Monday, October 11, 2010

Countdown to Saturday (5 days)

Before my first holiday show each year, I go through the bowels of the craft closet and dig out my box of remaining holiday cards from the previous season(s). Then I go through them to see what I have and figure out how much I need to do before show day. Since I'm mostly in catch-up mode this year, I did this activity yesterday. My show is Saturday. Do the math, people. That's 4.38 days to get ready for a holiday show. Eeek!

Just because I do my farmers market every weekend for 5+ months does NOT mean I'm ready for a craft show. I had a conversation with BR#2 yesterday about this very thing. Sure, my car is packed with about 2/3 of what I'll need, but setting up for a farmers market (read: customers are coming to buy tomatoes, and craft vendors are incidental) versus setting up and preparing for a Holiday Craft Show (read: people are coming to buy crafts) are two very different activities. You need more stuff; you need holiday stuff; you need to look professional; you have a bigger space and you should use every inch of it to your advantage; you need to work on presentation - what will draw people into your 8x8 or 10x10 space? See? Very different.

So as I went through my box of holiday stuff from last year, I tossed aside the tea bag holders, since they still contain a piece of chocolate and a tea bag that are now both a year old. Ew. I may be able to salvage them and just replace the innards, but not today. I rummaged through the cards to remind myself what I did last year, and two of them had me going to the craft room to make more.

So today I made 8 Christmas cards ala The Crooked Stamper. Here's the first one:

I first made this card last year, using my Basic Grey Figgy papers, which were a year old then. I'm still working on them, too. I figure I have about 5 6x6 pads of this paper, so I may never actually run out. Ever.

I made 4 of these, so I also used up 4 of those buckle things from my stash. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.

Next I made 4 of these:


Still with the Figgy paper, and I also broke out one of my new Large Scallop Nestabilities, though I'm not sure it's right for this image. I used a few inches of retired Cranberry ribbon, because I could, and it needed something.

I also made 12 more bookmarks like this one:

This is some of my hoarded SU Pomegranate Satin Ribbon, and OMG, is it luscious! I started cutting lengths of it, when all of a sudden I hit the end of the spool and I'd cut 12, so that's how many I made. I did not plan this activity as far as the numbers. Sometimes I do like to go with the flow. ;)

My stash usage here, in addition to that spool of ribbon, was (1) 12 of those faux gems for the centers, and (2) 12 beads for the weighted end. I tried to get a close-up, and this was the best I could do:

I'm all out of the Filigree brads I used last year, and this was all I had that I thought would work. Ah, well. So these are all bagged and tagged and in my "don't forget to take this stuff next Saturday" pile. It's the only way I can manage to remember things - by putting them in a "don't forget" pile as soon as I think of them. The last thing I need right now is a longer mental list!

Next I hope to make some Fall-themed cards with my new stuff from SU (still in the box ... what part of "behind" has not been clear here?) I also plan to get very crafty every night this week, staying up late into the wee hours of the morning if I need to. I.will.be.ready. I will.

Yeah, we'll see how this goes. I'll be sure to let you know.

Thanks for stopping by!

4 comments:

  1. Those BG Figgy Pudding buckle cards are to die for! I KWYM about collections being "old", but your customers do not know that AND BG is always classic (in my totally unbiased opinion.)

    Glad you also have classic Leslie snarky Christmas card version too. I never would have thought to put that image with that sentiment; it totally works.

    I imagine the bookmarks will be a hit again.

    Hah! I have to make that "don't forget" pile all the time. Great minds? Or maybe we get along so well because we are equally warped ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. That pomegranate ribbon IS luscious!

    I love your irreverent cards!

    ReplyDelete
  3. love the sentiment on the first Figgy card! fabulous!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. omg--the card with the buckle ROCKS!!!!!!!!! in a big BIIIIIIIG (for once the pun is unintentional i SWEAR!) way!!!

    i am guessing that even if you ONLY found stuff that was already done and went JUST with that, you'd do really well...but the combination of you AND 4.38 days will no doubt produce even greater wonders, over which i will gush in the fullness of time!!! ♥♥♥!

    (ps: WV=waggawa!!!!) :)

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear what you really think! :-)

PS: I've had to disable Anonymous comments, because the spammers were killing me. If you are unable to comment, please email me your comment and I'll get it posted for you. Sorry. (stoopid spammers)