January: Whew...

Once again, life got in the way of blogging! Massive January update:

We started off the year with Lance and I heading out of town to escape for a winter wonderland weekend in Winthrop, WA. Say that five times fast.

As is always the case before we head out on a vacay, I spend many hours packing the kiddos things and whisking them off to Grandmas, packing my things, packing our food, loading the car yadda yadda yadda. Of course it's all topped off with the inability to leave dirty dishes in the sink and you got yourself a tired Mama.

Seriously, I have to bleach spray my sink before I leave or I get all jittery and uneasy. Genetic predisposition maybe? Hmmm, maybe some of Grandma's Dutch deep cleaning stuck!

After our 6 hour drive, we met our Bro and Sis-in-law in Winthrop and stayed in a charming cabin overlooking the Methow River. Private hot tub on the deck, full kitchen, large cozy rooms, fireplace, and SNOW. So very wonderful!

We got a lovely first day of cross country skiing in doing a 14.5 mile loop. The first half was a hard uphill climb then you got to turn around and coast (aka, fly down the mountain praying you don't catch a ski edge and wipe out) the entire way back down to the car.

To warm up you head back to the cabin and jump into the hot tub! And because you are a smart person, keeping in mind to not drastically underestimate your core body temp and stay in so long you overheat. *Ahem*

The next day the boys decided to head out of town a mile or so up in the mountains to find better snow for sledding fun. The girls? Sleep in, watch movies, lazily drink our coffee (while sitting in the hot tub of course) then stroll through town and shop a bit.

FINALLY decide we should go see the boys and drive up there...Only to find Lance lying by the side of the road. Um. WHAT?

A rock? Oh. Where? Submerged in the snow. Oh. Lance took a direct hit to his shoulder blade? Yeesh.

Fast forward a 20 minute agonizingly bumpy drive down snowy mountain roads, 15 minutes worth of frenzied packing up the entire cabin while Lance stays in the car and moans ( we threw everything in the cars as fast as possible - really, it was quite a site to behold. If only I could pack that way), and a tense hour and a half drive to the Chelan ER where the ER nurse says:

"No, you couldn't POSSIBLY have broken your scapula, do you know how many G's of force that takes!?"

Fast forward 45 minutes:

"So, the X-ray shows you broke your right scapula."

Yep.

"So what position exactly was your arm in when you hit the rock?"

"Well, it was raised up because I was holding the video camera". I tell ya, I bust out laughing. Not sure if Lance thought it was funny or not. The ER doc just raised his eyebrows.

Ah yes, I love humor in stressful situations. Does that mean I'm emotionally immature? Maybe. While pregnant with Lil Chick at 34ish weeks and my OB doc said she was admitting me for full time hospital bedrest I SMILED. Nope, didn't cry. Didn't freak out. Just smiled.

For your viewing pleasure, the sled crash:



SO. Needless to say it has been slightly chaotic over here. I dug my nursing cap out of storage, was a single Mama to Bubbalu and Lil Chick, tried to keep a handle on the house (unpacking, blech) and ran my Etsy shop. Not going to lie to you, it wasn't easy. I was quite overwhelmed!

After a couple of rocky weeks Lance is now back at work and healing nicely. We were so very thankful that surgery was not required...and that our Sis in law is the nurse for an EXCELLENT orthopedic Doc! Ya know, being a Dentist and severely injuring your right arm/shoulder/back is not a good thing. SO thankful he is healing well.

A week after his accident, we had a fun week of snow in our hometown, schools cancelled and everything! Snow that lasts is a rare treat and the kiddos had SO much fun playing outside. I discovered a love of shoveling snow as our regular snow shoveler was still lying on the couch healing. Seriously, making ginormous piles of snow that take weeks to melt? YES.

I went cross country skiing through town the first night of the snow with my bro and sis in law and took a hard fall, spraining my ankle pretty bad. Awesome.

I may have cried a few times over the next few days. Just keeping it real.

10 days later and I am now the one healing nicely....but am fighting a nasty lingering sinus infection.

Doggedly determined to NOT be down. To NOT be cynical. To NOT get angry. I think that's how Satan gets to me. Throw a TON of stressful stuff all at once and watch me crumble. Nope. Not gonna work.

I'm leaning on the Lord.

After all, HE is in charge.

Amanda - VintageDutchGirl

Confession #1...

