Did Ya Miss Me?

 

I'm back! Computer difficulties plus being away for 4 days without my Blogger password = no new posts. All sorted now, though...

Please enjoy these bizarre emus.

Don't Judge Me...

 "Harrumph!"

 "?????"

 "Oh?"

 "I'm so sure."

 "Gulp."

 "Whaaaaa?"

 "Really?!"

 "Oh my!" {x 3.}

"Boo hoo (also, we are REALLY weird and vaguely creepy)."

It's true--I got nothin' to blog about today...partially due to technical difficulties, partly due to...well, um, er...don't judge me, 'kay?

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Winner! It's Audrey (and Samantha)

These two ladies are sooooo pleased to announce that Audrey Hepburn is the clear winner...most of you picked her as your favorite fashion icon/person to hang out with. I had a hard time choosing myself...I adore Audrey (Sabrina makes me swoon, as does Funny Face--"Take the picture, take the picture!"), but I have to say Louise Brooks would have been a kick to know.

The winner of the giveaway-- selected by our friend the Random Number Generator--is Samantha, who oh-so-sweetly commented that she named her daughter after Audrey. Thanks for all who participated...it's really fun, isn't it? I truly wish I could give something to all of you! So I will! If you enter the code "SMSGIVEAWAY15," into the coupon code area of my Etsy shop, SewBettyAndDot, you'll get 15% off your entire purchase through the end of June. Thanks to everyone, and thanks too for following my blog.

Ta ta until next time!

Drumroll, Please

WoW! 273 total comments over three days on the Sew Mama Sew giveaway post. Thanks so very much to all of you who entered--I sincerely wish I could at least pop a card of buttons or a packet of ric-rac in the mail to each and every one who stopped by and left lovely comments...but alas, I can't. (BTW, a great big MWAH to all of my circle of commenters and followers who have been with me from the start--y'all are special!). I do plan to stop by all of your blogs and say hello. And thanks to those of you who became new followers!

It was so fun to read where you all are from, what era clothes you like best (1940s and 1950s seem to be the faves), good books to read, and the names of all of your pets: we had cats, rabbits, horses and chickens, turtles, dwarf African frogs. I loved all the rescued pet stories and all the great names you've given them.

Because the giveaway was of vintage stuff and because I live and breathe vintage, I decided not to use the Random Number Generator: instead, I wrote everyone's name on a piece of paper--dividing you into domestic and international visitors--and them put them into a vintage hat for two separate draws. The first draw was for domestic visitors...drumroll...Tallulah Mae helped (well, not really, but we can pretend)...
The winner of the flat rate box of goodies is Rachael, who lives in Minnesota. Yay!
The response from international visitors was A.MAZE.ING: 71 commenters from all over the globe (Australia, UK, Thailand, Singapore, Ireland, Canada, Norway, Finland, New Zealand, Dubai, Bulgaria, Turkey, Taiwan, Italy, Croatia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, Israel, Germany, and Japan [I know Scotland and Ireland are in the UK, but I wanted to give them props!]). Wow!

The winner of an envelope o'vintage sewing goodies is Linda, from Nova Scotia.

Fun fun fun...thanks again for stopping by!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day, Yay!

Welcome to Foziewisp, my little corner of the blogosphere, where you'll find me posting about this and that, five days a week, rain or shine! Every Friday is Tallulah-Palooza Friday, featuring Tallulah Mae, the Wonder Dog.

To win a big ol' assortment of vintage sewing supplies (pictured above--buttons, sequins, some fabric, trim, and more), just leave me a comment below, on this post only. I'll be cramming as much cool vintage sewing stuff as possible into a flat rate medium USPS; examples of stuff to be stuffed are pictured above (I think all of that above will fit into a medium box--I didn't have one to hand).

INTERNATIONAL VISITORS: I can't ship you the flat rate box (it's for domestic use only), but I'll send one international commenter an envelope full of stuff--so, if you're visiting from outside the U.S., please tell me where you're from (or that you're outside the U.S.) and I'll have a separate drawing for you.

No requirements--just a comment, maybe what era of clothing is your favorite, or the latest book you loved, or your dog's name, but "Hey, pick me!" works too--but I do invite you to visit my two Etsy shops (Sew Betty and Dot and Betty and Dot--check them out on the sidebar to the right) and tell me what you saw there that you thought was cool/fun/weird. ALSO: if you enter the coupon code "sewmamasew2011" in my Sew Betty and Dot shop, you'll receive a 20% discount on purchases (through May 31).

