Quilt Sale

Do you need a great baby gift at a reasonable price. Here's your chance to get one! My mom is the chief baby quilt maker at Down the Street Creations, and she's got some new ones that will be unveiled in the next couple of months. To celebrate the new production, we're offering 20% off select baby quilts currently in our inventory, and 25% off the little Pumpkin quilt. There's an additional 5% off if you purchase both toile quilts. (The prices have been marked down.)

Take a peek and see!

Front Page!

Time to put Jenna Belle Designs on the map!

Giveaway Announcement

I have been feeling uninspired about posting here on the ol' blog, but was alerted to a blog giveaway that is offering something pretty unique and fantastic. Plus, I happen to love the artist, and while I already have several things she has made, I would love to win something in the give away. BUT, I don't want to be selfish, so I'm sharing.

This is what is being offered. Isn't it cute?! It's a sponge holder, with little drain holes so your sponge can dry out and doesn't get all nasty.

If you click on the picture, you'll go straight to the Ginpins shop on Etsy. And to enter the give away, you'll need to visit the Gifted Giveaways blog. Click on their name and it will take you right to the blog.

Good luck!

Weight Loss Wednesday -- A New Activity

Today's meeting topic had to do with boredom... you know, if you eat grilled chicken all the time, you'll get bored, and then quit the program. Of course, before you started Weight Watchers (or any plan for that matter) you ate the same thing all the time, and you didn't get bored and stop eating, did you? Never mind. But there really are lots of great things to eat out there that aren't loaded with calories, so choose wisely.

You can also get bored with your activity, too. It's been around a long time, but why not try hula hooping? I just bought a sports hoop, and it seems like its going to be lots of fun.




Well, that's obviously not me... but who knows, in a week or two I could look just like her!

OK, probably not. And you can even buy your hula hoop on Etsy!! Check out hoola monsters or Full Circle Quirk and get yours today!

Road Trip: Nashville

Nashville is a city I'm really starting to love, though honestly, I haven't seen that much of it. This past weekend was Parent's Weekend, so Roland and I hit the road Friday in the hopes of seeing Kyle, at least for a little while. We did see him in the afternoon, and then took him and his friend, William out for a great dinner.

Saturday, we knew Kyle would be sleeping late, so we found a great little neighborhood coffee shop, Sky Blue Coffee & Bistro, then after wandering around downtown a bit, we finally found the Ryman Auditorium & Museum. This was really for Roland who discovered that you could record your own CD, and in particular, one of his favorite songs, King of the Road. Once I can figure it out, I'll try to put in here, and you can hear him. He sounds pretty good, but one can really only hear that song so many times.

He's keeping his day job.

We managed to connect with Kyle at lunchtime... notice a theme? Then it was shopping because the poor boy only has 3 pairs of pants, and winter is coming. You gotta know that college boys just don't do laundry that often. Then if it's Saturday in the fall, that means college football, so it was back to the hotel room to watch the UGA-LSU game. We had to leave before it was over (turned out to be a good thing for these Bulldog fans) so that we could head to the Vanderbilt-Ole Miss game. Had a great time, but by the 4th quarter we had had enough.

We love college football. Didn't love this game.

Here's that food theme again... Sunday morning we picked Kyle up at his dorm for brunch, and then the grocery store for snacks for his room. And that was it. Had a great time, and it was nice to see him in his environment. The semester is going great for him, and we're thrilled.

Yep, we really did see the boy. Here's proof.

Avocado Update

Changes are afoot here at Down the Street and we are branching out all over. Look over at the Etsy minis, and you can see I have a new shop, Jenna Belle Designs, which will be a specialty shop with only handbags and zipper pouches, with an emphasis on the luxury. More details will be coming soon, and I'll be having a "Grand Opening" so watch for that!

Closer to home, I thought it was time to give you an update on this story of my poor avocado plant. Click here to read the first installment. And if you don't want to click, here is the "before" picture:

Before

In late spring, I decided to take drastic measures. I replanted it outside in a much larger pot, and here's where it gets drastic. I took the garden shears and lopped about 6 inches or so off the top, leaves and all. We joked all summer about the stick planted in the pot because that was just how it looked. By the end of August, however, changes were afoot on the stick. Or rather, I noticed little leaf buds bulging out from the sides.

And now we have:

After

Much better, don't you think. I'll have to bring it inside for the winter, but I'm really excited about the extra leaves. I'm sure there's a moral here somewhere, but I'll leave that to y'all to figure out.

This is me...

