:56:00.000-08:00

1) Don't try to drive yourself to the pharmacy to get Benadryl when you're having a serious allergic reaction.

2) Keep some Benadryl in a secret stash at home for emergencies.

3) Wax your legs, even though it's the Fall and you aren't showing your legs much- you never know who might see them:-(

...I took the first dose of some antibiotics tonight, and within a couple of minutes, my legs started to itch, then my stomach, then my arms. Hives started breaking out on my skin all over. I dug through the medication cupboard and box and of course- NO benadryl to be found. Grabbed the keys and told Jon I was having an allergic reaction and was going to the pharmacy for some benadryl.
Traffic jam on nearby road leading to the store because it's rush hour. Itching is getting worse. Hives spreading. Heart pounding.....
Get to the pharmacy, run inside and grab benadryl package off the shelf. RUDELY butt in front of man talking to the pharmacist at the counter. Trying to be polite, try to ask for a glass of water as I am having an allergic reaction to a medication...but my voice is GONE. My throat is starting to close up. I can't talk but my breathing is still ok.
The pharmacist calmly asks over her shoulder for a glass of water. Nobody responds- I don't think they heard her. She goes back to helping the other customer.
Luckily, another pharmacist seems to notice I need help and comes over to to ring up my purchase. I croak out that I need a glass of water urgently to take the benadryl and that my throat is swelling. Somebody brings it quickly and another pharmacist is on the phone calling 911.
Within minutes, I am surrounded by paramedics and a stretcher and BP cuffs, etc. ALS (advanced life support team) has been called, but I tell them- no thanks, I don't think I need to be intubated today!!! Breathing is okay, just throat feels very tight. One of the paramedics wants to see the hives, so he pulls up my pant leg. OMG-- I haven't waxed in AGES. They must think I'm a mountain woman...lol. Why am I worried about my hairy legs when my throat is closing? Because I am a woman, that's why!

Off to the ER via ambulance. Called hubby: They are taking me to the ER, no-I'll be okay, yes- I forgot my cell phone, again, Yep- I'll call you when I need picking up.
Chat to cute paramedics about nursing and EMT-ing and stuff. One of them keeps asking to see the hives, cringe as I lift my pant leg each time. I think he just wants to see if my legs are as hairy as he thought the first time he looked...LOL.

Get to ER-get scolded by ER nurse about trying to drive to pharmacy alone- hang my head in shame... and wait about an hour for the ER doc. Falling asleep from drowsiness effect of Benadryl, but itching has stopped and throat is feeling better- whew. Called hubby to come pick me up. Nearly left before seeing doc, but he came in just in time. Now I'll take some steroids for a few days to keep the reaction from coming back and see my own doc about a different antibiotic.

Thinking about a medic-alert bracelet now:-)
Scary stuff, but lessons learned.

Prettiest Tomatoes I've ever seen!

2008-11-11T03:21:00.000-08:00

I've just been reading some of my favorite blogs tonight. I have to share with you the amazing tomatoes that the girls from Modern Cottage grew this year. The pictures are making me salivate!
Pretty Tomatoes

The reason this is blog-worthy is because I grew my own tomato plants this year. In fact, they are pretty much the only thing I've ever grown successfully from a seed (apart from some sunflowers and maybe a couple of pea plants) My mom gave me a little gift-kit for growing heirloom tomatoes.
There were 4 types of seeds in the package, but I think only one type actually took hold and grew. I ended up re-planting it into a large patio planter, moved it onto the back deck, and it grew to about 5 feet high in no time. I was so excited when the first little green tomatoes appeared and took some pictures:-) They are little cherry tomatoes (not sure what variety as I don't know which of the 4 types survived) and they taste fabulous- store bought can't even compare! Here they are the first day we noticed them appearing.

Next year, I'm definitely going to try growing full-size tomatoes. We use lots of canned tomatoes in our cooking. Why not grow our own? I will use Beth and Meredith's tip with the red Christmas ornaments too- what a neat trick.

Now, if I could just get this darn Fall and Winter stuff out of the way so I can get started...

Gift Card Holder

2008-11-09T12:39:00.000-08:00

Someone just sent me a message through Etsy this morning and gave me this great idea!

This is a variation of my coin purse which holds a gift card perfectly. What a fun way to wrap it:-)

Just listed it in my shop.
Juice Pouch Gift Card Holders

Craft Fair Report- My first show!

2008-11-09T10:51:00.000-08:00

I did my first craft show yesterday at a Secondary School in North Vancouver. Here is my set-up before the fair started. I tweaked it a bit, but this is basically what I went with.
It was an interesting experience and I learned a few things:

1) Be more selective: In future, I think I'll do ONLY shows with other handcrafters. I actually never thought to ask this when signing up for shows. There were so many re-sellers there. I was surrounded by them, and so naturally most customers assumed I was a re-seller too. One of the most frequent questions I had all day was "did you make these?"
This was something I never expected from a CRAFT FAIR. It makes me think that many people who didn't stop at my table may have thought my items were mass-produced:-( That's kind of disheartening.
I should have paid attention that it was advertised as a "craft fair and market"

2) Make better signs: I needed bigger, full-colour signs with my store name. My little signs were okay, but I think I needed a large, main sign. I might actually make a sign saying 'www.juicybags.ca' instead of just the name.
Also think I will add a sign about recycling. I thought it was obvious, but several folks didn't realise the materials were recycled.

3) Offer an incentive to visit my store: I am going to add stickers to the back of my business cards with an incentive discount for my Etsy store to help bring hits there after the show.

