The Craft Mafia's Spring Bada Bing!

Here is my booth at the Spring Bada Bing show. I really like the way it turned out. And let's just say my location was to die for! I had a great time, what a great turn out. There were people waiting at the door. How cool is that? I could have done some damage the vendors were top notch!

I brought a bunch of trays and serving pieces to help get that "HOUSEWIFE" thing going! In keeping with the kitschy kitchen I even included a trash can. (just joking)

It was all about the squid! Anyone know what vendor this is? The were so great.
Maddie loved them.

For Aidan it was all about the Needle Noodles.
This is our new obsession around here! BRAIN slugs! I like to call them brain suckers. Just cuz! I am doing my best to use the pattern that I bought form her esty site.
I don't follow directions well just ask my mom.

She Knits

OK, someone needs to have a baby so I can buy one of these! Amy and I have the same friends some how. I ran into about 3 people that said that they had come to see Amy and there I was too. Amy do you home school? There is a connection somewhere.

Look at this display. it does not get better than this. I think her dad made it for her.
It is PERFECT!

Monkey and Me always a favorite! I saw a family sit down near my booth and change their 3 year old cloths so she could wear her new dress right then and there! What truly rocks here is the dress in the back , with the red ric rac! I want a skirt like that! I will have a hard time not making a knock offs of that in Mommy size! Don't worry I won't she's in the Mafia and wouldn't dear mess with the "family". Besides Beth knows were I live!


I just had to a photo of this bag, it is so me! My friend Barb said she had one in green and said I could have it I need to make a trade for it. I NEED IT.

Shops I loved! I will add more later!

Every little thing, very sweet stuff! I loved her fabric banners in pretty calico's. I want to make some with oilcloth for the Mercado's at the 17 Th st. Farmers Market.

Cleo Dee's very "squidie" very cool!

Vaya bags are cool! Makes me want to live in NYC and dodge taxi's. OK maybe not! I would love one for Don!

I want, I want, I want

So I had to go and check out the What's new page over at Sew Mama Sew to see what was up! Well what's up is YUMMY! I never make it to the blog cuz I get to distracted by the fabric. I need to go to the Sew Mama Sew blog first next time!

I love this cupcake fabric

for a mommy and me set of aprons! I think I need some cupcakes! I have wanted to do a applique cupcake apron with all my scraps but have not gotten to it yet! I am all about using the scrap bag!

My kitchen needs curtains made out of this. And aprons of course! This is called Cherry Lemonade

I wonder if I could make this in a mans apron size, too girlie?

Maddies photo's

A day out in Ashland, Va

These photos are from our day out with Christi's gang last week. I am way behind in blog land! There are just too many cool things to share!

We went up to Ashland a great town about 15-20 miles north of Richmond, VA. Locals call it "the center of the universe". It is a really great town the train runs straight through the "Main Street" in the old part of town. The houses along there are to die for. I believe that the houses were summer home for the wealthy Richmonders. I might have that wrong. My old buddy Wendy is now care taker of one those old houses. I am so jelous! It is hugh and so very cool. I just love old houses. Wendy if you're out there we miss you!

Any how! CHICK DAY ROCKS. We were in the Ashland Feed Store of over and hour. Christi has chickens and her family gets 3 chicks every spring. She was supposed to receive a special order of Araucanas chicks, I asked her why those? She then told me about the fantastic colors of the eggs. I then said (stupidly, I must add) "Oh! Martha Stewart Chickens". Christi then said "oh is that what they are called now?" hee hee hee. I am a dork!


The store was so great, old and cool! I highly recommend a look through if you ever in the area! If you need bird feeders and seed. That's your place. They had bushel baskets of seed potatoes and onion starts. Seeds by the ounce. I wish I had gotten some. The kids and I had a blast. Buying local is such a great feeling. They have dog and cat food too. I wish they had our brand I would drive up for that just as an excuse. Our local pet shop would miss us though. And they have puppies and exotic birds, it would go noticed by the kiddo's if we no longer went there.


I did buy my self this. I was going to ask for this set up of Mother's day but I could not wait. Don't you love the feeder. The gorgeous plant came from Mike and Mary Anne's shop Azalea Garden Center. It's in my hood. I have spent so much time looking out this dirty window looking at this one spot. It needed some love! The window still need a cleaning!

Ashland has a wonderful Farmers Market. Once I meet Christi up there for coffee and veggies. Man that was too long ago! Christi, do you remember you weighed Charlotte on one of the farmers scales? That was too funny. How old do you think she was? A month maybe?


That leads me to the coffee shop, The Ashland Coffee and Tea. You have to love a coffee shop that carries local brew and has bands weekly! (Christi's brother is the Brew Master at brewery, Ledgend.) What I loved about it is this the regulars have a cup of their own waiting for them. Now that is great.