Etsy Blogger blog carnival time again, and this time the host, Stormy Designs, wants to see our faces. I'm not a fan of getting my picture taken, mostly because I don't seem recognize the woman in the pictures. Well, not true, I recognize her and she's my mother. Thank heavens for digital cameras though, and after tons of pictures, here I am:

Ignore the horrible background. A photographer I am not. I'm pretty transparent about what I am though, but just to refresh your memory... wife, mom of 2 almost grown-up children (well, ok, they're grown-up... 19 and 22), artist and Weight Watcher leader. I probably have a few more hats as well.

Since this "interview" is for Etsy though I'll elaborate a bit more about the artist hat. Really, what I do is sew, and I love to try all sorts of new techniques and projects. I got started when I was 13 and made clothes for myself, friends and family. I was also pretty much always involved in some sort of other needlearts kind of project like counted cross stitch. When I was 23 I made my first quilt, a queen size Lone Star design that I hand quilted. One of these days I'll take a picture of it and show y'all (oh, yeah, I'm from Texas).

When I was pregnant with my first child, I took a smocking class, and was thrilled when I had a baby girl and could really practice my new skills. You should see the adorable smocked outfits I made for my son, too. At least until his dad declared him too old for that kind of thing!

Along with way I've taken a French machine heirloom sewing class, made window treatments for every house we've lived in, including for 8 rooms in our current house, made more quilts (I machine quilt them now), made lots more clothes, and currently have 3 shops on Etsy.

About those shops... there's a reorganization underway, and I'll elaborate more in a future post. The most important news for the reorganization is that everything in my Elle Quilts shop is 25% until I move it to the Down the Street shop. Stay tuned for the Grand Opening of Jenna Belle Designs... the shop is opened now so drop by and check it out while I finish polishing the shelves and the banner.

Weight Loss Wednesday -- Goals

What have you done about your weight loss plans this week? It seems we all want to lose weight, but our specific goals are often a bit fuzzy. That can be the problem to getting to our ultimate goal, of a thin, totally amazing self. I've got to weigh in next week, so my specific goal is to lose 1 pound by Friday, October 2. Seems doable.

The next step is to make a plan. My plan is to track my points every day, starting today. Hmmm, it's 3:45 and I haven't tracked anything yet, but the day is not over. That brings me to the final step... act on the plan. OK, then, better get busy. What DID I have for breakfast?

If you have a goal that you want to reach, make it specific, make a plan, and then, as they say in the movies, ACTION!

Those amazing Etsy artists can even help you with this one. Isn't this little chalkboard made by Mary Kate McDevitt adorable? Check out her shop. She has several versions of "mini goals chalkboards."

Featured Etsy Blogger -- Designs by Vanessa

This month, the Etsy Bloggers Team is featuring Designs by Vanessa. She has a delightful shop with jewelry and paper goods, and has a self-professed obsession with the birds! Look what she does with that obsession though... such cute cards:

And an adorable necklace:

Besides being crafty, however, Vanessa has a fantastic blog! Take a look, because you will not be disappointed!

Weight Loss Wednesday -- Red Light Foods

Stop! Before reading any further, as this post could be hazardous to anyone with food addiction. You know who you are, and you probably know what your food "crack" is. And yes, you've probably felt the need to lose a few pounds. You didn't gain those extra pounds by eating too much salad, or too many apples, did you?

What am I saying? That some foods we eat can be addicting? Well, I'm no scientist, so this hasn't been tested anywhere, but the Frito-Lay company knows that "No one can eat just one." Well, I can. But give me some fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, and all bets are off!

The key here is to recognize your red light food (or foods in the case of many), and make a conscious decision to avoid it while you're trying to shed those pounds. Do NOT BUY the cashew nuts! Or the Oreos! Or the kettle chips! You get the picture. Finding a substitute that temporarily works is a good idea. And Conscious Portion Control can work if you let it. But you also have to be realistic. Sometimes you're just going to give in. Don't beat yourself up about it, move on, and when you've finally lost the weight, you can add those foods back into your life (in moderation, of course). You might find that when you've lost the weight, the red light foods are no longer as powerful as they once were.

OK, you're saying... that wasn't so bad. Well, no, but look no further if you feel a bit out of control because the following Etsy sellers could be accused of aiding and abetting your addition. If looking can't hurt, then feast your eyes on these yummy treats. Click on the pictures at your own risk as clicking will lead you directly to the shop. Enjoy!

Bliss Candies


Meg's Creations


Worth a Fortune

Road Trip: Stone Mountain, Georgia

Yesterday's road trip wasn't so much of a trip, as Stone Mountain is only about 25 minutes from our house, but somehow, in the 4 years of living in Atlanta, we've never made it there. Of course, as you can see by the picture, our destination was really the Yellow Daisy Festival. It's a huge craft festival with over 500 vendors from around the country, and it was high time we checked it out.