4) Tweak my set-up: I will make a better riser for the back of the table that can be easily set-up. I was kind of winging it yesterday and nearly wasn't ready in time. I'm not sure that I need both of the grid-walls behind the table. I found that most shoppers were focused down at the table and didn't notice the stuff behind as much.
Perhaps use some props to show the bags in use, what they can be used for, etc.

5) Pack better: I need to get a few plastic crates with lids to pack everything into for the shows. I had stuff in bags and it took me 5 or 6 trips back and forth from the car for set-up and take-down. Better yet- bring hubby along for someone to help and some friendly company when things are slow.

The day started a bit slow with only a trickle of traffic. Since it was my first time, I took a long time for set-up and was still tweaking things during the morning. The tables were set very close together and the 2 sellers on my sides also set things up beside their tables. Unfortunately, this meant customers couldn't come around to see the bags I had hanging on the grids. I hung them as high as I could to try to show them off.
As I expected, my smaller items did much better than the bags. I sold quite a few little wallets.

I was surprised to see that the potato chip-bag and candy-bag pouches were very popular. I only had a few to sell because I was having some trouble sewing on the vinyl surface. I got a custom order for 2 as well, so I'll have to make more of them for the fairs next weekend. I would say it was a pretty positive experience. I borrowed my friend's van (thanks Yvette!) and I'm not used to driving something so big. I felt like a delivery driver:-)

I'm sure each show is going to be different, depending on the area and the demographic. Should be fun to see how next weekend goes.

Friday Nov 14th, 5-9 pm I'll be at Annieville Elementary School
for their Christmas Craft Fair.

Saturday and Sunday, Nov 15 + 16th, 10 am to 4 pm I'll be at
Arbourside Court in the Piano Lounge- Home for the Holidays Craft Show
13751-74th Avenue,
Surrey, B.C.

First try at a laptop sleeve

2008-11-06T00:46:00.001-08:00

I was attempting to make a laptop sleeve, but I ended up with it being exactly the right size for a MacBook. I'm just not sure I want to make lots of these- it was a bit challenging.
I do love the inside- it's so soft and cushy- I just want to curl up inside it. I used 2 layers of quilt batting so it's really nicely cushioned. Oh, and it's hard to see here, but it has a zipper across the top to close it.

I listed it for sale in my shop with more pictures here:
Padded Macbook Sleeve

Table display needs work!

2008-11-04T17:49:00.000-08:00

Here's my dry run of my table display for the craft fairs. This is just a coffee table, so I think the actual tables I will have will be larger. This isn't a great photo since I was doing this at night in a room with poor lighting. I will have a table skirt as well as the white cloth. I think I'll make some signs for prices for each type of item too. Perhaps I need the whole back of the table to be raised, not just the middle? (that's a box covered with a cloth)
The bags will be hanging from 2 grid walls that we had originally bought to hang our clothing items at the fitness club. I've been wanting to get rid of them for years but luckily (thanks to Jon who ignored my pleas to get rid of them) we still had them and the hanging rails too!
I am wondering if I'm going to need space on here for doing transactions, but I think I'll bring a clipboard for that instead. Let's hope I DO have some transactions!

Custom order laptop bag -it's done!

2008-11-03T20:26:00.001-08:00

Just finished this custom order for a customer from Etsy. I think it turned out pretty well. She wanted a fun and colourful laptop bag. I made it with double layers of denim on the sides and bottom and reinforced the bottom with nylon webbing and extra stitching. I hope she likes it!

My shop is on Trend Magazine!

2008-11-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

A writer found my shop through Twitter and she wrote an article about it for Trend Magazine online. I am so excited because today it was on the front page! This website gets about 8 million views per month.
This is the lead picture- Ally modelling one of my bags:-) Isn't she cute?

Here is the article Trend Magazine
It was written by Pearl, who is a crafter herself and writes a jewelry blog here Beadinggem

I also got my second Etsy sale yesterday (yeay!) and a custom order for a laptop bag which I'm working on today. It's so fun to create new products to fit a customer's needs. Will post photos here when it's done!
My first craft fair is this Saturday at Carson Graham Secondary School in North Vancouver. Feel free to come by and support me if you're nearby that day. I've got so much to get ready and lots more sewing to do. Luckily, I finished my set of work shifts last night, so I'm off now till Sunday night. Off to ship my order and get a few supplies now.

It's been a great weekend:-)

Oh, try this- it's cute!

2008-11-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

I got this from http://kidtechguru.blogspot.com

Try it- it's neat and fun!
Go to Google and click on Images, then search for a particular image (anything you want) Then once the search goes through, replace the text in the address bar with this:

javascript:R=0; x1=.1; y1=.05; x2=.25; y2=.24; x3=1.6; y3=.24; x4=300; y4=200; x5=300; y5=200; DI=document.getElementsByTagName('img'); DIL=DI.length; function A(){for(i=0; i-DIL; i++){DIS=DI[ i ].style; DIS.position='absolute'; DIS.left=(Math.sin(R*x1+i*x2+x3)*x4+x5)+'px'; DIS.top=(Math.cos(R*y1+i*y2+y3)*y4+y5)+'px'}R++}setInterval('A()',5); void(0);

...watch what happens...!!

Witches Fingers

2008-10-31T06:54:00.000-07:00

We're having a Halloween potluck at work today. This just happens to be my bi-weekly work-at-the-office day. (I normally work from home, but I work at the office once every couple of weeks)

This is what I'm bringing: Witches Fingers (almond shortbread in disguise) My British husband still doesn't "get" Halloween. He says these looks so unappetizing! (but he did eat one...)
He's right of course- but that's the idea!
I'm also dressing up as a Work-From-Home nurse...jammies, housecoat and fuzzy slippers. At least I'll be comfy all day:-)

Which wallet do you prefer?

