I did it!

I made it through the weekend!  I had such a wonderful time at the Na-Da Farm Sale this Spring and am happy to have met so many new people. 

This year we were allowed to come to the farm a day early and start setting up. This made a huge difference for me because I didn't feel rushed and panicked about getting it all up in time. If you have been following my blog you saw what a humungo mess I had it my studio so there was no way I could practice styling there.

I really took my time while I worked.  There was a lot of wind so that was the only thing making it hard on me but I had walls for my tent which I was grateful for.  See those house shelves in the bottom left? My husband and I worked on those together. We made 9 of them and it was a nice collaboration project.

This was a sweet area set up on the farm where anyone could get their face painted.  Isn't it so sweet?  This is the only picture I took besides my own booth! I am the worst at documenting things. I forgot to take my real camera so it's all from my iphone. My new year's resolution (is it too late? too early?) is to start taking more pictures.  If you want to see more I will post links here as new pics are posted on other blogs.

And now!!! A Beautiful Party is open for business! I was happy with how it turned out.  It felt packed and open at the same time.  I had one of my giant balloons but because of the wind I couldn't tie my tassel on it. On Saturday the wind had died down so I tried to tie the tassel on but I knocked over the bike in the process and the balloon broke off and went soaring.  I have no grace. None.

 Here are some detail shots.

Please ignore the lunchbag on the table on the right side. This was before the sale started and I was still finding things that needed to be hidden.

These jars with flowers were a collaboration I did with my sweet co-worker/boss friend Bryanne. She has an impeccable sense of style and I knew I wanted to work with her.  Lately she has expressed her interest in working with flowers so I thought it would be neat to do a line of animal-lidded jars that come with a bouquet designed by Bryanne.  She had full control over what to order and she chose well. The color palette was gorgeous and fit right in with the rest of my stuff.  Check out Bryanne's blog for lots more inspiration.

This was my collection of faux terrarium jars.

I was excited to see all my party poppers together in a collection. I love making these.  I can't wait to get them listed in my etsy shop.

 This was my set-up at my register.

Now that I'm all finished with the sale I took the flowers that were left over and hung them up to dry. I am hopping Bryanne will make a beautiful garland out of them.

This was my fun handmade flier (flyer? no flier, I think) that I drew up.  I thought a handwritten flier would be a little more personal.  I hope to start doing my parties in the future.  Being inside my little party tent made me yearn for a storefront of my own someday. I'm dreaming and dreaming!

Be sure to check in with the Na-Da Farm blog as I am sure she will be posting lots of pictures in the days to come.  Also check in with my friends Robyn and Courtney who will undoubtedly be sharing their story soon as well. Follow Cracker Jax on facebook for many more pictures of the farm. 

Thank you all for hanging in there with me during all of this.  I have appreciated all the sweet feedback on my work. I can't wait to do more of these sales. I think it's going to be a fun summer!

Have a sweet sweet day today. ( :

Giveaway Winner

Good Morning! I just used the random number generator to pick a winner for my Dreamcatcher giveaway and the winner is lucky number 2!  

 Julisuz... or Suzi... wins a dreamcatcher of her choice plus free tickets to Na-Da and coupons for cupcakes!

 Thank you to all those who participated.  In a few weeks I would like to have another giveaway open to all.

I hope to see you at the farm!

These Days

Good morning, y'all. I have to say I'm sorry this blog has become a bunch of posts of me just saying, "I've been busy!!" but man oh man have I been busy. My first big sale of the summer is just days away (aaacckkk!!) so I have really been working around the clock while also working on custom banner and party decor orders. I'm super grateful for the work and am happy to be spending my days crafting but I really want to find more balance for my blog. I miss writing about other artists and sharing different inspirations here.  Right now it's so me-focused and I am ready to turn the spotlight on others!  But for today... one more me-post. ( :

I have been asking people to save their empty toilet paper rolls for me because I have been wanting to try making crackers.  I found some great tutorials online and have been enjoying decorating these cuties.  I don't have crackers in them so when you pop them open it's more like popping open a can of crescent rolls but I think that's ok. I'm calling them Party Poppers. My husband gave me the great idea of selling them empty so that the buyer can personalize their popper with their own treats and treasures. I'm excited to see if this is a hit.

 Another fun thing I have been doing is decorating balloon sticks. I love the huge balloons with decorations on them but they are pretty pricey and do not last very long.  These sticks are reusable and sort of look like fairy wands.  Is it clear how much I love party supplies?

In these final days I'm having the usual anxieties of second-guessing everything I am doing and worrying that it's not enough or it's too much or it's the wrong idea or it could have been better. Putting yourself or your work out into the world is such a scary thing.  All I can do is do it but I might have a little tremble in my voice or shakey hands until it's all over. Excitement and nerves has me twisted up in knots but I'm finding ways to laugh at myself and let the excitement win.

I am going to wrap up my giveaway early because I want to have plenty of time to contact the winner.  I have lots of dreamcatchers to choose from and am also happy to whip a new one with colors the winner chooses.  Enter my giveaway here.  My friend Robyn, who will be my tent neighbor, is also hosting a giveaway where the winner chooses a piece of jewelry. Enter here.  She did a great write-up of the sale that should get you excited to go!

See you tomorrow with a dreamcatcher winner!

Studio Clutter

I am currently drowning in my studio! I know the smart thing to do would be to stop and clean it up and then jump back in but I have this frantic feeling that there is no time to clean. I would like to say that this is due to our basement being flooded but no... that is not why this place is a disaster.  The next big hurricane that hits will likely be named after me.

I got great news that I have been accepted in our farmer's market here in town!  I will be setting up a little booth every Thursday and will have tons of fun things to sell. I'm excited to be part of this and hope this is only the beginning.

