Free Shipping + $5 Off New Biker Tanks

Click here for free shipping + $5 off new biker tanks in my Society6 shop! Promotion expires July 13, 2014 at midnight PDT. Offer excludes framed art prints, stretched canvases, throw pillows with inserts and rugs.

Notions Design Contest

The notions contest is live on Spoonflower. My design, as pictured above,  is called Lovely Notions. There will be one person chosen from the top 10 community voted designs to be featured in an upcoming issue of Love Patchwork & Quilting!

Buttons, Buttons, Buttons

If you didn't already know, buttons are almost like currency. Have you looked at the price of buttons lately? Crazy. I love stopping into Loft Antiques on 50th & Xerxes to look at the buttons there, but at 20¢ each, it can get pricey when all of them are screaming to be taken home! I signed up for a free class called Button Box through the library* where we made elastic bracelets with buttons. Naturally, I love free and crafty so, when I found this class while perusing the website, I decided it was something I needed to do. I'm not usually inclined to do things by myself, ever. I was really nervous, but I ended up having fun. I was the youngest person at the class, but I think that just gave me an advantage to obtaining the most colorful and quirky buttons in the box. 

Do you see all these buttons? I didn't finish mine before the end of the class so I was allowed to take some home to finish. The few that didn't fit onto the bracelet got to go into my newly assigned button jar. It's mostly buttons that I got when my maternal grandma died, but she had a weird obsession with white, so most of them are boring. But, according to the class, stack a boring button with another and it creates something interesting! How adorbs are the typed buttons? My bracelet ended up being my life's color scheme of pink + green and very flower-centric.

Since I finally had a little time (one day) to work on the notions contest for Spoonflower, I decided to jump in head first. I had a marathon day of digital design on Monday. Four designs, twelve hours, atrophied leg muscles. When I went to work the next day, the 6 mile round trip bike ride and the 3.5 hours of physical labor was welcomed, but totally killed. This contest opens tomorrow so I'll put up a link then. Obviously with new designs comes new Society6 designs. BJ actually surprised me with a Galaxy S5 on Monday afternoon, which is outrageous and I have to not even think about how crazy it is or I feel guilty. This means I can finally order a case that I designed! We should all be that awesome ;)

Book-a-Week update:

Since we caught up last, I've finished the last three books of the Aurora Teagarden series, and I have to tell you that a couple of the deaths really took a toll on me, but I loved the series and am sad it's over. I also read Charlaine Harris' new short story about Manfred Bernardo (Sookie Stackhouse crossover!!!) and the first book of her brand new series also starring Manfred Bernardo. If you are a Charlaine Harris fan, then this is the ultimate because there is crossover from every series except Sookie, but you get that in the short. I squeed outloud every time. I was like a rap battle hype man. I can't wait for the next one to come out!!! That brings us to the current book which is definitely not being read in one week, but since I'm ahead of schedule (on #34 on week 26), I'm hoping that it won't make much of a difference. If I count graphic novels and the New Girl book I'm on #39. The book I'm on now is S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst and it's super fun. It's going to take a long time to read though because it's a book but has notes written back and forth between two readers and has things inserted into the pages. I've encountered a couple of things referenced in the notes that I think are missing from the book, but I'm borrowing it from the library, so it's to be expected. The only thing missing from making it seem like a legitimate old library book is the lovely smell that books acquire. 

I'll have a thrift update soon. Spoiler: there are cats. Plural. >^._.^<

*If you are not currently a library goer, you really must start. The Hennepin County Library system is so super amazing; I don't know how I'd live without it! I've watched old + current movies, all of the American Film Institute top 100 movies from both 2000 + 2010, regularly read old and current books from both the physical and digital lending libraries including cookbooks and crafting books (with patterns!), borrowed CD's, get 5 free music downloads per week, took a free class, and just enjoyed being in the comfort of air conditioning on hot days when I was too poor and/or cheap to turn on the A/C. The library is an amazing place that is no longer just for nerds. I just love the library! :)

Souvenirs, Sunshine, and Free Shipping

First off, I'd like to let everyone know about the artist promotion I've got going on over at Society6. If you click that link, you'll get free shipping until June 8, Midnight Pacific Time. Offer excludes framed art prints, stretch canvases, throw pillows with inserts, and rugs. If you happen to be lucky enough to have a Samsung Galaxy S5, they now carry covers for them. I'm so jealous of you because I have a crappy MyTouch that doesn't have any cool covers and mostly doesn't listen to anything I tell it to do.

Well, with that out of the way, I can share my takeaways from BJ's business trip. I've been obsessed with Kidrobot since I discovered it way back in high school. When he asked me if I wanted anything, I told him he needed to visit the Haight Street location. He picked up a Dunny that he said he just been released, the Keith Haring Munny that I had ogled at the Japanese store here a few months back, a small Yummy toast plush by Heidi Kenney, and a little blind box zipper pull. He got two packages of these B-Boys for free. They come with "carboard" to break on- hilarious! The zipper pull is a lemon and lime riding on a scooter with sidecar.

