Muse in Kansas

Sew Mrs P with Vintage Patterns, Sewing/Crafting Supplies

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:16:00 +0000

Hello & Happy Holidays to all....

I am in the process of transferring hundreds of files to SewMrsP

which is now located on Ruby Plaza.

My focus is getting the other older venues shut down - I doubt I blog here for a while.

Do check out my other blog which is concerned with crafting, sewing items from SewMrsP but does feature other shops & artisans at least once a week.

There is a growing list of favorite sites/shops to visit in the left side bar....

SewMrsP.blogspot.com

above - vintage pillbox hat instructions

Yup, am carrying Crafting & Sewing supplies & love these vintage Macrame booklets I find...

Art news is an invitation for an exhibition in the beginning of next year.

I will be scouting out the location soon to see if I want to do a site specific piece...

Have been wanting to utilize some of the sewing supplies/vintage clothing/sewing skills (mine) and do some machine stitched drawings, some mixed media pieces.

If I ever get these shops settled in I can turn my attention back to my art part time...

Happy Holidays to all!

New (Old) Blog & the Importance of Being Earnest Social Networking

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:32:00 +0000

So, how is everyone?

I apologize for not reading my fav blogs, not posting - i DO think of everyone often.

I have been busy getting the shops set up and working hard to improve my social networking - which is interesting as the older you get the less interested you are in being social....

It is cooler in the studio. I am out there on sunny days - still learning the Panasonic Lumix but I love it - the clarity of photos is just marvelous. The photo above is with marginal natural light & the only re-touch is cropping. I find I really like photographing metal....

O.K. for those of us out there in the commercial aspect of the online world some notes:

do NOT underestimate the power of social networking;

Tweetdeck is Awesome & a free download;

do add links & ask for back links to shops/sites you admire (which includes blogs);

a blog site set up to direct traffic to shops is essential;

keep family business out of a public Facebook page;

a CLEAR avatar is essential - this is your face to the world - make it count;

do GOOD photographs! if you are having problems learn, research & ask & then amend the bad ones you have online - competition is so tough, having the better photograph (which means you took the time & care, to do so) can make or break, a sale.

I will admit I am not "good" at socializing on the internet - not much of a smoochizer but I try to do one morning and one evening of researching sites I want to follow on Twitter, have back links to and to work on promotional blogs...

Which brings me to -

Resuscitation -

"It's Alive! It's Alive" Sew Mrs P blog is Alive (again)

yep, got her up and going again as i need that site for Hard Core site promotion.

She has just been Re-Born -

she is as SewMrsP.blogspot.com

she will feature not only her own items but her favorite shops, shopping suggestions, places to shop for vintage/antiques and have links for helpful sites....

Strange Love & Respect

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:21:00 +0000

Mmm - i love catchy titles to lure readers in....

i do confess to being infatuated with my macro lens on the Panasonic Lumix. First camera i have had being able to change out lenses & am having some fun with the sewing buttons.

which is another interest - sewing buttons. fascinating things, shapes, sizes,colors. get stressed out & go play with the buttons, sorting them....i am not joking - great stress reliever (hey, at my age, in my situation, you do what you can).

i could see myself trying out some of that mini photography - have you seen the set-ups of odd little worlds? sometimes whole interiors in miniature, weird little scenarios, strange little stories.

still banging away at the computer working on the new shops. not much time for anything fun (other than playing with my buttons) and also too frickin' hot again....

i did get to be an artist again this week - took some work to Alma, Nebraska to be placed in businesses. very forward thinking art director in that tiny town. as this new project (called a Perpetual Show) evolves & involves more artists i will do some posts to help promote some very hard work Pat is doing....

anyway - it was very nice to be viewed as An Artist and my work greatly admired. so few opportunities & i am grateful for the bit of attention. tweaked the Muse in KS' nose a little - maybe she will be able to jiggle something other than fat with me....lol

Shopping Cart app and it's Free

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 14:52:00 +0000

More experiments with the Panasonic Luminex "paint" mode - "elegant", "monochromatic" & "nostalgic" - 21 shop store windows at Denver's Pavilions downtown.

Have you realized it is only 20 weeks to Christmas?

For us, trying to find Collin interesting presents is quite a challenge & results in moderate panic starting in July....

I am not kidding....

His requests are frequently very specific - this year he has asked for Santa to bring him Family Feud episodes (on VHS tape, btw) with persons with certain names.

