Mandolin Babe's Becomes a Black Diamond Dealer

As in Black Diamond Strings! The company has been around since 1892 and meets all my requirements: the strings are made in the USA ,has a wonderful reputation,and there is no minimum wholesale order amount. I have an account with another manufacturer,but their min order was nearly $300,and that's something that's out of range right now. Black diamond also owns "Super-sensitive String" products which makes fiddle accessories & strings as well,so now I have accomplished my goal of finding a string supplier for banjo,mandolin,guitar & fiddle in addition to being able to supply rosin and accessories. I'm hoping to place my 1st order on Monday. I was directed toward sthis company when I received a purple fiddle I had won in an online auction. Inside was a box of fiddle rosin from this company,so I made an inquiry, and Tah dah!
     The pic you see above shows one of my hand knit rosin bags with the rosin I'll be carrying soon in my store. I made the pattern for the bag myself & have made another bag in olive green,and am currently knitting one in white. I use vintage buttons for that decorative finishing touch. I'm hoping to draw fiddlers that want more attractive accessories instead of the mass produced "survivalist" looking items they've been making due with (till now!) 
     The Etsy team I formed is gaining members,which is wonderful. Hoping business for all of us on the team starts growing thru a team effort. 
      I do need ladies to join my "Song & Season Spinnin Farmgirl Chapter" This is an online group,so location is not important. If you're an organic livin,nature lovin,traditional musician who honors the earth and all her wonders & wants to join up,please leave a comment on this post. This is a "Mary Janes Farm" Farmgirl group.
      

Happy Labor Day!

That ironing board you see has a earth friendly new cover-made by yours truly. I had aquired it many years ago from a man who was selling his wife's sewing tools (she had passed on). The original cover was so old it tore with no effort at all-it's so old the board is actually made of wood! So I added a layer of batting,my "save the planet" fabric,and Tah-dah! 
    I apologize for my absence-the part time job at the college turned full time for a week as it always does-the beginning of Fall semester is the most hectic of the year. But having to earn one's bread doing something you don't like only gives you more incentive to work harder doing what you feel you're meant to do. So this holiday weekend I've been busy at the sewing machine making more fiddle accessories. Today I may actually make those bedroom curtains I've had on my mind since last year in addition to more fiddle bow "bed-rolls" as I like to call them. They look like this: 

 

   This was born of necessity-I recently won a full size fiddle (in purple!) with the case,bow, & rosin for a mere $10.49. (plus shipping made it $27 something plus investing in new strings) At any rate,the case will not permit me to really loosen the bow hair as one must when you're not playing-if I did so it wouldn't fit in the case. So this idea got put into my head and I made a pattern. I have it up in my eBay store at the moment. 
    And as far as the rosin bags go,I made one using the same southwestern flair flannel:

 I have one in my eBay store & the other in my Etsy shop. Had to add the vintage button for a little extra snazzi-ness. (Plus it helps me move my button collection out the door) 
   I've also come to the realization that one can only play so many instruments & play them well. While I will continue to noodle with uke & my 6 string banjo,I've decided my main focus of musical pursuit will be mandolin & fiddle-for their tone,versatility in music,and thier size & portability. When you're petite,it's a royal pain trying to lug a guitar around. The mandolin and fiddle are a breeze to carry. 
        Other exciting personal news: I got the urge last week,for whatever reason,to look at copies of my Great Grandfathers birth certificate and other documents dating back to 1875. These had been stuffed away in one of those flexible file folders for a few years. My Dad had passed them to me,and at the time,I just couldn't focus on it. Well,at any rate,I discovered that my fiddle playing Great Grandfather was part Scottish. Another relative also has Scottish roots. Clan names of Little and McCown are on these documents. It appears my Moms side of the family settled in Texas coming from North Carolina,Missouri & Alabama. So I'm part Irish,Welsh,and Scottish as far as European influences go. No wonder I loved the UK so much from earliest memory,and King Arthur was among my favorite books to read!