Planning for a new year

Well, 2007 is on its way out the door as we speak. I've been thinking a lot lately about some things I want to work on for '08, mainly related to my business of course. Here's a part of the list I've made: Believe it or not, I've already completed most of the first item on the list. I'll be picking away at this list for some time I'm sure. I hope you all have a wonderful new year and I wish you luck for 2008!
Tomorrow I'll be announcing something I've had on my to do list since February! ha! Happy New Year!

Happy Christmas

Hopefully none of you are sitting at your computers on Christmas day, but if you are...Merry Christmas! Nick & I are having a lovely and quiet Christmas together with the kitties. I'm off to remove the ugliest apple pie in history from the oven. Cheers!

Holidays getting you down?

I received this cartoon from a good friend a few weeks ago. I just thought it might be a little inspiration for those of you who are cranking out the crafts right now. Take your time kids.

(click the image to see it a little bigger, don't want to strain those eyes of yours)

Thank Bob!

Nearly There

Finally, I'm seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. This quilt is now in the hands of my friends at FedEx...
This one is being worked on for hand delivery tomorrow...
That's my cool Christmas Tree in a Box that you may have seen on my Flickr page too. Also seen in this photo is my little monkey snowman made by my friend Sue a couple years ago. . .
I finally finished all of my custom monkeys too, here's what I sent to Sue this morning...along with a Santa Monkey purse! In the new year, Nick & I will redesign her website (I built the current one).

Next on my list is restocking for the Farmer's Market on Sunday. I will make some zipper pouches from these cool fat eighths, along with a lot of other things...I hope.

A Visit to the City

Being a new Bay Area resident, I'm still trying to find all of my fabric resources (not that I need any more fabric). Friday I took the afternoon off and rode the ferry into San Francisco to locate a shop called Peapod Fabrics. I also met up with Nick & a coworker, Amanda, for some drinks & dinner. I haven't made it into the city much since we've been here so it's kind of an adventure for me.
They've set up an ice rink at the Embarcadero, right across from the ferry building. Oh how I love to skate. I might just take a run over there again after Christmas, hehe. I'm a sucker for an ice rink! You gotta love an ice rink with palm trees around it.

The fabric shop was just lovely. It's very small, but I described it to Nick as exactly what it would look like if I owned a fabric store. Very neatly organized, sock monkey on a shelf by the door, polka dots around the cutting table. It was very me and stocked with my type of fabric. Take a look at the website for some great photos of the shop. I'd love to sign up for a class there some day. The owner is super nice, she actually came by my booth at the market a while back. Of course I had to get something, so I picked out these 3 little remnant pieces to add to my collection. I see zipper pouches in my future.
After my trip to Peapod, I headed back downtown to meet Nick. I had some time to spare so I ran in to Urban Outfitters to see what kind of bedspreads they've got these days. Those Birdie ones I got a few months ago made great totes, and they sold like crazy. I'm not especially hip, so Urban Outfitters is a great place for me to go to see what's cool. I got two bedspreads in teal and green. The colors are great! Owls and birds seem to be all the rage right now, so we'll see what the shoppers think when I can get some new totes made and into my shop.
Today I'm trying to make some progress on a custom quilt. I'd love to get it to FedEx by Wednesday morning. Wish me luck!

Mass Production

I had this theory that I should make some more zipper bags for the market today. I thought it would be good to have more inexpensive items on the table for the Christmas shoppers. Turns out that I was right. I made four little makeup size bags yesterday and I sold two of them before I ever got to take any pictures. Here are the other two...

It's very exciting when I feel like I had a good enough day at the market that Nick & I can afford to go out to dinner. hehe Wonder what I'll make tomorrow.....

Thank Heaven for little Monkeys!

I can't believe I did it again. It's been a whole week since I blogged. Anyone still here? I finally finished a good portion of my custom orders so I can take a few minutes to check in & say hi. I reached a huge milestone this week on Etsy, I made my 200th sale! WOW! I'm so amazed. If it wasn't for my little monkey friends I'd have never done it. Thanks to everyone who's helped me along the way.
Now that I've finished my custom handbag orders, I can get to work on the two lap quilts. I went out shopping on Sunday for some fabrics for one of the quilts I'm working on. The customer just asked for mostly pink with a little purple. He'd like his niece to be able to grow with it a little, so no teddy bears and baby toys. I think these are perfect!

