It's been a long long time. . .

Hi all!

Wow it's dusty here.

Seems like no one's posted in ages! Who's fault is that? Let's get 'em!

Oh. . . it's my fault? Oops. Sorry.

Fact is, lately, when I've had the time to write, I've not really had much crafty to say and when things have been super crafty, as they have of late, I haven't had the time to write. Plus, how many times can you read about me making log pillows?

So what have I been up to? Well, I did a play. Urinetown: the musical, where I played the part of Penelope Pennywise AND did all the costumes!
Here's a small taste:

And one with me!

That's me in the brown with the Wellies. Very glamorous, no? If you click on the above pics you can see even more shots from the show. It was very fun and so great to stretch my costuming muscles once again. Oooh, here's a great glamour shot:

Hawt.

Other than the show, I'm getting ready for Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago. It's my first time at Renegade Chicago and I'm so excited to do the show in it's hometown. What's even more exciting, though, is that I'll be sharing my booth with my Zombie Cross Stitch co-author Kristy Kizzee! We've never actually met in person but I already feel like she's long lost family.

This is also my first time in Chicago so if anyone has any suggestions regarding food, drink, and fun. Please let me know. And if you're in Chicago, please come and say, "hi!" We'll be selling autographed copies of the Zombie Kit and I have lots of new things I'm working on especially for this most Renegade of craft fairs.

ALSO! I've done a piece for Renegade Handmade's upcoming HOOT group show and contest. Here's a sneak peek:

And his owl-y backside:

The show starts in a week and voting for the contest begins September 11. Winner gets a free booth at their choice of Renegades! Yea!

Okay, dusting done, now, back to work. I'll let you know how it all goes soon.

Hearts and puppies,
erika

Thanks for coming out to Maker Faire

Hi old friends and new friends!
A big thank you to all who visited during Maker Faire. It was such a good time! For those of you who couldn't make it, check out my super cool new show set up for this season:

I'm so very happy with it!

I was also lucky enough to be interviewed for the latest installment of the wonderful Threadbanger. Yea! What great folk, LOVE THEM! I want them to be my new best friends!

I also got to meet the wonderful Kevin Kidney (though I didn't realize it at the time!) who's blog is full of so much vintage Disney and Tiki wonderfulness. He came by my booth and I was all "man, that looks like Kevin Kidney. . . I love his work!" but didn't have the nerve to say anything lest I be wrong. So this is me making up for being a scaredy-cat blog fangirl.

Anyway, thanks again to all who popped by!

If you couldn't make it, new items will be up in the Etsy shop super soon. I'm taking cute pics of things today and tomorrow and as soon as that's done they will be in the shop. Yea!

Love you all!

Hearts and puppies,
erika

Maker Faire this coming weekend!

Hi!
Just wanted to let you know that Maker Faire is this weekend and I will be there flogging my wares in the Bazaar Bizarre exhibition. It should be great fun! There's sooooo very much to do, the craft fair is just a small slice of the awesome pie. Hope to see you there. There will be pictures of the splendors throughout the weekend.

Love you lots!

Hearts and puppies,
erika

Felt Club was Felt-tastic!

Hey all! Just wanted to share the felt club fun with you all! I did a whole post about some of the other vendors I loved over at CraftStylish but didn't really get to talk much about my day. A day that almost wasn't!

I woke up Saturday to find out about the fires down in Southern California, one of which had closed, I-5, my way to the show. I spent that day frantically getting ready and checking the internet, thankfully things opened up around 10pm (but I did plan an alternative route that took me around the fires but that would have taken me twice as long to reach my destination, just in case!).

Then I started packing the car. . . Tom and I had spent days working on a new display that looked like a tabletop felt fireplace! I drew out the plan and measured my car before we started making it, but as I was loading the car I learned something. . . I'd measured the inside of my two door car but forgot to measure the door opening! The only way I could get it in was with both of the front seats folded down (very hard for driving). I tried and tried but couldn't get it to work. Freaking out, I called my dad for his truck but, no luck, he was out of town. Then it hit me! Bungie cords! I called my mom, she came to my rescue (a perk of now living close to home), and the display was bungied into place. Success!