I am working on setting up a way to record Family Feud episodes to dvd, the episodes he doesn't see either early a.m. or later in the evening. No, can't record off his dvd/vhs player as it's in his room & the rest of the archaic systems in the house don't have such players with them.

Anyway, back to the app plug this is titled for -

Ecwid shopping cart is FREE and easily plugs into social networking sites so you can have a shopping cart on your art blog, photography blog, soap making blog or FB page, etc.. The sewing shop - SewMrsP.com - utilizes this shopping cart. At some time I will add it to my social networking but am too busy with setting up the new shops (older brain takes longer to apply new apps). Get a shopping cart set up on your site in time for holiday shopping.

I got turned onto Tweetdeck and have been utilizing it with listings posted to the shop. Love it! and it has freed me up to start tracking down twits to follow on twitter. I made sure to follow a couple of the airlines just to see the discounted fares. Not that I get to hop on a plane whenever - I can daydream about the possibility.

I don't have many followers on Twitter and am guessing like any other social networking one has to follow people to get followed.

It isn't I am Not Interested - I just don't have much time to wander through a collection of abbreviated words....

Next, will be addressing the FB page and "finding folks". http://www.facebook.com/people/Jolly-Monger/100002309364980

if you are interested. I will tell you up front the FB page is very neglected. Hopefully, that will change after the first of the year....

The summer season has changed. The cicadas have crawled out - much lesser numbers this year; the grasses are changing; and the shortening days have bought out the hunter in our pointer. This next week promises to be cooler - finally a break from the 100+ temps but not from the humidity that has come with the rains. The storms that have gone through the state are real hit and miss - one area will get two inches of rain and an area forty miles away will not get a drop. Much of the state still in drought conditions.

I will leave this post up first for some time for the wanderers by to note the Ecwid plug - might help someone at sometime....

Denver and Boulder CO & the new camera

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 20:41:00 +0000

Both photos in the 16th street pedestrian mall area.

I took a weekend trip to Denver. A weekend away from the "Boys", house and business.

Denver is a fairly easy to-do city as most of the attractions are located in the downtown district with plenty of hotels, restaurants and shopping to keep one from needing to drive.

Driving in Denver is not too bad as long as you are not in the traffic after 3:30 p.m. or in the morning business rush. They do have a tendency to drive fast in the city but if you have driven in the beltway around D.C. or in Boston or around Atlanta, you're all prepared.

Moderately expensive lodging, expensive eating and alcoholic beverages - about NYC prices.

I went to see the new wing of the Denver Art Museum ("new" - it is 5, 6? years old). The new wing is just wonderful and brings the DAM up to world class standard.

There is also the Contemporary Art Museum located in the lower downtown area. For years it has offered a refreshing break from the traditional and western art that used to be so prevalent in Denver. Western art is still strong but with the renovations of LoDo much more contemporary influences are showing.

And I went to have some time to learn the new camera - which I have had for eight months but have not had the quiet time to load the program, read the instruction book and take some practice photos.

I bought a Panasonic Luminex DMC-GF1 and am in love with it. So thrilled with the resolution - I needed this three years ago.

Posted are some fun photos as there is a "paint" mode to the camera which renders monochromatic, nostalgic and hyper colors (with others).

So looking forward to when I can get into the studio to take clothing, etc, photos. If the studio ever cools off - we have had 100+ temps for four weeks and the studio is very hot after 11 a.m..

The temperatures were somewhat cooler in Denver but that sun - oh it is fierce! the altitude is over 5000 feet in the city and the sun will fry you very quickly. Sunscreen, long sleeves and a hat are good things plus water bottles. Denver is on an arid plateau and I drank a lot of water (there is really good beer in town, BTW).

Petty issues just need a little tissue...

