Make and Tell Challenge: Day 36

I took a brief break from my tote this evening to make this bohemian necklace (indeed, the brand of the pendant was actually "Royal Boheme"; I think it's a division of Blue Moon Beads) for myself. I'd bought the stuff weeks ago but hadn't gotten around to doing anything with it. I'm mostly happy with the result. Really, I should be making jewelry to sell as evidenced by my somewhat depleted tables at this Sunday's Renault Winery Grape Stomping Festival. But I don't really want to begin making jewelry to sell in earnest until I'm able to buy my materials in bulk, online. It makes such a difference. Just today at lunch I went to A.C. Moore to buy some beads, etc. for a necklace I'm making for my grandmother's birthday. Although the store was packed with tempting goodies, I kept thinking, now, you shouldn't buy too much here. I'm forever trying to dream up ways to be more cost-effective in terms of running The Tote Trove, but it's a challenge, especially because I pride myself on keeping my prices reasonable.

After dinner, I devoted myself to my tote. I decided to outline everything in blue so that I could fill in the water. Normally, I would do this part last, but sometimes having the blue background intact helps me decide which colors to paint the remaining fish, coral, etc. I'm glad I added the aquamarine strip down the middle because doing so allows me to play with darker contrast colors for the fish (like the purple jellyfish).

I did pick up some colorful wooden beads at A.C. Moore today. I plan to intersperse them with some homemade magazine beads, which I've yet to make. I whipped up a batch more than a year ago and was really pleased with the way they turned out. I'll string them on black satin ribbon, knotting the ribbon on either side of each bead. I'll make one necklace for myself, then a few to post in my shop and bring to fairs. How can you get more cost effective (not to mention unique) than beads made out of old Cosmo issues?

I'm so glad that we decided to extend this Challenge. I won't lie; it's really tough sometimes. But I look forward to planning my Make each day and seeing how much I can cram in. Sometimes I'll tell people about what I'm doing, and they'll just give me this blank stare. Of course, these are usually the same people who look at me in surprise when I explain that you have to pay to vend at craft shows. Part of the reason I like doing this is knowing there are like-minded artists out there who understand the intrinsic value of creating something out of nothing and testing your limits.

Okay, enough intensity.

Make and Tell Challenge: Day 35

Tonight I started painting the fish tote I drew almost two weeks ago. Fish themes are one of my favorites to paint, probably because of all the colors.

Make and Tell Challenge: Day 34

During today's Renault Winery festival, I perked up this grape tote by painting the black curlicues. This transformation was not unlike that of the Punky Pear Tote, in that it started with an old Funky Fruit tote that was in serious need of revitalization (not to mention re-naming). Next I made two chokers for myself by pinning paper flowers to black satin ribbon. I then glued lime green fabric flowers to the paper ones for impact. These remind me of something you would wear to a wedding or other formal affair, but I'll probably just wear them with jeans.

I remain very curious about the other Make and Tellers and feel a little bit guilty for not checking in on them. Hopefully, I will tomorrow.

Tales from the Trove: Renault Winery Grape Stomping Festival

Today was the Renault Winery October Fest & Grape Stomping show. I can easily say that it was the most picturesque, classiest venue in which I have ever vended. For those who aren't familiar, Renault Winery is a quaint winery and golf resort in Egg Harbor City that resembles an old fashioned village. That said, this show was also an odd one in that it seemed to cater toward more commercial vendors. For example, my tent was sandwiched between Mary Kay and a company selling solar panels. Pampered Chef, Longaberger, Tupperware, and other brands were also in attendance. Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with these companies, and I certainly respect that their representatives need to make a living. I just never sold my work in that kind of environment, so I was a little disconcerted. Anyway, the weather was gorgeous, and I held my own in sales of skirt purses (of course), tiny totes, and a surprising amount of jewelry. Ironically, I didn't sell any pouches and only one wine bag. Happily though, it was the bag I had on display stuffed with a bottle and colorful tissue. I also had the opportunity to meet two fellow EtsyNJers. Suz of Whimseys was playing shopper today and stopped by my tent to introduce herself. We'd chatted via email on the EtsyNJ list (she was the one who told me about the Renault show), so it was really nice to meet her in person. She was carrying one of her amazing handbags, which also happened to be a Hoffman Challenge winner. She recognized the bf right off because she follows my blog and noted that I was wearing my Make and Tell Challenge-inspired jeans. I must admit I got a little kick out of that. Shortly afterwards I took a walk around while the bf manned the tent and visited Susann of Alonia Creations. She was surrounded by a charming array of her handmade dolls, bags, little girls' dresses, and jewelry. I'm actually a follower of her blog, so it was fun meeting her. I continued on my way, stopping to visit the tent across from mine, Patty's Crafts, before getting back to work. Patty and her friend had come all the way from Connecticut! Their husbands were playing in a Renault golf tournament, so they decided to set up shop at the festival. I purchased two of Patty's adorable handmade cupcake pincushions, one for me and one for my sister. I suppose I'll need one now that I'm a budding seamstress (ha ha). My sister stopped by a little later, and I presented her with the pincushion. She was delighted. My last visitor of the day arrived just as I was packing up. This wasn't odd; I find that many browsers will stop to check out your wares as you're breaking down. It's almost as if they don't want to miss out. Anyway, this last-minute buyer turned out to be my very first craft fair customer ever. She'd bought some jewelry from me at the Somers Point Ladies Auxiliary Flea Market back in April (an otherwise bleak event), then made another purchase at the Brigantine PTA show later that spring. She is a very original dresser, and I was happy to see her. In fact, she was carrying a purse made out of a toilet seat cover! She'd bought it at another craft show, and it was really cute. She made several purchases, including one of my Rocker Bangles. I'd had yet to sell one anywhere up until then, and I was really pleased, as they are one of my favorite products. So, that was it. Would I do this show again? I suppose. I ended up doing as well as I do at most smaller shows, and the entrance fee was relatively low. However, it was difficult to lug everything to the tent site (the village setup didn't seem nearly as quaint when the bf and I were trudging through it like a couple of dromedaries). The Renault people have three shows on tap for next year, so we'll see how I feel. As of now I don't have any more shows scheduled at all. It's a bit of a relief because it means I can hunker down and prepare for next year's shows as well as work on pitching inventory to shops. I hope that ends up working out, as it would be a nice additional outlet.

