December 31, 2009

Synthtacular!

Well, look who's been blogged about! And on a non-crafty blog...what?

Retro Synth Ads - cool retro-synth gifts



This is the collage that I made as a gift for the devistatingly handsome owner of the aformentioned blog. He was kind enough to big me up on his site, for which I am both giddy and grateful. Hopefully it will lead to more synthy-collages because I had so much fun making this one!

December 10, 2009

Craft Sale Survival - part 1

As a relative newbie on the scene, I am by no means an expert in the ways of the craft sale, but there are a few things I have learned in my short time manning my table of handmade wares. I know everyone has theirs, but I thought I would share with you my own list of “must haves” at a craft sale. Feel free to comment with your suggestions, too.

Besides your product, signage and display items (I’ll leave that to you), be sure to bring along:

Business cards. Don’t leave home without ‘em. Ever. I have yet to attend a show that didn’t result in at least one call-back from someone who grabbed my card. Don’t have cards? Shame on you! I buy mine from the copy/print centre at my local big-box office supply store. I am able to design my own on their handy-dandy kiosk (or online) and they’re ready for pick-up in 3 days. At $22 for 250, they’ve already paid for themselves.

Change. And lots of it. I keep a “float” of fives, twos, singles and quarters, which I replenish after each sale and then keep in a safe place. (It’s not under my bed, so don’t look there!) With most ATMs dispensing only 20s, you can expect to see a lot of them, especially early in the day or if you are placed close to a door.

Pens/notebook. Great for making lists, jotting down the names of customers, new product ideas, etc etc etc. If things get slow, you can play hangman with your neighbour.

Assorted fasteners. Clothes pins, safety pins, zip-strips, duct tape, push pins, twine – you never know when you are going to want to attach something (or make a quick repair) to your set-up.

An extra tablecloth. Good for “oopsies” (ask me about “nacho kid” someday), but also great to have on hand in case you are given an extra-long table or asked to “spread out” because someone didn’t show up.

The tools of your trade. Pack whatever you might need to make a quick repair on your goods. For me, that means a glue stick and scissors. For you, that could mean jewelry pliers, a needle & thread, etc. Think quick-fix. If the repair is more involved than that (ie: requiring clamps) or is going to take you away from paying customers, pack it up and take it home.

A snack. I have yet to eat a warmed-over hot dog from the concession at a craft sale. Why? Because I pack an insulated bag with veggies, yogurt, crackers and fruit, that’s why! (This little trick also prevents you from making a meal out of a loaf of banana bread or a plate of cookies from the bake table. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) Just be conscious of your surroundings and try to pack items that can be surreptitiously eaten during lulls or between customers. And, keep in mind that the fastest way to get a customer to come along and ask you a question is to put something in your mouth.

A reusable coffee cup and/or water bottle. That should go without saying.

Something to do. Sometimes traffic just isn’t all that brisk and the hours tick-tick-tick away. In that case, it’s ok to work on your knitting or read a book, but please do it during lulls or between customers. (Personally, I won’t buy something from you if you are sitting back engrossed in a trashy novel or if I think I’m disturbing your cross-stitching…but that’s just me.) I like to bring things to cut out, stamp or assemble. It’s a craft sale, so I figure I might as well…craft!

Bags and tissue/newsprint. Most people pack reusable bags now, but it’s always good to have a supply on hand just in case (especially if you sell large or breakable items).

A container or baggie of glass/surface cleaning wipes and a couple garbage bags are always good to have, too. It never hurts to tidy!

December 8, 2009

I came. I sold. I folked.

Fun was had at the Folk Fest sale this past weekend. Two mirrors went to new, happy homes and lots and lots of pins found lapels to perch on. As for me, I showed incredible restraint and came home with one fabulous pair of warm fleece mittens, which I swapped some pins for. Yay for swappage!

The only weird thing about the whole day was not having to handle the cash; the store took care of all of that for us. Don't get me wrong, it was nice not to have to worry about money...but now I have to wait for a cheque. There goes the whole "instant gratification" thing. ;-)

Next up - "This Ain't Your Grandma's Craft Sale" at the Park Theatre. I am so excited/nervous about this sale. It's the last one of the year and rumoured to be "the big one". Not big as in scale, but big as in traffic and exposure. (And hopefully sales...knock wood!)

December 4, 2009

Feeling Folky?