2008-10-28T18:36:00.000-07:00

I've got 4 (maybe 5!) craft fairs coming up in November and December (first one in about 10 days) and I am having a hard time trying to decide which items I should make more of. I have these 2 wallets I've made- different styles. Personally, I like the smaller bi-fold type because I carry mostly cards. The clutch wallet has a place for cheques, but I don't carry my chequebook anymore. I've had some nice comments about the bi-fold design too (even sold one on Etsy!)

Which style do you think will be more popular? Or should I make the same number of each? I think the price will be the same if that makes any difference.

Oct 29th- added another photo to show all the colours.

Mini duffel bag in grape

2008-10-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

Just finished this little duffel bag/purse today. It's a special order for a friend...shhh...it's a Christmas pressie:-)

I love the black denim with the grape pouches and the soft flannel inside matches perfectly. Gotta have a cell phone pocket too!

I decided to make a shorter adjustable shoulder strap on this one- you don't want this hanging down too low. I think it's meant to be worn up high anyway.

Back to the earth

2008-10-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

When we bought our house a few years ago, it came with a black plastic composting bin in the back yard on one side against the fence. We liked the idea, but didn't know much about it, so we didn't do anything with it for several years. This past year I decided to start using it and did some reading on the process. My only experience with composting was when I was a kid. My dad used to have a compost pile and would add the old leaves to it, and garden waste. I don't think we collected our kitchen waste for it though.
Up till this year, I was putting food waste down the sink disposal, which still decreases the garbage output, but after doing some reading I realized it puts a strain on the water treatment facilities.
So, I put a bucket under the sink (with a lid, to keep fruit flies away) and starting collecting all the raw scraps there. We still put cooked food and meat scraps either in the garbage or down the disposal (or into one of our little 4-legged disposals:-) You can't put cooked food or meat into the compost, or you'll attract rodents.
Some of the stuff you CAN compost: veggies, fruit and the peelings, paper (best if it's shredded and unbleached) coffee grounds and filters (we use unbleached filters), tea bags, egg shells, leaves, grass, garden cuttings...anything organic really.
At first I thought the bin would fill up too quickly and I would have to "take breaks" from collecting stuff, but the bin never seems to fill. As fast as I add stuff, it sinks down and gets transformed. Well, it's not really that quick, but it hasn't filled up yet and I've been using it for months now. Occasionally I take the whole lid off and use a hoe to turn it over a bit, bring some of the soil to the top and bury things more. If it gets flies on it, I cover it with one layer of dry leaves which seems to keep them off. To make the process most effective, you are supposed to layer fresh stuff with 'brown waste' (dried leaves or grasses, shredded paper) I am planning to try to collect a large bin of dry leaves this fall so I have them to use in the compost over the spring and summer next year.
The best thing about doing this is that our weekly garbage for the household has decreased to about one small kitchen bag. Hardly seems worth putting it out for collection some weeks, so often we go 2 weeks between collections. Composting is much easier than it sounds!

We've also gotten better at recycling and we check every package for a symbol before throwing it away. Nearly everything we throw goes into some kind of recycling now.
It's annoying to realize that so many people still throw so much into the landfills. It doesn't take much extra time to sort your garbage and take it to the curb in the blue bin or using a small bucket under your sink to collect the scraps. Lots of non-profit organizations take returnable drink containers to raise money, and they will pick them up from you too! One I know about for sure is the Developmental Disabilities Association. They have a program where they supply a bin and they come and collect your returnables periodically. Great for the workplace!
http://www.develop.bc.ca

Here's some reading to get you started if you'd like to try composting:

http://www.cyber-north.com/gardening/compost.html
http://composting.ca/

Zippered pockets

2008-10-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the bags I made today. I really like this one, because the pair of jeans I used for the denim material had these great back pockets with zippers! So, this bag got a zippered inner pocket. The colours are washed out on the inner photo because I had to use a flash to see inside. My photography skills are a bit lacking, as you can see.

Got my cards!

2008-10-24T17:01:00.000-07:00

I picked up my business cards at the shipper today across the border in Point Roberts. Why doesn't overnightprints ship to Canada? So annoying! After paying the "user fee" at the border, the shipper's fee and the gas I used to get there, I would have probably done better just ordering them from the local Staples store after all.
Anyway, they are perfect and I love how they turned out. Thick card and very shiny on the front. Now I have an easy way to tell people about Juicybags when they ask about my bag or wallet.
I'm already planning for a discount I can stamp on the back for my craft fair customers. Perhaps 20% off their first purchase from my Etsy store....hmmm, will have to discuss with all the other Etsians about how best to do that.

Off for my pre-nightshift nap now.

World of Cool

2008-10-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

Apparently I'm cool:-) Well, maybe it's just my Koolaid wallet! Somebody from Twitter did a small feature about it here: http://tinyurl.com/6r5ykz

Looks like a neat website idea. It says they will be up and running again in January. Looking forward to seeing the whole thing.

My first web feature....
I'm so excited!
Can you tell?

Today's bags and my new tags

2008-10-23T16:33:00.000-07:00

Here are the bags I made today. All totes and one of each size. I've been making lots of the shoulder bags lately, so I thought I try to get a few more totes done. I made another wallet for Jon too...in cherry red this time and with the opening to the right side instead of the left.
Done sewing for today- it's time for a nap before work. Two long night shifts ahead, so I like to try to start with a little extra sleep-boost. I don't know if it helps, but it can't hurt.
Devon is off to Fright Night at Playland tonight with some friends. Jon was volunteering at FreeGeek today and then off to his night class tonight. Alison is out at a friend's house...so it's just me and the doggies here for now. I guess everybody will have some of the Hoison Chicken (recipe from a blog I added to my list today- a woman who is using her slow cooker everyday for a year!) if and when they get home.