Comments will be accepted until midnight on Wednesday, May 25; I'll use the trusty Random Number Generator to choose the winner. Be sure to leave some way for me to contact you should you win.

Thanks for playing along and sharing some bloggy love! And good luck! The full list of giveaway participants can be found here at Sew Mama Sew.

O. to the M. to the G., Blogger!!!!

Can you BELIEVE that Blogger has been down since yesterday afternoon AND it deleted Wednesday's post?! Argh. Tallulah Mae can't believe it either.

Lazy Blogger

A pretty flower (also known as "It's late/I'm tired/time to eat/empty head/where's my beer"). Ya know...

Tallulah-Palooza Friday and Number 1,000!!!!

Tallulah Mae is shouting the news: It's the 1,000th blog post here at Foziewisp! Woo-hoo ... {confetti and balloons drop}.
That means there have been 245 (plus this one) Tallulah-Palooza Fridays (everyone's favorite day of the week)! Tallulah Mae is downright amazed.

Thank you to all of you who drop in on this little corner of my universe from time to time. Blogging is really an important part of my life, and I'm glad you're here to share it with me.

Onward to 9,000?

Guess what, Tallulah Mae! It's my 900th post (O.M.G.!)!!!!!!
She is not impressed...

But I am (she writes, immodestly--I just can't believe I've blogged 900 times)! I continue to take great pleasure in the act of blogging, and I feel like I've "met" some super-cool people out there in the blogosphere (thank you to all of you who stop by and special thanks to those who leave comments). And may I just say: Yay!

I Heart Etsy and the Blogosphere in General

How excited am I? I was fortunate enough to have several different items from my Etsy shop, Betty and Dot, included in some super-cool treasuries on Etsy (here, here, and here). For those of you who might not know, treasuries are a really fun way for Etsians to group favorite/cool/interesting items according to a theme. Thanks so much Bluebell Vintage (SOOOO many cute vintage things in her shop, go look!), Romy and Clare Designs (cool pottery, jewelry, and textiles), Something Monumental, and Scotty Girl Designs.

In addition, two of those fellow Etsians (here are their shops, Something Monumental and Scotty Girl Design) have ever so kindly included their finds from my (and others') shop in blog posts (go, now, and check out their blogs): here is Shannon from Scotty Girl Design (and a big Happy 100th Post to her, BTW!), and here is Mandy from Something Monumental (with whom I share a major obsession about all things roadside, including those darkly handsome and mysterious Muffler Men!). I'm thrilled to have such lovely bloggers/Etsians focusing on items from my shop.

A big ol' YAY! Etsy has become a big part of my life and I can't think of one bad thing to say about it. Now, the outrageous price of shipping? That's another story (I'm looking at YOU, USPS)...

Generosity

Stare deeply into your screen...can you see me on the other side? I'm doing the happy dance because of what's in this cardboard box I received in the mail the other day.
It's a box o'vintage-y goodness from Mitzi over at Mitzi's Collectibles blog. Can you believe it? How ever did I get so lucky?! Included in this lovely wooden drawer were:
Pretty buttons (and lordy I LURVE me some buttons!).
Gorgeous vintage seed packets...
This darling fellow/gal...so cute!Yo-yos! And check out Mitzi's darling tag up there...A handmade pendant made of sweet wallpaper scrap...
Here it all is as it came out of the drawer...each thing sweetly packaged.

And as wonderful as it was to win a blog giveaway, even MORE wonderful is meeting new bloggy friends. Mitzi has such a cute blog--go on, I'll wait while you check it out!--and she wrote such sweet things about me and my blog (and Tallulah Mae). It's corny but true--the blogosphere is such a warm community! I've made some other blog friends just from winning Mitzi's giveaway, too (hi Kathryn and Kathryn's daughter; hi Andy; hi Suzie Q). So much generosity of spirit...thank you Mitzi, and thank ALL of you who pop in here occasionally--your comments make my day.

My 800th Post!!!!!!

Whaaaaaat? How is that possible? In honor of this milestone, I hereby declare today "Tallulah-Palooza Tuesday."

An Unbelievable Botanical Specimen

Isn't this just...beautiful? It's a banana plant, of some sort (check out all of the unripe green fruit above). As trite as this may be, I am in awe of nature every single day, whether it be a tiny bee, a jaw-dropping sunset, a flock of pigeons wheeling off of a lightpost in perfect unison...or this. (This photo wasn't taken in a botanical garden--this wonder is growing right here in my very own 'hood, around the block from my house!)

