Craft Show Setup

I recently participated in my first craft show in 2 years. It was a lot of fun getting back into the groove after taking a craft show haitus after my daughter was born. I made some modifications to the look of my booth, and thought I'd share some of the photos with you in case you are looking for set up ideas. (Unfortunately, the background is very cluttered, as my booth was in a first grade classroom right in front of the teacher's area!)

First off, this was an indoor show, so I knew I'd have a small rectangular space to work with. I chose to stick with one folding table, but also used a new grid wall section that I recently purchased. I used it to hang some of my pouches, my card case key chains, hair clippy caddies, and lanyards. And because I have a lot of color in my items I stuck with using a white table cloth to drape my table.

Once my table was set up I used several different items to create depth and height to my table. At one end was an inexpensive, plastic shelf that you snap together very easily into the configuration you need. I had used a much more elaborate version of these shelves a few years ago for an outdoor show, and after being exposed to my children since then this was about all I had left to work with, so I made do. At the other end was a cute hanging purse display that I used to hang some of my totes and purses. I kept all of the denim totes together for a uniform look, while all of the gray totes sat on the table top.

For my smaller items, I used a diverse group of serving pieces. The ideas was for customers to be able to pick up the plates and trays to look more closely at the items rather than having to bend over to rummage through everything. So rings went on black and white tiered serving dishes, and a festive gift box was available for my smaller zip pouches, and my fabric covered magnets were stuck onto bright blue tins. These I made available as a mix and match bunch so that I didn't have to worry about keeping like magnets together. Then when they were purchased I could put the sets into gift boxes for the customer.

As I'm sure you have experienced, I had tons of folks coming by telling me how beautiful my items were, but not browsing long enough to make a selection and purchase. So my goal was to right away when someone started looking was to offer them a "free bookmark". This of course was one of my Moo cards! The front of my Moo cards have a delightful, colorful photo I took of several of my pencil cases, and on the back had all of my business info. Then I hole punched them, and added a colorful ribbon to make the bookmark. People are always up for a freebie, so this at least got my information into their hands, and hopefully in a form they will be hesitant to throw away. The longer they hold onto their SewArtsy bookmark, the more likely they are to remember my product and make their way into my Etsy store at a later date.

How have your craft shows gone this holiday shopping season? Do you have any great tips for set up ideas, or for getting your business information into customers' hands? I'm pooped just from doing the one show this year, but I'm excited to see what opportunities next year will hold for me. I hope you're taking time to enjoy the season while still staying busy in your shops or doing your handmade shopping!

Happy Friday! Amy

Another New Ring Style!

I'm super excited about these little gems. Talk about sparkly! I'll have several of these rings, all one of a kind, in the SewArtsy shop over the next few days. They are each hand beaded onto button bases before being glued onto the adjustable base. These will be great for holiday parties, adding a little handmade bling to your outfit!


Happy Tuesday! Amy

Rings for Your Little Girls

One of the new items that I've not had in the SewArtsy shop before, but made for my recent craft show, is a tiny button ring perfect for little girls' fingers. They are super sweet. I've made hearts and flowers so far, and am getting them listed into my Etsy shop.


These cute little rings have copper colored bases, so they are easy to tell apart from my regular sized rings. They fit snuggly on my pinky which is about a size 5. And of course they adjust from there - a little bit bigger, and squeezed to smaller sizes.

How do you like them?

Happy Sunday! Amy

New items! Can you believe it?

There are new items in the shop tonight! And more to come! I worked really hard to get lots of items made for a recent craft show, and now I'm excited to share some new totes, pouches and rings with you that are still in my inventory. Here's a little eye candy before you start clicking!


Happy Saturday! Amy

A Fun Mixed Media Project

Recently I was asked by a friend to make her daughter a kiddie sized purse as a gift from her parents for her 3rd birthday. Of course I was ever so happy to make something for this sweet little girl! So while I was making her this little bag, I also wanted to send her something that would be a present from us.

