Last Chance Craft Fair

I can hardly believe it, but tomorrow is my last craft fair for the season. I feel like I finally have everything smoothed out and situated just right, and now it's about over. sigh.

Osolo Elementary School on the north side of Elkhart is where I'll be. We'll be open from 8-2. This is my favorite craft show - there's nearly 200 vendors, and everything must be handmade! Amazing!

 

These pictures are showing a couple new things I whipped up recently. =) Felt poinsettias - so perfect for a touch of holiday charm - and would work just as well in Mom's hair as baby's! And miniature satin rosettes - because everything is better in miniature! =)

 Of course, if you can't make it to the craft fairs, you can always call, e-mail or facebook me to order what you need for the holidays. But, I really love seeing my customers - hope to see you there!

Craft Fair Season is Here!

Hooray! Craft fair season is here! I love this time of year, even though I spend hours and hours getting ready! It's always so much fun to be a vendor and meeting customers old and new! Be sure to check out my schedule on the right side bar for the dates and places. I hope to see everyone at least once!! =D

 

Here's a sampling of what's hanging out in my craft room, waiting for the big days:

Mini rufflies

 

Small pinwheels

 

These are the staples, but I will also have plenty of specialty bows too - including some very exciting new items!

 

Can't wait to show them to you!

Festival Countdown!

Only a couple days left before the Maple Syrup Festival here is Wakarusa! Come see me and experience the fun of our awesome little town! I will have my booth set up, with specials and loads of pretty things!

Survey says...

So, the Maple Syrup Festival is coming up soon! Yay!! (pray for good weather - last year was a disaster!!) I need to know your opinion. Usually I sell my mini korkers as a set of 2 for $6.50. Mostly because they are usually multi-colored, and two korkers uses up the materials needed. For instance, it takes two rods of baked ribbon for each korker, so if I need 4 colors, I'm making 4 rods anyway.

 However, at the festival and craft shows, I've been selling them as singles for $4, and they always did well. This past craft fair season, I sold them as the set, and they didn't move nearly as well. I don't mind selling them as individuals, because I can still make the set and use up my materials.

So, for this festival, I want to know - what would you be more likely to purchase? Use the survey thing on the right side to let me know! Thanks!

Been a While, Eh? =}

Wow! Can't believe it's been so long since I posted here! =} Time sure does fly, doesn't it?! Well, here's few things, kinda all together.

First of all, this Saturday is the final craft fair of the season for me. Come see me at Cleveland Elementary School's "Breakfast with Santa" - Saturday the 10th from 8-1 p.m.

Okay, now for the fun stuff! Here's a sample of some Christmas things I've been doing lately:

"Yo-Yo" bow

"Cozie" bow

"Hannah" bows

"Hannah" bows

"Cosmo" bow in velvet and satin! Oooh! =)

"Sister set" - the Christmas classics! An "Olivia" bow and a "My Little Darling" bow.

Southfield Village Craft Fair

Craft fair season starts today! I'll be at Southfield Village, in the foyer of the assisted living building. Take Miama south, just passed Kern Rd. Easy to get to this year - no construction! YAY!! =)

Southfield Village Inc

6450 Miami Circle, South Bend, Indiana 46614 (574) 231-1000 () 

Overstock Sale Granger!

I'm so excited to let you know that I will be at the Overstock Sale Granger this Friday and Saturday!

What it is - many of the "boutique" stores from around the area, as well as vendors (like me) will be displaying their wares at a central location. This is a way for them to get their names out, and sell their overstocked items at reduced prices. Great deals for everyone!

Friday evening's event is for "VIP's" - which means your name must be on the list to get in! But, it's easy - just let me know you'd like to come! =) Saturday is open to the public. There is no entry fee.

Times - Friday from 5-8 p.m. Saturday from 9-5.

Place - Toscana Park, behind the big new Martin's, in the former "Pages in Time" store.

Who - loads of vendors! Boutique stores from around the area will be displaying their wares!

Southfield Village Craft Fair

Craft fair number two is upon us! This Saturday I'll be at Southfield Village, located in South Bend on Miami Rd, in their front entry room. There is a ton of construction going on right now along Miami Rd, so here's a few hints on the best way to get there. The intersection of Miami and Kern is closed. There is access to the library by the Kern entrance (on the east side), which can be used to get to Southfield. Coming from the south will not be a problem, as the drive to Southfield is open. Coming from the north or west, plan to have a detour. =(

Looking forward to seeing you there!! Oh, hours are 8:30 to 2.

