Craft fair in my future?

I'll tell you what. I'm pretty excited about the possiblility of entering a craft fair. Im a little nervous, but I already have 50+ items in my shop so far, made three new ones last night, and have a few ideas of how to expand it to make it more craft fair friendly. More variety, yet more the same. Through my blog browsing, I came across a list of fairs that existed in the bay area, and Feria Urbana is happening in my hood on September 13! And I haven't missed the deadline!


For $100 I can apply and cross my fingers (they don't deposit the check till I get accepted). This one seems less intimidating to me then Renegade, but still exciting! What do I get my booth to look like? So many things to do!

I haven't even gotten in yet and the ideas are flowing! Do I sell cupcakes too? Does food get people to the booth, and then the Wunzees do the talking? Is that even legal? :P I gotta figure out all the rules and such, and come up with a cute display. Marketing materials, tags for the items, etc! So much to think about. It makes me happy to have to plan.

Running list of things to do:
1. Apply!
2. Figure out display details.
3. Determine which designs to reproduce for the show.
4. Sew, sew, sew!
5. Buy "The Little Goat" tags for the items.
6. Recruit help.
7. Figure out credit card logistics.
8. Think of things I'm missing.

I'm sure this list needs to expand, but I'm so pumped to start planning! Will you come?

Location
PIZZAIOLO
5008 Telegraph, Oakland

I'm going to send the application today. Cross your fingers for me!

new mission: The Socktopus

So a big fat fail on the Austin photo upload thus far. Actually it was kind of a bust as a whole (not the trip, the photo taking), but I do believe I have a few that I will share as soon as I gt them online.

However, I do have a new mission. I hope I have enough socks left. I have recently been reading my friend Abby's blog, Bright Yellow World, where I came upon this entry. So, this is my new project. Shouldn't take too long, right? How many socks do you think it will require? Only one heel. But...I think I can do it. With my limited machine skills, I will prevail. Wish me luck.

Project research: throw pillows

So I have taken on the task of making some throw pillows for my couch. I'm going to take Mick shopping with me for fabric, because after all its his couch too...but I am browsing Etsy for ideas and cute pillows that people are making and selling. I thought I would share my research. It's been a few days since I posted last, once again flaking on the Etsy tag Monday, so I am going to make up for it with some cute pillow listings.


I kind of love this fabric. Honestly, there are only so many places that a funky chicken fabric would work in my house, but I might make an exception for this pillow. Couch Potatoes etsy shop has quite a few unique pillow fabric choices. Definitely worth taking a look. I also like the simplicity of the design, as I think its something I am capable of making.



I adore the incorporation of my newest favorite thing into this pillow, the minky fabric. Its so soft. This pillow would be perfect to the touch for any little one to sit with. If you look through Icing on the cupcake's Etsy shop, you can find matching blankets as well.






Just for fun I love this whole store. DiffractionFiber has some of the best, most creative, delicious pillows out there. This fortune cookie is just one of the many food pillows that you can find in this shop. Looks comfy too!





If I didn't think that these would get trashed with my pets running amuck, I would consider these adorable scrabble tile pillows. I highly recommend Pillow Happy's shop. Birds, olives, pears, coral, pillows for geeks...whatever you want on a pillow, its likely there. Browse. DO IT!

tape!

This may be my new favorite thing that I don't have but want, and I dont know what I would do with. I mean, aside from the obvious and use it as tape. But, honestly, its too pretty to JUST use as tape. Maybe create my own cards, or send fun packages to people? Happytape is colored Japanese masking tape, which I guess is now being sold in the United States. It is made of Japanese washi paper. I want it.

Think of all the fun you could have with this.

Or this


Here is some examples of what people are using this for via their blog. Seriously...I may invest in some. Just to have around. Its gorgeous.

Etsy Tag Monday: Beard

So, I guess it had to happen at some point. The tag Beard. It surrounds me all the time. I don't know if you have seen pictures, but my boyfriend has a pretty amazing beard. So much in fact that he has an entire blog dedicated to putting stuff in it.

Oh, and another interesting fact about todays tag. Their were 666 entries in Etsy with the tag beard. Spooooky.




I love this tote, because lets face it...beards ARE sexy. The Bold Banana has a great selection of screenprinted goodies ranging from aprons to totes to t-shirts. For $8 you can't really beat it.