I woke up early (just in case I had to take the alt route) but Sunday was the day that things were gonna go my way! I got to the show fine. . . met with Sarah. . . set up shop. . .

And was ready to get selling!

The show went really great. I met a ton of lovely people and was lucky enough to be interviewed and photographed by the LA Times!
(Wish I didn't look so lumpy and tired but then again, I am a bit lumpy these days and I was very, very tired. I just wish I was photogenic. . . oh, well. . .)


















I also had great sales, a big surprise with things the way they are. . . all in all, I had a very happy day!

Oh! I also got to meet DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba! I love this show so much more than a person without children should, but it just makes me so happy when I watch it. Everything is so possible in the show which is a comfort for me these days. . . anyway. . . Yea DJ Lance!

And he bought the robot!

So yeah, overall, I'd say it was a very good day and a very good show!

Okay, better run, gotta get back to work for Bazaar Bizarre on the 30th!

Hearts and puppies!
erika

Bust Holiday Craftacular!!!

The show that's soooo great and soooo fun that they actually had to make up a word for it is coming up this very weekend! It's the 3rd Annual Bust Holiday Craftacular! Woo hoo! Dancing and singing all around!!!

We here at my imaginary boyfriend HQ have been lucky enough to be involved with this show since the begining. . . in fact, the Craftacular was our very first show back in 2005 (so long ago. . . I wore my hair in ribbons then. . . ah, yes I remember it well. . . Oh, sorry.). This year we're sharing our table with the lovely Sarah of Gavin&Lily and most recently of Birch Handmade. We luv, luv, luv sharing with Sarah! She's so our crafting BFF! And it doesn't hurt that she makes some of the prettiest jewelery around. Yeah. . . my imaginary boyfriend and I only have the most talented friends. . .

Well I guess that's all for now. Must get back to sewing felt rock and logs and such. Remember to come by if you're in New York. It promises to be the funnest of fun times!

hearts and puppies,
erika

PS - I feel I've been a little remiss in picture posting of late. . . I don't have any of new crafts, so here's one of Viola! Yea!

Finally!

My Etsy Shop has been updated with stock including Christmas stockings and ornaments! I know it's late but if you order. . . I promise to get you're stuff to you before Santa slides down your chimney (or through your mail slot. . . or breaks into your house or however he gets into places without chimneys and mail slots. . .).

Other news! New baby!!! Not me. . . oh no. . . imaginary boyfriends aren't exactly the knocking you up type. . . one of the perks. . . anyway. . . back on topic. . . New baby! My wonderful, beautiful, super awesome friends Becca and Joe had a wonderful, beautiful, super awesome baby a few weeks back. Here's a picture of him in his Tick ensemble crafted for him by his loving Aunt Erika!



Isn't he just 10 pounds of cute in a 5 pound bag!?!?!

Also. . . more shows!!! December 8th - NYC - Bust Holiday Craftacular! This will be my 3 year doing the Craftacular and I'm so super excited. The Craftacular was my first show ever and It's always been one of my best.

December 15th - San Francisco - Bazaar Bizarre! My first BazBiz!!! Woo Hoo! And my last show of the season. What a wonderful send off!

Then it's a bit of a break for me and the boyfriend. . . gonna hang out with Becca and Joe and the baby and decompress from this hectic season. Worry not, though, faithful reader, I will be posting. . . perhaps more than ever!

Well. . . back to the felt mills. . .

hearts and puppies,
erika

Renegade Craft Fair this weekend!

So, yeah, another show. . . Renegade Craft Fair. . . this weekend. . .

I must admit, I'm feeling a little gun shy from the show 2 weeks ago, but I know, you just gotta let that stuff roll of the back. . . be the duck, Erika, be the duck. . .