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 21:49:00 +0000

boo hoo and whine and feel sorry for yourself if you must and get it out of your system.
so i did and after hearing a friend's account of damage done to property after a very severe storm my complaints were petty indeed. i really do try not to be so whiny like a spoiled middle class white anglo-saxon Protestant - i think it's part of the nature of such....

i have been hard at work setting up the new shops - i will be leaving etsy at the end of the year and am in the process of transferring items to two new shops.
The Jolly Monger on Ruby Plaza is up and running and looks darling. i can sell what i want there so it will house vintage & newer clothing, jewelry, household items, books and other accessories.

the other shop - SewMrsP - will be listed with Main Street Mall Online and will houses ALL the sewing and craft supplies. it will be nice to be able to offer fabric, buttons and inexpensive tidbits for crafters & seamstresses AND i will be able to sell at slightly lower prices with this venue....
SewMrsP.com will be "live" on August 1.

been driving myself nuts (which i do frequently) doing clean up on the computer.
and it's been So Hot! still in the 100+ temps.

got the FB page for the business so it will be cluttered with objects i may trying to market.
will add that link sometime next week.

time to roast some flesh on the grill for supper....

oh, had some adjustments done to my orthotics - took feet a couple of weeks to adjust but am much better! Yea!

Today Just Sucked...

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:29:00 +0000

and it did - in waves of irritation most of the day....

by 10 a.m. i got two notes that i had been rude to two young gals in two totally unrelated incidences -
i truly had treated both as professionally as possible
and
my husband's car and a deer collided - both deer and car are totaled - husband is O.K.
and
three people have passed away in the last few days that mean a lot to folks who mean much to me - although the deaths were not unexpected, their deaths will be devastating -
and
my mother who is 94, continues a slow slide downwards in health and co-operative attitude -
at a point in time being a "good parent" also means being a co-operative person and understanding off-spring mean the best for your personal health and their efforts are Not to be Slighted
and
Collin woke up on the "wrong side of the bed" this morning - highly unusual for my ray of sunshine
and
it is incredibly hot today and tomorrow - well over 100F - the best we can do is to stay inside and make sure the birds have fresh water in the birdbaths
and
my arthritis in my feet as been the worst since i got my orthotic inserts (two years) - don't you think i am worried? how will I walk Venice? how will I managed the markets in Bologna & Madrid?
and
You Know What?
When you write out the crappy stuff that happened to you all day it seems very minor and petty.

It is evening and Collin is in a good mood;
my husband is unhurt - which is a major plus with that little bitty car and the Large Deer grown in this here area;
I have excellent feedback from 99.9% of my customers - I really do try to provide an item I am proud of and with fast shipping - I am proud of the service I provide;
The folks that passed away were remarkable people who managed to live good lives and be good parents and friends and were astoundingly brave during their illness;
At some point in time, despite our best efforts, we are all destined to be orphans;
At some point in time old folks don't want to be "messed with" any longer. Despite our medical advances our own physical evolution has not kept up.
My mother has lived the longest of any of her family on both paternal and maternal sides - and all due to the attentiveness by my siblings.
I am planning on learning Horses -
I realize I am just about to the point where I can't walk on uneven ground without major help - it is time to learn about Horses.
For someone who is used to dealing with predatory animals and is the Alpha Dawg in the house, learning to be part of the Herd will be interesting...
We like horses here - even the dogs - horses smell good....
I want to learn the psychology of the herd; the language of "tack" and the theory and application of proper shoeing and how to maneuver a trailer....
Horses are large, expensive children at about three years human mentality - perhaps maturing to a five year old human level.
When one is faced with the possibility of not being able to wander the country side without help, horses gleam like El Dorado....

I continue to working on re-locating the shops to other carriers hoping business will pick up. This online commerce is all hit and miss - just like fishing for bass - you know when the best time for them to strike is but the all you can do is dangle a worm and hope it looks interesting enough to them....

And a note to add:
for supper we had venison - totally not due to the incident of this morning (i.e. Not the same deer) but it was more delicious due to the revenge....
I "do" venison superbly - very tender and without the gamey flavor due to the feed the deer have in this area. It is very rich meat - I can eat a small amount of it.

Notes, Mullings and general Obnoxiousness

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 23:35:00 +0000

Why I sell "Vintage"

I love finding this stuff - this is a "new" unused with store tags vintage Boys pants and shirt set.
How could I not share this?
At the same time I hope I am not stuck with a "bunch of stuff" after an undetermined length of time - I do want to get back to painting full time and do some traveling....

