Last Time, On Avery Gray Designs...

So those of you who have read this blog know I am sporadic at best.  I could spend a paragraph apologizing for my inconsistencies, but I rather just jump back in.  Splash. 

The Shops:
I’m currently being sold in two shops, Octopus’s Garden In Milville and the Always by Inspired Thrift Shop and Unique Boutique in Egg Harbor City.  Milville seems to really be hitting my target demographic, and I couldn’t be happier.  Egg Harbor City is off to a slower start, but I feel fortunate just to be out there, so a few bucks here and there are still greatly appreciated.  I was the featured artist at Third Friday back in November and was able to premier some new upcycled goodies, including but not limited to: wish bracelets, dictionary necklaces, and upcycled glass magnets.  It was a blast and seeing people interact with the things I made was a great experience.

The Online Marketplace:
Etsy.  My number of views is significantly down.  My numbers of orders is up, which is what matters to me.  Nine orders in the last 30 days.  Now I know that’s hardly considered to be setting the world on fire, but it is progress in the right direction.  Keep moving forward.  I would like to go back after the New Year and photograph all my items again.   I saw a tutorial on making your own light box and I’m feeling quite empowered on this little upswing.

Social Media:
I’ve never been big on social media.  Clearly I don’t blog half as often as I should.  I don’t tweet personally or professionally.  I am not an avid pinner on pinterest.  I have embraced FaceBook as a marketing tool.  It’s still mostly supportive friends and family, with the occasional random custom, eventually I would like to see those proportions switched.  If you would like to be a part of that follow the link below.  Spoiler alert, once I get more FaceBook friends I will begin doing giveaways. 

So that’s a rehash of what I’ve been up to.  Maybe, just maybe, I’ll come back and write again soon.

Like AGD on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Avery-Gray-Designs/302205723247359

One Party Down, Two Weddings To Go

First birthday party is officially over. The party was a huge success and channeled all my crafty superpowers. Complete with Ombre Cupcakes, Dum Dum Topiaries, and a ton of other Pinterest inspired add-ons. Food was delish, the hall looked great, and the balloon artist was a HUGE hit with the kids. If you ever want to amaze and mystify a 3-year-old, make The Little Mermaid out of balloon. I have been fortunate to have a healthy amount of custom orders in anticipation of the Christmas season. The dictionary key rings are a big seller already. Now that the birthday party is over and with two weddings this weekend my goal is to update my etsy page the following week to reflect all the new items I have been working on. I want to change key words to show Christmas and Stocking Stuffer since so many of my items are perfect additions to any stocking. So that’s the plan Stan. Now to execute…

Back in the saddle...



So much has happened since I dropped off the planet.  For starters, I started working full time, which is an amazing change of pace.  I am thoroughly enjoying my mommy time.  Craft time is still happening, though it is reserved for after bedtime because quite frankly E6000 smells and little hands are everywhere.  That being said, what hasn’t been happening is a whole lot of blogging.  I used to blog during my lunch time at work, but with decrease in work so too is there a decrease in blogging time.  That ends today.  I will blog at least once or twice weekly, because awesome things are happening, and they should be documented as such!

I’ve expanded my scope to beyond the notebook.  Paper is still at the route, and board games continue to be a big inspiration for me, but I’m branching out with much success.  I’ve been making necklaces from dictionary pages.  Magnets from Monopoly cards and comics are also a hit! 

I’m in two stores, the first being the Always Be Inspired Thrift Shop and Unique Boutique in Egg Harbor City, and the second being Octopus’s Garden in Milville.  That’s going well.  I’ve had a few etsy orders and a fairly large amount of personal custom orders.  Mostly co-workers getting a jump start on Christmas shopping but it’s been fairly consistent work.  Along with neglecting my blog my etsy store has also been neglected.  I need to update it to reflect all the new items I’ve created. 

The reason everything has been so on the back burner is simple.  October is home to an assortment of weddings, birthdays, and events that have been monopolizing my time.  My “baby” will be one, and I have been putting my crafting to good use with the food, décor, and craziness that goes along with a bash of this magnitude!  Cheers to my best friends getting married, and cousin as well as they both get married the weekend of my “baby’s” first birthday.  Busy, busy, busy.