Make and Tell Challenge: Day 33

I skipped Day 32 of the Challenge because the fam went out to dinner for my aunt's birthday last night, beginning the little ritual we fondly refer to as the "birthday circuit" for the fall 2009-spring 2010 season. (Basically, we go out to a different Italian restaurant for each of our birthdays, then have cake and presents at my parents' house.) I had optimistically packed two pouches to work on during my presumed downtime, but it never materialized, so I lumped them in with today's tasks. I ended up decorating a bunch of pouches, as well as adding the second coat of paint to my remaining eight wine bags. This took the entire day (I rented Ghosts of Girlfriends Past to while away some of the time, then indulged in some Lifetime originals; it was all kind of irritating.). After dinner, the bf showed me how to use the sewing machine (newly acquired from my sister, who has two) to begin hemming some of my tablecloths for tomorrow's Renault Winery show. I had ever even attempted it before and was kind of amused by the pedal. Look out; I just may be making a line of clutch handbags once I really get the hang of it and conclude my summer totes (but don't hold your breath; it could take awhile).

Make and Tell Challenge: Day 31

Make and Tell Challenge Day 31? But . . . September hath only 30 days, just like the subtitle of this game says. Well, that may be so, but along with a couple of other participants, I'm taking this thing into October and through to the rest of the year. Tonight's task? I painted the second coat on three wine bags. It may not be the most glamorous Make, but it's still a necessary part of the process.

So I went to New York . . .

. . . and brought my Tote Trove tote and handmade jewelry! They fit right in with the ever eclectic fashion parade of the city, making me a little wistful. Growing up, I kind of thought I'd end up in New York, writing or painting or something. But life happens; I'm firmly rooted in Atlantic County, NJ, and none the worse for it. The New York jaunt was the brainchild of the bf's sister and stepsister. Prior to the trip, I'd seen them only at the bf's family dinners, etc., so I was excited to get to know them better. They stayed at my house Thursday night, and we ended up talking about all sorts of stuff into the night as I packed. It was fun, so much so that I almost forgot to be embarrassed by my less-than-stellar housekeeping skills. The trip itself was jam-packed with activity. We were off bright and early Friday morning, putting us in the city at just before noon. We dropped our bags at the stately Roosevelt hotel, scarfed down a tasty lunch at Good Burger (never found out if it was any relation to that Nickelodeon flick with Kenan and Kel), and boarded the subway to Canal Street. I'd never been on the subway (or to Canal Street, for that matter), and I had some issues making it through the turnstile. I waited too long after swiping my Metro card and was denied access, causing me to have one of my mini tantrums. "She's a first-timer," explained the bf's stepsister. The guy behind me offered to let me through with him, and begrudgingly I assented. It was one of those horrible times when I could feel myself growing more childish by the second but was powerless to stop it. Oh well. All was soon forgotten as we emptied out into the madness of Canal Street. Vendors hawking handbags, jewelry, tee shirts, and perfume beckoned from every storefront while over-zealous bargain hunters slipped into secret back rooms. The experience was unparalleled to any in my sheltered, mall-clogged retail history. But it was colorful and gritty and better acquainted me with the city, and I was glad I went. We ended our adventure with a stop at Starbucks (the first of many), then headed back to The Roosevelt to dress for dinner at Tavern on the Green. I don't know what I was expecting the restaurant to be like, but it wasn't the fairy tale that emerged from Central Park. We were ushered into a glass-walled dining room, which boasted a ceiling so flowery and colorful that it looked like the top of a birthday cake. Cliché or not, I felt like I was in a movie. The food lived up to the décor; my bacon and blue cheese-drenched lettuce wedge salad, filet, twice-baked potato, spinach, and lemon meringue tart were perfect. Someone from the restaurant snapped our picture, which we purchased. (I would've included it here, but I don't have a scanner.) We couldn't get a cab back . . . so were forced to settle for a limo. The dinner was my favorite part of the trip. In addition to the obvious "fancy" factor, there was just something easy and relaxed about our conversation, which was nice. We capped the night off with a walk in Times Square, where we had our caricatures drawn. They came out as badly as you would expect, but it was funny and one more thing I could check off of my never-done-it-before list. We spent most of Saturday afternoon touring the city from the top of a double-decker bus. We had good weather and terrific seats right up front. I saw lots of sections I never had before and made a mental note to spend some time nosing around Soho and Greenwich Village on my next trip. After grabbing a light lunch, we wandered around for a bit, ducking into the Trump building (who knew there were restaurants there?) and Tiffany's for some window shopping before getting ready for Mary Poppins at the New Amsterdam Theater. Not a huge Mary Poppins fan, I was a little bored by the storyline. Nevertheless, there were several good production numbers, complete with colorful, glittery costumes and splashy music. And Mary's "flight" into the sky at the end was impressive (not to mention scary; you wouldn't catch me up there.) Afterward we filed out into the rain-damp crush of people in Times Square in search on - what else? - pizza. We were starving, despite our intermission snacks. After that it was off to bed. We were all exhausted after the weekend's excitement, I think, and despite the fun I was having, I was beginning to think of the bf and home. Overall, the trip was a hit, and there was talk of doing it again. Can't wait!