I’ll be taking part in the Winnipeg Folk Festival’s annual Holiday Craft Sale tomorrow from 11am to 5pm at the Folk Exchange. Come out to pick up some one-of-a-kind handmade gifts, place a custom order, bring me a coffee from the Fyxx or just say ”HI!”

‘tis the season to be Ticketyboo!

December 3, 2009

The rest.

Finally, here are the last three mirrors from my recent batch.

I especially love the robot mirror because a) it has real "robotty" looking bits on it and b) it now lives in the nursery of a very cute baby boy. My only wish is that he grows up loving 'bots as much as we do.




Sold.

December 2, 2009

Three & Four down...

This past weekend was a nutty one, sales-wise.

On Friday night, the Etsy gals got together at the Costume Museum for a W.E.S.T. sale. I was expecting to chit-chat with Ruth, Emily and Susan all night, but I was off in a different room. No worries, though...Jill, Melanie and the Jens were there. Not as much gabbing was done, but that was OK because there was lots of selling to do. I was happy to sell a couple mirrors and lots of cards!


Sunday was the much-anticipated Crescentwood Craft Sale. The traffic was somewhat less than I had anticipated (Grey Cup, weather, etc), but I did pretty good. The pins sold well, as did the notepads and mirrors. It was my first time using my new rack (more about that later) and it really made a difference in carded pin sales. In fact, I think 90% of my pins were sold on cards that day. Hmmm...


Other than a fist-full of cash (lol), I came away from the weekend with a renewed appreciation for my little craft posse. They are such incredible, generous, creative women. I am lucky to know them.

<3

The Games

Five more mirrors! These are so much fun to make. I have an ever-expanding stash of vintage game "bits" that I dip into to create them. The poor mascot won't let me anywhere near our Scrabble set anymore...


Sold.


Sold.


Sold.


Custom order for Ruth - sold.


Custom order for Emily - sold.


Sold.

December 1, 2009

The Gals

I have been having so much fun lately creating new projects with my vintage sewing patterns and books. These mirrors are the first in what I hope will be a long series featuring "the gals".




Sold.



November 25, 2009

'ReCreate: A ReStore Art Sale'

I just received confirmation that I will be a participant in the Winnipeg Habitat for Humanity ReStore’s 1st Annual 'ReCreate: A ReStore Art Sale', taking place in March 2010. I’ll be making and donating art created from Habitat ReStore materials & other recycled/salvaged stuff. How cool is that??

I’m not sure what I am going to make yet, but I am leaning towards a bulletin board/message center or something along those lines. It’s all going to depend on what I find at the ReStore when I go to shop for my supplies. Cool thing #2 – I get a $20 credit in the store to use towards the purchase of my “recyclables”.

Yay!

November 22, 2009

Two down...

...four to go!

This weekend, I took part in the annual Open House at the Cre8ery Gallery. Traffic was apparently less than in past years (and less than they were anticipating), but I had a good time nonetheless. In fact, in terms of sales, it was probably my best sale yet. I am so glad that I spent the time making 6 new collage mirrors, because I sold THREE of them. At $25 each! (To appreciate my excitement, you have to remember that everything else on my table is under $10...besides the pillows, but they're another story...)



I think that my success at the sale was due to the fact that the people attending were, and I'm generalizing for the most part, a teeny bit artsier than the customers at some of my previous sales. Or, they just "got it". (Sometimes my stuff looks a little odd when surrounded by more traditional, pretty crafts.) It was nice to see my pins and collage stuff looking right at home in a room full of pottery, art, textiles and jewelry.

Besides the ego-boost that always come with having a good sale, I got a pretty good sense of what will do well at my upcoming sales. Now I know what to focus my crafty-efforts on over the next 3 weeks. I have to make more mirrors, more Altoids tins, more vintage-gal cards and, because I can't resist, maybe just a few more pins. And more pillows, but, again, they're another story...

November 12, 2009

This Ain't Your Grandma's Craft Sale



The countdown is on...just over a month until my last craft sale before Christmas. It's going to be a busy 5 weeks!

November 9, 2009

One down, five to go!

I had the pleasure of taking part in the Grosvenor School Christmas Craft Sale this past Saturday. As promised, there were lots of "helpers" and we were all given the star treatment. From having my stuff schlepped up to the second-floor gym to being served homemade cookies, the whole day was full of little "treats". Big thanks go out to the event organizers and volunteers!

