100 Sales and the Etsy Store, Thanksgiving is 'Way Too Much Work and Where Have All the Customers Gone?

Mrs. P. can not believe it has been so long since she has posted.

Actually, she is lying - she has been very busy with the Vintage Store and knows how long it has been since she posted on any of her blogs.

Mrs. P's Brain on Etsy hit 100 sales this weekend.

To celebrate Mrs. P. will donate $100 to the local food bank which is in particularly dire need this year.

Mrs. P. is damn glad the four day weekend of Thanksgiving is over. While a fine holiday in Theory, it involves 'way too much work, time in the kitchen and time cleaning up.

It isn't just one meal involved. There is much cooking all weekend for church functions, family members at home to share the holiday.

And the extra laundry....

It has been quiet in the Etsy store this weekend which has Mrs. P. quite unnerved. The store had been doing very well and being well received then sales came to a stand still this week.

Well, almost a stand still. Anyway, checking the chat forums on the Etsy site shows other stores not having much for sales. Supposedly, online sales will crank up in a couple of weeks.

Was everyone out trying to track down the best buy on mustache trimmers and foot baths?

Mrs. P. does get to see the flotsam and jetsam of discarded gifts in the thrift shops and massaging foot baths are the most numerous.

Mrs. P. should buy one....

Mrs. P. and "Princess" Parties

The Sunday paper has a cartoon called "One Big Happy..." and to finish the saying is "...family" here in the states.

Really cute cartoon series about a family with two young children. The girl has an imagination Mrs. P. adores.

This Sunday's selection Ruthie gets an invitation to a "Princess Party". She then wails about the theme of the party and the lack of more imaginative parties such as a "witch doctor party" - which I thought was a particularly good theme.

Mrs. P. got an invitation to a "Princess Party" the other week - it was disguised as a jewelry party.

Several things Mrs. P. dislikes about women's home merchandised parties.

And she knows she is going to really offend some people who hosts these and the ones who are happy participants in these gatherings.

1) Why do women have to have a get-together based on spending money on over-priced items?
Why can't gals get together at each other's homes for coffee, drinks and snacks just for fun?
Why does there have to be a club, products, community service as the reason for women to leave their homes at night and catch up on each other?

2) The products are usually over-priced and frequently based on products that do not have good durability.

3) You go to one and you are expected to go to allll the others and are asked to host one of these events. Mrs. P. had to quit going to ANY parties.

4) If you don't spend money at these parties you are a) not helping someone add a little income to their wallet b) not helping the hostess get her hostess gift points. Mrs. P. does not an income. Mrs. P. has a lot of out-flow due to the art supplies. Some decisions have to be made where money does get spent and art supplies always win out.

5) No one is this area would dare to have an more "interestingly" themed party - such as the sex toy ones Mrs. P. hears about. Even if someone did no one would dare buy items in front of the conservative catholic and frequently older, neighbors....

Mrs. P. thinks a Beach theme party with umbrella drinks, salty snacks, moderate porno movies and sex toy catalogs would improve the ladies attitudes in the area.

And probably their husband's sex life....

Mrs. P. finally bought something for Herself....

Isn't this a FABulous pattern? Mrs. P. bought this from midvalecottage on etsy. Midvalecottage has many many patterns, especially vintage and Mrs. P. snapped this one up as it is in her size.

The cloth is a fine weave cotton Mrs. P. has listed in the etsy shop. She is thinking of pulling off listing and keeping it to use for herself with that pattern.

Unfortunately, on wearing that outfit Mrs. P. will not be exuding the confident sexuality that young thing depicted on the pattern is....

Questions and Commentary on more Vintage Patterns, Excessive Blog Followers, Sexy Draculas, and Her Very Own Shop of Horrors, Blah, Blah....

The top pattern is one of Mrs. P.'s favorites for girls - although she thinks the dresses are too short she approves of the artist smock.

The second pattern is one Mrs. P. would not hesitate to wear - she loooves the super wide legs, the wide belt. But at Mrs. P.'s current weight she would look like a roll of dough pinched in the middle.

