True Story

So last night I order this .

 I get the following email.

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Hello,

Thank you for your recent purchase. We are a third-party reseller on Amazon, and this means we are responsible for shipping the products we offer. If you purchased other products at the same time, then they will be shipped separately, either by Amazon or another third party.

May we ask you some questions regarding your order? NO RESPONSE IS REQUIRED, and we will not delay the shipment of your order if you choose not to respond, but please double-check your order at the very least.

1) Could you please verify your mailing address?

HOLLY MCCONNELL
edited
VA

Some customers accidentally specify an older address, causing a delay in delivery. If this happened to you, please reply to this email and include your updated address.

2) Could you please verify the contents of your order?

========================================================================
ORDER SUMMARY
========================================================================
Order ID: 102-2658043-4919409
Order Date: 21-Feb-2011
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Quantity: 1
Description: COMBO Sticky Pad w/Grantwood Logo BLACK
+ FM Transmitter/Car Charger iPad/iPhone/iPod BLACK
Price Each: $ 22.99
Total: $ 22.99
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Subtotal: $ 22.99
Sales Tax: $ 0.00
Discount: $ 0.00
Shipping: $ 3.99
GRAND TOTAL: $ 26.98
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some customers accidentally select the wrong product and/or specify the wrong quantity. If this happened to you, please reply to this email and include any changes to your order.

========================================================================
NOTES ABOUT YOUR ORDER
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What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? FROSTBITE.

========================================================================
SHIPPING INFORMATION
========================================================================
Normally we ship the next business day after your order.

SHIPPING METHOD: USPS First Class (Post Office)
DELIVERY TIME (on average): 3-7 business days (US), 7-20 business days (International)

We will send you another email confirming the shipment of your package, and this email will include a delivery confirmation number, which will allow you to determine if a delivery has been attempted.

Thank you for your support.


Regards,
Customer Support
Grantwood Technology LLC
phone: 440-239-1885


------------- End message -------------


I’m reading this and I’ thinking, wow, what a great “Hey are you SURE you got everything right?” email. Because you know, of you didn’t, other people messed up too, so don’t feel like a total dumbass.

Then I see the joke. See it? Right after Notes ABout Your Order.

Now I have had this awful cold for four days and feel like garbage, Kinley has started seizing again, Gabriel also has the cold and I’m pretty crankified. But this cracks me up.

So I send this back.
------------------------------

Q: What is the best way to talk to Count Dracula?

A: Long distance.



Yep, everything looks good.
------------------------------------

and I get this back
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Why was Santa's Little Helper so depressed? LOW ELF ESTEEM.




--
Regards,
Sean Mills, Co-Owner

Grantwood Technology LLC
6801
Engle Rd Ste P
Middleburg Heights OH
44130
Phone: 440-239-1885
Fax: 440-378-5931
----------------

This sent me and the boy into gales of cackling. For the next hour we just walked around the house going “Low Elf Esteem! ahahhahaaaa....”

See this is just the kind of customer interaction I was talking about when I started bluedotshops.com the whole “Hey there’s a person involved.’” aspect rather then the vacuous Tweeting where everyone is shouting over everyone else and no one is paying attention

SO, yeah, if I ever need anything like this again, Sean is my man. Not, you know, just because he had one of the best worst jokes EVER but because he engaged on a human, goofy kind of level.

They also have this Ipad Case which is totally going on my list as it would be great for camping. I have the Element rigged so it would be like a tiny drive in.

Anyhow, my point is, while it’s important to be you know, professional and stuff, it’s just as important to pay attention. Paying attention is really a form of small kindness and hey, we could all use more if that.

It's Monday

IMG_2505, originally uploaded by bluedotshops.

test Image

Wednesday Review

Coffee and Chocolate Granola

First, the name. I like that instead of conjuring up what granola usually does, for me anyway, patchouli and body hair (both in excess) I envision stainless steel ovens.  This is a big plus.

Price: It's $7.50 a pound which is quite reasonable. This comment is not meant to encourage GL to increase its prices.  In fact, if you are GL, skip this part. Given that the ingredients are organic and top notch and the product is hand made by some folks in Brooklyn, its a nice price point. I'd be hard pressed to pay more, it's perhaps worth more, but it's all about me right now.

Shipping: Fast. This is really important when ordering food online as normally you are ordering it because you want to eat it NOW.

Packaging: Brown coffee type bag with a plastic peekaboo window. Nice label, cute design. Ingredients listed in order. My only thought is that a caloric serving size type label is needed. I don't need the whole how many whatever of vitamin A, but, I would like to know how many calories are in how much granola. In this case, ignorance is not bliss.

