Craft show Prep - background

Otherwise known as "drawing attention"...

If you have been following my series on craft show preparation, you may remember that my next craft show is an outdoor event.  I was looking for something that would draw interest all the way to the back of my booth, and I figured these garlands should do just the trick as they will hopefully move a little in the wind, and catch they eye with the motion.

 I plan to safety pin them to the top back corners and drape them down (kind of like an inverted rainbow).

 

I really enjoyed the pompom garlands I made for the cake table for my son's upcoming graduation so I thought I would do the same for the show.  Just a bag of monotone pompoms from the dollar store threaded on to quilting thread.  I made one using a torn book (too ripped to be used at the school's used book sale - it's Star Wars, by the way).  I trimmed each page to remove the margins, and folded them in half around a long piece of yarn (for extra support) and ran them through my sewing machine.  I may still paint a watercolour leaf or something onto the pages to kind of jazz them up a bit, or cut out a shape from the inside.

One is a ribbon, one is twill tape.  I had originally planned to iron them smooth, but I really like the way they look kind of "scallop-ey".  The last one is leftover felt run through the sewing machine.  The pennants are 2" wide and 4" long.

The fun part about these is they are quick and inexpensive so you could easily make them up to change the look of your display for different events.  I think I'm going to do one with jingle bells for my pre-Christmas shows, and I'm thinking fall leaves strung together for a fall show. 

These are all neutral for the specific show I am doing...all tents, tablecloths, etc are to be white, beige or neutral colours, so I am continuing on with that.  I am thinking of making a set in all greens to use at other shows.

The sky is the limit here...do any of you have a backdrop you change out for shows?  Or a pinterest board of ideas you would like to share?

Around the "farm"

I stayed home from work yesterday due to a whomping headache.  In the afternoon, though, I was able to go meander about the yard to see how things were coming along.

 The peach looks like it is doing very well.  It is so loaded with tiny fruits I had to take some off so the branches won't snap.  It's the first time I have had to do it and probably didn't take off nearly enough so I will revisit in a few days when I can handle it again.  I know it is good for the tree, but I also know that so many are going to get bug bites I want to have something left to eat.

 The first red strawberry.  Just one.  Yep - I ate it without sharing.

 Elderberry blossoms.  My first.  I look forward to tasting this.

 The first haskap berries.  I ate one of those too.  Delicious.  More like a grape than I expected.  I was expecting it to be like a blueberry.  I look forward to this growing over the years as this year there are only about 8 berries on it.  The other one right next to it has not a single one.  Not sure what that is all about.

 The wild blackberries that I transplanted into my garden a few years back are doing better than anything else.  They are loaded with berries, which is exciting because the best jam I made this year was black currant with wild blackberry.  I hope to repeat it this year again.

 After years of trying and failing, I think this may be the year that we actually get some ground cherries.  This is the most advanced I have been able to get a plant so far.  I have TWO of these seedlings that have survived so far.  Not sure why I am having so much trouble, but I bet over the years I have planted over 100 seeds and this is the best to date.

 I planted spiderwort last year when finding out that it is actually edible AND the flowers can be used for dye.  The plants are loaded with blossoms, and although I would normally be rushing out to harvest them on a daily basis to use, this year, I have accepted the reality that I won't have time to dye anything with them, so I am enjoying them as they are. 

 As is this tiny tiny bee...

I have been focusing on the fruits and vegetables for the last couple of years, so it is always nice when an old friend comes back year after year.

What's happening in your garden/ homestead/ farm this week?

Linking up with: How does your garden grow? at Backyard Farming Connection

Graduation Prep - Part 3...Pinwheels

Before I start, let me give credit where credit is due...the inspiration for this project came from something I found on Pinterest that was originally posted on Miss Mustard Seed (that's the link for her original tutorial)...I made mine slightly differently so I am also posting my tutorial.

The grade 8 class has been talking about making choices and choosing the direction they are going to go in the next couple of years, so I thought the following quote would be a good jumping off point for graduation:  "I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination." - Jimmy Dean.  I didn't think sailboats would work very well for this particular class, so I decided to go with pinwheels instead.

 

I made two kinds of pinwheels...some on card stock, without a stick, and some using pages from an old picture book (the same book we used for the art show interactive activity) that are on a stick.

