Feeling So Much Love...

for customers like you! I don't want to clog up your inbox with Black Friday emails, but I genuinely want to "Thank" each and every one of you who have supported me along the way. Craftermoon has been my brainchild for a long time and just over a year ago I brought it to fruition when I opened my online shop. There are more exciting things coming in the new year. Read to the end to receive my gift to loyal subscribers like you and to find out what I have been up to in the last month.

As some of you are already aware, my grandfather passed away several months ago and this was the last gift he left me before he died, a Cushman Truckster. I went to Arlington, TX with my family to pick it up. I got an hour away and the first tire blew out at 10 pm on one of the coldest nights of the year. As you can see, it was actually shredded. We tried to change the tire, but the lug wrench my husband had in his truck was too big for the lugs on the trailer, so we stayed the night in Corsicana, TX. We woke up the next morning and my husband took the trailer to the only tire shop that was open. We ended up replacing the 2 tires on that side and proceeded on our trip. We got 20 minutes from our destination and the same tire (now a brand new tire) blew out. This time it looked like a can opener tore into the side of the tire. Luckily, we were one exit from the nearest Discount Tire. We were not sure if the same tire blew because of improper installation or the disrepair of the trailer we had. However, once we got to Discount Tire, they took such good care of us.

When I walked into the Midlothian Discount Tire, I was almost in tears. The assistant manager asked how he could help me and I explained the whole story. He really set my mind at ease. He assured me they would get to the bottom of the problem and they did. They pulled every single tire off that trailer. Come to find out every hub on that trailer was covered in rust and corrosion. Also, the last tire shop had put 2 smaller tires on and left the two bigger tires on the other side. The tire guy in Corsicana had also cross-threaded one of the lugs. The guy at Discount Tire who worked on our trailer took a wire brush to the hubs and cleaned off the corrosion so that he could get a flat surface to install the tire. After looking at the other 2 tires on the other side of the trailer, one tire had some dry rot and was from 2009 and he suggested they be replaced. Unfortunately, we had to replace them with new smaller tires, because they didn't have enough larger tires in stock, but I felt so much better after all the new tires were installed and the hubs had been cleaned. I cannot say enough good things about Discount Tire. They really are the best people to get NEW tires from. Thank you Discount Tire Midlothian!!

So, about the Cushman Truckster and what does it have to do with Craftermoon. Well, with the help of my boss (at my full-time job), I will be converting this Cushman Truckster into a Mobile Craftermoon store and will be taking it to local markets and Faires. So stay tuned! We have already removed the back truck bed cover and bench seat to get to the Kohler 12-hp cast iron engine. I have taken the carburetor, fuel pump, coil, spark plug, and air filter off and replaced them with new ones. I also took the fuel tank off and used a grinder to cut the end off and dump out all the sludge. Unfortunately, after dumping the sludge, we noticed that the tank had a bunch of tiny pin holes in the side of the tank. So we will need to replace that as well. Although, I'm thinking about turning the tank into a cool hanging light. 😁

What Have I been working on?

So besides working at my day job, and working on my Cushman Truckster by day, at night, I have been fulfilling orders in the shop, sewing my handmade Christmas Stockings for customers, and beginning my latest project, which is my vintage style Chrismas dress. BTW, I have to have this completed by December 10th for my husband's Christmas party, so wish me luck!😂 I'm using a vintage Simplicity Dress Pattern 7805 that I found on eBay and a wool blend herringbone fabric. I probably end up using black buttons instead of the gold ones pictured and the collar will also be black.

What have I been drinking?

I wanted to make a Fall drink and I found this recipe for a Pear Martini on the website A Couple Cooks . I went to HEB and bought a handful of different types of pears, as seen below. I used the Seckel Pear I purchased, but you can use whatever pear you like the best. HEB had a good variety of pears from Seckel, Forelle, Asian, Bartlett, and Bosc. I am gluten-free, so I chose the Grey Goose La Poire, pear-flavored vodka. I also didn't have the time to make a simple syrup, so I found this Shake and Share Simple Syrup at HEB to use. If you click on the link above, you can find the recipe and list of ingredients as well.

What has inspired me lately?

My friend Christy sent me this video a while back and I was blown away. Janis Ledwell-Hunt is an amazing fiber artist. How can you not be inspired by watching her work. Follow her on Instagram @unfetteredco .

My gift to you...

Thank you for reading to the end of my long blog post. I truly am grateful for followers like you! I am trying to get a newsletter out twice a month, but as you can see I have been a little busy and haven't been able to make it happen. If you would be interested in hearing from me twice a month, comment below. Or if you are happy with hearing from me once a month, also tell me below.👇 I don't have many sales in the shop, but this is the biggest one of the year. If you are in need of some new craft kits, craft supplies or a gift for a crafty friend, then use code THANKFUL4YOU to receive 25% off your order from now until December 2nd, 2022.