Here are my new product labels. I got a tip here http://isewblog.blogspot.com/2007/06/making-your-own-labels.html for making my own using printable fabric sheets. I ordered the fabric from Joann's online. I just cut them to size and sew them into each item. They are fabric on the front and a kind of vinyl material on the back, so they don't fray. This picture isn't the greatest- I tried to use the macro on the camera and I don't think it worked, and then the batteries died....oh well, you get the idea. Cute, huh?

Twitter- my new addiction

2008-10-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

Twitter is fun! Kind of like something between a chat room and a blog. I know it's not new, but it's new to me! It's a good way to spread the word about my blog and my Etsy store too.
Check it out and follow me (juicybags) if you want to. I've got my Twitter updates posted in the left column here too.

I've been working all day yesterday and today, so haven't done any sewing. I've been cutting open and cleaning, and then drying the juice pouches instead. That's the 'dirty' part of the job. I found a little white plastic scraper that helps get the adhesive off the pouches more easily. (my fingernails were taking a beating before) It feels good to be making useful stuff out of something that would end up in the landfills though. Jon tells me there are stats somewhere that say that these little foil juice pouches have one of the lowest rates of return of all the returnable drink containers! Probably because they are usually taken to school by kids who just chuck them into the garbage when they are done:-(
I wish I knew a way to re-direct those empty pouches to me! Let me know if you have any ideas.
(although by the time these craft fairs are over I might be so sick of sewing that I never want to make another bag- we'll have to see)

Why does this happen?

2008-10-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

Experienced sewers...can you tell me why my machine does this? I'll be sewing along and everything looks great on the top side, then I hear a little telltale 'click' from the bobbin and I know THIS is what I'm going to find underneath. What I do then is re-thread the machine and the bobbin and it seems to work fine again...but then it happens again later...can't figure out why...help??

Rookies makin' cookies

2008-10-19T23:44:00.000-07:00

Alison and her friend Hayley decided to make some cookies tonight. Aren't they cute? Wish I could get her to help out in the kitchen more often. Ah well...the cookies were pretty good. Not bad for a couple 'a rookies.

A wallet for Jon

2008-10-18T23:16:00.001-07:00

Jon has been in need of a new wallet for a long time. He asked me to make him one so he could mention Juicybags when people asked him about it. I designed this wallet to his specs (using his current wallet as a guide) I think it turned out pretty good. It was a bit fussy to make because I had to cut the backs out of most of the juice pouches so that the wallet wouldn't be too bulky. It took 10 pouches to make this wallet!
It's got 8 card slots, and a large money/receipt pocket. It closes with a velcro strip. It was Jon's idea to add the black bias tape around the edges which turned out good I think.

Lots of sewing today. I decided I should try to make 2 bags, 1 clutch wallet, 3 coin purses and 1 pencil case everyday until my first craft fair. Some days I can probably do a little more, some less-- but if I can do that I will probably have enough stock for all the fairs. Sheesh-- what do I know!? I have NO CLUE how much stuff I'm going to need. Guess I'll just keep sewing until I can't sew anymore, and that will have to be enough.

Heading off to relax for a bit now and see if there's anything on TIVO worth watching.

2008-10-16T22:52:00.000-07:00

Here's the new verison- much better!

Draft of my business cards

2008-10-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

Jon helped me make this graphic for my business cards. The background is part of a picture I took last year of my stargazer lillies in the front garden. It just needs some more small tweaks- I'm not thrilled with the font for the information text. The 'juicybags' font is fun, but it doesn't work for the rest of the card- not easily readable. I need to find something prettier and not so bold. I also need to move the text a little closer in towards the middle to make sure nothing gets cut off. I was planning on printing them at home, but our inkjet had other ideas. I printed one page and they came out with bands of alternating light and dark colours across them. So much for that. Jon tried a few fixes, but no luck.
So, as soon as I can figure out how to do the tweaks it needs, I'll be ordering a batch of these from overnightprints.com instead.

I'm recovering from my 2 night shifts today, so didn't get much done. The garbage and recycling has been taken out for pick up, I went out to get dog food, we ate leftovers for dinner and I've made a clutch wallet and one coin purse. Not a totally wasted day anyway!
Jon is out at a class tonight and he's got a mid-term. He's been working so hard on these courses. I hope it goes well.

Later: Well, it's all tweaked and sent for printing now. Jon is a genius...I love the new version!

My supplier comes through!

2008-10-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

Ingrid- the nice mom I met through craiglist who is helping her son raise money for his band trip to New York- brought me a HUGE bag of empty drink pouches today. She has been a great supplier! I don't know how she finds so many, but she did say her dental bills were going to go up with the amount of Koolaid they have been drinking:-) This is a photo she took of the pile of pouches before she packed them up to bring over today. There are over 500!
Believe it or not, I've probably already used about 300 pouches so far, and I'm going to need lots more to make all the items I need for the craft fairs. I'm nervous about not having enough stuff--- but then it would be worse if nothing sold-- hard to know which way to think about it, but better to have too much than too little.

Jon has been working so hard on his Java course assignments and labs this week, we have barely spoken to each other. I'm glad he's getting the courses he needs, but I miss him...so I spend lots of time sewing. I'm working nights tonight and tomorrow, so we'll be ships passing in the night for a while longer.

Nessa- my email list buddy who has the shop in Maine received my package of the bags today and she says they have them up in the shop window! I'm so excited to hear about how it goes and what her customers think. She says there will be 7000 cruise ship passengers there this week...so here's hoping somebody buys something!

