DPA Business Posts
My sister may be all adorable and shit (and she is!) but there's no way she can ever out-Zoolander me! However, her waist is...
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Now with fat quarters!I have just uploaded the first batch of fat quarters in my Etsy shop. By the end of today I will have...
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My newest multi-dollar idea is the mystery craft bag: a grab bag for the crafty crowd! Yes, I know, it's pure genius and even now...
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using color in designSometimes I want drink color. Or eat it. My eyes get stuck on patches of it and can't move on because color...
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(Pam, I'm Almost Famous Now!!!!)It was obvious, when I was born with a serious cone head, that I was going to be published some day....
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As I walk away from thousands of hours of hard work; of designing the best work of my life; of hitting the pavement for...
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The Complete Defeat Of My Commercial ExistenceDustpan Alley as a business is over. No more Etsy. No more website. Just the writing. This has been...
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Although the concept and words were mine, I have to admit that Philip did all the work. He did the artwork, the computer work, and...
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One Month Of RestHillsdale Farmer's MarketReprieve is a beautiful word to both criminals and me. I've had a very long 30 months without any mental...
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Beautiful old building used by Norse people in Portland. I'm part Norwegian. Somehow I think I'm just not Norse enough to hang out there socially.This...
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You can now read my article called "Be Your Own Apothecary" on Whip Up. Go check it out!(Thanks Pam for letting me know it was...
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Just when you thought I couldn't find something else to be tortured about... I have been tired of making my flower pin apron for quite...
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(plus some philosophy on one's life calling and how dense humans are as a group)These bath bombs look like confections. I'm very happy with them....
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Me, headed to the top. Popular misconception: that hell is in the depths of the earth. I would argue that hell is much higher up...
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The serious work behind Dustpan Alley's glamorous products.Here at the Dustpan Alley offices, we've been busy developing sophisticated scent blends for using as "smelling salts"....
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I have been practicing taking better pictures. I have found something out: I do not have a steady hand. This must be why most people...
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Plum liqueur I made two years ago. Unlike my hips, it has been aging gracefully.It has an intense plummy flavor and although I think it...
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Remember when the mail used to arrive in the mailbox instead of being shoved through a hole in the door where the dog turns into...
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I first fell in love with this fabric when I saw it on Capello's blog No Appropriate Behavior. I ended up ordering it in two...
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Snails are like parents, you should never see them have sex.Unfortunately, I've witnessed both.What's really weird is to separate two snails in the middle of...
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Where, oh where have I left my stoicism?I am a prickly specimen. While roses may be my favorite flower to cultivate in my garden, one...
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Each box will be a little different. Perhaps over time they will evolve even more dramatically.I've made two so far and each has a nest,...
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That's not all that's on the wall, but I know you don't want to hear all about the surprise rubber check we found we'd written,...
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Two years ago exactly Philip had just lost his job, a filling fell out, and I broke my hip and couldn't walk for three months....
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White is a sterile field in which my brain is stunned into cold suspension. In white it shivers and tries to remember what it was...
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Here's what my studio looked like at 4:47 pm. Most of the things that used to litter the floor have been removed. Now, I don't...
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This is the only detail I plan to show of the apron project I've been working on for Lark Books. Although I've been given permission...
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I think moving is the kind of activity that never quite feels done, which is why most people try not to do it too often....
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I know you want this Funktion Home fancy tea towel. Who can resist such lush pom poms and colorful chicken embroidery? Not you, that's who!All...
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(and how it isn't distracting me from my other problems)I guess it isn't a random harvest if you purposely pick up a trowel and dig...
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Seriously, you're eyes will hurt.OH MY EYES!!I can't believe you looked anyway. I can't believe you don't listen to me. It's almost like you're my...
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This smock wasn't my favorite of the two I recently made from men's shirts. Partly because it made me look a tiny bit pregnant. I...
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I am having a lot of trouble keeping myself organized enough to make the store move. My mom is helping out by listing our furniture...
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This is a new design I worked on to submit to Lark Books for consideration for their upcoming Apron Book. I know there must have...
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Use persuasive signage to draw people in from the street.The language should be fresh and have a sense of imperative.If it has a charming element...
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Our internet connection has been out at our house since 8am yesterday morning. It's fine here at work, but I can't upload any pictures to...
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(An exciting post in which I talk about really esoteric pattern drafting needs)I'm feeling generous today and will give you three guesses what kind of...
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Closing The StoreSome people will be thinking to themselves: "I knew this wouldn't work" or perhaps even more self congratulatory thoughts such as "I told...