BTW: this is my 700th blog post. Wow! It continues to be a pleasure to pick out some little something from my life and share it here, and it's been wonderful to make a bunch of bloggy friends--you know who you are! Hey, y'all--thanks ever so much for stopping by!

Tag, I'm It

I was tagged by the talented Alice at the lovely blog Peapods to participate in this little Q&A...I've never been tagged before, so here goes! Below are the "rules":

1. Respond and rework. Answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you dislike with a question of your own invention (I added the last question).
2. Tag eight other untagged people.

What is your current obsession?
Hmm…I have quite a few (!), but I’m fixated on replanting our front yard in a water-friendly way (rationing is coming this summer). Nothing seems quite right. That photo up there is how our front looked a few years ago—81 lavandula heterophylla plants (this is so-called sweet lavender), which took off and were absolutely spectacular both to the eyes and the nose. They began to die after about five years…and the mailman stopped delivering our mail because of all of the bees (really, that’s true! Ha!). I ripped them out and planted an English variety that stays small…but it’s not happy and only a few plants have survived. Onward!

What are you wearing right now?
My favorite washed-a-million-times-ratty-at-the-hem jeans; a man’s snap-front floral shirt; my Danskos (which need replacing, I’m reminded).

Do you nap a lot?
I do! It’s a wonderful pleasure that I share with my sweet husband: a cold rainy Sunday with tummies full of milky lattes and pancakes, followed by a morning nap—a guilty luxury.

Who was the last person you hugged?
My husband—I’m not really much of a hugger (except for him!).

What’s for dinner?
French lentil and dandelion greens soup (made by my sweet personal chef/husband); salad of lettuces from the garden with homemade salad dressing; a loaf of Kalamata olive bread from Con Pane; glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc.

What was the last thing you bought?
The above-mentioned Kalamata olive loaf.

What are you listening to right now?
Jordi Savall playing viol de gamba.

What is your favorite weather?
Crisp fall weather—blue skies, lots of white clouds, chilly enough to wear sweaters and scarves on a long hike and then come inside for a hot beverage.

What’s on your bedside table?
Too much! Tchotchkes: a pink “cold” faucet handle; a green Korean pottery dog; the hand from a mannequin; sweet peas from the garden in an old soda bottle. Library books: 3 books about gardening (c.f. “What is your current obsession” above), one about bringing birds into your yard. A book, A Walk in the Country, by Tessa Evelegh, about crafting with natural objects. A New Yorker from December (!), a several-months-old issue of Vanity Fair. (hey, I get behind on mags); a novel, The River Wife, by Jonis Agee.

Say something to the person/s who tagged you.
Alice, I’m so glad I just discovered your lovely blog—your photos, digital and film, are amazing.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be?
This is a hard one! I do love my house right here and now…but a cabin somewhere, maybe New Mexico, bordering on a protected wilderness area, might be nice, too!

Favorite vacation spot?
Again, too hard to choose! Japan, for sure; England a close second; the big island of Hawaii third. I know, I know—but I can’t choose just one!

Name the things you can’t live without.
My husband, my dog, my parents and brother, all of my sweet friends; cello music; chocolate; coffee and cookies; a garden—there are a lot more, but I’ve already cheated.

What would you like to have in your hands right now?
Well, it’s dinner time, so…maybe a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato and some seasoned curly fries?

What is your favorite tea flavor?
I like a nice strong Darjeeling, although Peet’s had a special-edition Winter Solstice tea that really rocked.

What would you like to get rid of?
Hot flashes!

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Just for an hour? Anywhere I could see the aurora borealis…

What is your favorite snack?
Salty: potato chips, any kind, any flavor, any time!
Sweet: McVitie’s digestives (actually, any kind of cookie is my favorite at the moment it enters my mouth!)

Do you feel as if you’ve lived a previous life or lives? If yes, where and when and what did you do?
I definitely think so…I’m sure, for instance, that I lived in London in the 19th century. I’m not sure what I did then—maybe a governess? As I walked down certain streets in London, I had the most overwhelming deja vu.

That was fun! I don't have eight people to tag, but I'm tagging these three blogging girlies:
1. Robin
2. Nancy
3. Stephanie