So, for the basic pinwheel shape, you just simply cut a square (I cut the card stock pinwheels 6" square and the book page pinwheels 4" square) and then cut diagonal lines part way across from each corner (I used 3" cuts for the 6" squares and 2 1/4" cuts for the 4" squares).  I will continue the rest using the book page paper, and then hop back at the end for the card stock.

 

 Once you have your squares cut, use white craft glue to glue down each point to the middle.

 Then paint on glue to the edges - I did two points at a time, which is about how much I could handle without making a huge mess.

Then sprinkle glitter onto the wet glue, rotate it, and continue on with the other two points.

I let mine dry on an open cereal box to try to contain some of the glitter...

 ...and to more easily move them all away from the cat.

Before I glittered them, I actually spent a couple of hours trying to figure out a way to make them so they would spin using just the materials I had on hand.  I couldn't.  So, I just hot glued these large skewers onto the back.  Incidentally, I probably spent way way more time than I needed to looking for just the right pages to cut.  I wanted a picture on the back and words on the front.

 All lined up and ready for the next step...24 of them!

 I printed out the quote on plain white paper and cut them into strips, making sure to align the wording to leave a blank space on the left and right margins.  I rolled the right margin around a skewer...

 And then wrapped the left margin around the pinwheel skewer, hot glued it on, and called it done.

For the card stock pinwheels, I glittered them while flat using glitter glue.  Note: the glitter glue I had years ago was in a skinny little tube that you just squeezed on in a thin line.  The glue I bought this time had about a 1/3" hole at the top, so I ended up having to brush it all on with a paint brush anyways.  I like the white glue and glitter results much better.  Then I used a small punch and hammer to punch a hole through each point and through the center and used a brad to hold it in place.

 

I left half of them un-glittered as I'm not too sure how boys feel about glitter everywhere, plus, the blue glitter wouldn't show up very well on the black pinwheels anyways.

I almost forgot the tally:  The paper pinwheels (24 in total) cost me a grand total of $1.00 for the glitter.  I happened to have the skewers on hand and I always have white glue in the house.  The card stock pinwheels cost $1.50 for the glitter glue, I had a package of brads and the card stock from another project (I used 5 different colours).  Each 12" x 12" card stock made 4 pinwheels in case you want to try and need to buy some card stock first.  Personally, I prefer the book page pinwheels by far!

Come on back next week to see how I tie the centerpieces all together...

Linking up with:  Frugal by Choice, Cheap by Necessity
                          Keep Calm Craft On at Frontier Dreams
                          Eco Kids Tuesday at Like Mama Like Daughter

                          Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia

More craft show prep

Since I don't have access to a kiln right now, I thought I would make use of my time by getting everything else ready for my upcoming craft show.  The next one is an outdoor show and  I don't think my usual card stock signs will cut it for that one, so I decided to make some wooden signs instead.

I'm using the same paint colour as my "branding" sign, the same font, and the same method.

 In case you missed the first one, I just print off the word I want to fit the (scrap) wood,

 wrap it around to hold it in place,

then scratch it in (I use a pen so I can see where I have been) and fill in with a permanent marker since I am not all that great with a brush.

I decided that for each show, I will choose an item as the "Special Feature".  I left room on the bottom so I can affix each show's special.  I will probably use beige card stock for that part.

4 signs...total time: about 1/2 an hour for the 4.  Total cost: $0.00 - it was all leftovers.
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I have seen this:

all over pinterest, and although I can't actually get to the original picture - or tutorial - or whatever, here is the link to their website: Funky Junk Interiors.  Although I have seen it pinned on many "craft show ideas" boards, I have never seen another one...so I made one (let's just ignore the fact that it is hanging in my kitchen for this photo)...

I've been reading a bit about "branding" and that you should give your customers some kind of link to remember your name...

so I used the same font and colour as my sign for the actual word "Remembrance" (I think I might have to fix the R up a bit though).  Had any of you wondered where "Remembrances" came from, or am I the only one who does that?

This will hang at the back of my tent as a backdrop...with some other goodies that I will hopefully share next week.  Are any of you getting ready for craft show season?

Graduation Prep - Part 2

 I thought it would be fun for the kids to have a kind of DIY photo booth available at their graduation...

 I had an old gold frame in the basement that we have used for the art show a couple of times, and just spray painted it black with leftover paint from one of S's school projects.  By the way...meet N (he's not the one graduating, obviously).