I also picked up a few odds & ends for baby booties & bibs. Check out the cool cowgirl print on top. It's going to be adorable with the blue polka dots. Don't you think?

And the best part about that fabric is Ginny! How often do I see something with my name on it? Looks just like me too, uhh, sort of.

I've got a date with some monkeys and Harry Potter so I'll speak to y'all later. If you want to see some of my latest creations, look here and here. And for something fantastic that came in the mail this week, look here.

Happiness is a Warm Kitty

My little Jody is a sucker for the fireplace. He can lay in front of it all night. He gets so hot & toasty, I don't know how he can stand it.
I've taken my own advice and canceled both of my farmer's markets this week. I feel so free now. I spent the whole morning unpacking Christmas decorations. Maybe we can get a tree soon. I love the way a Christmas tree smells, mmmmm.
Now that I'm a woman of leisure, haha, I can get to work on my custom orders. I've got 3 handbags & a tote to get done for Christmas. It's still relaxing not having to worry about stocking for the markets, even if I'm still busy sewing. Really.

Fabric Addict

I was going to go into this long story today about selling at the market and a tutorial I had planned, but nothing's sounding good to me today. Instead, I'll tell you about some new fabric I came across today at the Fat Quarter Shop. I'm not usually a heart person, not at all, but Flirtations is just so cute. It's meant for Valentine's Day, but I think some of it would be great for Christmas. I seem to fall for every fabric line that Sandy Gervais designs for Moda. I just love her work. She needs to just stop. I cannot buy any more fabric! This is where I get my ideas though, so I shouldn't complain. Take a look at Moda's site, there are a lot of great things coming from them in the next couple months.
I'm a huge fan of April Cornell too, maybe because there are a lot of her shops up in Canada. I just finished a quilt using her Sunshine line (pretty much sold out everywhere now, it took me a while). How great are these colors? I used Warm & Natural cotton batting for this little guy and I really love the way it got all wrinkly after I washed it. It's kind of heavy too. It's got a great vintage look to it.
I think I could just shop for fabric all day, every day if I had time. And speaking of that, I need to rework my daily schedule. I decided to stop doing so many farmer's markets. Even when I have a pretty good day, it doesn't seem to be worth the stress. I spend every Saturday & Wednesday locked in my room from about 7am-11pm. I'm positive that the return is not worth the effort. I plan to take it easy a bit and work on custom orders & fun stuff too. I want to enjoy Christmas, not work myself to death. I have to thank Jenn for reminding me that there is a world outside of my sewing business. I would never take the time to bake something, or make something for myself. That's got to change. Please don't get too wrapped up in what you think you have to do, take some time for yourself. It's a lesson I've needed to learn for a long time, I'll keep you posted on how well I do, if I have time. ;)

It's Friday!

Too bad I don't actually have a Friday, hehe. Today I'd like to show you a couple things I recently purchased on Etsy. You may remember the great cupcake quest I was on back in September. I love cupcakes, especially white cake with buttercream frosting....yummmmm. The colored sprinkles are an absolute must! To remind myself of these yummies every day, I bought a photo card from creativeapples. I can't wait to frame it, and maybe buy a twin for it, in pink. Maybe I should just get a whole set of cupcake cards, I still have a corner of my sewing room with nothing on it! Yes! Sorry, I should also tell you there are lots of other great images to be had in this shop. The Star Wars cards are great too, and I love the robots! Go check it out, right now!


I'm also a sucker for giving someone their first sale. The best part about this one is that now she has 6 sales! Way to go! How cute are these little gift tags? All wrapped up in a fabric bag. Lovely presentation and tags. The shop is lilybirddesigns and she's new to Etsy, give her a little love and check out her shop. There are more gift tags, some cards and adorable earrings.

Pluggin' Away

I'm trying so hard to make some headway on my To Do List, here's how it's going:

1. I finally sent out the first newsletter for my website. I had planned to do this in March. Uhhh, yeah, no rush.



2. My very good friend Catherine gave me this fabric to make some things for an auction at her kids' school. I finally finished these things yesterday, today they go in the mail with several orders I need to mail.



3. I made some tags using my tag-shaped paper punch. I'd been looking at those punches forever before I finally got one, with a coupon of course. I got about 50 tags from 2 sheets of paper, I used embroidery floss for the string. These will be included in whatever orders I send out before Christmas.