Now, I'm not even sure I know what this is, but I love it. I would want him keeping me company at work and staring at me, judging me. Only because my beard isn't nearly as awesome as his. Old Man Fancy Pants is pretty awesome. CaseyBot only has two items in her shop right now, but I looked at stuff she sold...and its all awesome.


I saw this shirt a while back, but I still like it. I like the mental image of throwing beards from a plane. What would happen then? I don't think that Secret Lovers shop needs my help selling their shirts, but hey...i liked it.



I saw these folks at Sweet and Sour Goodies this past weekend at the Maker Fair in San Mateo, CA, and loved their plush toys. These in particular are their circus dolls and I love the bearded lady. The garden gnomes are pretty cute too. :)

Stretch McNecklesins

Just wanted to share the latest addition to my shop. I was inspired by my Etsy Tag Monday.

Etsy Tag Monday: Giraffe

Sometimes you just have to keep your head above the ground. As far as possible, hope for the best, and don't hide. So comes the Etsy tag of the day: Giraffe.

Wouldn't you want to be taller than everyone?

You can dress your baby up to resemble a giraffe, though without the long neck. This adorable cap by CapeCod Consignments can be yours, if you know how to crochet. For a reasonable $2.95 you can own the pattern.

So this listing is for a custom piggy bank. Andrew and Ella Designs will custom paint you a white ceramic bank...so if you want, you can get the giraffes! They have other personalized items as well, check it out.

The colors are vivid, would be a great addition to any kids room. Its different as I dont see alot of pastel originals posted anymore, but it brings me back to my OG crafting days too. Silly Lily has a bunch of these, and I imagine if you bought more than one, you could have quite the jungle.

Nini's Handmade has knit this lil beanie, and embellished it with a giraffe that has been handstitched on (craft after my own taste). I kind of love this giraffe design, and I think it has inspired my next design.

Even I would consider using this journal for my everyday use. Complete with pencil pocket in the front, the journal speaks for itself. Nico Papergoods has other journals for adults as well, but if I buy, I'm sticking to the kids journals.

Etsy Tag Monday: Mother

Mother's Day is around the corner, and there are a TON of treasures to buy for your mom on Etsy. What is better than a handmade gift that you made? A handmade gift from someone else! And away we go...

I thought this print was adorable, and said it best. You can get this custom print from Studio Schatz. Look at the cute little girl hanging on!

These cute charms are available to spell out any message you want to give to your mom! These pewter scrabble tiles can spell out Mom, Love, or even her name! CandyTiles has a ton of great pendants to share!

This is something I have never seen before but think its absolutely beautiful...Its made out of two paper bags! Its a photo album from SweetDdesign. Cute and affordable!

Cute Mothers Day card!! Raggle Fraggle has a wide collection of custom made cards for a ton of occasions. Do it!

Lastly, this hand stamped pendant by CinnimonStick's can be made to say whatever you want! Kids and family names, meaningful phrases...whatever. Super thoughtful, and super personalized.

This shop has a lot of different types of personalized jewlery, so i suggest checking out the whole shop.

fat quarters

I had a field day the other day on eBay, and bid on a bunch of listing for fat quarters.

What Is a Fat Quarter?

A fat quarter is a one-fourth yard cut of fabric that (usually) measures 18" x 22" instead of the typical 9" x 44" quarter-yard cut. The longest side's dimension will vary if your fabric is not 44" wide.

Why Would I Want a Fat Quarter?

A fat quarter gives you the opportunity to cut larger chunks of fabric than would be possible from a regular quarter-yard, including strips that are twice as long on the fabric's (less stretchy) lengthwise grain.

A fat quarter offers more versatility, whether it's for patchwork or appliqué. Quilt shops know that fat quarters are popular, and usually offer a wide assortment of them, pre-cut and ready to go.

You can use fat quarters for strip piecing by making extra strip sets from shorter lengths of fabric until you've cut the number of segments required for the pattern.

I got my first few delivered, and I cant wait to start on some projects! We need some larger pillows for the couch, and some of these are perfect starts to some baby blankets! Hooray! Can't wait to get more and show you those too....First project soon.

Focus: other blogs...

