Big Ass Wrap Up

So the Big Ass Art and Craft Show turned out to be a big ass deal indeed. I don't know what my "take" will be but it appears I probably made more than I did at Strange Folk which was my best show so far. I was dieing to total up my receipts before I left today but I was given the impression from one of the mafia that I would be overstepping my bounds so I backed away. I didn't want to worry about my camera today so I didn't bring it so I only have a few other pics from yesterday to show. I bought a new purse and made some great trades at the end of the day when everyone was packing up their stuff.

After checking off my inventory it seems my $30 scarves were the big hit. This is very reassuring since they are my favorite to work on and I spend the most time and thought on them. $15 scarves were the next biggest seller. Scarflettes were not as big at this show, which I think is because I wasn't there to explain and promote them. They also had them spread out throughout the place in different displays, and most people are too shy to take something down from a display on their own. I sold a bunch of wrist cuffs and bracelets and a few headbands and barrettes as well. I only sold 1 necklace but I think it was because they had them buried at the bottom of a basket. I guess whoever was setting up the displays was not impressed with them. I really love making the knitted necklaces and using my cool beads and pendents, but they just haven't taken off like I had hoped. I'll keep listing them on Etsy and see if I can find a market for them since I really think they make a statement.

I traded for the yellow skull tee and the cookie bag with Evil Little Girls. I traded for the eye plate with Sacred Space. I traded for the screenprinted pillows and purple umbrella with Bird On a Wire. I bought the Asian girls bag from Hoags Bags. The other things I bought are likely gifts so I didn't want to display them here.

I'm seriously debating applying to join the St. Louis branch of the Craft Mafia. It looks like my best venues are going to be indie shows and the mafia sponsors most of those shows. They say they aren't taking applications right now but I can submit a request on-line. It feels a little cliqueish to be honest, but I really liked the girls I talked to today and I made trades with several different mafia members.

I can see pros and cons for joining. They help promote each other's work on their blogs and websites. They organize and work the craft shows. My introvert side is afraid it would be too much pressure but my business and social side sees the advantages. Who knows if they would even accept me but it is something to think about.

My Etsy shop is feeling a bit naked. I will be listing and bringing things back from expired all week to get it looking full again. Next weekend I will have to do another photo shoot to get some other items ready to go now that my shows are pretty much over for the year.

Mad Art Gallery Show

I went down with a friend to see how the Big Ass Indie Art Show was going and things looked great. I took a few pics but I will probably bring my camera again tomorrow. I have to go down to work for a few hours tomorrow and get my inventory back home.

I think the model thought I was a freak since I kept taking her picture every time she changed outfits. They had 3 live models and lots of mannequins all over, many of them outfitted in scarves. The displays looked great and they integrated everything in just like a boutique. I was very impressed. It looked like I had done pretty well last night. I didn't count up the receipts but there were a bunch in my envelope so we shall see.

If you are in the St. Louis area they will be open on Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. I got a bunch of gifts while I was there and I saw a bunch of other stuff I'm thinking about gifting to myself. You should definitely check it out if you can.

Friday Gift Guides: For Mom

There really is no lack of gift ideas on Etsy for women and girls. Jewelry is by far the top category. Shopping for the Mom that has everything, such as mine, can be a little trickier though. If your mom collects something you can use that as a starting point and do a search for that type of item. There are plenty of sellers who cater to the young hipster but there are also many sellers who are geared more toward the traditional or the fun loving Mom. Here are some of my favorites that would be a good starting point for Mom shopping:

As always I strongly believe you can find artwork for anyone on your list on Etsy. Above is a gorgeous original watercolor by fellow St. Louis artist Linda Hammelman. She has a shop full of florals, stilllifes, as well as some abstracts. You can get an original piece of art to hang on mom's wall at a very reasonable price that she will think of you whenever she admires.














I don't know about you but my mother is a total bag and shoe whore, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree so they say. Miabaggali is one of my favorite bag makers on Etsy. I bought my favorite bag of all time from her which I've actually started reusing again recently. She also makes Fun and cozy fingerless Scroogies™, which would make a great gift idea for Mom or anyone else for that matter. I'm a knitter and I've been tempted to get them for myself!



As I mentioned jewelry for Mom can be found in abundance on Etsy. Basilthecat is one mom approved place to start with. I bought a little frog locket from her over a year ago that my Mom wears almost every day. She makes her jewelry from recycled pieces she picks up at thrift stores. They have a very old wordly feel to them while being very unique and new.


Moms always love bath and body products and Etsy is home to thousands of great soap makers. One of my new discoveries is natures luxeries. She has a gift basket that is full of indulgent products. You can choose from her long lists of scents, which includes CANDIED CHESTNUTS, GARDENIA, ,BANANA NUT BREAD or my favorite CEDAR & SAFFRON.



Handmade pottery is a favorite of mine and dgordon has some gorgeous pieces at amazing prices. This set includes nine trinket plates for only $100. You could gift some of them to Mom and keep a few for yourself!