One last random thought on this my return to the blogosphere.  I was at a thrift store looking for board games (nothing new there) and I found a game called Advance to Boardwalk.  It’s a Monopoly spin off that I never even knew existed, and I got it for $3.95.  The cheapest one I found on eBay was $20.00 so it’s not exactly a collectible, but there was only about 15 listed at the time so while not rare far from common.  I’m thinking of framing it and leaving it as décor as I’ve already deemed it too amazing to scrap for parts.  Anyone who knows me knows there are two things I love in life, board games and the boardwalk (I am a Jersey girl after all).   

So this is me signing off.  Don’t worry, I’ll be back.  Cross my heart and hope to die.



First Sale Celebration!

Was it the fact that I now accept credit cards?  Was it my endless pleas to the etsy gods?  Or was it just plain coincidence?  Who cares I got my first sale!  It was for two small notebooks totally a whopping $5.00 but I could not be more stoked.  Feeling validated.  Hopefully this is just the start of good things on the horizon.  At the very least I can say I made a sale which is more than I could say yesterday.

So tonight when I get home I’ll package it all up and ship out first thing tomorrow morning.  Today is one of those marathon days when I spend 2 hours before and after work driving to Cape May before backtracking to work or home.  I figure the 3 hours of added driving time is worth it for the little one to get a day with the grands. 

Buying for the craft fair in a week and a half is still at a standstill following the drama with my td bank card.  Annoyed but moving forward.  I still need to make some more inventory but what I have done is organized and ready to roll out so bring it on!

Check me out:

Scope the store:  www.averygraydesigns.etsy.com  (though if you buy something you’ll have to settle with being my second etsy sale!)

Like us on facebook:www.facebook.com/pages/Avery-Gray-Designs/302205723247359

I'm trying... I really am.

I’m not going to lie, the lack of a single etsy sale has me feeling a little discouraged.  I’ve been racking my brain on what the problem could be, and I’ve come up with a plan for overhaul.  Here’s how this is going to go down on a weekly basis:

1 etsy treasury

2 blog postings

3 team comments on discussion boards

4 likes for other shops and items

5 new listings

In addition to that I am going to try tweaking how I photograph my items.  I really want this shop to get a little traffic and I need to really sit down and learn the ins and outs of utilizing tags and the like.

In the meantime I am still prepping for the July 6^th EHC Hometown Celebration.  I feel pretty confident in my level of inventory (which now includes some really awesome 35mm film reel Disney bookmarks.)  I still need to buy a second table but that’s on hold thanks to the resourceful guy or gal who hacked my debit card and put my account in the negative.  I could rant for an hour about how much I hate TD Bank, but this isn’t the venue and quite frankly my blood pressure doesn’t deserve the undo aggravation.  So needless to say purchasing anything new craft fair related is on hold for the next 5-10 business days.

The etsy shop is now accepting etsy gift cards and all major credit cards.  How cool is that?

As always:

Scope the store:  www.averygraydesigns.etsy.com

Like us on facebook:www.facebook.com/pages/Avery-Gray-Designs/302205723247359

P.S.  I see that hundreds of people have taken the time to read these humble musings.  So thanks to you as I approach the 500^th page view.  Incidentally I would love to know who you guys are and what you think.  Or if you stumble on this inadvertently, just say hi!

List Therapy

So once again this craft fair thing has kind of crept up on me.  Am I prepared?  Not so much.  How shall I manage this new anxiety settling in?  With a list of course!

Things to make:

·         2 sets of coasters

·         10 VHS notebooks

·         2 board game bracelets

·         1 pair sample Scrabble earrings

·         12 35mm film bookmarks

·         10 VHS bookmarks

For the Display:

·         Earring display

·         Keychain display

·         Laminate price signs

·         Print newsletter sign-up sheets

·         Buy another folding table

·         Pick up card display

I’m optimistic about this Hometown Celebration and it is slated to be the biggest thing I’ve done to date.  Not necessarily nervous, just need to get rolling.  Looks like I’m going to be one busy mama after the little one goes to sleep this week!

