Gettin' Crafty

It is craft show time again! With the addition of my headbands, hair clippies, bobby pins, brooches, and bookmarks, I needed some new display stuff. I searched up and down the web for ways to display my headbands on my grid walls but came up empty. Not to mention, I have several shows that are pre-set (i.e., I gots no say in the set up!) and my grid walls would not work. I finally found a cool display idea and reworked it to meet my needs.

I started out with a 2' tall, 4" round piece of PVC, some spray glue, a wooden base, some red spray paint, 4 "L" brackets, batting, and fabric.

I spray painted the base, as well as my new magnet tray, in a deep red that matches my color scheme.

And yes, I got in trouble for spray painting the grass!

From there I sprayed the glue on to the batting. I had several odd sized pieces of batting left from memory boards so I improvised and glued individual pieces instead of one giant piece.
Next up was the fabric. This was a little more difficult than I imagined it would be because not only was I covered in glue but the fabric didn't meet all the way in the back. Hmmmm. I had to figure out how to make that look good. But first... a little break...
Oh, and some time with my little helper...
Oops, that guy isn't helping. Back to work.
See how it doesn't meet? Never fear, the ribbon queen is here!
Phew... the headband fits!
Next up was putting on the "L" brackets. My other helper handles the drill for me since I have a tendency to hurt myself with power tools. He also really enjoys measuring so this was a good project for him.
All those nights of watching the DIY channel have paid off. He is so proud! Or maybe deranged. I haven't decided yet.
And here it is!
What is that thing on the top? Well, my top didn't look so good so I had to find a way to cover up all the messy glued pieces. And since I make flowers...

I'm a winner - Again!

Shortly before moving I won a giveaway from Army Chic 4 Lyfe, a fellow Homefront Team member. She was kind enough to hold my package until I had an address and it arrived yesterday. Just in time too because this move has been very stressful and I need the goodies in this package!

Included in the box were:

A set of pearl earrings (I love pearls because they are beautiful and simple)
A bracelet with a heart locket and a small pearl
A soy candle in Orchid Rain (it is a pretty purple and smells incredible!)
A package of tarts in Orchid Rain (again, smells incredible!)
and my absolute favorite... BATH SALTS!

I have every intention of sneaking off to use the bath salts and candle as soon as my son goes to bed.

Stop by Army Chic's shop and check out all the great stuff she has for sale. She is a multi-talented Etsian!

And if you want more great deals... check out the Homefront Team's Back-To-School promotion. So many great shops, so many great items, so many great deals!

I'm Back!

Well, sort of. I have the flower shop open for business because I brought those items with me. The memory board shop will be closed for a few more days. Our household goods will be delivered on Thursday and I hope to find my way to the memory boards by the weekend. Anyone want to bet on whether or not that will actually happen?

In the meantime, I have added a cool new item to the blog. Right over there on the right hand side is a new widget, courtesy of Craftcult. It shows you all the cool stuff in the shop and even has a "buy" button. Go ahead and click it. You know you want to!

Oh, I also have cool new graphics for the flower shop. I am loving!!!! I purchase the whole set from Bears Graphics on Etsy. I'm just waiting on one correction on the business cards and then I will send them off to Vistaprint in hopes of using them at an upcoming craft show.

A New Promotion

About a week ago I was asked to participate in a special promotion for the 4th of July, put on by Independent Artisans. They wanted to feature my Red, White and Blue Magnets and Hair Pins. How could I say no? LOL! Stop by their website, Twitter or Facebook page to check out all the fabulous artisans who are featured. This photo is one of my personal favorites!

Oh, and now all memory boards are 50% off. Stop by the shop and check them out. I will be closing that shop on July 1!

A Poll

I've decided that the Hold It! shop needs its own look. I'm applying to several fall craft shows and I think that shop needs the whole shebang to help it stand out and have folks remember me (that is the whole point in doing shows right?). But... I can't decide what I want. I had a great set picked out but the seller hasn't gotten back to me on changes. As an Etsy seller who prides herself in good customer service, I'm a little frustrated with that.

So, I need your help. Leave a comment with the number you think I should choose!

#1 Wild Things
#2 Film Noir
#3 Monochrome Damask

#4 Red Vines

#5 Girlie Swirly

Growing Pains!

Today I added a new line of products to the Hold It! shop... BROOCHES! I am very excited about this line as it will get my flowers into a different category in searches and therefore, more exposure. Each flower is approximately 2.5" in diameter. I am considering going to a larger size but won't do that until I can find a larger pin back to support the weight of the flower; cotton gets pretty heavy when you starch it a gazillion times. And as always, if you want to pay through someone other than PayPal, you can shop at 1000 Markets and use your Amazon account.