Then there's those lovely pregnant ladies on the third pattern. They are advanced in their pregnancies to need maternity clothes but have Remarkably Skinny Faces and Ankles. No bloating with these elegant, happily pregnant Stepford wives.

Mrs. P. wonders about the bloggers who have 458 readers that leave 225 comments to One Story and there are many, many stories. Does one have to ignore the comments? Does one flip through them, meeney, meaney, miney, moe and randomly select some comments to respond to?

'Tis the week before Halloween and Mrs. P. has been happy with the movies keeping her company in the kitchen. "Goonies" has been on quite a bit; Frank Langella as a very sexual Dracula - Mrs. P. is hoping for "Braum Stoker's Dracula"; "Van Helsing" to name a few. The easier movies to watch - with action, some fun and not requiring much concentration.

Mrs. P. has her own little shop of Horrors going on as the fruit fly population is getting out of hand. They are in the bread, one can not have a glass of wine without being harassed, trying to fix a sandwich triggers a mass gathering, and now they have taken to hanging out at the coffee pot. Damn things are fornicating on their coffee breaks as fruit flies have a very very very short life span of one or two days. And they are making the most of their time as the past week the generations are continuing. Mrs. P. has had to ban any fresh fruit and keep all foods tightly sealed. Trying to have a box of donuts in the house was absurd.

The Vintage Etsy shop continues to expand it's inventory and all seems to be going well. Mrs. P. has had to pause the art work for a while to get the shop running and now she is working on making some sort of order out in the studio. The studio is housing the vintage shop's "stuff" and with the work back from the gallery in Jackson it is crowded and a mess.

Anyway, Mrs. P. has had to neglect her blogs but is hoping to be able to start posting on a regular basis soon....

Patterns and Comments to Accompany a Portrayal of Life

Being an artist and observing how other artists portray people has it's ups and downs.

Sometimes it is a different perspective, a welcome interpretation.

Sometimes the observations produces irritation, especially when the interpretation seem to perpetuate a social image.

Look at the image above - the dresses are very nice and could be considered party dresses. In the sixties little girls and young ladies, wore gloves to church and social events and practiced nice manners.

Certainly nothing wrong with practicing good manners. However, after handling many patterns of this time and all portray female children as these tender, white gloved, pristine little ladies Mrs. P. wonders at the influence advertising has on the formation of social perception and the formation of our own lives.

Sometimes the interpretation is laughable, even while it perpetuates an unattainable ideal.

The young, nubile gals frolicking on the pattern above - wide eyed, innocently portrayed sexuality.

And then there are those legs.

The artist's figure drawing instructor should be hopping up and down.

Mrs. P. has some other comments on other patterns to post another day.

Do you have any other view points on other influences advertising has helped misconstrue?

Any other at all? It seems Mrs. P. has plenty of other today....

(p.s. patterns and other buy-able social influences available at Mrs. P.'s Etsy store)

Back from Wyoming, a Cold, and More Vintage...

Some of the vintage flotsam and jetsam Mrs. P. has listed in her Etsy shop.

Mrs. P. "did" a quick trip to Jackson Wyoming. Snow and Pronghorn Antelopes. Cold. Glad she took her ragwool chopper mitts, down jacket and hiking boots. She pretended to be part of the "in" mountain crowd.
She also has a Cold - unusual for Mrs. P. to be ick. Blah. Probably not much posting to the blogs for a couple of days - takes too much concentration.
Ick ick blah blah snort sniffle hock snort cough SNEEZE gross snort hot tea....

For Your Evening Out this Weekend....

Top photo - the Champagne & Peaches Taffeta and Organza Prom Dress.

Bottom photo - An Alfred Shaheen Designer Gown.

Both vintage items listed on Mrs. P.'s Vintage Shop

Mrs. P's 'Scope on the Day....

Mrs. P.'s Horoscope for the day....

" The work you do on one project affects the outcome of another project.
So you never have to feel that your time is wasted.

You are productive even when you do nothing but sit still and breathe."