Alison did some modelling for me

2008-10-11T22:37:00.000-07:00

Alison agreed to model the bags for my Etsy shop. These 2 shots are really cute- one silly and one sweet. I swear, she gets prettier every time I look at her.

We went to my brother Brian's place tonight for his 50th birthday party. I'm not supposed to have siblings that are 50! How did that happen? Well, he'll be a grandfather for the 3rd time in a few months too. I heard his little grandson call hiim grandpa tonight-- that was weird! Saw my neice Samantha and her guy Keith. They seem really happy and Sam looks beautiful, as always. We are all thinking PINK for her. They will try to find out the baby's gender next month:-)

Coin purses

2008-10-10T14:05:00.000-07:00

I made a these little coin purses today. Aren't they cute? They have a snap closure in the front, which I like better than velcro, it's more secure I think.
I'm thinking about attaching clips to some of them- like the red one in the picture. Then you could easily attach it to part of your purse or backpack so it won't get lost, or attach your key chain to it.

Only 4 weeks till my first craft fair. Back to sewing now...

Sewing Frenzy

2008-10-06T23:08:00.000-07:00

Well, my kitchen looks like a factory. Piles of jeans and totebags and fabric everywhere. The kitchen table is covered in my tools and supplies. The ironing board is a permanent fixture. I'm getting nervous about having enough stock for all the craft fairs I have booked myself for. What was I thinking? Good news is that I've gotten much faster at constructing the bags and have figured a bit of a system to make it go more smoothly. For example, to make one tote I use 2 or 3 different colours of thread. I just have a basic sewing machine-- nothing fancy like Alison tells me they have at school where you can load in a bunch of colours of thread and then flip a switch when you want to change! Anyway, what I've started doing is sewing 4 or 5 bags at once, first sewing all the white thread parts, then the blue, then the black.
I have also been doing some steps when I'm between calls while working...pinning sections together, making the panels of pouches with double-sided tape prior to sewing them, etc. (I wished I'd found the double-sided tape sooner- it really speeds things up and makes it so much easier to make neat panels of pouches)

Today I decided I'm going to make up a bunch of fudge for the craft fairs. I can sell it in small bags and give out samples. Fudge should bring people to my table! I'll make a few different kinds. I found a new recipe that I'm going to try.. double decker chocolate peanut butter fudge...mmm. I had to steal the picture to show you because it looks sooooo good! I linked the blog I found it on. They have amazing pictures of food porn there:-)

I spoke to the owner of the craft showcase shop in Abbotsford and decided to postpone getting involved with that for now. I really don't think I can supply enough product and they are too far away to make it convenient for me. I'd like to go there and see how it looks and how it runs though. It's something to think about after the craft fairs are over...that's if I still want to continue making the bags by then!

I've been trying to figure out a way to be able to accept credit card payments from customers at the craft fairs. I don't want to set up a merchant account- it's way too expensive, with monthly minimums and monthly charges as well as a long commitment. Someone on Etsy forums suggested using Paypal to invoice the sales, taking the credit card info in person and entering the invoices through Paypal later. I think I'll give it a try. I think being able to accept cards makes a huge difference for sales.

Doing my second night shift tonight. It's a nice night so far. Thanksgiving is on Monday, so we're having a family dinner at our place Sunday (I'm working Monday) ....so we have to go turkey shopping soon!

Craft store

2008-10-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

I've been contacted by a someone who is opening a store that showcases crafts. They rent spaces (booths) in the shop out to crafters, who then stock their own area and the store sells the merchandise for them.
I'm concerned about being able to maintain the stock, but on the other hand, how do I know I will sell enough product to make the rental worth it? They are asking anywhere between $65 and $165 per month rental and they want a 6-month signed contract to start off with. I'm not sure I feel comfortable with making that commitment, although it's definitely the right time of year to start if I was going to do it. It's also nearly an hour's drive away, in Abbotsford, so that makes it a bit inconvenient for easily checking stock and stocking up.

Some other things I thought of:
-how will the store be advertised?
-What is their motivation to advertise at all, since they really aren't making much money off the sales of the products themselves?
-what kind of traffic is expected through the shop? I haven't seen it, so I'm not sure about the area.
-can I check stock over the phone, or do I have to physically come into the shop for that?

Might have a drive out there this week and check it out. They haven't opened for business yet- they are just signing the crafters now. I'd like to test the waters without signing a contract, but don't see that happening since there was no option like that mentioned. of course, they are going to want a guaranteed rent coming in from the crafters for at least the first few months. I just don't know that I'm willing to be one of the first!

On the other hand, I'm really excited to be sending my online friend Nessa some of my items to sell in her shop in Maine. She co-owns a scrapbooking/quilting shop called Fabricate. I've added a link to her shop blog here. It looks gorgeous. I hope her customers like my stuff! Once she gets my items, maybe she will take a picture of them in her shop so I can post it here.

Blue backpack

2008-10-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a different version of the mini backpack. I added a buckle closure in the front (instead of a snap) and the shoulder straps are nylon webbing and adjustable. I put the cell phone pocket inside to make room for the buckle on the front.

I love this lining fabric. I found it in the scraps pile at Walmart, only 1/2 a metre left. I wish I had more of it. It looks like a sort of peach colour in these photos, but it's actually a very bright, deep pink.

I think this one is my favorite bag yet!

Pictures of the duffel bags

2008-10-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

Here's the large duffel bag. Today I was thinking how I could make it easier to put together, and I've thought of a few short cuts that will probably make it turn out better too, so maybe I won't write it off completely yet.
Here is a shot of the mini-duffel bag and one of the inside of it. There's a small cell phone pocket and a larger pocket with a velcro closure. This one is lined with denim from a pair of jeans.