I have "taken the bit in my mouth" and started setting up a web based sewing supply shop. This will be interesting as my experience with such is minimal. Will eventually move the art web site over to this hosting service so I can monitor and make changes more easily.
Will post a link whenever the sites are set up.
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Art Funding is Dead in Kansas, thanks to a Republican governor
Kansas is a bad place to be an artist - for several reasons - which is too bad as there are some incredibly talented folks in the state.
Also, The Best NPR station is High Plains Public Radio - and I have listened to NPR all over the country. The station is online and streaming - do give it a try - especially during the weekday mornings as their line up is very eclectic - not just classical music.
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When boiling potatoes, add a bay leaf. Adds an excellent subtle flavor.
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We have an increase in the variety of birds as each year passes. Each year the usual migratory birds stay a little longer. Over the past two years the orioles stay for breeding season - this year, at this time, I am still hearing cedar waxwings in town.
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Whatever quality of liquor you use for mixed drinks, do not skimp on the quality of mixer. A poor quality mixer will ruin the best of alcohol and a good quality mixer will improve the cheapest alcohol (and why are you serving THAT to your guests?!)
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Grilled pizza is food for the gods. Will post my excursions into my home produced items.
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Crap, I am moving the photography equipment - for the third time - and back out to the studio - the dusty, spider haven. I don't want to do so but gotta have the light and natural light is the best for proper color translation but! cleanliness is next to godliness as the slightest smudges and pet hair are as large as a whale and oh dear, the studio is fine for flinging paint around but not known for pristine conditions.....
Would like to take a class in Product Photography at some time - anyone know of a place?
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Twitter - somehow I managed to lose several followers in a day - don't know if it was my comments on Fox News and that school systems were fascist systems (you don't think so? try dealing with them re your special needs child for 19 years) or my comment that the 60's decade was the last decade for innovative clothing design - that everything afterwards has been regurgitated or "costume".....
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On social networking - is there something other than Facebook out there? I really don't like the new format....
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We took Fred the RV, out for excursions, two different weekends. Two things about RV camping - the first couple of trips you are "getting back into the routine" and second, well, if you are newbies it's even more interesting.
While Fred has proved himself reliable, he has reminded us he is a Republican from Texas and believes in budget cuts while forcing you to spend out your own arse for necessities....
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Which brings me to point out Social Security checks are not increasing. The costs of goods has sky rocketed due to the increased costs of shipping. There will be many folks worse off than before - make sure to donate to your local food pantry, check with your school system for kids needing coats, mittens, school supplies....
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More social commentary later
Meanwhile, I am hoping my European acquaintances are staying healthy midst the e-coli scare.

Good Gosh Almighty Y'all Have Not Abandoned Me!

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Thu, 26 May 2011 23:03:00 +0000

Chillin' on a Sunday - La Pompidou

First of all - thank you to my followers for not abandoning me during this time!
I am healthier, dealing with night sweats and much interrupted sleep but more energetic with thyroid problems somewhat under control. O, that pre-menopausal part of my life will add some interesting notes to the blog.

The first rule of internet sales should be "Do NOT limit yourself to one site and first & foremost, set up your own stand alone web based store"
and I am working on that as this year's big project - meanwhile
I have opened a shop on Ruby Plaza and I can make it as Eclectic as I wish - which I love.
http://www.rubyplaza.com/shop/thejollymonger

We have been safe in this section of KS amongst the horrible storms west and east of us. We are drier here and just enough out of any major tributaries which would affect the air flow - thus less tornado threat.

We have been graced with an extended spring this year - usually spring lasts very little time but we had HOT weather and then had more northerly spring temperatures.
Which has all the animals happy - especially that furry critter pictured above.
So far i have had 2 birds, 1 mouse and a hind quarter of a very small baby cottontail rabbit in my room and i pull the window down to where she must pass inspection before entering the into my bedroom, in the wee hours of the day - "What do you have in your mouth?" i ask....

Time to work on the evening meal -
I will try to not be so long in between posts!

AMC showing Pearl Harbor?????

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 22:00:00 +0000

Why in the world
is AMC showing the movie "Pearl Harbor"
when there is plenty of unsympathetic attitude
towards the nation of Japan post tsunami disaster
without being reminded of World War II?

Sure would like to hear from some executives at AMC defending this scheduling -

Post Script

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 14:31:00 +0000

P.S.
Difference between Men and Women:

Man says: "I would of washed the dishes but needed to lay down"

Woman says: "I would of lain down but needed to wash the dishes"

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Minor Notes

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 01:59:00 +0000

Just finished watching Woody Allen's "Hannah & Her Sisters" on AMC.
First time I had seen the movie and loved it.

