Peek a boo

Here is a work in progress...cutie hooties for the show this week end. I always like to see others
WIP so thought I'd share these cuties with you. Did you know a group of owls are called a "stare of owls"? Now you know! Anyone else hearing that Geico commercial song in their head right now?

Shadowboxes

Here for your viewing pleasure are the new owl shadowboxes. If anyone has any tips on photographing shadowboxes please let me know. I tried taking the pictures in the living room bookcase, on the front porch, on the kitchen cabinet and the dining room window seat. I'm really not happy with any of the shots but here are the best ones. Believe me when I say the pictures do not do them any justice.

However if you would like to see them in person, you will have your chance and the first opportunity to buy this Halloween. Yes, I do have an event October 31st the East Academy Fall Fest & Craft Fair. The Fair will be held here in the hood at Eastwood Christian Church on Eastland Ave.

I did get some great news yesterday...I was accepted as a vendor for the upcoming 1st annual Handmade in the Arcade Craft Fair! More on that later. Right now I have a pile of stuffing and a mountain of pillows calling me to create.

German town Street Festival

Last week end was the German town Street Festival and here are some pictures of all the crafty goodness. The photos are courtesy of my favorite artist and friend Jodi Reeves. Jodi was attending as a patron not a vendor! However she did assist in setting up my booth and did some interviews with other crafters as well as taking over 100 photos. I'm sure you will be seeing more of the festival on her blog.

The pillows are something new for me and I have been having a lot if fun with them. The pillows are like little pieces of art with so many possibilities. It's easy to get carried away, for example the flower power pillow. I'm not sure I will ever make another, it was so tedious. That flower has 50 hand cut, hand sewn petals! I'd keep it myself but alas I have Boris (destructor of pillows) and Thomas the cat...the pillow would never last in my home. However the "Woodland" series is pulling me into the world of forest creatures, mushrooms, trees and flowers. I'm loving the burlap and suede combination.

Hopefully I will have another event soon, I'll know by next week end. Meanwhile you may find me locally at Art & Invention here in the hood...East Nashville on Woodland across from the post office near 5 points.

I live in my jammies somedays

Whew, what a weekend! I am actually kind of glad for the cold rainy day today as I have an excuse to stay in my jammies. I thought I could be real low key and no one would ever be the wiser to this fact....hmmm WRONG! First my pal Jodi dropped by, that is no biggie as she is more like family than company. But while we sat on the porch (again it's 1:00 pm and I'm in jammies and a polar bear robe) the mailman came and my next door neighbor pulled up. I was so busted! Now you know and a few of the neighbors know that I may or may not get dressed by noon. I consider that one of the perks of the stay at home creator.

The Centennial Holiday Show was a great success for me being the highest $$$ event of the year. If you are considering this event I must say it is very very organized and everyone was extremely polite. Some of the perks were the teachers lounge that provided snacks and a quite place for the vendors, also the students and volunteers came around several times each hour to check to see if we needed anything from the concession booth or would watch the booth if we needed a break. They also provide unloading/loading assistance (for a fee).
I would give this event 4 out of 5 stars. Several returning vendors did say they did about half of what they did last year. The economy is effecting businesses at all levels, which makes it hard to judge events. This is a show I would probably do again next year. I do plan on cutting back on the events next year and be selective, and put focus on local shops and etsy.

Here are some pictures of the "indoor" set up. Note the fixture behind the tables with the aprons hanging? That's the result of several emails and pics from Erika of Kitsch Designs. It was a life saver and now I see many possibilities with this fixture. Erika did stop by the show and gave the thumbs up on the fixture and adopted a owl to take home. Thanks so much Erika!

I have three more times to show this year and then I will be done! A big part of me wishes it was over, I can't go to the shows in my jammies you know.

Centennial Holiday Show

The last big show of the year is this Saturday and Sunday. Whew! I have made a few new goodies....sweet tweets, peeps, aprons and owl shadow boxes. Here is a little preview.
As said in last post I am nervous about this event so send all your good vibes my way this week end. I did get some support from Erika of Kitsch Designs about indoor set up, thanks so much! If you don't know Erika I urge you to check out her sites, she uses vintage fabric to create the coolest things. Plus she is a super duper nice person.