Pandjcrafts is another local crafter that I discovered through Entrecard. She has some fun rag bags and HOMESPUN RAGGY QUILT CANDLE MAT & COASTER SETs. I like this red gingham print and it would make a perfect gift wrapped up with a handmade soy candle.



I was happy to be Collo's first sale on Etsy recently when I bought some cards that I absolutely adore. She also has some lovely decoupaged boxes and bowls that I would fill with other items from the list for a perfect gift presentation.

Win Your Life... Organized

Some of you may remember I blogged once about my good friend Tiffany, see here. She is the professional organizer extraordinaire of Your Life Organized, and has helped me in the past to organize my craft room and other projects. She is celebrating the month of January being the Get Organized month by having a contest. If you are in the St. Louis or Illinois areas you really should sign up. Here is a little more info about it:

In honor of Get Organized Month, Your Life Organized will select one room to win the New Year New Room Contest. The winner will receive free hands-on professional organizing services and a $100.00 gift card from The Container Store to be used in your new room.

Nominate yourself or another deserving person by completing the online application form below and submitting three photos of the room you want organized.

Deadline for nominations is January 31, 2009.

Winner will be chosen by the public and Your Life Organized on February 10, 2009.

Tif is the least judgemental person I've ever met and she won't bat an eye even when confronted with more yarn than one person could ever expect to knit in two lifetimes. If you have a spare room that you hide in shame or want to create a sanctuary for your craft I highly recommend that you entire the contest. How cool would it be to start the new year with a new room just for you.

LYS

Whenever I am working a craft show one of the questions I most often get besides "did you knit all of this yourself" is "where do you get your yarn." I talked early on in my blog about my favorite on-line yarn stores here. I feel a little guilty for not supporting my local yarn shops more but when you knit for profit it is really hard to pay full price for yarn and make any kind of profit at all. I really don't think most people realize how expensive yarn is, especially the yarn I like to work with. I went to a yarn store in Rolla called Uniquely Yours with my mom, uncle, and sis this weekend. I love this shop since she carries yarn brands I've never seen in the wild before and it gives me lots of ideas. Unfortunately I rarely can afford to buy much of anything there unless it is for me, but I had my Mom and uncle buy some things in payment for scarves they were getting to give as gifts. I think it really opened their eyes to see how much good yarn costs. I wish everyone, particularly the people who put in a bid on Etsy's alchemy for $20 wool items, would spend a few minutes in a yarn store to get their eyes opened. It really isn't cheaper to make something in most cases than it would be to buy it off the rack and buying handmade shouldn't mean buying for less.

There are several yarn shops in St. Charles that I enjoy wandering into but I rarely come out with much. The one nearest to my house has an owner that really makes me uncomfortable. It is in an old house and she has a lot of yarn in the back area. She lurks and watches me as if I'm going to stuff my purse with alpaca. And she tries to talk to me about random things so I tend to not go in if I see her car in the parking lot.

My favorite yarn store in the area is the Myer House, Weaving Dept.. They are in Florissant which isn't too far for me to drive. They have a Barn where they have all of their discontinued or spare balls with heavy discounts. A few times a year they also have a big 75% off everything in the barn sale. I always leave with several full bags and a smile on those days. It is perfect for a scarf knitter like myself who just needs a few balls of a yarn or complimentary yarns to work together. It wouldn't be ideal for a sweater knitter though.

The little yarn store near my mother in law's house just went out of business recently. It must be really hard to stay open with all of the options on-line these days. There really isn't a substitution for touching or fondling yarn and seeing the color in person. And most yarn stores have very friendly and helpful staff with classes to help you conquer new skills. I wish I could give them more of my yarn dollars but I have to do what I have to do to keep my business going. I hope they would understand.

Wordless Almost Wednesday

I just had to post this pic of my little niece wearing my Nana's coat of many colors. She wore it for an entire day and refused to take it off even when they were driving home. Jess was saying how sad it was that Savannah wouldn't get to meet Nana. She said she probably would have really liked her since she really likes her clothes. I think she must have a little bit of Nana in her.

Big Ass Indie Art and Craft Show

So I have everything all packed and ready to schlep downtown to the Mad Art Gallery tonight. I'm kind of bummed that I will have to take down my Etsy shop for what will be one of the bigger shopping weeks of the year on line. I don't see any way around it though since I won't have access to my inventory after tonight until Sunday evening. I had 5 sales this weekend on-line not to mention the ones to family this weekend so I really do hope the Big Ass show is truly a big ass deal.

Here is what the website says about it:

We received hundreds of applications, and after careful deliberations, we are proud to present the area's most talented craftspeople and artists for this year's premier holiday indie art and craft show. Our 2008 show offers three days of shopping (December 5, 6 & 7) in St. Louis' most spectacular and well-known venue for art exhibitions and unique events. Our show focuses on presenting original art and hand-made crafts of the highest quality in a shopping environment designed to provide you with a pleasurable shopping experience.

Don't miss the Big Ass Indie Art and Craft Show on December 5, 6 and 7. Brought to you by Mad Art Gallery and the Craft Mafia.

Friday, December 5th 7:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. Music from D.J. Mahf and Complimentary Toothpicks
Saturday, December 6th 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 7th 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.