It's the Birthday Blog Contest

Bake Sale Designs is turning 1 year old in September. When I first started up Bake Sale Designs I really didn't know where it would go and I still don't. Running this little business is can be an emotional up and down, but I have learned so much and met so many wonderful people because of it. So I really want to celebrate the successful first year. And I've got a contest for you!

If you have a blog you have the chance to win $50 worth of Bake Sale Designs goodies. I like getting birthday wishes as much as the next person. So all you have to do is wish Bake Sale Designs a happy first birthday, link to the shop page, and post a photo of something from the shop, maybe what you'd like to win. Make sure to email me with the link to your blog so I can enter you into the contest. It will run all through September. For more complete details go here.

Pins Galore

I've got my pins ready to go to Crafters for Critters on their trip to the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago! If you see any pins you like you'll just have to see if you can get yourself to Renegade on September 16th and 17th.

I'm going to be busy myself on the 16th here in Baltimore. That's the day of HampdenFest in, appropriately enough, Hampden. There's music, food and all kind of vendors. I'll be helping out Doubledutch Boutique and selling some of my Bake Sale Designs goods as well.
Now that I've got plenty of pins, I need to get going on the sewing. Yesterday, I treated myself to some new scissors. The handle on my old ones is kinda weird. They just don't sit right in my hand and end up giving me a blister/callus on my knuckle. The new ones I got warned they were really sharp. And they are. They make it easy to get right through multiple layers of fabric when I cutting out pattern pieces. They also snipped right through some skin on my knuckle. Duh. The cut was very clean and not too deep, but wow--they sure are sharp.

Shenandoah Vacation

George and I went on a mini-vacation to Shenandoah National Park and the neighboring town of Front Royal, VA. It's good to get out of the city sometimes. We did some hiking and some flea marketing and window shopping. As luck would have it the amazing Vintage Swank is in the town. I had heard about the online shop on blogs like Oh Joy and DesignSponge. The actual retail shop is ten times better. It's just overwhelming. George and I wandered around and around. All the goods are in pristine condition. A lot of items even have original tags on them or are in original packaging. I didn't even up getting anything, partially because everything was too good. There was some kitchen items I wanted, but I don't feel like our kitchen is good for displaying things. We still need to put up shelves for the random stuff I already have. But you must check out the online shop and if you're in the area go to the brick and mortar shop!


The park was also relaxing and gorgeous. The wildlife came out in full force for us city folks. We saw an big owl, a fox, lots of deer, and the tour de force--a black bear! We saw the bear twice once cross the road and once further up in the brush beside the road rotting around under rocks and stumps. Of course the camera on zoom just wouldn't work quite right so I would get a great shot and press down and the camera just wouldn't take it. This is the best I got.

My favorite hike was to a pretty little waterfall. It was cooler up in the mountains and even more refreshing by the waterfall.

Before we left the area we also made a trip to Skyline Caverns. There are lots of caves in that area and we thought it might be fun to go to one. This one didn't have any really amazing formations, but it did have these things called anthodites. They look almost like urchins but they are actually calcium deposits.

They formed in a natural vacuum in this cave. Scientist aren't even sure how they formed and if they will continue to grow because the vacuum is gone.
But now I'm back and I have to get back to sewing and crafting. I'm in on a great swap at Craftster so I need to brainstorm some things related to the Big Lebowski!

Calling Vintage Lovers

I did a lot of shopping this past weekend. I was in and out of antique stores and thrift shops and I found some lovely fabric in the form of tablecloths, bedsheets, and leftovers. Usually I don't have any problem cutting right into things because I really believe I'm going to turn the fabric into better things. Sometimes the fabric can't even all be used, but I get the best of it and create good stuff.
But I also picked up a vintage bathing suit this weekend. I was attracted to the fabric right away. But when I got it home I thought, maybe I'll just cut up the coverup that came with it and see if someone wants the suit because it is in such superb condition and has such cute details. And now I'm thinking, maybe I shouldn't cut into the cover up either because, afterall, they go together and maybe that's a real find (and the buttons are so sweet on the cover up.)





