Flushaway...is it for real??

Has anyone used these? I just found them at Big Lots and the press seems promising. Flushaway pads are proclaimed to be so eco-friendly that you can "Flush it and forget it..." Supposedly, they biodegrade within 28 days and won't harm sewage systems.

Sorry to anyone whose delicate sensibilities may be bothered by this post. I did try to make it discreet...

Clone Yourself A Fitting Assistant, page 5

This is what I've been looking for! I really want a dressmaker's form. Is my search complete? Will my husband help me? Tune in next time...



http://www.taunton.com/threads/pages/t00002_p5.asp

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HTML tutorial, craft swap and apron-making

I was on the Etsy forums and found This link to an HTML tutorial. The first thing I learned how to do was make a "Write Me!" button. You can find it at the upper right-hand corner of the screen. I'll have to work on getting a cute avatar to go up there with it.

Today was a fun day. I hosted my first-ever "craft swap." We had about seven swappers. You should have seen the piles of fabrics, trims, patterns, knitting needles, books and scrapbook paper. It was great! Everybody went away with less than they brought...oh, except for Sarah. But, she will make some neat things with her goodies. And then, the hostess seems to be responsible for getting rid of anything extra. Hmmm...what to do with all these neato things?

And...I made my first apron pattern and apron! I traced my favorite apron, made three separate body pieces, cut up some old curtains and voila! I have a new garden apron! Yay! Check back for pictures of me modeling it.

Soggy Thursday

Since I discovered Etsy shopping, I have been checking on the possibility of listing items there. Well, I finally did it. Directly to the left of this blog, you will see my "banner." Okay, so I don't have a real banner yet, still working on it. When I found out I could list my vintage fabrics, sewing notions and fabrics for really crafty people to use, I couldn't resist. More to come! Yes, this is a shameless plug. But, it's fun!

Oh yes, it's soggy here. Sooo, I don't feel quite so guilty for using my time to list these items.

the Wal-Mart effect...

I just posted this over on my Myspace blog and thought I would share it here as well. I'm just cutting and pasting from there, so: nothing new.

Since some of you already know my feelings on this subject, I will not launch into a diatribe. I will merely relate something I read just now. to sum up, Wal-Mart and supplier Sara Lee came up with the idea of selling items off pallets, right on the store floor. They soon noticed a marked increase in the sale of underwear. Why the increase? "Were [they] taking market share from other competitors? Were people replacing underwear sooner?" The answer?

Both
and...
increased wardrobe inventory...

people just had more underwear stored in their house than they really needed, or had had in the past. The underwear was so cheap and so irresistibly displayed on those pallets, that people just bought it and took it home...consumption driven strictly by price and impulse--consumption that answers no need at all--well, that's curious

So, does that mean that if Wal-Mart wasn't driving down prices and providing such a good service for middle-class America, we just would stop buying so much?

***quotations from The Wal-Mart Effect by Charles Fishman

Thoughts?