When decorating my daughter's room I made some wall art using Anna Maria Horner's painted silhouette technique, and loved how they turned out. But I've been wanting to make some artwork that is strictly fabric to make sort of the same effect, and then add embellishments to make it three dimensional. So I decided that Jordan would be my guinea pig of sorts!

I chose 2 fabrics that I thought worked well together, but were different enough so that her name would stand out from the background. I traced the letters onto fusible webbing (remembering to reverse the image when you're working with words!), and then cut out the letters in Jordan's name. From here I adhered the letters to the center of the background fabric, which I had measured ahead of time to make sure it would wrap around to the back of the size of canvas I had chosen to work with (this was 12"x6"). You could also stitch over the applique before moving on to the next step, but I chose not to.

At this point I grabbed my staple gun, and began to wrap the prepared fabric around the canvas, making sure her name was centered, and stapling at the back so the sides had a nice finished look for hanging. (Make sure to start in the middle of each side, and work your way out with the staples, pulling the fabric a bit taut to make sure no bubbles or wrinkles occur). After I made clean corner folds, and was happy with the position of everything at this point, I started to embellish (my favorite part!). I hand sewed some buttons through the canvas itself, I used Sharpie Paint Pens to add a shadow line to the letters so they would look more three-dimensional, and then hot fixed some clear crystals below Jordan's name - and it was fit for a princess.
Have you tried this kind of project? What techniques do you find the most helpful or most enjoyable? I'd love to keep building on this idea. I was super happy with my first attempt at this mixed-media art project, and I can't wait to get to try it again! Anyone need a gift?

Happy Friday! Amy

New Rings, New Bags, New Photography

So what do you guys think about the new rings in my shop? I seem to find myself quite the button-a-holic these days. I've always loved using them to embellish my fabric items, but making these rings has become quite the color combo therapy for me. I can sit with my hubby in the evenings after the kids go to bed, and just rifle through my jars of buttons, pulling together little piles of button goodness. It's like finding yummy fabrics from my stash that just fall into place together...mmm....



Speaking of me and my button obsession I'm also adding a little button to a tab on these little totes, and some of my other items as well. Just a little something to grab your attention - just a little something SewArtsy!

How do you like these two items in their new style of listing photo? I've been playing around with my photos for quite a while, and here's my newest set up. I found some photo background paper - here in yellow - and that's really helped quite a bit. I'm also becoming a little more skilled with Photoshop to adjust the quality, and adding some buttons (of course) for effect. I think they're coming along quite well.

Happy Sunday! Amy

Red, White and Blue

Maybe it's because of all the summer holidays we have here in the U.S.A., but this time of year I find myself wearing much more red, white and blue than in any other season.


Here's to you, Red, White and Blue!

Happy Monday! Amy

Even More Bling!

Here's some eye candy for you! These will add a little sparkle to your digits!


Happy Thursday! Amy

A Little Bling, Anyone?

In the mood for a little cuteness in your day? I am!

I grabbed up my little button cover set to make some magnet sets for my shop one night. They sure do brighten up the fridge whether they are holding onto something or not! Some of them turned out so cute I thought, "This would go great with that outfit!" So sure enough, I jumped on Etsy and found some adjustable ring bases that I could work with from StartToFinish.

I was so happy with the end product! Check out how some of them turned out here.

Happy Rainy Monday! Amy

Having a Daughter Has Changed Me

Being a mommy to a little girl has certainly changed me. I was never a girly girl. I grew up with an older brother on a street full of boys. Even when I started branching out and making my own friends I was still a rough and tumble, sports playing, stuffed-animals-over-dolls kind of girl.

