Featured in MimisDressShop Blog!

Just learned that this stocking was featured in MimisDressShop blog! Tiffany, the author of this blog and proprietor of mimisdresshop on Etsy, makes delightful children's clothes and darling tutus for your little princesses!

Prairie Primitives - Featured on the Handmade Highway!

Ok, so I'm behind in my email ... again. It happens this time of year! I've just discovered that a set of my fabric-covered boxes was featured in Issue 2 of "News from the Handmade Highway!"

I just started making covered boxes in June, after thinking about it for too long because I wasn't quite sure how to make them. However, when I dove right into it, I discovered they were a lot of fun to make, and they've been very popular at the craft and antique fairs where I sell my primitive folk art!

This set of boxes, along with several others, is available in my Etsy shop! Each of my fabric covered boxes contains a wee treasure -- sometimes this is a few whole nutmegs or antique mother-of-pearl buttons; other times it's a bit of rosemary or thyme or another special find! Through "Cyber Monday" (November 30, 2009), everything in this shop is 20% off!

Black Friday - Cyber Monday Sale

I'm offering 20% off everything at Prairie Primitives Folk Art! Some items have free U.S. shipping (and discounted international shipping) too!

I'm offering 30% off everything in PrairiePrimitivesToo (my Etsy "destash" shop)!

Over at my Artfire shop, I'm offering 20% off everything, with free U.S. shipping (and discounted international shipping) on some items! Please note that the items in my Artfire shop are the same items that are in my Etsy shop -- there is only one of each! I will keep both sites updated as things sell, and remember, you can shop on Artfire without creating an account!

And last but not least, I'm offering a whopping 50% off everything in my online yard sale!

All of these sales run until 11:59pm PST (California time) on Cyber Monday (November 30, 2009) ... that's 8:59 EST (New York time). As always, I'm delighted to combine shipping between any or all of these sites! Go ahead and make your purchases and I'll send you a revised PayPal invoice! I much prefer PayPal, however I also accept Postal money orders!

Sign up for my mailing list!

If you'd like to hear about my new listings on Etsy and Artfire (and occasionally eBay), here's where you can sign up for my mailing list. All you need to do is enter your email address in the box below, and click the "Join Now!" button. I promise not to swamp you with emails, and notifying you of my new listings is the only thing for which your address will be used.

Subscribe to PrairiePrimitives Mailing List

Powered by us.groups.yahoo.com

I plan to list lots of new things for the 2009 holiday season and will be having a Black Friday / Cyber Monday special ... for the entire weekend!

Oakmont High School - The Day After

This is not a show I would recommend to anyone, however I think that has more to do with the promoter and the lack of advertising, rather than the location or anything else. I took a few pictures of my booth to share with you! Pretty much everything you see in these pictures is still available for sale! I will be listing it on Etsy and Artfire as time allows. If you'd like to receive an email when I update these sites, just ask!

Shop on Facebook!

I've just discovered a Facebook app that let me set up a shop on Facebook. Now you don't even have to leave your favorite social networking site in order to buy my primitive folk art!

I've listed some primitive and "shabby & chic" Christmas stockings there so far, and I hope to list more things soon! Please remember that I only have ONE of each of these items ... so if you see the same thing on Etsy, Artfire, Facebook, etc., it's the exact same item! When an item sells on one site, I will get the other sites updated ASAP!

Thoughts of Thanksgiving

Suzanne has included my primitive orange pumpkin in her latest Treasury! You can visit Suzanne's Etsy shop at Peacefu1 ("Peaceful" but with a number 1 on the end, instead of an "ell").

If you would like to vote on the items in this Treasury, you can click on the Treasury image or on the text link in the first paragraph above; both links will take you to the Treasury page (only while the Treasury is active ... i.e., between now and Sunday, November 8th at 1:26 am). You will need to be registered on Etsy and logged into Etsy in order to vote. I am grateful for any and all votes you may cast for my primitive orange pumpkin! :-)

I have several pumpkins still available for adoption! Most are orange or black (black pumpkins have been quite popular the last couple of years!), but I think I still have one white one left too!

Thanks Suzanne!

Oakmont High School Craft Fair

The next event I will be participating in is the annual craft fair sponsored by the Citrus Heights (California) Lions Club on November 14th. This fair will be held at Oakmont High School, located at 1710 Cirby Way in Roseville, CA (near the intersection of Sunrise and Cirby, behind the Bel-Air supermarket). This fair has been happening for several years, however this will be my first year there!

