piddleloop.com

sometimes a generator can just say it all….

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i saw this over on Deb’s Blog and HAD to click it....

That made me laugh pretty hard....
Also I added some new links to your left on the top check them out. Seriously more of you lurker’s should out yourselves so i can find new blogs to read. Also I want to encourage everyone to do something RED While, I can’t afford Armani...and i’m locked in a cell phone plan for another year..i already have an ipod that’s 4 years old this month. I was able to pick up a GAP t-shirt that says inspired and the pin. So with that i was able to provide 50 doses of medication, they say it’s a month’s worth. So my measley 29$ bought quite a bit. I really love this idea, but wish it could be on a more every-day sort of level. Like why can’t there be stuff at the grocery that supports red? or stuff at target that i would need to buy on a monthly basis or something? I would feel like i could do a lot more if this was on little less high end shopping level. So thank goodness gap had something i could afford. *whew*. I encourage y’all to find something red you can afford and use to help.

Posted by Jennifer on 12/29 at 11:07 PM ♥ Comments (5)

Happy Happy from Philly

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We decided to get the zipper buying expedition over with yesterday, so we headed into Philly to fabric f=row to buy nearly 400 zippers! These pictures were taken at Rittenhouse Square Park. Where the tree wasn’t really decorated this year and looked really pathetic and people brought their own ornaments to hang on the tree.
So I thought I’d present some of our funny hold the camera out and take pictures of Nat & Jen 2006

in front of the pathetic square tree

in front of the “Giant Frog” Statue in the same park

this was all BEFORE our car was towed that night. Apparently you are supposed to decipher 6 parking signs all telling you something different even though it was a metered spot. While talking to cops about finding our missing car, we watching 2 tow trucks troll for tows and one car get towed, we saw that car as we recued our car from their lot and drove away 45 min later.

What is amusing about this you say? Well we had nat’s parents car, and when the cop asked the make and model and year, all we could do was say um i don’t know it’s GREEN. Nat saw on the keys it said Nissan. I think we were ok til the cops asked for the plate number and we had to say GACKT. Altho nat was spelling it without a “C” and i thought there was a “C”. When they asked what GACKT was we had to say we donn’t know, some japanese rock star...so then they REALLY thought we were insane at that point. I hope everyone has an awesome holiday, it’s nearly 60 degrees yesterday in those pictures and the same is for today! 

Posted by Jennifer on 12/24 at 11:01 AM ♥ Comments (7)

Good Tidings

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Ok! I was able to get these washed out flash pictures off my camera! Last Thursday Lesa was kind enough to host our second annual YarnHo’’s Christmas Gala. She is definately the yarnho-stess-with-the-mostess. So beware dark lighting ahead so my digital camera has the flash from hell. I blinded everyone...animals included.

Erin made friends with Mitters, Lesa’s kitty.

and sorry about the retnas Buddy the Dog

Tara and Jill were there!

and Kayt with lesa and buddy

I want to thank everyone for some thoughful gifts and unique gifts such as these original red heeled sock monkey socks from Tara

and these Xmas themed markers and ornament from Kayt and Jill

and this airbrushed bag straight from Sly’s ( Lesa’s husband) easel. LOVE IT!

and this vintage knitting needle/yarn holder from Lesa...note the colors. She was so DEAD ON with those colors! My mom promptly said she had one very similar when she was little after seeing it.

I have to thank Erin Again for taking this mess of Sari Ribbon yarn and making it into two balls, center pull balls by hand for me. She spent hours at the party untangling that mess. Now ibeen knit into this scarf (but finished) for xmas


Taking her out to lunch yesterday for that favor was the LEAST I could do. I see some trips to Trader Joe’s are in my future!

Here’s a shot of the two purses I finished today except for top stitching the edges. Again horrid lighting at 11pm.

and finally Nat moved this past weekend. He was told his landlord was out of town and we weren’t expecting to move, but got the go ahead at 9am saturday. So everything moved upstairs unpacked and loose. It took us two days, but his new place is a lot bigger and nicer.

I’m off to the East coast for my annual hang with nat’s parents, buy zippers in philly, take pictures in NYC thing we do at xmas time each year. Everyone have a safe, warm, and happy holiday. I hope to be eating Nat’s mom’s cookies for the next week nonstop. mmmmmm. See you after the holiday.