As for the "sale" part of the sale, I did great! There were a few long lulls, but I had one really good rush that made up for it. The big, surprise hit of the day were my new retro-gal notepads and cards. I will be definitely be making more of those! (I would post pictures, but I don't have any left to photograph. Next batch, I promise!) Other than that, the new Christmas cards got a great response, as did the Altoids Tins. And, of course, the domino pins and pendants.

Next up - the Open House and Sale at the Cre8ery on the 21st. To prepare for that one, I am going to be busy making more stationary and MIRRORS!



BTW...I am having fun trying on new blog backgrounds today. What do you think?

November 6, 2009

Grosvenor School Craft Sale - Nov 7, 2009

I am so excited to be taking part in the Grosvenor School Annual Christmas Craft Sale tomorrow...especially after speaking to the organizer of the event. From curb-side helpers for load-in and load-out to "gofers" throughout the event, it sounds like we crafters will be treated like royalty!

I am also looking forward to the event because it will give me a chance to sell my new Christmas cards and notepads in addition to my signature domino pins and t-shirt pillows. I'm also going to be selling some new "Altered Altoids Tin" albums and sewing kits and some more of the domino pendants...

But, enough about me. There will be dozens of crafters selling unique, handmade goods, a bake sale, a consession and more! The sale takes place throughout the entire school from 11am to 3pm. I hope to see you there!

Grosvenor School
1045 Grosvenor Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba

November 5, 2009

Scissors and Glue-sticks!

One of my most-favourite gals, Em, has posted a nice piece on her blog about the "tools of the trade" and the people who use them. I am honoured to be included.

Tools

One day I will post a picture of my workspace and the supplies/tools that I *need* to do my craft(s). Maybe. If I took a pic right now, you would see a chaotic jumble of paper, pens, inkpads, string, ribbon, fabric, books, take-out menus, photographs, yogurt containers...you get the idea. On the other hand, if I took a picture of a gleaming desk with everything neatly in its place, you would know that I was lying. I am of the firm belief that you cannot have creativity without chaos, but there is a definite difference between an inspirational mess and, well...a mess.

October 23, 2009

Really Good(will)

Last weekend, the mascot and I made a trip to the Exchange District for lunch and a little shopping. After a sharing the vegan pizza special and a plate of Southern Fried (baked) Tofu at Mondragon, we wandered over to the Goodwill Store on Princess. I was looking for an old encyclopedia and came out with this:


Vintage books, a small felt "Toronto" pennant and a much-coveted box of scrabble tiles.


Books, books, books!


More books!


Vintage games including "Hi Ho Cherry O" and an awesome auction game.


This is perhaps my favourite find of all - a framed collection of Girl Guide merit badges from the mid-1950s. :sigh:

Total cost for everything shown (plus a set of bowling glasses): $14.

I kid you not.

October 20, 2009

Off to a great start!

Last night was the first of my holiday craft sales, held at the home of the wonderful and talented Emmsgems. Even though it wasn't quite the turnout that she had been hoping for, I made a few bucks and it was a nice, low-key way to kick-off the season. Plus, the company (and the assortment of goodies) was excellent!

Next up is the Grosvenor School Christmas Craft Sale on November 7th. I am planning to take the usual pins and pendants, pillows, and mirrors, but I would also like to add a few more stationary items to the mix. I have a great idea for some note/message pads that I think will do really well...especially at a low price-point. I think I might have to extend Craftober into Crochember.

Here's how the rest of my sale schedule is looking:

Cre8ery Gallery Open House and Sale
2nd floor – 125 Adelaide St.
Saturday, Nov 21st

W.E.S.T.Sale
Costume Museum of Canada
109 Pacific Ave
Friday, Nov 27th

Creative Collection Craft Sale
Crescentwood CC
1170 Corydon Ave
Sunday, Nov 29th

WPG Folk Fest Craft Sale
the Folk Exchange
211 Bannatyne (@ Albert)
Saturday, Dec 5th 11am-5pm

This Ain’t Your Grandma’s Craft Sale
Park Theatre
698 Osborne Street
Sunday, Dec 13th


I am really excited about all of these sales. I picked them based on their "coolness factor" and I think I chose well. This is my first Christmas as a crafter and I am setting the bar high!

October 14, 2009

Cards, cards, cards!


Fun with vintage pattern envelopes!


Birthday card - front

Birthday card - back


Birthday card - front

Birthday card - back

October 13, 2009

And so it starts...

