Oodles and oodles

Just my type

Found while sorting valentines this weekend.

(It is was in my Etsy shop. But only because I had to buy a new refrigerator this weekend.)

Put a cat in it

My daughter (a big fan of cats) and I were lazing around Sunday morning. I was scrolling through Pinterest and found a photo of a cute cat with a hat. I showed my daughter, who said, "awwwwwww." Seconds later, I found a photo of two cute cats, each with a scarf on their head, which also elicited an "awwwwwww." And mere seconds after that, I came across a photo of two cute cats with some sort of upside-down basket things on their head. Well, I know a trend when I see one.

And thus my Pinterest board, Cats With Things on Their Head, was created. In a matter of hours, it had more than 100 followers. Which in my tiny corner of the Pinterest world is a lot. You are all familiar with the Portlandia skit, Put a Bird on It. My new mantra is Put a Cat in It.

So as I was taking photos for Etsy this morning before heading off to work (so ambitious!), I thought, poor plain boring Etsy photo. I'm going to put a cat in you. Multiple cats! Cats in the Strombecker bathroom! Cats on the Strombecker chair! On the fireplace mantle!

On the stereo!

A bad cat in the kitchen, accompanied by an I'm Being Good cat.

Then it occurred to me that if I placed cats in my Etsy photos, I would have to sell the cats. I did not want to sell the cats.

But there is nothing stopping me from creating the Pinterest board Miniature Cats with Miniature Furniture.

Redecorated

The Christmas decorations are put away, and there's a theme to what is replacing them.

It's not a red metal toy theme.

It's not a red Swanky Swig theme.

{Even though there's a red Swanky Swig sporting its original label - the first I've found!}

Nope, it's a keep-it-colorful-in-here-because-we're-ignoring-the-weather-forecast theme. If you're in one of those chilly areas, stay warm. If you're not, be thankful!

How to survive a snowstorm

We're a pretty winter-hardy lot here in upstate New York, but the forecast for the last couple of days has been dire. Up to a foot of snow! Below-zero temperatures! Dangerous wind chills! I sprang into action and started sorting through feedsack.

I could not protect every single one of the 120 million Americans under winter storm warnings, but I could make sure that at least a few of them had access to quality vintage fabrics with which to make warm, snuggly quilts. As quickly as my cold-numbed fingers could work, I cut squares.

I sorted and counted them.

Assembled them in tidy bundles and listed them in my Etsy shop.

I thought I could provide hope for better days ahead by listing this charming vintage print.

And this happy feedsack.

I listed The Most Expensive Thing I've Ever Listed on Etsy with this gorgeous antique quilt top.

In the midst of all of this, I exchanged e-mails with a customer in Australia. She was replying to my e-mail at 4 a.m. her time, because it was so hot she couldn't sleep.

Since I was on something of a roll, I made tags.

Today the storm is over (it's super cold but the snow wasn't too bad) (of course, I hardly set foot outside), and I am still popping with ambition for my shop this year. I really need to carry over the enthusiasm of the Christmas season (my best ever, and many thanks to all of you for that!) into the new year. How about you? Do you have an Etsy goal this year?

And if you don't have any goals yet, you could start with this modest one a friend passed along: My goal in 2014 is to stop writing 2013 on my checks.

 
 
 
 
 

New old things

For all the years I've been going to estate sales and auctions, this is one of my favorite finds ever: a Jadite grease jar with a tulip-patterned lid, sitting unnoticed in a kitchen cupboard, with a $1 price tag.

I don't remember the particular outing, but apparently sometime over the past few months, Mr. Oodles and I were out and about, and I saw something similar to this. And apparently I commented on it. I wish I remembered the occasion, but it probably would not surprise you to learn that while I am out and about viewing vintage items, the words "Oh, I love that!" are uttered on a fairly regular basis.

So when I opened my gift from Mr. Oodles on Christmas, I was shocked to see these. "How did you know I wanted these?" I asked. "Because you said you loved them but you would never buy them for yourself," he said. "So I decided I'd get them for you for Christmas."

My favorite estate sale find, accompanied by my favorite Christmas gift ever.

Oh, but Mr. Oodles wasn't done, because he bought me jewelry!

And just the kind I like.

The old kind.

And the even older kind.

Thanks, Mr. Oodles.