Mystic Crystal Revelations

Forgive me for indulging, but it's my Birthday Eve, so I went on a little hunt for something significant to share.
The first place I turned was to Rob Brezsny (a one-stop shop for all manner of freakiness), and he told me this:

"The seed cannot sprout upwards without simultaneously sending roots into the ground," says an ancient Egyptian proverb. Keep that thought in mind as you head into the thick of your new phase of growth, Aquarius. What part of you needs to deepen as you rise up? What growth needs to unfold in the hidden places as you gravitate toward the light? How can you go about balancing and stabilizing your ascension with a downward penetration?

(That's what she said;)

Check your own horoscope if you're into it. And since we're on the subject of planet alignment, take a gaze at the night sky this evening to behold a big, bright Jupiter hanging around the moon.

Finally, if you're looking for a reason to celebrate this fine winter weekend (who needs a reason?!) I'm happy to share my birthday with you.

Let's Make a Loom

I made a loom last weekend and it was so easy I thought I'd share it for any of you who are cooped up in the house and need an activity.
All you need to get started is a small board, some nails, a hammer and a little helper to hand you the nails.

Hammer an equal number of nails in rows on each side of the board. Keep them pretty close together.
It should look something like this......

Then take some yarn and start at one end and string it on around two nails, across to other side, around two nails, across to other side.....

Fasten the loose ends to the back with tape or tie them off onto the end nails. Next you need to find something to do the actual weaving with. You could use a knitting needle, Popsicle stick or anything else that might work. We found an arrowhead that was just perfect for the job. Attach some yarn to your weaving tool of choice and start going. It's over, under, over, under and on and on until you get to the end then turn around and keep going....over...under....

You're Weaving!!!! Hours of fun.

1.20.09

Well, if the inauguration isn't a perfect reason to start drinking Mimosas at 10 AM, then I don't know what is.

First-Ever Sale On NOW!!

There are so many good reasons for us to hold our first sale, but here are ten of the best ones:

1. Only four more days until the Obama administration brings in "A New Birth of Freedom"!!!

2. We love you.

3. We're all trying to save money, but shouldn't have to sacrifice cuteness and originality.

4. We love you. Yes, you.

5. There is a chance we might be forced out of business in February. (Have you not heard? Click here and here to see what you can do to help.)

6. We might have gotten a little overexcited in our preparations for Holiday sales.

7. We were taking inventory anyway, so we thought "What the hell?"

8. We need to clear the way for some new designs.

9. We really do love you.

10. We're just in really good moods.

So, everything in the shop is at least 20% off. Guitars are 30% 0ff and prints are 33.333333% off! The prices are already reduced for everybody's convenience, so put your calculator away and stock up!!

P.S. You may notice the Hand-Stitched Guitar listing has not been changed. This is because it's hand-stitched. We're nice, but we're not crazy.

Double P.S. If you're one of the 150 passengers that survived yesterday's Hudson River landing, convo us and receive an additional discount. If you're the pilot or crew, we'll dress your kids (or grandkids) for free. That was bad-ass.

Journey of the Dolls

It all began one morning in October when I woke up to the first cold day of the season. The clouds and fog were so refreshing after a long hot summer. The perfect day to cozy up under a blanket and start a project. Scarlett agreed so we made some hot cocoa and both squished into papa's chair. We chose to make dolls for each other for our project. After a quick sketch of some faces we got right down to stitching. We ended up sitting in that chair all day just talking and enjoying each other. It was one of my favorite days of the whole year.

Throughout the past few months we've managed to sneak in one of those "doll days" every couple of weeks. We have stitched and stuffed our little hearts into these dolls.

She even got to use her very own sewing machine, a cherished birthday present from Jaime.

We finished them just in time to wrap them and place them under the tree.

Scarlett named hers Moon and mine Star. Whenever I look at them my heart swells with love and pride (because my daughter is just barely 6 and she made such an awesome doll) and memories. I remember all those moments where the rest of the world disappeared and it was just her and I creating something together.

Out with the Old

It looks like the CPSC is doing some fine-tuning on the new lead testing law that will take effect in February, and that DamestarBaby will be able to keep on truckin'. We officially fall under the "wool and cotton" category that's being exempted.

Whew!

We are, nevertheless, planning to overhaul the shop. We're going to have a massive inventory sale, so keep your eyes peeled for that. And we're going to give ourselves a new name. DamestarBaby still holds a special place in my heart, but it was kind of a hasty decision, to begin with, and I'm really tired of having to say it three times and then spell it (it's D-A-M-E, like Dame Edna (seriously), then "STAR", then "BABY", all one word). Plus, no one ever gets the double capitalization thing right.

This is not to say that our new name will be easier to remember. It's simply not like us to choose something common, and it's pretty late in the game, so half the trouble is finding a name that still has an available domain and Etsy username.

SO, good luck with that, huh?

Just when you all were getting used to us. Well, maybe we'll throw in a few new designs for your trouble.

Shop Update

I just listed some new items in the shop. Toadstools for bigger kids.....


And Banjos in Pink and Asphalt.....