HEY SEXY!

HEY SEXY pocket mirror
Originally uploaded by space oddities

My dad likes thrift store shopping and checking out garage sales as much as me. He brought me a few random old books and magazines awhile back and I just starting digging into them. One particular magazine, a very frail looking movie magazine from the 1940s, is absolutely full of amazing images. So I made lots of new mirrors this week full of sexy ladies circa 1940 something! You can see more of them in my shop and at the Dane county farmers' market this wekeend.

Happy crafting!

xo
andrea

little dear

Our latest! Your little one would look so dear in this shirt!

xo
andrea

school days + craftacular

After a super crazy week last week, I have managed to have the most mellow weekend of the entire summer. We have been having some quality family time and catching up on things around our house. I could use a few more days, but man, it has been nice.

Last week my little man started kindergarten. I'm so excited to see what this year brings. He's an amazing kid and watching him grow and learn is the best. And my daughter starts preschool and ballet class this week. It's all happening!

Aside from all of the school craziness, we have been busy this week working on a new design for the Sixth Annual Holiday Craftacular. It seems early to be thinking about a holiday event, but if you're a local crafter, the time to apply has already arrived!

I have also been working on getting some new inventory ready for the farmers' market. It's been very slow going. The only thing I really want to make lately is pendants. We also have a sweet new kids' t-shirt design coming soon. Before this weekend's market, that is (I hope!)

Have a fantastic week! 

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