Shop Update!!!

Hey, Everyone! I've finally updated my Etsy shop. Ouija board placemats, planchette napkin rings, kitty-mon rolls, and cat donuts are now available. Get them while they last! Just click the link above or my mini-shop on the right hand side of the screen.

Will Craft for Pyrex

I spent last week making felt candy [pine] cones for the 50 swag bags given out to the first to arrive at Maker Fair last Saturday. I really under estimated the time it would take me to cut all the pieces out and assemble. It is a simple enough craft, but each one had 13 different pieces to cut and assemble to create the final product. >_< I was quite pleased with how they turned out and even made 5 more with brown bottoms to give out as additional swag bags to people who spent a certain amount of money at my booth.

I was entirely too positive in general about this show. The forecast was beautiful weather- for Minnesota in October, which I forgot to take into consideration- so I went without a jacket... There was frost on the ground when we arrived and our inside booth actually ended up being colder than many of the outside booths. I got frost bite being inside for 6 hours! On top of that, my booth was a lot smaller than I'm used to and I didn't have room for everything to be arranged the way I wanted. I think I did have one of the best looking booths, though.

I brought Scary Grant along to set up a cute little vignette with many of my products. The kids liked him, the adults thought he was stupid. The crowd was not at all shy with rudeness. I truly believe that "Minnesota Nice" is extinct. Why couldn't we have parted with the long good-bye instead? Maybe we're still trying-ha!

Using my quilt rack was a last minute idea I came up with last week that ended up being a life saver in terms of product display. BJ and I made the baskets out of chicken wire we bought a few years ago to make the balcony cat-friendly. Then we wrapped the sharp edges in ribbon.

Overall, I was happy when the day ended. My hands and feet were buzzing when I finally got warm again. Of course I had to do what any Pyrex addict does when they're feeling feelings- hit up some local junk shops.

The occasional sales in MPLS opened on Wednesday and I picked up these two pieces. Imagine my surprise when I found the 4 little ramekins that complete the hostess set all the way in Ormsby, MN a few days later!

I also finally found an actual red 501 to complete my primary fridgie set. The only turquoise Pyrex I found was this snowflake divided dish, but it is so minty! I also picked up a vintage knee hugger elf, a Radko white cat ornament because I'm obsessed, and a delightfully creepy West Germany diorama ornament with what I'm calling a bearded snow witch inside. The mushroom candle holders were so much cheaper than the ones I passed on last winter at an occasional sale, so they came home with me as well. I just can't believe the lack of awesome vintage Halloween, or even awesome new Halloween for that matter, this year.

I made a Halloween advent calendar, which we have not really been following since we've had so much to do in preparation for the show last Saturday. We have started trying to catch up with it, though, so I'll share our creations soon! Also, I will be adding some of the things that didn't sell to my Etsy shop this week. :)

Maker Fair

I'll be in building A this Saturday at the Maker Fair in Garden City, MN from 9-3. The first 50 people receive a gift bag. I'm contributing to the giveaways and have been working hard all week finishing everything up! If you're in New Ulm for Oktoberfest, it's only about a half hour drive for some all handmade awesomeness! I've got a special guest coming along who might inspire a great photo op, so come on by and shop local and handmade. :)

In other news, there is free worldwide shipping from my Society6 shop through October 12, 2014 at Midnight Pacific Time by clicking this link. Offer excludes framed art prints, stretched canvases, and rugs. They have recently added long sleeved t-shirts just in time for our transition into MinneSNOWta.

Tain't No Sin, Take Off Your Skin, and Dance Around in Your Bones

It has been a very gloomy week here. I've been wanting to take pictures for a Halloween house post, but the light just hasn't been right. I've also been waiting for a certain guy to finally take out the recycling that's been piling up over the summer, but since his motto in life is 'I'll do it tomorrow' it still hasn't been done. >_< So I decided to just hide the mess and hope the gloom adds to the spooky ambiance of the decor.

Meet Scary Grant and his cat Bone-aby. He looks a little Trish-ish in BJ's Northstars hat, though. 

I found both of these little pumpkin pails at Arc's for under a dollar each. Goodwill is charging $2+ per pail this year- even if it has someone's name scribbled on in permanent marker. I'm not really sure what they're thinking. People can go to most any big box store and get a brand new one, sans name, for less than that. Also, they way overcharge for blow mold lights as well. I'm sure they think everything might be "vintage" so let's slap a crazy price on it. Black tag items (Halloween) are not eligible for the ReUse coupons from Hennepin County either, so I passed on a cute witch blow mold light that I thought was cute, but didn't want to drop that kind of cash on. I've already overspent on the big outside cat, bleh.

I picked up the pumpkin on the right at Arc's this year as well. I've put my giant color changing ball lights inside of them, but there are two extra lights. I'm trying to find a couple more nice vintage ones to hang on either side with some sticky hooks so that each pail has one light. The others I have are too small to fit the light through the holes.

I've just been having the most awful luck the past couple of weeks. BJ took me out thrifting last night to try and lift my spirits. I happened upon a nice load of old Halloween stuff! I found this cat and some vintage candles and a family of ghosts. I feel bad because I only brought one ghost home.

I also found a  Dept. 56 string of lights with cute little jack o lanterns. One of them reminded me of Halloweentown, which I'm a sucker for of course!

I made a Halloween advent calendar out of playing cards painted with chalkboard paint and glued on googly eyes. It took FOREVER! Last night we (I) were scheduled to paint Pyrex pumpkins. I've been waiting to do this since I saw a picture of this on a blog back in July! I used embroidery patterns from Twin Maples with graphite transfer paper. It worked really well except for all the pressure from my hand holding the pumpkin smeared the graphite all over the pumpkin. Luckily I had a fancy graphite eraser that picked up a lot of it, then I tried washing it with warm soapy water which didn't do much. I decided to break out the Bar Keeper's Friend and that worked! It did take off some of the paint, but the designs look better with a second coat anyway. I used Martha Stewart paints that I found unopened at Arc's on the Labor Day sale for 50 cents a piece!

                                   

TGIF, estate sales tomorrow! :)