trick r treat came early for me, and i'm sad to say it was mostly tricks...

today has been frighteningly full of tricks for me...

i will admit that it has been one of those days...i woke with the best of intentions, plugged along at a reasonable pace, checking things off my mental to-do list, making good progress...and then suddenly, everything just seemed to go to hell. with my very long list of objectives/responsibilities before halloween next week, i simply cannot afford to have any surprise disasters. but then, didn't some guy named 'Murphy' write a law about times like these?

the biggest, most significant headache of the day was my brand new sewing machine breaking. my parents bought me a lovely Singer 7470 for my birthday last year, after my last machine broke in a similar, hectic work debacle. it was lovely and new and has a computer and it ran so smoothly. i was busy sewing away, working on my pseudo-niece's halloween costume -- yes, i promised months ago to make her a devil princess costume -- the needle and thread jammed slightly, and when i went to clear it, the machine no longer locks stitches and sews. baffled and frustrated beyond belief, i pulled the machine apart, cleaned the bobbin chamber, and put it all back together. still didn't sew.

sigh. hold back tears.

took everything apart and looked closer. nothing was broken or bent or jammed. i tried calling the 1-800 number for the Singer Customer Service line, and found that they had closed at 4pm. 4pm! what service center closes at 4 o'clock in the afternoon?? the last time this happened, and a machine busted in the midst of a mountain of orders, there was a two month waiting list and $100 minimum fee at every shop in town to examine the machine. i remind myself of that as i

begin to bang my head softly on the machine.

my mom was standing by, since she had graciously agreed to come over and help me put the zipper in (i hate sewing zippers in!). she told me to try calling the sewing center at Joann's and just ask one of the women if they knew what could be wrong, since the machine's manual was of zero help. the lady was quite amiable, and suggested that the machine's timing was thrown off when it jammed. therefore, the top and the bottom stitches were just slipping past each other without locking. wonderful! now how do i fix it?

you can't. only a repairman knows how to adjust the timing. great.

at this point, i couldn't even hold back the tears. i felt so defeated and burnt out. i was just trying to do something nice out of the kindness of my heart because i love halloween, and i want to foster that love in my pseudo-niece and nephew. why does this happen to me, and especially at these most inopportune times? and furthermore, what kind of brand new machine has a common, run of the mill needle jam and then has to be serviced because its timing has been thrown off? do you know how often needles jam? the machine would need to be serviced every other month or more!

so, thankfully, my mother is letting me use her machine to fix my work. and though i have this temporary backup plan, it is so utterly frustrating to have something so simple cause such a nightmare. so who knows how long before the machine can be fixed. the repair shops were all closed by 5 as well, and so i will have to wait until tomorrow to call. keep your fingers crossed for me that it doesn't take a month and a hundred dollars to have it restored to functioning condition...

now that i've wasted enough time venting and whining, i also wanted to share some awesome news that i'm so psyched about. i sold a 'BOO' party hat to a very talented, classy dame who used it as a prop in one of her professional shoots. her aesthetic is tres vintage and so spot on. she has quite the talent for lighting and staging her shots. the overall effect is amazing; her photographs actually appear as though you just uncovered them from a stash of old junk in your grandmother's basement. needless to say, i cannot help but grin and sigh looking through her work. do yourself a favor and check out her blog, Dizzy Dame .

and finally, i sent a shout out through my etsy store for customer photos of my work in their halloween displays. i was hoping to get a ton, so i could see what context other people view my work. well, i got only one response, but the photo is such a charmer! hollie h. sent in a pic of some of my pieces staged in her kitchen. i especially love the party hat on the pig, and the use of the bowls of candy. it is exactly what i had in mind when i began crafting these sweet little treats for people to enjoy at The Crepe Confectionary. so despite the troubling day i had today, i know i'm making people smile with what i do...so i need to just stop, take a deep breath, chant an 'om namah shivayah', and smile along with them...