There is even more news! The Memories To You shop is still having a sale. All memory boards are now 40% off the original price! Some are reduced to nearly 50% off. My plan is to close that shop on July 1 so that I can get the leftover merchandise ready for the move. The flower shop will stay open because those items are small enough to go in the car with me.

New Markdowns!

The move date is getting closer and I still have tons of inventory on hand. So... all memory boards are marked down by at least 40%. Take advantage of the sale while you still can.

Moving Sale Gets Moving!

The "I Don't Want To Move All This Stuff" sale just got bigger! Now, all memory boards are marked 30% off the original price!

16x20 Originally $67.99 NOW $47.50
12x16 Originally $44.99 NOW $31.50
11x14 Originally $31.99 NOW $22.00
9x12 Originally $29.99 NOW $21.00
5x7 Originally $15.99 NOW $11.00

There is one little catch... I'm heading out on vacation this weekend so all orders placed between April 30 and May 8 will ship on May 10.

And The Winner Is...

The Puff Pastry Shop, who also happens to have a very cute shop on Etsy! You get to pick out any 11"x14" memory board from my shop. For all you first runners up, every memory board in the shop is marked down by 20% in anticipation of my move in June.

Sale Away With Me!

It is official... we are moving. The government expects us to have our household junk in Augusta, Georgia by the end of June. I hate unpacking and I really don't want to unpack all the memory boards I have in stock so you win! Right now everything is marked down by at least 20%. Some of the clearance items are 50% or more!

16x20 Memory Board $54.00 regularly $67.99
12x16 Memory Board $36.00 regularly $44.99
11x14 Memory Board $25.00 regularly $31.99
9x12 Memory Board $24.00 regularly $29.00
5x7 Memory Board $12.50 regularly $15.99

Every sale this week will also be entered in the Mother's Day drawing for the chance to win an additional memory board.

Mother's Day Giveaway!

Mother’s Day always comes with a mixed bag of emotions for me. My own mom died 18 years ago this May. My dad remarried a short while later and my stepmother is a wonderful woman who could never replace my mom but instead fills a void that was left. I call her my adulthood mother. Several years ago I became a mom myself and that brought a new round of emotions on Mother’s Day - happy because I get to celebrate in a different way, yet sad for the huge sacrifice my son’s birthmother made.

I have so many wonderful memories of my mother but some of my favorites are of shopping together! She loved to shop and we would drive to a mall two hours away and spend the entire day, looking at every rack, in every store.

To celebrate Mother’s Day I’m having a giveaway. The winner will receive a free memory board! You get to choose the 11x14 memory board of your choice! Keep it for yourself to put up all the photos of your mother or give it to mom with all the great photos of you!

The rules (you knew there had to be some right?). The contest ends Sunday, the 25^th of April. Winner will be announced on Monday, April 26:

Two mandatory things you HAVE to do:

1. Be a follower of this blog. There is a little “Follow Me” button over there on the left. See it? People who are already following are automatically entered!
2. Leave a comment telling me you favorite memory of your mother!

To get an additional entry:

1. Leave a comment here about your favorite item from the shop.
2. Tweet about this contest - “Win a free memory board from @memoriestoyou”. (only 1 RT per day please!)
3. Follow me on Twitter
4. Become a fan on Facebook

Cooliris Photo Wall

Proof I'm Doing a Craft Show

In preparation for the craft show, I thought I would share with y'all what goes into it.

First, there is figuring out the set up. So far, no two shows have been the same, so flexibility has been key. Practicing the set up ahead of time is great. Except it all never goes back onto the table the same once you get there. Kind of like the toy that never goes back into the packaging the same! I put my set up together the other day in the backyard. It was a breezy day so it was a good way to figure out what will stand up and what will need to be nailed down. Next comes sorting out the merchandise. I am incredibly organized in my workspace but somehow getting stuff packed up always ends up looking like this.I can hardly walk in there right now and am trying to figure out how I am going to get to the stuff still in the closet. Panda isn't coming along, he is just sitting guard right now. And here is the mysterious disappearing tablecloth. The flowers sitting on top will be part of the display table and the flowers in the tub are all packaged and ready to be sold. Doesn't it look like a fun garden?

Somewhere in the middle is getting display pieces ready. This time I am using spring colored buckets and flower magnets to look like a bucket of flowers. Doesn't everyone love a bucket of flowers? For those of you who might want to stop by and shop at the craft show, you could win a chance to get 50% off your entire purchase. Yep! I am offering scratch off tickets and you could get a really good deal. If you want to do scratch off tickets for your customers, there is a great tutorial at Artmind. Now, I realize that painting is not my strong suit but hopefully a customer getting 50% off won't care about that!
I hope everyone in the area will stop by and say hello on April 17 & 18. The Fred Heutte Center, 1000 Botetourt Gardens ~ Norfolk, Virginia 23507-1866