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So after a long unhappy talk about the situation at hand, Philip and I have come to exactly no conclusions. Not only that, it has...
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At one point in time I had a tin that was full of antique, vintage, and random buttons that my mom gave to me. I...
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(And a very bad film that you probably enjoyed)This is the newest version of the bib apron with the flower detail. I was so tired...
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(the chickens have nothing to do with this post.)Classic retail wisdom: never argue with the customer because they are always right.Yes, so true, so true....
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I'm having a very stardust moment here. Please don't scare it away. Dustpan Alley is officially official. This is a big moment for a would-have-been...
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(aka: America's next top-ish model)I am a woman of my word. As promised: me wearing what I would wear if I was cute enough to...
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In my gardening fever, brought on by that languid warm weather, I bought a little flat of peppers, winter savory, chard and pansies. I didn't...
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My bank account doesn't lie to me. Martha, I am not. But look at these pretty labels my mom made for all of my bulk...
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(in which I break my promise to talk only of rainbows, butterflies, and Donald Trump)My mom spent Sunday helping me organize the custom bath center...
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This store reorganization is brought to you courtesy the slave labor of my mom (Lorena) and my sister (Tara).So here's the thing, my sister Tara...
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Here are all of you cool participators folded up in a pretty Terramoto bowl.I didn't want to be accused of any kind of funny business,...
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Amber!!!I had a couple of pictures of the actual name drawing event. A little something nice to make the winner feel special. But I'm still...
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(I'm up to my nostrils in a year's worth of receipts and invoices at the moment. I hope to return home to post the results...
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It's almost a week to Easter and not an Easter basket has been sold. Not a one. Even though they are the cutest ones I...
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Everyone in retail knows that one of the most important things to do is take inventory at the beginning of the year. As surprising as...
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If you could see the real me, she'd look exactly like this, only she wouldn't be so unattractively thin.So if ever you find yourself imagining...
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(special project)I made the mistake yesterday of reading part of the paper, snatched from the coffee shop. I stopped reading the papers when I was...
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(This post is surprisingly full of religious content and anti war sentiment. So read at your own risk.)Pam Kitty Morning requested a shot of the...
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(BBQ Bob keeping it honest with BBQ Sue)Look what the candy man brought. A sea of mediocre chocolate. In pretty foil. I think this picture...
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or just be another schlump on the factory lineDustpan Alley Web StoreIt's the quintessential American dream to do one of two things: write the "great...
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But first, let me distract you with photos of the 1940's blouse I made from a vintage pattern. That button hole is hand-knotted by yours...
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Here is my Easter bucket. I am still waiting for the candy order, and I still need some cellophane to wrap the whole she-bang in....
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I have got to make one of these for myself! I'll have the perfect chance to during the Easter bonnet decorating class I'm going to...
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Missy of Glitter and Grunge sent me a really lovely package for our pot holder swap. I forgot that when doing a swap it is...
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Don't you just love it when people say that? I try not to say it. Even though I've done practically everything Madonna has done before...
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In addition to the vendors who set up tent for the three day trade show event, there are hundreds of other rep groups in a...
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This is the Washington Convention Center. It's a massive building in which commerce is enjoyed on a large scale. Picture taking isn't really encouraged inside...
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This has been an interesting unrestful educational trip for me. I took the train from Portland (see the spiffy station in above photo) to Seattle....
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That's Marvin, the giant metal rooster back there behind the new fence posts. See the string on top of the posts? That's Philip doing the...
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This is a macro view of the fabric I used for one of the Valentine's Day aprons I posted a couple of posts ago. You...
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You wouldn't know this, except for the fact that I'm about to tell you, that I just finished writing two really long very bad paragraphs....
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Pearl photographs well. I wonder how much like Lindsay Lohan she'd be if she were a person? Personally I think Pearl has more dignity. She...
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This is the special gift wrapping I did for the customer who bought The Bitter Betty Industries necklace. This is not the standard DPA gift...
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Because I am writing this at work, I cannot immediately share the images I am bursting with excitement to show you. I toiled, I mopped...
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First off I want to say that Judy in Eugene has placed an order on our website and Philip is at the store packing it...
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(or: see how the bad ideas can keep on coming!)The goal: to decorate the valentine gift boxes. They should look pretty, fetching, but fresh and...
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Alright, alright... most people call this hail. But it felt like snow when I grabbed up handfuls of it. It was an impressive downpour, five...
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I have just spent my evening debating with friends on the issues I brought up in my previous post while eating good food, and drinking...