In a perfect world, I'd find a way to do this crafting stuff full time. I'd have a screen print machine, a die cut machine, a heat press, know how to be a master sewer, and have some more knowledge of how to use Illustrator. I'd go back in time, and take the art classes I should have ages ago.

I know there is always time for this, but in the mean time I have to pay the bills, so anything I start will be slow and go.

I have however found some inspiration in other peoples blogs, and people who have had the ability to take their love full time, or just be successful. Some are craft blogs, some home decor, others photography. Here is a small sample of the ones I regularly follow. The talent pool is endless. Some blogs I recommend...

the power of search

So Staceys Bookstore in SF recently closed. This is terribly sad because this place had over 85 years of history in the city. Also...it was the closest bookstore to my office. However, with this place closing, they had a liquidation sale on all of their furniture, and I made out with a file cabinet and two metal paper holders, all for under $30. This file cabinet (below), retails over $15o in most places, so I got a steal! It has definitely seen better days, and I bought it with the intention of prettying it up and painting it to my liking. Sooo...how do I paint a metal file cabinet? Search on Google, and type in "How to paint a metal file cabinet," and an eHow tutorial shows up, exactly with what I am looking for. I am looking forward to tackling this project, and finding some ventilated space to spray my cabinet. I can't wait to keep you all updated on the progress. Hopefully I can get to this sooner than later.

Before shots

Etsy Tag Monday: Sushi

Maybe I'm just craving it, or maybe its because I know there is a ton of cute stuff tagged sushi out there on Etsy, but that is the word of the day. Sushi. Here we go.


I first saw this stuff a while back, and found it to be so fun. Yes, its hand towels, but how bad would you love to get this as a gift. I honestly don't think I could bring myself to open it. Sushi for Baby makes these practical, not edible displays of fish. I would forgo drying my hands for sure.


UmeCraft's gives you the PDF of the pattern, and teaches you how to make your own felted sushi pieces. I have linked to her stuff before, because its super cute, but as long as her tags continue to match my needs, I'll show you. Why wouldn't you want your own felted sushi?




If you are like me, and aren't in the know as to how to felt your own sushi, and you just want to buy sushi that is ready for you...Pachom has this cute set already made.








This might win my favorite handmade award, only because of the tedious nature of the knitting. NeedleNoodle will sell you the pattern for this sushi set. AGAIN...back to the I wish I could knit category, because if the stitches are all mapped out for me, I would love to attempt this. A great pattern for the sushi lover.




If you would like to carry your sushi with you all the time, you can use this billfold and wallet by LittlePennyLane.
For $15 this is a bargain, and cute to boot. If sushi credit card holders aren't what you are into, she has a ton of other adorable fabrics as well.






Love the cut, love the fit, love the little red pocket on the front. Definitely love the fabric. Wear this lil sushi print apron, and look adorable and fashionable in the kitchen. Pie Dough Productions has all sorts of yummy vintage fabric creations.

Etsy Tag Monday: Walrus

Today's Etsy tag was once again chosen by Mick. No real explanation needed, other than Walrus' rule. I mean, have you seen the Walrus playing the saxaphone? Am I right?? :)


Starting with this Mr. Walter piece of fine art, measuring in at 6x6. Love the mustache, and the fact that it's an original, makes the $28 price point a steal. RetroWhale has alot of really interesting pieces.





This tote bag is super cute. I love the playful nature of the walrus. It comes in multiple colors, and I'm immediately drawn to the photo just cuz the bag is filled with my favorite, the Gerber daisy. RainbowSwirlz has a ton of great screen printed items, and if you aren't into the tote, get the walrus on a shirt!




The LOLrus! For all you who know the I can haz cheeseburger site, you would be familiar with this clever wordsmith. Just don't take his bukket. Icky Dog creations has other plush animals as well, but none of this fame.




This might be my favorite of all my walrus finds today. If only it were bigger, I would love something like this for a cookie jar. I guess I'll just have to eat smaller cookies? MudFairy's shop is full of cute hand thrown pottery, with faces. I'm going to browse and maybe start a MudFairy collection!





I love the pattern of this walrus screenprinted t-shirt. The heather grey v-neck makes it look uber comfy too. NewDuds is doing what I would love to do, and screen printing. Love their shop, and you can check out their store page on Facebook too!



I leave you with the video of the saxamaphone playing Walrus. Not because I found it on Etsy. But because its awesome. Enjoy.