As always:

Scope the store:  www.averygraydesigns.etsy.com

Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Avery-Gray-Designs/302205723247359

Chief Plays With Glue

I said I would blog more so here I am… blogging more.  I also need to start gyming more, cleaning more, and sleeping more but that’s another subject for another day. 

When I pull in the driveway from work and see an Amazon package, a small part of me feels like a kid on Christmas.  Laminator arrived, was open and used promptly, and even put away with minimal mess created.  I laminated all the sides to the VHS boxes I had already disassembled.  When I was a kid in grade school I remember being fascinated about how the Indians would use every part of a buffalo.  Fur for warmth, meat for food, bones for tools, etc. etc.  That’s how I’m trying to look at my crafting from here on out.  When I buy something how can I use the whole buffalo?  I use the packaging from the VHS but then end up discarding the tape.  If anyone out there has any ideas please let me know!

I’ve gotten pretty good at doing this with Monopoly games.  The box, property and chance cards all become notebooks.  The houses and motels become earrings or charms for jewelry.  The tokens become key chains and charms for bracelets.  The paper money is used for decoupage on everything from light switch covers to coasters.  I’m thinking of trying to make paper beads from the Monopoly money. 

To see what I've done with Monopoly games so far:  www.averygraydesigns.etsy.com

My Indian name would be: Plays With Glue

My Heart Will Go On...

Last night I was fairly productive considering I have a sick wife and now VERY active baby on my hands.  We haven’t found the proper size baby gate as of yet so the little one kept me on my toes for the vast majority of the evening.  When I was chasing my infant around the living room I did manage to get a few things done:

I created an event page on my Facebook page for the Egg Harbor City Hometown Celebration.  This does not seem like much I know, but if you only knew how technologically impaired I am, you would be impressed.  You can check out my Facebook page here:

 www.facebook.com/pages/Avery-Gray-Designs/302205723247359  (and maybe like it too…)

I made 10 VHS notebooks.  I finally got the new wire binding in.  It’s a little thinner than the last brand I bought, most likely because I went down just 1/8 of an inch in size.  The VHS notebook lay a little more flat now so it actually looks quite nice.  Some of the titles from last night include:

·         Harry Potter & The Sorcerers Stone

·         White Christmas (I know it’s only June)

·         What’s Eating Gilbert Grape

·         Buffy the Vampire Slayer (before Twilight made vampires sexy)

·         Bugs Bunny Cartoons

·         The Mighty Ducks II (Classic)

·         Three Titanic Notebooks! (some of the kids may not understand this, but it’s actually 3 notebooks because the movie was soooo long it couldn’t fit on just one VHS) 

As a side note… I have had the Titanic theme song stuck in my head ever since.  Damn you Celine Dion and you’re infection melodic voice!

The notebooks listed about should all be online and available for sale within 48 hours.  In the meantime, there are still plenty of awesome notebooks and other goodies already posted in the shop.  I’m also making it a priority to get some earrings and jewelry listed as well.  Bit by bit we’re getting there!

www.averygraydesigns.etsy.com

I'm on Fire

Disclaimer: there is going to be a fair amount of back-patting and self-congratulatory behavior to follow.  Saturday I was super productive.  I had a bridal shower to attend on Saturday afternoon; my wife had training so my mother-in-law had the baby all day.  There is nothing better than a quiet house to get things accomplished.  I made 5 VHS notebooks about a dozen Monopoly key chains. 

That’s not even the impressive part.  I listed 15 items to etsy in one morning.  I even figured out my camera settings to take more appealing pictures.  I haven’t decided if I’m going to go back and reshoot all the previous listing, but for whatever reason the food setting works like a gem. 

 

AND… first time ever a post with matching photos!  Go me.

Quite possible my favorite Monopoly Keychain ever.   $5.00

Fresh from Hogwarts.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone VHS Notebook.  $8.00

Board Game Bangle.  So stinking cute.  $15.00

Like what you see?
Check the shop: www.averygraydesigns.etsy.com

Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Avery-Gray-Designs/302205723247359

P.S.  I know people are reading this… I see the stats… How about a comment now and then?  What do you like? What don’t you like? Ideas? Feedback?  … Anything? 

