An Update on Christmas in July

Christmas in July

 I have part of my Christmas in July sale already in effect. Anyone who purchases two items from my shop at the same time always got a reduced price on shipping, but I have dropped it even further for the month of July. It's not too early to start Christmas shopping and you may find some items you want for yourself.

Here's a Christmas in July Treasury that I made for my team - Celebration Times.

Incidentally, the official Etsy dates are July 11 – July 21, 2013, and during that time I will have some additional specials. Check out my team on its blog.
http://celebrationtimesteam.blogspot.com/
We are just finishing up with our cake baking contest. I'll post some pictures of that soon.

Etsy's Christmas in July

I've been adding a few items to my Etsy shop lately to get it ready for Christmas in July. What's Christmas in July? You've probably seen that used with some of your local stores. On Etsy it's a time for sales, special offers, buying items for Christmas and buying Christmas gifts. I've read that the dates are July 11-21 this year. Some shops will have sales and some will have special offers on shipping or will include an extra little something when they mail the package to you. It varies from shop to shop so I would start watching for it at the beginning of July. It's always lots of fun!



TheSandlapperShop on Etsy



This crocheted camouflage granny square Christmas stocking is an item I've completed recently.

There is a similar one in the works that will get posted very soon so watch for it. My family has used this pattern of crocheted Christmas stockings for over 35 years so I can attest to the fact they last and last.

I also have a woodworking pattern to make some gorgeous reindeer and a pattern to make a family Christmas tree, take a look at it  quilters. There's still plenty of time to make these before Christmas!

You've read before about the new team I started on Etsy called Celebration Times. Check out some of the lovely items some of our shops have listed for Christmas in July.

How darling is this tote bag for a child? There are adult sizes and designs, too. How about this beautiful tote bag with an angel that is ideal for knitting supplies? You'll find a variety of tote bags, one to suit everyone, on PatchworkCrafters.



PatchworkCrafters on Etsy



Personalized ornaments are great, too. I can imagine lots of people who would be delighted to receive one as a Christmas gift. There are styles for Christmas, engagement, the newly married, and more - even one for the fisherman in the family. Check out OrnamentallySpeaking.



OrnamentallySpeaking on Etsy



One of our shops makes wonderful corsages for special occasions. Here is one of her designs made for Christmas. She has many others though - for baby showers, birthdays, even one for Girl Scouts! She also has some lovely vintage hankies and tea cups.



Meaicp on Etsy

Well, those are my shopping suggestions for today. Another thing I like about Christmas in July is it reminds of me cooler temperatures. If you are in the south like I am, you'll understand. (...And now I want to do a bit of sewing!)

Vitamin D



From ABC News

 I've had more than my share of health concerns lately, but I thought I would post to you about Vitamin D. I eat many of the things that provide vitamin D on a regular basis and take a multivitamin - multimineral supplement. I even take cod liver oil which is a source of Vitamin D. Yet when my doctor tested me recently I was deficient in Vitamin D. Amazingly, a Vitamin D supplement is helping me and the difference is noteworthy.

I found these facts on
http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/vitamin-d-deficiency-linked-to-daytime-sleepiness
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"For anyone who has suffered through the achy slog of sleepiness during the day, the dream of a quick pick-me-up is all too familiar. Naps are generally unrealistic for the post-preschool set and an afternoon coffee never really quite cuts through the fog. But what if the solution was as simple as taking vitamins and getting some sunlight?

According to research presented at the 25th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, patients with daytime sleepiness and musculoskeletal pain are likely to have vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency.

"Clinicians should be alerted to the fact that patients with [sleep disturbance and] pain may have a potentially reversible mechanism for musculoskeletal discomfort," said Dr. David E. McCarty, sleep medicine specialist at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport. "Testing for vitamin D deficiency should be considered, even in areas with high amounts of natural sunlight exposure."

Vitamin D is found in dietary sources like fish, eggs, fortified milk,and cod liver oil; in addition, the sun contributes significantly to the daily production of vitamin D in the body.

The researchers reported that in general, many patients with vitamin D deficiency also experience diffuse musculoskeletal pain, known as osteomalacic myopathy, which can often sabotage a good night’s sleep. Fortunately, it responds well to supplemental vitamin D treatment.

With this in mind, the team decided to test the vitamin D levels of patients who had complained of chronic pain as part of the workup that was done for other sleep disturbances. McCarty and colleagues performed research and reviews of 153 patients at a sleep clinic. Eighty-four percent of patients had either vitamin D insufficiency (30 percent) or deficiency (54 percent). 

They discovered that some patients who exhibited low levels of vitamin D experienced complete resolution of daytime sleepiness symptoms after treatment for vitamin D deficiency. McCarty and colleagues concluded that it is biologically plausible that low vitamin D could contribute to sleepiness because of its role in systemic inflammation.

