Vintage craft bonanza

My Mother in Law came over this morning for breakfast (mmmmm, home made eggs benedict with panfries made with fresh-from-the garden potatoes and herbs, thanks Hubby). The plan for the day was supposed to be the Moss Street Paint-in but Hubby and I are sissies when it comes to the stuffy weather (turns out there was a nice breeze most of the day and it would likely have been fine) so after talking it over with the others we all decided to hit up yard sales instead.

We got some great stuff.... a new game table (folding card table with a handmade top that includes a chess/checker board), a slot car race set for Kiddo, some movies, and other odds and ends.

But, the best find of all was an armload of Tri-Chem Liquid Embroidery stuff from the seventies. Included were two carry-cases, loads of paints, two catalogs from 1973, canvases (most untouched, a few completed, some with instructions) and some maintenance tools and instructions.

All for a buck.

The best thing was a blank green "velvet" canvas printed with a pattern that looked familiar -- a flower arrangement in a copper teapot (similar to the daisies above). I couldn't get a good photo of the canvas and it didn't come with instructions but it doesn't matter; I have another that my Mother completed back in the day. All in all, even if I never use the paint, it was totally worth the trip down memory lane. I have also added the catalogs to my mental "to be scanned" pile.

And, just in case you were curious, Tri-Chem has been made since 1948 and is still available.

Curiosities

Feeling a bit better today -- yesterday this house was flu central and no fun at all. To combat that, today I have been searching for some amusing diversions between naps...

Justine Lai is getting a lot of press for her latest project; she is painting herself having sex with every American president, in order. She began in 2006 and is up to the 18th president; several are quite graphic in content so click with care. The series is called Join or Die.

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Think you know Star Trek? Or maybe you're an expert on erectile dysfunction medications, having read all those spam messages. Either way, test your knowledge with the Star Trek Character or Erectile Dysfunction Pill quiz at Mental Floss. I only got 40%. I think that's a good thing.

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Through Craft, I flagged a couple of tutorials that caught my eye: one for a laundry sack from I Have To Say and one to convert a vintage suitcase into a portable craft centre from Bitter Betty Blogs.

Sometimes the system works.

Yesterday, just before lunch I received an email from a fellow Etsy user who wanted to let me know that someone on eBay was selling my pattern (and other crafters' patterns as well) as if it were her own. I checked it out and there was my pattern for Ma Cobb's Hat -- but the font, formatting, and even the photo had been edited (poorly). She was selling the pattern for 99 cents plus postage. 

I immediately reported the item to eBay for infringing on intellectual copyright (yes, I released it under a Creative Commons Attribution license -- but she hadn't even done that; she was passing it off as her own pattern along with many patterns others had posted to the Commons or elsewhere.) I also sent the user a stern warning to pull the auction. Within a couple of hours the auction for my pattern had been terminated and within 24 hours she had no listings at all. I've had run-ins with eBay in the past but I was happy with how this situation was settled.

Oh, and if you are interested in seeing how Creative Commons can be used well, check out this listing for the same pattern on AllFreeCrafts -- they give proper attribution and even link back to this blog. Well done!

I am ignoring the snow

It's bitter cold here -- Victorians are actually having to use the words "wind chill factor" in describing the world outdoors and that's exactly why I don't live in the Prairies! So, instead, here are some festive links to warm your mouse-clicking fingers:

Despite his awesome PR, lots of kids are scared of Santa. Here's proof.

Crafting with kids indoors during the winter weather? Here's some ridiculously simple paper ornaments that can be made from anything from fancy scrapbooking paper to recycled flyers. Or how about a kid-version of these beaded napkin rings? Easily done with chenille stems and plastic beads.

On next year's Christmas crafting list (because I am out of time this year, damnit!) this cute little embroidered weiner-dog reindeer and these simple but so effective scrapcraft bird ornaments.

Is it festive downloads you seek? How about a stop-motion-animation Yule Log Screensaver by PES or a free mp3 m4a by the Barenaked Ladies? Or you can decorate your own Gingerbread (wo)man online care of Safeway.

And for my fellow trivia-lovers: 12 Things You Might Not Know about A Christmas Story. [Psst! If you don't own this most awesome movie, go buy a copy on Amazon! It is sooo much better without ad interruptions and network editing: A Christmas Story (Two-Disc Special Edition)!]