Buzy Bee

I've been listing items for the shop the last few days. I listed 19 today so far. Some are leftovers from Silver Bella and others are new vintage items. Lots of fun things to create with.....vintage playing cards, honeycomb bells and balls, vintage book covers and more. I've decided to list the vintage childrens' books individually instead of in groups. I listed my last three little blue French books. I've got more vintage textbooks to list. I've got vintage jewelry to list and a vintage prom gown (I know...couldn't find one to save my life before SB and I find one now). According to my list of pictures....I've got 59 more items to list, so if there isn't something that floats your boat now...just wait. :) If there was anything from Silver Bella that you wanted to get and didn't...let me know and I'll see what I can do. My parents took the boys to the hotel for a little bit (the reason I could get 19 things listed), but they'll be back for dinner. We are having bratwurst mit sauerkraut und brotchen. :) Tomorrow, we'll be having hot dogs, sauerkraut and black-eyed peas....tradition. :) I hope you enjoy your New Year's Eve and I'd like to wish you the best in 2009!

I owe you pictures of a few things

Here is the bag I made in my Prada Schmada class. If you go over to Charlotte's blog (House Wren Studio) you can see the back of the bag.

This is the little house I made in Charlotte's other class.....I had her two classes in a row. :)

Here are the tiny PS bags I made for teachers and bus ladies (aide and driver).

Well, the boys came home yesterday. I can't stop squishing Billy. I'm glad they are home. Let's see what did I do before they got home....I worked on my charms for the Romancing the Charm swap. I really like the direction they are going in.....I've got to finish one element to them and attach both pieces to a jump ring and they will be complete. I've just got to come up with some cute packaging. Clark and I hit the PX....I swear everyplace here in Fort Benning/Columbus ha sbeen picked over by the vultures.....who needs all that crap?? Even if I needed anything, there wasn't anything to get. It was the same everywhere we went this weekend. Crazy shit. I guess since it was clearance...everyone thought they needed it. I wonder how much of that stuff will end up in the landfills and thrift stores. I updated the shop with a few things......I'm spacing them out. :) I've got loads of books, but I need to get the info off of them for the descriptions. My brother offered to send me his old digital camera....that will be cool. I can learn to take my own pictures, so when Clark isn't around I can do it myself. Woohoo...happy day....it was the sweetest gesture. I love my little brother. Don't worry, Winnie, you will always be my favorite sibling. :) I have no clue what is in store for today....totally up to my parents. :)

Little Houses

These are the little houses I made for Clark's soldiers.

Clark's camera battery died before he could take a picture of the bags....he took a butt load of pictures for the shop for me last night. :) The boys are coming home tonight....woohoo...I missed them. The house is really quiet without them. Let's see....Saturday....we vegged until around 1-1:30 pm and I just couldn't take it anymore, so we got ready and went out and about. We hit the local mall for the first (and last) time....I'm just not much of a mall person. We did get some pretzel sticks from Auntie Anne. We went to Michael's next....see what was left after the vultures had been through.....that is how badly picked over it was.....at least in Birmingham there was still a decent selection of clearance items a week after the holdiay....not here....it was pretty wiped out before Christmas. Oy. They are supposed to have a 70% clearance event this week...on what??? Barnes & Noble was next on the list.....Clark got a DVD set ofa show with a Mom with a mouth like mine....actually, she makes me look like an angel. :) I got many a clearance calendar....60%...I love my B&N membership card....10% off is better than nothing. I get my $25 worth every year. :) Clark decided to take me out to dinner, so we went to Red Lobster. There was a little girl there with a tulle confection of a skirt on....pink and black...too cute. I had the Atlantic Salmon-wood grilled....it was really good. Clark had some kind of pasta with crab in it. Not a bad day. Yesterday.....more vegging, a trip to the commissary, shop picture taking, more vegging. I'm glad the boys will be back tonight.....I'm not a big vegetable. :) I didn't get much accomplished on the cleaning up front, but it was nice weekend.

My children left me

My parents took them to Florida yesterday and they should be at the Magic Kingdom right now. :) I do wish I could see Billy's reaction. They promised to take lots of pictures. Jr has already been to one of the Disney theme parks...he's been to EuroDisney twice. :) Happy memories (except where the Frenchman made me cry when he said my big ass pregnant self couldn't go on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride....ridiculous.....they let me on the Peter Pan ride where the damn bar wouldn't fit over my belly, but I couldn't go on this one due to a tiny ass bump..bah.) SO Clark and I decided to head into Opelika and hit the thrift stores and antique/flea mall. I found a few things at the thrift stores, but hit the jackpot at the a/f mall. :) I got some really great new stuff for the store. Happy day. We ate at a Waffle House afterwards and then came home and watched "Law and Order", "Wife Swap" and "Super Nanny" re-runs. No grand plans for today....play it by ear. I hope you got some great bargains in your after-Xmas shopping. Please, I know you all went out and about.....us crafty gals are also cheap bitches. :)

Ho, ho, ho...whatever

Woohoo...Christmas is almost upon us. I just cannot get excited this year. We joined the masses on Monday to do last minute Chirstmas shopping...what a friggin joy...let me tell you. :) High point of the day was eating at Chick-Fil-A. :) We went to the commissary for groceries after all that shopping...I was pooped. Yesterday, wasn't as busy....I got to hit one thrift shop with my Dad. I found three things.....our thrift shops suck. :( My Mom made stir-fried noodles...the high point. Yes, food is usually the high point. That was lunch. Jr and my parents went to the movies last night...."The Tale of Despereaux". I had read it to him in Birmingham. They enjoyed it. Clark, Billy and I stayed home and had fruit loops (Billy) and some kind of sausage, red beans & rice, and frnech bread for us. It was actually really good for canned beans & rice. :) I had hoped to go out and about with my Dad again today....but it wasn't meant to be....he just dragged my Mom out to the surplus stores. I've been baking pies...two pecan and two pumpkin. We'll be having spiral sliced ham tomorrow. Food...it is always about food with me. :) I don't eat much, but I love food. I still need to wrap presents. I just can't seem to get motivated this week. :) I hope you all have a wonderful, snow-filled Christmas. Enjoy your food!

Mmmm....buffet

My parents arrived yesterday. We went over to their hotel for a little bit and then headed out for dinner. Wendy...I know where to take you if you ever visit. The Hong Kong Buffet in Columbus. It was excellent.....great selection of food and the price wasn't bad (I peeked at the bill....thanks, Pops). I was so proud of Jr....he tried everything from lychee fruit to french-fried frog legs (thanks to his Dad). He didn't mind the squid or crab...loved the lychee fruit and went back for more. Billy was very well behaved...granted he got multiple trips to see the water feature/fish. I was a disappointment to my folks.....I just cannot stuff myself silly....at least not to their standards. :) Another reason why they love Clark more than me. Billy got brain freeze due to the ice cream....too funny....best face ever. I don't know what everyone has planned for today.....I know we need to hit the commissary (supplies are getting really low) and there is more Xmas shopping to do. My Dad and I are hoping to slip away and hit some thrift stores. I know...like I need more merchandise....what I really need is to get what I have photographed and listed. I am so bad. I'm planning on doing it when they steal the children after Christmas. I'm going to get loads of things photographed before Clark goes on TDY in January.....he'll be taking his camera with him. So you have lots of new cheap goods to look forward to in the New Year. :) I guess I should shower and such before my parents get here and start ripping on me for being lazy. :)