Now that I have a daughter (who has the most fantastically fun hair to play with!) I find myself with a life sized doll to dress up. And while she is pretty tough - at 20 months she's the size of an average 3 year old, and has 2 older brothers to wrestle with - she's also very girly. Every bag is a purse, every doll is carried around in a stroller or wrapped in a blanket, and every day I'm playing right along! What's happened to me!? What other changes do little girls bring to their mommies, I wonder.

I've also been branching out into some more girly items for my shop, which I hope to show here on the blog soon. First up is the super-cute, no fuss small messenger bag I mentioned in the last post.













It's really just big enough (8x10) to carry your essentials, and features a magnetic snap to close the main compartment, and a zippered pocket on the front. That should help keep a little separation of items for better organization. I love the strap too! Very easy. It's long enough to wear across the body, or because it's skinny, you can tie it up to different lengths to wear at your shoulder or around your waist. I love mine and use it everyday on jaunts out with the kids!

More detailed photos of this new style can be seen in the SewArtsy shop or in my newest Facebook photo album.

Hope your summertime is full of sunshine and happiness! Happy Wednesday!
Amy

Back To It

So, life happens, and I've had to take a little break from business. Boy, family can really get in the way of sewing! (Haha!)

I'm back to it now, and have added a new pencil case to the SewArtsy shop. I've also got a new small messenger I'll be debuting soon - super cute and no-fuss. Just my kind of bag!

I hope to be back into the swing of things on the blog now - here's to hoping!

Happy Thursday! Amy

Just in Time for Spring...

...A sweet little lamb for spring time and Easter!


Don't you just love her? She's super sweet!

Happy Sunday! Amy

Fresh Ideas!

If you've visited the SewArtsy shop recently you've seen that I'm concentrating more on my smaller items like zip top bags and totes. I'm not sure why, but I'm drawn to them recently - maybe because they are so cute, little and functional. Maybe also because there's more of me in them. Last fall, and especially over the Christmas holiday, I pulled out some old friends - my sketch pad, pens and pencils. I sketched things that were not purses :o) and it was fun!

My poor husband has looked in my craft closet and asked "what are all those things down there on the floor that aren't fabric?" Well honey, those are canvases and paints, inks and papers, brushes and tools - all things I used to play with before we got married. Remember? Oh yeah!

So my yearnings for playtime with my old friends finally won out - and now at least some of them are no longer relegated to the bottom of my craft closet. They actually get to stay out and play from time to time!


I'm using those sketches now for applique ideas, and perhaps some other new fun projects that I'll show you soon. What do you think?

Happy Sunday! Amy

New Bag!

I'm just so excited to have had the time to sit down, draw up a design, cut, sew and photograph all at once! It's simple, but I love it, and I wanted to share with you guys!


This cutie would be great as a school or work bag, and so stylish. I've had this Annabella fabric by Tina Givens for Free Spirit for quite a while, but just wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it until I got it next to the dark gray twill. I love it!

Happy Saturday! Amy

Super Easy Fabric Cuff!

I set out Monday evening to fashion myself a cuff using this awesome Andalucia ribbon from Patty Young! I paired it with this beautiful solid teal cotton. Once you've gathered up your supplies this cuff should take you about 15-20 minutes to make - so easy!

For a cuff that will be 6.5" long by 2" wide, gather up:
* 1 piece of 1 1/2" wide ribbon, 7.5" long
* 1 piece solid cotton, 7.5" long by 8" wide
* 1 piece of elastic cording, 2" long
* 1 button
* coordinating thread
* sewing machine
* needle for hand sewing
* straight pins


Iron your cotton, then press under 1/2" on each side to reduce the 7.5" length to 6.5". Then fold the width in half and press, then open up and fold in the edges to the center crease. Press and fold again, reducing 8" width to 2". Once you've pressed the creases, open it back up to 4", and lay the ribbon across the right side of the fabric on one side so that it overhangs the cotton 1/2" on each side.

Wrap the ends under and secure with straight pins.

Topstitch the ribbon to the cotton. I did one row of stitching on each side of the ribbon so that I wasn't sewing over too much of the print, but a fun, random stitch pattern could be lovely in its own right!