He mostly took pictures of seals sunning themselves on docks and plants that he found interesting. Clearly he's been with me too long, haha!

Speaking of excessively taking pictures of animals. There is a turf war going on on my balcony. First it was just the sparrows and my cats. They want to live in my fern and the mushroom bird house. Yesterday, a third gang moved in. This lady pigeon was making herself comfortable in my freshly planted alyssum. The sparrows squawked until she left, but she came back in the evening. I can't blame her for trying to move up in the world, but come on, Birds. The cats win because they have humans paying for them to live here...

The balcony is looking pretty amazing. The cats love spending the day under the cart. I had today off, and it was so nice to finally get to sit down and read. I know you're probably worried that my crazy schedule has put my off my reading game, but I'm starting book 31 of the year tonight. Since I last updated my list, I've finished the last three books of the Harper Connelly Series, the last four of the Lily Bard Series, the first five of the Aurora Teagarden Series (I read the second book in one day!), Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris, Melissa Joan Hart's autobiography, and Chelsea Handler's latest. I'd recommend all but the Melissa Joan Hart book because I think she comes off as obnoxious as her Sabrina character.

Johnstock was this past Saturday. All the bad weather went right around us the whole day until I got the last of it packed away in the car! It was really hot and humid, but sales were decent. I stayed up too late the night before making last minute preparations including cutting out these cute recipe cards.

During the show, I finished hand-embroidering the cat sleep masks I'm making. You can see a picture of the first one I made on Instagram to the right. (Follow me!) Not great photos though because they were taken with my phone. I'll have to take new ones with my actual camera. I hear the Samsung Galaxy S5 takes good pictures...

I have a deadline approaching for a show this fall so I'm trying to get some new stuff made up to include in the application. I made a Ouija Board design on Spoonflower to make into place mats. You can order this fabric for a personal cut&sew project. I'm really happy with how they turned out and hope everyone loves them as much as I do. I can't wait to order more and sew them up! I'm considering a cool napkin holder idea, I just need to decide how to execute it.

I'm off to finish enjoying the first of two consecutive days off, tomorrow is the designated catch-up day. >_<

Johnstock 2014

Hey, everyone! Don't forget to come to Johnstock tomorrow, May 31 from 10 am-4 pm. It is in the Johnson St parking lot between 28th and 29th in NE Minneapolis. I'm booth A3.

Also, I've got a design entered in the Beards and Mustaches contest over at Spoonflower. Mine is called Catstache, inspired by my own beared beauty, Annabelle Pepper. I'm going to be ordering proofs of most of my designs soon, so everything will finally be up for sale! I've got a really fun Ouija board design up for sale and I'll be selling it as already-made place mats for my Fall/Halloween stock.

Yay and Nay

It's been a while! I've been insanely busy since my last post. I started working at NBG and have had only 6 days to myself in the last four weeks. Needless to say, I'm burnt out! The last time I posted, I mentioned the craft fair I was a part of in Elk River. Well, that turned out to be a complete waste of two days I could have had off because I barely made half my money back. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I wouldn't even make $50. Definitely not my crowd. I had a couple of people who seemed to really like my terrariums, one said she'd come back and didn't, because they never do. The other just couldn't pull the trigger. I had stuff for $1 that I couldn't sell, but the playing card holders and weird oil candles on either side of me were flying off the shelves. I think I may have been in a strange invisible zone because people seemed to not even notice my booth... Lessons learned I guess.

The first full week back at the Depot for the season, I was sort of the acting team lead so I had to do price changes and whatnot. It rained (and SNOWED) the whole week. It was just awful. All the hanging and rehanging of wet, heavy baskets taken down for frost... At least it wasn't 78 carts, one with a square wheel like last year! Even last week we had to bring all the carts in and frost cloth at night. I'm crossing my fingers that the nice weather we've had this week means we're finally done with wintery weather. I bought all my plants over the course of the last couple of weeks and just today set them all into pots so they're ready to be planted.

