It's Crafty!

Crafty Wonderland!!! This has been the busiest holiday season of my life so far, and THIS is the show to check out and catch up with what I've been doing! I have new paintings, prints, and magnets. And as if that's not enough, I also have some brand-spankin'-new card sets and pendants! Not to mention the other fantastic crafty goodness that will be there :) TODAY and TOMORROW http://craftywonderland.com

Live too far away to come? I have lots of new stuff in my etsy shop!

The Other Side of Crafty Wonderland--Shopping!

Last weekend, child-free and one week before Mother's Day, I got to experience Crafty Wonderland...from the other side of the table. After a week spent NOT freaking out about my inventory, or whether or not the sale would be busy enough, I knew I had to go. I called my friend Mary, (can you see how happy she is to be in my photo?!? Love you Mary! *muah!*), and we made plans. Extravagant plans. Plans to get free goodie bags, even.

9:00 am. After standing in line for about 30 minutes, I was just grabbing our biscuits and coffee from the super-delectable Pine State Biscuits on Belmont. (If you have never eaten there, you are missin' out on some serious, no-kidding YUM). Meanwhile, Mary had just snagged our place in line at Crafty Wonderland. After not even knowing that I parked right behind her (haha!), I soon met up with her, and we proceeded to shove said biscuits and coffee into our mouths.

9:30 am. Completely amped on our coffee, we started joking with (and probably freaking out) our neighbors in line, giggling insanely, and suffering odd looks from people passing by on their way to the solar power convention next door (note to self--most of them were not in your target audience, unless "target" means the butt of I've-just-had-too-much-caffeine-and-am-stuck-in-this-line-for-2-hours jokes. Sorry other-convention people!).

11:00 am. The doors are open! I elbowed Mary and pushed my way in first (heehee). Actually, I rarely ever shop, let alone wait in line for 2 hours just so I can get a free goodie bag! This was totally a great treat. A massive, airplane-hangar-sized room full of crafty goodness, and I didn't have a booth so I actually got to look at everything!!! First, Mary and I darted from one spot to the next trying to soak it all in. Finally we realized we weren't getting anywhere and went for the more methodical method of going up and down every single aisle.

I bought some goodies for myself and a present for my mom for Mother's Day from my friend Megan of Ta-Dah. I stopped at at least a third of the booths to chat with people I know (and met some of you that I only know from facebook!)...sorry Mary! We also went to the diy tables and made some awesome vintage Mother's Day cards, and the cutest little felt birdie keychains.


3:00 pm. Yep, I said 3:00! I honestly don't think I've ever spent that many hours shopping in my life. I'm glad Mary was there to see me through--I couldn't have done it without her! Overstimulated, happily crafted, it was time to go home and load up on more coffee :)

THANK YOU!

So, yesterday was the great big Crafty Wonderland sale at the Oregon Convention Center! I had to pull over and get a photo of the kiosk before I went inside to set up :)

Of course, as fate will have it, yesterday also held a great big nasty snowstorm and cold snap. Can we all say a great big snarky "Yay"?!? It was already fairly icy when I left my house in the morning, but I was still really exited and optimistic. My optimism was not unfounded--there were over 100 customers already lined up at the door when 11am rolled around and the fair began! I guess the draw of 180 awesome local crafty businesses was just too much to resist :)

It was nasty outside though, and Portlanders are unused to snow. Plus it became icy really fast, which is scary even for the most experienced winter driver. Still, many customers took the bus and the lightrail to see us and go shopping and I just want to say a great big THANK YOU!!! I am certain that my sales would have been much better had the weather been safer, but I am so incredibly grateful for those of you who risked your personal comfort and safety to come and see us. You are truly awesome. Thanks to you, I had a day that I am very happy with :)

For those of you who didn't make it, well, I don't blame you and I still love you anyway :) BUT I am doing one more sale this season next Saturday at PSU.... More details later this week.

FINALLY, for those of you who are too far away, I want to let you know that I have a SALE/CLEARANCE section in my shop! Some of my favorites are in there, but I won't be making them any more and/or I am making room for next year, so get them while you can. Also, all LeaKArts orders over $20 get FREE Priority Shipping (within the U.S.)!

Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale!

This year I have brand new coloring books made from my original artwork, mini-paintings priced at $25-30, magnets, stickers, and more! Whether you need stocking stuffers or main gifts, this will be the place to be. I will be there along with 180 other Portland artists and artisans. Buy awesome, unique gifts and support the local economy!

See you there!

Week 1 Check-In

Well, I said a week ago that I would check back in to see if I met my goals for the week, and here I am, so that's a good start, right? I blogged 3 times, finished a painting and built a canvas for a new one, and was all set for Crafty Wonderland yesterday. Yay me! Here's what my booth looked like:
Very cute, don't you think? But it was painfully slow yesterday, and the things that I sell, people don't need, so I had very few sales. Then again, my neighbors, Mugwump (awesome purses), and Frosty Petals (cute fingerless gloves), seemed a bit slow as well, although they have really great stuff and people need purses and gloves more than art.

You know, it is really okay though! Maybe right now is a good time to take a hiatus from crafty shows, from all shows, while I focus and build up my body of work. My supply shop did amazingly well this weekend, which takes a lot of pressure off of my art sales too. I need that right now.

Okay, so this week's goals: Blog 3 times again, promote SupplyRiot, paint a painting. Oh! And the Guerilla Exhibitor class starts this weekend! I can't wait!

Crafty Wonderland Rocks

I am completely exhausted, so this will be a very short post!

That aside, the Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale was SO FREAKIN' AWESOME!! I have to give a big shout out to Cathy & Torie--check out their Crafty Wonderland website along with more fantabulous links to their and other crafty stuff. The organization was perfect, the goody bags were a hit, the promotion was above and beyond, and CRAFT magazine even provided the vendors with breakfast!! There was a line around the block (just to get in!) for some time, and for most of the day the line went around the corner. Extra thanks to all of the patient and lovely customers.

My best show so far--thanks everyone!!!

Mark you calendars, People!

Good morning everyone! Maybe I've just had too much coffee this morning, but I don't think that is affecting just how exited I am about the amazing Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale!!!

I will be vending there along with over 100 other crafty vendors, so mark your calendars for December 16th! Stop by to keep me company, do your last minute holiday shopping, and feel great about supporting local artists and artisans! And don't forget to have your afternoon cocktail at the Horny Troll Bar after you do some diy gift wrapping with SCRAP.

Please note, the location is Norse Hall on 11th & Couch, a few blocks away from Crafty's usual location at the Doug Fir. See you there!