Flip your cotton over to the wrong side. Fold your 2" piece of elastic cording in half, and tack it down to one end with a small stitch.


Fold the cotton back to a 2" width, and topstitch around the entire rectangle.


Wrap the cuff around your wrist to feel the fit. Hand sew your button to the opposite end of the cuff from the elastic. Button placement will depend on where it feels comfortable on your wrist.

Voila! Finished project. I can't wait to make more, and try out some different embellishment ideas!

Enjoy making your own! Try layering different ribbons, using a patchwork of fabrics, or embellishing with buttons or crystals - the possibilities are endless when you are the artist!

Happy Tuesday! Amy

June Giveaway Spoils!

As you may remember, Suzanne won the SewArtsy June Giveaway. She chose to have a pleated clutch made from group 3 - black, white and red geometric prints. Here's what she will be receiving as her prize.




Like it? Well make sure you check back on July 1 for instructions for the July SewArtsy Giveaway!

Happy Friday! Amy

Deal of the Week, May 18-24

Love to have organized hair clips and baubles? Need an easy way to access your hair accessories without having to dig to look for matching sets? Then the SewArtsy Hair Clippy Caddy is for you! And this week you can get one free with the purchase of any 2!

The Hair Clippy Caddy gives you 17" in length to attach clips of many different kinds - use both sides and that's 34"! Three roomy pockets allow you to store barrettes, pony tail holders, bobby pins, and other accessories that don't clip. Keep it all within reach by hanging it from a nail, hook, doorknob or bedpost. It works great in the bathroom or the bedroom - wherever you keep your hair clippies.

My buy 2 get 1 free offer is good at SewArtsy and SewArtsyBethany, so check out the selection available for immediate shipment. This week's deal is also good on custom orders, so if you'd like a different fabric from what you see already made, just inquire and I'll work with you to find a fabric to your liking!

Happy Monday! Amy

Cleaning Up and This Week's Deal

I need to do some major work on my studio. It's becoming overgrown, and weeding must happen! There's fabric all over the floor, cut and uncut. There are tools strewn all about just waiting to fall into the abyss and be lost forever. And soon I will be entertaining a customer to pick fabrics for some custom order bags. It just needs to be done :o)

In order to help myself along with freeing up some space, I'm sweetening the deal on my clearance items for one week. When you purchase any item from my CLEARANCE section, you may choose a second item from that section (of equal or lesser value) for FREE - in fact if you purchase a regularly-priced bag from my BAG section, you may also choose a second item from my CLEARANCE section for FREE. There are some fabulous little numbers in my CLEARANCE section, and I'd love to find them good homes - they deserve better than hanging in my studio getting no attention :o) Come on over to the shop, and see what's available at amazing prices this week (through May 17th only).




Happy Monday! Amy

Yeah! Two New Bags!

Two new bags for the shop :o) I had so much fun over the past couple of days getting back into the swing! What do you think?



Happy Weekend! Amy

New Fabric and Upcycling

After receiving a wonderful gift of several boxes of out-of-print fabric sample books from a neighbor (thanks Mark!), I've started putting together some lovely fabric combos for some newly designed mini bags.













These Upcycled Grab and Goes combine several coordinating upholstery weight fabrics into a mini bag big enough to carry you phone, pda, ipod, keys, money, lipstick - all the essentials! Each one will be a one-of-a-kind, not to be repeated.

Have a favorite color or color combo? Convo me through Etsy (SewArtsy), and I'll let you know what the possibilities are! Have your favorite colors made into an Upcycled Grab and Go wristlet, messenger, or elbow bag. The bag body measures 11" wide by 6" tall, and features a zip top, one long slip pocket on one side, and a split slip pocket on the other.

Keep checking out the shop for new arrivals, and even more new designs for spring!

Happy Sunday! Amy