Mrs. P. thinks she will post this horoscope for Mr. P.'s information....

The 40's Cut-Out Dress...

This fine item is a size "14" with a bust of 32 inches.

Yes.

That is what Mrs. P.. says.

According to the standards of the 1940's Mrs. P. would be wearing a size "40".

Mrs. P. was able to borrow a small dress form to take photographs of her vintage clothing.
A wonderful afternoon, yesterday, dressing the form and getting some good photographs.
The items will be listed to the Etsy shop (mrspsbrain).

This particular item is a beautiful cotton dress with cut-out work details. This was never worn and still has a store tag on it - "Penny's" and 2.23 - perhaps the price then?

Mrs. P. says "Hello"....

Mrs. P. may have to make a new banner using this image.
It's from a 1960's knitting book Mrs. P. acquired last week.

Mrs. P. is deep into listing items on the vintage shop. All is going well and Mrs. P. is pleased with the initial response she is getting. The shop might actually help support her other "habit" called "art".

So, Mrs. P. has been neglecting her blogs. Well, she is thinking of them but too busy with the etsy shop. How is everyone doing?

Mrs. P. borrowed a dress form to take photos of vintage clothing. Which should be fun. She will post some to the blog as she has some very nice items.

Meatloaf, baked potatoes and peach pie on the menu for tonight. Maybe Mrs. P. can get her infamous meatloaf recipe posted soon....

Decorating Your House 1956 Style

1956 Better Homes and Garden Spiral Bound Notebook with Themed Sections to help you decorate your home.

Darn good shape for being 53 years old...

....which is a year old than Mrs. P..

We both have some fading, some thumb-wear, but generally fairly bright still....

Available at mrspsbrain.etsy.com

Mrs. P. and SteamPunk

Top Photo - The Looking Boot by glowstoes

Second Photo - UpCycled Short Jacket by devilmademedoit

Third Photo - Waistcoat by rockfabricscissors

Bottom Photo - Metamorphosis necklace by steampunkjunq

Mrs. P. had been seeing "steampunk" on items on Etsy.

???????

She could guess at what "steampunk" might be - the derivation is fairly clear.

It seems to be recycled, upcycled clothing, jewelry, accessories, with a Goth flair. Kinda punk with an attitude of recycling. Perhaps more romantic than the punk of the 80's....

Think Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" meets Harry Potter.

These Etsy shops are just a veryveryvery very small sampling of what is on the site when one searches "steampunk".

Mrs. P. loves the innovative designers that stretch their imaginations to re-use and re-cycle what would be discarded. Yeah for them.

Mrs. P. Pigs Out

Or is it "Mrs. P. Hams it Up?"

MMMmmmm. Change to cooler temperatures means turning the oven on is not contrary to what the air conditioner is trying to do.

So, Mrs. P. baked a half of a ham.

This is such an easy supper. Not a fix-in-a-half-hour meal but a put-in-the-oven-go-do-something-else meal.

Maybe Mrs. P. needs to create a label called such.

Buy a quality half ham with bone-in. Mrs. P. bought a Smithfield - there are other quality hams.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Generously line your roaster pan with foil to go well over the sides.
Take ham out of packaging Noting the Weight, Recommended Cooking Time per Pound and Recommended Temperature the meat thermometer should read.

Take that plastic disc out of the bottom of the ham (the flat side).
Place ham into the roaster, flat side down, fat side up.
Add one bottle of peach-flavored tea.
You need at least one inch of liquid - but - the ham will add it's own juices.

Pull some of the extra foil towards the ham so it's in a roomy boat.
Then top the ham with a cap of foil, not too tightly.
Place in heated oven and bake at ***375 for 40 minutes***.

(This time would be good to put your baking potatoes in.)

After 40 minutes turn the oven down to 325 degrees.
Continue baking as directed on the packaging label.

15 minutes before it's done, pull out the ham.
Take off it's foil cap and generously cover with a thick, sweet B-B-Q sauce. Mrs. P. used Sweet Baby Ray's.
Put the ham back in the oven and bake another 15 minutes or so.