4. Nick brought the Christmas boxes in this weekend. I've slowly been going through them to see what's in there. Remember, I packed away most of my belongings over a year ago to move to the UK. It's like Christmas for me just seeing what's in those boxes. Slowly, the snowmen will infiltrate the house.


5. Yesterday, I signed up on Bloglines.com I've been really bad at reading all of your blogs lately, anything to help. Now you can add me to your Bloglines, and I can see what's new, but quicker. While perusing today I came across a few things I thought you'd be interested in.

- there's an article in the new McCall's Quilting Magazine about good quilting blogs. I want to check that out. I found it on HollyBlog.

- My friend LemonCadet was featured in Parents Magazine in an article about Etsy. Congratulations Mrs. Lemon, that's so great.

- Betz White has added some pin cushions to her shop on Etsy, they're so cute! Have you heard about her book? It's on my wish list already.

Here's to another productive day for everyone. Cheers!

Little Things

I'll just start by saying today was a pretty good day. First, I went to my weekly Weight Watchers meeting and discovered that I am now a lifetime member, I lost 21 pounds! Yay!!! Then, I went to Target for a few things and finally got these. They're still on my feet at this very moment. And then, I found some great yarn for a custom monkey scarf (kinda like the one you see here) I need to make. All is good.
Productivity-wise, it wasn't a fantastic day. I had a few things to make for a friend of mine and that took my whole afternoon. Ah well, it was still a good day. And while I'm on the subject of productivity, I want to mention a couple things. First off, some of you are creating some wonderful things this holiday season. Jenn's sewing kit and ornaments are just too cute, great work Jenn. And Herbst Handmade just added the pattern for her adorable monkey & bear rattles to her shop. I want to make them for myself! Misses Kwitty has some beautiful hand stitched ornaments in her shop, check it out. I'm so impressed with all of you, keep it up.

I've been trying to get a lot made lately, I'm so low on everything for my market booth right now. I picked up one of these new Sidewinders from Wright's. I think it's great little time saver. My machine is supposed to be able to wind a bobbin while the needle is threaded, but it never works for me. This little gadget will wind them anywhere you want. You can plug it in or use batteries, very handy if you're the type who's constantly shuffling things around the work table {raises hand}. It's quick too. I like the idea of keeping a few bobbins wound and ready to go, but it doesn't always work that way for me. All I need is a second spool of thread and my Sidewinder will keep me stitching. Two thumbs up from me. (I got it with a 40% off coupon too - even better)
Happy crafting!

Just Kinda Busy

Oh my gosh! I can't believe it's been over a week since my last post. I've been so busy lately, things are just plain crazy. My little monkeys were lucky enough to be part of an Etsy gift guide last week and since then the monkey business has been great! The Treasury that Etsy Labs created also landed on the homepage! And the best part was that I got to be featured along with my friend Lemon Cadet (she got a screenshot).
And in between all the monkey stuff going on, I never got a chance to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. I finally got to take a quick look at some of your blogs tonight and enjoyed reading some tidbits about your holiday. Nick & I had some old friends of mine over. They were in town for a big craft show (actually, it was down in San Jose). It was great to see them. Bob & I used to work together at the Anaheim Angels, he's a pyro guy. His wife Sue is a very talented artist, she makes the cutest little snowmen you've ever seen (I designed her website). Anyway, we barbecued some steaks and had a lovely time.
Nick went with me to check out the Craft Show and the fabric sales. Amazing he made it through the day. lol We missed all the morning specials, but I was able to get some more fabric for my wedding at 30% off. That's not all I bought, I just don't have any piccies to show you.

Chico had fun meeting Sue's snowmen. He's still really tired from playing with them. Hope you all have a great week, I've got to get to my sewing room!

Just a bit of Fun

Imagine my delight when I found this fabric in my mailbox yesterday. I admit I'm way behind the times, but this is my first purchase of Japanese fabric. No foolin'. I think I've told you before what a dork I am, well this proves it. I have to say thanks to Matatabi for sending it so quickly and having such a great shop. I love it! And no, I don't know what I'm going to use it for yet. haha
I seem to be on a blue and red streak lately, you can see my new slippers in this yummy color combo below. I just made a new little zipper bag in a bright blue with cherries. Isn't it scrumptious? I'm way into these colors. I will have a softer version at my wedding.