I made a giant pinwheel for one of the props. I used a 12" x 12" piece of card stock and "borrowed" some spray adhesive from work to attach some gift wrap to the back of it.  I actually used a nail to pin this one shut - with glass beads to act as a kind of "stopper" and then nailed it to a giant skewer.  Inspiration for this one comes from a picture I found on pinterest - which happens to come from etsy.  I figure it is OK to copy the idea since it is for personal use and not to sell, but the link goes to the etsy shop.

I made these Batman style thought bubble type things and couldn't resist adding the Bazinga.  The inspiration for this is also from Pinterest.  I just drew them freehand onto some file folders (raided from the school's supply cupboard) and wrote the letters on with black permanent marker.  I may add some glitter to the outline if time permits - but for now, I'm calling these done.

 Mustaches on a stick seem to be all the rage, and although you can buy these pre-made at plenty of party supply stores, I used some card stock from my stash to make these.  They are just hot glued on to kitchen skewers.  You can draw these out yourself, copy them from cartoon characters, or google free mustache clip art to get plenty of options.  I did a combination of the three...

...and lipstick for the girls.  All of the props-on-a-stick will be displayed in a small bucket filled with sand so they stand up nicely.

All of these above will only work if two people are in the frame together, each holding one side and one prop, so for individual shots, I bought a couple of hands free props:

 Some sequined masks...

...and some giant glasses and feather boas - they are only 13 years old after all.

I still have to come up with some sort of backdrop, but that will have to wait until I see the actual room they are using - the school rented a hall, and I haven't had a chance to go check it out yet.  The tablecloth will come from the school...one of the cloth ones I made a few years ago in school colours.

Oh, I almost forgot...the tally:  the frame was free, as were all of the props on a stick.  Total cost for the photo booth: between $6.00 and $10.00 because the glasses, boas and masks came from the dollar store but some were over a dollar.

From a couple of the comments on part 1 of this series it occurs to me that I should clarify...the decorations I am making are not for an at home party...they are for the school's actual graduation ceremony.  I'm just helping out.

I'm currently working on the centerpieces, so part 3 should follow next week...

Linking up with: Homemade Monday on Frugal By Choice, Cheap by Necessity
                         Keep Calm Craft On over at Frontier Dreams 
                         Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia

Shop Update - the buttons are listed!

Months ago, I posted a picture of some in-the-works pottery buttons and I said I would share the pictures when they came out of the kiln.  Well, I hadn't gotten around to it until now...so, without further ado...the first batch of buttons:

The top ones are jumbo, over-sized buttons (1 3/4" roughly), and all of the ones below are around 7/8" to 1".  I have finally gotten around to listing my first batch of buttons over in  my etsy shop.  Feel free to go on over and have a look.

I love the process of making these...kind of feeds my OCD-like tendencies.  Now, I'm just wondering what people will think of them, and whether I can justify making some more.

Linking up with:  Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia
Keep Calm, Craft On over at Frontier Dreams 

Alpine Strawberries

I have several alpine strawberry plants growing in the yard, and although I very rarely get to actually eat one of the fruits before a critter takes off with them, I still dedicate space to them in the garden.  I came very near to ripping them out a few years ago before I tried drying the leaves for tea.  The leaf of wild strawberry and alpine strawberry plants are reportedly "good for convalescents and children".  We ran out of these tea leaves months ago, so I am going to try to harvest more this year.  

This is the alpine strawberry.  Note the leaves are shaped differently than the regular strawberry plant pictured below. The fruit is tiny and is said to be good for sunburn, but I have never tried it.

 Regular strawberry.

I snipped one leaf off each plant that was big enough to steal from, and laid them out on an old screen for drying.  It doesn't look like much of a harvest, but if I do it every week or so, hopefully I will have enough leaves to last the winter.

Oh, and the "good for convalescents and children" bit?  I add this leaf to the herbal tea blend every time the boys or feeling not quite right.  It does add its own (quite tasty) flavour to the blend.  I also add it to our iced herbal tea blend when I have enough.

Do you have a favourite herb for your tea blends?  I am always looking for new additions.

Linking up with: Wildcraft Wednesday over at Mind Body and Sole
                      Waste not want not at Poor and Gluten free a new-to-me website that looks quite  interesting
                      From the Farm blog hop #34