every little thing

Kitsch, and Stars and Creatures (?)

Remember these mosaic star ornaments?  My mom made a  bunch for Handmade Parade this year, and there are only four left.  I listed them over in the Studio, if anyone is looking for a lovely, nautical holiday decoration!

   

Also, for any of you who may not be Etsy inclined, I am offering my Holiday Kitsch Samplers available for purchase right here on the blog.  Just click here .  (Or follow the link on the sidebar.)  If you have any questions, feel free to email me!

The never-ending strawberry orders (for which I'm immensely grateful!) are taking a huge toll on my  crafting time, and  hope for a big Holiday update at the Studio is dwindling fast.  However, I am going to make the time to finish up some Winter Creatures by this weekend.  I have a good many of them half finished, and it just kills me to see them lying there, unstuffed and pitiful.  I can't pin down a specific time that I'll have them ready, but if you'd like to be alerted when they are up for grabs, just send me an email and I'll be happy to oblige.   Remember the Pink-Eyed-Polka creatures?  They will definitely be in the bunch!

            

(Today's mantra:  I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.....)

My Handmade-Present Hero

 

You gotta love Becky.  I think she really could have been the pioneer force  behind the handmade gift movement.  Sure, she was forced to seek alternative gifts  out of necessity, being a penniless orphan and all, but I think she was just way before her time.  Do you remember the scene I'm talking about, from the 1939 Shirley Temple Classic The Little Princess?  Becky befriends rich-kid Sarah, and has no money to buy her a birthday gift, so she makes this for her:

Awww!  I know, right?  Too damn sweet.  At least she got one word right.  But seriously, Sarah gets boat-loads of lavish gifts at their swanky party, but you know that this was her favorite one, right?  Handmade people, all about the handmade.  Becky could dig it.  By the way, if you haven't seen this movie, that would really baffle me because it's just one of those required movie that everyone has watched at least four times.  Like Ferris Beuller's Day Off or The Sound of Music.  In case this gem somehow missed you, you can actually watch it all (in 14 convenient parts) on youtube.  Here is the party scene, if you care to watch (have your hankies ready!):

So, it's handmade (or purchased  handmade) gifts for me this year, and I'm stickin' to it.  I even did the Handmade Pledge deal, though I'm sure everyone has heard of that by now.  I'm not going to be hard-core about it or anything,  (Max's stocking won't be complete without a few Hotwheels), but just the bare minimum.   

And in case you were wondering,  nobody's getting strawberry sachets this year.  Nope.  No Sir.   I've just about had my fill of those little darlings for one season, thank you very much.

Thanks

Great  Thanksgiving, huh?  Seriously.  I had a great time, at least.  It was sad that my mom, dad, brother and sister where out of town, and I did miss them, but I had turkey and all the trimmings to help fill the void.  Worked like a charm.  Plus, I came in THIRD place in the  5th Annual Turkey Shoot this year.  Four bulls eyes, one near miss.  (This is a BB gun, mind you, shot at a turkey drawn onto foam board.  Very humane, so don't get yourself all in a tizzy.)   Good  times.  Since Mike is home for the long weekend (hooray!) we are pretty much laying low, enjoying togetherness, and I'm trying to get as much work done as I can to keep myself form getting too far behind.  I really wasn't prepared for the holiday rush at all.  This is actually my first online holiday season (last year I  listed my first items on December 13th, so I didn't get the full effect of the Christmas buying craze.)  It doesn't hurt that I was lucky enough to be featured in the Parent's Magazine Holiday Gift Guide.

Those are my little Strawberry Sachets down in the corner.  What an honor!  Many thanks to Homegrown Market, whose press kits made it all possible.  I guess I underestimated the exposure I would get from having a small blurb in such a popular magazine.  I've definitely received a good number of orders from the magazine, not to mention the steady increase of orders on my Etsy shop (which is so bare now, it's sad.)  And don't forget  The Emporium.  It's poppin' over there too.  I'm literally up to my eyeballs in strawberry orders (they are custom, so I can't really make  them ahead of time, I have to do them as I receive orders.)  I'm probably a half dozen orders away form having to hang the "Sold Out" sign.  I hate to do that, but I'm barely going to make it by the skin of my teeth as it is.  Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention that I made some special, giant berries for the Sampler Select, Pins and Needles Edition.