Speaking of plants, I obviously can't get enough of them! Mother's Day weekend is one of the biggest weekends for the plant business and there is an annual plant sale out at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. A nice customer told me about it and I had actually planned on going out there for Craftstraganza anyway, so it was meant to be. The craft show was the same-ole-same-ole that I see at every show put on by the same group, so it wasn't so  much fun. Also someone ran into mine and BJ's heels with her stroller and didn't even feel the need to apologize. Just because someone has kids, it doesn't make her exempt from manners or give her the right to feel self important. Most everyone has kids, you're not special, get over yourself! You don't see me pushing my cats around in their stroller and hitting your ankles as if they're just so gifted that you should feel blessed. Anyway, after the craft fair was a bust, we had to wait in line to get into the plant sale. Next year, I'm going on Friday because it was really picked over with a lot of stuff sold out, but I did find the star flower I was looking for! I also picked up a 4 pack of giant blooming yellow petunias, a dark purple-almost black calibrachoa, a 4 pack of dark purple salvia, and a super-duper cheap rosemary plant. Mine kicked the bucket over the winter because I decided it was too ugly to water. I wanted to find a tree, but apparently stores only carry those during Christmastime. This one says it works as bonsai so maybe I can trim it that way?

Two of the days I had off were planned. Richfield had it's citywide garage sale this past weekend and BJ finally loves sale-ing! We both took Thursday and Friday off to go to them and spend time together before he left for San Francisco Saturday morning for a business trip. (I always misspell Francisco because of my last name haha!) I had a game plan to maximize awesomeness. The first sale we went to was in Minneapolis, not part of citywide, and was not as awesome as the ad had made me expect. The main sale I wanted to go to was actually an estate sale in Bloomington, but that didn't open until 9 with no earlybirds, so we stopped at one in Richfield on the way. The Craigslist ad said it had an "antique" shopping cart. Well, I don't know about antique, people throw that word around willy-nilly, but vintage, absolutely! There was an old cart at Urban Cottage this month's sale that was out of my price range and I didn't know what I'd do with it despite the fact that I have always wanted a cart. This cart at the garage sale was $20 and I've been trying to find a storage/shelving solution for the short side of the balcony. I was considering making something out of pallets, but when I read the ad online, it dawned on me that this little cart would be perfect. It so is! There's room for the kitties to lounge underneath and I have my tree of enchantment and miscellaneous garden things in the basket. I think my tree might be a little bit dead though...

So the estate sale. First, it said it was for cat lovers. Then it advertised an item that got away from me during last year's citywide. The mutli-color stacking Pyrex mixing bowls. They were only $25 then, but BJ didn't want to spend that much. Well, after much convincing, and hours hunting, I found the complete set! And it was the same price :) This is probably what my estate sale will look like. I got two sets of white cat S&P shakers, two teeny-tiny cats, and a regular figurine. I also picked up three records: an Andy Williams Christmas album, one that has I think 6 records of songs from the fabulous 40's, and a Halloween sounds record! I found a Sanrio stationary set from Japan at another sale and picked up four big buttons for a bag I'm making at a sale from a nice lady who used to own a couple of fabric stores. She told me that she has a storage unit with a whole wall full of buttons and that I could call her if I wanted to check it out! 

The next day we stopped at another estate sale where I found a cool Singer scissors. The Seward neighborhood was having their garage sale as well, and one of the ladies from Urban Cottage was having an inventory reduction sale. I snagged some vintage ornaments for the wreath I want to make.

Sadly, the next day BJ left for a week. Our Hammy had been sick, so I was responsible for getting his antibiotics. The vet visit seemed to go well. He thought that the medicine would be a just-in-case because he seemed to be getting better. Well, one day my little boy started limping, it carried into the next day, and then I found him... You're not supposed to have favorites, but Hamm was mine. It was love at first sight when I saw that little runt. Every time I looked at him, my heart swelled with love. He was the cutest boy I've ever seen in my life with this messy hair, orange belly, and little white patch on his throat. My Patches had that exact same marking, which made it even more special. I'm still in a cloud of denial and plan to say hi to him each time I enter the living room. We had bought pepper plants just for him. It's been really hard having this happen while BJ is away. His mom was kind enough to come get him for me and take him to be cremated. My mom made a trip up to comfort me at a moments notice, which meant the world to me, but it's too quiet here without his whistles. Who's going to be in charge now, Hammy?

Life has to go on, though. I had to send off a birthday gift to my dear friend, Agent I since it is on Memorial Day and I wanted him to get it in time. Luckily he got it the day before he left for a trip and he sent me a picture of his two new totoros with the big one I made him for Christmas. When I went to Crafty Planet to pick up the fliers for Johnstock, I also bought Heidi Kenney's Sublime Stitching pattern and some fabric to re-do my sewing chair. I decided to use the pattern to make I's card. I don't really know how to embroider because I haven't learned officially, but I think it turned out well!

Finally, Johnstock is on Saturday May 31 from 10-4 in the Johnson St parking lot in NE Minneapolis. The forecast is rain, but I hope people will stop by! 

Free Shipping Worldwide

Hey, Everybody! I've got an artist promotion going on over at my Society6 shop. Just click this link to get free shipping worldwide through May 11, 2014 PST. Offer excludes framed art prints, stretched canvases, throw pillows with inserts, and rugs. I've added my new terrarium design and they have recently started carrying shower curtains- cool!