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!

Boing! Spring Has Sprung

Ah, the first weekend of spring! Wasn't it marvelous? I know the calendar said so, and Mr. Robin Redbreast said so and my little crocuses said so.....


but I don't rely on them to tell me it's Spring. I rely on Irv! When he digs out his trusty old blue work-in-the-yard shorts....I KNOW it's Spring!



Remember these old beat up candle holders I bought at the resale shop? One was broken and they were a mess?



It took a bit of work from handy Mr. Irv to repair the one, but he did and this is what I turned them into!


I also finished the photo album was working on, and got it in the mail to Matt out in Telluride. It's full of pictures of things I sell in FourDogDay and MyOtherShop. He's going to put it in the teacher's lounge at his school for a week or so. I included business cards and some 15% off coupons in the back of it. I'm hoping it will inspire the teachers to go in my shops and take a look around. We shall see.


There is an awesome juried craft fair in a town near me in May. It's called Fair Diddley. I haven't done any kind of show for a zillion years and I have never done a juried show. The deadline has already passed, but I spoke to a lady on the phone today and she said they usually have some cancellations and to send my application and photos in. I put everything together already and I'll mail it out tomorrow. I've been to the fair a number of times and I know my stuff "fits"...whether they find it "worthy" is another story. I hope so....I would really like to have this one be my first show. It's on "the Square" of a cute little town called Woodstock, and is well visited with free admission. I'll keep you posted.


I'm in the hunt for other craft fairs for this Spring and Summer...how do you find them? Do I have to just search the internet or is there an easier way? Do you do a lot of shows? How do you like it? Fill me in on the scoop!