Came up with a random idea to do a "Confessions" series. Not too serious, but true confessions nonetheless!

First up:

Pin It


I KNOW I'm not the only one :)

Amanda - VintageDutchGirl

Hey, didja know VintageDutchGirl is on Facebook!? I chit chat over there when I'm not doing crafting to avoid my housework. C'mon say hi :)

I've got the BLUES...

I've got a recent fondness (OK, obsession) with the color blue.

This obsession is evident in the silver sage paint in my house (that is really a lighter blue/gray):


(Restoration Hardware Silver Sage, bottom right)

the clothes I wear (currently a teal long sleeved top. You'll thank me for not taking a self portrait of myself right now. Not my best day)....

or the fabrics I choose to purchase for new scarf patterns for VintageDutchGirl Etsy:


(VintageDutchGirl Etsy) Pin It


Yup, They are all BLUE.

I tend to drift towards bluesy green hues that remind me of our sometimes dreary, yet cozy Pacific NW coast and skies:


(Image via Design-Seeds)

Or the brighter aqua hues of a Caribbean ocean:


(Image via Design-Seeds)

They all speak to me differently: Invigorating, restful, peppy, cool, classy, funky, soothing.

Just Remember: Having the blues isn't always a bad thing.

After all, I'm currently sitting in my silver sage painted dining room on a dark red dining chair while wearing my teal shirt....and a big smile.

Amanda - VintageDutchGirl

Bullet Point Catch-up...

Lands sakes alive our December was chaos.

Anyone else?

I'm reduced to bullet point snippets to bring all 3 readers back up to speed:

• Christmas. Phew! It was BUSY. The past Month was so packed I have a hard time remembering it all.
• That's why I'm having a hard time letting it go.
  
• My Christmas tree is still up.
  
• 9.5 ft tall Nordman Fir
  
• Yes, it's a live tree...No, it isn't dropping needles or drying out.
• Yup, listening to Christmas music.
  
• I had it set up since the Monday after Thanksgiving.
• Didn't get it decorated until Dec 18th. Yup. That's a long time. It deserves a good long run of beauty.
• Our entire main floor got repainted.
• Ceilings too!
• Two weeks before Christmas
• Etsy shop went kabonkers...in a good kabonkery way!
• Got ALL my shopping done on time.
• Celebrated Bubbalu turning 5
• Celebrated Lil Chick turning 3
• I have a 5 and a 3 yr old....how did THAT happen!?
• Currently suffering the after affects of chaos: weakened immunity
• AKA I have a bad cold
• I got it from Bubbalu
• Who got it from Lil Chick
• Who got it from who knows where.
• Maybe the grocery cart handles that she insists on licking?
• Nah, must of caught something when she was LICKING THE BOTTOM OF HER SHOES. (insert grossed-out shudder)
• I have more than one Christmas tree. My Dad said to me, "So, this is a three Christmas tree house?"
• That wasn't the correct number....
  
• Guess what it was!?

OK, off to make myself some hot cider and pretend to make dinner for my hardworking hubby. A Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year greeting to you all :)

Amanda - VintageDutchGirl

Momisphere Advice Needed...

OK, so I have something gross to talk about today. You've been warned.

Yes, it involves kids.

Yes, it involves the bathroom.

Actually, strike that, it DOESN'T involve the bathroom....catch my drift?

I have a child who (shall remain anonymous. 50% chance, guess who?) decided that the bathroom was WAY too far away and the bedroom carpet was an EXCELLENT place to deposit urine. You know, don't want to walk 6 feet and use a toilet, takes way too much time away from playing. Awesome.

I need cleaning advice. I googled it, of course, and looks like I need some sort of enzymatic cleaner. It comes in powder and liquid form. Used this before?

However, where Google fails me is that I want an option to select only results from Moms. I'll call it the Momisphere. Seriously, that would be SUPER useful, agree? Only advice from fellow Mamas, not About.com, ehow, Wikianything or shopping results for products that will clear my urine to help me pass a drug test. Really!? Dear Google, you can send my royalty check via paypal. Thankssomuch.

Mamas lemme have it, advice for cleaning DRIED (yep, didn't discover it in time) urine from carpet? I need all the help I can get!

Amanda - VintageDutchGirl

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Cyber Monday Sale!

CYBER MONDAY is here! The biggest online shopping day in the entire year...so of course I want to have a sitewide sale!

