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!

Just Opened My 2nd Etsy Shop!

Oh my! It looks like I forgot to mention that I've opened a second Etsy shop! That happened back on January 10th, so it's about 2 weeks old now. This shop, PrairiePrimitivesToo, is where you'll find my "destash" craft supplies. You can see my 5 most recent listings on the right-hand side of this blog. --->

At the moment, I have several large pieces of cutter quilts listed, along with a few lots of vintage buttons, twill tape in two sizes, and a few odds and ends. I add several items to this shop every week and coming up soon you'll be able to purchase vintage brass military buttons and fabric in this shop.

Of course I still have my original Etsy shop, Prairie Primitives, where you'll find my handmade primitive folk art! (There are still a few destash supplies there that were listed awhile back -- they'll probably stay there till they sell, or until the listings expire -- at which time I'll move them over to the new shop.)

Hope you'll stop by for a visit real soon! :-)

Valentina Primitive Bunny Needs A Forever Home!

Look what I found hopping around in my studio! It was challenging to catch her -- let alone make her sit still for the photos -- but I finally managed to do just that! Let me introduce you to Valentina, my primitive sweetheart bunny.

I've painted & grubbied her up to a perfect shade of Black Hare. Her nose and paws (hands) are needle-sculpted, I've embroidered her eyes and mouth, and she's got sisal whiskers. Valentina's ears are wired so they're poseable. I've made her jacket from red and white polkadot fabric, and she's wearing red and ticking pants; her clothing is stained with coffee and vanilla. I've added rusty bells to her clothes to make her absolutely primadorable!

I had a lot of fun making Valentina's badge! It's made from osnaburg that I've stamped, wool, tinsel, mica, glass glitter, some of my favorite ribbons, and antique mother of pearl buttons. I've hand sewn a pinback to the badge, so you can wear it or present it to your sweetheart (you can also remove it to make her more of a year-round bunny, if desired)!

Seated, with her ears bent as shown in the photos, Valentina is about 18" tall. Standing up, with her ears stretched out, she's about 33" tall. Valentina is intended to be a collectible doll, and was made in my smoke-free studio from a Tennessee Ridge pattern; Alicia Tové, the goldfish who keeps me company while I sew, splashes hello!

Valentina whispered to me while I was typing this that if she doesn't find a new home, she'll be happy to stay here with me ... and if you want her to be "Valentino" instead, she says that's alright too.

Valentina is available for adoption in my Etsy shop.

Taxes, Permits & Licenses for New California Businesses

After writing this information out about a dozen times in the last few years (especially since joining Etsy, where thousands of new shops are created every day), I've decided to post this information here in hopes that even more people will find it useful. I should add that I am not a tax professional nor am I an attorney, however I am a sole proprietor who has run a small business in two states, as well as participated in hundreds of craft fairs in many states over the last 30 years. As a reminder (see the title of this post above), this information is mostly for California artists, however those living in other states may benefit from this post as well.

You'll need a seller's permit. The Board of Equalization (BOE) issues this permit, at no cost to you. This permit is what allows you to collect sales tax on your sales. Of course, once you've collected the sales tax, you'll need to turn it in. The BOE will tell you what schedule you're on -- monthly, quarterly, annually, etc. Most new, small, businesses are on an annual filing schedule. The BOE has changed to an online filing system, so you will now prepare your sales tax return online. If you do art/craft fairs (or other events) in other states while living in California, those states may require you to obtain a sales tax permit or license from them as well -- however, please don't worry about this until you need to! Also, if you sell in cities or counties other than the one in which you reside, you should check on the tax rate for those other areas; in California the sales tax rate varies from place to place, and ranges from about 8% to more than 10%!

Your city or county may require you to have a business license -- even if you're only selling online or at craft fairs. Fees for local business licenses vary widely, from free to $100 or more per year. Call your city clerk and/or county clerk's office or go to your city's or county's web site and look for a link about "Doing Business in ..." This business license is strictly for the business, it doesn't have anything to do with sales tax. Some cities where you do art or craft fairs may require you to get a local permit. This is often included in the application fee for the show, however sometimes the show promoter will tell you how to apply for it directly.