This craft fair will feature 55 booths of handmade crafts ... and I've been assured that there will be only handmade crafts, none of that import or party plan stuff! You'll also be able to enjoy a bake sale, food and a huge raffle of items from the participating artists! If you bring a non-perishable food item for donation, you'll get a free raffle ticket!

In my booth you will find items for your Fall decorating (my new funky pumpkins!) as well as Christmas (2 snowfolk are finished, 2 Santas are almost done, and I hope to get at least 2 more snowfolk made before this show!). I will have pillows made from antique quilt, and smaller quilt hearts which can be used as "bowl fillers," stocking stuffers, or ornaments, as well as my always popular mica snowballs! I also hope to make more of my whimsical paper Christmas flags, and I will definitely bring some Americana items because they never go out of style!

Hope to see you on the 14th!!!

Pumpkins Aren't Just for Halloween Anymore!

I've just listed a couple of my grubby pumpkins on Etsy! They're made from a variety of cotton fabrics (osnaburg, muslin, etc.), and I've painted, stained, and grubbied them up just for you!

If you'd like just one pumpkin (or maybe you'd like more than two?), just let me know! The orange one is the "small" size, measuring about 7" by 8"; the black one is the "medium" size, which is about 8" by 9", and I also have a larger size, which is about 10" by 11".

Don't you just loooove those funky stems? I'm not sure what it is about the black pumpkins, but they're selling like hotcakes this year! Several of my customers have told me they leave their pumpkins out year-round, and I will be doing that too!

Just Updated My "Online Yard Sale"

I've just updated my "Online Yard Sale." There are categories for Antiques, Books, Craft Supplies, Handmade Items, Wearable Art, and the most popular, my Fabric destash! I hope to get the photos for the Fabric section redone soon! As with all yard sales, you're welcome to make me an offer on anything that's for listed in the yard sale!

I accept PayPal, which must be paid within 3 days, or the item(s) will be made available to others. Shipping is additional, of course, and you can choose between USPS, UPS, or FedEx. Just let me know what you're interested in and your zip code (or country) and I'll be happy to check on the postage!

Rustic Autumn Gift Guide on the Handmade Highway

What a surprise to learn that two of my items have been selected as featured items in the Rustic Autumn Gift Guide, sponsored by Handmade Highway!

My Bay Swag Garland (2nd row, above) and Primitive Colonial Fabric Covered Boxes (bottom row, above) are available in my Etsy shop. Both of these items are one-of-a-kind!

Halloween & Vine Creeps Nearer!

It's just 3 weeks until the owls & bats & spooky-eyed cats invade Petaluma for the annual Halloween & Vine art fair! I've followed this show from it's humble beginnings in a winery's tasting room in Napa to Sonoma and now to Petaluma, where it's been held for several years now.

If you haven't yet been to Halloween & Vine ... GO!!!!! The artists come from across the country to sell their art there, and the shoppers have been known to travel quite a ways too! If you don't live nearby, you could always make a vacation out of it and spend a few days in San Francisco or on the coast!

One of my favorite artists at this show is Johanna Parker, who drives out here from Denver, Colorado every year. I also enjoy visiting with Nicol Sayre and Jack Roads at this show, among others ...

Destashing Fabric!

Once again I've sorted through my ginormous fabric stash and have found more than a few yards with which I'm willing to part. My loss shall be your gain! Prices are $3 per yard and less, with much of this fabric being closer to $2 per yard. Shipping is extra, of course, however quite a bit of fabric will fit in a flat-rate Priority box!! These pieces vary from half a yard to about 3 yards; I'd rather sell an entire piece, however if you want quite a few pieces, I can probably sell you just as much as you need. And if you're in the Sacramento area, arrangements can be made for you to pick up your fabric to save on shipping!

The first couple of pictures are mostly Autumn and Halloween fabrics, then there's a couple pictures of Americana fabrics, and one of Christmas fabrics. After that are a few odds and ends ... isn't that Cupid toile soooooo sweet?!

If you'd like to buy some of this fabric, you can email me at prairieprimitives@sbcglobal.net. Please tell me which picture the fabric you want is in (1st, 2nd, etc.) and describe the fabric (colors or pattern). Thanks!



