Craft Show: Allendale Columbia Holiday Market

This is where I'll be tomorrow!

"This event is free and open to the public and provides an opportunity for you to do all your holiday shopping in one place. With a combination of unique crafts and familiar products, this exciting event is sure to provide a fun shopping experience. In addition to a variety of vendors, we will also have a food stand on-site for your convenience!"

You can find details and a list of vendors on the Allendale Columbia School website
You can also RSVP to the Allendale Columbia Holiday Market Facebook Event and share it on your Facebook wall to tell your friends!

This is my last craft show in Rochester this year and my second-to-last show of 2012!
Come and visit me and my gimpy ankle! ;)

Etsy Shop News!: Re-Structuring Nubbin Listings

I took a few new Nubbin pictures yesterday after taking pictures of custom Etsy orders. 

(You wouldn't believe how much work goes into meticulously arranging those thread spools so the "prettiest" colors are showing!)

 Here's a peek at my "photography studio" on my front porch.  This is where I can get the best natural light.

I am trying to re-structure how I list Nubbins in my Etsy shop.  Before, I just had one listing for a "Custom Nubbin".  But many times, when a customer would purchase it, they wouldn't convo me or tell me in the "note to seller" what colors they wanted the Nubbin to be...even though I make that request in the product info.  So then I would have to contact the customer and then wait for them to contact me back before I could make the Nubbin.  So it all takes much longer for me to actually send the customer their order.

So to help with this, I've decided to create separate listings for each color of Nubbin. (I still need to photograph the Orange, Yellow, and Purple Nubbins)

But I still want the customer to be able to choose the heart color...instead of having to make a listing for each variation.   Luckily, Etsy recently added a"variation" option to the listings...

So, for example, if a customer wants a Magenta Pink Nubbin with an orange heart, they just have to go to the Magenta Pink Nubbin listing and click the "orange" color option, and make their purchase!  And as I understand it, the purchase will not go through unless the customer makes a choice.

Sometime this week, I also want to take pictures of samples of the felt colors that I use for the hearts, so the customer can see the difference between the colors.  I'll also be updating the color options accordingly, since I know I don't have them all listed right now.

I am hoping that this re-structuring will help me get more Etsy sales as well! (and maybe more of my items featured in Etsy Treasuries...which may also lead to more sales!)

What's-On-My-Worktable Wednesday: Letter Nubbins Name Set

Took the "epic journey" up the stairs to my craft room yesterday to attempt to sew.  My foot/ankle has healed enough for me to use my sewing machine for a moderate amount of time (the foot I hurt is my sewing-pedal foot).  This is what I started working on last night and finished up today...

A friend of mine asked me to make a set of Nubbins that spelled out her son's name.  She wants to give them to him for his birthday next week.  She said she's planning on teaching him how to spell his name using them!  I've had the idea to make Nubbins with letters on their bellies for awhile.  I just haven't done it before now.  Now that I've had a reason to do it, I can use the pictures I'm going to take of the finished project to make a listing in my Etsy shop.

I also finished up this today...a custom request for a "Little Critter" inspired Nubbin.

Craft Show Recap!: Christmas In Medina (2012)

This weekend was an adventure! 

You may have noticed the crutches in the picture above. Friday, when we were about to leave Cleveland to come home, we stopped at a gas station to gas up and we went inside to get a soda.  When we were walking out of the gas station, I stepped off the curb and stepped "wrong" on an uneven spot in the pavement, fell, and hurt my ankle pretty bad.  We went to an Urgent Care center in Cleveland to make sure it wasn't broken.  It turned out to be just badly sprained and the doctor gave me an air-cast and some crutches, with instructions to stay off of it, ice it, and elevate it.

SO...that meant that all I could do at the craft show was sit there with my foot up.  CJ did all the loading, unloading, and setting up for me.  I have a pretty awesome husband.  I couldn't have done this show without him!

Buried in sweater monsters...making sure they all have price tags.

 I switched to this furry hat since it is much warmer than my cloche hat.  It was pretty chilly out.  I actually saw the first flakes of snow of the season.

"Behind the scenes"...

My view.

 I worked on sewing up the stuffing holes on Penguin Nubbins in between sales.

My booth neighbor, Tori, with her cozy new sweater-monster friend, Wimbleton.

 3 happy brothers in their new monster hats!

Black Friday Walk at Viaduct Park

CJ and I decided to take a walk at Viaduct Park (one of the Cleveland Metroparks) before we left to go back home so I could get ready for Saturday's craft show in Medina, NY.

Happy Thanksgiving!

  CJ's mom recently had knee surgery, so he cooked Thanksgiving dinner himself at his parents' house (with a few dishes, and dessert contributed by his siblings).

CJ made his bacon-wrapped turkey.  He made it last year, and it is the best, most moist turkey I've ever had!

CJ received a rave dinner review from our nieces and nephew!

Sewing while traveling

Sewed up the stuffing holes of 20 Nubbins while traveling to Ohio to spend Thanksgiving with my husband's family! Apparently, I can hand-sew in the truck without getting motion sickness! Is it silly how much that makes me happy?
I can thread a needle in a moving vehicle too. Yeah...I'm that awesome. ;)
Happy Thanksgiving all!

Prepping Nubbins...

This is a bit of an experiment with blogging from my phone (yay for technology!)  I have been getting ready for 3 craft shows that are in 3 consecutive weekends...so I've been busy building my inventory back up after my success at Mayday Underground earlier this month.   This Saturday (November 24th), from 10am to 5pm, I will be on Main Street in Medina NY for their "Christmas in Medina" Celebration. But, I am going to be visiting my in-laws in Ohio for Thanksgiving, so today is my last "sewing day" at home, and right now I am putting eyes on Nubbins and stuffing them (I will be working on the hand-stitching while I am at my in-laws). Tomorrow I will be focusing on packing up everything for the show, as well as packing for our trip.

Sneak Peek! Replenishing the Sweater Monster Population

So here they are...the remaining 7 monsters leftover from Mayday.

BUT, I have more monsters coming along!...

These 8 monsters are just awaiting hand-sewing! Things like the stuffing hole, lips, eyes, and hearts are the kind of details that I need to sew by hand.  I have until Tuesday, November 20th to finish all the machine sewing I need to do before my next show on Saturday, November 24th, "Christmas in Medina".  My husband and I are leaving that Wednesday to visit his family in Cleveland, Ohio for Thanksgiving, but are coming home on Friday so I can do the craft show in Medina on Saturday.  I am hoping to get what hand-sewing I need done, finished during our trip!  (I will probably get some hand-sewing done during church tomorrow too!  It's amazing how keeping your hands busy can help you listen!)

*EDIT*  I added these guys to the hand-sewing queue tonight too!

Election Day

This first photo isn't from today, but I figured it was appropriate   This button was on a customer's purse at Mayday Underground.  It was just the spot of humor I needed for this election.  I've been quite conflicted, since I don't like either of the choices we have this year.

An owl sculpture on the old Lyndonville Elementary School building.

A local dog that usually doesn't pay any attention to me.  But today, as I walked past his house on my way to the town hall to vote, this dog wanted to be my best friend. (I later learned his name is Yogi)

The sun sets though condensation on the upstairs window.

Mayday Scores

A couple things I got at Mayday Underground this weekend...

A necklace made from a vintage wooden checker from In My Head Studios.

A "Doctor Who" fandom pin from Papersaurus Creative.

I feel bad that I can't remember the name of the artist I got this cool little Twig Gnome from... since we have been at many of the same craft shows.