I was not disappointed. There won't be any pictures of the festival though (other than the one you see above) because posted ALL over were signs that pictures were not allowed. Obviously to protect the artists, which I totally understand. But I digress. The usual food was there in abundance, but we arrived after lunch, and a bottle of water was all that was purchased. What will power!

So. How were the crafts you ask? Well, it certainly ran the gamut, but suffice it to say, if you can make it, it was there. Several "repeat" booths, with vendors making virtually the same thing. Lots of hair bows, dog clothes, and picture mats that spelled something. Several booths with prints of original art and photographs. My favorite is always the pottery and we were not disappointed. I only bought one thing, a lovely pottery dish from a fellow Etsian and all around sweet girl, Charity. Another Etsy team member of mine told me to look her up and say "hi", and I was so glad that I did. Both of us were in agreement that we never would have believed that you could truly make good friends on the internet, yet that's exactly what happened. I seem to have subjects for several more posts, so I'll leave it at that.

Anyway, as is our usual fashion, Roland and I zoomed through the festival, probably making it through the whole thing in record time. I did manage to snap a couple of photos of the actual "stone mountain" which is the namesake of this park. The first is the mountain, and the second is an upclose of the carving of three Confederate heroes of the Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee and Lt. General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. Hey, what can I say? It's the south.

(see the guy on the right in the white shirt... it's Roland!)

Next month (or maybe in November), I'm planning to hike to the top of the mountain with a friend of mine. It's apparently a pretty easy hike, no real "mountain climbing"! I'll let you know!

Product Review: Kristria Designs

There are thousands of jewelry makers on Etsy, so it's hard to know which to buy from, but I have found some favorites. Today I'm reviewing the shop of my friend, Kristin, who is the genius behind Kristria Designs. If you see her around the forums, you'll know her by her user name, kmaylward.

I just know her as wonderfully creative. I'm a repeat customer, buying 2 pairs of earrings, a necklace and a bracelet from Kristin. Take a look:

I gave the necklace to my sister last year for Christmas, but was really tempted to keep it for myself. I just recently purchased those earrings and wear them all the time now. They are so light and comfortable, and are really very "neutral". The bracelet is sea glass, which I absolutely love. When I was in Maine 3 summers ago I purchased an earring and necklace set made from sea glass, and Kristin's bracelet goes with the set so perfectly.

When you look through Kristin's shop, she definitely has a "look" which is very earthy and grounded. The wire work is fabulous, and I love how she combines the wire work with stones and sea glass, or like my earrings, lets its beauty stand alone. Every now and then some color bounces out of her shop, and when I saw the next pair of earrings I knew just who to give them to! Take a look:

After wearing red and black for 4 years at the University of Georgia, daughter Laura now has to wear (on occasion) some University of Kentucky blue to support her fiance's school. These are perfect, and so unique.

Besides all the fabulous jewelry, everything in her shop is 20% off right now, so hurry over and check it out! You will not be sorry!

Kristin gets an A+ rating from me!

Weight Loss Wednesday -- Dining Out

Is it really possible to eat out and still lose weight? That IS the question, isn't it! So many people eat out on a regular basis, that I hope the answer is yes. For those whose eating out habits are the norm instead of the exception, planning ahead, choosing wisely, watching portions, and really paying attention to hunger signals is the key. Of course, if you're following the Weight Watchers plan, then writing it all down is the biggest key!

Now what if you only eat out on special occasions. Well, the rules aren't that much different, but for me, they have to be a little relaxed. One meal will not derail the weight loss train, and life is too short not to celebrate now and then. So, did you see my last post about the road trip to Lexington? We celebrated, and I gained a pound, but I'm back on track and no more celebrating for a while.

While you're contemplating where to eat dinner tonight, enjoy this great photo from Etsy seller blueeyedbadger designs:

Road Trip: Lexington, Kentucky

We hit the road for Labor Day weekend, heading north on I-75 to Lexington. Tomorrow is Laura's birthday, so we wanted to celebrate with her. It's always fun to watch anyone open their presents! We left Saturday morning and missed the dreaded holiday traffic, making it to our hotel in time to watch the UGA-OSU football game. When Laura and Thomas got home from the UK game in Cincinnati, we joined them at their apartment to watch the end of the game. Not the outcome we were hoping though.