1. Orange linen (?) - 3 yards ... $5
2. Tan & black stars - 1 yard ... $3
3. Tan fabric - SOLD
4. Orange & white polkadots - 1/2 yard (minus 8" square cut from corner) ... $1.50
5. Tan & cream stars (Moda) - 1/8 yard ... 75 cents
6. Pumpkin & cream flannel or brushed cotton homespun - 28" x 30" ... $1.50
7. Black stars - 16"x22" ... $1
8. Mustard & cream homespun plaid - 1/2 yard ... $1



1. Purple fabric - 2-1/4 yards ... $4
2. Olive green "ribbed" fabric (woven, but soft & drapey) - 1-1/8 yards ... $2
3. Black & taupe checks - more than 22" x 36" ... $1.50
4. Orange & black checks - 1.5 yards ... $3.00
5. Mustard & cream homespun plaid - 3/4 yard (minus 6"x6" corner) ... $1.50
6. Black with metallic gold stars - 13"x27" ... $1.00



1. Red & blue stars & stripes - 1-1/3 yards ... $2.50
2. Blue & cream repro shirting stripe (Peter Pan) - 1 yard ... $3
3. Mustard & blue diagonal stars & stripes (Moda, Brannock & Patek) - 2 Very Large scraps ... $1
4. Cherry advertising labels - 7/8 yard ... SOLD
5. Mustard & blue diagonal stars & stripes (Moda, Brannock & Patek) - 1 meter ... $3



1. Blue flannel - 3 yards ... $6
2. Navy & red repro shirting stripe with stars - 1-5/8 yards ... $4.50
3. Red & cream stars (Marcus Brothers) - 2 yards ... $6
4. Large blue plaid (heavier weight) - 7/8 yard ... $3
5. Red & black diagonal stars & stripes - 3/4 yard ... $2.50
6. Red & white stars - 1 meter ... $3
7. Red & black diagonal stars & stripes - 3/4 yard ... $2.50



1. Red & green flannel or brushed cotton - 7/8 yard ... $2
2. Holly print - 1/3 yard ... $1
3. Red, white, multi stripes - 5/8 ... $1.50



1. Rosy pink twill "stripe" (62" wide!) - 3/8" yard ... $1
2. Floral fabric - SOLD
3. White on white stripe - 1-1/3 yards ... $2



1. Mottled pink - 7/8 yard ... $2
2. Blue Cupid Toile - 3 yards? ... $6
3. Brown & pink polkadots - 3/8 yard ... $1.50

Etsy Treasury!

Oh my, I've been featured in another Etsy Treasury! Hope you'll take a look -- and be sure to click on your favorite item(s) to vote for them! I love making the little covered boxes, and this is one of my most favorite sets!

Fall Preview & Craft Supply "Destash" Sale

Come meet several of the artists from the Sac Etsy Team, this Sunday (August 16th) in beautiful downtown Diamond Springs!

This will be first of hopefully many team sales events featuring local (Sacramento area) artists who sell their artistic creations on the Etsy.com web site! Some of the artists who will be participating include Shell Benesch (http://BrightAndBeautiful88.etsy.com & http://BridgetsCottageBiz.etsy.com), Tana Taylor (http://PrairiePrimitives.etsy.com & http://PrairiePrimitivesToo.etsy.com), Sara (http://MomwithaHook.etsy.com & http://SnailMailPals.etsy.com), and Sarah Hawke (http://Beadskinz.etsy.com). In addition to the wonderful handmade items, we'll also be offering many of our leftover craft supplies for sale!

You can find us at 512 Main Street, #7 in Diamond Springs. We should be open by 9am or so and will stay till we sell out or get tired, whichever comes first ... I'm sure we'll be there till at least 2pm!

Diamond Springs is near Placerville and about an hour from downtown Sacramento.

There is also a weekly swap meet nearby, so bring the hubby and kids and send them over there while you peruse the treasures at our sale!

California Chit Chat Girls of Etsy

My favorite Etsy forum is the weekly one featuring the California Chit Chat Girls. The only requirement to chat in this particular forum is that you live in California! You don't even have to be a girl (but we all are, or ummm ... claim to be!).

(I'll try to get an image of the Treasury in here, but Blogger isn't cooperating at the moment ... grrrr!!!)

