Sooooo, IF my rotten, lousy computer could be persuaded to upload the photos I just took, I'd be able to show you my beautiful and quirky thrift store finds from this week. BUT, tears, pleading, threats, bribes and turning the darn thing on and off again have all proved fruitless and I'm bummed. Foiled again. Maybe I could take pictures with my phone, post them to Facebook, save them to my computer and THEN upload them to the blog? Although, just typing that made me want to take a nap.

 

 

All righty, here is a truly mediocre picture of the beautiful music box I liberated from the thrift store yesterday. It's in perfect condition, though a vintage piece and plays Greensleeves. The soft, muted pastels and the tenderness in Santa's face make this music box a calming and joyous expression of faith. I'm tempted to keep it, since my own daughter was born early Christmas morning, but with a preschooler, a toddler and 3 cats in the house, fragile items are in constant danger of being annihilated. Maybe it would be better off with you?

 

Here's PPPPPPPorky PPPPPPig. For those of you out there who sell vintage, I've noticed that pop culture things, toys and cartoons sell pretty well. My Little Pony stuff, Looney Tunes, Scooby Doo, etc. So I'm hoping that Porky finds a home soon.

 

It was a great day for finds yesterday. If I'd had more money to spend I believe I could have bought a lot more sellable stuff, but alas, I was forced to make some hard choices. However, this beautiful Irish Bride and Groom from Royal Tara made the cut. Wouldn't it be a wonderful cake topper or wedding shower gift for the right couple? Bone china, made in Ireland and in perfect condition. I'm happy already thinking of the couple who will get this piece, whoever they are!

Wanna shop in my Etsy store? Click here on the link! Happy shopping! https://www.etsy.com/people/fatjoeyknitwear?ref=hdr_user_menu

 

Baby, It's COLD outside!

"C'mon Rudolph- let's GO!"


When did I move to Siberia? According to all the morning newscasters, it's colder than a brass witch's... well...never mind...(though just once, wouldn't you LOVE to hear your local weatherman say it like that? Giggle, giggle...) They did mention, however, that any skin that was exposed for more than 10 minutes was at risk for frostbite- oo! Make sure you have your Fat Joey Knitwear scarves and hats on today! They come with Fat Joey's Guarantee to keep you warm as a kitten!






Fat Joey Knits. You know you want one!

In honor of it being such a godawful frosty day and the fact that with a newborn, I can't, in fact, occupy myself by drinking copious amounts of mulled wine and schnapps, I will turn to other comforts instead. Besides, Izzy got me up at 5 am, let me fortify myself with strong coffee and then promptly fell back asleep in her bassinette, leaving me staring down an enormous caffiene high. No fair, Iz!

Nothing left for me to do now but make soup! Not just any sorry old broth, mind you, nothing will do for today but my famous, delicious, once-you've -had -it -you'll -never -go -back -to -chicken, PEANUT BUTTER SOUP! That's right, I said PEANUT BUTTER. This is one of the first things I learned to cook, and love it or hate it....you'll never forget it!

It's actually a Cream of Peanut soup, quite civilized, but that name doesn't have the shock value of the other. But seriously, you should try this at least once...it is warm, rich, creamy and makes your house smell incredible. It's also fabulous cold the next day. And because I love all my readers so, here's the secret recipe, given to me by my mother, who got it from her friend Patsy Crichton, who got it from the Kings Arms Tavern, in Williamsburg, V.A.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup butter



• 1 cup finely chopped celery



• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion



• 1 Tablespooon flour



• 1 cup chunk style (In Fat Joey's Test Kitchen we like Jif Super Crunchy)



• 3 cans (13 3/4 oz size) chicken broth



• 2 cups heavy cream (told you it was creamy)

1. In hot butter in a 4 Qt. saucepan, saute onions and celery until tender, about 5 minutes

2. Remove from heat. Add in flour and peanut butter, stirring until peanut butter is melted. Gradually stir in chicken broth.

3. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

4. Stir in heavy cream, heat for a few minutes longer.

5. Serve with a green salad and yummy bread. Revel in your culinary awesomeness. Enjoy!

We Came, We Saw, We....Hmmm....

Hey Gang,

Just a couple of snaps from yesterday's craft fair in Newark. I'm a little bit torn about this entry. I want to be positive but I also want to tell the truth. I think it's only fair to other would be crafters to talk about the good with the erm, well...you know. So in the essence of compromise, I'm going to be positively truthful!

The show was not a retail success for me, or, I suspect ANY of the other crafters, as we had NO CUSTOMERS. I mean that quite literally. Makes retail a bit tricky, that. The crafters on either side of me made either one or no sales all day. There simply weren't any people attending. Very disappointing, that.