18 houses and 6 bitty bags

All done and are with their new owners...whew....oy...crafting takes it out of you. In a good way, of course. :) I actually made 8 bags...I've got two left...they came in packs of four. I'll have pictures up this weekend hopefully. Clark has had a rough week...they had a 12-mile "nature walk" on Thursday morning and he's still bushed. I have to tell you....I am in love with potato stamping now.....I had so much fun making the mini-prada schamada bags. I'll have to get a picture of my bag I did in class....I finished it a few weeks ago. I love potato stamping so much that I even made tiny little tags for the bags with the same pattern. I probably should have been cleaning up my house....we still have unpacked boxes (she says sheepishly). I did start on the kitchen today and cleaned up the counters. I re-arranged things....much better now. The rest of the house sucks....just forewarning my parents. I have a few goals for next year...finish unpacking/cleaning up the house, make more crafty items, and working on improving my Etsy store. I've got all the packages from the giveaway ready to go tomorrow......except Elizabeth's....I still need an address, please? I hope you all enjoy your goodies. I had fun putting something together for you all. I should of just gave you extras from Silver Bella...darn it. :) My sister has a new blog.....it's on the side bar... "The Life and Times of Wendy Hue"...finally....now everyone can leave her bitchy comments. :) Maybe she can host a swap...she does have a thing for ATCs. I convinced her to branch out and join the charm swap...there are only 13 of us that I know of...I bet Trish would still let you join....it's a Valentine's charm sawp...you know you want to try it. :) I'll quit while I'm ahead.

Facebook and I've been gettin' my craft on

I joined facebook the other day...oy. That is some crazy shit. I did lurk around and peeked to see who all was on it that I knew from HS.....so never want to re-live any of that. Man, it is a big time waster....even more than blog hopping. :) In between all of that I've been playing Martha. I have gifts for teachers to make and gifts for troops to make. My deadline for the troops moved up to tomorrow.....then why am I in here and not crafting....no real excuse....I had to come in here for more embellishments and decided to check my email. I decided to make little "Charlotte" houses based on the ones I made in her class at SB. The teachers are getting scaled down versions of the Prada Schmada bags. :) It's a Charlotte Christmas. I hope to finish them tonight and have Clark take a picture of all 18 of them. I'll work on finishing the bags tomorrow...houses first. :) I did set up the Xmas tree on the porch and it's all decorated. No lights.....I like no lights on trees....quirky that way. Well, back to the crafting. :)

And the winner is.....

Michelle of "Hold Dear"......can you please email your address, so that I can mail out the foofed prize. :) As you know...I'm such a sucker and there are never any losers here (well, except me). :) I've got addresses for everyone but Elizabeth and Cindy, please email me addresses.....okay, only if you'd like the booby prize I'm offering up...it's a surprise. That's the way my evil little mind works. In other news, I've lowered the prices on some of the goodies in the shop...I know the economy kind of sucks right now.....I know we all need our vintage/crafty fix, but we also need to feed our families. :) I've been trying to organize my trims this morning....I'm so funny...it's a lost cause. It has been a tad bit pleasantier (is that a word?...I doubt it), thanks to my Dad and his Pepsi points......it allowed me to download a few songs (like 28 or so) and that helps make te task a little bit better. :) Lenka is playing right now "The Show"...great song....love the video....happy tomatoes...too cool. I need to get back to work and I've got groceries to buy. I've actually been cooking.....homemade chili, lasagna, and macaroni and cheese....all this week...the freezer is full. Kind of nice with two bottomless pits in the family.

Shop Update- Take Two

These are Xmas craft packs.

This is the large Bella Grab bag.

This is the small chocolate box full of treasures.

Vintage matchboxes...each has been emptied of matches and tag kits put in their place.

This is the small Bella grab bag.

This is the large chocolate box.

I've got four of these pink vintage birds left.

A lot of these things are from Silver Bella (except the Xmas craft packs). I still have other things left over from Silver Bella that I have to work on tweaking for Etsy. :) Go shop!

Shop Update

I don't know why these aren't going in nicely...argh....here is a selection of the vintage Christmas items I added this morning.

This is the actual 100th post!

Here is the prize for my giveaway. I foofed til I could foof no more. It turns out that one of the posts was just a draft and this is the actual 100th post. How cool is that?? You have until Saturday at midnight to leave a comment to win my foofed up wreath. Good luck. I'll be updating my shop soon...woohoo...I know. :) I'm hoping for more than 40 comments...I think that was the most I ever got....that was for May's giveaway. We'll see how many people actually read my blog now.

Wow!

I was just going to post about the new swap I joined. I've been itching to join one and I missed most of the cutoff dates. I was bummed.....until this morning I checked out Swapdex. Happy, happy. The Tattered Rose is hosting a "Romancing the Charm Swap'" in honor of Valentine's Day. You make a charm for each participant (up to 30) and get one back from each participant. I wanted another shot at charm making, since I kind of blew the first one. :) If you are interested head on over...plenty of room. Just click my title....oh, I hope that works. I've been working on things for the shop. I de-listed over half my shop...most of the items were put up in August and were coming up on their expiration dates anyhoo. I've been gathering for photos and making Christmas craft packs. I think I will try two sizes of Bella grab bags....small and larger. :) I'm going to try to put a little bit of everything I sold at Vendor Night into them. Some things aren't quite feasible. Breakables.....they are going into paper bags and this is me....I'd probably break them before they got near the bags. :) You'll get trims, crafter's crack, ephemera and more. When I went to start this post...I realized (thanks to Blogger for keeping tabs) that this is my 100th post. Since May...wow. Man, that calls for some sort of giveaway...oy. I suck at those....I keep promising and promising. Like, someday I want to host a swap...is that ever going to happen??? I think I know what I can give away....it is something I made almost a year ago. It's pretty, but needs some foofing.....you all love your foof and it isn't foofed. I will foof and then post. I am having a giveaway before this week is done. I'm bound and determined now. I must go figure out how to foof.

Crafting is dangerous business :)

I decided to work on something crafty today...use up some supplies that my Pops had sent me...damn pom poms. I was actually getting a good start and things were going smoothly....until I poked the hell out of my finger and it started bleeding. It went down hill from there....everything I touched craft-wise has gone to shit. I can't seem to get back into the swing of things. I lost my mojo, muse or whatever the heck you want to call it. Maybe it was a sign from the Gods to get back to the laundry. :) Never...I refuse.....that's back breaking work...I think I prefer the finger poking work. If Clark is feeling better tonight....I'll see if he can take a few photos for me...so that I can update the shop (with vintage items....I'm not attempting anything that needs cutting or assembling). Smoochy poo (Billy) is here...I think I'll go torture him.

Our puppy is home!!

Okay, he's not really a puppy anymore..he is 14 months old. We got him a new kennel thing to sleep in....his other one was kind of small. I washed his favorite blanket and had it ready for him and what does he do...he escapes from his collar in the parking lot. Poor Clark had to chase him down.....he's sick and you could tell it hurt. I got three loads of laundry washed and two thirds of it folded. I've still got a small hill to do....blah. We got last week's mail today...that is a really nifty service the USPS offers...mail holding...it was really easy....did it over the internet. I've got a stack of magazines to go through. The boys had a good day at school....the bus was early for Billy today....I didn't mind...it was chilly outside. I got a Fed-Ex bill.....I was wondering why no charges had popped up from SB....not bad...$27.24 for two boxes using the express three day service (EDIT: That was for one box...I just got the bill for the other box for a grand total of $89.33 for the two boxes...still better than what happened to the other girls). They were not light boxes. I got through part of the last one today. I've got an idea of how to sell the rejects. I'm thinking a grab bag sort of thing...I've got leftover bags in different sizes......you'd get so much trim yardage, assorted ephemera, and other items that I can't easily list on Etsy. It would be totally random and you wouldn't really know what you get until it arrives. What do you think?? If it is a stupid idea, let me know...before I try it. :) I just want to go to bed right now....I wonder if I can talk everyone else into hitting the sack a little early tonight. It can't hurt.

