Sizing

I've been juggling display ideas for both my stores; World of Whimm and NueToMe (On A Whimm does still exist - just online though). I went out yesterday and bought another canvas to make a sign for NueToMe just like the World of Whimm one (it'll be smaller though). I was a little disappointed that I couldn't find an old canvas that I could just paint over - you know, the whole recycling thing... but I was running out of time.

I also wanted to find something to slip on the hangers for my NueToMe dresses so people could see the sizing at a glance. You know, like in the stores. Yesterday, I went to Creation Station figuring if anyone had something, it would be them... and it would most like be recycled. I had made it through the entire visit (about 45 minutes) without finding anything that would work. A little discouraged, but still hopeful, I asked them during check out if they had anything they thought might work. The owner is fabulous and came up with the plastic ties that come on your bread (or they used to). They are perfect and recycled!

I don't get out of the house often, but I insisted that we (the kids and myself) get a few errands out of the way. After all, I had been running so low on thread that it had started affecting what I could sew. I was happy to see that Joann's had thread on sale and I stocked up! But it's always painful when the thread alone makes up for half the amount you spend.

I found other great things on our outing - more buttons (the kids and I can't get enough!), some more sample containers for play dough (the free gift I hope to give with purchases - play dough from ItsMadeAtHome), pipe cleaners for an activity for the kids, the plastic ties, some paint for the sign, the canvas, and a few other little goodies. The most exciting part of the outing though, was using my new Tote2Go bags! Not only were they sturdier than those plastic bags, but they had my kids excited about carrying them! (I'm not sure why Blogger has chosen to rotate my photo. It was taken landscape, it shows up landscape in all my programs... but Blogger is convinced it needs to be portrait... a bit annoying).

These Tote2Go bags really are genius! Marlo has thoroughly thought the design through. Two bags that fold into themselves... and once you've folded them into the pocket... you end up with a cute little wristlet type package because a handle pops out of nowhere! Okay, it isn't nowhere - it's cleverly hidden in the pocket. Genius! You've got to get one of these things!

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Trial and Error

Today, my big project with the kids was making terrariums. I got this idea when I was outside the other day looking at our embarrassing side yard. We had initially planted lawn on the side with stepping stones and a few flower boxes that held strawberry plants - but it didn't have a good winter and it got bogged down and not a lot of sun.

So this weekend, I went out there to assess the damage. The strawberry plants are no longer in the planter boxes, but outside of the planter boxes where the lawn used to be. They are doing great though and Robbie has already tasted his first strawberry that he planted himself. For now, we will let the strawberries stay there. But in between strawberries, instead of grass is various forms of moss. They really are very pretty. Although, they aren't the pretty green grass we had intended.

With all the various moss types, I thought it would be fun to try to make a terrarium to house them in so the kids could each have a little bit of green inside. Of course, I should have done my homework and learned at least a little about them before I started... but I figure the kids and I will learn together about what works and what doesn't. Besides, I have tons of moss to experiment with.

I found two glass jars with lids at Value Village during my tshirt hunt. Alyssa's (the smaller one) has a cork top and is perfect... just a little squat so the plants are a little harder to see. It was also the first one we did... so we had lots of rocks on the bottom and dirt... we probably could have cut both down just a bit and allowed a little more room to see what's in it. Like I said though, trial and error.

Lyssie made hers first while Robbie was engrossed in the Internet. I made her search for all the tiny pebbles that we used on the bottom (for Robbie's, I went and bought them). Finding the rocks was a long process... but it did keep her busy. I then put some soil from the good soil in a few of my flower gardens. And finally, we went to the side yard and chose a few different varieties of moss. To make it a little more interesting, we also added a few rocks.

Both kids love them... Robbie wants to add an animal :) His first suggestion was a worm... then an ant. I now have him convinced that the little "enclosure" (he plays Zoo Tycoon) is best just for plants.

I'll keep you posted on how they do. Both kids sprayed them with water and now we will leave them alone for several weeks (provided they last that long). If you have any experience with these little things, I'd love to hear your tips. Or, feel free to point out where we went wrong. I could read more on them, but I'm happy learning along with the kids.

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Muffin Tin Monday!

Hurray for Muffin Tin Monday! My son was very excited that his lunch would be served in a muffin tin today. This time, for some reason, I had filling all the spaces... and I only have six to worry about. I think part of the problem was that I really wanted to add fruit... and my daughter can't have it. So I try to limit my son's to just one so she doesn't get to bothered by it. I still think that nice orange peaches would have looked fabulous though!

Here they are!

The one on the left is Alyssa's. She has hot dog (from Saturday's BBQ), corn, pasta and feta (our version of Greek Spaghetti), ham cubes, string cheese, crackers and peanuts. I was a little sad that I wasn't able to fit a fruit in it for her... but recently I've decided that she probably shouldn't be having grapes either. That leaves just bananas... and she had one this morning.