The first of my holiday sales is coming up next Monday. My lovely and talented friend Emily of Emm's Gems will be hosting her annual sale on October 19th at 6:00pm. I will be there with pins, Altoids Albums, pillows, cards and whatever I can come up with over the next 6 days.


Green Lollipops in the Woodsy Forest Long Necklace by Emm's Gems

For more information, visit the event's Facebook page or email me!

October 7, 2009

Stalking the Wild, Blue Yudu

I have been trying to win an Ebay auction for a Yudu machine since somewhere around the 3rd week of August. I was obsessed with it for a while - watching multiple items, bidding like a crazy person, rearranging my schedule to coincide with auction end-times. Sadly, nothing worked. I was out-bid again and again. I gave up on the idea for a little while, but two weeks ago I decided to persue it again (albeit with a much-smaller level of dedication). I finally got lucky the other night (oooh!) and snagged a machine for the bargain price of $167.50 + s&h*. I can't wait for it to get here...



*Oddly, I received a GST cheque for almost exactly the same amount the next day. Weird, right?

October 6, 2009

Pin-up Girl

As promised, this is the finished frame that I made for my pin-up girl. It started with a $3.50 frame from Michael's, which I tarted up with some flocked paper, Mod Podge and black acrylic paint. The inspiration came from the picture itself. Or, rather, the black lace undies in the picture.



I love how it came out, but I am having second thoughts about putting her in the bathroom. Not because I'm concerned about steam, but because I might never get my son out of there if I do. ;-)

October 5, 2009

Craftober!

I have officially declared this month "Craftober". It will be followed by "$alevember" which, in turn, shall be followed by "Crochember". The last two I will deal with later; our focus right now is Craftober. Focus, focus, focus!

"What is this Craftober thing all about?" Well, Craftober is all about crafts (duh). To be more specific, it is all about making the 757987 crafty things that are needed for the month of $alevember (aka Mama-needs-a-new-pair-of-shoes and/or pay-the-mortgage). My goal for the next 4 weeks or so is to do something crafty each and every day. No matter what.

I still have to work out the exact details regarding what I'm making and how much of everything I will need for the sales, but that will happen once I have all of my sales confirmed. For now, though, let's see how I'm doing:

Oct 1 - made 2 birthday cards and painted 2 little frames (for my room)
Oct 2 - 28 domino pendant bases, glued and trimmed
Oct 3 - made 1 flowered scarf-lace (crochet)
Oct 4 - made 1 pair of fingerless gloves (crochet)
Oct 5 - started a pair of gloves, but frogged them. Finished painting cameo mirror frames (6 coats! what??)
Oct 6 - added text to cameos. Made a small collage "How to make Hairpin Lace" and a tiny tag/bag collage "No Shred".
Oct 7 - made 3 "birdhouse" AOTCs that may become note cards...
Oct 8 - I did *something*...but what?
Oct 9 - made 3 birthday cards
Oct 10 - Made a dozen "middles" for Altoids albums (and a complete one for Dad), glazed 25 pendants (1st coat)
Oct 11 - decorated a cake (ok, that technically doesn't count)
Oct 12 - crocheted 2 pr pinky-red handwarmers, glazed pendants, glued 9 Altoids albums/tins
Oct 13 - glued bails to 12 pendants, cut out paper and 3 pages of words for domino pins, crocheted 2 granny squares
Oct 14 - crocheted handwarmers
Oct 15 - made something...honest
Oct 16 - made 7 dozen domino blanks
Oct 17 - glued words and pinbacks to dominoes
Oct 18 - glazed pins, made and copied 5 new card designs
Oct 19 - folded, glued and packaged 20 sets of cards and crocheted a scarf for Susan's b-day

October 2, 2009

Too many birthdays!

October is a big month in our family. My mom, my dad, my step-mother AND the mascot all have birthdays in the 10th month. Needless to say, this is prime card-making season for me.

I made this card (below) for my mom with a couple of the vintage tobacco cards that I picked up on a recent ephemera-buying spree. The card that is tucked into the pocket has been left free, so that it can be taken out and referred to…should mumji’s chrysanthemums require staking, that is.



I love how the mascot’s card (below) turned out, too. It’s a little cheeky…just like the kid himself. The text on the front reads: “Wildly inappropriate. Utterly frustrating. Outrageously funny. Devastatingly handsome. Generous. Smart. Clever. Charming. Incredibly talented. Happy Birthday!” Inside, it says “You are all of that and more…don’t ever change! (Except maybe your socks & underwear!)”

