Cataracts, Skull Bags, & A 90 Year Old Assailant?

 

This has been an entertaining  week already and it's only Tuesday!  I started out on Sunday afternoon after church I went to the mall for the 2nd day of Holiday Blitz  vendor event.  It was very slow, but I had 2 friends to come by to visit for a while.  One of them had her 3 year old grandson with her and we got him to play ball with another vendor's little girl.  SO CUTE!  
    Now that the first weekend of Holiday Blitz is over, I have to start working on my Lion's Lair order that needs to be there before Thanksgiving.  My biggest project is the " Skull Messenger bags " that I made once before and she sold all 3 of them within less than 2 weeks! ( The first bag she sold to a screenwriter who works in the film business in Hollywood!)  So, Monday morning, I started cutting them out- I have 4 so far, and might make more if I have the time! You can see 2 of the bags I made before, the ones I am making now are similar, but not exactly the same fabrics & styles.
    Yesterday I had to take my Mom to the eye doctor to see about having cataract surgery.    She had been a few weeks ago and seen another doctor, and said she really didn't like him and she wanted her regular doctor to to the surgery.  It was a long process of WAITING ! One room for the glaucoma test, another for the eye chart test, then to another " waiting room" before you get to another  room to see the doctor, and then when you get into the room you  " wait" for the doctor to come into the room.  When the doctor came in, my Mom, said, " you look familiar", bless her heart, her memory isn't what it used to be.  "Mom this is Dr. Promersberger who you wanted to come and see."   Of course it will still be another month before she can actually  have the surgery.
     Today, I had to go see my Dad in Hagerstown, who lives in an assisted living facility. We were visiting in a small living area, and there was an old woman standing in the doorway staring at me.  I just kept talking to my Dad, and kind of ignored her.  But, then she looked at me and very loudly said, " What are you doing?"
Me:  Talking to my dad.
Lady:  He's not your Dad!
Me :  yes , he is
Lady:  No, he's not.  I am your Mom!
Me:  No, I've never seen you before.
Lady:  You're a liar,
Lady to my Dad:  How old were you when you "adopted" her?
Me:  He's my biological Dad.
Lady asked my Dad same question again, and my Dad who's hearing isn't very good said,  "  I'm 87 years old and this is my daughter and she's _2 "   (   Sorry, not telling you my age, if you don't already know!  LOL!  )
 At this point, I got up to go find someone to get her out of there, and  when I started to walk past her in the doorway, and she pushed me back!!  My Dad got really mad, and said, "That's my daughter , you leave her alone!  That's the first time in years I've seen my Dad get angry because he was " defending" me! Usually he's mad AT me!  Anyway, the owner and her aides came to our rescue right away and got her out of there, and we got a good laugh!  The owner said she had been waiting on her family and she has dementia, and was confused.  She had just had her 90th birthday recently.  So I almost got assaulted by a 90 year woman !   My Dad was still upset with her after she left, and I just said "Daddy, don't worry about it, it's ok.  She is ( & I circled my hand around my ear, meaning she's "not all there" LOL) .  ( I have seen my Dad do that many times before, so I knew he would understand that terminology and he would calm down.)  So, needless to say we had a good laugh out of it.  I was still laughing while driving across town to JoAnn's where I had a long list of things to buy for requests for custom orders!
      Becky's Pillow Shop will be at the Martinsburg Mall most weekends between now & Christmas on Saturday and Sunday afternoons!   10 % of all my Proceeds will go to " Friends of Nicholas" to help purchase a handicapped van and a service dog when he goes home from the hospital .  Nicholas is my cousin who has aplastic anemia, and has had many setbacks and been through much more than any 11 year old boy should have to endure, but he is still with us and we have seen God perform many miracles in the past 9 months.  To find out more about Nicholas' very long  journey you can read about Nicholas Thornton on the special facebook page created just for him.  https://www.facebook.com/prayersfornicholasthornton   And Yes, he got to meet Ryan Seacrest in person, but I will tell you more Nicholas in my next blog!

   