Robbie's has corn, crackers and peanuts, noodles and feta, watermelon, ham and string cheese. He even told me the order he's going to eat it in (the boy is all about order) - string cheese, crackers, noodles and feta, watermelon, ham, corn and then the peanuts. Of course, he's saving the protein for last. Alyssa ate ham and hot dog first.

I'm thinking that next time I'll give them each something that other person really likes and encourage them to trade. I'm hoping this will improve their sharing skills (we are having issues right now) and it'll get me closer to being able to make just one 12 muffin pan.

Happy Muffin Pan Monday!

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Signs

So, the good thing about shows where traffic is slow, is you have LOTS of time to figure out what would work better, what you might want to change and where you can improve. At Maple Valley Days last month, Meghan and I both decided that signs and pictures would be useful.

People didn't understand how the mermaid tails went (the majority of people seemed to think that they had to cram the kids legs into the tail - that would be a huge design flaw!), thought the capes were aprons, or didn't realize that the dresses were made from recycled t-shirts.

So, I've been working on improving this. I'm all for leaving things for the imagination, but if it's not selling because they don't get it... then I think I need to step in and help them out.

I've ordered several pictures of costumes, dresses and capes to hang up around the canopy. I'm hoping they come in time. They shipped out Saturday... so provided all is well with the US Postal Service, I'm expecting them Wednesday or Thursday at the latest.

Today I painted myself a World of Whimm sign (see photo). I plan on going to get one more canvas and painting a NueToMe sign as well. I don't know if I'll use the NueToMe sign, but I figure it would be good to have one. I will be covering the edges of the canvases with ribbon I think to finish it off. Just for those that are thinking about attempting it - painting something precise with two little kids around is not such a great idea. My hands are already a bit shaky from medications and the Fibromyalgia... add my kids leaning on the table, climbing on the chair and trying to help and it isn't surprising that I had several mistakes. I was happy that they were easy enough to cover up... it did take longer though with the extra help.

I've also made some stand up signs that I'll be putting in small frames on the tables. These signs are for the items that are all the same price (bibs, burp cloths, quilts, etc).

I'm hoping with all these improvements that I'll at least increase the people coming through my booth. Luckily, if it's slow, I'll have my mom and several EtsyRAIN neighbors to pass the time with. I'm looking forward to a great show!

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Mill Creek Festival - Don't Miss it!

It's less than a week before the Mill Creek Festival. I knew it was coming up quickly... but today a little bit of anxiousness has taken hold. I'm working on preparing - although I'm sure I have enough inventory. I'm trying to complete some items that I don't have a lot of... or I haven't made in a long time.

They have a map of the festival posted. Check it out! We are even listed (World of Whimm) along with a few other EtsyRAIN folks (Totes2Go aka I Make Cute Stuff, Art by Norm, Woven Chains & Roz's Sax Seattle - hope I didn't forget anyone!

I'm also looking forward to taking my recycled tshirt items. And - to top it off... I have a sweet offer for local folks! I'll give $1 off my recycled tshirt items for each t-shirt you bring me that you no longer need. I do have some requirements, so read the end of the blog for those... but if your shirt meets my needs, you could get $1 off for each shirt (up to three shirts per item). That means you could potentially get a recycled tshirt cape for just $7! and you would be recycling some shirts that you no longer need. Sweet!

This is the festival I've been looking forward to all year. I even have my mom (my partner) coming up for it from San Jose, California. Yippee! The kids are looking forward to having their grandma here - I'm looking forward to some extra company and help!

Oh - and she's bringing our new Sign Language Alphabet Bean Bag sets with her. These things are awesome! The letter of the alphabet on one side - and the sign for the letter on the other! They are so new that I haven't seen the completed set yet... just a few individual bean bags. They will be selling for $90 a set and we will only have a very limited quantity.

So mark it on your calendars and come on out to see us!

I will accept tshirts that meet the the following guidelines;

• Child appropriate images (no beer, liquor, smoking, nudity, swearing, or raunchy humor)
• No huge stains or holes (especially in the logo area). I can work around small minor stains and small minor holes.
• No thread bare shirts - I don't mind worn shirts, but if they are thread bare, I can't in good conscience sell an item made of it.
• Must be a kid's size or larger (I might accept some infant shirts if they have great graphics on them)
• No ribbed tshirts (see photo) - I need either the lightweight tshirts or regular, run of the mill everyday tshirts. Ribbed shirts stretch too much and make for a not so pretty end result.
• Bright colors are great - I do still use whites, blacks, greys, etc... but a brighter color is a bonus!
• No thick or stiff logo shirts - those that are lighly printed are best.

I reserve the right to refuse tshirts. If you are unsure if a tshirt meets my guidelines, bring it a long... you have nothing to lose!

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