Yoli, the Mistress of this particular forum, has compiled a Treasury and she was kind enough to include my blue ditty bag! If you're registered on Etsy, log in and then you can vote by clicking on your favorite items in the Treasury. You have 12 votes per Treasury and can use them all on one item, one on each item, or any combination you choose! Of course I would be delighted if you saw fit to vote for my ditty bag ... early and often as they say! :-)

SEO and Why It's Important to Artists

Recently, in one of my Etsy groups, there were some questions about SEO (search engine optimization), what it is and what it does. This post is an elaboration of my participation in that discussion.

The point of SEO is to get your web site (or Etsy shop, blog, etc.) ranked as high as possible in the search engines. The higher the ranking of your site/shop/blog/etc., the better the chance someone will find it. For those of us who are selling things online (or trying to sell things), it’s very important that our shops and/or web sites can be found! Most shoppers aren't going to take the time to look through more than a couple pages of search results when they’re looking for something.

Let's say that someone knew that I sold my stuff online, but they didn't know that I sold on Etsy. It’s likely that they wouldn't have the full URL (address) of my Etsy shop to search for. Besides, if they had the full URL, there would be no point in searching – they could simply type (or copy & paste) the URL into the browser, hit enter, and voila!

My shop (Prairie Primitives) is the second result on the first page when I Google for Prairie Primitives. In addition, quite a few of the other first-page results are mine as well (YAY!), however there are at least two other businesses using the same name also on the first page (sigh). Googleing my own name shows my Etsy shop as the seventh result on the first page, so it’s probably a good idea to include your own name somewhere in your Etsy shop.

Search engine optimization is a never-ending challenge, and has been since the internet became public in the mid-1990s. I think it's safe to say that Google is the most popular search engine these days (at least in the U.S.), however other search engines have been very popular in years past, and I will readily admit that I don’t have any idea which search engines may be popular in other countries. To make things even more challenging, just when web designers think they have a search engine figured out, it’s likely that the search engine will change their “algorithm” (how they rank search results), and you’ll have to try even harder to get your shop ranked high in search results!

Ditty Bags & Covered Boxes on eBay

Guess I should have posted about my covered boxes & ditty bags earlier in the week ... but now that I'm now working full-time (YAY!), finding time to blog is lower on my to-do list than it should be!

I've been wanting to make covered boxes for awhile now (like a couple of years), but I never took the time to try! So last month before the Los Altos show, I decided to see what I could come up with.

This is my favorite set of covered boxes so far -- I love the mismatched fabrics! They're currently listed on eBay, and will end around 6:30pm PST today.

I have a few other sets of boxes listed with other fabrics -- this set of blue boxes is my 2nd most favorite!

I've included a little surprise inside each box, but you'll have to look at the auctions to see what you'll get!

I've also been making ditty bags lately, mostly at the request of a friend in Tennessee. Denise has been nagging me to make them for years but I've been sooooo busy making primitive dolls. So I finished up a few ditty bags last weekend and listed them too! I like them all (a lot!), but if I had to choose, this one is my current favorite! The ditty bag auctions will end before the covered boxes -- starting a wee bit before 4pm PST today.

The ditty bags also have a lovely surprise inside, but (you guessed it!), you'll need to look at the auction to see what that is!

I'm offering FREE SHIPPING on the ditty bag auctions!!

Americana Flag "Porch Swing" Pillow Cover

I was digging through my stash a month or so ago and found some very large flag panels. I've had them for a few years, but hadn't ever figured out what to do with them. So I thought and thought ... and then it came to me! They're "close" to the size of a standard bed pillow, so why not design a pillow cover with the flag as the centerpiece. And so I did!

The border is genuine vintage ticking fabric, straight from grandma's featherbed! The pillow cover closes with 7 red vintage buttons (I use a different assortment on every pillow!). I've lightly stained this pillow cover with my favorite coffee & vanilla mixture.


This is the pillow cover that I currently have listed on eBay. The starting bid is $24.95 and there's a BIN price of $45. If you mention that you saw this blog post when you pay for this item, I will refund your postage! For shoppers outside the U.S., I will refund $2.50 which is the U.S. shipping cost. But you must mention that you saw this offer on my blog!

Wouldn't it be great to have a nice big pillow like this on your porch swing? One of my customers even bought four of them! Let me know if you need more than one!

Meeting the Etsy Admins in San Francisco

Yesterday, I trekked to SF, along with another member of Sac-Etsy, for a meetup event with many of the Etsy top brass (known as "admins"). The get-together was held at the Delancey Street Cafe. If you're not familiar with the Delancey Street Foundation, it's worth reading about on their site!

