Gadgets on Strike (or why everything at my house is broken)

We have a new family routine at our house thanks to the strike currently staged by my gadgets.  Let me elaborate...

Every morning my kids wake up at 5 am and start playing with their toys.  After I've woken from accidentally falling asleep again on the sofa, they've got half of their rooms dragged out into the family room.  They used to veg in front of a cartoon or two and wake up slowly while I sipped on coffee and read the news.  Why have we changed our routine you ask?  The 42" flat panel TV purchased less than a year ago decided to stop showing us pictures to go with the sound.  If they want to "watch" TV, they now have to gather around the speakers and imagine (which isn't bad at all except for the toy excavation I have to perform later to find my family room floor).

After coming home from driving my husband to work, I run inside to unlock the garage door, manually lift it, hop back in the car, drive it in, and manually close it.  This is my routine every time I leave/arrive at my home.  My garage door stopped working.  It was the first gadget to go.  My biceps will be the size of rump roasts by the time we get that fixed.

Note that this post has no photo and is relatively short.  And although you can't see it, I am typing at the speed of light trying to get my thoughts out before my Apple crashes and burns perhaps for the last time ever.  This is the third thing to self destruct in as many weeks.

We think our gadgets are on strike.  Its either that or we live on a magnet landfill that has been long forgotten.

Nani Iro's Free Patterns

Some time ago, I added Nani Iro to my "places I wish I could shop list" for two reasons.  First, the fabric is gorgeous.  Second, free patterns!  The link takes you to patterns for mainly kid's clothes, adult clothes, and accessories like bags.  

I like to look at patterns to see how the clothes get their shape and how they are sewn together.  It can start to see how a certain shape produces a specific result.  That said, Nani Iro's patterns are generally one page and leave a lot of steps un-illustrated which, unless you can read japanese, means you have to "fill in the blanks" so to speak.  

There are no full sized patterns, so you have to have a lot of time to draw out a full-sized pattern based on take-off points.  You also need knowledge of basic garment construction and be able to follow schematics.  I think I'd brave it for those cute little bloomers, but I'd hardly have the patience for a few of the dresses (maybe since they are really really cute...).  

My Favorite Little Girls Shoes

Livy is so getting a pair of these shoes except for in a chocolate brown.   I love love love them, so classic and plain.  I found these at Tiny McSmall.  

Midge the Pigeon and Merle the Squirrel

The Pigeon and the Squirrel have recently earned their keep.  

I wasn't going to sell them because I love them so much.  They are one-of-a-kinds and an original design.  I figured it was time to part with them as they've only been sitting in the closet.  After our beach vacation in August, I added the crab and jellyfish to the collection (also just sitting in the closet).  So I listed Midge the Pigeon and Merle the Squirrel in my shop and hoped they would be well received.

Over the weekend, shortly after their listing, a fellow Etsy-ian contacted me about including them, along with several other items listed, in her handmade shop in Lexington, Kentucky!  I was shocked (and rather proud).  This is my first request for wholesale.  She said she loved Midge and Merle - and thus they've earned their keep, even if they haven't sold yet.

Other requested items include the Big Girl Bags and the Little Lunchbox Lovenotes!  

My other thoughts about the request?  I've gotta get sewing because that is a lot of work!