Scary and Gory things make me uncomfortable and I hate to cry when I'm watching a movie. You know...that knot you get in your throat trying to hold it back? But for some unknown reason, I am addicted to the TV series, Criminal Minds. Talk about scary and gory!
Last night, I almost sobbed out loud when one of the main characters, JJ, was forced to le
ave. Then there's Dr. Reed, a quirky somewhat gawky young genius who has a eidetic memory and can rattle off facts a mile a minute. Hotchner, the leader of the group, almost never, ever smiles. But the episode where his wife is murdered, opens up a wave of emotions that let you know he does feel things, after all. Garcia comes off as the wacky but sweet and brilliant computer gal who can check out a profile online quicker than you can say, "Gotcha." But she's got a great big heart and a special relationship with the hunky Derek Morgan. Emily is the smart, serious one, who wears her weapon with style and doesn't hesitate to use it when needed.
Criminal Minds involves the FBI's behavior analysis bureau. Their job is to analyze clues and information gathered from a crime scene to figure out the personality, temperament and intent of the killer in an effort to prevent another murder that is certain to happen in short time according to the plot. I think I'm more addicted to the characters than the stories. Whatever it is, I find myself sitting up alone at night, wide eyed while munching on something or other watching the BAU do t
heir stuff. As soon as hubby goes to bed, I walk around and lock all the doors, even the garage entry door (because that's how a lot of criminals find their way into the house), making myself nice and safe knowing that I'm going to hear noises that really aren't there for about an hour. Since stalkers are one of the more consistent profiles in Criminal Minds, I find myself wishing I didn't hate curtains as much as I do. Our windows are bare because it's a look I love. But at eleven o"clock at night, when I'm sitting all alone in the dark, I wish I could close the blinds that don't exist.
Chalk it up to quirkiness, I guess. For me, it's the best entertainment on TV at the moment!
Of course, I should be making more aprons and blouses for my etsy.com online shop instead of sitting watching television.
~What the heck?
~10,239 is today's number. Yes...10,239 aprons listed on Etsy. How on earth do I manage to sell anything with that kind of competition? I'll never understand. When I began this ven
ture, in June of 2008, there were 4,000+ aprons listed. I thought that number was insurmountable. What? 4000 aprons? Get out! But...somehow, folks found mine and ordered them. Goes to show that www.etsy.com reaches far and wide. And that there's a market out there ready and willing to open their wallets.
~I listed a blouse this morning. 5,490 other listings for women's blouses! 5,490! Guess if you think of how many female shoppers there are in the world with access to the Internet and a credit card, it doesn’t seem that impossible. But...I still find it amazing. 10, 239 aprons? 5000+ blouses? What the heck?
I did it!
I actually got one more top sewn before I pack up my sewing stuff for the trip home. It's another "one shoulder strap" baby-doll top in a pretty sheer print that reminds me of the jungle. I named it Jungle Sheer. It's frothy and frilly and happy with an added thin shell button to the handmade fabric rose and a little touch of feathers to add interest. I really like this top. Such fun to make things that although I can't wear them myself, I can imagine them on just the right person. Spent the better part of today stripping the patio of all its adornment, including the tiny white lights that make it look so pretty at night. I washed all the empty flower pots and brought in the wrought iron folding chairs and table. Since hubby is laid up, I'll have to do most of the travel prep myself. I'm making an effort to do a little each day so as not to be overwhelmed at the last minute. We're looking toward a schedule of leaving here on Saturday and arriving in NY on Sunday. Then on home to the Cape on Monday. I hear the grass is very green and growing. Hoping our grandson, Jonathan, will get it mowed before we return.Hard to leave this gorgeous Florida weather. It's usually too hot here by now for us, but this year, the temps have been much lower and it's just about perfect right now.Be sure to check out our etsy shop at www.apronsgonewild.etsy.comAnd...please don't forget to leave me a comment here. Love to hear from all of you.
Fantasy Girl...Seems like a lot has happened since I last wrote a post. Hubby hurt his back and we spent most of last week running around to doctors. There's a medical facility of some sort on every corner here in Florida. The health of an aging population seems to be a lucrative business. All things medical appear to work well and efficiently. 
I did manage to get a new top made over the weekend. I really like this one. It's light and frilly and oh, so pretty. I named it Fantasy Girl. I'm not sure why...it's just the name that came into my head when I looked at it all finished on the mannequin, ready to be photographed. You can check out the details of Fantasy Girl on my etsy online shop at www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com I've just cut a pretty mauve paisley fabric for a full apron. I had a hard time choosing from all the colors and prints in my stock for this one. That big pile of fabric in the corner gets my juices running just looking at it. Some women get excited about clothes...some about shoes or about jewelry. But...I get excited about fabric. To be able to create things out of beautiful fabrics and have people like them and buy them is a fantasy fulfilled. I guess that makes me the actual "real life" Fantasy Girl.