While we were the only representatives of Sac-Etsy (and the only Etsyians from Sacramento), I met a handful of CCCOE gals, including including Dyanne from 2dy4, Allie from Allie's Adornments, and Tara from Combustion Glassworks. There were a couple other gals sitting with them, but their names escape me at the moment. :-( We also chatted with Hue from huesculpture.com (she's just started selling on Etsy, but huesculpture doesn't seem to be the name of her shop), along with her friend Noelle Nakama, who has an Etsy shop bearing her name.

The Etsy admins were represented by Maria Thomas (CEO), Chad Dickerson (CTO), Sara Hicks (VP of Product), Jesse Hertzberg (Director of Business Development), and Carrington Williams (Director of Strategic Finance). Their database guy, who works from home in Marin, was also there; I think he goes by the handle "CB."

The admins talked about what they're working on to improve the site. The most exciting announcement is the ability to rearrange your Etsy shop, which just went into closed beta yesterday! This announcement received a HUGE round of applause!!! When this goes live, we won't have to relist items to get them in a particular order! :-)

The admins handed out a bit of swag, but no ballcaps or t-shirts (which is what I'd been hoping for ... LOL!); just stickers and flyers and bumper stickers. They gave everyone a picture to color, and said this would be the wallpaper in their new office!

Sutter Creek & Magnolia Marketplace

Just wanted to let y'all know that this Saturday, May 23rd, I'll have a booth at the "Trash to Treasures Sale" in Sutter Creek, CA. Sutter Creek is in the heart of California's Gold Country, right on Highway 49! If you haven't been over that way in awhile, they've built a bypass around the delightful town of Sutter Creek, so you have to make a point to turn off (to the left) to actually get to the town now. I was thrown for a loop the first time I was over there after the bypass opened. I'm not sure where you'll end up if you miss the turnoff, maybe Jackson?

Anyway ... the hours for the show are 8am to 3pm. We'll be there by 6:30 (I'm going to try for 6:00 am!!). I'll be sharing the booth with my friend Julia who sells on Etsy as JnJ Designs. Julia tells me that her mother-in-law (the other J) will be joining us as well.

The booth won't look like the one in the picture above -- although that was also taken at the same show in Sutter Creek --- about 5? years ago. The signs are by my friend Trish Everett who, despite my encouragement, has neither a web site nor Etsy shop. She can be found on Facebook, however!

Hope to see you Saturday!

* * *
By the way, the following Saturday (May 30th), I'll have a booth at the Magnolia Marketplace at 6468 Fair Oaks Blvd. in Carmichael. This is a semi-annual show put on by the Magnolia Antique Mall. Several members of the Sac Etsy Team will have booths at this event, including cascreates and candyglass, and myself. Several others are considering joining us as well!

Americana Listings on eBay!

After a fairly disappointing week last week on eBay, I'm back with more goodies ... I hope the shoppers are in the mood for Americana this week!

This Americana Porch Swing Pillow is my favorite new item!!! I love pillows! And if I had a porch swing, I'd definitely want this pillow there with me! The auction is for the cover only -- the pillow is a standard $4 bed pillows, available at your local discount department store! BIN Price $25.00



I made a few of these Americana Stockings a couple of years ago ... this year I decided it was time for more! I've stenciled white stars on a grubby blue painted osnaburg stocking, and I'll be adding a scrap of homespun and a rusty bell to the flag before I send this stocking on its way to its new home! You'll get the Sweet Annie too!! BIN Price $22.00




I've made little hearts from antique quilt for many years, but these grubbied up Primitive Americana Vintage Ticking Hearts are a fairly new item for me. I've tied a scrap of grubby gauze around each one, then pinned on a rusty jingle bell and added a sprig of Sweet Annie! BIN Price $22 for the set of 3 hearts (this includes free shipping!)




I whipped up a few of these Primitive Americana Stick Flags before my last show (the rainy one). This one has a piece of rusty star garland for the hanger! BIN Price $8 (yep, you read that correctly!!)

ZNE Convenzione & Art, Paper & Pleasantries

I've been wanting to blog about the beeswax collage class I took recently with Anna Corba at the ZNE Convenzione in Pleasanton, CA! This is my first-ever collage, but I don't think it's going to be my last! I may even go back and put a crown on the sweet birdie so she matches this blog template! :-)

Anna is a wonderful instructor, and if you ever get a chance to take a class with her, definitely go for it! She was extremely generous with all of her wonderful papers and ephemera, and was always ready to answer our questions and help when we needed it.