And for all you crazy monkey fans, I will now be offering Nano Monkeys my Etsy shop. Little Errol will be listed tomorrow, soon he'll have some friends joining him.

Crying at Target

When I saw this post on Amy's blog, I had an urge to rush over to Target to get some new slippers. I was very strong though, I waited a whole day before heading out this morning for my monkeys. I went straight to the shoes, no monkeys. Looked around the Nick & Nora monkey pajamas, no slippers. Browsed the socks and finally came across these:

And right next to them, a very large area of empty space with lots of sock monkey slippers price tags. I was strong though, I didn't cry. Instead I took my little mary janes and was on my way. To tell you the truth, I prefer this style anyway, and they're in one of my favorite color combos. I'm not saying I won't get the slippers when they're in stock, I'm just happy with what I have. And on a side note, after living in the UK for a year I feel like a real dork in white socks. I rarely wear them now. Funny, huh?
As for crafting, I added a new Julie Bag to my collection last week. I used some more of my Look and Learn fat quarters. It got some views at the market on Sunday, but no takers. I'm really low on Gadget Monkeys these days so I guess that'll be my focus this week. (I finally finished my big custom order last night, yay!

p.s. To answer Jenn's question in her comment. I received thanks and photos for the Star Trek costume from Heck today. Here's what it looked like. He seems happy to me. There are some things I'd do differently if I had to do it again, but I wouldn't do it again. Not for a million dollars.

Feeling Mooshie

This week I received emails from 2 long lost friends and it's made me feel a bit nostalgic and mooshie, especially about Disneyland. For those who don't know it, I used to art direct events there. I worked for the mouse for almost 15 years! Craziness. Though I completely don't miss the job, I do miss the park. It was nice to be able to go out for a walk sometimes and end up in front of Pirates of the Caribbean or on Main Street, USA. Ahhh, those were the days. I guess it's this time of year too. Don't you just feel different in the Fall? I really love it.

Two years ago, this month, I took my first trip ever to the UK. It was my third date with Nick, I stayed a week. I guess that worked out pretty well in the end. :)

And if I'd never gone to Nova Scotia, I wouldn't even have met Nick. Thank goodness I decided to stay at Knightswood B & B in Dartmouth the first time I went. Thanks Bill & Norma! I took this picture at a place called the Lookoff (for obvious reasons) in November 3 years ago. Sigh. I'm gonna go cuddle my kitties now. Have a great weekend!

Some Things & Stuff

So on Monday I thought I'd try a new approach to my daily/weekly schedule. It went really well for one day. At least I tried. Because I've been spending a lot of late evenings trying to restock my bib supply, I spent all day Monday cutting out bibs. I used a lot of my stash which was a real bonus. In the end I'd cut about 70 + the 8 I need for an order off my website. I even got some bib liners cut. (My bibs are all lined with a layer of flannel). I'm really trying to get ahead of the game a bit right now. I've taken Thursday's market off hoping to do just that.
Yesterday I started a new bag design from some old April Cornell fabrics I got before I moved to the UK. I had planned a quilted tote with these fabrics, but then decided against it. Turns out that the new bag pretty much is a quilted tote. I was going to box the bottom, but I think it works better like this. I don't really like the result, but I think with a few alterations it could be a nice bag. I used a slightly different technique for this one than I'm used to. I made the lining and outer bag as one complete piece before putting it together. That means it was basically a quilted place mat that I added pockets & handles to. The side seams on the inside are not great, but I have an idea for that. Anyway, it's kind of nice to work on something new for a change, I'm sure you know what I mean. And I got a chance to use some pretty fabrics that have been feeling very left out. Not a total loss.

And last but not least, another huge dud. I saw Kayla's post yesterday about the sweet little ball she'd made for a friend's child. She'd posted a link to a tutorial so I thought I'd whip one up for kicks. Again, I pulled out some fabrics from my 30's repro stash and made one in pinks, green & yellow. It turned out terrible because I didn't mark the points. I knew I should have. Ugh. What a mess. It's not even round, gosh sakes. LOL, at least the bibs are okay.
p.s. Good news about baby Mark. He's had a very rough time since his surgery on Thursday, but it sounds like he might be going home soon. Thanks again for all the well wishes. Hopefully I'll get to see him next weekend when Nick & I go to OC for a quick weekend.