Feedback....I love feedback. On my etsy online shop, feedback from buyers lets me know if my designs are being well received. On my apronsgonewild blog, feedback in the form of comments, or the traffic feed lets me know if anyone is reading what I write. Feedback is good. It's like a paycheck. When it's complimentary, the check is big. When it's not...well...you can guess. So far, the feedback on my etsy online shop has been all good. But, I still worry, each and every time I ship out an order. People can be very particular sometimes. What one person might love, another might not even like. Clothing of any kind is usually quite specific to the user. Even an apron can be a fashion statement for some folks. And there's an even bigger chance that the peasant tops and halter tops I make might not fit right or be what the buyer had imagined. So, I always worry whenever I ship an order. I nervously wait for the feedback.So far, my etsy shop feedback has been 100% positive. Last week, I shipped out an adorable lady's apron and a hunky men's apron to the same buyer. It was a big purchase and I wondered how the buyer would feel when she saw the items in person....not just on the computer screen. Turns out, I needn't have worried at all. The buyer's feedback comments were above and beyond what I could have hoped. Matter of fact, she wrote that the lady's "Love Me Tender" apron would be passed down as a family heirloom! Imagine that? And she added that her husband was newly inspired and exceptionally handsome in his "Hot 
Chocolate For Men" apron. Ah...I love feedback. Spent this past weekend working on two new blouses for my etsy shop. One is a semi-sheer peasant top I've named "Espresso Latte" because it's a beautiful, 
rich 
dark brown with silvery white flowers that just have a hint of color. There's a matching fabric rosette on one side of the neckline. The other is a halter top in Michael Miller's carnival print...a fabric that was suggested by 
a customer. The latter is not a fabric I would have chosen myself, but now that the top is finished, I rather like it. I wonder what the feedback will be on these two?
Prints & Chintz and all that....A Warm Up! Finally. Temps should be back up in the 70s this weekend. Yeah! I need my vitamin D. A little sun bathing is in order. We've decided to do a couple of small projects here this winter since we're feeling a bit "spent" from the kitchen remodel back home. Rich is going to paint the upstairs bathroom vanity and put new tile down on the floor. This condo complex is nearing 50 years in age. The fixtures are a bit dated, to say the least. We upgraded the kitchen a couple of years ago but the bathrooms are still wearing bell bottoms and beads, if you get my drift. Our bathtub, sink and toilet are a very Robin's Egg Blue! Yikes! Not ready to tear those out yet, so the vanity will get a nice, clean coat of white paint and the floor tile will be white with a little gray/blue tinge. I'll use my camouflage talents to dress it up with some nice towels and soaps and it will be just fine...no...it will be terrific. I'll post some pics on that when it's done.I decided I have enough aprons for the time being which leads me to my other chronic disease....making blouses and tops. I experimented by listing several in my etsy shop this past year and they seemed to be well received. I've got some absolutely beautiful Amy Butler fabrics that will be spectacular in our Aprons Gone Wild baby-doll top design. I'm working on number one today. A fellow etsian emailed me about making one of my halter tops in Michael Miller's "carnival" print, so I've ordered the fabric from my
favorite fabric suppliers, Charlie and Lindsay of Fabric Supplies on the Internet. The lightening speed with which Fabric Supplies ships out an online order is something to marvel at. I actually got a bit carried away on their etsy web site the other day and ordered several beautiful prints. Fabric always inspires me. But, I can't decide which one to pick first! Look for something new soon in one of these beauties on apronsgonewild.etsy.com
ave. Then there's Dr. Reed, a quirky somewhat gawky young genius who has a eidetic memory and can rattle off facts a mile a minute. Hotchner, the leader of the group, almost never, ever smiles. But the episode where his wife is murdered, opens up a wave of emotions that let you know he does feel things, after all. Garcia comes off as the wacky but sweet and brilliant computer gal who can check out a profile online quicker than you can say, "Gotcha." But she's got a great big heart and a special relationship with the hunky Derek Morgan. Emily is the smart, serious one, who wears her weapon with style and doesn't hesitate to use it when needed.
heir stuff. As soon as hubby goes to bed, I walk around and lock all the doors, even the garage entry door (because that's how a lot of criminals find their way into the house), making myself nice and safe knowing that I'm going to hear noises that really aren't there for about an hour. Since stalkers are one of the more consistent profiles in Criminal Minds, I find myself wishing I didn't hate curtains as much as I do. Our windows are bare because it's a look I love. But at eleven o"clock at night, when I'm sitting all alone in the dark, I wish I could close the blinds that don't exist.