Coupon code: Turkey15 gets you 15% off your entire order, no minimum!

Most popular right now:

Festive Red and White Polka Dot Flannel:

Black and White Houndstooth Flannel:


Oh yes, and purple. Purple Zebra. Because it's FUN :)

C'mon over and shop til you drop!

I really hope to be back soon to chat on a more regular basis, I miss y'all :)

Amanda - Vintage Dutch Girl

Lola's Winter Playdate...

I found a great item to help entertain the kiddos (um, I mean me) this winter:


I'm certain Lola (my Tahoe) would be oh so excited to use some of her brawn and plow snow all the live long day.

All I need is cozy clothes, a nice ginormous mocha, and a whole slew of Christmas Cd's and I'm good to go. We'll go ahead and write our own book: 'Lola and the Big Snow'

That is, if we even do get snow this year. Oh please oh please oh please! I'm ready for winter boots, chunky knit hats, a magical white wonderland and sipping hot chocolate by the fire while snow falls softly outside. I must say, I am just itching to get to decorating for Christmas. Can barely stand it.

And yes, I still celebrate Thanksgiving...I LOVE Thanksgiving! One of the things I'm MOST thankful for? Christ's birth...hence the early decorating!

Anyone else just itching to put up their Christmas decor!? Or have you already? I know I'm not alone in this!

Off to plug in twinkly lights -

Amanda -Vintage Dutch Girl

Potty Trained...

I have a potty trained 2 yr* old.

Let the rejoicing begin!

Explains why I've been a bit quiet around here!? This was the third attempt...and the lightbulb just clicked for her this time. THANK GOODNESS.

I've also been busy editing and listing, let's see, last count is 23, new infinity scarves in the VintageDutchGirl Etsy shop in the past week. Yeah. That's a lot.

Also busy trying to get orders out as soon as I can. A snuggled in a new cozy scarf as soon as possible customer is a happy customer. Especially those way up in the northern provinces in Canada. Brrrr. No wonder I've been shipping there often.

I have at least seven more in the works...not to mention those other fun accessories that ladies like to wear on their auditory lobules.

Earrings, people. Extract thine minds from the asphalt drainage system.

I just took exactly 199 photos of earrings to list soon. Here's hoping some turned out. Off to edit my ears off.

Amanda - VintageDutchGirl

*Oh, and she turns three years old (sob) in five weeks, but hey, she snuck in just under the bar :)

Keep You Cozy NEW Patterns...

Remember, the Vintage Dutch Girl Etsy Buy 2 get 20% off coupon code is on! Buy any two regular priced (Not in sale section) scarves and get 20% off you order. Code is: BUY2GET20

Brand new listed items:


Oh so classy:


Happy Shopping!

Off to make a pink princess costume and finish up the superhero one...what can I say, it's impossible for me to buy the kiddos costumes premade. It's just a thing I have. Harvest party is tonight at our church so I'd better get GOING!

Amanda - VintageDutchGirl

Shows Over, Let's Have A....FALL Sale!

Whew!

The Ruffles & Rust Show is over! What a blast! Learned SO SO SO much about running a booth, swiping credit cards (the Square is AWESOMESAUCE) learning what sells, what doesn't, which fabric people gravitate towards, etc.

The final booth set-up:

I've never been a saleswoman....and I detest pushy salespeople so I was really trying to be a helpful and informative shop owner not a BUY MY STUFF!!! shop owner. We found that demonstrating how to put on, arrange and wear an infinity scarf allows folks to be informed about my products, but not feel pressured.

HUGEST downside to doing this show? Not being able to shop! I saw SO many awesome booths and just wanted to go and browse through and pick up some trinkets and treasures.

Oh I have so many more thoughts on this subject but it will have to wait for now as my laundry dragon has reared its ugly flaming head again.

Also, I now have 30 hours and 55 minutes in which to complete two handmade costumes for the littles. Superhero and a princess. Predictable? Yes. But they are so excited to dress up :)

However, before I ditch y'all, I'll leave a fall treat:

Vintage Dutch Girl Etsy Fall Sale! I am turning the BUY2GET20 coupon code BACK ON! That's right, purchase two scarves and get 20% off your total! * see details below*

THIS is the time to get your Christmas Stocking stuffers all taken care of. And hint? I've got about TWENTY new fabrics all made up into scarves that just need photos and to be posted. New items posted daily for awhile!