If your business operates under a name other than the owner(s) full legal name, then a Fictitious Name Statement must be filed with the County Clerk's office (sometimes called the County Clerk-Recorder) in the county where the business is located. Look in your phone book's government pages or do an internet search to find the address and phone number of this office in your own county. This generally requires publication in a newspaper, however that requirement can often be met by using an inexpensive community-based paper rather than a big city paper!

For those of you starting businesses in 2011, you'll need to file business income taxes for 2011. This is the income tax due on April 15, 2012. You'll need to complete Schedule C (Profit or Loss from Business) and possibly Schedule SE (Self-Employment Tax) in addition to your 1040 and any other schedules or forms that you're required to file. Look at this year's Schedule C to get familiar with the various categories of deductions. I've used Schedule C for many years and it hasn't changed much in all that time.

For your record-keeping, you can either use an Excel or Google spreadsheet or specialized software such as QuickBooks; the main point is to keep accurate records that back up what you're reporting on your income tax return. A spreadsheet has always worked well for me. Each year I set up a spreadsheet with a column for each type of deduction from Schedule C (rent, supplies, utilities, etc.). Be sure to save all business-related receipts for supplies or anything else related to the business! If you buy from someone who doesn't or can't give you a receipt (at a flea market, for example), write your own "receipt" with as much information as you've got (date, location, seller's name if you know it, what the item was, how much you paid, etc.). It's easier when tax time rolls around if you've kept your bookkeeping up-to-date throughout the year. However, if you're organizationally and/or mathematically challenged, at least put your receipts in a shoebox or envelope so they're all in one place and you can hand them over to your tax preparer when tax time rolls around.

Schedule SE only gets filed if you show a profit of more than $400 (this amount may change at some point). It's a very short form and super-simple to complete!

As for selling online, you don't need any additional licenses or permits to do that. At this time, sales tax is only collected on items shipped to a state where you have a "physical presence." (There has been ongoing debate for about a dozen years -- ever since the internet, and e-commerce/online shopping, really took off -- about changing this. The "Amazon Tax" which you may hear about on the news is related to this, so pay attention to those news reports!) For small business owners, "physical presence" is generally defined as where you live, although when your business grows much larger and you establish a manufacturing facility in another state, then you'll have a physical presence in that state as well (we can all dream of that day, right?). If you happen to live in one state, but have a studio or shop in an adjoining state, you probably have a physical presence in both states; if this is your situation, just check with the sales tax authority in both states and they can help you sort it all out.

Remembering My Roots ...

Painting by Karl C. Brandner (American, 1898-1961)

“A Winter Poem”, c. 1953; oil/board, 18” x 20”.

It's winter in Indiana
And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy miles an hour
At twenty-five below.
 
Oh, how I love Indiana
When the snow's up to your butt
You take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut.
 
Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave Indiana
'Cause I'm frozen to the ground!!

Once in awhile I miss the snow, but I'll never miss the cold!!

Wanna Join My Mailing List?

If you'd like to hear about my new listings, both for Etsy and eBay, here's where you can sign up to get those notices! Rest assured that I rarely send more than one message a week ... and I only do that if I'm on an eBay listing frenzy (which happens a couple times a year).

Click to join PrairiePrimitives

Ants in My Pants!

Well, not quite ... but there are ants in my bathroom!

*Shudder*

Ants belong outdoors, that's all there is to it! They do NOT belong in my bathroom -- or in any other part of my home! I didn't have time to figure out what to do about them before I went to work this morning. Well, I did hurry up and mop both the kitchen & bath floors, just to make sure there wasn't something there that they were finding yummy. And I got out the bottle of vinegar I bought the last time they invaded, a couple years ago (Christmas morn, to be specific!), and wiped up several hundred of the little beasties. There's something about vinegar that ants don't like, at least for a short while.

