Can I Do It All In 42 Days??

If you read my blog on a regular basis, you know that I was reading the book, "Lost and Found". The book gets passed along from one person to another via our blogs. You can read about it here. Well, right now the book is on it's way to the UK to my blogging friend, Jam and Jerusalem. I'm hoping it makes it's way around Europe for a while and then finds it's way back to the USA!

I spent the entire day so far buying supplies that I will need to make things for Fair Diddley (my very first craft show) next month. It is very scary to me to spend that much money on things when I really have no clue if any of it will sell. Of course, I am hoping it will, but my understanding is that with craft shows, you just never know....they can even get rained out! I'm looking at it this way.....what doesn't sell at least can go into FourDogDay and MyOtherShop and also be used for the next show. It isn't like it will all just be sitting there.

We did price a tent though and that was a bit more than I am ready to invest, so I will be renting this time. If I do really well at this show, maybe I will buy one for the next show. Today I found a ton of candlesticks and three darling little plates at the Goodwill store to make cake stands with. I'm still on the lookout for more plates though. I bought some darling little cups and saucers to make a new thing with. I bought some boring ModPodge and sealer and about 8 different really awesome fabrics to make pillows. Yesterday I found a big piece of Waverly fabric at a resale shop for $1.00!! The pillows I make with that will kick butt! I also bought tons of ceramic tiles and sweet old Irv is in the garage right now sanding the rough edges down and cleaning them up for me.

So, as you can see...I have my work cut out for me. I have 42 days to make a ton of stuff and get it all packaged and priced!

Wrigley woke me up at 3:00 a.m. to go out and then I couldn't go back to sleep...I spent the next 3 hours sitting in bed with my paper, pencil and clipboard designing my booth for the show and making many, many lists! I came up with some fantastic ideas for the booth that I will share with you at a later date! One of the plans involves Irv dragging a very old and yukky bookshelf out of the very back corner of the garage that is full of gardening supplies right now....and turning it into a nice display piece for my booth! Poor Irv!

Have a wonderful rest of the day!

Craft Show 101

I was walking Wrigley this afternoon, and thinking that I should call the people at the craft show I applied to and ask when I would find out if I got in. The show was full and I had been put on a waiting list...plus it's juried and I had to send photos of my work and some photos of a work in progress.

We got back to the house and I opened the mailbox and grabbed the mail. I started leafing though it as we walked to the door and there was the envelope from the craft show. I felt the envelope and I could feel my photos in it. That was not a good sign. They only return the photos if you didn't get accepted. Rats!

I was so bummed because just today I was thinking about what I would make if I got accepted, and I had myself a little psyched.

I put the mail on the kitchen table and took off my coat, gave the dogs a treat and then started opening the mail....leaving the bad news for last. I took the envelope and went and sat in my workshop and opened it up.

I GOT ACCEPTED!!!!!!!! What felt like pictures was just the numbers for our cars!!!!!

Oh my gosh I am just bouncing off the walls. I don't even know where to start or what to do. I have never done this before!!!!!! I am Booth Number 311 and see that little green line on the map? That's me....or what will be me on May 17!

All I know is that I will one busy little crafter during the next two months!!!! Any of you that do craft shows that have any words of wisdom....please pass them on!!!! I'm going to be in a craft fair! Woo hoo!

The show is called "Fair Diddley", and this is it's 41st year. It takes place in Woodstock, Illinois. The town has an awesome town square. The movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray was filmed there.

My booth is not in the best of places, but that's okay. There are over 350 booths and I am in the center area near this gazebo in the grass. You also can't stake a tent into the grass because the sprinkler system is shallow! So, see...we have much to figure out.


Whenever I am doing things and I say to Irv, "We have a lot to do.", or "We will figure it out", or "Don't worry, we can do it", he always replies, "Do you have a mouse in your pocket?" He likes to pretend that he isn't going to help me, but he will...he always does. :)

So what kind of advice can you give me? I am going to need it!