Lexington, Kentucky is the horse capital of the world apparently, so Sunday morning after a fabulous breakfast at Alfalfa, we went in search of horses. They have plenty at the Kentucky Horse Park! Here's some:

A birthday dinner was in order, and Lexington delivered up a delicious one at Jonathon's at Gratz Park. It was delightful on the patio! The birthday girl and her fiance:

Walking back to our hotel, we saw the beautiful, twinkly blue lights in true Big Blue University of Kentucky spirit! So, as long as UK is not playing UGA, I can say it... Go Cats!

Labor Day traffic wasn't too horrible on the drive home. We look forward to our next trip!

Product Review -- Sagegold Soaps

Next up for review is soap from one of Etsy's many soap makers, Sagegold Soaps. I've tried several different shops for their soaps, but keep coming back to Sagegold for several reasons.

Number 1 is that Kerry makes fabulous soap! But what sets her apart from other soapmakers and makes me go back and buy again and again?

One of the main reasons, and I have to confess is a bit superficial, is that it looks like "store bought". What I mean by that is, that I was having trouble convincing Roland, sweet corporate guy that he is, to try any handmade soaps. I'm not really what he objected too, but just couldn't do it. As you can see by my photo, the Sagegold soap comes wrapped in that nifty cellophane with a label, and looks like a bar of soap you might buy at the drugstore.

Kerry also has a wide selection of fragrances and many that I would consider unisex. Not too fruity or flowery, just good, clean scents. These also appealed to Roland, so now I buy her 4 bar set, choosing two scents for him, and two for me. I like mine a little on the fruity side. Her scents are also not overpowering, but just right.

The final reason that I keep coming back to Sagegold... my skin feels marvelous! The lather feels like silk, and you just know there is nothing harsh next to your skin. And when you dry off, that clean, smooth feeling stays with you. There is never a dry, tight feeling that you get with commercial soap.

Kerry only sells her soaps on Etsy, but I discovered that she has a website where she also sells lotions, insect repellent and lip balm as well as her soaps and other gifts. You will learn more about her and how she got started on both her Etsy site and her website. Go visit Sagegold! You won't be sorry you did!

My rating for Sagegold: A+

Weight Loss Wednesday

I haven't done one of these in a while, but no time like the present! Weight Watchers is kicking off their Lose for Good campaign. Get all the details here:

www.loseforgood.com

While you're at it, click on these lovely items that are found in Etsy shops that donate all or part of their proceeds to worthwhile charities.

Do a search on Etsy for 'charity' and you will certainly find a seller that supports a cause that is near and dear to your heart.

Organizing, A Necessary Evil

Ok, not the most exciting of topics, but it has to happen. You know when you walk in your studio, and then you just walk out because you are too overwhelmed with all the clutter and stuff. I know. There are TV shows devoted to the clean up of the clutter and the recipients are SO relieved!

Well, my studio isn't quite ready for a Clean Sweep, so to speak, but my scraps had gotten out of hand. I know. I can hear you now... scraps? Seriously? But any seamstress or quilter will totally understand. I mean, you might NEED that 5" piece of fabric for something, if for nothing else than to test a stitch. And do a search for scrappy quilts, and you will get tons of hits.

Here are the before pictures:

And the after:

You probably can't read the little labels, but I sorted by color and have 6 groups: white, black, red/pink, blue/purple, yellow/orange, and green/brown. In case you're wondering, yes, I did throw some stuff away!

Now I just need to find some inspiration and get to work!

Road Trip -- Watkinsville

Yesterday was a gorgeous, hot day, and perfect for a little adventure. I had read about a pottery exhibition nearby, and convinced Roland that instead of hanging around the house, we needed to get out. I was just about over my empty nest depression!

Lunchtime saw us heading east toward Watkinsville, a little town just south of Athens. Quite a different drive this Saturday than in recent years when a September Saturday would see us all in red and black, ready to cheer on the Bulldogs. But I digress. Lunch was at a newish sub shop called Submarina, in a strip shopping center on Sugarloaf Parkway. The GPS was on the fritz, due to some unexpected falling off the window last weekend, but how hard can it be to find the Oconee County Arts Foundation building in Watkinsville.

Turns out, a bit harder than expected, but Roland's trusty Nokia phone with GPS got us there! There was 2 parts to this pottery exhibition, called Perspectives 2009: Georgia Pottery Invitational. The first we ventured into was this white building that indicated we would find a giant pottery sale!

Those people on the left were watching a pottery making demonstration. Inside, we found several aisles of treasures!

After roaming the aisles for awhile, and seeing lots of lovely pottery in different styles and techniques, but not buying anything, Roland discovered part 2. Turns out, there was a gallery exhibition as well in another, better airconditioned building. I don't have any pictures of that, but the same artists were represented, but the gallery appeared to show their best pieces. Some of those were for sale, but some were not.