Posted by Jennifer on 12/20 at 11:56 PM ♥ Comments (6)

Holiday Stuffs and things

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I really am trying to get thru everything so i can go thru photos and find something to post. I’m hoping tonight to leave a post up before i leave for the east coast.

Thanks for everyone’s sweet offereings of magnetic clasps! That was mighty sweet of some of you. I had no idea they are so hard to find. But I needed them by today so i could sew two purses i have left for xmas gifts. The linings are done, so today i’m on to the outer parts of the purses.

Erin and I ran out to Michael’s and picked up a few clasps yesterday amongst other things, thanks so much for such a pleasant afternoon erin and jess!

My sister and I DO want to make sure we say to each and every one of you who have supported handmade THANK YOU. Thank you for giving handmade for the holidays and for birthdays. We are trying tot ake over the world one pouch at a time, i promise...so it can be a much much MUCH prettier world indeed. I will not be shipping out any orders that come in later than 1pm thursday december 21. That is the shipping deadline. The shop will also close at that time as well and re-open on the 28th.

I swear i’ll have a real post for this thing hopefully by tonight.
xoxoxox
jen

Posted by Jennifer on 12/20 at 02:39 PM ♥ Comments (0)

More

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Dear Joann Fabrics,

Why do you carry EVERYTHING to make a purse but yet you don’t carry magnetic closures? You have 283749325783653874 ugly purse handles and patterns for bags, yet you don’t offer me any closure other than ugly velcro. Thanks for being totally useless to me today.

xoxox
jen

Posted by Jennifer on 12/18 at 01:31 PM ♥ Comments (6)

Dear…

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Dear Chicago Post Office Lady,

Please do not assume that everyone needs you to tell them how to read the screen and then touch the answer on the pay by credit/debit kiosk at the post. Please DO NOT come up to me yelling NO NO NO!!! when i tld the screen i had a flat rate ENVELOPE yelling at me t choose “OTHER” packaging. I told her this is an envelope, she still insisted it was “other” packaging. I picked it up and pointed to the red circle ont he envelope that says FLAT RATE ENVELOPE. she then says oh i thought it was for the one in your hand that is in a tyvek envelope. I said the one in my hand isn’t being weighted and paid for, please leave me alone to do this quickly thanks. I am not a moron and can read the screen and answer the questions and since i do this strictly for our shop, i can do it rther quickly.
You are just slowing me down and making ther people wait.

xoxoxox
Jen

This scenario was quickly followed by her pointing out to me on the tyvek envelopes i address my customers on the WRONG side and from now on to put it on the other side. Which results in this....

Dear Portage, Indiana Post Office,

Thank you for being so nice MOST of the time. But when i ask NICELY for one...just ONE SMALL piece of packaging tape, please do not hold up a roll and say NO BUT YOU CAN BUY THIS FOR 4$. I only needed one small piece. You are not very helpful and that was lame and your small priority stickers just did the purpose i needed, a small piece of something sticky, and it was free.

Also after now addressing my customers on the OTHER SIDE of the package as directed by the Irving Park CHicag Post Office, the Portage IN office points out to me that the address should be on the OTHER SIDE where I ORGINALLY was putting it.

What gives?

xoxoxoxox
jen

Just a note. I will be closing down the shop Dec 21st in the evening. I know there is a holiday charity drive that will be starting with The Sweet Mary Jane Pattern and all, but frankly I cannot check in with every person as easily as i would need to while in Philly. So I have to apologize and close the shop down until Dec 28th when i return. So anyone wanting to purchase the pattern to donate to Dctors without Borders, if you want to order it between these dates please check back. I try to keep a high level of customer service, checking to make sure each pattern is received, then paypalling the cash to erin and i just can’t do this to the extent i normally do while traveling. So i apologize. But after the 27th please buy the pattern and know the money is going to an extrmely good cause. I will do a better post about it when erin gives me a better idea of what to say.

I hope everyone had a good weekend. Thanks for all the nice messages, I liked reading my email on breaks from moving. Nathaniel got the ok to move at 10am saturday. Thing was they never told him it would be coming. So nothing was packed up. He was moving upstairs in his building to a larger apt. So for two days we carried everything he owned up some steps. Now i think my arms and legs want to fall off. 

