Some Thoughts and A Strawberry Swing Recap

I had a lot of fun in Kansas City at the Strawberry Swing.  I met some great artists and makers and had wonderful conversations with them.  I also really loved chatting up my customers.  It was definitely, and thankfully, rejuvenating. Sometimes, when things are slow around the shop and blog, I get a little depressed and wonder if I'm just kidding myself.  I start to question my craft, my skills, my prices, my photographs, my writing...everything.  That's not a good place to be. That's toxic.  But along comes a craft show filled with like-minded and like-crafty people to boost me back up again.  I felt incredibly humbled by the number of people who walked into my booth and complimented my work.  They used words like "beautiful," "incredible," and "amazing," and I said "thank you" to every single one.  I needed that.  I was all smiles all day.

So now I feel ready to take on the handmade world again.  I feel renewed.  I'm ready for more shows, and I'm ready to try some new things.

I would definitely participate in the Strawberry Swing again.  It was my first time setting up a 10 by 10 foot booth for my shop.  So playing around with set-up was fun.  I will be making changes and upgrades for the next show. 

My booth!! (And my new maxi skirt!)

 

My husband whipped up a couple displays just days prior to the show.  He made one for my felt paintings (below) and one for my brooches (that I didn't photograph--which was dumb--but you kind of see it on the far left of the booth photo).  I'm so thankful for his help too. Not only does he build things for me, but he helps haul my stuff, set-up, tear down, and hangs out with me during the day.  He runs and gets me snow cones, because I have a headache and no advil. He even helps me felt sometimes...

 

 

We got incredibly lucky with the weather for July.  I mean, CRAZY lucky.  The temperature was in the 70s, mostly cloudy, slightly breezy. Crazy for the midwest.  Did I mention it was crazy? Yeah, thought so.

I had all the makings for a felt tea party!

I met Meredith, who makes fabulous dinnerware. I scored this plate and one of these plates (the one with the skull), because who doesn't want to eat from these?

I also met Emily, who was really excited to see that I offer custom pet portraits.  I'll be partnering with her soon over on her blog for a giveaway.  Keep your eyes peeled for that!

So, with rejuvenation comes organization, and boy does my craft room need that.  If you need me this weekend, I'll be straightening and categorizing mounds of fluff and piles of other hobbies. :)

52 Weeks of Felting - Week 30

Hi friends! Surprise--I'm still alive!

I finished this last week, but I was busy felting a million things for the Strawberry Swing last Sunday (more on that soon!), so I never got around to posting it.  But here it is!!

This little guy will be 25% off until Saturday, July 10 (a bit longer than a week since I am late posting it).

Do you think I should make more brooches?  What would you like to see?

52 Weeks of Felting - Week 29

BRAIINNSSSSSS!!

 

Yeah, yeah.  I know it's not Halloween yet, but I couldn't resist adding to my zombie collection.  I think he's cute, anyway.

I actually made two different gnomes, but I chose only one to add to my shop.

 I'm still prepping for the Strawberry Swing show on July 28, so I'll be a little scarce around here until after that.  Sorry, folks! If you need me, I'll be stabbing some wool.

Enjoy your weekend!!

52 Weeks of Felting - Week 28

I love this one, you guys!!  I'm imagining using the toucan in cute party or tropical decor. How cute would a few of these be strung up on a leafy garland?!

 

I really enjoy making birds.  I feel like they each have a different personality, even in felt form.  It wasn't until I took an ornithology class in college that started to actually appreciate birds.  They are fascinating, impressive creatures.  And now that I work with them on a daily basis, I love them even more.  (Not that I'd ever want one as a pet, though.  Ain't nobody got time for that.  Well, some people do. I don't.)

This guy is in my shop now and is 25% off until next Saturday!

52 Weeks of Felting - Week 27

Hi!!  I'm apparently on a rodent kick this week.  I made a guinea pig for this week's felting project!  (Oh, and I've talked about guinea pigs before, right here.)

I think guinea pigs are hilarious--especially the crazy noises they make.  They can be surprisingly loud for their size when they're excited. I also love their little, floppy ears. :)

This one is in my shop and is, of course, completely customizable and 25% off until next Saturday.  :)

Have a great weekend!

The List - July

Hi friends, and happy July!  This month I'll be felting like mad and stressing out for the upcoming Strawberry Swing Indie Craft Show in Kansas City on the 26th.  This means that my blogging presence my be a little scarce, so, sorry about that in advance.  But you all have fun stuff to do anyway, right?  It is summer, after all!

Of course, I felted like crazy last month too and made lots of brooches....like these:

I've been doing really well (by my standards) training for my trail run in October.  I signed up for another 5k for the end of this month, and recently actually ran 5 kilometers nonstop (HUGE deal for me!).  So things are good!  Now I'd like to work on improving my time and be able to run a nonstop 5k on trails.  (And the husband is being super supportive and encouraging and raining me with praise, which is amazing!)

I finished my Europe 2013 posts last month with France parts one and two.  I am working on another post or two about some international travel tips and tricks that we have learned along the way in our  five (so far) international trips. 

I hope July will be a super productive month, for my shop and my personal life.  I certainly feel inspired and ready to get some things done!

Fur, Feathers & Scales - Rats

I promised another rodent related post, and I hope this one doesn't send any of you running.  Meet Flora and Fauna the cute, domestic rats!

So, like the guinea pig and chinchilla you may have seen here before, these guys are rodents with teeth that are always growing.  So they chew on things, and rats have very strong teeth.  They are also really agile--they like to climb and crawl under and through things, and can do so pretty quickly.

These gals are so sweet and still young (not even six months old yet).  They are very curious and like to explore.  Rats can actually be very good pets.  They don't live very long, though-only about three years or so. 

They're scaley looking tails are actually covered in fine hairs and are very soft!

As you might imagine, photographing an active rat is quite challenging---but throw another one in there, and you get a whole lot of awful pictures.  ;)  We sure had fun though!