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.