Etsy love and free fabric!

Hubby and I were shopping for a sectional to put in our dining room-turned-media room. We found a winner at Brashear's in Springdale, and as we were talking to the salesman one of the other sales people, a woman named Debbie, admired my bag; this one:

So, I spoke right up and told her I made it myself, and I sell them as well. She had me write down my etsy shop URL, and then noticed my sweet ring from Block Party Press... so I put her shop on the list, and added my sister's for good measure.

In return for my great marketing ability, she went to the back of the store and got a pile of discontinued fabric samples for me to add to my stash! Score! And, she told me to check back on occasion, because they discontinue fabrics pretty regularly. What a deal... sectional on sale, possible sales in my shop or at the craft fair I'll be at in May, AND free fabric.

Now, if I wake up tomorrow 10 pounds lighter I'll be ecstatic.

The Craft Fairs are coming!!!

Are you as busy as I am building your inventory and trying to think about who your buyers will be at your next fair? I've been a busy little Punkin collecting fabric, cutting, sewing, ironing, and designing new bags... and now I'm going to make some craft fair aprons as well.

My sister Erin, of Idyllhands, and my mom and I are going to be at the Spanker Creek fair in May. Erin mentioned that she wanted to make an apron like the ones we used to wear when we waited tables to keep pens, business cards, and other stuff in. I said "hey! I can do that!"

So here's what I made for Erin from a linen tablecloth, a wool sweater and some vintage curtains:

I also made one for my mom and one for myself out of different fabrics, but haven't got pics up yet... I'll be making some for sale in my etsy shop - check in about a week to see what I list!

Crappy Days Made Good

As do a lot of people, I have a job I can't stand. It's a long story, so I'll get to the GOOD part. Yesterday, after too many hours at said hated job, I came home to find a sweet surprise on my stoop - four envelopes full of crafty sweetness!!

These two pieces of fabric are from different sellers on Ebay. The first is a sinfully cute vintage piece of juvenile print that features circus scenes. I've been thinking of venturing into the diaper bag realm, and thought it would be a great gender-neutral fabric to use for that. The second piece is a feedsack. I know, right?? I've never seen a striped one either! But it's still all sewn up on the sides and everything. I'm not sure how I'll use it yet... that's part of the thrill of having it.

This little pile of cuteness is vintage ricrac from retrocharm and I love it! She even gave me a little extra. Maybe a girl's diaper bag... or not...

And finally, these gorgeous prints are what I got in trade for a couple of my tea light lanterns from marywibis. She also sells original oil paintings and greeting cards.

Definitely turned out to be a better evening than morning or afternoon.

Building Inventory

Idyllhands, a.k.a. my sister, Erin, talked my mom and I into joining her for the Spanker Creek craft fair in May. Last summer, in order to get ready for the Clothesline Fair in September, I was creating little families of Snowfolk nonstop. But they were fairly easy to whip out, and were not as needy in terms of time at the sewing machine. The tote bags I'm making now are a different story.

Yesterday I spent some time in the morning making some bags, and got three done. They were simple, unlined bags that are intended to be market bags - nothing terribly detailed or time consuming. Two are made from vintage pillowcases. I think my stepmother had a set of linens with that poppy print on them. I have several more pillowcases to make bags out of.

Another bag from yesterday is made from some orange and green vintage upholstery fabric. I have two made from the same stuff listed in my Etsy site, but those have one long strap, whereas this one has two short ones.

Now that the boy's napping, I should go work on some more bags, May is just around the corner!

Excited over crazy stuff

Explaining exactly why something gets one excited is one thing...but announcing to the world that *today* that something is a new ceiling in the shop is drawing sideways glances from the students I'm hosting from Korea and Japan (societies that are a bit more subdubed) and the workers who were installing it as I danced around the shop clapping my hands!!! It's beautiful...recycled barn (or maybe a chicken house) corrigated metal siding applied to the ceiling with some rusty parts showing. The rust gives it character...really it does. Who wants a boring shiny metal ceiling when areas of rusty brownish-red is visible to break the monotony....sort of like the difference between a face at 25 and one at 63....definitely NOT boring, trust me.

The ceiling is up and now there's no reason not to begin production, unless organizing and cleaning is an excuse. But then, we crafty people ALL know if one spends too much time cleaning and organizing before getting started .... nothing really ever happens. So, perhaps the first pieces produced by Junque Rethunque will be created in the midst of chaos...

There are wonderful things lying dormant in the shop, nay, piled one on top of another, and never more so than today. The crew putting up the ceiling didn't see the treasures shining from the souls of broken chairs, rusty pipes, dirty tiles and seatless lawn furniture...they saw junk, trash, discarded garbage and moved it around as such. Pushing, shoving, tossing, stacking and repeating the process again as they moved from one end of the shop to the other with tall ladders (it's a 10 foot ceiling) to be able to apply the beautiful, rusted, corrigated metal to the rafters. Now it's time to carefully and with the respect 'old' things deserve, repair and repurpose these road-side vagabonds, so they can begin their new lives. I'm EXCITED!!!!!