Kathy the Bull Terrier

Now that you all know about my new Facebook addiction as I confessed in yesterday's post, I might as well fess up and tell you that I have actually taken a couple of the ridiculous little quizzes that populate the Facebook pages.

One of the quizzes I took is called, "What dog are you?" I know, I know! I told you they were ridiculous, but it must be the mood I am in lately that I'm doing all of this stupid stuff! Anyway, I took the little quiz and up popped, "Bull Terrier"! Oh my I thought....I am NO Bull Terrier. I am gentle and kind. I am all about Peace and Love. Well, not always, but I do try.

After spending a few minutes in total denial, I read the detailed description of the Bull Terrier, and I started laughing because it's really pretty accurate! HAHA!

I certainly don't see myself as a GLADIATOR, but yes, I am very INDEPENDENT. I am not book SMART, but I do see myself as SMART in areas where I need to be SMART.


I am really not very INQUISITIVE as in someone that is improperly curious about the affairs of others, but I do try to stay on top of things that I feel are important to me and my life. I do question things I feel the need to question. I am PLAYFUL in my own snotty little sarcastic way.

Hmmmmm.....STUBBORN......uhhhhh, would that mean that everything has to be MY way and that I am ALWAYS RIGHT? Can't help it...MY way IS always the BEST way and I am ALWAYS right. Just ask Irv...he'll tell you.

Am I RELENTLESS in my pursuit to get what I want? If that includes crying and stamping of the feet.....that would be me.

I use to be ALERT....now I just do my best to stay AWAKE!

I am very loving and affectionate.. There are always a lot of hugs, kisses and I Love Yous around here, but like a Bull Terrier....I am not terribly CUDDLY. I certainly was when the kids were growing up, but now CUDDLING makes me claustrophobic! Give me my space!

LOYAL, PROTECTIVE and DEVOTED....absolutely, without a doubt.

As far as NOT LIKING PEOPLE TO BE MAD AT ME....I don't worry much about that. I don't really give people too many reasons to be mad at me. Like I've said before...I am the peacekeeper. I don't like conflict at all. I am the "fixer". I try to make sure that everyone is in their own little happy place all the time.

So....whether you have Facebook or not....what kind of dog do you see yourself as? What are your strongest personality traits?

My New Dirty Little Secret

Okay, so I'm doing really good at giving up my Starbucks....they made a Starbucks run at work yesterday and I declined! It took everything I had, but I did it. I am conquering the addiction...however, I have a new addiction now. I can't believe I am about to say this, but it's

Facebook

Shhhhhhhh.....please don't tell anybody. I'm a little embarrassed, so just add it to my addictions list, right under etsy and my blog!

About 6 months ago my son Matt signed up. He kept bugging me to sign up so that we could play Scrabble. I really don't have time for that kind of silliness, but after a while I thought....what harm could it do? It's just for Scrabble now and then.

Well, I will tell you what harm it can do....I can't stay off of it! I feel like the nosey neighbor lady always wanting to know what everyone is doing! And get this....Matt quit playing Scrabble after our second game, and you want to know why? NO TIME! HA....go figure!

The addiction just reared it's ugly head about a week ago. I was attempting to set up a Facebook business page for FourDogDay and I started reading the little blurbs my "friends" were writing. My friends were just my family members and a couple of people that asked me to be their friend that I didn't even know. I figured they couldn't be too dangerous since they were Facebook friends with my daughter, so I said yes.

Anyway, I set up my business page and then I found myself starting to comment on people's little blurbs. Then I found myself writing some little blurbs of my own. Then people started commenting on my little blurbs. Then I started searching for old friends on Facebook, and I found some! So, more friends meant more little blurbs. Then I posted some pictures which lead to "tagging" which lead to more little blurbs which has lead to my Facebook addiction!!

When I am at work, staring at my computer, I can hear Facebook calling me, "Check me, check me. You won't believe the great little blurbs you are missing Kathy!!!" I will admit to the old "CPC" method....oh, that's "Click....Peek....Close". I can actually "Click....Peek....Close", my blog, MyOtherShop, FourDogDay and Facebook all within about 30 seconds!! Really!