A Painful Malady, The Sewing Recluse, & A Car Show

I haven't blogged in a while and for good reason.  I have been locked up in my house for 11 days, like a hermit, a recluse, going out  only to get groceries.   You see I have been very busy sewing, but not as much as I wanted to because my body was saying NO! Stop!  I have had the dreaded painful virus that is almost debilitating, and feels like "piercing needles of the skin"!! No Fun! I haven't been out because I knew it could be contagious,plus I did't feel like it anyway.    Most of this pain was either on my side or on my back and shooting down into my left leg all the way to my knee.  Back pain is not new to me as I have had my share, but this was something different!  It was very painful, and the only thing to relieve it  was an ice pack! Fortunately, I was able to find an e-book online on how to cure it in 3 days. I was a little bit hesitant, but so glad I purchased it as it is  working.  Lots of bath soaking, (20 minutes each time & 3 times  a day), and I feel like I'm am turning into a prune. Ha  ha ! Soaking in apple cider vinegar, baking soda, & an herb called neems. Who knew? Something as common as apple cider vinegar ( Braggs raw organic) or baking soda (organic without aluminum) would help cure it??  I am just finishing the 3rd day,  not 100 % but, am feeling much better! Anyway, when I was feeling up to it, I was sewing aprons, adult and toddler to  match aprons, children's aprons, bags, & more bags. I've been getting ready for the Holiday Blitz at the Martinsburg Mall that starts this Saturday.  There will also be a car show going on at the mall as well, so  it's going to be crowded for the vendors.  This weekend I will focus on " men's" items, and  will have 1 " Classic cars" pillow,  and a tote bag to match & carry it in! See photos.  I also will have NFL team pillows, such as Redskins, Ravens, Cowboys, & Steelers.  I am planning to be there all day Saturday & Sunday afternoon, as long as I'm  feeling  up to it, so come check it out.  This is only the 1st weekend of the Holiday Blitz.  It will be most every weekend , Fri- Sunday, through Christmas. I plan to be there as much as possible. 

To see my newest aprons and bags, go to https://www.facebook.com/beckyspillowshop/ 

BEST Rainy Vendor Event Ever!

 

This past weekend I had a " new" experience to say the least.   I was a vendor at the Apple Butter Festival in Berkeley Springs, WV.  First of all, I had never done an event that big before. There were lots of people despite the rain.  Most of my vendor experience leaves a lot to be desired. They  comprise of a pretty good number of vendors, but not well attended.   Also, many times I am having to compete with home based businesses that are well known & not hand made.  I have  also had lots of  " incidents" at these events, some of which were not too good!  I have lost 2 tents to the wind within a year, and  I have sat there all day sold 1 or 2 items.  At one of my very events, I had to replace my front car door  because I had to back my car up a very long distance, was watching all the cars parked on my right,  and didn't see the truck bed sticking out on my left. Ugh!   Needless, to say I lost a lot of money that day because of the big deductible I paid for a new door!

This weekend, however, was also different because it was raining!    I have never even bothered doing an outside event when it's raining, but I had been working so hard the past week, & I was so excited and wasn't going to let it scare me away.  I just found out about a week before when the owner of Lion's Lair  asked me to set up in front of her store.  The first day was not too bad as far as the rain, but by Sunday, trying to keep things dry left a lot to be desired.  Despite the rain, it was a great experience and I made more money in 2 days than ever before.  I sold lots of tooth fairy pillows,  football team pillows, & other things.  One lady asked me to get a bag down for her that she wanted, it was the purple " skull" drawstring bag I had made.  She didn't really look like the type who really loved skulls, but she wanted that bag.  The next day she returned and said she wanted another bag ( aqua with  flower & giraffe print trim) and asked, Do you have any more bags?? I love bags! I collect bags!"    A young man was with her and he said, " this lady loves bags, she has a whole closet full of bags!"  It was then I realized she was special needs,  I said, "is this your brother?", and she said, " no ,  my nephew".  So I said ,"I  made a lot of the bags  for  Lion's Lair so I sent them into the store.  I had just filled an order for aprons & bags for Lion's Lair last week, and within a week  she  had sold  2 of my 3  "Skull" messenger bags, 3 aprons, 2 place mats, & another bag. She said I was the seller of the week of all her handmade vendors. Whoo Hoo!   The Apple Butter Festival  was a great experience, and I would love to do it again next year. I am now ready to start preparing for the Christmas season.  My next big event is at the Martinsburg Mall for the Holiday Blitz. .  I will be there most weekends in Nov. & Dec. starting Nov. 8 on Fri., Sat, & Sunday, along with a lot of other vendors.  I also have to make some more messenger bags & aprons for Lion's Lair for the season.

Becky's Pillow Shop
http://www.beckyspillowshop.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/beckyspillowshop/

Becky's Pillow Shop will be a vendor at the Apple Butter Festival this weekend in Berkeley Springs, WV!  It is Saturday and Sunday from 9am - 5pm.   I will be located in front of Lion's Lair right on Washington St.  It is on the 2nd block north of Fairfax Street (center of town) .  I just found out last week so don't have time for a longer creative blog, very busy trying to prepare!   Come on out to the festival & enjoy some good music, games, and lots of activities.  Come visit me in front of Lion's Lair.   I have lots of pillows, including NFL teams,  pillow sets, tooth fair pillows, & aprons, bags, new SKULL wristlets, and a lot more of my items are located in the store -Lion's Lair .  Also to see more of my items, go to Becky's Pillow Shop.  Hope to see you at the festival!

beckyspillowshop
Becky Wiggins

Organized Clearance

Fall is almost here, and it's time to get geared up for the busiest season of the year for me.  I haven't done many vendor events this summer, so  I have many of my handmade items in  my guest room & it  is busting at the seams with pillows & bags!   I have no where to put new things!  So what to do, hmm, I think it's time for a Big Clearance Sale on pillows, & while I'm at it I will add some bags as well!  I have great prices on all  pillows - They are all from $2.00- $5.00, no pillow over $5.00!! Also  bags range from $3- $10!  Great Deals!!   To see my sale items you can go to my website at:  http://www.beckyspillowshop.com/apps/webstore/products/category/1016132?page=1 
All of the sale items are on this link.  