This afternoon, I noticed a crack in the drywall near the tub, so I soaked a piece of TP with vinegar and stuck it in the crack. That took care of the ants for an hour or so, but they're baaaaaaack. It's just dawned on me that I have a "bug bomb" left over from the last time; I'll set that off in the morning right before I leave for work.

I had to go over to the management office to pick up a couple packages this afternoon, so I double-checked that they'd received my voicemail from this morning requesting a visit from the exterminator. They said yes, they had -- though they hadn't bothered to call (as I'd requested). Turns out they have a new policy of having tenants sign their rights away. Lovely ... I did hand write a note on the form about the office employee telling me that even though, by signing the form, I was agreeing to empty out ALL of the cupboards and under the sink & vanity, etc., they were still only going to spray "the baseboards and around the edges." I haven't had an adverse reaction to the spray yet, so there's no reason to think this time will be any different. I hope Alicia Tové will be ok -- the instructions said to turn off aquarium filters before the spraying and leave them off for 4 hours or so afterwards. Alicia's little aquarium has a lid with just a wee feeding hole, so I'll need to remember to cover her up before the exterminator arrives -- or maybe, better yet, move her to a far corner away from where the "bug bomb" will be set off ... that will probably be riskier for her!

Have I mentioned how much I hate ants?

3 Days and Counting ...

Just wanted to make another mention of this upcoming event! I've participated in this show since 2001. Serious shoppers always arrive 15-20 minutes before the doors open. The doors do not open early. Hope to see you there!

Bird in Hand
Holiday Folk Art & Antiques Show

Saturday December 6th, 2008
9:30 am until 2:30 pm

347 First Street
Los Altos, California

$1 admission (benefits the Los Altos History House Museum)

This show is held at the American Legion Hall, across from Draeger's Market in downtown Los Altos. Los Altos is located midway between San Francisco and San Jose.

I've stocked my Etsy shop for the holidays! However, it will be "on vacation" (meaning you won't be able to buy anything) from Friday evening (12/5) until Sunday evening (12/7) when I return home.

With Luck Like This ...

Sunday evening, I burnt the hell out of my lower lip. Co-workers think it's a cold sore. It's not. I know exactly when it happened -- and the blister came and went before I even began to feel the pain. Ouch. (Sorry, there won't be any pictures of this!)

Monday afternoon, I came home from work -- ready to do some serious "Cyber Monday" shopping -- only to discover the red light blinking on the DSL modem. There wasn't a dial tone on the phone either. This didn't look good. I reset the modem, rebooted the computer, even unplugged both phones while the modem was shut off (can you feel my desperation?!). But nothing helped. So I went to the manager's office to borrow a phone to call AT&T, who allowed themselves 26 hours from the time of my call to repair the problem!

Tuesday morning, I discovered a huge bolt in one of my truck's tires. WTF? Ran into a neighbor as I was headed back to my apartment to use the phone without a dial tone to call my boss to tell her I'd be late for work. I asked him if he knew how to change a tire. He did ... and he did (and he even let me use his cell phone to call my boss!). He wouldn't take any $$, but mentioned that he's got 4 kiddos, so I'll take them a plate of holiday goodies!

Tuesday afternoon, I tried THREE places before I could get the tire repaired. Midas was full to over-flowing with customers. Firestone claimed the tire wasn't repairable, but wanted to sell me a new $100 replacement tire (they offered me no choice of tires, just said that it would cost $100 plus the cost of the valve stem, mounting, balancing ... I said "No thanks!"). Then I remembered the tires, which are about 5 years old, were from Les Schwab and their purchase included a road hazard warranty. YAY!!! The closest Schwab store was about 2 miles away, where I was met by a nice young service writer fellow in the parking lot even before I had the ignition shut off. "That's correct, ma'am; there's no charge for repairs when it's our tires!" WOW!!