I started a second collage in class, but need to get some bleached beeswax and a skillet to melt it in before I can finish it. I'll be hitting the yard sale circuit this weekend in hopes of doing just that!

This class was on a Thursday, and just two days later, I drove back to Pleasanton (1.5 hours each way!) to shop at Art, Paper, and Pleasantries, a vendor fair held at the same location. I found a LOT of goodies there ... and even got a personal lesson from Kate Lyon, co-owner of InvokeArts and StudiosBlackbird, on how to use unmounted rubber stamps without cutting them or mounting them! And she gave me the tag she made while teaching me! I left a good chunk of change in her booth -- and enjoyed every minute of it! :-) Kate made stamping (and especially the coloring) look entirely too easy ... but she readily admitted that she'd been stamping for quite awhile!

I also brought home even more unmounted stamps from the Lost Coast Designs booth -- Linda has a wonderful line of border stamps that retail for just $2 apiece! How could I not stock up?!

I bought a pack of Prima flowers and a tin of itsy bitsy seashells from Danielle Costa of The Art Life, and several more things at other booths that I can't entirely remember right now. I was pretty amazed at the wonderful selection of goodies at Art, Paper, & Pleasantries! And now I need to go get creative ... have a wonderful rest of the day!

Still Working on the Blog ...

Would you mind leaving me a comment about the following:

(1) whether or not you can see the background on this blog [it's a diamond pattern and there's a cute birdie on the right side and a vintage postcard on the left side]

(2) what size monitor you have

(3) what your screen resolution is (this is on the control panel under the display icon, then click on the settings tab)

The template designer has told me that she can see the background just fine. Her only suggestion was for me to increase the resolution on my monitor. I was reluctant to try this, but I did ... not only did the icons and text get realllllly tiny, even when I had my resolution set at its highest point, I still couldn't see all of the birdie on the right side. Turns out the designer is working on a 22" monitor with a killer video card (meaning she can set her resolution very high). I've put this out for feedback on Twitter and Facebook, and so far everyone who's commented says they can see it like it's intended to be. So I guess it's just me ...

This is what this blog template is supposed to look like:

A friend in Ohio grabbed this screenshot for me; she's the one who helped me troubleshoot the situation. (Thanks Jody!!!)

It's Getting There ...

Now I just need to figure out how to get everything on the "paper" ... OR get the sidebar stuff off the paper and into the sidebar area. If you know how to do this (CSS seems to be involved), could ya let me know? Thanks!

Big Whew!

Finally got my blog back to 3 columns. Thanks to Julian at The Beginner's Blogging Guide for detailed directions on how to make this happen!

There's probably more changes to come ... in fact, I know there are! For starters, I need to re-add the Twitter link so y'all can follow me! And I think I've found a background with directions that are not written in Italian (LOL!) so I may be giving it a whirl too! In fact, that's what prompted me to change back to a 3-column format ... that's what the background was designed for. Now I'm just hoping that it won't matter that I've customized the widths of the columns!

Yesterday I listed some of my pink & brown wristlets and bags on eBay. I'm offering FREE SHIPPING on within the U.S. and Canada, just as I do in my Etsy shop!

I've also got a pink & white Double Irish Chain quilt for sale on eBay; it's a cutter, but it's really pretty -- and it's got a BIN price of just $50

But for now, I must run off to my day job ...

Do You Ever Get Tired of the Look of Your Blog?

I've been thinking about changing the look of this blog for awhile now. I found a template that I absolutely LOVE ... but the instructions are written in Italian! And it looks like it might take just a bit of customizing, so that's not going to happen today. If you read (and can translate!) Italian, please let me know! :-)

So I've chosen this nice Spring Green color. I hope you like it! I may go back to a 3-column layout when I have the time to figure that out ... again. I remember it being pretty easy the first time, so hopefully it will be just as easy this time.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the new look ... and when you get done catching up here, please visit my Etsy shop and my eBay auctions!

Lodi Street Faire

The Lodi Street Faire is May 3rd, and if you've never been to this humongous street faire, you need to go!! There are at least 5 or 6 blocks of both antiques and crafts, and the cross-streets have a variety of vendors ... sometimes antiques (rarely crafts), and usually lots of "community" booths. There's generally enough food vendors to feed a small army!