We're Back!!!

We got home around 3:30 p.m. today.....it would have been earlier, but those damn Hokies fans held up traffic in VA yesterday. We didn't get as far as we had hoped on Saturday, but the hotel room was really nice....Holiday Inn Express in Hillsville, VA. It was nice to visit with family, but I'm glad to be home. We pick up Baccus from the kennel tomorrow.....Clark misses his dog. We had to hit the commissary this evening....oy...spent a butt load...most of it was replenishment of things we let lapse because of our trip. I've reopened the store...finally...I know. Since I only mail on Saturdays.....I didn't want people to have to wait weeks for their purchases. I'm home now...shop to your heart's content and mine. :) I'm hoping to list new things and SB rejects this week. I've just got to finish unpacking my SB box.....I got one done before we left. I only got to hit two thrift stores in MD...blah and they both kind of sucked. Wendy and I got our craft on Friday night....we both hit a creative block about the same time...12:45-ish and packed it in a little after 1:00 am. We started little board books...something new to both of us. She is making hers into a picture album. I am just putting nifty things in mine...lots of vintage lace pieces. I didn't bring a lot of ephemera....stupid on my part...I did have one piece in the bottom of my Scotty Dog suitcase from SB. It looks perfect in the little book...it's a menu card...perfect for me...I do love food. :) I think I'll go have some coffee, snuggle under some blankets and veg out in front of the tv with two Sunday papers....I love Sunday papers.....I got two last weekend and two this weekend....bite me, Tom (brother-in-law who made fun of my papers, but took them to burn in the fire place...I heated your damn house for the week).

Happy Gobble, Gobble Day from Churchville, MD

I know you are wondering where in the hell is Churchville?? It's between Baltimore and Deleware....in the sticks. :) The only shopping I've done since getting here is for food...which I really don't mind. I did manage to help my sister reorganize her closet....I've sent her two big rubbermaid boxes full of crafting stuff in the last few years...oy. She's cut off. We went to Greensburg, PA yesterday...my Father's hometown. We went by his childhood home and saw how diffferent things look. :( The house seemed so much bigger when we were little...it doesn't help that most of the big trees have been cut down. We got to stop in at the Hostess Bakery Thrift shop...our Grandfather used to take us there to get a treat.....so now my Dad got to take his grandkids. Clark, Wendy, and I were like mad people rushing through there....we got three bags worth....for 8 people tp share...hey, I've got a thirteen year old and a 36 year old. :) We stopped in to see our Aunt and one cousin...we got roast beast and smushed potatoes. Dr. Donnie (our beloved little brother) is coming up from VA this morning. It should be fun. ...we are nuts when we all get together.....our husbands start to wonder why they married us. I hope your Gobble, Gobble Day is a grand one. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

AAR on Vendor Night

That is after-action report. I wanted to wait until I got my boxes unpacked (okay, one is still sittting in the kitchen). It was an amazing experience. I was horribly nervous and tired, but it was worth it. I had way too much stuff for my tiny table.....6x3' sounds big, but in reality with as much stuff as I had....very, very small. :) A lot of my merchandise got overlooked, because there was just too much to take in. I didn't have a camera with me...too busy to take pictures anyhow (and the lack of sleep made me whacky...ask Kim Kwan). I think my sister might have taken a picture of my table. I actually did sell quite a bit. I stressed so much about the look of my table...I should have just thrown a few of my UPS boxes on the table and let people dig. I ended up letting people dig through a large box of things because I didn't have room for them in my display. They had more fun digging through that box. :) My vintage Xmas decorations went over the best, I think. Oh, and the $2/pair vintage earrings. My prices were good for an event like this. I had nothing over $20.....if people had been able to see that better....it might have gone as well. I should have posted my price signs up higher.....but I wasn't sure I could use the back wall. I wasn't in the best spot......I was in the very back corner, near the kitchen door.....so it was hard for people to dig for things. At one point, I had three or four women digging at the same time....crazy. :) Crazy good. Some people didn't even get to my table. My prices were good in part because it seems a lot of the ladies were on a tight budget. I was joking with people...."Come back to my table with your last $20....you can get a lot from me for $20"...it was true. Let's see other things that went over well....vintage millinery birds. I was so honored....Mary of Sweetpeas & Snapshots loaded up on birds for a Valentine's kit she wants to make. Another highlight...when Andrea of "One Hundred Wishes" came by my booth, looked and my prices and bought stuff. :) This post is all over the place...kind of like that night. If think I would like to be a vendor again next year......just the shopping to get ready for it will be a blast. I loved selling to all these wonderfully crafty women and hearing what they were planning on using things for later on. I would spend less time fretting over a tablescape...for the type of things I sell and the prices I sell them at...they are not expecting a table like Karla's, Heather's, Analiese's, Carol's and any of the other well-established vendors. I'd do a little something, but nother too extravagant. I would start putting things away and pricing months earlier. I would add the .07 sales tax in the prices.....it was too late for me to do that this year. It wasn't horrible...just a little time consuming. I think I would splurge and get two tables instead of one....that way people wouldn't have to dig on the floor. I would get there at least a day early, so that I could do the unpacking, last minute pricing and fretting before opening night. That way I'd be awake for my classes and vendor night. It doesn't hurt that I'd get to see more of Second Chance Antiques as well. I only got to shop for half an hour and you have to dig there. A place after my own heart. Back to vendor night.....I'm glad I brought bags....I was giving them to people who didn't buy anything as well....Clark had stamped my shop name on both sides of the bag and we slipped business cards inside as well. I did put out a stack and some people who didn't buy, took one. Always have a stash of those at your table. Most of what sold for me was things that they could use in their mixed media art later on. I want to thank everyone who came by my booth (whether you bought anything or not). I had a grand time. If you have any questions..just ask and I'll try to answer them. If you get the chance to do a vendor night/craft fair....do it. The experience alone was great. Yes, I made back my table fee and shipping costs there......shipping for my two boxes back...don't know yet.....Fedex hasn't charged me yet. A lot of the ladies are having problems with FedEx right now. I wish them luck getting it all sorted out. Well, later today we are leaving for MD. I'll try to blog while I'm there.....not promising. Have a great weekend and enjoy Thanksgiving!