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"The Thomas Crown Affair" (the re-make) is on AMC off and on.
I consider it a very sexy movie - love that sexy interaction between two intelligent characters....

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If a meteor falls on Glenn Beck's house shall we say God willed it?

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I consider the following foods as Essentials to health & well being:
Bananas, Eggs, Maple Syrup, Prunes, Pineapples

and would add Sauerkraut & Brussel Sprouts
and listen to all the yelping from the peanut gallery.....

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Do you know where the term "peanut gallery" is from?

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A gal needs to have several easy care polyester blouses (and I mean Blouses, not shirts) in her wardrobe....
2 or 3 white, 2 ecru, 1 black
You don't need to iron them; they can be rinsed in a sink and dry quickly; look good with blue jeans or skirts....
I have several that I got from the thrift shops - they look fabulous.

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Your critics will never notice what you have accomplished -
they can only see what you have yet to do -

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I'm thinking of staying in Brooklyn the next time I head to the NYC area -
am I far off base when I say I find Manhattan boring after the museums are done?

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This is the First Spring in many many years I am not planning a garden -
and I am not disappointed......

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Did some driving to and from a place about 60 minutes from the Small House and did not turn the radio on - just enjoyed the volume of space not being filled with noise.

Rare is the volume of space I have to listen to my own thoughts -

Posting will resume...

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 15:09:00 +0000

HI all -
nice to see no one has abandon me since i have not posted for quite a while

continuing to work hard on this product photography, figuring out the lighting and white balance adjustment

it's a damn sight easier taken photos in natural light but that is just not convenient

and i have had some health issues with having mononucleosis and thyroid problems

and not knowing it

i am just starting to have some interest in addressing projects

now having more energy

hopefully

that will include blogging

Just Checking in on a Snow Day

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 18:42:00 +0000

Image from a vintage 1960's knitting book from Sew Mrs P
LOVE the 1960's fashions & these knitting books have excellent photography, prime 60's hairstyles and make up - oh and terrific knitting projects.

We have blizzard conditions - again.
Dangerous wind chills and dry light snow whirling around. We are cozy in the Small House with plans on doin' laundry and baking meatloaf tonight, not going anywhere.

I see I have not posted to this blog in a month. Been a little busy with the shops and still struggling with commercial photography. It is a signature look I am trying to find - my own style - and I think I have a clue to what it is but struggling to bring it out....
Not much different than painting 'til you develop your own style....
but Darn! I wish I could take some classes in commercial photography! It's the placing of the lights, what I think the camera sees and what actually shows up on the computer that is really throwing me off.
If I were a smarter person and didn't rush into "things" I would take the time to photograph over and over one article until I saw the lighting I want on the computer.
It is a case of the Deliberate Non Perfectionist Getting Anal.
Bad combination - leads to a lot of frustration....

Meanwhile, back at the ranch laundry awaits as does dirty dishes....

Being Bold, Diving in Head First and Other Risk Taking...

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 12:31:00 +0000

I do like titling the blog posts as something so much more interesting than the contents really are....

I have added a beach scene to the header for those few who wander by and are dealing with mega snow and bitter cold this time of year.

And then I posted a photo I have been daring myself to do for a long, long time. I enjoy posting photos of the relatives when they were much younger to FB - seems I should take a dose myself. That photo was more than thirty years ago and the beauty of both beach and gal have been altered. This was when I swam a lot - long distance swimming. Big shoulders and fab legs.
The beach is at Nag's Head - the developers came in not too many years later and ruined what was a quiet stretch of the Outer Banks.
I don't look at that gal and wish I was her age again. I do wish I had her legs still - the one thing I regret about aging physically is how the legs have aged. I can lose weight, tighten up the abs but the legs never look as good again....

The new computer is on the way. I have been very pleasantly surprised with short searches online for "Web Hosting" and "Site Building". There are little sticky notes pasted everywhere at the work station. I am beginning to think I really can make a decent, simple, clean graphics site.

And I have been looking at plenty of sites noting what I do NOT like about them - too much text on the first page (no one reads that), images way too large, too much "other stuff" as in links, personal information, clutter in general, too "girly" looking, having flashing text or scrolling text (very distracting and doesn't that take a lot of space?). When I go shopping online I want to get to the product, not wade through a long first page or try to read small text.