Little blue clutch..and more

2008-09-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

Lots of sewing going on. I made this little clutch wallet yesterday. I like the way the pockets on the inside line up so that the graphic remains almost the same as the front of the pouch. (you can kind of see in the first photo) There are six pockets for cards, a place for a checkbook, and a paper money pouch and a velcro closure tab.

I also made a couple of more complex projects, a mini-duffle bag with a draw string top and a large duffle bag. The mini-duffel is really cute. I think I'll make a bunch of them in different colours. I dont think I'm ever going to tackle that large duffel bag project again. It was HUGE and difficult. I ended up using finishing tape to try to hide the disatrous mess I made of the circular end pieces. The drink pouches and the heavy lining material made the bag so stiff it was hard to work with. My fingers are full of pin holes from the many times I jabbed myself while struggling to finish it. Way too much work-- I'd have to charge $200 to make it even close to worth it...Haven't got time to take the pictures tonight- will post tomorrow.

Started a Halloween-themed bag tonight. Green (strawberry kiwi) and Orange pouches alernating on a large bag. I think it would work great as a shopping tote or beach bag. Photos to follow when I finish it.

Off to the thrift store in New West tomorrow, where a little birdie from Craigslist told me I can get jeans for $1 a pair.

Two night shifts and a mini backpack

2008-09-29T00:50:00.000-07:00

Just finished my two night shifts at work. I had to go into the office last night which always makes it a bit more of a challenge for me. I didn't sleep well after my first night, so I'm really mixed up now. It's nearly 1 AM and I'm still going strong here.
I bought some instructions online for the cutest little backpack today. I made it this evening and didn't make too many mistakes, although it was definitely a learning experience! I think this one is a big hit. Alison said even SHE wants one! :-)
It has a little cell phone pocket in the front, a drawstring closure around the top, and the straps are really cute, made by using cut up pouches backed with lining fabric, and trimmed with finishing tape.
It took me several hours to finish this one, but it was my first try. Next one should be quicker and easier. I have some cute bright pink fabric with blue flowers here, an extra piece I found at Walmart for under $2. I think I'll make a blue backpack with the pink lining next.

Off to bed now. Lots of busy days and nights just past and I need to recover!

Come see my ETSY shop!

2008-09-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

I just opened my Etsy store today! If you aren't familiar with it, Etsy is an online store where people can show and sell their handmade items. They have vintage stuff too. There are so many great items there, and you can search locally too and avoid shipping. There are quite a few sellers listed for the Vancouver area. How do you like my banner? My first attempt at creating a graphic using Gimp...well, I did have to find an online tutorial, but I did it. Those are my stargazer lillies from my front garden in the background. I had to dim down their intense bright colours so the text would show up!

I'm so excited that my items have already had a few viewings. Go ahead, go have a look-see:-)

www.juicybags.etsy.com

Fingers crossed for Graham

2008-09-27T13:31:00.000-07:00

Graham, my brother, got up at 5:00 this morning to go and wait in line for the opportunity purchase a new townhouse. It's a huge development here in Delta that has been in the works for years. Apparently, it's the last big parcel of privately-owned land that was left for development in Delta. I have my fingers crossed for him, as he tells me there are hundreds of people there now. Some folks even camped out ovenight! That's really amazing in this down-turned real estate market. I suppose all the media hype has worked for them. I hope he makes the best choice for him. Would be fun to go visit and swim in the pool next Summer (hmm, not sure when the pool and other amenities are going to be finished actually) This is the first phase of the townhouses that are selling. Just 25 for sale today and he thinks he's about #15 in line....

This is the place:
www.sunstonecommunity.com

Lined makeup bag

2008-09-26T10:07:00.000-07:00

I love this little bag! I just made it this morning- only took me about an hour, I'm getting faster! Figured out a few more tricks to make it easier as well. The presser foot on the machine doesn't like to slide over the vinyl very well, so when I'm sewing with the vinyl side up, I put a scrap piece of material under the foot for it to slide over- works great!

The liner is flannel with teddys printed on it. So cute!
Found some instructions for making a belt so I'm going to try that today.

First attempt at a wallet

2008-09-25T23:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I think the wallet is pretty cute but I'm not sure I'll make these for the craft fairs. They are pretty labour intensive with stitching in all the pockets. There's a clear vinyl pocket for picture ID too, and a velcro tab for holding it closed. I think I can make the next one better- this was just a trial to see how to do it.
...and another pencil case which turned out a bit better than the first one. I think I've got the hang of working with the zippers now:-)

Trying new options

2008-09-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

Here's the little red bag I made today. I experimented some more with this one, adding a denim lining and the back pocket sewn in for a cellphone/pen pocket.
This one I learned a few things on-- test the fabric before using to see if it's stretchy. It's hard to sew with stretchy material!
I think making the lining would have been so much easier with nice non-stretch denim....although I do like the black with the cherry red drink pouches. It also looks more faded in some parts of the denim which I think looks cool.

Back to work in the morning for a set of 2 days and 2 nights, so probably won't get a lot of sewing done. Oh well....gotta make a living too!

How about a shoulder bag?

2008-09-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

This little bag took me longer because I needed to figure a way to do the flap closure and make an adjustable shoulder strap. Had to find the plastic parts to make the strap slide through. Added a velcro closure under the flap too. I love this little bag- perfect size for a lunch kit, a purse, or taking small toys to a friend's house to play....trying a red one next I think, perhaps adding a demin lining and inside pocket for the necessities (cell phone, Ipod:-) Maybe even a buckle closure in the front.

