Disappointments and Comebacks

I heard from Crafty Bastards and unfortunately did not get into the show scheduled for October. It's really too bad since it's in DC, which is really close to me. And I already have a tent for an outside show. Although after the rain during my last two outdoor shows, I'm not sure I was ready to submit to the whims of mother nature again.
Crafty Bastards was the very first alternative crafty show I went to and it would have been fitting to go this year as a vendor, but it was just not meant to be. I'll most likely go anyway and just enjoy getting to take a look at everything. I'm hoping to see some new stuff and meet some new people. If you are in the area I highly recommend the show.



There are other things in the works over at Bake Sale Designs so I can't mope around. Toyota is getting behind the whole DIY craft scene with the promotion of the their new little car the Yaris. They have a tour starting up this month called Yarisworks and have teamed up with buyolympia.com to have a shop. I'll have to items featured in the shop. One of my pin designs as well as the Handlebar Mustachio Tote. It will be interesting to see how this project turns out.
I'm also pleased to have my bags in Satya Boutique in Philadelphia. I met Romy, the owner and founder of Satya at ArtStar. What's great about the boutique is the mission behind it. Romy wants people to have a connection to the clothing and accessories and know where it came from and who made it.

In the next few weeks and months, I'm hoping to announce even more shops across the county that will be carrying my goods. Back to work!

ArtScape 06

I wasn't even supposed to be here this past weekend for ArtScape. But after 12 hours at the airport George and I decided to forego trying to get to Boston to meet up with his family. I won't bore you with the excruciating details, I'll just recommend you don't use AirTran for any of your travel needs.

So even though we missed out on Boston where I was planning on visiting Magpie and buying fun stuff as well as
the South End Open Market to buy perhaps more stuff, I did get to go to my fourth straight ArtScape, or as some like to call it FoodScape.
I hate to say it, but a lot of the art is starting to look the same (the food vendors are all the same too, but that's ok). I can indentify the same people over and over again. But every year I find someone I like. This year the find of scape was Green Star Studio aka Danamarie. From Baltimore, no less! I love finding more artsy crafty types doing their thing in B-more! Dana has a background in art and does some amazing illustration works. I bought some of her cards, one of them is below, with the birdie.

She also knits up some cuddly Knitimals. I just want to honk this guy's hooter.

Dana even has these order forms for kids, or, er, um, older "kids" to select the features their Knitimal will have--hairy legs, big honker, antennae, etc.
While George and I were walking around the scape, we really felt it's time for the alternative craft types to start infiltrating the mainstream art/craft fairs. Let's rise up!

New links to cool shops!

I've got a couple of new links up on my main shop site and as always I like to give a little shout out here. I really stand behind those that I link to from my shop. I really respect what people make and usually want it myself!
The first new shop is Cara Taylor Bags. Cara crochets amazing bags out of..wait for it...plastic grocery bags. I don't even know who to crochet with yarn. But these bags take recycling to the highest level. Love it. Plus, they honestly look good. I really like the kids collection too.
The bag below is one of my favorites.


I added Orangyporangy to my links a little while ago. Natalie makes some kick ass clothing. Plus she just updates her site with some lovely jersey stuff like the skirt here.

Ohhhh, I want one. I'm really into skirts this summer, comfy casual ones like that are perfect to pull on and stay cool. Sewing clothing for other people is still an intimidating process for me, so I totally respect the skill this takes. I also adore the A-line Poly skirts.

More Vintage Fabric

The wonderful Sarah over at Hearts and Needles gifted me with some marvelous vintage fabric way back at the Richmond Spring BadaBing. I was almost scared to cut into it and then once I did I tried a new pattern and it didn't quite work out. Such heartbreak. But there was enough left to whip up a zippered wristlet. I love it and use it all the time.
So thank you Sarah! Here's it is:

B-day

Yesterday I celebrated my birthday with a trip to the beach. Unfortunately it wasn't a great beach day--too windy and the water was freezing. But we still stuffed ourselves with crabs and poked around some outlet shops. We also visited the thrift store outlet, as I call it. It's the biggest thrift store in Delaware right across from all the outlets. I found a few things to use in some of my crafts.
George gave me a lovely necklace from Doubeldutch Boutique. I don't know who it's made by because it didn't come with a tag or card. I'll have to dig for some information.


I also got a vintage bathing suit top, not for my birtday, but it happened to come on my birthday. I found it at Joules' Etsy shop. She's got some other things I have my eye on as well. But this top fits great. I don't think I can wait until my next beach trip to wear it.

Isn't the pattern great? All those little parasols. I wish I had yards and yards of the fabric.

In other news I'm contemplating applying to Craftin Outlaws. George has family in Columbus, so we'd have a free place to stay--the way craft fairs are financially feasible for us. But it's still a long drive for a one day show. Hmm. Thoughts?

****UPDATE****
Ask and I shall receive, almost. Joules is hooking me up with some more bits of the parasol fabric!

The new place

As promised here are some photos of the new place. The photos are mostly of smaller details of the place that I think give you an idea of the whole.

This fireplace is ten time better than our hole in the wall of our past apartment. Plus it's clean so the cats can hop in and out (it's non-working so no toasted kitties.)


I love the inside walls of the fireplace. All the details remind me of barnacles on a dock or ship.
I also love the super high old tin ceilings we have in both the front main room and the bedroom. This is what I get to wake up to every morning.

There's just so much interest there I never get bored gazing up at it.

And now I have my own little craft and sewing room. It's not big, but it's wonderful to have my own space and a door to keep the cats out when necessary. It's one of the bizarre little rooms connected off of our bedroom.

Baltimore. We have internet.

I'll just say I'm happy to finally be connected to the web again--I won't go into the unpleasantness of dealing with two different companies and wasting 7 hours of our lives waiting for one of the said companies to show during two scheduled appointment times.

So the move is done. It seemed like it went on forever. While carrying down some more stuff from our own place, I felt like Sisyphus rolling the rock up the mountain only to have it roll down again. But it is finally over. Before we left our old place and neighborhood, George and I took a walk to take some photos of things we would miss.

The biggest thing I'll miss is our deck. It was such a wonderful little green space that provided us with a little privacy in the city. And I could take the cats out there to get some fresh air.



I'll also miss the great video store right down. George and I almost had simultaneous heart attacks when we went to Blockbuster near my parents to rent a movie. It's high way robbery! But this little store had everything we needed at the right price. It was especially convenient when we woud get snowed in. The guy who owns it would open it up so the whole neighborhood could curl up with some good movies.


To a lesser extent, I'll miss the seasonal decorations in the corner pharmacy. I never really used the store, but I always enjoyed seeing the woman come to change out the decorations.


There are also things we will not miss about our old place.

The aforementioned three flights of skinny stairs will not be missed.


The trail of tears to the trash will not be missed. Keep going. To the end of the block, around to corner and keep going...


The trash left in our front vestibule by our neighbors. This poor little birdie represents the mess. Yes, he has trash stuffed in his little broken backside and a cigarette butt. How could you?!?


For some reason I forgot to take a photo of the "fireplace" in our old place. It was basically a tiled hole in the wall. And there was no flue and it was dirty. So we had to just cover it up, to save our heat and A/C as well as our kitties.

Ahh, that was good to get out. I'm settling pretty well in the new place. I'm happy with all the space we have. I did a lot of organizing in my little sewing room today. Next up, photos of the new place.