My name is Kathy and I am oh so messed up!

Plants and Pillows...Pillows and Plants

I got the yellow pillow listed last night. Here it is. I am so in love with this pillow that I want to keep it, but that is my #1 no-no! No keeping. I am headed to the fabric store tomorrow because the new pillow ideas are filling my head and I must get them out! The only way to do that is to make the things! If you click on the picture you can see other views from my etsy shop.

Anyway, I promised a story about Irv's basement garden. To make a long story short...last year Irv started some seeds in the house. They did "okay". Nothing spectacular, but we were able to plant a lot of the things and he had a great time with it. This year he decided to step it up a notch. He bought LOTS of seeds...flower and vegetable....and he built a little "greenhouse" in the basement using plastic and all kinds of lights and little heat lamps.

When the first little sprouts popped up earlier than they were suppose to...he was so proud. He thought he must be doing something right. Then everything started popping....early. Then they got bigger. Then the excitement caused a kind of planting frenzy and he bought more seeds and more little pots and more special soil. He added more tables and more lights and more heat....are you getting the picture here?Things continued to sprout and grow. Then one day he came upstairs and said, "I think I f----d up." I thought maybe something bad happened. "I think I planted everything way too early. You should see how BIG it's all getting. I'm going to have to transplant things."

That lead to more pots, more soil and more work this past weekend. We have flats of flowers on March 31 that are the bigger than what we usually buy at the garden center in mid-May to plant!!! Yikes!

Despite not having a clue how he is going to nurture these little babies until they can be planted outside in May......this little cutie brought a smile to our faces today!

So, Irv is making a mental note of when he should probably start planting his seeds next year, so we don't end up with a flower and vegetable jungle in the basement again!

I Did It! Woo Hoo!

I made the pillow with the awesome brown, ivory and tan global floral print fabric for MyOtherShop. Here it is! Tah dah! It's a 14" square with the print on the front and a coordinating brown on the back, and I love it. Click here to see other views from my etsy shop.


Then as soon as I finished this one....I started on the yellow one, and that one is also kick butt if I do say so myself. I might get it listed tonight. It's this little yellow rectangular pillow that slides into it's own little "baby duvet" that ties on both ends. Oh my gosh...I want one!

I already have the next two pillows layed out in my head. I just need to go get fabric...and that is a long process for me. There is just so darn much to pick from. I can stand there oooing and awwwing for hours! It's also hard for me because I tend to always go for fabrics I love, but not necessarily what someone else might like in their home. Have to be careful with that I guess.

I also have another little sewing idea rattling around inside my thick skull.....can you hear it? I might be able to show you one soon!

Anyway, I am so psyched about the pillows! I had so much fun! Can you tell?

Tomorrow I am going to show you what has happened to Irv's basement garden!!! OH MY GOODNESS!!! That's all I'm going to say right now.

See you tomorrow!!

When Mother Nature Gets Ticked Off.....

Mother Nature creates some spectacular scenes...and I would love the scene we woke up to this morning if it was December or January....but this is March...in fact it is March 29 and this kind of scene is NOT appreciated at this time of year.

We knew it was coming so Irv put bins and buckets over the bleeding hearts that were already coming up to protect them.

It really did look pretty when I looked out the back door, but then when I headed outside and saw our 50 year old lilac "tree" on top of Irv's pick up truck. I was so sad. I can't call it a bush....she is a mighty 18 feet tall!


I went in to bundle up and Irv started smacking the branches with a broom to try to get some of the snow and ice off. We could see where limbs had snapped off, but couldn't really tell what was snapped and what was just sagging because of the weight of the ice and snow.

Once we got some of it cleared away....we had lost one large limb and one smaller one. The largest parts of it were sagging so bad that we had to prop them with 2 X 4's to help support them so they won't snap. It's really disappointing because it was covered with buds and now the little guys are frozen and we won't have any flowers this year. What a bummer!


Mother Nature......Beauty and the Beast! Have a wonderful day!