Tuesday afternoon, part II, after getting the tire fixed, I got home and peeked around the corner of the bedroom door to see if that obnoxious red light was still blinking on the modem. It wasn't!! I gingerly picked up the phone receiver and OMG ... a dial tone!!! And here I am ...

20% Chance of Rain

Well, if this is what a 20% chance of rain looks like, I'm not sure I want to see 100%! Winter has definitely arrived in Sacramento! Gotta check the SpareTheAir site to see if I can use the fireplace ... sure hope so! This long weekend is going to be all about sewing ... and hopefully more than a little listing on Etsy!

Two Weeks and Counting!

This is my booth from the 2007 show!

I can't believe it's almost time for the Bird in Hand show again! This holiday folk art & antique show may be small in size, but it's very much worth a look-see! Produced by Sue Lynch of Quail Country Antiques, and Emily Hollinger, a local artist, this show has been a much-anticipated annual event for more than 10 years now.

Located in the charming downtown area of Los Altos, California, Bird in Hand is held the 1st Saturday of December (for 2008, the date is December 6th), from 9:30am until 2:30pm. The show is held in the American Legion Hall, located at 347 First Street in Los Altos.

I would highly recommend that you arrive by 9:00am, or shortly thereafter. There is usually a bit of a line to get in, but because our wonderful customers do their job well (buy, buy, buy!), it's imperative for serious shoppers to arrive at (or before) the show opens!

Once in the door (if you're one of the first 50 or so shoppers), grab a shopping basket from the table to your left. Then make the rounds, traveling from booth to booth, to see all of the folk art and antiques. A central checkout area is provided near the entrance/exit for your convenience, so you can pay for all of your purchases at the same time!

Besides my primitive folk art, you will find Emily's paintings, Sue's antiques, and a variety of handmade items in various styles. Admission is $1 -- which is a donation to the Los Altos History House Museum.

New Listings on Etsy & eBay

It's been a super-busy week, but I've managed to find some time to list things on both Etsy and eBay!

The first few of my eBay auctions will end today -- these are for vintage patterns. BTW, I have more vintage patterns if you're interested, but unless I get more than the one bid I have at the moment, the rest of them will be going on Etsy. Also ending today is an auction for 3 seed bags in wonderful Autumnal shades of brown. The remainder of my current eBay auctions will end tomorrow -- these auctions include 5 ounces of colorful wool roving, small IKEA storage jars, a punch needle piece I did last year ("Harvest Moon"), and a set of primitive candy canes, also done in brown shades (these would look great with the seed bags, by the way!).

I've been listing "destash" items on Etsy, the results of cleaning and rearranging my studio over the past couple of weeks. So far, I've listed metal tins, silver glitter, red Chinese take-out boxes, and an assortment of metallic papers and stickers for altered art or scrapbooking. If these things don't sound like me, that's because they're not -- I received them in a "surprise box" where I only had to pay shipping. And if the person I acquired these from sees this, never fear, you included several things that I am keeping! :-) I also have some primitive destash items to list soon too! Off the top of my head, I remember some faux wired grapevine and a couple of small beeskeps ... but there's lots more!

If you're wondering why I took time during my busy season to rearrange my studio, it's because I found the PERFECT work table, a great old antique table that's actually big enough so I can get some serious work done! (I'll post pictures soon, once the studio is "finished"!) For the last 2.5 years, I've been using an antique sewing table -- the folding kind -- and if you're familiar with this type of table, you know just how small they are! They're also not very high, which meant that I had to put my sewing machine atop a small crate to bring it up to a usable height. Of course this wasn't terribly conducive to doing serious sewing! My new work table is just the right height (as Goldilocks would say!), and I've already spent more time sewing in the last week than I have in the last six months!

OK, enough blogging for now, I need to get some breakkie and then list a few more things on Etsy!!

Hampster Dance

OMG ... someone just sent me the link to the Hampster Dance!! This was one of the very first web sites I ever saw that "did something" (move/action). I'd sit and watch it for waaaaay longer than I'd care to admit. Check out the Hampster Dance here!