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!

Project of the Week!

If you are anything like me, you don't really want to think about the holidays yet. But they are only 3 months away now, and if you are planning on making your own gifts it may just be time to get started if you want to avoid the last minute panic! So, whether you are setting out with gifts in mind, or you just want something fun to do, I am now introducing the "Project of the Week!"
Every week from now until the holidays, I'll be introducing something fun and creative for you to do.

This weeks project is throw pillows! Indigo and I spent the day yesterday working on these guys. The inspiration came from my beloved Joy Division t-shirt. It was part of my high-school uniform (along with combat boots, ripped jeans and a trench coat--haha!), and through all of the wear it has seen in its sad little t-shirt life, it was just no longer suited for wearing. Threadbare and torn, but I simply could not let it go. So I decided to give it a 2nd life as an awesome throw pillow!

Since it is Joy Division, it lends itself automatically to some gothy-punk tears, so I layered it against some black velvet, gave it a black velvet backside as well, and left the tears right where they were. I added some safety pins too, in memory of my high school fashion sense :)

Of course I can't leave Indigo out when I'm doing a fun project! We found a little pillow that I had started ages ago but never stuffed or finished sewing. She went through my pile of fabric remnants and found the colors and patterns she liked, then drew and cut out these cute little zebras, hearts, and stars. Neither of us being master seamstresses (and I don't have a sewing machine so I am all about the short cuts!), we glued her little scene on with a hot glue gun. The bottom looks a bit ragged because we ran out of stuffing, so I just stuffed it with some other fabric for the purpose of the photo, but we still have to stuff and sew it this week.

Want to try your hand at this, but don't have any fabric? Here are some great Etsy fabric shops from my Etsy Supply Street Team (ESST):
http://tliss.etsy.com
http://beesquarefabrics.etsy.com
http://fabricstash.etsy.com
http://fabricstash2.etsy.com
http://kimonomomo.etsy.com
http://EllaHound.etsy.com
http://FabricSamples.etsy.com
http://samplescrap.etsy.com

Promotions!

I recently exchanged some promotional items with my friend Melissa to send out to each other's customers and help promote each other's shops. I got the idea when I received an order I had placed, and along with it...a whole bunch of awesome samples from other great etsy shops! I felt like it was Christmas! I knew they were all advertising to me, but as it came in the form of little gifts rather than just business cards, it felt like a really nice gesture rather than spam.

So, when I was on the forums posting in the Etsy Supply Street Team thread the other day, and thienthanh suggested exchanges promos for each other's shops, I jumped on it! This morning I made about 40 little promo packs to start out with, each one containing a business card and a ring or a bobby pin, and sealed with a bit of my washi paper. I feel like they look cute, represent my shop well, and have something fun inside. So, don't be surprised if you order something from one of my ESST-mates and find one tucked in your package! Likewise, I will soon be sending out some of their samples as well, so you just might get some extra fun with your supply orders. And don't worry, I would never adjust my shipping to cover freebies :)

Of course, I am still promoting Melissa as well, but her gorgeous stuff only comes with orders from my art shop, so buy yourself some art already, will you?

Happy Holidays!

Now that I am done with the mad holiday selling rush, I am finally feeling cheery and exited about the holidays. Indigo and I already celebrated Hanukkah earlier this month, but we like to keep the menorah under our tree all month long. Tonight is especially exiting because we are celebrating Winter Solstice tomorrow morning, so today feels a bit like Christmas Eve to me. On Christmas Indigo will be with her dad this year, but then I am picking her up later Christmas day and we are driving to see Steve's family for more Christmas celebrations.

People who are more religious than I may find all of this very confusing, not to mention heretical, but I was raised celebrating Hanukkah with my mom and Christmas with my dad--neither of them infused with any religious meaning. As an adult, I choose to celebrate--the changing seasons, my family's heritage(s), but mostly my family. I am so grateful to have them, and once I get over the mass-consumerism (I have to work my way through that one every year in my head!), I find that exchanging gifts and decorating our home is a fun way to celebrate each other. Especially if the gifts are all (or mostly) handmade.

So, however or whatever it is that you celebrate, I hope that you all are enjoying the season. Happy Holidays!

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!