Now, it's back to work.

Don't forget my giveaway going on here. My friend Courtney has just announced her Na-Da Farm giveaway here.  Be sure to get signed up!

Enjoy this weather today!

Happenings

Have you ever had an idea for a project and then once you started it had a huge "What have I done?" moment?  I  am feeling that right now. As I mentioned in the last post, I bought this beautiful train case last weekend and decided to give it a facelift.  I spray painted this and another small suitcase white to prime it and immediately felt regret.  What was done was done, however, so I started painting this on pink. I want to use it as a fixture in my booth so the color seemed appropriate to me.  I would like to reupholster the inside with pretty fabric but I honestly feel a little in over my head. If you notice in the picture I am using cheap paint so.... I think I am making many mistakes. But I'm not going to give up and maybe I can pull it together. Cross your fingers for me.

On a more positive note I had a great moment yesterday where I finally figured out how to make these tissue paper tassels much quicker.  The production of these were making me crazy because it took so long and became so tedious.  Yesterday I set goals for myself and I was able to meet them with my new technique which was a simple one.... roll them up quicker. Who knew? ( :

Last night I was reminded how much I miss being in school and having critiques and constant feedback.  My friend Janey was looking around my studio and picked something up off my table and set it down on one of my unfinished dreamcatchers and I had one of those moments ( I don't want to say a-ha moment) where a million ideas came to me.  It just took one new set of eyes to make a major change. It got me thinking about critiques and how they can be so daunting for some but I always loved them. I loved getting fresh ideas about my work. Sometimes you get so stuck on something and you can't get enough perspective to make changes that can be very necessary.  I had a teacher once say that you can be so in love with your work that you don't see the bad things.  I can be guilty of that. Having an art community is so important. Lately I have been finding that community again and I am pretty excited about it and anticipate what that can mean for all of us creatively.

I would love to hear what you are doing.  Any crafting mistakes you wish you could turn back time on?    Please share so I feel better about painting this suitcase!

Stories and Pictures

Goodness I have been away for so long! It was mostly unintentional. Yesterday I kept writing blogs in my mind but at the end of the day I realized I never actually made it to the computer. I wish I could blog every day and really do try but I get so busy. And my computer battery is pretty much dead. That may have a lot to do with it. I hate worrying about details like plugging the computer in...

I was uploading some pics of what I have been doing lately and I came across this weird grainy photo from my old apartment. The colors caught my attention because I am excited to say it's time to start wearing these clothes again! Last night I wore a denim jacket over a maxi and it was too warm! Too warm!  Finally the sun is cooperating with Spring and flowers are growing and leaves are showing up for the party. I promise promise that in a couple of months I will not complain about how it's too hot. I promise.

These bunnies are stealing my heart. They are still working on their friendship but it is getting better every day.  I can't wait for the day when I see them sitting like this because they did it on their own and weren't forced to lay next to each other on my husband. He is a rabbit whisperer.

 Last night we got the best treat while we were sitting outside watching the rabbits play. A little yard rabbit showed up and took quite an interest in Maxi and Rue (not pictured).  The rabbits didn't know what to think of this little visitor, they were on high alert.  I stayed close by and gave all three rabbits a carrot in hopes that they would enjoy their snack and get to know each other but they weren't interested in eating.  Finally yard bunny hopped away and calm was eventually restored.

Saturday I went to a beautiful open air market and picked up some doilies and this little train case.  We also stopped at an Estate Sale. The only thing that caught my interest was this little sea urchin and the lady gave it to me for free!

In my studio I have been working like crazy.  Yesterday I decorated balloon sticks all morning and spent the afternoon making little pom poms. I got together with some crafting gals last night and while we talked about anything and everything I made tissue paper tassels and ate cookies and lemon bars.  That's my kind of crafting.

Remember how my studio looked so nice not that long ago? Now it looks like this again. It's a little bit because of some flooding we got but mostly because I cannot take a few minutes to clean, I'm too eager to keep making stuff.

This was the other thing I did yesterday, I gave these little bears a bath.  Aren't they sweet?

Be sure to check in with my giveaway. It has been fun reading about the projects you guys are working on.  Sign up to win a dreamcatcher here.  This giveaway is for those attending Nada Farm but there will be a giveaway later that will be open to everyone.

These two gals are part of Nada Farm this year and I can't wait sale my goods along side of them.  Check out their wonderful blogs (she always loved) Larking and Robayre.

My friend Rachael has re-designed her blog and given it a new name. Go here to see what it is.

Have a great day today. I hope you can soak up some sunshine wherever you are!

Katie Drum Art Show Sensation!

A couple of years ago I did a post about Katie Drum, a local artist whose work is so dreamy and nostalgic, like visual fairy tales.  Tuesday I finally got to see her work in person and it was a great experience.  I love the different materials and processes Katie uses.  She told me about paints I was not familiar with and now I am excited to check them out.
I only had my Iphone on me so I apologize for the images but it gives you an idea of the scale of the work as well as the presentation.  The show is on display at Elgin Community College in Safety-Kleen Gallery 1 through May 18th. If you are anywhere near the area I really encourage you to stop in and see this work. It definitely inspired me to start drawing and painting again.

 On Katie's website she talks about the work and I really love this passage:

Currently, I enjoy collaging observations, daydreams, and memories through a variety of mediums to create new narratives. I am compelled by anything from old photographs to conspiracy theories, decorative design to childrens book illustrations, and meditation. Living primarily in a mundane, rural setting, I am often influenced by the minimal, bleak horizon line and expansive sky of the Midwest. 

See the rest of her site here and check out her blog! I just discovered it so I am excited to keep up with what she is doing.  Katie is a hard worker and a talented artist and is really going places!