I am worried about lag time between having an active web site, having sales from the web site and dealing with slower sales in the Etsy shops. If you do not work your shops daily you lose your standing in searches. Means not much money coming in....

Today, I plan on working in the studio - a lot of straightening needs to be done post holiday shipping blitz. Some physical activity with music going full blast will help the gut gnawing worry.

I just dive head first into projects and keep pushing to find that right spot in the internet commerce world....

Advice Please, Web Hosting and DIY Site Design

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 06:21:00 +0000

While I am starting my research into Who has The Best Hosting and Who has The Best DIY Web Design (i.e. Who Toots Their Own Horn the Loudest - or pays the most bucks for favorable reviews), I thought I would ask those that wander by for their experience.

If I do a web based shop I need to be able to change design myself and have great shopping cart capabilities (bad shopping cart and no one will go through check out). Also, need unlimited pages and be able to do categories, sub categories, payment options.

I am looking over some web shops to see who they are using and making notes....

Got some suggestions?

Also, who do you use as a browser? Loved Ffox when I first used it and now the pop-ups are disrupting my work. The pop up blocker on my computer is active - I am wondering if fox caved in for the money...

Happy New Year without Turkey...

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 02:20:00 +0000

A Brief Note to Say a 'Very Happy New Year' to all that wander by. I wish you Peace, Health and Adventures for the coming year.

I am delaying going into the kitchen as there is a Huge Pile of dishes to wash - but -
we are thankful we have good meals and clean water

I also have a Large Amount of Laundry to deal with - but -
we are thankful to have automated machines in our home to deal with the pile

It is Very Very Cold this weekend - too cold to go outside for a long length of time. As such I have four males underfoot all day. The amount of dog hair and "things" on the floor over whelms the Small House - but -
as small as the House may be, it is sturdy and we are warm

I may complain about the "maleness" of my husband - the messiness, the forgetfulness, the lack of forethought - but -
he is a wonderful Big D, provides for his family and would never raise a hand against his wife

How many people in the world lack one or more of the above?

At this time of New Year I reflect more on what we do have than not. I think the deep cold of winter without the distractions of the long days of summer either makes us appreciate what we do have or go crazy....

We have noticed a lengthening of the days - it is light until 5:30 p.m. now (but still incredibly dark at 7 a.m. in this time zone).

'Santa Claus' brought me a bird bath heater, gourmet suet cakes and good quality bird seed. With this extremely cold weather the viewing out of the kitchen window has been entertaining.

And Mrs P's Brain does not rest....
I have put 3 of 5 Etsy shops on 'vacation' mode while I work on re-photographing and editing some items. This is a very slow time of year and no one misses me.
During this time I have been mulling over how to compact the business and reached a conclusion to start a web based business. That way I can tailor a shop to suit my eclectic collections, not be dictated by a limited set up.

I am excited - being a Sagittarius I have to keep challenging myself and I think this will make the business easier to corral as it does want to be a wild thing and run amok.

I will certainly inform everyone of changes and developments.

And I am still hoping to get a video posted to YouTube of the art show - it looks great!

On the Third Day of Turkey My True Love Said to Me...

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 21:40:00 +0000

Vermont: Winter Sunset
based on the photo that is my current header

Three Days of Turkey...
And I told husband "I can't handle another serving" so we will be having roasted flesh on the grill for Christmas after all.
A tossed salad and butternut squash baked in peach tea & maple syrup, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert.

A Most Merry Holiday to all of you! We wish you good cheer and a warm house, plenty of food to eat - that is all that matters, isn't it? We are dry and cold here - thinking of all the U.K. & European connections I have made and am hoping everyone is safe & warm with all the heavy snows and winter weather.

The Pipes three...

Operation Turkey, Part Deux....

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 16:57:00 +0000

Christmas morning on the Vermont Farm, 40 years ago.
The original geek look sported by the gal in the gold turtleneck - before the geek look was "cool". I was so totally not cool...just a redneck from Vermont (still am, BTW).

The Turkey Report
Phase 1 - dinner last night - open face turkey sandwiches with gravy, cranberries on the side and tossed salad. Collin did NOT appreciate a turkey dinner - hubby and I facing a Very Large container of turkey by ourselves.
Phase 2 of Operation Turkey being implemented as I typed this - a large pot of turkey and noodles. Have plans of multiple small pot pies to make to stuff into the very small freezer to the refrigerator. That will be Phase 3.