If you're around you should try to come by. Here's the details. . .

What: Renegade Craft Fair Brooklyn
When: June 16th & 17th, 11 am to 6 pm
Where: Brooklyn's best empty swimming pool, McCarren Park Pool on Lorimer btw Driggs and Bayard
Who: erika and my imaginary boyfriend, the New York City Craft Mafia, and over 200 other super talented craftspeople
Why: Because you love me and art and indie crafts and you really need some new, hip clothing, bags, and housewares
How: Come by train or car! Here's directions!

my imaginary boyfriend's booth is booth number 191, right next to the NYC Craft Mafia tent at 192, right in the deep end of the pool because we don't mess around with the shallow end.

Guess that's all, hope to see you there!

Thanks for your time, here are some trees I made:


hearts and puppies,
erika

my imaginary boyfriend rejected!

Seems there's no love for the boyfriend over at Bazaar Bizarre. . .

Dear BB SF 2007 Applicant,

Sadly, we're writing to tell you we weren't able to accept your application for the 2007 San Francisco Bazaar Bizarre. We wish we could find a way to let in everyone who applies; as it is there were over two-and-a-half times the number of applications than spots available. It was a very tough decision. There were a lot of really fabulous and inspirational applications that we're really sad we won't have room for.

Thanks very much for your interest and creativity and for taking the time to apply. We very much appreciate it, and wish you the best in your creative efforts.

All the best,
The Bazaar Bizarre Organizers

It feels like a punch in the gut, like it's not really happening.

I have to go cry now, talk to you all later. . .
erika

the waiting is the hardest part

Hey Tom! I quoted your man, Tom Petty! Oh, man. . . I can't believe I quoted Tom Petty. . .

Anyway. . .

Spring show season is fast approaching and my applications are out in the ether, out of my hands. . . applications in the hands of a (hopefully not) angry juried alt-craft fair.

I hate this time.

I have (knock on wood/throw salt over my shoulder/go outside, knock to be let back in, be refused, repeat 2 more times before I'm once more granted admission into the building) never not gotten into a show but it doesn't make my anxiety any less anxious. After all, isn't there always a first time?

Flashback to this past November. I had just finished a successful showing at Stitch Austin. Got a lot of positive feedback. . . sold a lot of stuff. . . I should have been happy, right? Wrong. Because I had yet to hear from the Bust Holiday Craftacular and it was the day the acceptance e-mails were going out. All over the craft community message boards were posts about getting in (and not getting in) but I had not heard peep one. On top of that I was stranded at the Austin airport because my flight was delayed due to bad weather in New York.

What was going on!?!? Being the shiny, happy girl I am, I, of course jump to the conclusion that I've not been accepted to this show and that I'm a failure! I start crying. . . in the airport. . . calling my Mom. . . calling my friends. . . going off in equal parts of "What did I do wrong?/Why don't they like me this year?/Forget them! They wouldn't know talent if it shook it's tail feathers in front of them!!!"

Um. . . yeah. . . I know. . . drama much? Sigh. . . kinda makes sense that my mom used to call me her little Sarah Brnhardt. . . Let's just say, I'm not particularly proud of that facet of my personality. . .

What was actually going on? A glitch in the Bust email system where a number of the acceptance letters got lost in the great big world of zeros and ones. . . Oops. . . They do love me!!! I take back that talent thing. . .

So, yeah, that's why I hate the waiting.

I'm doing my best to try and fill the time. Made a baby bag for my friend, and fellow Craft Mafia member, Sarah who just had a super cute baby girl. And I've been working on some new style directions for line. I just finished a new pleated clutch (but is it too close to the pleated clutch that has been vexing Joi over at Stereoette?). Only time and you all will tell. As Cindy says, there are only so many shapes. . .

Tomorrow I'll post pics of the new bags and you can tell me if I'm a big steal-ly thief who steals things.

hearts and puppies!
erika