Before all the kid fun started we had a few minutes to spare. So we stopped into this cute store for a look around! Ladybug Cottage and Gardens. I have admired this store for years and years! The kids are now big enough for me to trust them in such a place, know what I mean?


Ashland is having a walking tour on May 19. Sounds really fun to me! Anyone want-ta go with me? We could meet at the coffee shop, go to the Market, swing throug the Feed Store, and then take a walking tour. We then could go back to the coffee shop and sample the local brew on tap! We can take the train home, we would be so tired and tipsy that we would miss out stop and end up in North Caroline. Would that be such a bad thing?


More to come check back soon!!!! Keep crafty.

I might need this!

All My Memories Urban Chic Tote-Ally Cool Tote

I want...

When I was teenager my mom used to say I came out of the womb saying "I want, I want, I want!!!" Well right now I want this!

STUPID SEWING TIP # 3

You have to know that this is not the third stupid sewing tip I have has in the last 6 months but it is the third one that I am willing to share

So when you are cutting out a pattern and you are using your handy dandy rotary cutter make sure the cutting mat is UNDER THE FABRIC! I told you it was stupid!

The damn counter top is new too! BATOOKEY! BTW, Batookey is my families made up swear word. It can mean butt or another four letter word if you the mommy.

Sugared Flowers

Martha Stewart - Spring Cupcakes with Sugared Flowers

Man it's almost been 12 years that Don and I have been married.  That seems so long and so short all at the same time.  Any way... way back when there was a wedding cake in a magazine that I feel in love with, it had these sugared flowers sprinked all over it.  I am sure I still have that photo in the attic somewhere.  I did not go with that look on my cake but it did inspire me to pot up pansies and put them on the tables as center pieces.  I planted them in the terracotta water dish instead of the pot.  It was cool, I thought.  I never could do any thing the "right" way. 

Oh cute shoes!

Check out this link. Any one else seeing a resemblance to the 1984 JC Penny Spring/Summer Catalog? It was my holy grail at a Teen.

Harry Potters new pad

Buckbeak and Hedwig hanging together!

Harry and Herimoine taking a snooze

Ron hanging out in the hot tub!

Maddie and Aidans Harry Potter Hide Away on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

URG I can not get this to show up! You think I would give up on this Mosiac Maker thing. But please go look at it, my kids as you know are being very neglected this week. This is what keeps them busy!

bibs

podpik

Today's PodPik has to be Craft Sanity's interview with Alica Paulson, the beloved queen of craft, Posies Gets Cozy. It was really cool to put her voice to her story, her blog and her craft. I was really impressed with how long this interview was and how much she shared. It is a bit dated but a great listen!

A must listen!

Look what I found today! start up info!

OK I am being super crafty here in super clean studio. Its really very clean because I was supposed to have 20 some odd EDU co-op friends over to do our history co-op. With my lesson almost done and my house shining I was taken out of my teacher mode about 11:30 last night by one very upset little boy. Aidan had the worst earache of his life. Poor guy. Poor everyone! He screamed for 72 minutes straight. Let me tell you it reminded me of Maddie and her 3 years of colic (hee hee hee). Well that was dose of birth control. It is times like that I really know we are done having babies.

Well we had to cancel co-op and as I work my little fingers to death the kids have trashed the house with Lego's, play dough, and robot toys. Better than a day of TV. Aidan has one of those fevers that does not really effect him much. He is still really pleasant and moving around. I really hope it does not pass through the family. Damn I will loose my mind if we all get sick for the 3rd time this short year.

So I am sewing up a storm and longingly looking at my treadmill. I really need a walk! But before I jump on I had to share this with y'all. CraftyPod.com is the very first craft podcast ever made and let me tell you she, Sister Diane, rocks!. You get a craft project and some history to go along with it. Or great interview. I am listening to number 20 right now. It features an an interview with the four members of PDXsupercrafty.com. As I was needing a break from the zipper from hell that I am putting in I went to check out their site. Well let me tell you I never got past the front page. It has the best illustration I just had to share this site with you. If the bit of what I have heard from them and this front page are any indication I am going to love surfing this site!!!!!

Oh yeah! It's good really, really good. Crafting for profit now that is a concept! They have broken it down into 4 catagories:

• getting started
• marketing
• stores and sales
• bookkeeping and taxs

I have made hard copies of the first two so I can read them at the park, on the treadmill or instead of my bed time book.

New Item!

The Boss of all Craft shows

I made these costumes for the Richmond Ballet back in 1997. Maddie was in my belly. This photograph is from today's print edition of the Sunday paper. How cool is that?