Eating My Metaphorical Vegetables

So life can’t always be sugar and cupcakes, sometimes you just need to eat your vegetables.  This weekend I’ll be doing just that.  I need to re-organize, re-prioritize, and re-structure.  I need to take stock in what I have before I bring anything else into the house.  My craft space is limited at best.  Very limited.  I literally have a small spot of a closet and my dining room table for small periods of time in between meals.

The problem here is my brain thinks faster than the United States Postal Service.  I get these grand ideas and before whatever I buy even gets here I’m on to the next thing.  (For more on this view my previous post about the perils of eBay)  Or in the case of the laminated book marks my laminator isn’t here yet but my brain is obsessed with Monopoly charm bracelets. 

I think had I been born 5-10 years earlier they would have diagnosed me with A.D.D. because my focus is laughable and I’m so easy distracted… oh look a penny.

As always: scope the shop- www.averygraydesigns.etsy.com

The Perils of eBay

I should preface this post by stating that I, Stephanie Bense, have a problem.  It isn’t something I’m proud of, and I have worked hard to conquer this addiction only to fall at its feet again last week.  eBay.  I seriously need better self-control.  I have one of the steps has to be cutting old ties, which means I REALLY should delete the mobile app off my phone… but… I can’t.  Here are a few of the completely unnecessary things I have bought in the past two weeks:

·         A set of Star Wars Monopoly property deed cards.  Because at the time I figured they would be a cute addition to my monopoly notebooks for that dork in your life.

·         16 Monopoly tokens.  These I’m still justifying because the monopoly token key chains have been a real hit anywhere I seem to set up at.

·         3 reels of film trails.  That’s right, count them up: three.  A Bugs Life, The Emperors New Groove and The Mighty Ducks 2.  Why three? Because I wanted to make 6 inch book marks and can now make thousands apparently.  As an aside, The Mighty Ducks 2 quite possibly one of my favorite movies of all time!

So now not only do I have my previous sort-of-almost-kind-of finished projects.  Now I have NEW projects to start thanks to my low impulse control, the accessibility of eBay mobile and the ease of PayPal.

On a side note, I sighed up for the Egg Harbor City Hometown Celebration and needed more inventory anyway.  July 6^th will be here before I know it so time to let the creating begin!

As always: check out the shop: www.averygraydesigns.etsy.com  This week I will be adding the Monopoly token key chains (compliments of my eBay addiction)

Don't Call It A Comeback...

I could write a short novella about the reasons why this blog got neglected over the past few weeks OR I could just jump right back in to it.  I’m choosing the latter.

I spent an hour or two yesterday just listing items on etsy.  By far this is my LEAST favorite part.  Crafting is fun and creative.  Craft fairs are engaging and interactive.  Staring at a computer screen assigning value to things you made… not so much.  That being said my shop will be the featured shop of the South Jersey Etsy team and I didn’t want to be embarrassed by having 4 items in the shop.  I listed mostly the notebooks as I didn’t want to take all the Monopoly key chains and earrings out of their packaging to take photos.  I have a fresh batch of pieces coming in the mail so I’ll photograph the newer arrivals when I make them.  I think the Monopoly key chains are becoming one of my personal favorite items.

Crafts on the horizon:  More notebooks for sure.  I just got a bunch of VHS cases so I would like to do a batch of those next.  I need to order more o-wire stat.  I also plan on using the side panels of the boxes for bookmarks.  I have to be honest, I’m not sure if people even read physical books like they used to anymore, but I like the idea of wasting less of the actual box that I make the notebooks into.  I also have 35mm movie film coming to the house.  I have NO idea what to do with it, I just know I was on eBay and something compelled me.  Stay tuned for more on that.

July 6^th  I have to get my application in for the Egg Harbor City Hometown Celebration.  It will definitely be my biggest show to date so I’m excited.  Also, significantly less nervous having now practiced at smaller venues.  Speaking of other venues:

Always Be Inspired

Thrift Shop and Unique Boutique

227 Philadelphia Ave.

Egg Harbor City, NJ

They have weekly flea markets and also have an assorted selection of items by the one and only Avery Gray Designs.  I have to admit I feel a little proud.  I just set out taking this stuff seriously the last few months and I feel like things are really starting to happen. Good things are happening.  So I’m back.  Let the blogging commence!

