Cheepie

My kids have been so creative lately. Jette illustrated an entire book and bound it with tape last week all on her own. Lars is constantly building new inventions out of anything and everything he finds around the house. And they both love to draw and paint every day. Here is one of my favorite drawings of the day from Lars. He calls this sweet bird "Cheepie."

xoxo

Life is Sweet

What a crazy weekend! Saturday we celebrated Jette's 4th birthday and got to spend time with family and friends who we hadn't seen in a long time. It ended up being a super crazy day so I am really glad that we skipped the farmers' market in the morning. It was the best call we could have possibly made. I am pretty sure that we would have both been a wreck if we had tried to pull off everything we had planned to!

Saturday night we had some time to focus on last minute Craftacular details (and catch up on True Blood) while our little ones were off with grandma and grandpa. Chad finished up some original paintings and I worked on signage and finishing up some pendants. We stayed up insanely late but felt very ready for the show on Sunday, yay!

Sunday we got up bright and early and planned to be at the Craftacular setting up by 8:00. As usual, we ended up running a little late and then got stopped by a lovely small town cop for not making a complete stop at a stop sign...what? So yeah, we were our typical unfashionably late selves as usual. It all worked out fine, though. Here is a partial shot of our booth at the show.

We had such an excellent day! The venue was perfect and there were so many fabulous vendors at the show. I came home with some great craft show loot including an amazing apron for my daughter from rustbelt fiberwerks, fun hair accessories from Confectionique and The Glitter Workshop, and THIS super rad monster print from Jimbot. Oh! I was also lucky enough to go home with a super nice tote bag commemorating the whole event stuffed with some goodies from the vendors. And last but definitely not least, Chad and I both scored caramel apples from Kim's Crafty Apple! Serious YUM!!!

We met so many great people and chatted with old friends. We sold lots of our wares and heard some really great feedback from return customers and kind words from new customers. We even had some friends that we hadn't seen in years that were visiting town stop in to say hi. It was really just the perfect day. To top it off, Chad and I were also celebrating our 12 year anniversary. It was so nice to be able to spend the day together! 

I am feeling so grateful for my life lately. Yes, it is insanely chaotic and most days I forget which way is up. I spend a lot of time just trying to figure out what do do next and struggle with priorities. But these things are so trivial. I have a loving family and amazing friends. I have a job that pays the bills and leaves my nights and weekends free for time with my loved ones and my crafty ventures. Kids who make me laugh every day. Friends who are always there for me, no matter what. A husband who is my soul mate and can finish my thoughts. All of these things make the lack of cable tv and home repair skills, kiddos bordering on sassy and perpetual mountain of laundry seem like a dream.

Life is sweet.

Pendant Display

I needed a way to display pendants at shows. I actually have NOT been bringing these to the farmers' market because I just hadn't found a good way to show them. I searched for a simple DIY tutorial and found THIS one which I ended up using as a guide.

I actually made mine even more simple than the tutorial suggested by just using the backing of a picture frame for my base (the easel back part.) I wrapped it in pretty paper, cut small slits where the ribbon would slide through on the sides and then secured the ribbon on the board. The one thing about the tutorial I found that didn't make sense is how you would remove individual pendants when one sold. I decided to tie each one on a small ribbon that can easily be tied or untied from the main ribbon. I am happy with how it turned out!

Yes, it's a little loud with the dots and the floral, but i kind of love it.  Loud is sort of my thing. I plan to make one or two more so I have space to show off lots of goodies.

Yay! I'm excited to debut lots of new pendants at the Craftacular next weekend!

How much art can you take?

Another summer weekend jam packed with crafty goodness!

Have you been to Confectionique market in Middleton yet? This weekend is your chance! Jessica and Anastasia will be showcasing beautiful handmade goodies made by themselves and several other local artists Saturday AND Sunday, August 7 & 8. Get ready for a treat! These ladies are always crafting up something new and reinvent their beautiful store space for each market.

Also on Saturday AND Sunday (August 7 & 8) is Art Fest at Greenway Station in Madison. Here you'll find lots and lots of local arts and crafts vendors - jewelry, glass, photography, sculpture, painting, wood and more will be represented. Plus live music and free activities for the little ones!


And don't forget, you can find Space Oddities and lots of other vendors peddling delightful handmade wares Saturday at the Dane county farmers' market . Craft vendors are at the top of State street extending onto Mifflin street and our tent is usually somewhere close to Taste of India.

If you're looking for a special gift this weekend, you know where to go! Support local businesses and find something handcrafted and unique. We are so lucky to live in a city where the big box stores are not our only options!

xoxo
andrea

new pretties!

I stayed up late making these fun collage pendants last night.

I love making these little mini collages. It's great therapy! What have you been making lately?

Summer, Sewing, Swag...

Hope you are enjoying your summer! It is moving so quickly. Somehow my oldest will be starting kindergarten in a month. I don't know how this is possible...it feels like he was just born! 

It was another busy week, starting with a fantastic t-ball game (Lars is doing better every week!)  I also got to spend some time with the lovely Jenny of The Painted Daisy who is helping me learn some sewing basics. I managed to finish this bag with a lot of help. I really love the vintage ribbon accents. See, without Jenny's direction, i seriously would have just used the ribbon FOR the handles. I'm excited to start learning to sew and hope to make the time to take a consistent class in the fall. I really want to be able to feel comfortable sewing so that I can do my own thing! 

Saturday Chad vended solo at the market while the kids and I visited Naomi of Glitter Workshop and her sweet family to celebrate a special 2 year old's birthday. We had such a nice time and my kids didn't have any major freak outs, so that is good. It was also fun to see Naomi's current sewing projects (she's learning, too...and is tackling a way more advanced project which is inspiring!) and crafty work space. I also (finally!) managed to get hair cuts for both of my kiddos this weekend. They are looking pretty sharp for the time being so I had better get some photos before they get shaggy again.

The farmers' market has been a little slow lately but we are still enjoying it. I have to admit that Chad and I are both looking forward to autumn and the last few farmers' markets so that we can have a few more Saturdays free. Our schedules are already jam packed so vending at the market is a big commitment for us. We're not completely sure if it's something we'll do again next year or not. Only time will tell! As for this season, we plan to vend Saturdays right up until October 23, weather permitting. We are calling it quits a couple of weeks early (the market runs up through the first weekend of November!) as we have a fun mini-vacation planned at House on the Rock for Halloween weekend. We're going to the Neil Gaiman American Gods event! I'm super excited!

Oh! also finally finished a little something for the Craftacular goody bags this weekend! I'm looking forward to this event but can't believe it's already just 2 weeks away! I was definitely hoping to have more new things made before now. As usual, I will probably wait until 2 days before the show and then I'll begin to freak out and make last minute arrangements. It's kind of my thing. And it usually works out okay so I guess I will just roll with it. The Craftaculars are always such great events so no mater what I have or don't have to sell, at least I know it'll be totally fun! If you're near Madison, stop by to check it out on August 15. The first 50 shoppers will get free goody bags stuffed with awesome swag from the vendors!

And because I keep forgetting, I want to mention now that I have a couple talented friends who have recently opened etsy shops! You can now find beautiful photography prints by the very talented Sharyn Morrow at Sharyn Shoots. And if you're looking for super fun gift soaps (pac-man, owl, retro/mod designs to name a few) you should check out Little Sparrow Soap. 

Okay I am off to check out this splash park that my kids keep talking about. Have a fantastic week!