October 1, 2009

Admit One

As soon as the leaves start to turn, turkeys start to look nervous and the towering displays of cranberry sauce appear in the grocery stores, I know that it's time for a very special day...the mascot's birthday, of course! (What were you thinking?)

This year, the kid has opted to celebrate with only two of his closest friends. They're going to take in a movie and then come back to our place for pizza, cupcakes and an all-night video game and junk-food bender. Perhaps it was with a hint of either optimism or irony that I came up with these rather subdued party invitations.



They were created with cardstock, patterned paper and an arcade ticket. The text on the front and on the inside was cut from a vintage party invitation (Thanks, Jill!!)

September 30, 2009

The Viking

This past weekend, Winnipeg held it's first-ever "Free Weekend". Residents were encouraged to drag their unwanted household items to the curb, where they could be scooped up by passers-by. I made a couple of great discoveries. Here's the story about one of them - an antique Viking radio cabinet.

This is a close-up of the aformentioned cabinet, which is now residing comfortably in a corner of my living room. The cabinet had pretty much been gutted and all that remained of the "guts" was the radio itself (though disconnected and probably not operable) and a piece of the glass that covered the tuner. In the interest of prettying it up, I made a tiny collage to fill the space.

Keeping with the "radio" theme, I used vintage sheet music, some pretty patterened paper and a couple painstakingly cut-out branches and a little song bird. The whole thing was put together and then varnished for durability before the glass was attached with super-duper strong double sided tape.

September 29, 2009

Talk to Strangers

This past weekend, I went out for breakfast with a "stranger". Ok, that's not entirely true. I met her when she purchased a trio of pins from me at Ciclovia. She contacted me a couple days later to order 20 more pins (yay!) and we communicated back and forth via email a few times over the next week. Once her order was done and ready for delivery, she suggested that we get together for coffee and a chat.

We agreed to meet at Stella's in the Village on Sunday morning and ended up talking for close to two hours. It was a wonderful time and I'm sure we could've had a 6 hour conversation without running out of anything to say. We mostly talked about our art/craft (she's a poet and amazing quilter) and the challenges that come with trying to get our work "out there". It was so nice to talk to someone with as much passion for creativity as I have and such a positive, optimistic attitude.

I hope that we will get together again soon. She belongs to a couple of craft groups and has promised to bring me along to a get-together sometime, which I thounk would be totally fun. I miss the days of "cropping" with the girls at Remember Me in BC. Scrapbooking, knitting, quilting, gluing stuff...I don't think it much matters what you do, it's just nice to do it together sometimes.

September 28, 2009

Let's twist again!

Sometimes, when it comes to customer service, you just gotta go the extra mile. Case in point: I recently made this mirror for a very nice girl on the Etsy. She had seen a similar mirror in my shop and decided to order a custom for her friend's birthday. She had asked me to use Monopoly, Clue, Life...and Twister, if I could fit it all on there. Well, I tried and I just couldn't get it to work. It was just weird to have something so out of scale with the rest of the bits. Anyway, I could tell that she was a teensy bit disappointed that I didn't get it the Twister onto the mirror, so I offered to make her a birthday card to include with the mirror. Here's how it turned out:



Isn't it cute? It even has a little "spinner". Srsly.

I really hope she likes it...and her friend, too!

September 25, 2009

Fresh from the worktable...

This is just a glimpse...a tease, if you will...of a frame that I made to go with my new 50s pin-up picture. The girl in the photo is wearing nothing but a blue hair-bow, black heels and black lace undies. I used flocked paper and a few little tricks to make the frame look *just* like her skivvies and I absolutely LOVE the effect.



The frame itself, incidentally, was a $3.50 find at Michaels. It looked like it had been dragged behind a bus, so I asked for a discount off the regular $39 price. Yowsa! (If there's one thing that I learned from working in retail it is that you can usually get what you want if you are *nice* about it. So, be nice and you'll get the deals!)

Next up is a collage that I stayed up way too late to work on the other night. I have been doing customs and getting stock ready for sales for weeks and weeks and weeks, so it was nice to create something just for the sake of creating something.



The title of this collage is "When life gives you lemons..." and it's probably pretty obvious why. It's the first in what is going to be a series of "kitchen" pieces. I have a stash of vintage cookbooks that are just itching to get put to a good use. And, after flipping through them in amusement/horror, I can assure you that this is the best use for them.