Check out the shop at: www.averygraydesigns.etsy.com

Back Again

So shame on me for not updating in over a week now… But since I waited so long I’ll just have that much more to talk about.  Silver lining!  The “Craft Fair” I did on May 4^th was terribly misadvertised.  It was slated to be a yard sale/craft fair and was really 95% yard sale 5% craft fair.  For those of you bad at math that equals a LOT of people coming up to my tables wanting everything for a quarter.  Silver lining.  I did it.  I set a goal and for better or worse I did it.  I gained some insight into what to set up and break down involves, as well as some networking.  While most people were definitely NOT my target demographic, I gave my card to a bunch of people and it somehow found its way to the Always Be Inspired Thrift Shop/Unique Boutique.    I will be doing their flea market May 18^th, after all I already have my car loaded and the table borrowed.  I only made about $55.00 at the Galloway Rotary Yard Sale/Craft Fair but if I managed to make some connections and build my e-mail list then so be it.

Classes are done for the summer.  Which is another reason I haven’t posted (excuses excuses) and I should end up with a B in my marketing class provided my genius group mates did their part on the final project.  Hell hath no fury than a student whose grade gets pulled to a C because of group work.  I could fill an entire blog about how nonsensical it is to give group work to an online class, but that’s another rant for another day.

What I would like to do this week is go through the remaining inventory and get organized for Saturday.  Also I would like to add at least 3 new items a week to my etsy shop as the views are drying up because it’s the same old items.  I have had a lot of favorites and comments to my etsy site, but no purchases.  I’m okay with that, this is all still very much a learning experience and new to me. 

I also would like to get out an e-mail newsletter tonight or tomorrow letting people know about the Flea Market in Egg Harbor City.  While at the craft fair 20 people signed up for the newsletter.  You have to start somewhere. 

So this is me.  Starting.

One Last Push

I spent a good day of Saturday crafting and packing up the goods for the craft fair.  While I probably should have done this Sunday as well, it was a beautiful day and the fam and I chose to walk the Atlantic City outlets.  I got a LOT done on Saturday.  I made:

·         15 Monopoly token key chains

·         18 pairs of Monopoly house and hotel earrings

·         120 Scrabble tile charms (to be made into key chains or earrings to order at the craft fair table.)

I also worked on my packaging:

·         All Monopoly key chains or earrings are adhered to property cards.

·         All guitar picks have been divided up and bagged with printed toppers

·         All gift tags have been divided up and bagged with printed toppers

I started:

·         Cut all paper to make 10 floppy disk notebooks

·         Cut the wood to size for the Monopoly serving trays

·         Bought the records to make record bowls for the display table

That being said there is still a lot to do.  My to do list reads as follows:

o   Finish 10 floppy disk notebooks

o   Make 4 record bowls

o   Make 4 VHS notebooks

o   Finish typing all notecards for stationery sets

o   Package stationery sets

o   Make 5 more sets of Monopoly earrings

o   Finish packaging all Monopoly earrings

o   Prep key chains to be made day of fair

o   Prep earrings to be made day of fair

o   Make 3 pairs of pawn piece earrings

o   Package remaining jewelry

o   Buy bags to put sales in

o   Print email sign-up sheets

o   Buy frames to frame prices

o   Print out price displays

o   Practice setting up display

o   Get cash to have on hand for change

o   Pack snacks/supplies/everything into car and GO!

Okay so listed out it looks a little daunting.  It’s crunch time!  If I get nothing else done I still have about 100 notebooks ready to roll out and scores of other things, but I’m always optimistic about how much I can get done.  My best friend is coming over tonight and we are going to run through some of the items and maybe do some shopping. It’s also the last week and a half of class so I have a project and marketing final, so while I never was a coffee drinker, I’m thinking it’s time I start!