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Because they haven't noticed that it's winter. These birds are supposed to be light sensitive, but my girls are continuing to produce a lot of...
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Yes, yes, there is more. Always there is more. I have just called SCORE to make an appointment with a retired business person to help...
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(and a really long list)I know that Santa Rosa must have had some pretty amazing sunrises, but I rarely saw them. It must be having...
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There were no entrants for the men's apron so obviously no one won it. There were eleven entrants in the bib apron contest and one...
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(But I'm as cool as an untouched habanero.)All I have to do is take a "quick" break from the shop to get Philip a couple...
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The question I hear most from people who've wandered into the store for the first time is: "So, do you make ALL of this?" accompanied...
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It was about forty straps into Monday night that I realized I am my own underpaid sweatshop. Are there any organizations that prevent people from...
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I don't have my own slopers, I haven't had them for years. Without slopers it's difficult to draft a pattern. You can drape from scratch,...
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In the "worst gift ever" contestHow to enter: Just e-mail us at angelina.williamson@verizon.net and tell us what is the worst gift you've ever gotten from...
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Alright, I was going to do the next installment of the Gentleman's guide to buying gifts for women. While I've been sitting here in the...
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(A guide in several installments)This festive pin would make a wonderful stocking stuffer for the woman who truly cherishes the winter holidays. It is handmade...
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Two ladies walked in a little while ago and one of them (after a brief look around) asked "What kind of place is this anyway?"...
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(featuring some pretty poor photography)It was only a matter of time. Couldn't be helped. Philip loves the heart but felt that the mushroom's colors evoked...
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A year ago I made about ten ribbon pins similar to these ones shown here. I made them to have a little extra something pretty...
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(and how dressing windows is harder than you think)This is the store Christmas tree covered in mostly hand made goodies from Forest Whimsy and Me....
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So here they are, a man and his mail order bride. The man is barbequing their holiday turkey on the Webber charcoal grill in the...
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(a visit to Strawberry Creek in Healdsburg, CA)This is Dionne (the owner of Strawberry Creek, in the stripes) and Jeanette. Dionne bought some of my...
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My muscles are just about ready to be peeled from my bones. They are no longer of use to me. We moved the store yesterday....
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These are the berets I have recieved for the store. Some will remain plain, some I will be decorating with felt. The quality is great,...
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Sometimes I think dreams are like quiet lives that develop from active brains, that become beings of their own, seperate from their origin and they...
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I just cut out a couple hundred triangles and rectangles with which to make baby doll quilts. These are the fabrics I'm using for them...
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Chelsea is one of my closest friends and she is developing her own company of soft sewn goods. At risk of sounding like a bragging...
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These are nearly completed pet gift sets. (They await labels). Each box includes Mrs. Meyer's pet shampoo, a soft dog chew toy (made by yours...
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Yesterday I spent three hours scouring the computer for a bride for BBQ Bob. As I've mentioned before, I was hoping to find a...
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Having a retail establishment where there isn't any foot traffic is a bitch. Hearing from most of the people who end up finding you that...
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...holding the shovel. That's when he finally realized...martinis and graveyards don't mix.This post is all about the making of a display. You see, I recently...
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The store is open for business!!!!!!You can get to the store by using the link in the links section.Tell your friends!Tell everyone!!(Except the Whitehouse please)Until...
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Which, admittedly, looks almost identical to the old one which is ten feet away.Except that now we can actually fit all the racks inside the...
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It's a serious policy of mine to never enter a skyscraper whose base is considerably smaller than the rest of it. Nice architectural design for...
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This is a view of the city from the look-out area near Pike's Place Farmer's MarketI dressed nicely enough in the morning before heading off...
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Product testing is an important part of every designer/manufacturer's job. Here we see the soft bone toy for dogs being enjoyed by Chick. This toy...
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I've been a little busy. Making pesto. This is what I love about cooking, you take a bunch of raw ingredients,you process them in a...
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We are now selling sun hats. I am getting some millinery supplies in to decorate some of them with.I don't have a picture of the...
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This is BBQ Bob standing outside the courtyard building. We have lots of Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products. That's the whole tiny store. However, there's...
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I have been open exactly seventeen minutes on this Sunday morning. Not a single soul has popped in for a look. Someday I'm going...
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I am beginning to wonder if I have been wearing a sign on my back my whole life that reads "Allergic to hard work"....
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It seems extraordinarily difficult for Philip to break into the job market again after having been laid off. Getting a job now seems to...
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