how i spent my summer vacation

Well, another couple months have gone by. I guess I was just a bit burnt out and needed a break. So there's a gap between blog posts. O well. That happens sometimes. When I'm not feeling it, I'd much rather just take a step away and not try to force something just to keep that blog post count going up. This is just for fun, after all. If it isn't fun anymore then why do it? However, I think I may be ready for a comeback. At least another little stint of posts hopefully. Lots has happened since my previous post. Blake graduated. We spent an amazing summer in Long Beach together truly enjoying our town. The reason for this is that Long Beach is no longer our home. As of a handful of days ago we have moved back to San Diego. We are still settling and adjusting but I think that the hard parts are over (except for the fact that I go back to work tomorrow. blech). This is how we spent our final summer in Long Beach (a highlights reel):

We had a game night with 20 some odd people. Scattergories and Empires. So much fun. Miss this lovelies so much!

We went camping on the beach. Pt. Mugu. It was our third (I think) time staying there. It did not disappoint.

We had a picnic in the park to avoid the heat. Blankets and a gaggle of friends. Just one spider too many.

 

Funkfest in downtown Long Beach. Love this town.

Beverages at Beachwood BBQ.

Folk Festival in Rose Park, a Long Beach neighborhood. Fiddles, mandolins and more. It was loverly.

Buskerfest, one of our favorite Long Beach events.

Frozen yogurt helped me survive some of the warmer, muggier days. Yum.

 

With the help of my partner in crime (and life) we really did this Summer well. Long Beach will be missed but at least we can say goodbye knowing that we enjoyed it just about as much as we could during our last couple months there. It will be missed (and visited whenever we can manage) but we are both ready for the new adventures that lay ahead.

patchwork

I survived my first craft fair! I had a wonderful time sharing my creations with MANY strangers on an incredibly beautiful day in Long Beach. According to other vendors, the attendance wasn't what they had hoped for and people were not buying as much as other years.

 

However, being new and having no idea what to expect, I thought the day went very well. I met all of the goals I had set for myself.

Did I learn a lot and get myself better prepared for craft fairs in the future? I sure did! Did I hand out my card to a whole bunch of strangers? You bet! Did I make enough to cover the cost of the 10x10 space I had? Yes... and then some! Did I meet a lot of nice people? Yep! Did I make enough to keep everything looking full all day? I made WAY too much and have enough left over that I won't have to go crazy working late into the night the next time I do one of these.

My signs stayed up, my decorations looked cute, I sold a bunch of stuff, I have a much better idea as to what to expect next time, I learned how to use the iPhone square for credit card purchases... Yes, I'd say the day went VERY well.

 I got TONS of comments on my hanging decorations. All they were was a bunch of cut up egg cartons that I spray painted and hung with fishing line. Super easy and super cute! Perhaps a tutorial will follow!

Tagged coffee cozies.

My brother and husband sporting the squid cowls... I expect that these will sell better on a day that isn't quite so warm!

 I cannot wait to do another show! This holiday season I am going to do as many as I am able! Hurray!

busy times

This is what I have been doing the past couple months... Getting ready for my very first craft fair. It takes place tomorrow! Yikes! Here is a sneak peak of what I've been up to:

Spray paint time!

Putting my Trader Joe's sign skills to work!

Flyer up at work.

Stamps to make tags with!

What a deal!

Floor plan planning

 

I am so excited to put all of this stuff together! More pictures to come! If you are in the Long Beach area, I hope to see you tomorrow!

Find more info here: Patchwork Indie Arts Festival

a wee bit o' cuteness

We started a monthly coloring contest at Trader Joe's. This was an entry from an eleven yer old girl. In case you can't read it, on the front her favorite item is a $100 gift card. She noted that she wants it so she can get whatever she wants because her parents like "healthy stuff".

On the back she wrote:

"The shoe the lepercon is wereing my grandma has them she Polish like the Lepercon."

Darling.

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Enjoy your beer.

patchwork

 Awhile ago I decided that I wanted to try selling at a craft fair of some sort. I always enjoy attending that type of event and feel like my stuff does better in person than in photos online so I decided that this is the year to do it! Today I sent my application in to be a part of the Patchwork Indie Arts and Crafts Festival. I am not sure if I will actually be selected to participate because there are a limited number of spots and they get lots of people wanting to sell there. But hey! Why not try? The show isn't until May 20th which gives me a lot of time to bulk up my back stock. Thank goodness. I already started going crochet crazy the last couple of weeks. I have been turning out coffee cozies and headbands like a maniac. The people running the festival look through all of the applications and select vendors that are unique and that will provide a well rounded show and shopping experience. The application says that I should know if I am in by April 10th. Yikes.

Now I have to figure a lot of things out. I need to figure out how I will display my lovely creations. I need to get a seller's permit through the IRS (that one should be fun). I need to find out if I need a business license. I need to print postcards to have at my booth if I have one. I need to make signs and tags. I have to figure out decorations that will help my booth stand out and be appealing to the passers by. I need to get a thing to read credit cards that will attach to my super clever phone. This list sure is getting long! Holy guacamole!






 If anyone has any tips on selling at a craft fair please let me know!

Well, if you need me, I'll either be at Trader Joe's, running around like a mad person or somewhere with a bunch of yarn!

truth

 It is true. I really do.

I love how silly and clever this is. I would absolutely hire this octopus if ever an octopus need were to arise.

i won

On the same day that I announced a winner for the jennasaurus giveaway I received an Etsy message informing me that I, too, had won something! Having not actually entered anything I was, of course, completely surprised. I had won a contest by simply following a fellow Etsy seller on Twitter and Facebook. I was the lucky winner and today I got my prize in the mail! I am SOOO excited about it!

I won a lovely, fabric, jewelry organizer in a print of my choice. I got to browse their super darling shop and immediately one jumped out to me. I let them know which one I wanted and they packaged it and sent it to me all the way from Canada. Yippee!

 Normally, if I want to take jewelry with me on a trip I toss it in my makeup bag. Or maybe a ziplock or some other small pouch. When I actually want to wear something it can become a process of untangling and searching for matching sets. In other words, it is the part of the TV infomercial that's black and white and completely frazzled.

With this everything has a place and it looks so gosh darn cute. No more tangled messes for me! Necklaces, I am not afraid of you!

There is even a handy little loop so you can hang it on a hook for easy access. Neat! Really, you should check these out. You can find them on Etsy at

vic & albie.

I cannot wait to take my new organizer somewhere. In the meantime, I am putting a bunch of stuff in it just to keep it nice here at home.

Thanks vic & albie! I LOVE my organizer!!