All this pottery viewing left us quite thirsty, and since we were so close, we headed north about 8 miles into Athens. Seemed quite strange not to have anyone to visit (see post about daughter's graduation), but Athens does have a special place in our hearts anyway.

We stopped here, at The Grill, for a milkshake and a root beer float before heading back to Atlanta. Heading home after that, we decided more road trips will definitely be in our future (and not just trips to see football games)!

Product Review -- Frame Purse Making Kit

I've read lots of interesting features on amazing Etsy artists, and seen lots of great pictures of items while browsing, but now and then I'd love to read about the actual product. So, here we go. Everything I review will be something that I have personally purchased and used.

My first product review is on the Frame Purse Making Kit sold by U-Handbag. There it is in the picture from her Etsy shop. It's so cute, and I've been dying to try to make this kind of clutch purse. I make other clutches, so it's not a stretch for me, but needed the basics.

First of all, fast shipping. I think it took just about a week to come from London to Atlanta. Everything you need is in the kit except thread and glue. The thread was not a problem. I'll get to the glue in a minute. I dove right in and made it the day it arrived.

Lisa's pattern is so easy to follow, and she herself describes it as "easy peasy". A couple of notes. Follow Step 1!! At least the part about reading all the way through. I've been sewing for over 30 years, so sometimes I take little short cuts, and this pattern was no diffeent. All went well until Step 10 and the gluing.

To start with, I didn't have the glue she recommended, but hey, I'm a crafter with glue. Got out the E6000 and even have a long pointy tip thing, but it seemed to be just too thick and didn't come out in a smooth line. Next up was Fabri-Tac, a glue that I highly endorse, and have used often in attaching trim to window treatments. But my bottle was not new, and the tip was cut a bit far down, making the hole a bit larger than desired.

Still, I'm impatient, and wanted to see the finished product, darn it! I forged ahead, mostly making do with the fabri-tac, but I had neglected to read the part about "working with one side of the purse at a time". Oops. Once I started to stuff the edge of the purse into the channel of the frame, well, it was a gluing nightmare. After getting it all over my fingers, and having it squish out around the edge, I did somehow manage to successfully insert the bag into the frame. Mind you, this has NOTHING whatsoever to do with the kit itself. Just a reminder that this kit maker knows what she's talking about!

Bottom line: If you enjoy sewing and trying new projects, this one is a very fun and satisfying one indeed. The fabric and frame included are high quality, leaving you with a wonderful finished product that closes with a satisfying snap. Here's my finished purse. Not too bad, but I need practice.

Besides buying U-Handbag products on Etsy, you can also purchase them via their website, U-Handbag.com, and check out her fun blog for more tutorials on making handbags.

My rating for the kit: A+

Back to School

The Etsy Blogger Team's Blog Carnival is always so timely and topical, and this time is no different. What does back to school mean to me? For all those Etsy Bloggers with the young children heading off to elementary school, getting up early, making lunches, and mounds of homework... enjoy it if you can, because all too soon back to school will mean something totally different. Time flies is a saying that really is true!

My oldest graduated earlier this month, but my youngest is just starting his sophomore year in college. Back to school for us meant last minute packing, with nagging on my part, and declarations like "it will only take me an hour to pack all my stuff, mom" on my son's part. Shopping was kept at a minimum this year (unlike heading off to a freshman year) so that was good.

So, after a day's worth of packing (that was one LONG hour!!), last Saturday we headed north, spending the evening walking around campus, scouting out the new dorm, checking his mailbox for the coveted parking permit, and a last evening of bonding. OK, honestly, after dinner he met up with his friends that he hadn't seen in a couple of months, returning to the hotel room in the wee hours of the morning. We didn't even hear him come in, but about 2:45 a.m. I heard my husband shuffling around, and then a frantic, "have you heard from Kyle?" Um, no, I was sleeping, and my cellphone was somewhere in my purse across the room. But then, he said, "never mind, he's here sleeping." About 3 feet away on the sleeper sofa.

Sunday, after snagging a prime unloading spot by the dorm, we had a nice "free" hotel breakfast, and then the unpacking started. Kyle's dorm room is so small, that it's crowded with 2 people, downright uncomfortable with 3. He's so happy to be there, though.

Mama and her Baby Bird in his new nest

Since getting home, I have been wallowing around in our nest, which seems much too big for just the two of us, looking for birdies to take care of. I should snap out of it soon, and enjoy sleeping through the night again. Life is so much easier when you don't know what time they get home or what they've been doing!