It's Craft Show Time

Thread and little fabric snips are tracked throughout the house this time of year. My sewing machine makes a permanent home at the end of the dining room table where the light from the sliding door is just better on my eyes. Our family room is filled with display racks and projects waiting for my attention. To say the least, the house is in a bit of a mess, but I'm having a good time.

Last weekend I did the first craft show of the season with a niece. We had a great day and did pretty well. It's always fun to meet new people, especially when they offer great ideas and tips on our crafting and display.  It is great to come away from a craft show with new ideas and inspiration.

This year I have developed a design for Car Trash Bags and have had them at The Red Dresser - An Eclectic Boutique where they have been selling pretty well. I also featured them at the craft show last weekend and am busy making more for the next show and to keep the downtown shop well supplied.
 

 

 

These "Car Trash Bags" are vinyl lined and are sized so that a paper lunch sack can be used to line them.  They will hang from a console shifter, a knob, or an arm rest in your car.  If that doesn't work you can use one of the 3M/Command hooks like I did - I placed the hook on the dashboard of my car so that the trash bag hangs just to the passenger side of the center of the car - works perfect for me.  With the 3M/Command hook system you could even attach one behind the seats where the kids could easily reach a place to toss their trash.

These are only six of the designs - more are coming.  The most popular one is out of owl fabric that I had run out of, but I have just received a new shipment and the owl bags are cut out and waiting on the table for me.  I had great requests for other designs, so you'll be seeing some leopard prints, sports team, camouflage, some lighthouse prints and more... I'll post as I get them made.

I had an assortment of other things at the craft show, as well. The first thing that sold was a fabric stuffed pumpkin. I made them because I needed a great decoration to go on the table runners that I made...

I love "Miss Mustard Seed" and all of her great ideas.  She uses new painter's drop cloths for making slip covers for furniture and all kinds of things.  She has great tutorials about how to wash and prep the drop cloth so that it's ready to work with.  Check out her website:  www.missmustardseed.com.

I had purchased a drop cloth to use as a drop cloth, but then decided that old sheets would work for what I wanted and I transformed the newly purchased drop cloth into other things.  Check out the seat on the window bench that I made for my niece in an earlier post: A New Window Seat

I had washed that drop cloth with lots of bleach (a couple of cups) and put it through three wash cycles and a couple of rinse cycles.  I then threw that big (9'x12') drop cloth in the dryer expecting it to come out all crumpled and wrinkled - it didn't!!!!  It came out great and for the price it is great fabric!

So I had the rest of the drop cloth left from the window seat project so used it up making "Table Runners" - I lined them with muslin.  They are 72" plus the ruffle on each end - some with a single ruffle and some with a double.

 

 

One of the "Table Runners: with some pumpkins on top.

Here are the pumpkins.

 

The "Table Runners" will transition well from Thanksgiving to Christmas with just a change of decorations on top.  Maybe there will be one left for me to use in my own home (I never seem to have anything on display at my own home that I make - I make them to sell).

I made a "Padded iPad Case" for my niece and she traveled to Italy and back with her iPad safely inside, and loved it.  I didn't like the pattern or padding that it called for, so I used it as inspiration to run with my own design - so if you need a "Padded iPad Case", I have a few made up.

 

It's a padded case with a Velcro closure, has a pocket for a pad of paper, etc.

(that's the great selling owl fabric I used in the "Car Trash Bags")

 

Several fabric options to choose from.

 

I like to sew but sometimes need a change, so I also like painting furniture and re-purposing things.

I made "Dry Erase Boards" for the craft show by painting picture frames with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  I love her paint because you don't have to prime or prep - you can just start painting and then finish it off with a coat of wax.  She carries clear and dark wax in her line.

I used scrapbook paper in the frames for the background - even used some fusible web on the back of some owl scrap fabric and ironed the owl onto the paper.  Once the paper is behind the glass you can write on the glass with a dry-erase marker.  They can sit on the counter, hang on the wall... I always jot things I want to remember on my bathroom mirror with a dry-erase marker.  Now I think I'll design a "Dry Erase Board" for the areas of the house that I often find myself without something to write on.

I have several designs to choose from.

 

I also have made "Checkerboards" and "Chalkboards" so had them at the craft show, as well.  The "Chalkboards" I made by re-purposing old cupboard doors and drawer fronts from a kitchen remodel.  Again, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is wonderful - three coats and it can be used as chalkboard paint, but I used the can of chalkboard paint that you find in the home improvement stores for the part that you write on - I did use her paint on all of the frames around the chalkboards, though.

 

 

 

I'm thinking that I need to promote these "Checkerboards" as some "unplugged" fun - get those kids away from the electronics for a simple game of checkers and start a new family game (new to the younger crowd, anyway).

So that's my life these days until December, anyway.  For now you'll find me (along with my everyday duties) sewing, painting, crafting, and getting ready for the next craft show - that would be on November 10 at the TC Christian School in our area, then on November 17 at Old Mission Peninsula United Methodist Church, and I'm still looking into an early December show.  I need to leave time after that to make a meaningful Christmas for my family, which includes cleaning up my crafting messes, getting beds made, presents wrapped, and the sweet smell of Christmas goodies coming from the oven.

If you're in my area, stop by one of the craft shows to see me or stop by Red Dresser - An Eclectic Boutique to check out the "Car Trash Bags".