Modern City Bag

They used up 3 spools of thread, broke 6 needles, viewed two movies and listened to 3 zillion podcasts and 3 rounds of Bowie's Greatest Hits. And best of all they are done! I have 6 to sell and one for me!

This is a new product for me (in the picture above). I love these things. I got them a Micheal's and Walmart in the Purse section. They have pins that you screw in. I made the first City Bag back in March. I would have finished this pile of cut bags if I new I could whip out the straps with ease.

Love these so with out the entire purse in my face I can attach the strap YIPPIE!


I have the little tab thingy
screw in pin

all done!

I don't do enough already! Skirts

This picture make me want to make skirts.

I think it is from a magazine called Budget Living. I wish I got a hold of that mag more often. (with out buying it of course)One of the Don's work friends brings it into the office every once and awhile and then I eventually comes home to me. I like that about magazines they are great to share and pass on.

My great neighbor Janet and I trade tons of them every month. Some days you open up the front door and there is a pile of them. We get "testy" with each other if the pile we receive is too big, it becomes work then. Ya know?

I also get 3 second hand magazines subscriptions from my mother in law. Its a great way to save some trees!

BTW I can get THREADS Magazine at our local library...if I find a good artical I make a copy to "FILE".

I'm a real Dork!

I totally missed Virginia Currents last night, and after reading this email at dinner time. What I was doing I don't know. But at 8:35 I remembered. OH MAN, I am a real dork. Starr said she plugged modern june.

"Starr Foster Dance Project will be on WCVE (Virginia Currents) today, Thursday, at 8pm as well as Saturday at 5:30pm and then again Sunday at 12:30pm. Hope you get a moment to check it out!"

The "Kitchen Tango" is featured on the show, that is the dance performance that I made the aprons for! I can not wait to see the show. I missed the performance due to Don being really sick with the flu.

Productivity feels good!

It's coming together. The Spring Bada Bing show is in 9 days. That is scary! I need the kids to have a play date everyday for the next 11 days. The last two are for me to rest!


I am calling the little wallets...CARD WALLIES. just cuz.

Obtaining a EIN

In an act of getting one of the largest monkey's off my back. I decided that today I was going to fill out that application for my Federal Tax Id. I have had the application on my desk since February, OK it has been in a pile of junk on my dresser. I am trying, stop judging me! : )

The kids and I gathered around the dining room table and got to work. I have homework too. So the kids were doing their math lessons and was filling out my application. But I was not sure that I had the right form. I filled it out but was really unsure of several items. Like getting paid and with-holdings. YEAH like I get paid.

I decided to go and look online and see if I was filling out the right form. I found this web page. You really do have to love the Internet! It really did only take 5 minutes to complete. You know the things that you put off for months and months are just like that, aren't they? You poor all this stress and anxiety into avoiding something. And then you done with the task in 5 minutes. Fear of the unknown is a pain in the batookey.

So there you are you are amazed to find out how easy and quick it all is and they asked me to pay up. My eyes filled up with tears and my heart was in throat. It can cost over $200.00, my kids now know the expression "HOLY SHIT". I soon realized that it is only $128.00 if you can wait an untold amount of time. The 228.00 price is if you need a number in an hour. You can pay 178.00 if you want it by tomorrow. I went for the 128.00 and the mystery time.

I whip the shock and tears away, I really do not know why I expect things to be free. I call it innocence but others may see it as ignorance. The good news is they give you a place to go and check your order. I will check on it often. UPDATE...it took about 30 minutes to recieve my email with my number. What a scam. I could have wasted $100.00. I would rather to that at Sew Mama Sew.

So why the rush? I need a bolt of red gingham oilcloth yesterday. Who knows what complications I will find over at the wholesaler? Watch it take 3 months to fill my order. Update... It will take no time and I did not even the darn EIN. I just need to wait for the cataloge to get here. See that fear of the unknow. Mix that up with being from the mid-west in a nice catholic family and you do things the way that they tell you too. Man I am going to start mixing it up! Who said there are no short cuts?

It's all good, and soon it will be great I will be completely legal!

So here is what I have done so far.

Zoning complies $50.00
A registered business name $10.00
Filed for my Fed Tax ID number 128.00

Still to do and next on list is the state tax id number...another mystery fee I am sure!
fyi I was going to do this right now but you need you fed id number first. URG! Here is the link. Then back to City Hall for my licence $30.00


So at least $288.00, yikes we should live in Mechanicsville where you don't need a business license.

Inspiration

Inspiring colors, that is what I am looking for. I need to find a color pallet for Modern June's branding. Don and I have really started to think about tags, labels and business cards. As well are finally getting ModernJune.com up and running. I would love to actually use that as an online store someday.

Any way, I have been tasked to find 6 colors that I really loved. I think I will start here.

LIKE?