My etsy shop will be closed on May 4, 2013 because everything is one of a kind if you want a particular item better buy it now before the craft fair!   I will reactivate the site most likely Saturday night to adjust whatever items sold at the craft fair.

www.averygraydesigns.etsy.com

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

So I have to admit I’m feeling pretty good about having the etsy site up and running, even if it does only have a dozen items for now. (www.averygraydesigns.etsy.com)  I plan on taking some better pictures this weekend.  I plan on doing A LOT of things this weekend.  Here are just a few:

-  Bayfest.   Apparently there is some community event going on that is a good excuse to get outside with the baby and have some family time. 

- Thrift Shop.  Time to pop some tags.  I need supplies, most specifically records for my display.

- Packaging.  This has been the bane of my existence, but it really does need to get done. 
- Last minute crafting.  I have 4 sets of coasters that just need cork backing, the hard part is already done so hooray!

- Homework.  I am so ready for the summer off from class.  I’m killing it in my marketing class but it’s one more thing on my plate I could do without.

So that’s my weekend.  I may be overly optimistic (and frequently am) about how much I can get done.  There is just a week and a half to go and I’m as nervous as can be.  Monday my friend who will be manning the table with me is coming over to do a practice run of how everything will be set up.  Fingers crossed I should have all display items ready by then.  My biggest obstacle is stopping.  I need to stop starting new projects and finish what I have pending.  I can’t do everything the first time out and if this goes well I can always try again next time.  Here we go!

Happy Earth Day & Grand Opening

Okay so I haven’t blogged in a week, but in my defense, I have been REALLY busy.  Aside from day to day full time job, classes, and baby I have been toiling away at my craft.  The craft fair is approaching at a staggering rate and I want to be prepared.  I also set a personal goal of having the etsy site up and running by today in honor of earth day.  To my surprise, I did it!  Granted it’s not everything, just a handful of items but I will be adding more sporadically throughout the day and you need to start somewhere.  Without further ado:

www.averygraydesigns.etsy.com

A friend of mine was visiting yesterday and flipped over the monopoly notecards, and wanted to buy one for her boss (who happens to work for and in the city of Atlantic City).  I didn’t take her money and chose to look at it is a maybe her boss will generate a little interest and check the site out as well.  Plus it’s bad for your karma to take money from friends.  It helped motivate me to have at least some items up and running in the shop.  How embarrassing would it be to have someone go to the site to order something only to find nothing?

This weekend I decided to tackle a new kind of craft and tried my hand at jewelry making.  I wanted to make earrings out of the Monopoly houses and motels.  They actually turned out super cute, after several failed attempts I got the hang of it.  I also have been making Scrabble tile charms.   I love playing with and trying new things.  I ended up watching a few YouTube videos to learn how to make jewelry loops and once I got the hang of it production went quickly. 

I’m starting to get nervous about the craft fair.  I’ve put a LOT of time into making these things, and while the cost of the supplies is low because I used all recycled materials, it is time consuming.  I just hate to think about the prospect of having wasted all that time and effort.  Nerves aside though I’m feeling accomplished.  I set a goal and I’m doing it.  Good, bad, or ugly at least I can say I tried.

T-Minus One Week

Okay so this won’t be a very productive blog entry, mostly because it wasn’t a very productive weekend.  The plague descended onto our home on Saturday, so all those things I wanted to get done just didn’t happen.  What did happen was a lot of throwing up and a lot of Gatorade drinking.  Instead of focusing on all that hasn’t gotten done and using it as an excuse to push back our Etsy grand opening I think I’m going to stay the course.

April 22^nd is Earth Day.  Could there be a better day to open a shop full of upcycled and eco-friendly items?  No.  So even if it’s a soft open with only 6 or 7 items we are going to keep moving forward.  So full of resolve we press on.  I do have a few items shop ready and the biggest barrier right now is images.  I need to take some stellar pictures to accompany the Etsy listing.  I’m hoping that Saturday will be a gorgeous day and I can capitalize on some natural lighting because the prospect of making a light box intimidates me. 