McBlog Post

Here I am at the computer at 7:00 o'clock at night & it only feels like 10:00. What's up with that time change thing anyway? I'll admit it was a lot nicer setting up for the farmer's market in daylight, but man it's been a long day. The market started out kinda bad today, but ended well. That new quilt I made is gone, all the new bibs and an old item from my website too. Not too shabby. Luckily I snapped a photo of the quilt early on so I have something to show you. It's not a great shot, but you get the idea. Those Look and Learn fabrics are so great, I'm going to order more and make another quilt.
I felt so good when the market was over that I actually took the rest of the afternoon off & took Nick to lunch. We had a lovely time and today was gorgeous, almost 80 degrees.
While I'm here, I thought I'd tell you about another coffee find. This one is a bit of a surprise. Yesterday, Nick & I walked over to McDonald's so I could try their new iced coffee. It was something like $1.79 for a huge vanilla coffee and I have to say, it was pretty good. Nice to know I can take a stroll over there when I need a break from the sewing machine. (The cookies are 3 for $1 too). Cool.

Up Late Again

I finally finished that awful Star Trek costume today, it's in the hands of FedEx now, phew. I'm glad that's out of the way. Now I've got an order for 11 Gadget Monkeys & another for 8 bibs to deal with. No worries though.
I got some more new fabric this week that I'm very anxious to get into the sewing machine. It's been really hard having to work on something when there's a stack of new fabric staring me down. I got really lucky with these fabrics, the three on top are from the new Mackenzie collection from Anna Griffin. They remind me of a blanket I had as a wee one. They just happen to match the 3 on the bottom from the new Look & Learn collection by American Jane. Maybe I'll think of a clever way to use them together....hmmmm? Tonight I got to finish the Check Quilt I'd started from my Look & Learn Fat Quarter Bundle. I'll be hanging it in my booth at the market tomorrow. Perhaps I can get some good pictures to show you.

This week wasn't a total wash, I did manage to get a few new things online and add some new yarn colors to the Custom Gadget Monkey choices. Just in time for that big order. I'll have busy little hands at the market tomorrow.
Okay, that's enough craft talk. I know you want to know how the baby's doing. I want to say thanks to everyone for the heartfelt comments, my cousin & his wife really appreciate all the good feelings being sent their way. Little Mark is currently breathing on his own and is opening his eyes a little. He had a rough time the last night or so, but he seems to be slowly turning the corner. They've reduced the number of medications and are slowly removing equipment and tubes from him. Poor little guy. I think he's on the mend now so that's great news! I'm off to bed now. Have a great Sunday, enjoy this lovely time of year.

Mojo Please

Remember this little guy? My cousin's baby Mark? I told you about him a few weeks ago. He had his heart repair surgery yesterday and is in critical condition at the moment. I just wanted to solicit some bloggy love for him. His right ventricle is not adjusting to the surgery as the doctors had hoped, so he needs your hugs today. (I know you can't resist that face). I'll keep you posted.

Sewing Heck

I've got a friend who owns a really big truck, it's called the Ultimate Bohemouth (spelling?). This friend just accepts the fact that because he owns this huge truck, people will ask him for help moving. It just goes with the territory. The same is true for a seamstress or artist. When I art directed events at Disneyland, people assumed that I should be the one to twist the streamers at their kid's birthday party. Obviously. Because I sew, I can make anything. There's only one way to make an item of clothing, so I should know how much fabric it takes etc. Do you get this too? Being a seamstress also makes me a little dumb. I tend to agree to making the things people ask for. I always say I'll do it if I get enough time, then I get the supplies at the last minute and spend long nights crying away at my sewing machine, kicking myself for saying yes in the first place.

As you may have guessed, I'm having one of these experiences now. I am currently working on a Star Trek costume for a friend. It's the worst pattern I've ever used, the worst instructions, and I thought I was only making a jacket when I agreed 6 months ago. No, I'm making a jacket, pants and a belt. Thank goodness they didn't bother sending the pattern for the tunic or I'd be making that too. I got the so-called instruction booklet on Monday night and this costume needs to be mailed and received by Tuesday. I spent all of yesterday cutting it out, what a nightmare. I could go on & on about how bad this project is. I'll just stop while I'm ahead. I just wanted to give you a little piece of advice, just say NO!
May the force be with you, errrr Beam me up, Scotty. Please!

p.s. Thanks Jenn for letting me vent about this to you last night.