Ham needs to stand for 20 minutes before cutting.

Baked potatoes may need some more baking, depending on their size. If so, turn the oven temperature up to 400 to finish them.

Add a tossed salad, either some nice bread or a dessert (just a bowl of good ice cream is nice).

This is Important! Ham should never be wasted (no food should be wasted).
After cooking it can be frozen in pieces to add to soups and beans.
What is Mrs. P. going to do with the Ham Bone?

Well, make Lentil Soup next week!

Mrs. P. makes Very Good Soups.

Those will make for some good posts this fall/winter Yummy Soup Season....

Whether You Wear Aprons to Cook in or Not....

Vintage 1952 McCall's Apron Pattern

Available at midvalecottage.etsy.com

You MUST go look at all the Authentic Vintage Patterns.

The 50's dresses make Mrs. P. sigh with longing....

Hey - it don't take much for older gals....

Mrs. P. found a posting on a store (could be midvalecottage) on how to re-size vintage patterns. There are a couple of other sites concerning use of vintage patterns. These are extremely important as sizing changes dramatically every twenty years (we are all getting bigger).

Mrs. P. will do a post on these handy sites soon.

Today we are taking more photos to add to Mrs. P.'s Etsy shop...

Mrs. P.'s Brain on Etsy....

Mrs. P. would like to have a dress like this - a little longer so as not to horrify the neighborhood.

Mrs. P.'s Brain is on Etsy! Nice to know Brain is not on worse things. The shop was set up, photos of some items loaded yesterday.

Much, much time involved photographing bits and pieces.

And then listing....

Mrs. P. is ready to go out and tackle some more items. At least she will have new "stuff" to list on Etsy every day (or almost every day).

This shop will be listing Vintage and Unique Finds.

Orphaned Things Mrs. P. finds in her Wanderings.

You all are just lucky she doesn't list - either on this blog or on Etsy - some of the "stuff" she does find. Lotsa Orphans out there....

The Art Shop (ksdeb.etsy.com) will be Just Art.

www.mrspsbrain.etsy.com will be anything else....

Mrs. P. and the Spirit World...

Mrs. P.'s Horoscope for the day...
...tells her she is on the verge of an exciting breakthrough in her personal life.

Well, ain't that special?

Mrs. P.'s getting a little tired of trying to be all the positive energy - it's time for someone else to do a song and dance routine for entertainment and uplifting of spirits in the household.

Bring in the fresh meat...

Speaking of Lifting Up Spirits...

Do You Vodka?

Mrs. P. doesn't drink vodka martinis often, preferring gin gimlets, but these recipes are very
intriguing:

This is from the wonderful Joy of Cooking, the 75th anniversary issue;

Black Pepper Vodka

Drop 1/2 cup of whole black peppercorns into one 750 ml bottle of vodka.
Allow to steep at room temperature for at least 4 hours - or up to 3 days.
The vodka should be straw colored.
Strain, return to bottle and store in freezer.

Yes. Mrs. P. has heard of storing hard liquor in the freezer.

Another recipe involving Vodka, Blueberries and Chipotle Sauce:

Fischer & Wieser make wonderful marinade sauces. Their Raspberry Chipotle is one Mr. & Mrs. P. love to use for salmon. Their website is www.jelly.com . Fine products and well worth investigating.

Mrs. P. bought the Blueberry Chipotle recently as someone had told her that was their favorite. Each bottle of the different sauces has a recipe booklet tied around the neck. This one is so intriguing -

Blueberry Chipotle Martini

Base Vodka - Makes enough for 11 martinis
2 cups vodka
2/3 cup Fischer & Wieser Blueberry Chipotle Sauce
1/4 cup creme de cassis

Make the Base by combining the above in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake vigorously, then strain through a fine strainer & store in refrigerator.

To make single drinks:
Combine in a cocktail shaker
3 oz. Vodka (plain)
2 tablespoons Base Vodka
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Cointreau
ice cubes
Shake until well chilled.
Pour into martini glasses and add
2 or 3 fresh blueberries for garnish

How interesting is that?