Took Mom for her lithotripsy procedure at VGH yesterday. It ended up being a full day. We left the house at 10:00 am and didn't get home till 7:00 pm. She had to have a CT scan, x-rays, you name it...but hopefully that kidney stone has been blasted to smithereens now. She's feeling fine- stayed overnight at our place because they said she shouldn't drive after the sedation. She just gone home now and I'm back to my sewing. It's a quiet day- love that sun, the sky is gorgeous!

More craftiness

2008-09-21T21:40:00.000-07:00

I did some more sewing last night and today and completed 3 more bags. Devon thinks this smaller one is the best one so far...I guess he likes the graphics of the kids doing sports on it...perhaps a bit less childish for his sophisticated teenage tastes:-) I also did a little shoulder bag, just 2 pouches wide in orange with a fold-over top which is really cute. I have to get some velcro fastening tape for the flap closure and some plastic hardware to make the shoulder strap adjustable. Will post a photo when I'm done with it!
Got some jeans for fabric today from my buddy Yvette (thanks sweetie- that is Dave's Levi's on the smaller bag-heehee!) My previously discussed "pouch supplier" emailed me today and said she has 600 MORE pouches for me from today's catch of recycling. I have to hand it to her. She's got an 8 week old baby and she's out there helping her other son collect containers to raise money. She's incredible. (thank you Ingrid!)

Off to the hospital with Mom tomorrow so she can get her kidney stone 'shock-waved'. Will browse the fabric store for supplies while I'm waiting for her.

I'm having so much fun-- can you tell?

A new hobby

2008-09-20T12:58:00.000-07:00

I've been bored lately. I'm so sick of TV-there's nothing on anymore and feels like such a waste of time. Jon is very busy lately with Toastmasters (he's an assistant area governor now) and his BCIT classes and homework, and the kids are off doing their own thing most of the time so I often have time on my hands.
I was browsing the internet, looking for something crafty I could do. I wanted to make something useful and I like the idea of using recycled materials. I found this pattern for a tote-bag made out of foil drink pouches. Apparently these little bags cannot be recycled for the materials, although they are returnable for deposit (you pay $0.5 deposit when you buy them) I decided to give it a whirl. I bought a couple of boxes of these drinks, tried to get the kids to drink them, but ended up pouring about 10 of them into a jug in the fridge because I wanted to get started.
I was working the last couple of nights, so while I was planning the project, I posted a message up on Craigslist under 'wanted', looking for these pouches and offering to pay $0.15 each for them. I found another ad where a woman in Delta was asking for returnable containers to help her son raise money for a hockey trip to New York. I emailed her and offered to pay her $0.15 each for any drink pouches they collected. Well, to my surprise she emailed me the next day (after a bottle drive) and said she had 200 POUCHES waiting for me!! I hadn't even made ONE project yet at that point! So, I picked up the pouches and got started last night. I should mention how much recycled drink containers stink before they are cleaned...yuck, until I get them all washed, the garage smells awful.
The worst part of the process is washing and drying the little pouches and trying to get the goo off the front (where the straw is stuck on) I had some 'sticky out' solution and that really helped.
So, this is the tote bag I made! It's Blue Raspberry on one side and Tropical Fruit (teal green) on the other, with recyled denim (Ally's old jeans) around the sides. I'm so proud of myself because I'm not much of a seamstress...I actually failed Textiles in grade 9 :-) (but that's just 'cos I didn't want to make a 'dumb' tailored shirt so I dug my heels in and the teacher failed me... yes, I was a very stubborn teenager!
Alison (my 18 year old daughter who took sewing at school up till grade 12) helped me set up the machine and showed me how it worked. (thank you Ally!) I made her this little lined make up pouch out of a chocolate bar package. I think it's a bit too small for all her stuff, but she loves it anyway. She was a little upset when she saw I had used one of her baby pillowcases for the lining though. What do you think of the pencil case? I still have to get a hole-punch to make the holes for it to go into a binder.
These are all my first tries, so there were a few mistakes. I also made a little change purse out of a Mr Noodles package (which Ally also claimed!) ...but I really messed up on the lining...oh well, it was just a tester. This was really fun! I may just build up a stock and see if I can sell them at craft fairs. Anybody have thoughts about how much I should/could charge?

Eat Shrink and Be Merry

2008-09-17T16:14:00.000-07:00

I knicked this ad from my favorite cookbook's website. These Canadian girls have made it big with their 3 cookbooks that make eating healthy taste GOOD. (and I mean GOOD!) I use their books almost exclusively because we love these recipes. This latest one is my fave. Tonight we're having Rome on the Range, which is a yummy roasted veggie and meatball soup. It smells delicious.
Really tasty food and good for you too. Not to mention all the funny, interesting information that's in here too. They have a show on the Food Network called 'Eat Shrink and Be Merry'
Anybody know somebody who works at HARPO? These girls gotta get on Oprah! :-)
Check 'em out
www.eatshrinkandbemerry.com