Posted by Jennifer on 12/18 at 12:13 PM ♥ Comments (1)

Renegade Holiday Show

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Last weekend we were part of the madness of Renegade Holiday over at the Pulaski Fieldhouse. Despite it being FREEZING cold in our gym in the beginning, we had the better DJ on day one...I can’t say the same for day two. At least he played my request for Grand Master Flash for the breakdown of our stuff.

Here’s your sewing team of sisters

our table stuff

wendy’s button braclets!


some of nat’s paintings and buttons

sneek attack on Stevie from Truche/Trudesign (i am still sorry about my ice cold hands!)

it was so cold in our room, our neighbor Glitter Workshop was knitting away to keep warm!

i didn’t get a picture of Lauren, but i’d like to thank her for visiting with us! And also a big thank to this guy


Jimmy thank you for all your help carrying stuff in and out, and your company! we can’t thank you enough!

Tonight is the Second Annual YarnHo’s Christmas Party. I hope to sneek in a few pictures for an update tomorrow. 

Posted by Jennifer on 12/14 at 02:20 PM ♥ Comments (9)

More Goldfishy Small Project bags

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Again another call out, sorry to plug here. But it’s just for those of you who may have been sad we were sold out before. We’ve got 4 up in the shop! And more bagged goldfish on the way. I promise pictures will be coming, I’m just bogged with freelance right now. :(


and

Posted by Jennifer on 12/12 at 10:32 AM ♥ Comments (2)

Some more fishies

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Just a quick shout out to let y’all know we’ve got one more goldfishy project pouch in the shop right now and three more coming in the next day. I’m hoping i can list them tonight. We also have two new project pouches in new fabrics listed. We also have a new 4 x6 pouch that i think would go PERFECT with all y’alls goldfishy project pouches. You can now get 4 x6 Bagged Named Goldfish too. They can hold your loose items and fit just inside the project pouch! Or get one for your favorite person to enjoy! I’ll be back with more later on the craft show and whatnot. I’ve got to work for a bit. So until then.

***The shop will be closing December 21st until after the holiday. If you want to order something still for xmas please get your order in by december 14th. (this is according to the post office) I manage to ship out same day if your order is in early enough. I also will go out of my way to make sure i can ship same day anything that comes in this week. If you saw anything we do not have listed on the website please email me: jenniferATpiddleloopDOTcom and inquire. We love email, i swear.

Posted by Jennifer on 12/11 at 02:30 PM ♥ Comments (2)

More favorite things

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Thanks for all the nice compliments on the lightening of the load of hair. I just noticed i didn’t shake my head before i took that after picture it had been smooshed in my winter hat before that! Just so y’all know too. That is the first time in my entire life i’ve ever had long hair. It had never ever been long, it was either a chin length bob or very very short all my life. The long thing was something new, and i didn’t like it much. Hair just gets everywhere. Put on chapstick and the wind blows, sticks to my lips, wind blows it and it brushes my arm and i think it’s a bug so i’m swatting myself. Combing it with that big wide comb for 30 min to get the rat’s out every morning SUCKED. Also to air dry it took a day sometimes two. This is muuuuuch better.

Anyways i’ve got some more favorite things to share with you. A lot of my favotire things are where i will see them every day. So alot of them are around my computer. First there’s my paintings of a kitty and of Scruffy (our beloved weiner doggie) from Nathaniel.

Then there’s my ORANGE! glasses case Erin made for me this summer. Look close there’s olive fabric on it. mmmmmmm olives!

Inside my knitting bag are my favorite cookies. I can eat a ton of these. They are very dangerous, yet expensive cookies. (yes that’s the pattern for Fetching in my knitting bag!)

I collect snowglobes. I love them. I also have around 400 of them. This one my mom just brought back from Vegas for me.

i love this button bracelet my sister made for me.

and last is a favorite thing i bought at DIY Trunkshow. A pendent by ifusesolutions. I also bought a cast off tile for cheap and asked erin if she could make it into a pendent for me. She totally rules because look! She wrapped wire on it so now it can be worn!

Thanks for all the well wishes for this weekend! I will post some pictures and stuff come monday! everyone have a good weekend and come say hi or GO TEAM! if you can!