Several of you have inquired about the owl shadow boxes and want to know when they will be available in the store. At this time I'm holding off on until after the events. My last show will be December 19th at Cummins Station downtown Nashville. I did this event last year and really enjoyed it. It is a little different from most events as it is held the first three Fridays in December from 11:00-4:00 in the afternoon. Mostly the employees of the various businesses and the lunch crowd are the customers, but they are very supportive.


Hope to see you this weekend :)

Tweets and peeps

See the flock of birdies? I wish I could keep them all...they do look happy in the window don't you think? I know if I left the room they would be in the floor, in Boris mouth or the cat would do a snatch and run, certain disaster for the sweet tweets.

I have ten new additions in the tweets and four new peeps. They will be at the Centennial Holiday Show next week end. I will share with you that I am a little nervous about this up coming event (more than usual). I heard it was "impossible" to get in, I sent my and Jodi's application in at the last minute and we were selected! Then I get this humongous vendor pack in the mail, I mean it was seriously six pages of very detailed information. The main thing was the "Jury Sheet", they come around and judge your booth on six categories. The categories range from craftsmanship to crowd appeal to display. Based on the resulting scores you may or may not be invited back. The main concern for me is the booth display.
With this being an inside event and no tent I have my challenges. I cannot hang my aprons on the clothesline as I normally do. It also seems like a 10x10 area shrinks inside. I know it's the same space but outside it seems larger? Does anyone have any ideas?

Jodi and I have shared booth space for most of the events this year and we are bursting at the seams. It's somewhat bitter sweet for both of us. On one hand out growing the space means we are building our inventory and have more to offer than ever. Sharing also helps with the booth fee costs, but mostly it's the companionship and time spent with a friend.
We both know next year we may not be able to share a booth. As I said bitter sweet.

Babushka and owls

I have been creating for another you guessed it upcoming event. Actually this week I learned of acceptance to two events this month. The first one is this Saturday at McGavock High School from 9:00-4:00, more info here. The second event will be November 22 & 23 at Centennial High School, more info here. I have never participated in either of these events but have heard nice things about both. At this time indoor events are particularly appealing.
Last year I was doing weekly events at the Nashville Farmers Market...it got very cold and rained more than not. YUCK!

Here are some of the things I've been working on, the owls are hand painted on a full canvas apron. I only have three of these aprons and am tempted to keep one. I still have to paint the other two and am not certain of what I will paint. I really want to do more owls, as I am comfortable painting them at this point. But I will try something different maybe trees or birds?

The babushka move from room to room, I think they miss Amber playing with them. They settled on the dining room table to be my muse.I was inspired by the babushka fabric from etsy and made as much as I could with the four fat eights that I ordered. I have a ton of hair bobby pins, three eye masks and four cup cuffs. I hope these sell...I could never use all those babushka hair pins!

Well I need to start cranking out some more goodies for the shows. Check back I'm sure I'll have more craftiness to share soon.

CRAFT a creative community event

I have had an awful week of no production! I thought today would be "the day",but my hubby had a list of errands that must be taken care of today. So I am now just getting home and thinking that I'll have to start dinner in an hour so no time to start something :(

I do have a new owl shadowbox to share...the butterflies will still be available but wanted to try something different. The stuffed owl is based on a Japanese Craft book pattern. You can find more owl inspiration here.

During my errands today I found myself at Joann's fabrics and found a brand new line by Heidi Grace Designs. Yes of course I had to have some, it's has a very vintage, retro 60's vibe to it. I may need to go back and get some more...it is on sale!! I'm seeing aprons with this combo, just too cute.



Lastly a shameless plug for the CRAFT a creative community event this Sunday in East Nashville. After this month we will only have one more event this year. So don't miss out and come on to support local artisans/creators.

Yet another new handbag style....

As promised here is the other new handbag style....what do you think? I haven't named her yet but am thinking of continuing with the Tennessee theme, maybe the "Memphis Bag"? It's sort of funky and hip, just like the Memphis scene. Especially the patchwork one.I used Michael Miller's Bohemian patchwork, Michael Miller's Groovey, and the patchwork is Erin Michael ZA ZA. Put it over your shoulder grab some lipsmacking barbecue and then settle in for some grooving blues. My kind of day!