Foyer changes so far

2008-09-17T11:06:00.000-07:00

First photo here was taken during one of our visits prior to buying the house. You can't really tell here, but the foyer walls are wallpapered in with a very ugly (though subtle) chevron pattern. When I see ugly wallpaper I just itch to tear it down. As you can see, I eventually did so! We had to get our odd Greek painter guy in to help us finish the upper parts of the walls and to fix the wall under the wallpaper. (it had been patched really badly) I wish I had a full photo of the hilarious light fixture that was hanging here. You can just see the last bulb of it in the first photo. It consisted of 4 or 5 brass round bulbs with bare bulbs sticking out of the bottoms, hanging at different levels. Yikes-- we got rid of that when we had the ceilings painted (the painter helped Jon hang the new fixture you can see here)
The wall paint is called Sable Sands. It's sort of a brownish green I think. At the top of the stairs, the wall around the doorway is Ryegrass, which extends from the dining room to the left. The other wall is the rest of the hallway, which I painted with Manilla Tan. I think they all look pretty nice together.
you can also see what a big difference the new front door and sidelights makes. We hung a mirror over the window that looks into the living room. It just looked like it should have a mirror there. We still aren't sure what to do with the other side of the window in the living room. Would like to close it up somehow eventually so we can use that wall for our big screen TV (someday!)
We also want to change out these chunky stair rails and spindles. We'd love to do black iron rungs with stained wooden handrails. We got a quote from a railing place once, but to do the railings here and also across the dining room overlook was going to cost around $3-4K, so we're living with it for now.
Another 'someday' for this area is a new tile floor. This parquet floor is in rough shape near the doorway, and I've never liked this look. Something else for the 'to do' list....

Living room updates

2008-09-17T10:52:00.001-07:00

Here's the living room before we bought the house, and then after I stripped the wallpaper (yeah, I know it doesn't look like wallpaper-why did they bother?) painted the walls (Warm Muffin) got our new couches (ordered from Inspiration Furniture and waited 6 months for them!) We also had new custom-fitted fireplace doors installed, hung new drapes, and added wood blinds. Eventually we'd like to get rid of the 1980's-dusty-rose carpeting and go hardwood or some other hard surface flooring. Perhaps an area rug (but at least one of the dogs thinks carpets are grass for some reason....hmmm) This room is probably my favorite room because (other than the carpet) it feels finished. At first we thought about installing a gas insert for the fireplace, but we actually really enjoy having real wood fires in the Winter. This room doesn't have great insulation, so it ends up getting pretty chilly in here.

Downstairs bathroom...well, at least we like it now!

2008-09-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

Here's some before and after shots of our downstairs bathroom. When we bought the house, this little bathroom was so dark, dingy and YUCK that we didn't even notice it had a shower stall in it, behind a wall next to the sink. We hired a design/contractor team to completely gut the room and start over. I can't even bear to tell you how much this all cost in the end. It turned out lovely, but there were many mistakes made along the way. (they installed the wrong size shower door and enclosure and it had to all be redone) It was a very painful process! Anyway...turns out the kids use that bathroom and we are stuck using the old upstairs bathrooms. We should have known better than to use all white tiles and grout. It's a real pain to keep clean, but at least we have a nice guest bathroom when anyone comes to stay. The shower stall is huge! Hard to take pictures because the room is quite small though. Favorite feature: Low-flow Toto toilet with a soft-close seat!

Endless home renos

2008-09-17T09:17:00.000-07:00

This first photo is how our house looked just before we bought it back in Jan 2005. It was built in 1980 and very little work seems to have been done since then! It's a great neighbourhood, but there are still so many things we would love to change. Unfortunately, finances are such that anything other than painting and needed repairs aren't likely to be getting done any time soon. To make me feel better, I like to remember everything we've done to it in the past nearly-4 years. I took lots of before and after shots, but had nowhere to post them, so maybe I'll start here.
One of the first projects we took on was taking part in the Home Smart program through BC Hydro and Teresen Gas. We had our home's energy efficiency tested, then certain upgrades were recommended. We replaced all of the old aluminum framed windows and patio doors with double vinyl, and replaced the exterior doors, added weather stripping, caulked around the fireplaces, doubled the insulation in the attic and crawlspace, bought a new higher-efficiency furnace and installed bathroom fans. The new windows and doors made a huge difference in the look of the house, inside and out- and are much better for security (anti-shatter glass, UV protection, etc)
The second photo was taken after this work was done. We also bought wood blinds for the big front windows and took out some of the big plantings in the front garden. The last photo I took today. We had the exterior painted last summer and we are so happy with the colour change. It's called Tuscan Hillside. (I like paint chip colour names and I usually remember them!) Our neighbours said it looks like a new house! We also had the gutter downspouts replaced which doesn't show here, but looks so much better. The old ones were peeling and falling apart.

You can see our little Pink Dogwood tree near the end of the driveway. This was a wedding gift from my mom that we planted Summer 2005. I hope to see it grow tall and covered with blossoms one day. For now, it gets about 20 flowers in the spring.

Working from home (or WFH as we like to call it!)

2008-09-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

I've been part of a pilot project for the past 5 months, working as a telenurse from home. It's the best job I've ever had for so many reasons. I started telenursing for the BC Nurseline about 5 years ago. I thought I would miss working at the hospital (I worked for 10 years at BC Childrens' Hospital in the ER and as an IV nurse) but after a period of adjustment, I've settled into this new role which I really enjoy. I still get to help people and use my nursing knowledge and I'm still learning something new everyday. In fact, one of the best things about telenursing is the ability to work with one patient at a time until I've met their needs, before moving on to the next one. Another great thing is taking regular, scheduled breaks during my shifts! No more working 8-10 hours straight because things are too busy to get away.
Now that I'm working most of the time from my home, I have even more advantages. I work in my PJs most of the time, and spend my breaks doing what I want to do, checking the mail, tidying up, taking a shower, playing with the dogs, talking to the kids or Jon. I get more sleep and even doing night shifts isn't as painful as before. I know I can fall into my own bed 5 minutes after my shift ends, which is wonderful. I used to be so nervous driving all the way home after being up all night.
Any BC nurses out there who want to come and see what the Nurseline is like-- let me know, I'd be happy to fill you in, take you on a tour, whatever! We need more nurses, as the Ministry of Health is planning to implement 811 soon, so our call volume is about to increase dramatically.