Hello, all! Just a reminder that I will be at the Concord Mall Saturday the 16th from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. I'd love to see you there! My mom and I are both there; we're set up at the very center, facing Hobby Lobby. The mall is just a bit off of the 20 bypass on US 33. Very easy to get to!

See you there!

Come One Come All!

It's time! The Maple Syrup Festival is upon us! Hubby and I set up the tent this evening, which turned out to be quite an adventure (and just a little stressfull! Got to practice our marriage skills, though!) =O LOL!! The wind was just a bit breezy, which turns canopies into large kites! Thankfully, we had already planned on weighting it down, so were prepared.

Look for us in front of the post office. Traffic flow through town is a bit hairy- so just be prepared to walk a bit. But, it's so worth it - a friendly town, nice weather, great entertainment, bows, Haitian linens... =)

Each festival time, I have to decide what styles to focus on. It's gotten easier as I know what sells, but it's still easy for me to go overboard. I'm pretty pleased with myself for coming up with a variety of styles while trying to keep it simple. I think. After looking over my list, it seems like so many styles - but I finally decided I just couldn't leave any of these beauties out! So, here's what's on the "menu" for this year:

Cosmos - I'm hoping they'll be my "attention-grabbers"! I think it will work - they're just so darling! =)

Of course, one of my faves and one of my "signature" items - the mini korker! I sell them individually at the festival, so if you'd like to get just one, this is your chance.

Another of my "signature" items - and another favorite - the marabou puff.

One of my most popular bows - the Pinwheels - in small and large.

Gracie Bows - small and large

Medium basic bows

Pretty Petals clippies and Daisies

One item I make that you may not be aware of. It's not in the catalog yet, but I have been making them for a while now - French boards. These are great as bow holders, photo collages, messages, little papers your kids make and expect you to treasure. =) I really expanded my selection of these for the festival - loads of great new patterns!!

And of course, I can't forget my absolute, all-time favorite!! The Rufflie bow in regular and Mini!! =)

Sheer Rosettes

I also have a really cool collection of local school colors in several different styles - double pinwheels, spikey bows, cheer bows, pony-o's, korkers, etc. And headbands of course.

So, ready to come see all the lovely colors and styles? Come check me out (and my mom!!) We'll be in front of the post office tomorrow from 9-9 and Saturday from 9-8. Hope to see you there!!

Maple Syrup, Anyone??

I'm gearing up for the Maple Syrup Festival, here in our great little town of Wakarusa! I hope to see some of you! It shouldn't be too hard to find me - my hubby ordered a HUUUUGE bow for the top of my tent!! =O It's so sweet! We were joking around, trying to come up with some sign/eye catcher thing. He said what I really need is a giant bow for the top. Then of course, he looks online and finds one! So he was sweet enough to get one for me. It's like a gift bow - the biggest gift bow you've ever seen!! LOL!!! I think it'll be cute!

I've been going through my stash, and replenishing things. I decided to add Cosmo ribbon flowers to the selection this year, which I think will attract some attention - they're just so cute! So if you're a fan of Cosmos - come check them out!

There will be a drawing and specials, of course. So come on down to beautiful Wakarusa and have some fun! My mom is going to be there too, selling the Haitian linens!

Dates - Friday, April 16th, and Saturday, April 17th. I think it all starts up at 9 on Friday and 8 on Saturday, but I'm not positive right now, until 7 or 8 in the evenings. Guess I should ask about that, huh? =)

What was I thinking?!?

Whew! Three craft fairs in a row! Thankfuly they get a little easier each time. Good thing - since I signed up to do another one this weekend! Make that four weekends in a row! =O Yes, I must be insane!

I kept hearing how good this one is, and then the lady who runs it stopped by my booth and invited me to come. That's really an honor, because that means she liked what she saw. She's being selective about who she allows to come, which is another good thing. And all the vendors who I've talked to about it just go "Oohh, yeah! It's a good one!" So, how could I resist?

This should be an interesting experience, mostly because I'm taking Kenneth along with me. I think we're going to have a lot of fun together!

So, come on out to Osolo Elementary School in Elkhart this Saturday (November 21) from 8-2! As always, there will be a give-away and craft fair specials!

Come See Me!

Put it on your calender! I'm going to be at the following craft fairs/bazaars:

November 7 at the Feast Banquet Facility in Lakeville (corner of US 31 and Pierce - the Potato Creek State Park road), from 9-3.

November 14 at Jimtown High School in Elkhart, from 9-2.

I love when I get to greet my previous customers and make new ones! There's always craft fair specials and a drawing too!

Come See Me!

So as not to leave such a depressing post at the top, I'm adding another one! =)

I will also be doing a craft fair/bazaar (is there a difference in those two terms?) at the Jimtown High School. It's November 14. Should be a lot of fun, so all you Elkhart people come on out and say "Hi!"