I make no qualms that many of the things I do have been done before.  I fully admit I’ve found inspiration on Etsy, Pinterest, and other blogs for the things I do.  I would like to do a post in the coming weeks of a project start to finish with pictures and instructions because quite frankly those are the types of blogs I’m interested in reading.  Some people say it’s bad business to give away how you make an item and that may be true.  The way I look at it is simple.  If I see something I want to replicate or recreate 9 times out of 10 I will figure it out, why not help people out.  Even if it hurts sales in the long run it will at least help my crafting karma in the short run.

A Labor of Love.

I have always been fascinated with the prospect of taking things that have been discarded and turning them into new and functional treasures.  My poor wife dreads the summer when I go out to yard sales and collect such “treasures,” always with the highest of hopes and best of intentions    I’ve come home with everything from old skateboards, suitcases, and scores of children’s books.  Some projects I finish, like the skateboard transformed to a wall mounted coat rack (currently residing in my mother in laws attic waiting to be called up to be in a little boy’s room.) Some I have not, including the gutted but unfinished vintage suitcase that I had dreamed of relining. 

As for the children’s books, they have certainly been upcycled.  One day at a yard sale I found 10 of the old Disney children’s books that I myself have loved as a child.  Mickey Finds a Kitten, Goofy’s Big Race, Pooh’s New Clothes, it was like being four-years-old again and pulling a book down from the shelf for Daddy to read.  How could I leave them there?  How could someone part with them for only 10 cents apiece!?  Now this is where my wife and I argue the definition of hoarder.  The pages were yellowed on the edges, and there were signs of love from children past (after all these books are over 20 years old) and in no condition for actually reading to our daughter.  I vowed to honor these childhood favorite and make them relevant again.  And that was the first thing I made with the distinct intention of selling.  The pages have been transformed into gift tags and envelopes, and the covers made into notebooks.  When I was pregnant (and perpetually unable to sleep at night) I found it therapeutic, if not cathartic, to sit and fold envelopes or punch the holes for gift tags.  It made my painstaking long nights seem more bearable and productive. 

This week it’s all come full circle, with my etsy site launching soon and the craft fair in under a month I have finished the project.  I have cut and hand-typed notecards with an assortment of sayings.  Some of the sayings came from beloved characters and some from Walt Disney himself.  It feels good to see the hundreds of envelopes lifted from their box and starting to be packaged as complete sets.  I feel accomplished.  And for today, that is enough.

Keep On Truckin'

So Friday Funday was a success.  I’m definitely glad I took the day off, it really jump started some of the inventory.  I managed to get a fair amount done AND was able to actually get some schoolwork done.  So what exactly did I do you ask? 

12 Light Switch Covers (4 Sheet Music, 2 Comic, 3 Kids Books, and 3 Monopoly Money) 

50+ Paint Chip Notebooks (which will be a free gift with every sale)

8 Misc. Notebooks (which are prepped and need to be bound)

200 Notecards (which still need to be typed)

That’s just the tip of the iceberg!  I also put stickers inside every notebook to direct people to my etsy site.  I started typing some of the notecards with Disney quotes and cute sayings to turn my envelopes into a stationary set.  While I have the typewriter out, I’m going to type all the bag toppers for packaging of the gift tags, guitar picks, and stationary sets.  Things are really starting to take shape and I’m getting pumped.  A little anxious but mostly pumped.  I think I will feel better when the etsy site goes live.  I’m working on that to take place in two weeks.  This week is practically a wash because of midterms and bridesmaid duties to make this bridal shower go off without a hitch on Sunday.  A warning to crafty people: your friends WILL recruit you when it’s time to make place cards, wine labels, and anything else you can imagine.

I decided I will have a sign-up sheet for an e-mail newsletter.  To make it more enticing I will randomly select one person who signs up to win what I’m dubbing to be the Board Game Prize Pack.  The random winner who signed up will receive a Scrabble Notebook, Monopoly Property Deed Notebook, Community Chest notebook, and Life Career Card Notebook.  It’s a $20 value so hopefully it will be enough motivation to put your name on the line.

So that’s where I am right now.  As a side note though, this blogspot thing is crazy.  I never imagined people would actually read my musings, yet alone people in outside countries.  The power of the almighty internet.  That being said, those of you who are reading, feel free to comment.  What would you buy?  What types of recycled crafts have you seen done before?  Any tips for a craft fair rookie? Or just say hello, I’d love to hear from you guys!