Flavor: I ordered the Gingersnap and the Coffee and Chocolate flavor. Yum! In fact, despite the healthy things like raw sunflower seeds, my ten year old son LIKED the Gingersnap. I just forbade him to look at it before he tasted it. Not because it looks yuck (see pic) but because it doesn't look like a Ho Ho and therefore would be judged inedible.

Ginger Snap

The balance of flavor and ingredient is something to behold, nothing overwhelms, at no time are you feeling like you are eating something you have to because it's good for you. The Gingersnap in particular is fantastic. Think gingersnap dipped in milk.

Plus, they don't put too many raisins in it. I can't tell you how many good cereals have been ruined because of raisin overload.

The Coffee and Chocolate flavor has coffee nips in it that have been ground up enough that you don't crack a cap or lodge a nib. What? That's never happened to you? The chocolate is subtle, which i Appreciated, I was a little worried it would be like Cocoa Puffs or something but its all very cohesive.

In fact, cohesiveness is really where Granola Lab excels. I'd imagine they got pretty sick of granola by the time they figured out the right balance.  It's baked perfectly, obviously they signed a pact with Satan or something because that, in homemade granola, is not an easy thing to master.

So there you go, that's your Wednesday  review and it's tasty one too.


UPDATE: I have been in touch with the talented and charming Alex and GL is in the process of writing up a nutritional label. Alex warns that this label may not be great news, as granola is high in calories. I assured Alex that anyone who cares enough to ask is painfully aware of that. The trick is finding granola that is worth the caloric intake, which, I can state with utter conviction, GL's is.

No review today.

Enjoy the holiday and eat lots of pie. We are having rib eye as I finally came to terms with the fact that none of us really like turkey. Dogs included.

The Wednesday Review- Fanciful Felties

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. Sometimes when ordering more edgy (for lack of a better word) books on craft you can end up with something terminally hip, so much so as to be useless. 


I like this book. While I'm not apt to use the faces, the general form and ideas are pretty darn swell. Plus, the patterns are FULL SIZE.  I may end up reducing some of them, but I cannot tell you what a joy it is to not have many tiny patterns with "enlarge 200%" on them. That bugs me to no end. In my view, I bought your book now the least you can do is give me REAL patterns.

There are 14 projects in the book and all are very beginner friendly. The instructions are very clear and concise. In non traditional craft books this can be a sticky wicket. The place to impress upon your gentle reader how unique you are is not in the instructions. 


Be casual, be chatty but please, please be concise. 


I'm in love with the houses and it tickled me that she includes different door and window variations.  The majority of the figures are made by attaching the head to the front of the body and then sewing the two body/head pieces together.  This is a method I use whenever possible as sewing the head to the body is one of my least (and most unsuccessful) trials of plush making. 


There is also, for reasons that escape me, a good scone recipe in the back of the book. Not expected, but I'm always up for a good scone recipe. 


I also appreciate that these patterns can be adapted to cottons and other fabrics. Good wool felt is expensive and while I'd love to have heaps of it at my disposal, fact is, it's damn pricey. I'm not sure a quilting cotton weight would suffice, but home decor remnants, something with a bit of substance will stand in nicely. 


All in all, it's a good buy, (I got mine for about $13 from Amazon Fanciful Felties) with some great jumping off projects. Sometimes even those of us who do this for a living need to look at our craft another way. I already have plans for an entire little village...

Juki TL98Q Quilting Sewing Machine

So my Bernina is in the shop. Good thing is she thinks it will only be a couple weeks and not the usual 4 to 6 because well, everyone is holding onto their machine during holiday season.

Plus they will replace the door and the thread holder and service it for about $130 which is less then I was originally told.

In the interim I did something stupid and totally unlike me and bought a cheap ($130) Singer from JoAnn's to have as a back up machine. The minute I took it out I could tell the difference. I know people use them and blah blah and some can't understand HOW anyone can spend $2000 and up on a machine when blah blah.

I am convinced that none of these people have ever used a high end machine. There is a huge difference is quality and workmanship from the bobbins to the casing to the motor. I'm not passing judgment, but it does get my back up when people who choose use low end machine's behave as if using a high end is some crazy choice based on nothing more then a desire to be 'fancy'. I'm pretty sure if they spent a few hours with my Bernina they'd get it. Or at least lose the weird sanctimony.