Oh, woo hoo.....

my two boxes with the rejects arrived today. I told the Fedex guy to leave them on the porch. I told him I doubt anyone here would want any of what was in there......there are no artsy-craftsy people in this neighborhood. :) I need to go out and open them up...blah. So I was inspired by Ms. Inspire Co herself to get off my ass and start cleaning up my studio/office. You can almost walk in here....of course, you could always walk in here.....at your own risk. It's looking much better. I still need to unload the two boxes though....ugh. On a really happy note...Lili sent me a box...happy day. :) It was just what I needed...full of European goodies....yummy...mine, all mine. Until the boys get home....then I'm screwed. I need to start another load of laundry for our trip on Saturday.....I cannot believe how quickly this week has flown....it still feels like I just got off the airplane. If you live in the MD/DC/VA area....maybe Wendy and I can see you guys....let me know. We leave on Saturday, arrive on Sunday and have until next Saturday. There is a really cool looking shop in Bethesda that I'd really like to try to hit. I just need to talk Winnie into it. :)

Damn, I'm so tired...still

I'm finding it hard to get motivated. I so need to clean up my office....it isn't much of a happy place right now...oy. Egads....it looks like hell in here. I'm still waiting on my two boxes of rejects from Vendor Night. I'm hoping to figure out a way to offer it up for sale at my bottom of the barrel prices. :) Marian, I will work on my pricing...just for you. :) The others may hate you for it, though. I did finish up my Prada Schmada bag last night....I had lcae that was half-sewn to the bag. I'm not sure if I'm going to embellish it much....it has to be the right embellishments....baked good related. :) I'll try to get Clark to snap a photo tonight....if not, Charlotte (house wren studio) was nice enough to post a picture of the back of my bag on her blog today. It's the one with the potato-stamped cupcakes. I must give a shout out to Ms. Amy Powers for the idea of how to go about it....you rock, Amy. I just love all the ladies I met....the best group of artsy-crafty angels you'll ever meet. I don't know what to work on next...I'm dreading finishing anything...liek the spell will be broken once they are all done. I'm thinking of packing some of it to go to MD this weekend.....that way Wendy and I can continue Bella crafting at her house. We had three of the five classes together. I've got all sorts of fragments of ideas in my head for my Etsy shop. I'm hoping to find some treasures in MD as well....if I get a chance. I'll be able to leave the boys with my parents....woohoo. Well, my brain just blanked out on me....I'll be going now. :)

I want to thank the queen of glitter

Teresa Mcfayden totally rocks. Thank you for putting on such an amazing event. I had the most amazing time. I cannot even put into words what it was like right now. I'm still star struck, paint covered (it is not coming out of my nails and I don't care), dog tired, but still so excited. The teachers, the women I got to meet, the ART (not crafts) we got to make (and still need to finish) ....still blows my mind. I am not ashamed to admit I creid in the shower yesterday, because I was so sad it was over. I needed that break in the worst way and never knew it. I'm so brain dead right now...I'll try to write more later and I'll get Clark to take pics of my stuff. I even won two things (I shared with my sister). How totally friggin cool is that?? :)

I leave for Silver Bella tomorrow....

in the wee hours of the morning. :) I've been busting my butt all day trying to get everything together...oy. I did get distracted and decided to create some art....I made some more ATCs. They just need a little extra touch, but I can't find my friggin glue gun. My happy place is a huge mess.....not looking forward to cleaning up this dump when I return. :) I got my swap done....big sigh of relief....the first one ended up as a run through....in other words, I bit it big time. The second one is much nicer. Thank goodness.....the foul language that was coming out of this room was not pretty....ask my sister....we were on the phone at the time. I'm almost done packing....the suitcase I dug out is broken though.....I'll wait and let Clark help me dig out the other one. :) I got my Moo cards in the mail today...I'll try and remember to save a set to show you....they are packed already. Well, dinner needs to cooked. I shut my store down for a little bit...until after the 1st of December. We are going out of town for Thanksgiving, so I thought I'd take a little break. I hope you all have a great weekend....I cannot wait. Excited and nervous.....but the glitter is going to fly and we will all probably be drunk when it does. :)

I've been working on the railroad...

not really.....just ATCs. I decided for sanity's sake (mine) and time that I'd just make extra ATCs for my teacher gifts. I got the jewelry together, made my swap sign (very plain), finished up three vintage chocolate boxes filled to the brim with treats, started my swap project....I ran out of natural sunlight (I prefer to sew in it), made a price sign for my table for items not individually marked, and finished re-filling the crack bottles. I had quite a productive day.....now I'm going to take the evening off and watch Chuck. Just two more days til I fly......eek....what to wear?

Good weekend

I got to go to two thrift stores, one antique mall, and an estate sale this weekend....woohoo. I didn't find much at either thrift store, but I did find some treasures at the antique place. I found some things at the estate sale today as well. Vintage stationery....Xmas themed. I scooped up the whole bunch.....I hope the guy behind me didn't want any. :) I got a package from my parents.....coupons and other fun things. I've started gathering supplies in one place....I had to get two things today.....black staz-on stamp pad and a potato. I finally got copies of the two new Stampington magazines...Winter Artful Blogger and Where Women Create....B&N didn't have either the other day and wasn't planning on getting WWC in at all. Thank you, Michael's. Let's see what else have I done that I can bore you to tears with.....I got about half the crack bottles fixed. :) Don't worry, Alisa....I'll save you some crack....it might not be the color you want...just teasing...I'll hold a whole set of 28 under the table until you get to me. Oh, I bought some treats to share in my classes today at the commissary......every year CONUS commissaries get international foods in for Xmas time.....so those of us that are homesick for a country we've lived in can get our fix. I'm bringing some European cookies and gummi candies. Well, I need to go work on dinner and SB projects. Just a few more days......so excited.

She lives and loves UPS

We just got back form the UPS store here on post...I am so glad they have one in the PX. The PX is a short ride form the house....woohoo. I was bad and used their "pack and ship" thing...they packed my boxes.....I just couldn't...my eyes are just so tired. Clark get off early today and he helped me bring it all in. It almost looked like I raided some old relative's house....see if you can imagine my table now. :) I got the last display piece in the mail today and did a quick run-through on the bed...no picture..no time. There are still things to price, but I'll do those Thursday night at the hotel. It involves price tags, safety pins and a brain....I figured I shouldn't hurt myself. i have to take my crafter's crack on the plane with me...on the ride over I realized some of the sequins had settled (a little too much and I'd look like a cheap bitch trying to sell bottles that aren't full)....so back home with me they are.....woohoo, shoving tiny ass sequins into tiny ass jars....my weekend is going to rock! I picked out what jewelry I'm going to bring and that will come on the plane as well....I was lucky I had the brain power to pick out pieces. I've got 10 ATCs (actually 12...making one for Wendy and one for myself), one swap project, six teacher/hostess boxes, 7 swap boxes for my participants, sign for my swap, assorted price tags to put on containers of like items and I think that is it....well, gathering and packling clothes and supplies. Clark was a sweetheart and helped me last night....he stamped 125 bags on both sides with my new stamp and painted stripes on six lids and six round containers for me. The stripes on the boxes were perfect...it was that little extra something that I was lacking. I like how my table looks....happy, happy, happy. We get to go to Opelika tomorrow.....spending/vending cash for SB....the bank is 30 miles away....that is okay....there are two thrift shops and an antique mall on the way. Who knows....maybe I can talk Clark into stopping by...I might find something else for SB or the shop.....that would kick ass. Well, the boys will be home soon and I need a break. Have a great weekend and all you Sb procrastinators....I hear your call and I'll respond later. :)

I hate being sick

I actually had to call Clark at work yesterday and ask him to come home.....I had thrown up four times by that point. I slept most of the day...I never sleep that much. I was so dehydrated this morning that I think my kidneys hated me. I've been sucking down a glass of water an hour all morning. I need to drink this hour's glass. My lower back area no longer hurts, but I'm still feeling a tad yucky. Clark called me "Typhoid Mary" yesterday afternoon when I stole a bite of his brownie....I got the last laugh....dumbass is sick today. :) I was making such good progress on SB and now I've lost more time. Argh. I'm hoping to get a little done today after I get Billy to school. It's mostly pricing and attaching said price tags to items. My head just hurts and I know that will make it hurt even more. Oh well....off to drink more water....woohoo. Happy Birthday, to my Jr...today is his birthday...13...he's a teenager....blah. He was supposed to stay little forever.

