Make and Tell Challenge Day 15

I chose lilac for the bottom of the Fruit Shower tote and added the Reese's Pieces box remnants to my decoupage menagerie.

Festival Finds

Yesterday I mentioned that I picked up a few gems at Sunday's Millville Arts, Music & Antiques Festival. What I didn't say was that I also participated in my very first swap! I had the pleasure of meeting Kee-Kee, an aspiring purse designer who helps her fiance create designs for his tee shirt shop, B. Laegle. She offered me one of her funky tee shirts, and I asked her to choose a necklace (she went with one of my charm styles.  We both ended up happy campers!

In my travels scoping out other vendors, I was delighted to find this charming strawberry necklace from Snowdrop Jewelry.  Given my obsession with fruit-themed accessories, it was a must have. Snowdrop Jewelry also offered a make-your-own necklace/bracelet station for the kids, which I found ingenious.

Finally, I purchased this earthy owl pendant necklace from Poison Ivy Jewelry for my sister (she loves owls). This booth featured striking pink satin tablecloths hand painted with black lips (the Poison Ivy logo), creating an edgy/glam effect.

Orange Explosion

Blouse: BCBG, Marshalls, $20

Skirt: Candie's, Kohl's, $20

Shoes: Anne Michelle, Barefeet Shoes, $16

Clutch: Apt. 9, Kohl's, $10

Belt: Be Fabulous, $8

Tights: Hue, Macy's, gifted

Ring: Mixit, JCPenney, $8

Here's another one of my work outfits, or as I like to think of it, my "corporate crayon box look." I threw on these orange accessories as a kind of experiment-slash-afterthought, then thought, what the heck, and kept them on. (There's a part of me that doesn't know why I keep posting these pictures of myself, since I hate most of my pictures. Yet I love photographing my outfits.  It's quite the dilemma. I've considered investing in a mannequin but hear they're quite pricey.)

Make and Tell Challenge Day 14

I'm inching along with the Fruit Shower Tote, having filled in the sky background tonight. I am still at a loss as to what color to use for the bottom. I was thinking white, but that may get too dirty (this is a tote, after all). Perhaps inspiration will strike tomorrow . . .

I also decoupaged two panels from a Junior Mints box onto my wooden box for my ongoing candy couture project. The bf and I are working our way through a box of Reese's Pieces, so you know what to expect next . . .

Tales from the Trove - Millville Arts Music and Antiques Festival - The Craft Show That Almost Wasn't

The bf and I arrived at the Millville Arts, Music, and Antiques Festival twenty minutes before registration, a first for us (we're usually late). We found my spot, started unloading. And then the bf said, "Trace? We forgot the tent." I'm not proud of my reaction to this bit of news. I started crying and said I was never doing a craft show again (this one was my seventh.). Nevertheless, we began setting up our newly purchased lightweight tables and arranging the pink and black tablecloths haphazardly with clothespins and Scotch tape. (Before, I had been borrowing two heavy eight-foot tables from my parents. I now had three six footers, but the cloth was still cut for just two tables.) We finally discussed what to do, me threatening to shelve the whole thing and go home. But the bf, eternally calm and practical, said no, I won't let you do that. Just set up the best you can and I'll go home and get the tent. So that's what we did. Somehow, I jammed most of my inventory onto the three tables without the benefit of tent walls and clothesline.

I called the bf and told him I was sorry for being so horrid (as I've said before, he is a saint for dealing with all of my moods). He arrived shortly thereafter and popped the tent over the tables. We rearranged some of the stock but left most of it. The morning was a little chilly and a lot overcast. I broke into my snacks just before 10:00 a.m., the official start time of the festival. But as the day wore on, the sun came out. I sold tiny totes and skirt purses, my usual routine. I couldn't help but overhear a few customers say they were worried the rhinestones and other trim would fall off the bags. I wanted to chime in, "No they won't! I use Gem-tac!" but refrained because I didn't want to seem like I was eavesdropping or being too aggressive. Anyway, it gave me something to chew on. As in, maybe I shouldn't be so quick to plaster rhinestones over everything.

My mom and dad stopped by. Mom bought a tiny tote featuring an apple for her classroom, although I told her she didn't have to because she's bought so many things from me in the past.

Later, the bf offered to watch the tent so I could check out the rest of the show. There were a lot of really interesting vendors. I had the chance to meet fellow Etsy seller Susan of Sybil's Closet which was fun. Then I wandered on, scoping out the rest of the wares. And yes, I ended up taking some of them home. I bought a wood carving of a striped bass for the bf as a peace offering (he's an avid fisherman and had pointed it out earlier), a fab strawberry necklace for myself, and an owl necklace for my sister.

All in all, it was a good show. And despite my initial outburst . . . I'd definitely do it again.

Make and Tell Challenge Day 12

As forewarned, here's my super simple make of the day, a funky sunglasses necklace. I'll wear this year round (eternal summer for me). I have tons of other stuff to post about now but can't summon the energy, as I'm beat from today's show. Night!

Make and Tell Challenge Day 11

It's amazing how much less I sometimes get done on the weekends! I wanted to hold out and see if I could accomplish more before posting today's Make but then thought I have enough going on getting ready for tomorrow's Millville Antiques, Arts, & Music Festival. Here's most of the first coat of my newest tote, Fruit Shower. I haven't filled in the background yet; the top will be sky blue; the bottom remains a mystery.

Tomorrow's Make will be somewhat limited, as I'll be at the festival from 8:00 am-6:00 pm. I suspect it'll be some relatively easy jewelry I can crank out in my downtime during the day.