I am feeling the pressure of upcoming events as I am extremely low in inventory. I guess that's what happens when production is shut down for a few months. But it's also satisfying in a whacked sort of way. When I first started selling my goods (less than a year ago) and looked at all the inventory it was scary. What if I did not sell anything? What would I do with all this stuff? Well that's the least of my worries now. The only thing fully stocked is handbags, I have been in a bag making mood lately. But need to move on.

I have considered tweaking my shop to fewer items and narrow my focus. However I like to try new ideas and offer a selection to my shoppers. So I'm sure I'll always have a mish mosh of this and that. Being a one woman show does take it's toll at times though. I work best under pressure and it will all come out in the end.

The last two pictures are of two more Vandie bags, I used a Japanese Alice in Wonderland and Tula Pink Flutterby prints.

Hope some of you will make it to the show this week end and check out the new stuff. If you do and decide to purchase a new bag "Vandie" or "Memphis"? tell me you saw them on my blog and get $5.00 off the bag! Hey that will pay for the gas to get there....

Ooops forgot to mention new bags are in the shop for those out of towners.
Memphis bag willpost tomorrow.

The Price of Creating

As you all know I had an event in beautiful Bell Buckle Tennessee this past weekend, and as always I do an after show follow up post. I must say Bell Buckle Tennessee is beautiful and a very scenic drive after you leave I24. I was listening to some Irish tunes and felt like I was driving through the country side in Ireland. The citizens of Bell Buckle are just as pleasant, unbelievable nice. I realize I have been in the city too long, don't get me wrong we have nice people here in Nashville but overall we aren't completely trusting of strangers. The nicest lady I met was my first sale and her name is Martha. Martha is a rare soul that will steal your heart before you know it. She is a giving person that would give the shirt off her back. (Without going into a lot of details let me tell you she offered me her car to drive back to Nashville saying I trust you and know you will return it, as I had some car problems). I love Martha!

The other highlight and I do mean highlight was meeting a flickr friend in person. After months of email communication I finally met Stitchin Sista! She is just as sweet as I imagined. I enjoyed the brief time I spent with her and her daughter. Stitchin Sista is an extremely talented creator that creates the most awesome wallets, bags and she quilts....I really want to pick her brains for tips. Go check her out!

The other positive outcome of the RC Cola/Moon Pie event was my friend Jodi was selected by Webb School to return to Bell Buckle in October. This is huge! Jodi's shemics were a hit, she finally had an audience that appreciates her talent. Recently Jodi had taken a different direction with her art and was questioning her decision and she deserved/needed the affirmation. i've been telling her all along....but will she listen to me? NO! I takes total strangers in Bell Buckle Tennessee to get her to see it. Yep Jodi had a ROCK STAR day and I'm so happy for her.
You Go Girl!

Before I started writing this post I had to go back and read my "Crafter's Conversations"post.
I did not have a good event. It was the worst event financially I have ever done. I keep telling myself I broke even, but I'm not so sure. The bad news that I really don't want to talk about is the fact that my car is still in Bell Buckle, under the watchful eye of Martha. Here is the short version of the story. When I left Nashville it was dark and I had my lights on. When I arrived in Bell Buckle it was light....I forgot to turn my lights off, the battery died. Normally this would be a matter of getting a jump and be on my way, but I drive a very ahead of its time 1991 525I BMW. The problem with this car is when the battery dies the car doesn't allow you to open the doors, hood or anything. After messing with the car for a couple of hours my husband called it quits and said we will go back. So that's another 100 round trip of gas besides the first two trips.

As beautiful and nice as Bell Buckle was I think the event was more of a flea market type of event. Even Stitchin Sista said we were out of place. I did have more people than ever touch and comment about my creations but only sold one handbag, several kids books, a tissue holder, comp book covers and two of my new art pieces. I passed out a ton of cards and let people know where to find me. So we'll see....

The Price of Creating
Booth fee $135 (however this was split)
Gas $100 (remember I had an extra trip)
Sales $140
Taxes $14

Meeting Stitchin Sista priceless
Meeting Martha priceless
Jodi acceptance into Webb School priceless
Beautiful drive priceless

Thank you Stitchin Sista and Martha and congratulations Jodi, you all made the event worth it.
I'd do it all again for you....

Almost there!

