Holiday Bazaar. Day 2.

How tired I am! The second day went a little better---I had a banter buddy so I wasn't so lonely & speechless. That made the day SO much more lively! The same steady flow as the day before continued. As did the odd remarks & weird comments. (The best of the bunch included a woman, looking at my book art, & exclaiming: "Why would you do that to a book?") Although I didn't sell as much as I'd hoped to, it was a GREAT experience & I'd do it again. (And who the heck messed with my sign? I just noticed it in the photo! HAHA!) I met so many lovely people, including some other Etsy sellers, which was really the highlight, for me, of the holiday bazaar...

Nicole & Lindsay of Polka Pepper sell the most adorable hair accessories. I bought one for myself. I think they're mostly for kids, but I couldn't resist. All their headbands, hair clips & hair bands all have snaps on them. All you do is purchase any (or all) of those "bases" & then choose from their assortment of flowers--which also have a snap on the back--to attach it to your headband, hair clip or hair band. They're all interchangeable & I think it's SO clever! Nicole & Lindsay are a super sweet duo!

Elizabeth of Luna De Chrysalis greeted me on the first day of the show & said, "I hoped you'd be here!" She's peeked at my blog on occasion & is a very spunky lady! Neato! She sells TONS of bottle cap jewelry & other crafty goodies including sock creatures & funky bottle lamps. I bought a 'My Little Pony' necklace as a Christmas gift for my 4 year old.

Julie of Harper Road sells gorgeous, gorgeous bags & pouches. Really high quality & amazing work! It was really inspiring to see hip chicks selling hip crafts.

I also had the privilege of meeting the most lovely Danyelle & Krista of dandee & lou. (My favorite shop at the bazaar!!!) I made a sweet trade with the pair & scored a BEAUTIFUL book wreath, earrings & a ring. Check out Danyelle's blog HERE. I had so much fun chattin' it up & totally hope to run into them more often in our crafty biz-life. VERY sweet & talented people! (Where's Krista?! So sorry I didn't get a shot of her in the photo. I think she was at my booth snaggin' goodies!)

When the day was done & we were packing up, look what greeted us outside! We DO get the most beautiful sunsets around here.

I spent so many hours & hours & hours preparing for the show & am not disappointed at all with the outcome. (Now I've got LOADS of merch for the Etsy shop!) I'm really happy with all I've learned, I'm taking notes for next time, & I see nothing but positive from my 1st crafty show experience!

It's weird because I just wanted to chill on the couch & watch a movie last night but I was all antsy inside---feelin' like I need to make something! It doesn't feel normal to not be making something every second of the day since that's what I've been engrossed in for the last few weeks. But I'm fought the urge & took a much needed break. I'll start again today with my family holiday gift craftin'--& listing new items & (dearly loved owlies) in the shop! Look for new Wee Onesie designs, fab new button rings, recipe cards & fun paper-button-stitch tags for the 2pm shop update!

Holiday Bazaar. Day 1.

I had an excellent stress-free day, which was SO lovely. Honestly, I normally woulda been the crafty-mom-from-hell all day just anticipating & preparing for an event like this. But, I have been doing very well at getting a lot of stuff done before-hand. Last night was spent packing away & early this afternoon I loaded everything in the car.

I have a few vintage jewelry boxes lying around & they're always full of little compartments & drawers---perfect for storing small supplies & monies at the bazaar! Just a little tip for ya.

I had PLENTY of time to set up my display this afternoon. I originally thought I only had an hour & a half. Well, I had 2 1/2 hours. Score! And I had already planned out how I'd set stuff up, so that was perfect. EXCEPT, my original plan was to lean the large screen against a wall behind me. Well, I show up & there is no wall. But there are large masses of something covered in sheets behind me with signs that read : "Sensitive equipment, do not lay anything on me." I improvised & was able to display my book art on the screen beside my table.

This event is held at a school, so the charts & graphs & school-y looking decor in the background is not so crafty friendly. Oh well. Hey, I just noticed something. I'm sitting under Alaska. My grandpa passed away this week & my dad is on his way to Alaska tomorrow to attend the funeral. It's the small things, ya know?

Now down to the nitty gritty. How'd I do? Hmm. Well. It was a long & lonely night. I did get a lot of craftin' done though! Yeah, I sat alone in my uber uncomfortable chair (**Note to self: bring pillow. Another note to self: Forget the pillow, bring a massage chair.) & crafted away while customers came & went. The stream was actually pretty steady. But most passed me by. I didn't sell my first item until 2 hours after the event started! It was a short night though--only 4 hours. So, I'm trying to convince myself that tomorrow's slot will be much better. I hope. 9am-4pm. Tomorrow I'll have Tia, my pally wally, with me. So, it'll be tons of fun no matter what happens!
I just realized how tacky those tape marks on the floor look. Oh! My sign looks like crap in this picture but I think it actually turned out swell---for a quick 1-hour last-minute project! I'll have to get some closer sign pics later to show ya.

I did get to peek at all the other vendors a little today while they were setting up & I'm looking forward to some shopping tomorrow! I've already picked out some favorites!

Here's a hot crafty model sportin' the newest in cupcake attire.

I'm tempted to wear this shirt again tomorrow. Is that gross? It's awful bright & I'm sure some people would notice if I wore it again. Although, I did have a sweatshirt over it the whole time--with the cupcake peeking out of course. I'm doing it. I'm gonna do it. Me & my stinky cupcake shirt are gonna rock it again tomorrow. I love this shirt. Even if it was only 3 dollars. Even if I wash it & it shrinks so much that only my Cabbage Patch Kids can wear it, I don't care. I love it!

To pass the time at the bazaar, I started writing down some of the interesting comments people were making. Here are a few....

**One lady said of my owl ornaments: "That reminds of the lollipop owl." (She's talking about that owl that says "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?" haha!)

**One lady said of my fork easels: "OH! Those are so cute! I know someone who could make those." (Um, yeah lady: ME! ) It was weird. I got a lot of that---of people commenting on how they could make the stuff I was selling. I'm sure they could, but you just don't say it in FRONT of the person who made it. Really odd. And kinda rude.

**There was LOTS of laughing at my fork easels, which was, again...odd.

**One lady, who was totally familiar with Etsy & even recognized some of my items as being on the front page, said "You look like an Etsy gal." It was meant as a compliment & I totally took it as one.

**One lady said the fork easels reminded her of Beauty & the Beast. I never thought about it, but I can see that.

**One little girl was looking at my vintage button rings & said, "I like how creative that is!"

I got TONS of compliments. I liked that part! And I got to meet some really cool people. It was fun to chat & visit & see the people that like, or don't like, my stuff. Lots of people reminisced about buttons when they saw all my button work. And even the book art brought people flashbacks of making art from Reader's Digest publications when they were kids. (?) I'll have to google it.

It feels nice to be home in comfy jammies & cozy socks & not feel rushed to make stuff. To just chill & take a break. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. And there'll be more candid shots. Fo sho.

WOOHOOO!

I just got a phone call & found out that I've been accepted as a vendor for my very first show!! This is such a big deal to me because I'm such a baby when it comes to doing shows & I've never done one before because I get nervous & don't know what to expect & wimp out. I'm so excited!

YAY!

It's a show on the 5th & 6th of December & it's called the Badger Mountain Holiday Bazaar. (It's held at an elemtary school named 'Badger Mountain'.) I heard from a fellow Etsy peep that she does well there every year!

Now I'm freaking out. I GOTTA MAKE STUFF!!!!!!!

**Pictured is my newest creation. Monogrammed Letter Art made with vintage buttons, vintage fabric & a vintage metal embroidery hoop.