Oh, the Lusts and Cravings of Mrs. P....

Mrs. P. Lusts!
Mrs. P. Desires!
Mrs. P. Really Would Like to Have These!

Absolutely Drop Dead Gorgeous Items from Etsy Sellers

Top - glasses from Vintage50sEyewear

Middle - Vest by Silvia66

Bottom - Handbag by daphnenen

Mean Meatloaf and Ribald Ribs...

What is she smiling about?
Because she fixed her man Mrs. P.'s Mean Meatloaf for supper. Mrs. P. thinks the gal likes being a Slave by the smile she has on her face. Maybe the guy is in the Meatloaf and that's why she is smiling....

Mrs. P. is working on the recipes for the ribs and meatloaf. The ribs are super easy and do not take hours & hours to do. Mrs. P. has been told she makes "the best" meatloaf and also puts in some of the oddest ingredients. Since the ingredients change each time she makes the meatloaf it's taking her a while to write out the recipe.

Meanwhile
Here's a Ditty for the smiling Miss Kitty....

"This Saturday morning I'm having a sale,"
she said. "I'm getting rid of all his digs
since he is rigged in cement in a pail."

The Stars Alined and Told Mrs. P. to Keep it to Herself....

Mrs. P.'s horoscope for yesterday said for her to keep her insights to herself - that others would not appreciate her views....

So she did.

Mrs. P. will be working on getting another Etsy shop set up. She wants to keep the vintage items, fabric, etc., separate from the art shop. There are a lot of photos to take, measurements to take, store policies to write and then figuring out of shipping charges.

Mrs. P. is thinking either "Mrs. P.'s Bits & Pieces" or "Mrs. P.'s Brain" Etsy shop.

White on Monday's - Winter White

It will soon be here - Winter and all the wonderful cozy clothing to dress up in.

Top Photo - Snow & Rain Scarf by Silvia66

Middle - Notorious Luxury Cowl by fringe

Bottom photo - Glam Boa by laslopezlas

Cards Mrs. P. Would Love to Give....

*********

and the inside of the above card...

What?
Did you think Mrs. P. would go for those generic milk toast cards?

These enlighten items are by bipolarbetty of etsy.com .
Run, run over there and look at her cards.
She also has some chapbooks for sale.

Such genius needs to be supported....

Mrs. P.'s Pet Peeves....

An Installation on the Subjects of Bad Hygiene, Mannerisms and Treatment of Children &/or Animals

Mrs. P.'s Peeves:

In the Washroom or WC or Lavatory - "Curly" Hair on the Bar Soap. Mrs. P. doesn't care if it is from your own family - we all know Where Curly Hair comes from - Rinse the bar soap!

Pee on the Toilet Seats of Public Restrooms/Lavatories - Ladies, if you are "ladies", clean the damn seat after yourself! That is so disgusting...

Pierced Ears on Babies - really - who is this for? Does the baby have any say in this? Why not pierce your dog's ears? Ah, cause the Humane Society would be after you for unusual treatment of an animal.... Isn't your child lovely enough? Or do you think you need to decorate your baby? Stick to hair bows.

People that let their dogs roam - or on the other side of the coin - keep them tied all the time never to ge included as part of the pack all. Mrs. P. has a theory that how people treat their dogs = how they treat their children and vice versus....

There are Many Things in the Food Industry Mrs. P. picks over (she has worked in the restaurant business - been in the front lines).

*People who serve you food with chipped nail polish;
*People who do food preparation with rings and bracelets;
*People who handle Money and then turn around to handle your food.

Money is one of the nastiest items passed through society. It is dirty. It has been handled by people who don't wash their hands, clothes. It's been sitting in the sticky stuff of people's cars. It's been picked up off the street....

And now with the possibility of a Swine Flu epidemic Mrs. P. is really looking at a food establishment's habits....

Mrs. P.'s Horoscope - A Saggittarian Running With Scissors....