Some people attributed it to the show being so early in the fall, but judging from the number of harvest festivals I've seen, scheduled all over the Tri-state area, people DO go to them. I think it might have been a case of every crafters number 1 enemy, no publicity. Hey, you win some, you lose some. Here comes the positive part!

My Momma attended with me and I taught her how to knit, which was a blast. She picked it up unbelievably fast, which humbled me not a little bit as I remembered how slowly and clumsily I had learned the exact same skill. Not for the first time, I wished I had her brains. Go Momma, GO!

And we had some delightful visitors in the form of my cousins, Heather and David and their adorable boxer puppy, Bailey. Seeing them and knowing they'd come out to see FJKW launched made my whole day! I have been truly blessed with cousins, as mine are some of the sweetest and most thoughtful people on the planet. On both sides of the family tree. But don't tell them I said that- it'll go right to there heads! ;)

See, this is what I love about scarves- at 7 and a half months pregnant, they still fit perfectly!! I am wearing a hand knit number made from recycled sari silk from India. Spinning the yarn left over from weaving saris gives these women extra income and makes unique and distinctive pieces. So you can purchase knowing that you are helping out not only myself, but women and their families half a world away. Now doesn't that make you want to open your wallet! ;)

More positives: the looming craft fair deadline forced me to get all my projects completed, tagged and ready to buy. Also to ramp up my Etsy store (coming soon!) and get hopping on this blog. And to meet fellow crafters, exchange ideas and information and get some of my promotional materials out in circulation. Plus, there's nothing like looking back at your sparkling craft table, laden with all those colors and patterns and thinking "WOW! I MADE all that!" It's good for the ego, so it is.

For a seasonal and economical display, I draped the scarves and hats around pumpkins and gourds from the local Farmer's Market. Baby hats look great perched on top of mini pumpkins and I wrapped a scarf around the neck of a goose necked green gourd for a whimsical touch.

More pictures to come, as soon as I can persuade my attitudinal computer to upload them. Sigh. Thanks for stopping by friends and I hope you experience something magical in your lives today!

Just a couple of shots from last year's craft fair. I'll never forget the thrill of my first sale - the woman bought the sari silk scarf draped around the picture frame above for her daughter in college. She gave me so much more than the price of the scarf, however, she gave me confidence and the knowledge every crafter/seller craves...that people will indeed plunk down their hard earned dollars for something you've created. I was humbled and grateful for every sale and remain so to this day.

I'm in!!

So once again, we have my sister-in-law Mcgee to blame for the creation of this blog ;) ..... as I was going on (and on and on and on) the other day about my upcoming craft fair and fledgling business, Fat Joey Knitwear, she pointed out that a blog with pictures, witticisms and updates might be a wonderful way to promote it. As she's always right about stuff like this, I thought I'd resurrect The True Life Adventures.

Actually, I thought I'd create an all new blog, as I'd (ahem!) lost the password for this one and was consequently forced to abandon it.... I couldn't even log on or update (or visit) my own blog....having forgotten not only the password.....but also what I'd called the damn thing. But when I tried to create a new one, the site informed me that I already HAD a blog attributed to this email address and I was able to reset the password and VOILA! We're back, BABY!

Some things have changed since last we met. Even though it's been nearly two years since his passing, it still hurts to write - Fat Joey is no more. I miss the little critter every day and still can't stand to talk about it. He was an exceptional little person and his loss still hurts. I apologize if this seems a little melodramatic,but if you're not a pet person, you just don't know how they can get ahold of you, or how devastating their loss can be. And anyway, I'm pregnant, so I get a special dispensation for melodrama (and self pity and, um...pathos. Ooo, and irrationality. That too.)

But onto cheerier things....I thought the best way to remember Joe-boy would be to help other critters find food, health care and eventually, permanent and loving homes. And that's how Fat Joey Knitwear (warm as a kitten) was born. A portion of every sale from FJKW goes to support the PAWS animal shelter in Philadelphia, PA, or City Kitties, in West Philadelphia. Sometimes it's 10%, sometimes it's 100%! I'd also like to raise some money for Project Heifer, an EXCELLENT charity that buys livestock for families in developing countries. Ideally, I'll raise enough to buy a sheep, which seems most appropriate given the wooly nature of my business.

At this point, I very much want to post links to these wonderful charities, but, having all the computer savvy of a really smart monkey....I don't know how. I could root my technologically gifted husband out of bed to assist me, but as it is barely seven thirty on a Saturday morning I doubt he'd be feeling terribly helpful. So we'll just wait a bit on those links....shall we?

I'm pleased to report that last year, FJKW raised several hundred dollars for the animal shelters, and while it wasn't an enormous amount, I believe that little amounts matter. We also donated cleaning supplies, blankets and the all important wet food. Sincere thanks to all who have purchased Fat Joey Knitwear products, taught me new knitting techniques, or supported me in any way. The critters and me say THANK YOU! You're all going straight to heaven.