I'm back!

I survived and I'm alive! The week before last was a crazy one, filled with emotional ups and downs. The week started out busy planning for the festival, cramming way too many plans into too short of a time. Then things took a different turn when my dear grandmother's health declined. When she passed away early Wednesday morning, I held my breath waiting to hear plans. The funeral was scheduled for Saturday - of course. I hardly knew which emotion to go with - grief from the loss of a much-loved grandma, frustration and despair at losing a great business opportunity, or exhaustion from trying to deal with it all.

Thankfully a couple friends volunteered out of the blue to work my booth for me Saturday. So, I was able to go to the funeral and spend time with my family. It was a special, blessed time. And thanks to a couple dear, sweet, wonderful friends, I was able to do it without frustration and disapointment lurking in the background.

The festival went great, especially for my first year there. I have several home party prospects, and an additional order already. That was one of my main purposes, so that made it seem to worth it.

So this week, I've basically crashed. I'm trying to make it up to my family for neglecting them for so long. We had some fun dinners, went to the library and park... Maybe next week I'll manage to make it up to my house!

second craft fair

The fair is over, the van is unloaded, the mommy is tired.

I'm glad the big push is over, now I can recup a little and get back to being a wife and mother. Now that I have a good stock of items, the catalogs are updated, and I know the setting up/packing up routine better, I'm sure the next show will be a breeze! =)

I'm really excited about the American Girls Tea Party! I think it will be a great place for selling bows! Hoping to get some parties booked too. It's coming up in two weeks - November 22. Put it on you calenders!!

Craft Fair at the Feast

My second craft fair is upon us! I'm packed up, the van is loaded, just wrapping up a few loose ends. Hope to see some of you tomorrow - it's at the Feast banquet facility (where Kara had her reception), on the corner of 31 and Pierce (the Potato Creek road). I add those little landmarks for us females. =) It's from 9-3. Anyone still around at the end will get a special gift - if they help me load up! =) (just kidding!)

I'll have another drawing basket. Here's the one for this time:

So, come check out the sights, and put your name in for the drawing! See you there!

Crunch Time

Growing up, there was a moment while we were getting the house ready for company that my mom would say, "put it in high gear" and/or "it's crunch time". Well, that's where I'm at now. Actually, I'm feeling quite calm, but maybe I shouldn't. I feel like I've got so much done so far this week, that whatever I have left to do surely won't be a problem. Here's an idea of what's going on:

• Go through bows, make sure I have nice assortment of colors in each style
• Set up table and gridwalls, organize displays
• Put together the basket for the drawing
• Spray paint some baskets to look nice as display containers
• Print labels and signs
• Print out plenty of order forms and catalogs
• Gather everything I'll need tomorrow (FOOD, calculator, snacks, bags, caffeinated drinks, etc.) =0

I'll be packing it all up and hauling it over to the fair tonight. I'm so glad we get to set up the day before, since I don't really know how long it'll take me yet.

I hope you'll stop by and see me - and Mom - tomorrow. The craft fair is at Southfield Retirement Community in the Assisted Living front hall. It's from 9-3. See you then!

today's accomplishments

Well, not so much in the bow-making department today. Had to get groceries, run a couple errands, then this afternoon took the boys to martial arts. But, I did get these gift boxes "wrapped up":

I'm hoping they will attract the "gift-giving" crowd - maybe people who don't necessarily have a little girl at home to buy bows for, but might give them as a gift. I asked Otto how he thought they looked (if they looked professional and complete). He said they looked "expensive". That's not a bad thing! I try to keep all my items reasonably priced, so hopefully they'll seem like a good value.

Tonight I worked on a bunny costume. You'll have to check out our family blog this weekend to see how that turned out! Should be pretty cute! Well, back to work! Check back tomorrow to see what I can accomplish then!

Count Down!!

Otto noted to me the other day that it had been a while since I'd posted to this blog. I'm sure he was thinking, "And it's not like you haven't been doing bows!!" I have been doing bows a lot, because I've got two craft fairs coming up. And, I found out my brain wasn't calculating this month's passing, and they are coming up sooner than I thought!! I thought I had two weeks before the first, but I actually only have ONE!! aaggghh!!

I'll get done what's most important - there's just always more that I'd like to do. Yesterday I got a bunch of velvet style bows done, and I thought they were pretty:

Large pinwheels

Gracie Bows

Double Tuxedos

Today I'm embroidering the tablecloth topper with my "company" name (I haven't registered it yet, but probably will soon). Picture to follow soon!