Santa - a Judy for Christmas - please?

Dear Santa, how I would love a Judy,
I’ve been a good girl except when I’m moody.

I’ve been good to my Mom and swell to my Dad,

I’ve tried to bite my tongue whenever I’m mad.

Oh, a Judy and me, so much fun it would be!
She would help me with hem lines down past the knee.

I’d treat her well, I promise I would!
And she would help me display my bags really good!

So Santa - sir - please consider my plead,
I would never ask you for something that I did not truly need.

Have I told you I love you and that you’re my favorite man?

I’ll use flattery whenever I can.

(just don’t tell H.H. ok?)

Judy (aka: Dress Form) - used to give a three-dimensional view on the article of clothing that is being sewed. They come in all sizes and shapes for almost every article of clothing that can be made. When a piece of clothing is made, it can be put on the dress form so one can see how the piece of clothing turned out. Then one can make alterations upon the clothing after seeing what it looks like on a body

My Goodness - What a Find!

I meant to post a picture of this great little find a looooooong time ago, but alas, I have too many things going on in my head. Every once in a while the clouds in my brain part and I have some clarity and today is one of those days, so here it is.

I found this lovely little cushion cover at the good old, Goodwill store. Guess how much I paid for this....come on - guess......no.......lower.....nope.......nope...................................give up? 99 cents!!!! That's right, you heard it. Less then a Loonie (a Loonie is the Canadian $1 coin for those of you who a south of the border or across the pond)!

Seriously though, I could picture this little cushion cover at Pottery Barn or Pier 1 priced at at least $30 - couldn't you?

Anyway, I love it and wanted to share.

P.S - don't be jealous - your time will come too.

Why buy handmade and what the heck is Etsy Anyway?

You may have noticed the little badge on the left hand side of my blog proclaiming that I plan on buying handmade items this Holiday season. I have also added a new poll to my blog to find out how many of my readers have actually bought online from Etsy (more on Etsy later).

Why by handmade you ask? Here are some great reasons (information taken from the Buy Handmade website, click here for more) :

1) Buying handmade is better for people
2) Buying Handmade is better for the environment
3) Want to give a truly special and well-crafted gift? Then handmade is for you!
4) Chain store culture and global manufacturing has resulted in all of us dressing them, decorating the same and furnishing our homes the same!
5) I sell handmade bags and accessories (I have my own Etsy shop) and there is nothing like a little shameless self promotion!

So what the heck is Etsy anyway?

Etsy is an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade. Etsy’s mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers. Etsy’s vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice: Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade.

Etsy is full of fanasticly-fantastic handmade items. You can find everything from jewelry to art, cookies to vintage teapots, clothing, hats, mittens, scarves, purses, wallets, perfume, bath products, origami – I could go on forever! On top of all of this, the handmade items for sale are not your Grandmother's doilies and crocheted toilet paper holders – Etsy has quality items! If you are looking for Indie items - Etsy is the place for you. The merchandise is endless and when you order, your purchases are sent right to your front door! No need to battle the crowd at your local shopping mall this holiday season.

Joining Etsy is absolutely free as a buyer. Registering is simple and requires no detailed personal information beyond your e-mail address and name. Here are some pics of just a few items available on Etsy that I have bought or that I really, really want to buy...

Above: A beautiful pendant from www.littleputbooks.etsy.com

Above: A sassy top that I absolutely LOVE from http://www.treehouse28.etsy.com/

Above: Oh so feminine! A wide belt from http://www.deciduoussoul.etsy.com/

Above: A typewriter key pendant from http://www.luv4sams.etsy.com/

This is just a tiny taste of what you will find on Etsy. It's totally worth checking out, so if you can't commit to buying all handmade items this holiday season, at least commit to checking out the Etsy website - you'll be glad you did!

Please also see fellow blogger 'Fearless Fibre’s' helpful hints on how to create an Etsy Holiday wish list to send to your family and friends http://fearlessfibers.blogspot.com/.

Oh! And a note to my family and friends – here is the link to my Etsy wish list for Christmas – HINT-HINT, wink-wink, nudge-nudge...

Boo!

Happy Halloween everyone (a day late!)! Hope you had a good one!

As I currently live in an apartment, I don't have many kiddies come knocking for candy, so I always try to do something else to make Halloween seem, well, "Halloweenish". This year I ventured to "the Village" to view all of festivities. If you ever come to Toronto on Halloween and want to see some great costumes, go to the Village. Unfortunately, I only got a few shots with my camera as my flash was giving me a hard time.

Spooks filled the streets...

Michael was there - why weren't you?

Next year I'm actually going to get a costume and really join in the fun!