Posted by Jennifer on 12/07 at 10:33 PM ♥ Comments (3)

Chop Chop

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Ok here’s the obligatory long hair shot. My hair hasn’t been cut in almost two years. It might actually have been two years now. My beautician quit cutting hair and she had cut my hair since i was in 5th grade. This is how i’ve come to know Jimmy for so long. Anyways scared to let anyone else touch my hair i just let it grow and forget about it. No more. I went and had it chopped off today. over 12 inches gone. yay!.

yesterday:

and now here it is with some long layers. My hair is so wavy and curly who knew layers would make it so curly. LOVE IT!

today:

i have some more favrotie things to share with y’all but i will post them tonight. Time for me to go sew with swingy new hair.

Posted by Jennifer on 12/07 at 02:47 PM ♥ Comments (19)

Kids Crafting

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I saw this online somewhere over the weekend and got really excited. Thinking IMMEDIATLEY that the kids could have some fun crafting for an afternoon. So i picked up some of those clear glass bulbs you can decorate and called up Erin & Jessica and begged them to come over for an afternoon of crafting.

So first you gather up all of your novelty yarn, or leftovers, or intresting yarns like Jessica is demonstrating here

then you cut pieces and stuff them in

here’s jessica making one

and zander

and when we were done we had 18 of these:

this was simple and fun enough to hold the kid’s attention for at least 12 bulbs. So it was a success, plus erin and i discovered they are kind of addictive to make!
So thank you erin and jessica for coming over this afternoon. It was very much fun crafting with y’all!

Posted by Jennifer on 12/06 at 09:12 PM ♥ Comments (7)

Piles of things

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Hi there. Sorry about leaving that same post there for so long. I’ve been busy around here working on a deadline or two and getting ready for the Renegade Craft Fair this weekend. If you are in or near Chicago please come down to the Pulaski Fieldhouse and say hello or shout a GO TEAM! as you pass our table.

So it’s gotten cold here in these parts. REALLY FREAKIN’ COLD. This has made me drag out some of my very favorite things. And i will share a few of them with you.

The first is a fabric tissue holder. Yes this is one of my favorite things. why you ask? well when you take out your travel sized tissues and you put them in one of these it keeps them so nice. Usualy when you pull them out of your purse,bag, coat pocket they are all mangled and awful looking. When i use one of these i am not embarassed to offer a stranger a tissue. Well i spied a pretty one Caitlyn made awhile back and I snagged it for a friend for xmas. I can’t show it, but i can show you the gorgeous one she sent along with it! It will be put to good use in another bag of mine and it’s SO pretty i want to offer every stranger a tissue. Please note her beautifuly designed business card! Thanks Caitlyn! Her sewing is really nice and you should check out her etsy shop now.

the second is a scarf. Once a long while ago I told y’all about the “ugly sweater (TM)”. The ugly sweater was a lovley shade of baby-shit-yellow and was partly mohair. Remember that green mohair cardigan Curt Cobain wore? Yes this was just like it, except in an ooogly yellow. I bought that sweater at some AIDS charity and i wore it til it literally fell apart. My mother HATED this sweater. My friends i think did too. Anyways one day a year or so ago i receive a package from my old college friend Kelly. She made me this scarf. The yarn immediatley reminded her of the ugly sweater and she was complelled to make this for me. And of course i love it. I just dragged it out of the cold weather bin. Behold the ugly scarf!

I am a tea drinker. Correction, i drink tea like a coffee drinker drinks coffee. I drink alot. I only drink Black teas. But i really really enjoy black teas. I couldn’t take a picture of my other favorite thing the ingenutea infuser Deb gifted to me this spring in the tea swap, because it is so stained from use it didn’t look very pretty. So instead i shall show you an awesome place to GET some tea to put in your awesome ingenutea infuser. Tea Gschwendner is located on the Gold Coast in Chicago and also online. They have such great loose leaf tea. They take the big silver bin out and open it, scoop and let you sniff any tea. It’s like shopping for yarn, so fun! anyways check them out and get some too!

So there’s some of Jen’s favorite things! Now i will share with you some piles. There’s piles around here. This pile is heading to California, for a friend to give away to her customer’s in a local yarn shop!

and this pile is sitting there mocking me to cut it and sew it into varuous things for this weekend.

I will be back after the weekend to share some pictures of Renegade with you. Also please note we’ll be closing the shop from Dec 8th-11th. We ARE done with our custom orders and we’re talking requests, within reason. If there’s somethingyou’d like, feel free to email us, we love email..i swear.

Posted by Jennifer on 12/05 at 04:11 PM ♥ Comments (5)