The Singer was a piece of crap that out of the box refused to work properly and I'm not a sewing novice. Bear in mind I'm also not a part time seamstress, this is a tool I need in order to make what I sell. To make it even better, Joanns won't take the damn thing back, so it's going on Craigslist. I'm sure someone can make it work.

ANYhow...

I still needed a back up machine. So I got a refurbished Juki. I prefer to buy refurbished when possible because my experience is that they always work out of the box having been put through rigorous testing. With a higher end machine you aren't saving more then usually $100 but I know it's been tested, oiled and all that good stuff. You still have the warranty, Juki's have a 5 year warranty which is pretty good.

This Juki is a quilting/semi industrial machine. All it does is straight stitch. Which for most of what I do is fine. But, the fantastic things about it are huge foot pedal which also cuts the thread, the pressure foot knee lift and the needle down position.

The needle down position option is crucial for people like me who make plushes. It's a deal breaker and while my Bernina has it, the other Bernina's I was looking at (higher end) don't. That was a bit of a surprise. Juki also has a handy reverse stitch lever and a HUGE extension table. This saves me $45 for the custom inset for my table.

I'm very pleased, it's top quality and aluminum. The extension table is heavy duty thick plastic.

Again, I have nothing against regular old sewing machines, although I will never buy a Singer again. I do think you should buy the best tools you can afford. Do I sound defensive? lol  I'm sure the Singer will make someone very happy, although the reviews I've read since buying it don't bode well.

As for me, I'm satisfied and looking forward to seeing what this little beauty (or not so little) can do. I may even start quilting again...

Juki TL98Q Quilting Sewing Machine The new TL98Q lockstitch machine was developed by Juki to preserve the inspiration and design sewn into every quilt. The TL-98Q performs truly consistent, smooth, even stitching to secure quilt seams. Today's quilters can now streamline projects as they operate basic sewing functions by foot pedal, simplify chain piecing by raising and lowering the presser foot by knee lift, efficiently trim threads quickly and enjoy a wider work area for larger quilts. The TL98Q sews at high speeds up to 1,500 stitches per minute, is equipped with drop feed, an automatic needle threader, easy bobbin replacement and an extension table as standard. Also provided are two great new quilting feet for free motion and embroidery, a 1/4 seam piecing foot, a walking foot for difficult-to -feed materials, and additional feet for hemming and zipper attaching.

Two Types of Quilting Foot / Drop FeedTwo types of quilting feet are supplied as standard accessories with the machine. A 1/5 Quilting Foot is used for basic quilting and the 1/4 Quilting Foot for precision sewing with 1/4 inch stitch width.

The feed dog can be raised and lowered simply by depressing a switch. When quilting, the drop feed allows you to sew curved stitches with ease.

Even Feed FootWith its reliable feed, the even feed foot ensures the machine's ability to produce beautiful seams when sewing difficult-to-feed fabrics, such as georgette and velvet, as well as heavy-weight materials such as leather.

Automatic Thread TrimmerThe machine is equipped with an automatic thread trimming device that simultaneously cuts the needle and bobbin threads at the sewing end by lightly pressing the push-button. It uses the thread trimming mechanism that is similar to the industrial sewing machine type.

Foot Pedal Switch for Thread TrimmingAs with an industrial sewing machine, the thread trimmer can be activated with the foot pedal switch. It greatly increases sewing efficiency.

Easy Bobbin ReplacementA new bobbin case latch and an enlarged bobbin case are make it easier to remove and replace the bobbin.

Automatic Needle ThreaderThe push lever automatic needle threader easily threads the needle without eye strain and allows you to start sewing quickly.

Knee Lifter LeverThe knee lifter lever allows you to lift / lower the presser foot without using your hands.

Presser Foot Pressure AdjustmentPresser foot pressure can be adjusted according to the fabric being sewn by turning a regulator located on the top of the machine.

Heavy-Weight Materials are Sewn with EaseThe speed control mechanism, operated by microcomputer, allows the machine to sew material at low speeds. This provides for accurate feed and perfect stitching when sewing heavy-weight fabrics, quilting and multiple layers of materials.

Predetermined Stop Position of the NeedleTo move the needle up or down as desired, simply press the needle up/down button. When the button is pressed continuously, the machine sews stitch-by-stitch at low speed.

Ok, so it's pretty much After without Before.

My husband is a contractor and he had the porch of the house we rent redone into a workspace for me.  Yes, we are the best tenants ever and I can see how some would think it's nuts to do so much work on a rental. But, owning is so far ahead of where we are (thank you suck economy)  that it simply made no sense to sit around and wait for someday. 

