Crafty

This past Sunday was Crafty Bastards, and despite the time crunch (only three weeks to prepare) I managed to have a lot of things ready and to sell a good number of them. Wooot. I had a lot of helpers (4!). I think the thing that made me most able to enjoy the day was having better prepared my display. Mom and I even bought some flowers, and I really liked the easel and canvas display I had for some hanger/organizers I made with wood from PA. I also spent more time on packaging, although that was only really for the notebooks.

This year, given the fact that I had been on the "waiting list" for over a month, I thought a lot more about the confidence factor that selling something handmade requires. I realized my CB application was flawed (as KW pointed out, didn't showcase my more unique stuff) and that they were trying to get new sellers, but being almost rejected was something of a blow. I had never gotten that kind of negative reaction to the things I make, and it was hard not to take it personally. In the same way, I felt much more inclined to really hawk my wares when I was confident that my setup looked good. And how goodgoodgood it feels to have people peer over your table and say how clever or cool they think something is. I'm just happy it worked out, and, for many reasons, I have tons of respect for people who do this full time.

Back to the start

Since coming back from vacation, I haven't really been as into blogging. I've had lots of little anecdotes that I thought to relay, but the subject matter here feels maybe too aimless. I think I should focus on doing a food or crafts blog, or just combining them into "stuff I make." As it were that was the original intention with this one, and it's where I'm going now.

Things I have wanted to share:

1. I've had a fruitless quest for these green tea milk candies (that is, they taste like green tea ice cream) I bought in San Francisco. Apparently they are special edition and even Google is failing me. I found one online shop selling them, but it's British, and 2 pounds per bag means $4 each, plus 17.5 percent VAT, plus 6 pounds shipping and handling. Three bags of candy would cost me about $24!


2. When I finally went grocery shopping the other day, I happened to reach the bakery at just the right moment. I picked up a baguette while it was still warm, which has not happened to me since I was in Paris last year. Also, against all Harris Teeter overpriced cheese logic, I got a giant thing of brie for $4.27.

3. I have been making earrings nonstop since San Francisco in order to get ready for Crafty Bastards. I use regular glass and stone beads but make the rest from old magazines...which means cutting out strips, rolling while gluing them, varnishing, waiting, making. I have about 40 pairs right now--only problem is I have thus far neglected to buy the earring wires. Whoops. Crafty Bastards is this Sunday! I'm booth #68, back by Politics & Prose and an organic food stand.


4. I just had multiple glasses of wine at lunch. (Note: this is not the norm, just for people's pots de départ.) We had to finish the open bottles, then, and so I was encouraged to drink. Zzz.

5. Not related to food, but whatever: I have been having a ton of dreams lately. One the other day involved me saving a bunch of people, including my yoga teacher, from a bobcat. Otherwise, they keep including Mad Men characters.There's the one about Don Draper that..I've..told..some..people..about.. And I had one last night about Peggy in which the internal conflict seen on the show was manifested by her having basically a scarlet letter. Except it was a stamp on her forehead.

Crafty bastard

Woot! I just sent in my application for 2008 Crafty Bastards. Today, of course, is the deadline--last year I somehow did it ahead of time. I revamped my mission statement to sound less dorky and hopefully succeeded (can't c+p because I managed to not save the exact version I sent).

I also updated my Etsy shop, which meant adding a couple new things and refreshing some old listings. I have been slow on the crafting front and, how do you say, need to get my ass in gear. This weekend's work will be fabric- and felt-focused. I've also have to buy hooks for jewelry/key hangers and varnish a bunch of things. Here's to a weekend at home.

Paper and patience

A week or so ago I finished the papercut on the left. As with most of my projects, I'm not actually sure how long it took, because I zoned out. At any rate, I worked on it over several days because my fingers got tired. It's all one piece, all still attached. The paper is a page from an Walther Petri's children's book Humbug ist eine Bahnstation, which I picked for a few dollars on one of Second Story Books outdoor tables. This page has two short poems about twins named Fritz and Klaus and how each can be distinguished from the other. (The top part says that people often get them confused, and then another part that's no longer legible explains that they have different addresses. Cute.)

Fittingly enough, I got the idea from the German craft of scherenschnitte, although the one I did isn't as symmetrical as typical ones would be. My dad, actually, was the one who first taught me the word, and we have a framed piece at home of an animal pile similar to this one. I'm realizing this makes me feel so Pennsylvanian. (Totally unrelated to paper, but I love how that Wikipedia entry references Shangy's. Beeeer.)

This is a birthday card I made fer Zoa H. using a page from the same book. This time, obviously, the black paper is on top.

I'm still waiting for my Rob Ryan tile to get here. Woo..