Noted McCarty, "More research is needed to define whether vitamin D deficiency mechanistically contributes to excessive daytime sleepiness and to determine if supplementation offers a novel method for alleviating it."

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I'm just glad my level was tested. It's nothing I would have ever thought about. I hope this information helps someone.

What have I been crafting lately? I've been making some camouflage style Christmas stockings to add to my Etsy shop - perfect for the military person, hunter, or outdoors person! Watch for them to be listed!

Yo-Yo Table Mat

 I completed my yo-yo table mat today.  At the top you can see them a bit better... and here they are in place on my dining room table.

Maybe eventually I will add another row to the mat. It's there simply to protect the table when the plate and fruit bowl get moved around. I had a doily on there for quite awhile and then a place mat, but both were larger than what I needed. That's why right now it's barely peaking out from under the plate. (I wanted to keep it small and I don't like stitching by hand so there are two reasons!) We'll see if there will be more yo-yo projects ahead.

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I opened my new team on Etsy and the name is Celebration Times. We are taking baby steps now, but the group will be lots of fun. We're going to focus on making treasuries that relate to special events (like a new baby in the family, anniversaries, weddings, etc.) and holidays. I have a blog for the new team so stop by if you like. http://celebrationtimesteam.blogspot.com/
Would you believe some people join Etsy just to make the treasuries? They are fun and sort of addicting. If you use Pinterest and like doing that, you would probably like treasuries in Etsy.

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On the quilting side of things, a craft group I belong to does a swap every now and then where we go through our craft items and play "the stealing game." My package came to me a little over a week ago and is great! I have a watercolor quilt kit and lots of yo-yos. I'm making a table mat for the first project and have it almost complete. I'll post a picture soon. I'm trying to decide if I prefer sewing the yo-yos together on the machine or by hand. Since I don't like sewing by hand I may have to perfect doing them by machine!

One Year Ago

One year ago today I started my Etsy shop: TheSandlapperShop. It has been fun - although hard work at times, too. The best part was having a friend who helped introduce me to the world of Etsy. I've also enjoyed getting to know the owners of the other shops; we all try to help one another. No farther down on the list is having some of my customers respond with utter delight in the items they have purchased from me! I've found that making Etsy treasuries can be fun and rather addicting, too. My treasuries have won many top picks from teams and I think that only happens because they are a creative expression of art for me, just like a painter would paint a picture. I love the combination of colors and textures, picking out an appropriate name, and seeing the final product as it takes shape.

There will certainly be another year ahead. I hope to get more items entered into my shop... and a major plan for me soon is to become captain of a team. It's going to be a really fun team and I'll be sure to introduce it here.

Meanwhile, I have a set of coffee scented sachets (above) that would make a wonderful gift for someone or you can simply buy them for yourself. The fabric lends itself for a man or a woman. Every time I open the package they are in, I get that delightful aroma of coffee. Love it!

You might wonder why more quilts aren't listed. The truth is a am very persnickety about quilting so it's a long and slow process for me. I measure exactly, pin every little piece that I stitch, remeasure after I stitch and trim again if necessaary...I also get attached to most of them by the time they are finished. Only a few get listed. My Halloween table runner last year - I just had to keep it! A lovely quilt with pink and cream sold last year, Currently I have this toddler or baby sized quilt listed in my shop. I love the fabrics used in it and the combination of white, purple, lavender, green, and pale yellow make it a beauty! I think it has just the right look for a summer time gift. Don't forget that a baby gift can be given to a new grandmother, too. I had never heard of a grandmother shower until some online friends of mine did exactly that for me. Think of it, when baby comes to visit, grandma needs some baby care items in her home. It can also be used as a lap quilt, at the foot of the bed, or as a wall hanging. ("Grandma" could use it for the baby and later wrap it around her shoulders on a chilly evening or snuggle her feet under it to keep them warm. My feet can frequently use something to snuggle in!)






Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers... and stop by to visit my Etsy shop!

Birthday Blocks: Lavender and Sage

Here are the birthday blocks that I made for one of our Birthday Block Exchange participants this month. The recipient is going for a Victorian look with her quilt and I think the sage, lavender, and cream will be beautiful. Can't wait to see it!

The background color is cream (the very same fabric in both) but sometimes my camera is unpredictable with the settings, so I usually need to make adjustments after I take the picture. For example, the original shot made the lavender look pink.

The weather has been so lovely here lately and my flowers are doing the best I think they have ever done... without me having to water them! I bought some tomato plants a few weeks ago and they have blossoms and even a few green tomatoes already. Very exciting! I guess our hot weather will be here soon though. I usually plan on Mother's Day weekend as the last of the reliably comfortable temperatures for my liking! After that, it's only a cooler day now and then. Also, our amount of rain will probably drop off drastically. Can you tell I am not a summer person?

If you check out my other blog, you'll see some of my comments about Jumpstart to Skinny.