The Holiday Dinner Dance - or, Let the Circus Begin....

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:04:00 +0000

Anyone who read the post about the disastrous Thanksgiving meal knows my intention for this Christmas' dinner was to have a very simple meal plan - steaks, salad, wine, perhaps a nice dessert.

Well, it is Wednesday, December 22, at 10:11 a.m. and I have started cooking two turkeys.

Seems the electricians unplugged the large freezer a few days ago when they were installing some new electrical outlets and the freezer did not get plugged back in.

I went to get something from the freezer this morning and opened it to find about 4 inches of bloody ice water (we keep bags of ice in the freezer) and everything thawed.
Fortunately, the freezer was not well stocked - we did not buy a half of beef this summer. What is salvageable is the bread and the two turkeys that were solidly frozen. The turkeys still had a little ice in the cavities and were very cold. The fish and chicken are cool to touch but not cold enough - those will get pitched.

Fortunately, they are small turkeys. Fortunately, I have a large oven and two pans large enough for a 9 pound turkey each.

The three of us will be eating 18 pounds of turkey over the next few days. Some will get frozen for soup later - much later.

Think I will make stuffing. We have canned cranberries already. All I need is a butternut squash, a can of cream of mushroom soup, the French Onions for green bean casserole and we will have the Quintessential Bourgeoisie American Holiday Dinner.

All ready two, three days ahead of schedule....

My husband's first day of holiday vacation will be spent helping me clean the freezer....

I wonder if Pizza Hut will be open on Christmas Day evening?

Winding Down....

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 13:31:00 +0000

These old photos - the headers and a few family pictures - are from the farm in Vermont that we left in 1971. This photo is from the last Christmas on the place - after breakfast we looked into our Christmas stockings. Yes, even as adults everyone got a stocking full of goodies. We had toboggan rides in deep snow with a full moon and coming back into a warm house with freshly fried home made doughnuts. The presents were a deep pile under the Christmas tree. The brothers and sisters were young adults filled with the positive energy of their early twenties.
This photo will be 40 years old this Christmas. The brother in the middle, is no longer with us.

A couple more obligations to deal with in the next couple of days and I can shift the mind set more to family, meal planning and trying to keep the house, laundry and dogs clean. These trips out of town make for long days and the drives back in the evenings are much slower as one watches for deer on the roads.
We will not have a white Christmas here for sure. We have not had much moisture in weeks, just cold, dry air. Another photo later....

All the Paintings were hung in the museum with care with the hopes the General Public soon would be there....

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:10:00 +0000

"September, 1969" acrylic on canvas

For those who may not have made the connection -
the poem "The Night Before Christmas" has a line "All the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that Saint Nicolas soon would be there."

The exhibition was hung on last Tuesday - took three people six hours to pull it together. I would say two-thirds of my work is up. In that large room, those large paintings I have (Sept. 1969 measures 67" high and 41" across) are actually rather insignificant....

There is a reception Sunday December 19th from 2 to 4 p.m. at the museum. So, if you are in north central Kansas that day, wander by. If not that day, the exhibit will be up until February 6, 2011. Please use Google maps to get directions to the Dane G. Hansen Museum in Logan, Kansas (The museum website does not have directions but does have hours of operation).
We are working on a video and I hope to have a link to a YouTube video soon.

Extremely busy week - so much so I can't believe my blood pressure reading was so good at the doctor's office (106/74). I will be very glad to see next Monday as it will be time to wind down, relax, and mentally prep for holiday meals and having all the Boys in the house for four days under foot.
One meal plan is a large pot of venison chili. There are a *lot* and I mean huge numbers, of very tasty deer in the area. So many that hunting season is a necessity and not just sport. I can make very fine venison dishes - some of the best enchiladas I have ever made were of venison. We found some particularly tasty dried beans that I am eager to try in the chili. I will make a report on my culinary efforts during the holiday time. It has been agreed we are cooking good steaks and having a nice salad for our holiday dinner after that disaster of a Thanksgiving meal. Although I would like to make a nice cake - hmmmm.....

On Finding that Sweet Spot...