The Great Itinerary.

So I bit the bullet and took off of work tomorrow in an earnest effort to get a handle on all this craft fair business.  I have been doing things in drips and drabs but if I’m ever going to be ready I need to schedule some time solely for crafting, and that’s exactly what I did.  Wife will be at work, Baby will be at daycare and I’ll be in a quiet house toiling away.  I’m not going to lie, I feel terribly guilty sending the baby to daycare when I will be home.  So now that the time has been set aside I am making my schedule of what I hope to accomplish during my eight hour day.

HOUR 1: Cut & Prep.  (This includes cutting paper for notebooks, stationary sets, light switch covers, and coasters.)

HOUR 2: Finishing Touches. (This includes sanding those guitar picks, mod podging stationary sets, stringing the remaining gift tags, and finishing off any other partially complete projects.)

HOUR 3: Mod Podge! (mod podge stationary sets, coasters, and light switch covers.)

HOUR 4: BREAK (Because I still need to shower, eat lunch, and do homework.)

HOUR 5: Bind-It-All (Bind all those notebooks I cut paper for during the first hour)

HOUR 6: Packaging (God I hate this part.  I need to create a template for the bag toppers and package some of the items.  I can’t stress enough how much I’d love to skip this part.)

HOUR 7: Clear Coat (Spray painting everything that needs to be spray painted.  Obviously weather permitting.)

HOUR 8: Clean Up (Put everything away and take inventory of what’s been done.  Hopefully I’ll feel completely productive!)

So that’s the story morning glory.  I’m hoping to get to the store tonight to pick up a couple more raw materials but if not I have plenty in my house to keep me busy for hours.  The craft fair is in exactly one month so it’s time to get in gear and start really churning out the product.  Good news is my first batch of stickers came and when I went to put them in my notebooks I underestimated how many are done.  I have over sixty notebooks ready to roll, but I still have a ways to go.  So stay tuned because I will be updating either tomorrow night or over the weekend about how successful tomorrow was.

Slacker...

Okay so I seriously neglected the blog this week.  In my defense, what a busy week!  In addition to just the regular busyness of day to day it was Easter weekend and I had some serious homework.  Who could blog when there are Easter eggs to be dyed, baskets to be filled, and boardwalk rides to be ridden.  I don’t know who enjoyed the carousel more, the little one or me watching her smile light up every time the horse would buck.  And so I digress…

Moral of the story: I’m a slacker.  It’s a nasty habit that I’ve been battling since birth.  I’ll try harder.  I’ll craft more.  I’ll blog more often. 

I’m thinking of taking a random day off work and just locking myself away with my toils.  Wife will be at work, Baby will be at day care and this mommy will be crafting away.  Craft fair is in t-minus 33 days, so I better get busy!

A Little Help From My Friends.

I spent a good chunk of time Saturday crafting.  The rest of the weekend was filled with family time, so craft fair prep took a welcomed back burner to date day and baby’s first trip to the zoo!  I did manage to complete a few things this weekend including 8 Monopoly notebooks, 3 Berenstain Bear notebooks and 6 cassette tape notebooks.  Seventeen notebooks is not a bad showing for a few hours of work, but the list of things I DIDN’T get to is far larger.  I did also make it to Ace Hardware to pick up some more light switch covers, so I plan on making some more of those this week as well.  I’m trying to stay on top of the blogging, but my motto is live first, write second (and this weekend we did a lot of living.)

I had two of my best friends over last night, one of whom will be my right hand at the actual craft fair and showed them what I’ve been working on.  I got some really positive feedback and we discussed some price points.  They liked a lot of the stuff I actually had no intention of selling, including a set of pencils wrapped in comic books.  They also think the record bowls I plan to display some items in would make a great product all on their own.  So I’m taking all their feedback and I’ll put it to good use.  This week one of my weekly goals is to include some actual pictures with my blog.  I need to say I’m a little awed of this whole blogspot thing, it’s crazy to know that it’s gone as far as to be read by people in Europe.  From my living room, to the world!  Stay tuned everyone, pictures to follow.