The antiques are on School Street, and that's where our booth will be. Once again I'll be sharing a booth with my friend Jennifer (aka CrowJunction). Jennifer usually brings lots of furniture and wooden smalls and of course I bring my primitive folk art. Our booth is usually near the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (yummm!!!), although I think this time we may be closer to the corner. We generally decorate the booth with large vintage flags, so it should be pretty easy to find us!

Lodi is about 45 minutes south of Sacramento on either Highway 99 or the 5. Hope to see you Sunday, May 3rd at the Lodi Street Faire!

Next Sunday, April 19th, will be my first show of the year! I will be sharing a booth at The 1st Roseville Antique Market with my friend Julia and another lady. Julia makes jewelry with beach glass, vintage buttons, and Swarovski crystals. I'll have my prim bunnies and sheep and teddy bears (oh my!), as well as my new line of cute patchwork bags. Hope you'll stop by to visit with us -- we'll be in booth #38 on Oak Street, near the corner of South Grant. Click on the image for more info about the Antique Market!

A Whole Lotta Fun!!!

The annual ASG Fabric Sale is an event I look forward to every year! I wanted to share pics of my haul today. I rarely spend more than $25 or $30, and I'm always deliriously happy with what I can get for that amount of money! (You can click on the pics to see the fabric closer-up!)

* 1 yard wool blend ... $1
* 3-1/3 yards raw silk ... $3
* 3-1/2 yards raw silk ... $4
* 1/2 yard cotton print ... 50 cents
* bag of shells for a jewelry-making friend ... $2

* 1-3/4 yards wool blend ... $1
* 2-1/2 yards wool ... $3
* ~2 yards blue homespun patchwork ... $3.50
* 1 yard big black checks ... $2
* 1-1/3 yards cotton "honeycomb" fabric (this was just Too Cool to pass up!) ... $2

* 4-1/4 yards muslin (can one ever have too much muslin ... and it's prewashed too!) ... $3
* 1-1/4 yards trapunto-look white cotton ... $2
* 2 yards linen ... $3

* The Spirit of Christmas (Books 2, 4, 10)
* A Patchworthy Apparel Book

I bought "A Patchworthy Apparel Book" when it was first published in 1981; I think it was Jean Wells' first book. It's such a fun book!

Sorry, but I can't give the prices on the books 'cuz they will be getting listed for sale either on Etsy or eBay!

Destination Art!

This "shop hop" of Sacramento-area art and fabric shops was held yesterday and today. In its 6th year, this is the first year I've heard about it!

My first stop was JR Flamingo, on Fulton Avenue. This is a quilt/fabric shop with a strong emphasis on Asian fabric. They were doing a wet felting demo and had a display of "art dolls." They also loaded me up with water and snacks!

Next was Art Ellis, on J Street in Midtown. I'd never been in there, though I've often stopped at University Art across the street! Art Ellis is a traditional art supply store and sells sketchbooks, pencils, etc.

Then I headed up I-5 to Piece of Mind Bead & Jewelry Studio on Northgate Blvd; this shop was hard to find, so if you're into beads, don't give up -- you'll love it! They were hosting a show and sale of lampworked glass beads by about 8 local? artists. One of the artists, Kim Osibin, was one of the first 30 lampwork bead artists in the country (world?). Another of the bead artists (Suzanne?) provided a demonstration of lampworking (turns out she's an RDH -- dental hygienist -- and knows my boss!).

By this time it was rush hour, and I had NO interest in sitting in traffic on the freeways, so I took Northgate south until I saw a familiar street. El Camino took me through the 'hood, but since it was daylight I wasn't tooooo scared! I eventually ended up at Babetta's Yarn & Gift Shop on San Juan @ Winding Way. This store is the yarn equivalent of Piece of Mind! Among the more unusual fibers were yarns made from 100% bamboo and also some alpaca yarns.

And because it was on the way home, I stopped at Cje's Art & Fiber Gallery in Fair Oaks Village. Although this shop's address is Fair Oaks Blvd, it was a very hard shop to find, as they were tucked around the corner and fronted a parking lot rather than Fair Oaks. I'm not real sure what they do here (sort of looked like a working studio); they had an odd assortment of paintings and unusual and ethnic crafts.