I was contact by The Sampler team months ago and asked to participate in this new idea of theirs.  I then procrastinated till the last possible second, shipped all 53 berries out just in time, and now I'm so very happy to have been a part of this!  It looks like a terrific collection of items, and you can find out more about them here. 

Despite all the bustle around here, I really I hope I don't come off as whiny and ungrateful.  I'm utterly shocked and completely humbled my tiny brush with success this year.  I'm still trying to find a balance, and am making baby steps in the right direction.  I told myself this time last November, that I would commit to all of this  for one year and then decide if I wanted to continue.  There were many moments  this past year when I seriously thought that the final decision would be "no."  I didn't know what I was doing, I was taking on too much, I was spending too much time on the computer, the house was trashed, I  was doing everything wrong,  I was making mistakes (and so on.)  Even though my "success"  is minute, in the grand scheme of things, it's meant a lot to me.  I really couldn't be more shocked at where my life is right now.  I'm just so damn grateful to be home, and being able to make money, and for actually challenging  myself to do something out of my comfort zone.  Major patting-of-my-own-back going on, I know.  Sorry about that.  I'm just thankful, is all.

Back to Strawberryville for me!  I hope you all spent a wonderful Thanksgivings with the ones you love!

The Best Weekend in Many a Moon

The birthday festivities continue!  Max's duck-pin party at Bowlarama.  Props to Amber for the awesome pictures and the deeelicious cupcakes!  Thank you!!! 

 

Ice skating at MacArthur Mall outdoor rink!!!  Oh, it was so fun!  We went to see the parade downtown, but it was so crowded we skipped it and did skating instead.  I think we will be going a lot this year, Max was really getting into it.  I'm the only one without skates, so I had to rent them this time.  Looks like I'll be headed to Play It Again Sports this week.

Late breakfast at home with my boys.  So over due it wasn't even funny.  Boiled eggs, friend ham, pancakes, and peach smoothies.

Even a quickie thrift store jaunt with my mom!  I didn't buy much, but there was so much to see and covet.  These vintage dolls  were calling my name.

 

Oh, and these pictures!  I may have to go back, because I just can't stop obsessing over them!  How amazing are they!?!?!  I really have a thing for sea captains, I suppose, because I could not stop gushing over them, to the point that my mom was getting annoyed. 

 

(That's her hand up there, I think she was trying to smack me.)  Check out the close ups.

They're so dreamy.   And, you better believe they got me humming this song, again!

Anyway, they were asking $20 for the set of 4, which was  reasonable, but I really only needed 2 of them, seeing as there were 2 sets of each print.  They would not sell them separately to me.  Jerks.  So I stomped away, knowing I'd probably be back for them later this week.  If they're  still there.  They really remind me of that John Masefield Poem, Sea Fever.  It's been an all time favorite of mine since I read it in 5th grade.   When we moved from Virgina to Idaho for the second time, I read this poem in class for an assignment, and I could barely get through it without bawling.  I can only imagine what a fruitcake everyone thought I was.  I was just beginning to see then, how deeply connected I really was to the ocean.  Then, suddenly I was land-locked, hundreds of miles from any coast, and it was very, very cold.   It's such a simple poem, and it's no secret that people have romanticized the ocean since probably the beginning of time.  It was comforting to know that I wasn't the only one.  Me and John Masefield got it.   It's strange to feel inexplicably drawn to something so big and powerful.  Knowing full well that one day, it could rise up and carry away you, and everything you've ever loved.  Such a mystery to me.

Whoa.  Sidetracked much?  I promise that won't happen again.  ;)

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend (ye scurvy, landlubbers, you!) 

Holiday Kitsch!

Oooh!  I'm so excited to finally have these in the old Emporium!  Limited edition, holiday tins filled to the brim with miniature cuteness! 

 

Check out the shop for more information, and how to get your hands on one!  There are also several new miniatures and paper bits for your collage and mixed media projects. 

(Check out the mug on that bride, yikes!)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Are you over it yet?