Some shopping suggestions:

The #1 selling Fall Burnt Umber Blossom Scarf:


A classy, longer and brown toned Zebra print scarf:


A classic plaid:


The Woodland Berries Fall Scarf:



A soft and elegant Ivory Fleece:


Happy Shopping!

Amanda - Vintage Dutch Girl

*Deal details: This coupon is to be used with the purchase of two regularly full-priced scarves. Cannot be combined with any other coupon code or use this deal on the sale/clearance section.*

Keep up to date with newest Etsy products on my Facebook page found here.

Ruffles & Rust Set Up Day...

Set Up Day!

Today my alarm went off early (too early) and we got ready to jump in the car and get on the road to the show.

We had packed up Lola, our hillbilly trailer, Lance's car and my MIL's car full of scarves, pillows, aprons, earrings and display and booth stuff the night before. Then we covered the hillbilly trailer with a huge ugly gray and brown tarp and strapped it down with black bungee cords and yellow rope.

Because we are classy like that.

Poor Lola. It's like being dressed up for a cocktail party and pulling a large turd behind you on a cart:


That's my rockstar hubby in the drivers seat. Waiting patiently for his lady, his Mama and his Mama in law as they hit up Starbucks for their coffee fix.

Drove through the rain and arrived at the fairgrounds, located the building, and started piling stuff in.

First of all, check out my booth space pre-move in! Looks pretty sad and cold except for a pile of dropcloths which I use for my booth walls:



After hauling the booth bones and setting those up:


Then fast forward four hours. We have unpacked all the product and are in the "prettying" stage of setting up. Everything is in the booth, we are just figuring out how to best display stuff to make it interesting to look at, enticing for shoppers and easily shoppable. Here is my "try on" station!


Lots and lots of ruffly aprons and tons of scarves, headbands and earrings. Kinda blurry, but you get the general idea:


Then we had to break to repark our hillbilly trailer. Proud to say I backed it in without hitting anything. Score a big gold star for me! Photographic evidence:


And what I didn't take a photo of was me stuffing my face at 11:04 pm...as I forgot to eat dinner for the second night in a row.

My poor body is so very confused. Looking forward to regaining normalcy once the show is done! Which means I should really start exercising again. {sigh} Can we just fastforward past those annoyingly painful, out of breath and jiggly first 5-10 days of restarting your exercise regimen? Thatdbegreatthanks.

EX.HAUST.ED. I need to sleeeeeeeep. Thankful that I can sleep in tomorrow morning and rest up before the Apron Party portion of the show tomorrow evening.

Off to bed I go...

Amanda

Last Day…

So, I'm eating Macaroni and Cheese out of a mug with a serving spoon.

Our dishes are so backed up it's all I had left.

Remember that episode of Friends where Ross dates the messy girl? While they are making out on the couch he sees a potato chip bag rustling and pounds it with a tennis racket….turning out to be rat? Yeah, that episode.

That's my house. Minus the rat. ( Hopefully. )

And switch out the potato chip bag for a pita chip bag. LOVE those things. Great to use instead of croutons.

And I'm not dating a Paleontologist named Ross.

BUT.

The moral of this story is that despite living in a cluttered trash heap I am READY. FOR. THE. SHOW. Phew!

(Ya know, the show being the thing I've been talking and talking and talking about the past month.)

Even with a last-minute trip to JoAnns to grab one more cut of fabric….and seeing five others that I couldn't pass up and just HAD to get them sewn up into scarves for the show. Two days before I have to leave. Yep, including those.

It really should be crafters law: Thou shalt NOT go into any fabric or craft store the week of your show.

Too much temptation. Too many ideas, too little time!

I am so excited about my booth, it turned out just how I wanted it to. A mish mash of vintage furniture and shutters, lots of interesting nooks and crannies, a chandelier, hooks and containers….. and of course, Quinny. (My pin striped Mannequin). Quite an eclectic mix. And yet throwing it all together just seemed to WORK. Think vintage glam meets rustic country. Lace, burlap, silverware hooks, weathered wood, blue Ball jars, crystals, chicken wire, sparkle, canvas, ticking, silver etc etc etc. SO much fun.

Hope to see some of your smiling faces there!

Amanda - VintageDutchGirl