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:23:00 +0000

Items from MrsPsBrain & MrsPsHome

The photos that attract customers seem to be the ones either romanticized or hyper-realistic.
The whole idea is to offer eye candy to get a potential buyer to stop and look your item over - that's part 1.
Part 2 is writing a good descript that honestly portrays your item, giving them as much info as possible so they feel comfortable buying an item but without overload and delivered as simply as possible.
It helps to truly believe in your product.
But back to the photography-
I am trying to find that "Sweet Spot*", a style to define my shops (with my photography). I like the above photographs - they needed little editing. The clothing is very direct; the jumble of Christmas ornaments much fun - great effect mixing those colors together. I was surprised at how well I liked staging the little things - I usually do not do well with detailed tasks involving many small parts, being a most non-anal person.
It is a race to get items loaded to the shops ( if the shops sit idle you lose your place in the search engines queue), trying to improve the photography and improve the photography set up. I see I need to spray the canvas down with water to get the fold lines out.
See what I can hack out over the weekend...
Hanging date for the art exhibit is Dec 14. I've talked to a couple of people about helping to do a video of the exhibit. That new camera has great video capabilities - perhaps I can get a decent video posted to YouTube....

*"Sweet Spot" is a sporting term - I think mainly used in baseball - referring to that area of contact between bat and ball - the ideal spot on the bat to lift the ball the farthest. And so the term means a goal of attaining a certain satisfactory result and/or a physical spot when everything "clicks" together (yes and in sex too).

Ready, Set, Shoot!

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:46:00 +0000

The Below Ground Photography Studio is ready to go.
The photographer isn't - still trying to get some obligations out of the way.
I did try out the lights - just a few photos to see how to place the them.

I do need a fourth light I found. The above photo has the ceiling light on (replaced the incandescent). I was not sure if that glare was going to be too much so tried a few shots without it on, just the side lights, as below.

I prefer the ceiling light on and will do some more shots to see if I need to tack a piece of white cloth below the light to soften the glare. And to see if I need to hang white sheets on the sides of the area. I also got a tabletop tripod - see if I can improve small objects photos.
And -
I went ahead and purchased another camera. It is a Panasonic Lumix DMC GF1 kit. It was a good price, has two lenses, three filters, camera bag, 16MB card, battery charger, blahblahblah. This is about six months ahead of when I was planning on purchasing another camera.
Now -
the computer will need to go for some technical work. It has been having some problems - some I could solve by dumping a lot of photo files, some could be fixed by an upgrade program, some need to be addressed by someone SO much smarter than me. The plan is to shut done a couple of the Etsy shops, send the computer to the doctor, take photos of new and old items after the first of the new year.
That is The Plan. We will see about the execution of The Plan....

Sequels, Cigs and Where is Indiana Jones?

noreply@blogger.com (Deborah Pipes) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 06:01:00 +0000

I thought I would decorate the blog with some family photos - really good ones from the 60's & 70's. This happens to be Granny and one of the cousins. Granny managed to look like that for 20 years....

Question - After Harry Potter is all set to movies, what is left to "sequelize"? The Rings have been done, so has Narnia....
Can anyone think of a good candidate for the next line of over budgeted, over publicized movies?

Speaking of sequels -
I am quite content this time of year as a bunch of over run, over exposed sequels are played over and over again on TV. As I never sit down to watch a whole movie on TV, much of a movie does retain a freshness - like stale popcorn - still tasty but lacking that fresh popped flavor....

And Where has Indiana Jones been????
All the other sequels have been on this summer into holiday season. Harry Ford would just round out the holiday hohoHO! quite well.

Today, I managed to do some house cleaning, get some computer work done AND managed to make a nice large pot of soup without mucking it up (you can exchange the 'm' for another letter). It is a tasty vegetable soup just packed full of vitamins and goodness.
Oh, and I made Killer pancakes this morning....

I am proud to announce the studio cleaning and organizing is about done. I will be posting a photo. There is a little more to do which can be left until the really cold and bad driving weather shows up.
You can tell I am getting caught up as the Brain has time to mull over post topics....

Now, something a little more serious -
More info has come out on the effects second hand smoke has on children. These effects are quite serious and with the mention of SIDS, life threatening. Now, if a parent continues to expose their child to second hand smoke and the child runs a risk of higher incidences of health problems, could the parent be reported to the SRS as deliberating contributing to the health problems of that child? And even possibly indicated as a life threat to that child?
Will this become as major of a factor as say - not buckling your child into a seat belt/safety seat?

It is past midnight and Cinderella has left the ball....poof! back to kitchen maid.