Did I start to hyperventilate thinking about what if we had to move or something? Sure, but I do that on a regular basis and really I'm more concerned about Gabriel's school then anything else. 

At some point you have to sit still or make do and I'm really bad at just sitting there. Luckily so is my husband. 

I was using a ten by twelve room upstairs in our very typical Arlington brick house. With bookshelves for fabric, etc. it got really very hot in the Summer and while functional, was not a 'real' workspace. 

Plus I'd be upstairs having to yell down and answer 'Mom?' every three seconds and trying to step over a sea of dog (I have three all averaging 90 pounds who NEED to be right there at ALL TIMES) and having on thing here and another there, well, it was not motivating. 


The porch, while a few feet narrower, is a few feet longer, on the first level and not used at all, really.  Unfortunately, while the dogs have more room to spread out, they still pretty much make a dog rug around my feet. 


The upside being that since it's not so hot, they pant less and I have more oxygen. I'll post some pics of them next week, they are pretty awesome. Right now I have one behind my chair and two on the bed behind the chair. One of them has to stare at me at all times.  Another must have their ear right under the wheel of my chair. It's some sort of built in system they have.


But I digress.

You can click to make larger. 

This is my neglected Suzie Pro. Which I can now use as it's not crammed behind my sewing table.  The last pictures are some (yes, some) of my spinning stash. 

This is a rug I made from one of Gabriel's drawings.

This is a cutting table from JoAnn's. A fabulous thing and one I recommend highly. See that metallic looking pad under the pillow on the table? That's an ironing pad. You use it on any surface, it costs under $12 and you don't need to use an ironing board. Awesome space saver. 

This is the far end of the room. The shelves are built in and on brackets if I want to adjust them. Yes, the room does slant ever so slightly,lol. All porches do. See that shelving in there, on the left? With the stacks of wool? I had to put a shim under the left side because otherwise the slant was so pronounced I felt like I was on a ship.

Cute bins from Target on major mark down. Fleece and what not fabric is on this end with the cottons on the other.

Pics fuzzy, sorry. Under those two windows is where I planted the lavender bushes and the climbing roses (well those were planted but had to be cut back, they are coming around nicely). So when I open the window, next year it will smell lovely. 

This is the machine I'm using while my Bernina gets fixed. Yes, it's a bit of a challenge. 

Over on the door end. All cottons, most half and quarter yards. Those rolling storage things are from the Container Store, try and grab the floor models (I did) and save big bucks. 

Obviously a ceiling fan.

Track lighting he put in after I pointed out that the ceiling fan's 150 watt output just wasn't gonna cut it.

Front of the room, look at my big ass windows! Blinds will go up eventually,lol.

Another view. That purple fabric is a temporary fix until I figure out  how to deal with the dogs going nuts every time someone walks by. Those bins in the middle will go in the basement after I *sob* figure out Photoshop and take pictures and list everything.

I thought I took pics of the before. But, can't seem to find them. Anyhow, it was a basic porch, not enclosed, with a roof. Now it looks like this. The floor is kinda bouncy as Hamid put padding and then plywood and then the cheaply fake wood (we don't own the house, so couldn't rationalise spending $600 on a floor). It's nice because it's kind on one's feet when you are standing for a bit. 

These are great because they have little photo sized (5 by 7) boxes in them. I use them to hold die cut felt shapes, and small felt projects I'm working on. Great storage and great for travel. Plus, you can use the coupon from Michael's and get them way cheap.

All my weaving supplies will stay in one of the upstairs closets. So will the yarn. The looms will stay in what is now the spare room. Wool and roving will remain in the rest of the upstairs closets. This is why I have those whatevers that hold like, eight towels at a time on the back of the bathroom door. At last count it was four closets full.  But they are really small closets....

Oh this is my magnet board. I'm stupidly excited about it.

These are my Ananda Tree price labels. The house and tree and for the House and Home line and the girl is for the children's stuff. They are stamps from The Mayberry Sparrow who has wonderful things, all of which I want, and is a dream to do business with. 

Of course the Ananda tag is affixed to all goods, but these not only make the items a little more special, it's easier for consignment inventory.


It's painted Faraway Blue, which you can't really make out with the photos due to my crap ass skills. That's about it. I don't know how big the room is exactly, here's the outside. UPDATE:  The space is about 8 by 16 feet.   

Typical Arlington post WW2 two story.

Oh and in case you thought I was exaggerating, here are some of the closets.

I'm thinking I may need another addition....