Crafter's crack and birthday dinner

The birthday dinner for the boys was nice. The Steak N' Shake was really neat......kind of like a low key Johnny Rockets...which was one of their favorite places to eat in Birmingham. Billy got his fill of french fries, then decided to fill up on my fries and shake (even though he had his own little shake). I got a turkey club, Jr got a bacon cheeseburger and cheese fries, and Clark got the double Steakburger platter. The food was good and no one minded that Billy stood in the booth the whole time. :) I got some SB stuff done before we headed out yesterday...Clark accused me of running a crafter's crack den from my office. :) I was filling little bottles with vintage French and Belgian sequins.....28 different colors. He asked if I had any dime bags as well. Smart ass. I'll show him....I do have some other vintage sequins and such to put in little bags. I make have to mark my price sign at SB....Crafter's Crack $3.00/bottle. :) I finished up all the "cotton candies" last night....I made 35 sets of six (but I will let the ladies pick which six they want...not unlike the tiny candy jars they can fill with loose vintage beads). I've got some cool German sandwich/pastry bags for the candies. I bought them years ago (when we were stationed in Augsburg) I thought they'd come in handy at bake sales. I've still got tons....I've used them for multitudes of goody bags and for tag kit bags. They are just plain white, but I like them. My to do list is dwindling......I love that. I've hit my groove and I am having fun with it all now. It turns out that my bed is almost as long as my table will be.....so I did a run through on my bed the other day. I'll do another one when the boys are in school this week. I've just got jewelry and textile/fun things to price (and a few more Xmas things...I had to stop and make more tags). I'm working on little kits to sell.....they are in vintage chocolate boxes from England. I know what I'm going to do for my ATCs for class and have an idea of what sweet treat I'm going to make.....I had to dig out my felt. I've got to assemble goodies for my swap particpants and I figured out what to give my teachers. A lot of the gals are making art for them....I'm going with what I know best...supplies. I got the neatest Xmas goody boxes from Martha's Xmas line at Michaels...it has four compartments in the box....nifty. I can stuff all sorts of fun things in there...woohoo. Don't worry I don't just have SB on the brain...I started some neat, little crafting kits for the store.....there will only be ten of those.....I only had ten of one thing I wanted to use....limited edition. :) I've got a Cinderella kit that is photographed....I just need to figure out shipping cost and find a box to ship it in. Well. back to the grindstone....see how much I can get done before "The Amazing Race".

It's my Monkey Baby's birthday

He's four today!!! Happy, happy. He's had a pretty good morning so far. He gets to go out and about later, so that will be even better. Silver Bella preperations are going well....I've been making up for lost time. I'm hoping to wrap it all up in the next few days, so that I can concentrate on some arts & crafts I need to complete. Well, I need to hit the shower....I've got Etsy packages to mail and time to spend with my birthday boys (Jr's birthday is Wednesday...so we are going out for both of their birthdays tonight). Yes, Jr has to wait til Wednesday for his presents. Have a great weekend!

Happy Halloween!!!

This is the pumpkin my husband carved for me. :) It even has a little mouse.

I'm such a sillyhead

ARGH! I just wrote out a nice long post and my request took to long and I lost it. Long story short....I changed my mind again on how my table will look for Vendor Night. Much happier and don't you worry....I will find a use for the other fabric. Billy turns 4 on Saturday and is learning his alphabet and getting good at it. Jr turns 13 on Wednesday and that is nuts. Tomorrow is Jr and Clark's favorite holiday.......mostly for the candy and gore. Yuck. That is it in a nutshell. :)

So close.....

I am one away from 100 sales....oy. If I had my shit together...it would've been today...but that is okay. I've had a crappy day...couldn't get much of anything done. I did bag some ephemera and cut some more trim...I am way over 200 yards of trim. I hope you Bellas like your trims. :) I didn't get a chance to go to hubby's office and do a run through....I did it on the kitchen floor again. I will be using some of the things from the thrift store after all...oooh...I need to remember to price those as well. I want to come home with nothing but the things I buy. :) I got my fabric and it is too cute. I've been painting a little bit everyday and it still seems like I haven't made a dent...it was that way with spaghetti growing up....I hated spaghetti whenI was a kid. :) I love it now. We had some a few weeks ago and I used the Barilla Plus pasta...not bad. I tried whole wheat lasagna noodles as well. I got off track again....food does that to me everytime. I've got so much stuff I've been hoarding for SB.....now to just pull it all together. I love the idea of the vendor night.....I can sell things that aren't really feasible on Etsy....not if I want to cover my Etsy fees....they are so high. :) I've got a lot of things priced under $5...I've got a bunch of things under $1...who am I kidding. I just figure you don't always want a whole lot of something and don't want to have to spend a lot either. This way you can get a little of something and so can someone else and neither of you have to pay out the ass for it. :) I'll take all the cheap goods/sales. My Dad has an excellent idea...he said I should make up a little sheet/board with the trims I have more of at home, so that people can see what I have and if they'd like to do a special order they can. I started cutting 6-inch snippets of all the trims I know I have plenty of.....I cut four yards of each trim. Some trims only had four yards, some not even that, and I have some that I have loads of.....that is what I get for getting my trims here and there. Most of what I am bringing is all I have of most items....so that I can start building up my inventory again...I love a reason to thrift shop/yard & estate sale. :) I am bummed though...my artistic idol....Julie Collings isn't going to have a vendor table at SB afterall.....argh. I was so looking forward to meeting her and buying out her table. :) I guess one of these days, I'll just have to get my ass on a plane, go home to visit the folks and see if we can meet up somewhere. :) I guess I should get back to work....I'll bring the basket of trims into the livingroom with me to roll and bag....."Chuck" is coming on. I can't miss "Chuck".....it's right up there with "Pushing Daisies", "Ugly Betty" and "Grey's Anatomy" for me.

Wicked Witch Switch

This is the loot I received from Tanya of Enchantments and Giggles. Not bad. She fed my fabric addiction. Thanks, Tanya. Silver Bella preparations are coming along...I've been painting this morning....had to wait until Billy went back to sleep. I got game/flash cards bagged and tagged yesterday. The pom poms are done...nice old school craft supply. I actually have some left...argh. Too many of certain colors and not enough of others....oy. I think I'll donate those to Billy's class. :) I started making a list of what was left to do. I asked Clark if he could take me into his office this weekend....they've got some long tables...so I can do a new run through off the ground. I think I'll be able to visualize it much better. So much to do, but I'm not as stressed about it anymore. I'm so excited my sister will be coming. Her birthday was Saturday and she got a cuttlebug courtesy of my parents. I did get her an embossing plate and one diecut.....I just need to send them. I'm waiting because I had something neat for her, but in all this SB stuff....I've misplaced them....argh. Yes, the happy place is a mess yet again. :) I need to take the things for SB that are done and move them to another room. We shall see. Well, I need to go...more work to be done. I have been thinking of new things for the Etsy shop as well.....unfortunately, those will be on the back burner until November. :(