Note: Yes, the photography in this post sucks. It was the best I could do with my BlackBerry in the middle of the night. Sadly, my creative bursts never seem to happen in concurrence with good, natural lighting. Better pics to follow...I promise!

September 24, 2009

Feelin' Folky

Yay! I just got word that I have a table in the Winnipeg Folk Festival Christmas Craft Sale on December 5th. I have heard that the Folk Fest sales are known for their high-quality of vendors and good turn-outs. Let's just hope that the same is true for this year, as well!

Mark your calendars!
Winnipeg Folk Festival Craft Sale
@ the Folk Exchange
211 Bannatyne (at Albert)
Saturday, December 5th
11am - 5pm
cash, debit & credit cards accepted!

September 23, 2009

Love Life

If there’s one thing that I have learned from making these game-themed collage mirrors, it’s that even in this age of video games and the internets, people still love board games! And, it seems that games like Monopoly, Scrabble and Yahtzee are the secret to a delightful courtship and a happy marriage. The couple that plays together stays together. Who knew?

This is the latest in my series of “Love is a game…” mirrors. The “people” from the Game of Life car aren’t pictured, because they are safely attached to the back. By request, there are two girls for the front seats and two boys for the back. That’s what I like to see – sistahs riding shotgun!



I have one more mirror in the works and just received an email regarding a potential order for another one. It’s a good thing that I have a seemingly limitless supply of game ephemera in my secret-special stash.

Interesting fact: so far, I have taken three of the custom orders from girls named Emily.

September 22, 2009

Webster's Pages

I am all about the vintage/distressed/collage-y look to begin with, but these papers by Webster's Pages are nothing short of drool-worthy. I have been stalking them online for a week or so and finally gave in when I discovered them at my local SBS. I was restrained, though, and only bought one "petite pack" (pictured below). And a couple 12x12 singles. But that was IT. I swear.

September 21, 2009

new in the Etsy shop!

I love these new domino pendants. It took me forever to source the bails and actually get around to putting them together, but I am so glad I made the effort.

This is the first batch of them (more to follow!) and I think they turned out pretty good. The funky paper helps, of course. Once I started playing with the designs, I know that the arrows had to point at the user. Except for the one that reads "Play". That one points down. ;-)

Buy "Fabulous!" here.

September 18, 2009

Spotted at the Cre8ery...ME!


Yup. That's me in the black dress and kicky, ankle-strap shoes...and striking nametag/arm band. I was volunteering for the "99 Pieces of Art on the Wall" opening. Jordan had me selling raffle tickets, which turned out to be a fantastic way to mingle and meet lots of people.

September 15, 2009

you are entering a no-doily zone

Fingers crossed for the upcoming "This Ain't Your Grandma's Craft Sale" at the Park Theatre. I sent my application in yesterday for the December event and I'm (literally) on pins 'n' needles waiting to find out if I'm in. We're supposed to know by Oct 3rd (ish), so stay tuned.

I am really excited about this one...and not just because I have been really super-choosy about which sales to go into. I like being surrounded by the cool kids. ;-)

But, seriously, doesn't it seem weird that we're already heading into the Christmas Season?? Gah. I still need to paint my deck...and fix my rain barrel...and I haven't taken my new patio umbrella out of the box yet!!

September 14, 2009

ciclovia '09

What a crazy, crafty Sunday! After much preparation, the mascot and I spent the whole day manning the “Everything is Ticketyboo” kiosk at Ciclovia on Broadway.

We got there early (7:45am) and set up a gorgeous display of pins, Altoids tins, pillows, and the new domino pendants on our rented cart. People started coming around by about 10am; by 11, the street was full. It was awesome to see Winnipeggers out in droves, although it would have been more awesome if they had actually been shopping! The sales, while not completely dismal, were somewhat disappointing…especially given the sheer number of people on the street. Most people that I spoke to were surprised by all the vendors and had simply come unprepared to shop.

It wasn’t a total waste of time, though.. I did manage to talk to a ton of nice folks and gave out close to half a box of business cards. (Just how many times *did* I say “I do custom work”??) At the end of the day, I came out of it with a tan, a ton of potential customers (including a gift store), an invite to teach an art/ATC class to some elementary students, some new friends, and $140 in my pocket…and that’s after the endless stream of cash that I used to keep the mascot fed and occupied. (Just how many cups of coffee *did* I send him to fetch??) Plus, I received a call this morning from a woman who bought 3 pins and would like to order 12-20 more for her quilting group!

