It Is Time for Pumpkins!

I am presently stitching up some soft sculptured pumpkins.  Recently, I ran across a great find at a yard sale:  a huge stash of fabrics from a quilter of 20 + years.  From this stash, and from a selected number of prints purchased by me within the last year, these pumpkins are being created.  I do not know why, but the pumpkins are one of my favorite things to make.  Keep an eye out for these on my Etsy and Artfire shops next week!

THINKING ABOUT CHRISTMAS

I know that someone may be moaning, "already putting things out for Christmas!"  No, I am making it a goal to start making items for Christmas (and Halloween & Thanksgiving) in order to have these ready for the holidays.  As soon as I complete each item, if not for a gift for a family member or close friend, I will post it on Etsy and/or Artfire for sale.
~If you would like to see something made that you have not seen in my blog or shops, feel free to give input.  I will certainly take suggestions into consideration!~

{In Between}

Back to the garden again.  I am still trying to figure out how to get better pictures with my camera, so bear with me.  The views here are from my desk in my bedroom, which overlooks the garden.  I tried to get a portrait of the back yard boss, a mockingbird, but he was too busy running off "invaders," including the squirrels.  


Not much was done in the garden today as that showers kept us out.  But hey, we surely need the moisture!  The plants have really grown since the rains started Sunday.


The plants in the top photo are potato plants, which my hubby is pulling soil towards them, to make the hills bigger around them, as I write.  The second photo is of okra.  I love okra!  The third photo is of the yellow crook neck summer squash and the fourth is of the pole beans and the Ichiban eggplant at the end of the row.  Between the beans and eggplant are cucumbers that should start climbing the trellis soon.


        My husband was not sure about vertical planting last year, but loved it when he discovered that he did not have to bend over to pick the green beans last year (not much, anyway).  


He is to fix another trellis row next week and we are to plant some more beans and cukes.  Staggering the planting of vegetables keeps the veggies coming through the summer.  We can grow stuff well beyond September if the weather is right.  Oh, we also want to plant sweet potatoes somewhere.  I am not sure if they will overrun the place, but we have decided to try.


I have decided to pull back on producing stuff for Etsy and concentrate on immediate needs.  However, I do need to list the JellyBean Critters that are ready. The garden is an immediate need, as well as that I intend to make some clothes for the granddaughter and a couple of shirts for my father...as well as create some more embroidery designs from my original artwork.  Hey! I see fireflies!  Summer is around the bend!

{SERENE SUNDAY} Scroll down for Giveaway Information-

These are quick shots taken from my bedroom window overlooking the small vegetable garden in our back yard.

The two birds are doves sitting on the trellis upon which the pole beans are climbing.  Tomatoes on the vines are about the diameter of a quarter or slightly larger and my husband are eagerly awaiting for them to mature.  There is nothing better for me than to pick a tomato off the vine, rinse it off immediately and slice it for a tomato sandwich!

One thing about growing your own vegetables, one does not have to worry about toxic substances on the vegetables, or germs being shared by others (from handling from one person to the other).  We keep a birdfeeder, with a water source, next to the garden.  The multitude of birds that frequent our garden keep the bugs off the vegetables.  Summer is approaching!

Vegetables planted in our garden: Bell peppers, Better Boy tomatoes, Kentucky Wonder pole beans, Ichiban eggplants, Clemson Spineless okra, red potatoes, crookneck squash, and more to come!

Artisan of the Week: Missus D

I have decided to slow down in producing eyeglass cases, etc., and focus on making gifts, etc., for family and close friends. I also am taking a break from "blowing my own horn" and, instead, will stop to look at other blogs, shops, etc. and show case one on a periodic basis.

I started with looking at my blog followers, and blogs that I follow, and it was hard to select one for this entry. However, I decided to start with Missus D. I adore her quirky amigurumi creations as did my 7-year-old granddaughter as she happened to see the photos of Missus D's amigurumi on my laptop's screen.

This talented artisan can be located on her blog, http://craftymissusd.blogspot.com/, which has leads to her shops on Etsy and Dawanda. I am really impressed with her digital card graphics that she is offering as PDF's which are ready to download and print. Go to her blog and click on Crafty Giveaways and find her Christmas Card Freebie which you can print for personal use. Kudos to Missus D!

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December 16, 2009 update: It was brought to my attention that labeling of all products, "Made in USA," does not always mean that it is made in the United States. I did a little research and found the following information. It seems that in 1999, moves were made to close in the loophole of labeling, but our legislators in Congress failed to do so.

IS IT REALLY MADE IN USA?

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands benefits from substantial subsidies and development assistance from the federal government of the United States. The economy also relies heavily on tourism, especially from Japan, and the rapidly dwindling garment manufacturingsector. The tourism industry has also been dwindling since late 2005. Since late 2006, tourist arrivals fell 15.23 percent (73,000 potential visitors) from the eleven months prior.

The Northern Mariana Islands had successfully used its position as a free trade area with the U.S., while at the same time not being subject to the same labor laws. For example, the $3.05 per hour minimum wage in the Commonwealth, which lasted from 1997 to 2007, was lower than in the U.S. and some other worker protections are weaker, leading to lower production costs. That allowed garments to be labeled "Made in USA" without having to comply with all U.S. labor laws. However, the U.S. minimum wage law signed by President Bush on May 25, 2007, will result in stepped increases in the Northern Marianas' minimum wage to reach U.S. level by 2015. The first step (to $3.55) became effective July 25, 2007, and a yearly increase of $0.50 will take effect every May thereafter until the CNMI minimum wage equals the nationwide minimum wage.

In the extreme, the island's exemption from U.S. labor laws had led to many alleged exploitations including recent claims of sweatshops, child labor, child prostitution and even forced abortions.

Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/northern-mariana-islands