We're Back

Nick & I just got back from our little weekend away. I made some progress on the wedding and got a new monkey made. This is what things are looking like right now where the wedding will take place. Julie & I went out for a walk this morning and I took this shot in front of the house. It's very brown, but you can still see a bit of Autumn in there. Just beautiful. It's been raining off & on, there's even water in the creek!


We checked out a few places as possibilities for our wedding night stay while we were in town. The Hounds Tooth Inn is only about a 10-15 minute drive from the house, and is just what we had in mind. There are 12 rooms and a summer house. I think Nick & I will get the summer house and have some of our family and friends in the main inn. It was a lovely place. They let us walk through and check out all the rooms. It was kinda fun. I'll be calling them this week to see what I can reserve.
I tend to spend a fair amount of my time crocheting when we're at Jim & Julie's, and this weekend was no exception. I'm thinking about opening a second Etsy shop just for my monkeys, so I've been trying to think of some more monkey things to make. Here's the little pin cushion monkey I made, I'd love to hear what you think. I know, he looks a little like a fire hydrant, but I wanted him to be flat on the bottom and have some dimension to his hat. If I make the hat go straight up, he'll look like a can of beans.

That's about all I have to report right now. I'm so tired from driving and I still have to unpack. Hope you all had a great weekend and are ready for Halloween.

Halloween Weekend

Nick & I are off to Oakhurst today for our friends' annual Halloween party. I think I've got our costumes sorted out enough, I hope so anyway. I'll be Ginny and Nick will be Harry Potter. Our neckties are being FedEx'd to the house this afternoon (fingers crossed). If I don't look too hideous in the wig, I'll post a picture next week, lol.
I've been so busy lately that I'm really looking forward to a few days off. We always have such a nice time at Jim & Julie's, it's the only time I fully relax. Of course, I'll work on monkeys while I'm away, I always do. Oh! And while I'm on the subject of monkeys, I'm reminded of an indieview I just did for The Indie Path. The girls over there were nice enough to feature me, and my monkeys, on their blog yesterday. Thanks ladies.
I also wanted to show you another corner of my sewing room. That's my handmade shelf I purchased at the Harvest Festival a couple years ago. I have an old dresser I keep under it with my shipping supplies and some fabric bits. My laptop sits on the dresser so I can check emails & post in the forums throughout the day. So far, that's working out really well. Don't you love that hangin' monkey? He holds tea lights in his tummy.
Right, so I need to pack and get on the road. Just couldn't leave without saying goodbye. Stop in at my Flickr account if you want to see something I made yesterday. Have a great weekend. And say hi to Jenn while you're there, she's Flickring now too.

Shout Out

Wanna see the coolest zipper pouch ever?

This "dork" pouch is my latest Etsy acquisition, and do I ever love it. The shop is FriedOkra and she makes the most unique pouches I've seen. Hand embroidered lettering, rick rack, monkeys...what more could you ask for? Please do yourself a favor and check her out. (The sock monkeys are great too.)

And, while I'm in a shout out kind of mood, I'll let you in on a surprising find. Actually, Nick spotted this at the grocery store. I'm a huge fan of all things pumpkin flavored so I was definitely intrigued. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a huge fan of instant coffee, but this stuff is pretty good.

Sometimes I just don't feel like brewing coffee, but I want a tasty hot drink. It takes 4 teaspoons of powder to make this, but it's got a lovely smell and it really does taste good for instant fake coffee. Give it a try and tell me what you think.

Wow!

Well, last night I made my 150th sale on Etsy, a monkey of course. I'm so excited about hitting this milestone. I feel very blessed to have come across Etsy and been able to sell my little creations there. I've made so many great friends and learned a lot. What a treat it is to do what I love every day as well. It's a lot more work than a "regular" job, but a lot more fulfilling. Thanks for all the support on my blog and in my shop too. Thank goodness I came up with those Gadget Monkeys, lol.

And to celebrate my good fortune, I want to tell you about Pledge Handmade. I can't really put it into words well enough, but basically, it's a pledge to buy handmade for the holidays. Etsy and 8 of their friends have started a consortium to encourage people to buy handmade this Christmas. I think it's a great idea! You can go to the website and make the pledge yourself, then get a cool badge for your blog to encourage others. Support your fellow crafter this holiday season and buy handmade.