So if anyone has any idea if this suit is too good to cut up of knows someone or some shop that might be interested in it, please let me know. It's a GaBar swimsuit, size 16, so more like a size 6-8 now.

More love for the animals

I just found out today that I get to send some of my pins to Crafters for Critters' trip to the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago!


So if you're going to Renegade, go check out the Crafters for Critters table and remember it's for the love of the animals!

Need some animal love?
Better?

And just a reminder, the Yarisworks shop with buyolmpyia.com is up and running. The Yarisworks tour has actually put together some fun looking events if you happen to live in on of the cities they're making a stop in.

Baltimore Buzz: The Urbanite

This past Tuesday I had the good fortune to go to the launch party of the August issue of the Urbanite. (They've got a new website, by the way. Must more interactive.)

But back to the launch. It was held at Sotto Sopra. And the spread put out was absolutely delicious. I've never actually eaten there, but I'll have to make a point to get there now. Yum.

Photo shoot

One of the issues with moving to our new place was the lack of outdoor space. We do have a fire escape, but it's not the easiest to access (hmm, is that a problem since it's a fire escape?) In the old apartment we always took photos out on our deck. It was great to utilize the natural light and we had a brick background. But today it was photo shoot day so we had to decide where to do it. We ended up doing it in the back of our apartment building against wall of another building. I think they turned out fairly well, thanks to my photographer, George. And no one bothered us out there.
Here's a preview of some of my new late summer fall goodies!
I've done a whole series of soft jersey scarves. They're good for the in between weather, even in the summer they're not bad, just as long as it's not 102 degrees like it was last week! Some of them have a crazy vintage wavy tiger like pattern in pink and orange. There's a bit of it on the scarf below.

And this bag is one of my favorites. Check that print! Darling, right. It's from a vintage Sears dress. Go Sears! There's a velvet ribbon along the side with some vintage buttons. Each bag will have a different center button.

You can see my new shoes in the photo. I wasn't even intending to get shoes. George was out looking for sneakers and those green peep toe numbers just seduced me. I needed some girly-ish green shoes. And they are really comfy! They're all soft and padded on the inside.
And one more. These a the only two of the Waffer Pouch made from vintage cloth napkins. I love the square buttons on these. But I've noticed at shoes people seem hesitant to make a go at the buttons. You just need to push them on through. So I think I may start using magnetic snaps on this style of pouch. I just love buttons, plus those magnets are really strong. I don't want them to mess up anyone credit card. But I think I may have to make the change.

These aren't in the shop yet. I have to sit down and spend some time with Photoshop and Dreamweaver. It'll happen tomorrow or Tuesday, hopefully. If you MUST have something shown sooner, email me.

Doubledutch Boutique's First Friday

I meant to post about Doubledutch Boutique's first Friday event beforehand, but I didn't get to it. But I can give a report from it as George and I stopped by Friday evening. It's such a gorgeous store anyway, but with music and nibbles provided, it even more welcoming. Leslie and Megan, the owners are so sweet and I got a little update on how my good were doing.
I am so impressed by all the clothing they have there. And summer stuff is on sale! I tried some things on, but unfortunately, nothing worked--including a really cute shirt with a birthday cake on the side. I did find out who made the necklace George got for my birthday (see post below). It's by a company called by boe. This woman's stuff is simple and sleek but it also really stands out. Plus, it's affordable jewelry. I think I've found a new favorite!
In any case, Doubledutch is holding this first Friday event the first Friday of each month. And you get 10% off purchases during the event. It's worth dropping in if you're in the area.

My favorite pin ever--for the animals!

I like everything I make. Sometimes it doesn't turn out as I had envisioned it in my head, but sometimes that's part of the process. But I don't bother making things that I don't like myself. This pin that I made though is one of the favorite things I ever created.

Once I got the earring for the centerpiece, I took my time to think about what fabric would go well with it. I think the end it perfect. It has such a Mod feel to it. Because it was just a pair of earrings though, there can only be two. They aren't identical, just similar. I'm going to keep one for myself and the other I'm donating to the Maryland SPCA for their Shop-A-Paw-Looza online auction. It's all for the good of the animals! Afterall, I have the Maryland SPCA to thank for this little bugger.