Ooh, that's bad

I did a run through of my table with said props and merchandise....ugh. It was not pretty and I was back at square one. Good thing I got those things at thrift stores and they were cheap (they'll make great storage in my happy place though). :) I was so stressed out. Man, Karla has two out of three done and packed......Heather (Pretty Petals) knows who she is and what her table is going to look like (wonderful, of course.....I love all that romantic shit).....grrr. Yesterday, I was putzing around on Etsy...hoping for a sale.....very slow week.....very....non-existent. That is a totally differnt thing. :) I figured out what to do and got a few things off of Etsy. I did have to run to Michaels (I went to our new Jo-ann's as well...it sucks) to find a few things. They didn't have evrything, so I may have to hit Hobby Lobby this weekend. I love that we've got a couple options of places to go. I'm not spilling the beans though.....top secret. :) I am really excited about it though. Very happy and I will be painting this weekend. I ordered my sweater for Vendor Night and my sister got me a tiara to wear as well. She is coming, too. She'll be helping me and taking classes. I think we'll have a good time and the support and help on Vendor Night will be wonderful. She's waitress part-time, so she will be writing up the sales slips.....plus, she has that "I hate you for paying attention in grammar school" handwriting. The kind they teach you...she liked it so much, so that is how she actually writes...cursive and all..bitch. :) I've ordered our shirts and charms and am really starting to get a little excited. There is still a lot to do.....pack up my supplies, work on swaps, finish vendor night wares.....feeling much better about it all. I got all my Halloween swaps...Lili has pictures on her blog of both of ours....thanks, Lili. I've got pictures of what Tanya sent, I just need more time to blog them. I've got a meeting at the school this afternoon and really should eat something....because I'm STARVING!!!! I was so busy this morning my breakfast was piddly. Bad, bad Wanda. At least I ate something. :)

This blows

I just found out ME Home Companion is ceasing publication soon...the DEC/JAN issue will be the last one. That totally sucks. I love her magazine. I've hoarded them...I guess it will be a good thing for our weight limit. I used to rip out pages and keep them, but as I've gotten older my tastes have changed a little and when I find an older one....I like to keep it for inspiration. We've had a long weekend and it's been a very low key one as well. We stayed home (except one trip to the Post Office for my two sales.....I'm lucky I got those two sales...and a trip to the commissary for food) and lounged about, watched SciFi (not really me...those cheap horror flicks are just not my thing), worked on the exercise bike we got two weeks ago, and just hung out. I got a little SB vendor stuff worked on.....it's hard when Billy is home....he likes to touch and feel and throw everything. I need to really knuckle down and get the vending stuff out of the way, so that I can work on the ten ATCs for one class and my swap. I just can't quite decide what I want to make....cookies, cake...the options..oy. Dinner was good....I tried something new....roasted red potatoes. I just read that getting more fiber in your diet helps you lose weight. I got some of that Fiber One yogurt as well....the key lime pie one is pretty good. I'm hoping between watching what I eat and working on the bike...I'll be a tad more slimmer for SB. At my DR's appointment last month...I was at an all time high (non-pregnancy) of 142 (with clothes/shoes on). I know, some of you are thinking that isn't bad.....if you are 5' 5" or taller. I'm 5 ' 1 1/2"...if I'm lucky. So I look at a tad dumpy. I won't be dressing up in a gown.....too much trouble, trying to find one and since I'm vending...it will be easier to wear pants. I did find a really cute 1950's sweater to wear.....I'm thinking of going as the girl who didn't get asked to Prom. :) It wouldn't be a far reach...I never had a date to any prom...I always went by myself. :) Some saddleshoes would be cool and rolled up jeans. No curlers in my hair though.

Trims, trims, trims

I was tagging some loose trims and decided to count how many I've bagged and tagged so far for SB....oy. It's a lot and I have trims I haven't even started cutting into 1 yard lengths. They are going to range in price from $1-$2/yd. I've got old florist ribbon that I cut up into larger yardage and they are 25-50 cents/yd. I've got more of those to cut as well. Well over 100 yards of trims in 1-yd increments. If you want trims, I'm your woman. I got all my vintage birds tagged today. I'm about halfway through the vintage Christmas ornaments. I've got five mini boxes to wallpaper and then I need to start filling those and the other little boxes with all sorts of treasures. What else am I bringing??? Vintage millinery fruit, vintage tart and jello tins, some sort of ephemera packets, yo-yos made from vintage fabric, "cotton candies", misc vintage items (small figurines, baby bonnets & booties, etc), vintage jewelry, loose vintage beads, unopened packages of ric rac and bias tapes, some funky flocked fruit, vintage cake decorations and whatever else I can tag and bag before November 1st. That is the date I want to be finished tagging. I'm going for a German flea market feel to my booth. I want people to just dig and have fun finding inexpensive things for crafting. I've been finding containers to use at thrift stores...I plan on having those for sale as well....neat tins, silver footed bowls, metal trays. I want to bring little to nothing back with me. I'd like to find one or two bigger containers....a hat box would kick butt. Something that can be towards the back and hold a bunch of stuff. :) Happy day....I got my box form Lili today. I'm waiting until Clark gets back from work....that way we can all see what is in it together. I know if there is candy, they'd sniff it out and find it anyhow. :) For you Bellas....are there any vintage things you are looking for??? Maybe I'll be able to find some before the 1st of November. Jewelry...just stuff to make other things with or do you buy for collections as well??? Questions, questions....always loads of questions.

Things are starting to go smoother

I got my tax stuff taken care of and the lady from NE is going to send me a sales tax form and envelope. We are supposed to collect sales tax, but we won't need a license....sigh of relief. I've am on the two other yahoo groups for Silver Bella....these were an information mother lode. I'm starting to feel the stress go away. I think I can start having fun with it now. I only got a few things bagged and tagged today. I'm waiting on a custom-made rubber stamp that I had commissioned from a lady on Etsy....CraftPudding. I can't wait to see how it turned out. I still need to figure out table ideas/storage containers. I found some really great favor containers on sale at Michaels that I plan to use....they should fit right in with my "food" theme of my store. I just can't decide if I should pre-fill them or or have a larger container of mixed up things for them to scoop out and fill themselves. Which would you prefer as a buyer?? You don't need to be a Bella to comment....delurk..all five of you. :) I still need to work on my giveaway prize....which will probably turn into a "I've sold 100 items in my store" or "It's Halloween" giveaway. I only need to sell 8 more things...I think. I'm happy to report that Lili's box made it to the Netherlands and they will be having a good Halloween. I can't wait for my box. So excited. I don't know if Tanya got her witch box or not. Lili is having a giveaway.....I need to put her on my sidebar...bad Wanda. Elizabeth is having one as well....."Thoughts of an Evil Overlord"....she is on the sidebar. Go forth and try to win some goodies. I will be updating my sidebar. :)

I'm a winner and a total loser

I won one of Karla's giveaways...the one for just Bellas. I get one of her handmade creations. Now the loser part...I was working on my own handmade creations and fudged one up. Man, that glue works well and it really sucks, because I only have so much of that pattern wallpaper. Argh...it was my new vintage wallpaper from Donna (Under the Red Roof). I want to scream...oh, wait..I did...thank goodness Billy had already left for school. I guess that will be a keeper. No, I didn't just screw up the bottom, I screwed up the top as well. I'm having an off kind of day anyhow. Have you ever had dreams that just stuckwith you all day even after waking up and you kind of go through the day completly out of it?? (I know you all are shaking your heads going why are we still checking out her blog...crazy woman.) I did get a lot accomplished yesterday.....I worked on my mouse sized boxes.....I'm covering those little paper mache boxes in vintage wallpaper....like little hat boxes for mice. I have all the "faux" leather boxes made up...I just need to start stuffing them to the gills with goodness. I'm thinking of keeping them for SB. It depends on whether I can find some more and get them done in time. I have plenty to stuff them with...I spent most of my "free" time (aka...Preschool) cleaning up my happy place. It was getting crazy. It is so much easier to get to things if they are all together. Who knew? I do and it still doesn't matter.....rat's nest....I need to have a sign made up for my door. :) I gathered up most of my trims in one large container...forgetting to keep some out for my giveaway project...argh. Of course, that contianer is now covered with other contianers. I suck. I'm so excited..."Pushing Daisies" comes on tonight, followed by Project Runway......it's a good girly night of television. I love all the retro looking clothes that put the gals in....inspiration for prom night...ha. That search is not going well....at least I'm not the only Bella having problems.....if the chat board is any indication. :) Oh well. I need to start on a new box...I've got two to cover and two to finish up. Happy first day of October!