Then this morning, I met Julia at The Stamp Art Shoppe on Sunrise @ Cirby. If you like stamping, scrapbooking, or altered art, you NEED to check this shop out! They were giving a demo of different inks. This was the only shop that had a sale or shop hop special -- 10% off pretty much everything, and we both spent a few dollars.

I'm a little confused about the gift basket drawings. There's one HUGE basket (valued at $900!), the winner of which will be drawn from all of the tickets received -- so I guess for those who went to all 6 shops, they may have 6 entries?? I thought the smaller baskets would be awarded shop by shop, but I heard somewhere along the way that there will be 6 names drawn from ALL of the tickets received -- so the odds are a bit more challenging.

WHEW!!! I can't believe this is the 6th year for this event, but just the first time I've heard of it. I'm already looking forward to next year's Destination Art!

Bagaholics Unite!

Oh my! I am sooooo honored to be in two Treasuries in as many days! Just got a convo from DeborahsForgetMeNots that she had used my backpack in her "OOAK Purse Art" Treasury!

The image is linked to the Treasury, and (as usual) the link will no longer work after the Treasury expires, early on Wednesday March 11th.

If you remember from yesterday's post about how Treasuries work, once you've logged into your Etsy account, just click on your favorite bags! You have a total of 12 votes and they can all be used on one item, or you can spread them out however you like. Of course I'd appreciate a vote or two ... :-)

Bitten by the Bag Bug!

Well, it looks like I've been bitten by the bag bug! Before you reach for the disinfectant, let me assure you that this is only contagious if you're the craft-makin' type (though I hope the shoppers catch it too!). Yes, it seems that this is the year of The Bag!

I've just listed two bags on Etsy. The first is a cute little black and almost-white patchwork bag. It went together rather quickly, which enables me to offer it at a lower price.

For this bag, I used a stripe fabric which I purchased recently and a floral fabric that I purchased new a buncha years ago, and is close to qualifying as vintage!

This bag is unlined, but I have taken the time to finish the seams. The fabrics were all prewashed so it it machine washable. You can purchase this bag here.


The second bag I listed is a backpack. I made a few of these last year, and they're still looking for their forever homes.

I had a lot of fun with these backpacks because I was able to raid my stash of antique lace and vintage mother-of-pearl buttons. The two layers of lace around the flap is sewn on by hand with the tiniest of stitches ... and ALL of the pearl buttons are sewn on by hand (there's about 25 of them altogether!).

The other two backpacks are similar -- one has a more antique-looking fabric for the bag (i.e., not so white), and the other has a raspberry background fabric for the bag. Both have several accent fabrics too, of course, as well as the antique lace and vintage buttons. You can purchase this bag here.

I'm currently working on a new bag. The handles are frustrating me just a bit, but I'm almost done with them. I think the rest of the bag will go together very easily ... at least I hope so! And yes, it's also a floral fabric ... and matches one of the (other) backpacks!

What a Nice Surprise!

Woke up this morning and had a convo from Kath that she had featured my 3 black bunnies in an Etsy Treasury. What a surprise!

*sprinkling magical sales dust on all of the bunnies*

If you're not familiar with Etsy Treasuries, the more popular ones (judged by # of clicks, views, and comments) eventually make it to Etsy's front page; this is the section titled "Handpicked Items."

To vote for Treasury items, once you're logged in to your Etsy account, simply click on the image(s) of your favorite items in each Treasury! You're allowed a total of 12 votes, and that can be divided amongst all of the items, or you can vote 12 times for one item ... or any combination in-between! PLEASE remember to log into your Etsy account before you vote; otherwise, you can click yourself silly, but your votes won't count at all!

NOTE: The screenshot of the Treasury is currently linked to the actual Treasury on the Etsy site, however after this Treasury hops away at 2:34pm EST on March 8th, the link will no longer work.

Need Some Extra $$?

Are you Spring cleaning or, like me, always working on decluttering? If you have books laying around that you no longer want or need, why not consider selling them via Cash4Books? I just received my first payment from this company, so I can assure you it's for real!

Just click on their banner above to get started!

Cash4Books even pays the postage! Once you've verified that they're buying the books you want to sell, all you have to do is package up your books so they'll arrive safe and sound, then just click on the link in their e-mail to print out the prepaid postage label!

You'll have the choice of receiving your payment direct to your PayPal account OR Cash4Books will send you a check. I was surprised that PayPal didn't even take any fees out of the payment I received!

And if you'd like to come back here and post what books you sold and/or how much they paid you for them, that would be fun too!