Mrs. P.'s Horoscope for the day reads:

"You are super smart. Your impulses are more than electrical charges running through your brain; they are potential futures. Try some of them out today to see where they will lead."

Oh, the Impulses! The Impulses!
Mrs. P. ate the last of the ice cream last night so that impulse is out.
She has already had some long distance phone calls with family and caught up on family news.
Impulse shopping is something she hasn't done in years and has no plans to do so anytime soon.
She could....
Drive to Denver to see the Art Museum's new wing;
Call George C. to see when he is going to be at Lake Como;
Plan a trip to Santa Fe;
But those are not Viable Impulses
and Mrs. P. is a somewhat responsible spouse and parent.

Mrs. P. has some tasks to do relating to Etsy and Google Database but doesn't count those as impulses....

Hmmmm....

If she finds an Impulse she can actually Act On, she will post it....

Mrs. P.'s Horoscope for the Day and Lists! We Must Have Lists!

Mrs. P.'s Horoscope for the day (yes, we're a little late on posting today. Oh well):

"Don't worry. Getting organized is not going to squash your natural spontaneity one bit. Passionate people use calendars too. In fact, you'll be even more excited about your plans because you put them in ink."

Mrs. P. likes lists. We think we have posted on that before. Oh well. Mrs. P. likes lists - even if the tasks aren't all done it is satisfying to cross off some accomplishments. If you look for the posts about notebooks, you'll see she likes looking the everyday notes and lists from past years as they mark a place of thought and time. She has a 100 year old list her great aunt made of her train travel expenses. The date is Oct. 13, 1900 and stamps were 50 cents, which is expensive as the train ticket was $4.75.

Mrs. P. hasn't made her lists for awhile. Too distracted with some changes but now, it is time.
The big list she puts together is for the weekly menu. A huge help as the family eats at home most of the time and Mr. P. takes a lunch and breakfast snack with him to work. An outline helps figure out what is for next day lunch or for leftover suppers. Other lists are reminders of tasks to do and items to look for in other towns. Today's list consists of:

Mop kitchen & living room
Place order with D.B.
Take photos of paintings
Make soup
Buy Pizza
Take Sport Coats to thrift

Four of the six are done. The sport coats can wait for the next trip.

Mrs. P. would like to make a more interesting list some day.

"Order Party Dresses"
"Finalize Plans for Museum Exhibition in NYC"
"Stop at Ophthalmologist and Order Six New Pairs of Glasses"
"Have Beautiful Invitations Ordered for Museum Opening Night"
"Send George* an Itinerary with his Invite"


What would be your list? We mean one you are truly interested in, even if it is totally self centered, self servicing....

*George Clooney

What is Old is New Again....

Vintage 40's, 50's pattern

Vintage inspired crop jacket by flutter on Etsy

Mrs. P. wants to think the pattern is from the 50's due to the sleeker hairstyle than up-swept pompadours of the 40's. But the pattern price is still 25 cents. The model is view 1 looks reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe. Look how small the waists are depicted.

Mrs. P. had seen this jacket and others, on flutter.etsy.com . Not only is the jacket similar to the vintage designs but the cute model and her hairstyle kind of look like the gal in view 2....

Pre-Manga and the Pattern Industry...Don't Do This to Your Child...

Copyright date on this is 1967

Mrs. P. observes 1) the exceedingly long legs on the girls which 2) shows off the exceedingly short skirts which 3) the perverts probably enjoyed when the girls were at play during recess and 3) the weird eyes these children have....

Don't Put Your Child into Short Skirts or Dresses Without Some Sort of Tights, Leggings, Capri's Underneath.

Ever been around perverts? Oh yes, you have - they are everywhere - young and old family members, churches and youth organizations (great place to get close to young children), carnivals and amusement parks....

This is a cute pattern- just not very suitable.
Oh and it says "not suitable for chubby girls" on the back...

Warm Shades of Gray for Tuesday

Getting to be that time of year to turn to warm, comforting things....

Top Photo - Twig Scarf by ellembee

Middle - Cloud Scarf by fringe

Bottom Photo - Fingerless Gloves by homelab