All the Handmade Parade jazz, I mean.  Well that's too bad, 'cause I'm not finished yet!  Here is a lovely eight-minute video from the event, filmed by Amber and edited by yours truly.  I'm new to the video-editing software, so please, don't expect much, and  the not-so-bright lighting coupled with our cheap-o video camera, amplified by youtube uploading created a pretty gritty looking motion picture.  Very Blair Witch Project-esq.  So grab your popcorn and a cozy blanket, and get ready to enjoy Handmade Parade 2007:

Two thumbs up?  Eh?

The background audio is track one from The Best of Curtis Mayfield.  I chose it for the marching band/parade float quality it evokes.  Plus I just really like it.

I actually had lots of fun playing around with this video.  I used Roxio Easy Media Creator, and it's very a very idiot-proof program (perfect for moi.)  I plan to order the headlight attachment for our video cam, that will help with the dark, indoor shots.  You can lighten them in Roxio, but then you just get a washed out effect (as you saw here.)  If you shoot in natural sunlight, it looks much better.  Yes, natural light and a tripod would help a lot.  Hopefully I will get better at all of this, and be able to make cute video tutorials for the blog.  Maybe even the sweater felting tutorial...that would be so fun, wouldn't it?   

Pause

                        

Hold everything for a bit.  My baby is turning  five years old today.  I almost forgot about today, well...no, that's not true.  I wanted to forget.  I tried to forget.  It's going too fast, I tell you. Much too fast.

Happy Birthday, my little bunny face.

Handmade Parade Part One, The Day

I could not possibly be happier about yesterday!  The event was a rousing success, and I am flooded with relief,  joy, and exhaustion!  We did it, it's over, and it rocked.  There's a mile long list of people to thank, but I have to emphasize that this whole thing would NOT have happened at all if it wasn't for Amber.   Not only is she a great friend, but she's a gal who knows how to get things done, and her motivation and energy is contagious.  It's been a  privileged to work with her on this project, and I'm just really darn proud, for both of us, and every single person who helped to make the show amazing!  And a special shout-out to the Virginia Pilot, who ran a lovely and very generous article that came out the day of the show, drawing a much larger crowd for our first event than we could have ever imagined.  So, thank you....(even if the photo in the article made me look like I'm doing a squirrel dance.)  I'll be sure to post the article too, as soon as I can get someone to scan it! 

Ok, on to the pics!  I wish I could have documented every booth and every amazing item on display, but the day was hectic and all over so quickly that these meager pictures are all I have to offer.  I hope to edit the video footage tomorrow, and post that on the blog and Mafia website later this week.  I do not have the energy to link and describe all of the photos below, sorry!  If you have a question about a specific booth or item, send me an email and I'll be glad to help.  You can also find a master list of all our vendor here at the Craft Mafia Website.  (Also, I just discovered how to crop photos with rounded corners in photoshop, so you will have to put up with that for a while, at least till the novelty wears off.)

*Amber has done a lovely, more detailed (with better photos) post about the show over on the Norfolk Craft Mafia Website.  Be sute to check it out!

*Tomorrow- Part Two, The Loot:  What happens when you give your husband $100 to spend for you at an indie craft show.

 

I'll end with a shot of the free vendor snacks.  Mental note:  Next time, buy more bananas.

    

          

All the cool kids are going....

You won't want to miss it! 

Who WOULDN'T want to be a part of this group??

Seriously.  We look so warm and inviting.  Approachable.  Kindhearted.  (That's me on the left, Amber in the middle, Cassie on the right.) 

The shot was based on the Goodfellas poster.

Which means.....I'm Ray Liotta.  Yes!   I really love how, instead of looking like a bad-ass gangster, I just look mildly confused, and really tall.  Oh wait, I actually am really tall.

That's right, the Norfolk Craft Mafia was  featured in yet another local publication. (You can read the article here.) Awesome timing, with our first craft show coming up THIS SATURDAY!!!  If I've been absent from the blog lately, it's because this show is taking  up all of my time at the moment.  I'm very much involved with the whole thing, and I'm just can't wait to see how everything goes!   We are also going to be in The Pilot on Saturday in another big article, so I'll be sure to post about that, and have a massive Handmade Parade recap (hopefully with video!)  So, you may not see much of me this week. 

Speaking or Ray Liotta, though.  Did you ever see Corrina Corrina?

I totally used to love that movie.  How awesome was the whole jungle-love thing between Whoopie and Ray?!?  Also, that movie made me cry, but I cry at every movie.