Start the Holiday Shopping!

Since my 4 year old doesn't read my blog, I guess it's okay to show off one of his Christmas gifts! I ordered this cute little Indian headdress from WorldofWhimm. Isn't it adorable? He is way into dressing up right now, so this will be perfect! Plus, he told me the other day that he needed some Indian stuff to go with his teepee. I asked him what kind of stuff and he said, "Ummm, a feather?" Blue is his favorite color so I'm very excited.

I also bought him a shark costume for 75% off after Halloween. There's a play kitchen in the basement of my office with his name on it, too. My husband thinks I'm silly for buying him a kitchen, but what is so girly about a kitchen? Everyone eats, right? Besides, it's green and tan, not pink and purple! I want to do some searching for play food on Etsy to go with it.

I love Christmas shopping! I'm still in browsing mode, but plan to start doing some ordering very, very soon!

The Holidays are Starting!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! I'm most excited about the fact that I won't have to work for four whole days! We'll be spending Thanksgiving Day with my dad's side of the family. He has eight brothers and sisters, so it will be a huge gathering. We haven't attended this gathering in several years, so I'm looking forward to it. We'll probably end up at Mom and Dad's house in the evening for snacks.

On Friday, we're heading up to Kansas City to visit my husband's family. More food, of course! My brother-in-law is a great cook, so I'm sure our meal on Saturday evening will be wonderful. I'm planning to make my favorite chocolate eclair cake. Very easy and very yummy!

Connor is all about the holidays, although I think he's anxious to get past Thanksgiving so we can get on with Christmas! They had their Thanksgiving "feast" at daycare yesterday. I asked him what they had, and he said there was turkey and mashed potatoes. When I asked him if he ate all that, he said, "No, I just played with them." That's my kid!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving Weekend! And, if you plan to brave the Black Friday sales, be careful and have fun! (I think I'm just going to hide away in my in-laws' house and do some embroidery.)

This weekend's craft show

I have to admit that I was totally disappointed with the results of this weekend's craft show. It was supposed to be a huge show, and there were a lot of booths and a lot of people. Unfortunately, they just weren't buying from our booth! But, I did remember to take booth photos this time!

Years ago when I used to sell scrapbook supplies, my husband made me two of these folding pegboards. They are one of the most useful things I have ever owned!This table holds all the hair accessories that my sister makes. She actually sold quite a few. The banner is one that I made and we just pinned it around the table. (I've made some Christmas ones that will be for sale in our new shop, She Made It, very soon!)These two lovely ladies always get a lot of attention at the shows. Kids are absolutely mesmerized by them. We always wish that we had a video camera in our booth so we could capture all the reactions and comments! I'm a little scared of the one on the left...This rack belongs to my sister and works really well for us. We can adjust the shelves and it comes completely apart for transport. This weekend, we filled it with blankets and pillows.My mom crocheted three of these adorable monkeys for this weekend's show. The other two are in the previous picture. The highlight of the day was when a fellow vendor walked into the booth and wanted to know if the orange monkey was for sale. I assured him it was and ran back to his booth to get money, because he "had to buy it!" He had a pottery booth and said even though he wasn't selling much, finding this monkey made the entire event worthwhile! This was a guy in his thirties, and I loved how thrilled he was with his purchase.

We also had a very nice vendor who sold beautiful jewelry made out of vintage and antique buttons come into our booth and chat for a while. She informed us that the quality of the crowd at this particular show wasn't what it used to be. She also advised us to give a show two years before we give up on it. It was very encouraging to talk to someone who had been doing this for a number of years.

So, we're done with craft shows for this year. I'm going to spend the next few weeks concentrating on my Etsy shops. I'm really hoping for a great Christmas season!

Sampler Contribution Finished!

I just finished stitching up the last Itsy Bitsy Bag for my contribution to the Holiday Sampler. I think they turned out adorable. What do you think?

If I remember correctly, the fabrics are from the Flea Market Fancy and Chocolate Lollipop lines. Instead of using the same fabric for only two or three bags out of my 25 bag contribution, I decided to stick to just a couple fabrics. I found it was much easier to sit down and sew 8-10 of the same bag instead of having to constantly switch thread color and so on.

Again, aren't they cute? The ones in the middle are my favorites!

I've got a few more in my shop available for purchase and several that aren't listed. Just tell me what you're looking for, and I can do custom orders. These little bags are perfect for filling with holiday treats for a fun gift. The bags themselves are just the right size when all you need is your cell phone, id, keys and cash! My sister has even been using hers to carry around her digital camera!

A Passion for Fabric!

Holy moly! I went to Hobby Lobby with my mom yesterday, because I wanted to find some tiny plastic rings that I can sew on my banners to use for hanging them. That was the ONLY thing I needed. Huh! $50 later and guess what I forgot to even look for!

Furthermore, you should see the two big plastic totes full of fabric that are piled in my living room. Not to mention, three more plastic bags full of it sitting next to my desk! I definitely do not need more fabric. I could probably sew for a year without having to buy anything other than lining fabrics, interfacing and thread. But when I saw this bolt, there was no way I could leave without some.

Seriously. How could I pass this up? Not only is it totally retro and fun, but it's red and black, my all time favorite color combo! I bought a yard and a half, so I'm really hoping I can get a large and a small bag out of it. After that, I'll have to decide if I can even part with it!

Some Random Happy

One of the things I love about the modern world is being able to fill up my gas tank and pay for a car wash at the same time. I am absolutely the worst about keeping my car clean. My husband is constantly nagging me about the fact that I need to clean out my car. Look, I have a four year old boy who is a constant passenger in my back seat. He covers the seat with cheese crackers and the floors with papers from daycare. There are random toys all over the place! The front seat is covered with my trash. Things like empty soda cans litter the floor along with discarded MapQuest directions and granola bar wrappers.

Before I found a gas station with an automatic car wash, I would go months and months without washing my car. It drove my dad nuts to see my perfectly nice car covered in a layer of grime. Now, when I fill my tank at my favorite gas station the happy little screen says, "Would you like a car wash?" I push yes, it adds it to my bill, and after filling up, I drive through the automatic wash. (Don't get me wrong, I don't wash my car every single time I fill up, but when it needs washed it sure is handy!)

When I'm planning ahead, I go through the drive-thru at a nearby fastfood chain and enjoy my cheeseburger, while my car is being washed! It's kind of peaceful in there, and I have enough time to eat my lunch while I read. It just makes me happy!