Here is a quick update of the works in progress. Hope you like what you see. As you can see the bags that were supposed to be finished are not yet ready, a 48 bug put me down over the week end. Now I must kick into gear and reach the finish line, at least with these bags. The last show I realized my bag inventory was way low and I have a big show this week end! YIKES! As usual there are so many things I want to create and I find myself in the position of picking and choosing. It's a hard choice as I never know what patrons will desire. Some shows it's all about the bags and aprons another show I won't sell any bags or aprons???

I also need advice....this show requires us to set up the day before the event, I have never had to do that before. The event is also 50 miles outside of Nashville. I am concerned about leaving my things out overnight. The promoter said they have never had any problems in the past 12 years of the event and they provide security as well. The bigger issue is the weather, as you know we recently had a terrible experience. They are calling for isolated thunder storms this week end.
The plan is to drop everything, leave it in the bins, cover and weight down, only put the tent up partially. I do not have a tent with sides so we hope this will be enough. If you have any tips or suggestions please leave a comment.

Shameless plug for the event.....this Saturday in Bell Buckle TN the RC Cola-Moon Pie festival
the event runs from 7:00am-5:00pm. Hope to see you there!

Works In Progress

I really really should be sitting at my sewing machine right now, but I wanted to give you a sneak peek of things to come. The pictures are of ten Nashville bags in progress....yes that's the basic beginnings of the Nashville bag. I still need to cut the interfacing's to sew and iron in, then the real sewing starts! I hope to have them finished in the next few days (fingers crossed and Boris behaves). Speaking of the King of the house, today he ate the remote! He was in the same room and I heard a cracking sound, I thought okay I need to get that bone/toy from him now. When I reached down it was the remote! Believe me it will affect my husband more than I.

The last two events have been tornado free but still on the breezy side. I am gearing up for another event...The World Famous RC Cola Moon Pie Festival in Bell Buckle Tennessee. YEAH! I love Moon Pies but prefer Diet Coke, do you think I will have to bring my own diet coke? I am looking forward to this event as it is the biggest event I have participated in. I have been wanting to break out of the box and do some bigger shows so this is the test. Hence I am trying to work like a mad woman and have everything good to go. If you veterans have any tips please please advise, I am totally open to your suggestions. Keep watching, I'm sure to have plenty of new creations.

In the eye of the storm

It has taken me several days to post about the Memorial Day Blues Festival, I needed to recoup.
The day started out overcast and a little rain but nothing we haven't all seen before. Plus there was some sort of mix up about the tent placement, apparently the Fire Marshall drove by and said all tents must be 10 feet apart. As you can imagine this caused a bit of a stir as everyone had set up exactly as directed. This news meant half of the group had to move! One vendor was asked to move twice?!? With the gloom in the air and now the news of the migration there was a bit of a bad vibe happening now.

By the time our booth was set up it was actually sunny and pleasant. Just a little wind here and there but we had everything staked good and tight. Thankfully I had an early bird shopper and had a decent first sale of the day an hour before the event! As usual Jodi and I are finessing our tables and area but there seemed to be nasty skies in the distance. So we decide to be pro active and go ahead and put the sides on the tent, plus Jodi's husband aka "the weather man" has called and warned of a storm coming our way. Looking back I remember "the weather man's" advice to me as he was assessing the weather conditions and the layout of the land, he told me if anything happens our best bet is to jump in the lake. OK! If it gets that bad I'm thinking to myself...I'll just be a goner.

The next few minutes were something like in the Wizard of Oz ! Here's the deal...Jodi and I have the plastic on one side and are doing the other side of the tent, on the outside. It's raining (hard) and the wind is blowing (hard). Oh by the way the band is playing not missing a beat. I see several tents blowing across the lot and miscellaneous bags, signs, art .....you get the picture.
Jodi and I are using our weight to hold the tent, honestly for a second I felt the tent pulling me up. I am not a small person so my thoughts were if my feet leave the ground I've missed my go jump in the lake opportunity! Next came the really bad part....a straight line gust (that's what Jodi called it, I say mini tornado) blew both tables opposite us and everything was on the ground and blowing away. All Jodi's art! Remember we are still OUTSIDE the tent.....then it was over.
No more wind, no more rain just a group of soaking wet people surrounded by rubble. And the band played on.......

Thank goodness no one was hurt. The losses were all material, some more than others. After the shock we began picking up the pieces and thinking how it could have been worse. At least I didn't jump in the lake but I sure looked like I did.