Internet Problems and More

My internet problems have gone from bad to worse: speed that slows to a standstill, pages that load looking like preschool html gobbledy-gook, and frequent disconnections (like every 10 minutes).  I've unplugged everything three times to take my laptop to my sister's  to use her dsl to troubleshoot.  The good news is that my computer works prefectly fine on dsl, so there's nothing wrong with my laptop.  The bad news is that after trying several different browsers and isp's, the only one I can get to work is AOL and it crawls at 31000 kbps.  But at least it's moving and eventually uploads pages in a readable format.

As if things weren't bad enough, when I went to SundropNews today to send out a newsletter, I discovered that it has been chosen by the Yahoo powers-that-be to be a guinea pig (slang term meaning test subject) for Neo.  Aaaargh!  I clicked on every button I found but could not find a way to post a newsletter.  So, until Yahoo works out the many bugs in Neo, I will post things here, and on my web site and the SundropFun group, and hope everyone somehow gets the message.

First news item: Due to increase postage costs, I've raised my baseline postage charge for US orders from $4 to $5.  Customers will still be refunded any amount over the actual postage.  This increase just makes it less likely that I have to pay part of the postage on heavy items.  (I'd like to be that generous, but I have bills to pay, too.)

Item #2: When I was compiling my Sundrop Critter patterns into annual packs, I discovered that I had miscounted - I'm short one critter!  I also decided that I don't want to use my special occasion critters, like the Easter Bilby, as part of a pack.  So get your printers and stash ready because six more critters are coming!  The first should be arriving this weekend (if the internet cooperates).

Sandy
http://www.sundropdesigns.com/

Quilter's I Spy

Inbetween the chores like weeding, defrosting the freezer, washing windows, scrubbing grime off my trailer, etc. (my sister and nephews have been helping, thank goodness!), I've been sorting and reorganizing my accumulation of stuff: clothing, books, kitchen items, and quilting/craft stash. As I was sorting through my little trinkets, it occurred to me that this was a tip I could share about doing the wee folk and critters. Over the years, I've been picking up tiny trinkets from the dollar store as well as stores like Wal-mart and JoAnn's.  My stash includes beads, sequins, metallic confetti, tiny pom poms, tiny wiggle eyes, tiny clothespins, little pre-made applique flowers, narrow ribbons, glitter, fake snow, teeny-tiny buttons, snaps and laces used for doll clothes -- just about anything small that I think might be useful to embellish or save me from creating it myself (like tying tiny bows or cutting out tiny applique flowers or hearts).

I put a small sample of some of these things in a sandwich baggie and scanned it. It looks a lot like a photo in a kid's I Spy book! Look closely and you'll find shamrocks for my wee leprechauns, a variety of hearts for my Sweethearts Ball wee people, pom poms for the elfkins shoes, tiny clothespins for hanging wee clothing, a variety of sequins for decorating wee Christmas trees, etc.

It's a tedious job sorting through all this stuff, but it will be so nice to be
able to quickly find what I want instead of rummaging for hours or buying
something I already have.

Mysterious Christmas Fabric

Three summers ago, I decided to work at using up my stash of holiday fabrics.  After three quilts and several little projects, I succeeded in reducing my Christmas stash from two full drawers to one full drawer.

Last summer, while trying to re-establish some semblance of order to my shed, I found another drawer full of Christmas fabric.  Total: 2 full drawers.

Last weekend, I decided to make pillowcases and aprons to make another dent in that Christmas stash.  Total: 2 drawers minus 5 yards.

Today, I went to Wal-mart to get a yard of red fabric to finish an apron and turn a Christmas panel into something other than a piece of fabric.  I returned home with 5 yards of Christmas fabric.  Total: 2 full drawers.

My Christmas stash is starting to remind me of that fairy tale about the pot of oatmeal that was always full no matter how many people ate from it. 

The Easter stash is gone.  The Halloween stash has just a few scraps.  The St. Patrick's Day stash is down to 3 pieces, each 1 yard or less.  And the Fourth of July stash takes up less than 1/4th of a drawer.  They're all diminishing.  What's the deal with the Christmas fabric?