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!

tablecloth topper

Here's the tablecloth topper that I embroidered with my name and web address. I'm pleased with how it really makes the table look more professional.
I really wanted to show the whole table, but then you would have seen the legos and various toys scattered all over - the kids think the table makes a great fort/hiding place! =) I probably should have ironed it too.... Definitely will before the show, but couldn't bring myself to haul out the iron and board today!

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!

What to call it?

Okay, now that I've left you in suspense for a whole day, here's the newest addition: These are made on a french clip (the kind with the squeeze/spring mechanism), and are a little painful to make. But, they're not as hard as it looks! I can use all kinds of ribbon, so these will be a lot of fun! I'm imagining printed ribbons, different widths, even maybe adding korkers and marabou! They can be made in various sizes, depending on the size of the clip.

The problem I have now is figuring out a name for these! The directions call them "loopy bows", but I already have another bow that I call the "loopy bow." The old one isn't in the catalog, by some quirk, so I could rename it. Here's what the first "loopy bow" looks like:So, I ask for your opinion - what should I call these bows? Only one can have the "loopy bow" name - the old or the new?? I could give them a girl's name, but I thought I'd ask your opinion (I'm not very good at coming up with names for things).

New Inspirations

I've been absent from blogging, but not from bow-making. Except for this past week; I've been keeping the house just above the "can't-stand-it-anymore" level for a while, so it was time to give it a good cleaning. And what a great reason to clean - Tim and Melisa and their crew spent the night with us Saturday. It was great!

But, getting back to bows - I had a couple new things that I just hadn't blogged about yet, and a couple new inspirations.

Here's the first inspiration:

It's a sheer rosette. I'm really liking these! Sometimes I'm not too sure about something, so I'll go try it on Diana, and then I'll love it. This was one of those. I think they're a great holiday addition. Right now I have them in pink, lavender, black, wine, olive, and gold. Soon to come are ivory, brown, white and plum. I even created a boutique bow with these, on a velvet and satin bow. I'll have to get a picture of that on Diana later.

So, now for the newest additions. Yesterday I was sitting behind little Gracie in church, and kept staring at her bow. Yes, I was contemplating the sermon, too - just doing a little multi-tasking in the in-between moments! =) I studied it for a while, and thought maybe it would be a good addition to the collection. I'm trying to build up many varieties for the catalog, so I keep my eyes out for new styles. I did a little searching last night, and found the directions for it. So, here it is - the "Gracie Bow":

They're a little trickier to get the hang of. I definitely need more practise - these are a little uneven, and they aren't even the first ones! =}

Okay, I have another one to blog about, but I think this is long enough! Check back soon for more!

Etsy Showcase Day

Here it is! This is the day I've reserved a slot on the etsy children's category "showcase". Here's the link to check it out:

http://www.etsy.com/showcase.php?showcase_id=children

I've already had two sales!