So, all-in-all it was a good (albeit LONG) day. I hope that they do this again next year, too. I think now that Winnipeggers have been to a Ciclovia event, they’ll know what to expect from the next one…and bring money. I’ll be ready for them!

September 11, 2009

everything is ticketyboo at Ciclovia - Sept 13, 2009

It’s time to take to the streets Winnipeg!

This Sunday, the entire north side of Broadway Avenue, will be closed to motorized vehicles from 8 am to 4 pm for Ciclovia. During the event, Broadway will be open to pedestrians and cyclists only from Main to Osborne.

Ciclovia, meaning “bike way,” began in Bogotà, Colombia, where every Sunday major roads are blocked off and millions of people fill them running, walking, biking and enjoying free outdoor fitness classes like yoga and aerobics. Ciclovia events have been held all over the world, but have yet to hit Canadian streets until now…

Winnipeg will hold the distinction as the first Canadian city to host a Ciclovia event and I am proud to be a part of it! The goal of the event is to promote physical activity and the environmental benefits of using non-motorized forms of transportation. Plus, it’s a great way to get the community together for one last kick at summer! So, bring out your bikes, blades, boards, & beyond and come out to Ciclovia on Sunday…and be sure to stop by my cart to say “Hey!” My kiosk will be located in the Artisans’ Area (Broadway & Kennedy Street).

The event will be held from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm, featuring:
- a farmers market
- street vendors (artisans & food)
- a kids’ zone and street hockey zone
- bike decorating with Art City
- buskers & live entertainment
- FREE horse drawn wagon rides and a hay maze
- outdoor fitness classes (yoga, zoomba & more!) …and other non-motorized fun!
PLUS - at 4:00 pm, local group, Oh My Darling, will wrap up the event with a special concert at The Forks’ Oodena Circle!

Click here for the official Ciclovia program/map.

Winnipeg Free Press article – Sept 10, 2009

September 8, 2009

as seen on Etsy!

Posted today in my Etsy shop

Two mirrors -


Love is a Game


Java Blocks

And two custom listings -


Annie's Mirror


Kayla's pins (sold!)

my kitchen table

This was the scene on my kitchen table the other day. You're looking at four mirrors in varying states of completion, a few pins awaiting glazing, and a few of the bits and pieces that go into the creative process. The day before it was the sewing machine, the mini ironing board, and a basket of notions.

Needless to say, this kind of thing is not conducive to your typical kitchen table activities. Like eating, for example. It's not bad when I'm alone and can take my plate to the coffee table (shush!), but when the mascot is around we always eat at the table. That means that each project, each tool, and each scrap of paper must get carefully picked up and put...somewhere. Then, after the plates are cleared and the dishwasher is humming its little tune, it all comes back out again.

The reason for this madness? My artcraftsewing room (aka "the pit") has been in a state of disarray since May. Or it could be even earlier. I'm blocking. Anyway...I finally had enough of having a non-functional workspace, so I woke up at 6 on Monday morning and tackled it. It took almost 4 hours, but I'm happy to say that it's DONE. Or, at least, done enough to get in there and do some work. I am going to stop off at Costco on the way home today to pick up another set of $38 shelves to store all of my goodies (aka "ephemera") and then it will be done. :sigh:

September 4, 2009

upcycled netbook sleeve

I couldn't bear to have an unprotected netbook any longer. R gave me "Harriet" for my birthday a couple of weeks ago, and since then she's been carted around in a backpack, a shopping bag, an old corduroy tote...nothing befitting her awesomeness. Until now.

I made this sleeve from a chunk of denim harvested from an old pair of jeans and lined it with some quilted jacket lining that was left-over from my Fabricland "project" days. The tabs and appliques are new fabric (and will match the bigger tote-bag that is still in the planning stages). There is also a co-ordinating fob that I made to hold my USB stick (not pictured).

The appliques were surprisingly easy to apply...even though they were an afterthought and I had to sew them on *after* sewing the side seams. D'oh! I also added the little watch pocket from the jeans, but hand-sewed that on due to the thickness of the denim and the rivets at the top edge. There's a hole in the pocket, which I backed with a tiny piece of the brown and green fabric, as well.

I still need to fashion a strap for the sleeve, but I need a couple of things that weren't in my stash. Namely, brown webbing and a sturdy set of clips. (I am going to attach it with clips, so that it can go do double-duty as a strap for the tote as well. Clever, huh?)