I'm almost caught up

I mailed off two swap packages today (Sweet & Sinister and Wicked Witch). I forgot to have Clark take pictures......I just wanted to get them packed and mailed before the 1st came and went. I had to mail one of them myself....it is going to the Netherlands....custom forms....argh. :) I managed to create a mini masterpiece for Lili last night. I made two, but the glue I used on the one failed me and so that one will probably go to my sister (after repairs). I am very happy with how Lili's came out. I've decided to make some more (okay, time willing at least one more) and use it as a prize for my belated blog anniversary. So you will have to wait until I finish it and get a picture. I got the idea from Amy @ InspireCo and her Inspired Ideas e-zine. Not telling. I had such a good time just creating. I was in a little time crunch, but it was still great fun. I should really let myself do that more often and not just for swaps. I needed a few things from the craft store today, so we hit Michaels and Hobby Lobby. Hobby Lobby had a dismal Halloween section, but had scrapbook paper for 50% off, so I picked up some for Wendy (they don't have a Hobby Lobby). They also had two racks up front with 5/$1 scrapbook paper.....I got some for Wendy and her friend Amy. They are thinking about hosting a Christmas swap....so maybe this will get them to get their tushes in gear. It is the cutest vintage inspired paper. They have gone swap crazy. :) We picked up some Bagelfuls at Walmart...a new flavor we can't get at the commissary...blueberry. I love these things. We haven't found a good place to get bagels yet. These work out nice...the cream cheese is inside...yummy. Strawberry and cinnamon are good as well. Well, Billy Silly Pants is on my arm...need to go..ouch.

Introducing....Cotton Candies

Pastilles Mix

Red, White and Blue Mix
Chocoholics Mix

You get six cotton candies in each bag. Two of each "flavor". They are really 6 1/2" squares of vintage dotted swiss fabric. I just listed them in my store. I also added 8 more tea tins. Four red and four green....I have more red and green tea tins than the other colors. I only had one orange and one black, so I could only offer two Halloween tea tins. I've got enough red and green that I'm good for Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day (and I could make more Xmas ones if I want). I'm working on some more mouse sized goodies for the shop.....like the mouse trunk...I had so much fun with that.

Pressure

It was getting to me. I jumped into getting things ready for SB.....I wasn't ready, but kept reading how other vendors were working away. I had the worst crafter's block. I did manage to get a bunch of stuff worked on today for the shop. I just need Clark to take some photos for me. I got some more tea tins put together....eight of them...four red and four green....full of all sorts of good Xmas crafting goods. I worked on something I've been thinking about for months...finally got my mind wrapped around how to go about it. I'm very happy with the results and hope you all will like them as well. I hope to do some for Silver Bella. I did manage to slice part of my finger with my new rotary cutter....that is the only hint you are getting. It makes working hard with a bandage on your finger....oy. I have been blogging for a whole year....I started over at my other blog. Time has slipped away and I didn't plan anything. I will though....maybe I'll wait until I hit 100 over here....I'm funny aren't I?? I'll try to pull something out my ass this weekend. I feel so much better....as if a giant weight has been lifted from my slouched shoulders. Hopefully, this means my creative block is gone and I can have fun in my happy place again.

Bargains, bargains, bargains

I just marked down most of the stock in my store. It must be the change of the seasons. I want to flush out the old and bring in new things. Most items have been marked down...anywhere from 50 cents to a couple of dollars....so if you've been eyeing something...go get it. Shop, shop, shop. Help me empty the store, please. :) I do ship overseas....just convo me and I'll figure out the price.

Number 70

This is my 70th post over on this blog...wow. Gee...I wonder if I can hit 100 before the end of the year?? Not at the rate I'm going...a week has gone by...oy. You know it's bad if your parents gig you for not writing more. :) I've actually been a good girl and worked on Silver Bella stuff. I came up with a swap that only five other ladies want to join. Blah. :( Oh well....we can't all be popular. I scraped my original putting the trims on tags thing. I had looked at other vendors' sites and some of them wrap their trims on tags as well. So I rolled mine and then put them in bags. I decided to use up my rather out of control stash of cardstock (which since I don't swap as much...isn't gettting much use) and I made little topper things. They are very simple....they are folded in half and then trimmed with my scallopped pinking shears (I love those things). I'm handwriting all the prices/quantities. I asked Karla how to do the fancy pants way she does them....it is a lot of work and I'm not really good at all the computer stuff....it will have to wait until after Bella. I do like how the bags look with the toppers and I think I might want to continue that for my shop. I also hand punched scallopped circles nad folded those in half for the smaller bags. The toppers are all in pinks, white and cream...it is what I had the most of....I've got a lot of stuff though....I may have to branch out with another color or two. I got most of the trims cut, bagged, tagged and priced. I have a stash on a shelf (what I consider the good stuff) that I haven't done yet. I got all the vintage cake decorations done and started on vintage Xmas stuff. I have yo-yos to deal with and I've got a few more ideas that I want to work out with some nifty items. I think I want to make some ephemera packs with bookpages, wall paper, gift wrap and other fun papers. I've got different game cards already bagged from the store stock. I still couldn't wrap my head around my table size (Karla and a few others have already thought out merchandising and everything...oy), so I got out the brown wrapping paper and cut a 6' piece. It is about 6" too small in the one direction, but I think that is better....it will give me extra to play with when I get there. I now have a much better idea of how to set things out and what kinds of containers/stands/whatever to look for to use. I do have a few things already. I'm thinking that whatever I use should be for sale as well....so that I don't have to bring it home (hopefully). My arms and hands hurt so badly (all that punching and cutting and stapling) that I've taken the last two days off to do other things......I've got a ridiculous stack of magazines to go through....one was from May. Oy. I'm getting there and I'm hoping I meant get a few ideas for the table as well. :) I've got to finish up my two swaps. They need to be in the mail by 1 October and one is headed to the Netherlands. That is about it. Busy, busy, busy.....don't worry I've made time at night to watch Project Runway and a few other tv favorites. I've even had three sales this week. Happy, happy.

I've been cleaning and cutting

Yesterday, I spent two hours cleaning up Billy's room. He still doesn't really play with toys. He likes to dump them about and leave them there. It is easier (ha!) to let it go and then come in and do one big cleanup every once in a blue moon. I did it early after Jr and Clark left (Billy was still asleep) and that just about wiped me out for the rest of the day. I rearranged some of his furniture. It looks much better with some things switched around. He was so excited. I've still been overwhelmed with where to start on my vendor stuff. But, today, I was reading Karla's blog (Karla's Cottage) and it was nice to see that she was feeling the same way. Beth told her pretty much start with something you know you can already package. I thought that was good advice, so it motivated me. I started cutting my trims in 1 yard lengths. It didn't quite dawn on me until today....I can sell them in 1 yard lengths....they use them for paper arts, not for clothing. They don't need 3-5 yards lengths of any one trim. Variety is what they like and they can then pick and choose. I still think in more of fabric whore way. More is better and more of any one kind of trim is even better than that. We tend to hoard. So I am hoarding no longer...okay, I have set some trims aside for my use at Silver Bella for my kit. I've been wrapping them on tags as well. I'll cut a bunch and then go sit and watch Bravo and wind them on tags. I'll probably put them in cellophane bags as well. I think they will travel better that way and if people touch and don't buy at Vendor Night (there will be food), they won't get the trims dirty. Who wants soiled trims?? Not I. Anything that could be cut into 1 yard lengths has been fair game...some trims all I had was 1 yard...too bad...they are going to Omaha. I started a list of what else I'd like to sell....as a kind of to do list. So I feel much better. I guess my main problem now is how much of the other things to I want to bring. I don't want to bring too much and have to lug it home. Oh well....more trims to cut and wrap. Speaking of trims...I almost forgot....I listed some trims today....a couple 1 yard lengths and some 3 yard lengths. Thanks for the input. Well, I'm playing voodoo doll with my tomato pin cushion. Have a good night.