I also have so many new things to make by October 1st for Lion's Lair, and lots of other items for Christmas Holiday Blitz at the mall.  Recently,  I have gotten some great deals on fabric and now my fabric baskets are overflowing .   I began to realize that  my so called "organized"   sewing room was now a " chaotic" mess.      How can I even begin to concentrate on all this sewing  when my  room is in total disarray?? ( I mean who can begin to work at a desk when there are papers all over it?  Not I! )   What should I do?? I think it was time to call  for help.  So I called a professional organizer and she was a able to help and made it simple!  She made me think, "now, where would I go to look for this item?"  She gave me "Simple Solutions and we  got my entire sewing room organized in 3.5 hours! By the way, the name of her business is " Simple Solutions" and she does a great job in a short amount of  time.  If you are interested in a professional organizer, please message me  for her business information.

In the meantime, I think I am now ready to get started on lots of new items.  This week I had a mail rush order to make 2 "Dorthy " (from the Wizard of Oz) aprons for 3 year old twins. I made 2 bib aprons , light blue gingham with ribbon & gathering at the waist, similar to the jumper that Dorthy wears in the movie.    ( See the picture above.)  I think she wanted the twins to wear the aprons over their tutus  to see the new 3D Wizard of Oz movie this weekend!   I have made some " southwestern" place mats, and am making more  aprons, ( with monkeys, sock monkeys -pictured above, owls, safari)  for  toddlers, children's & adults. I am getting ready to make some  " messenger bags"  Eeek! Something totally new to me!    Anyway, please don't forget to check out my Summer End Clearance Sale   on Becky's pillow shop and remember prices have been greatly reduced!     Stay tuned for more new items this fall!

Solace in the Lion's Lair

Where did the summer go?  It's the day after Labor Day already, and unfortunately, for me it wasn't much of a relaxing summer.  It started in June right before Father's Day,  when my Dad fell and ended up in the hospital.  He is 87 years old, can't cook, and really was not able to take care of himself, so he had no business living alone, but what can you do with a very stubborn 87 year old man who needs to be in control?  He wouldn't listen to his family.  When he got to the hospital, his landlord told him he couldn't go back to his apartment.  He was taken to a nursing home a few days later, and standard procedure is to apply for medicaid even if you don't qualify. My Mom gets things mixed up, and doesn't remember things well, and I knew that it was up to me to take care of things. As it turned out the deadline for Medicaid application was the same day as the deadline for getting everything out of my Dad's apartment and having it clean! It just so happened that I had planned a Yard Sale the week before.  I had already advertised,  but I should have cancelled it anyway, because as it turned out I didn't sell much, and didn't have enough help to get everything back inside. MORE STRESS!!!  Needless to say, the next day I stayed in my pj's all day and did absolutely nothing but chill out. 

   The HIPA laws made it impossible for me to get any info. for the Medicaid app. without his permission, and getting his cooperation was like pulling teeth.  We soon found out that he was only going to be in the nursing home for rehab., and then he had nowhere to go.  MORE STRESS!!   Actually most  of the stress was not caused by the things I had to do, but the drama it created with both parents .

As stressful as this was, for about almost 6 weeks, I knew that I had to get away and go somewhere, but where??  I needed a big SPA day, somewhere near the mountains, or near the water, a full body massage, anything to help me to RELAX!  So, then I thought of the perfect place, wasn't even far away, but far enough that my phone wouldn't work where I was so NO ONE could call me!!  I went to Berkeley Springs, WV & stayed at the Cacapon Resort.  Wow, couldn't have gone to a better place- I had the mountains, the lake, and I got a Roman mineral bath and a massage at Berkeley Springs State Park.  It was great, and I thought , while I am there I should take some of my handmade items  from Becky's Pillow Shop and see if I can find any stores that might be willing to sell them. I hadn't been able to do much sewing or selling this summer and I really needed to sell some things.  Well, guess what?  I found one.  The owner of The Lion's Lair said, I really like your designs, but I need more modern, retro type fabrics. So, I got started right away, gathering fabrics I already had, and got her approval, buying new ones that she wanted & began to sew, sew, sew.  On August 22, I  sold her an order of 26 items!!    I have a couple displays in the store, a bag in the front window,  and she has sold a few items already!  I am so excited! 

Oh, yeah, and as for that Yard Sale-  Well, I am having another one this weekend. Fri- Sat. ( Sept 6-7) at my house.  612 Albert St, Martinsburg 8am - ? both days.   So come on out and check it out!!  You can check out my event page on facebook to see detailed listings, and some pics & prices!!  The link is:

https://www.facebook.com/events/202325013268908/

Becky's Pillow Shop : July 4

Becky's Pillow Shop : July 4: Americana patchwork bag - $12.99 on Etsy Fireworks pillow $8.00 (17 inch pillow)   July 4th is almost here, so what do y...