I'd like your opinion

I have a question about my shop offerings. Do you prefer the trim packs with 3 yards of assorted trims or would you prefer to buy 3 yards of the same trim?? Let me know....I'm constantly thinking of ways to tweak the shop. Thanks.

I'd like some cheese with my whine

I just reread my last post today...oy. Pop the snot bubble, why don't I. Disgusted with myself. Absolutely disgusted. The creative block just really kicked my ass and left me just down. I'm discouraged that I let my shop get away from me. At times I feel as if I need to make a good profit to justify having a shop. The things I was most excited about haven't done well. So I've been left thinking that I shouldn't do more of those things....the fun things, the ones where I get to be creative. I want to sell vintage things, but I don't want to be a vintage seller. Does that make sense?? So as much as I want to make new things and offer up supplies in a cute way (at least to me)....I am awful afraid to....I should learn to be more patient...things take time and I really didn't do bad for my first month. I just shouldn't be so darn hard on myself. So hopefully, this weekend I can work myself of this funk and come up with some new cute things for the shop. Have a great weekend.

I'm turning into a bookseller

My love of old books is overshadowing my love of all other vintage things right now in the shop. I think partly because I haven't decided what and how much of the craft stuff I'm taking to SB entirely. I worked out some of it in my head and on paper yesterday. It's made me kind of blah the last few days. The swaps have started on the yahoo group for SB.....I haven't really seen anything I want to do and most of them are filling up rather quickly (and a lot by the same gals). I'm thinking of hosting one of my own, but have hit a creative block (that is what is holding me up on all fronts). I did find some cute things for my two Halloween swaps this weekend. Lili doesn't have much Halloween stuff, so that makes it even more fun to find things. I should be getting my partner in the Witch Swap soon. :) Genevieve is going to host a Nutcracker Sweet Swap...she hasn't posted anything but the button....that tease. I had thought about using that as a basis for a Bella Swap, but I don't want to copy anyone. Oh..the books....I just listed a new batch of vintage books....a few childrens books, but mostly old French textbooks. They were college textbooks....I can't believe they used to be so small.....today's versions are way bigger and a lot longer for the same information. :) Gougers. They range in age from 1902 to 1930. I'm still hoping to list part of my jewelry stash someday, but I'm worried about pricing. I don't want to gouge, but I don't want to screw myself either. Darn it...this is the hard part of selling on Etsy. ...pricing. :) Well, I'm off to contemplate SB swaps ideas and vendor table ideas. Have a nice day and take a peek in the shop. If there is anything you are interested in seeing, let me know.....I'll try to be on the lookout for it (or I might already have some and just haven't listed it).

Swaps and a party

Card From Geralyn
Aralia
From Heidi
Toes, toes, toes.

Darlene Koppel
Heather
Deanna Huggard
Unsigned
Dawn Binyon

If I Could Set My Soul Free Party Button...too cute...just click on the title to this post to go on over to the party. :)
My loot from Meg of Boutique Nutmeg Designs.
LK
Melissa Merrill
Vivian Peters

I received two of my swaps last week.....the cards from Heather's Card Swap and my fabric from the Fall Fabric Swap. I was also invited to a party....you can crash, too. It is at If I Could Set My Soul Free....she has all sorts of nifty things planned. Go sign up to win some prizes, learn about neat blogs, and learn some new tricks. My Fall Fabric Swap buddy has a blog.... http://boutiquenutmegdesigns.blogspot.com/ ....go check her out.

Opelika and I'm getting to know the postman really well

We had to run into Opelika this morning (no, Dad, I haven't switched banks). I forgot the time difference...the state line is also the line between Central and Eastern time zones. I even went into a store early...I saw someone else go in and thought it was fine, because they were supposed to be open...oy. Huge dumbass moment. At least now we know why the back was open when we got there. :) At least I wasn't the only person who did it...there was another man who did the same thing. They were really nice about it....I guess it didn't hurt that I had some things in my cart already. :) I found some things for the store and some for Silver Bella. I was looking for items to use as containers for my table, but ones that were not too heavy and that I should be able to sell that night as well. I don't mind getting charged baggage fees for one flight, but I'm determined not to rack them up on the flight back as well. We didn't stop at the antique place...Billy had enough of the two thrift stores, so I didn't want to push my luck. Anyways we needed to get back....I had loads of things that needed to go out. I keep getting the same mailman...I guess since I come in on Saturday that makes sense. :) Did I tell you I'm brillant today?? He is starting to remember me. He won't forget me today.....I had a bott load to mail, plus I forgot to address one of them. Clark had to run back here to get the address for me. Oy. I've had a lot of time to think....waiting a lot the last two days. I had an appointment at the hospital yesterday and I had to get labs done and wait to get a prescription. Oh, how I hate to fast...no coffee in the morning just sucks ass. The coffee bar in the hospital...their plain drip coffee sucked ass (they serve Starbucks coffee, but when it's been sitting there all morning...yuck). Their espresso machine is broken......they've had a week or more to fix it. It was broken on Monday and by Friday it was still broken....blah. I actually made notes for SB while I waiting. What I want to definitely sell, how to set up my table...it was nice not to have to worry where Billy was and what he was getting in to. :) If my Etsy shop is any indication...the only handmade thing I make that people seem to like are yo-yos.....so I may just sell vintage wares that night. Of course, I'll bring yo-yos with me. Kind of bummed about that, but I have to remember I haven't been open for a whole month yet (almost) and it takes time. :) It is nice knowing that others like the same type of things as I do. Thanks for helping me bring down the weight for the next PCS....just kidding, I'll just buy new stuff to sell and hoard.

Awards and a prize

Don't you just love a jumble of pictures...eek. This is where I show my ass. This computer stuff kills me. I got two awards- one from Helles Belles and the other from Garden Goose. I know I'm supposed to link back and name others....I'm just not that cool (or as kickass as Melissa thinks I am). :) Thank you for the awards though....that was really nice of both of you. I won this prize from Elizabeth (Evil Overlord) and my boys love it. My photographer's assistant is in the picture again. That nut loves to get his picture taken. :) I've been busy filling my shop with more things...time consuming, but in a good way. I wanted to have enought things that I can just let it sit for a little while. I need to concentrate on vendor night preparations now. I've got some ideas, but I need so much more information and they haven't set up our yahoo group yet. :( I guess there are still vendor applications being mulled over. I've been trying to talk my sister into going to Silver Bella....I need some slave labor for Friday night and I offered to share my room with her. We will have to wait and see if she takes the bait. I've got to work on my swap projects as well.....just two more...both due in the mail by 1 October. I'm having so much fun with my shop though. I've been going through all my old clippings and have started an inspiration board for table ideas...which is only 6'x3'...I don't know why I have 6'x9' stuck in my head...silly girl. I got really good mail today.....a box from my parents and my cards from Heather's card swap. They were really cute and she is thinking of hosting a Winter Card Swap as well....so if you missed out on the Summer one...email Heather and get in on the next one. She is putting feelers out right now.....from what I've seen from other fellow participants.....I'm pretty sure she'll do it. :)