So Much NEW!

Wow! It's been a long time since I've done a decent update on here. I'm sorry everyone. So here's what's been going on as of late.

-New Jelly and Cream filled Doughnut Plushies! In Fun and Mini sizes. So cute!

-July 24th was the 4th Annual Caffetto Craft Fair! Theresa and I were there selling all my fun dinks, plushies and other fun wears! It was a pretty nice day and we didn't do to bad either. Hopefully we can make it again next year. Here's some pics from the table set up.

-Two words: Wonder Knitter! <3

-Here's some examples of the cool, new duck tape beads from my jewelry classes at work. They are pretty fun and easy to make, plus you can make them in any color duck tape you like.

- I'm still working on myself, I'm down 50 lbs! That's a pretty big accomplishment if you ask me!

- My new pal Lauren and I had our 1st craft group meet up, we're calling it MinneCraftapolis! Pretty sweet, right? I take the credit for that one. We welcome crafters from any town, I'm from Owatonna, we just meet up in or near Minneapolis. Hehe. Our 1st meet up we made fun decoupaged gift boxes, like the pink one I made below. We're planning our 2nd meet up later in the month, stay tuned!

MinneCraftapolis
Min·ne·craft·ap·o·lis
[min-ee-kraft-ap-uh-lis]
–noun
1. a craft group, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota
2. a monthly meet up, to learn new techniques and projects
3. a fun night to create and bitch
4. a growing collaborated group of fierce and artistic individuals
5. a place to share skills or abilities used for bad purposes; cunning; deceit

Group Motto:
"Grab It... and Mod Podge The Shit Out Of It!"

Getting Personal: Update #1

So I had a very busy Spring, and we are revisiting some topics from a previous post, 'Getting Personal'. Here's the gist of what went on April, May & June.

• Changes continue at PT Job #1 and I put in my two weeks notice at PT Job #2.
• I'm 25 now and I did get my small tattoo.
• Enjoyed a long, cold, but fun day at the Craftstravaganza Craft Fair.
• My little sister's Bachelorette Party, Bridal Shower, Rehearsal and Wedding all went well with lots on fun and smiles.
  
• Plus my speech was sweet and humorous, considering I wrote it the night before. Not too bad, if I don't say so myself. :-P
  

As far as those short term goals go, let's see where we're at.

• Finish projects that I owe people (Marcy, Karlisha, my sister & my mom).

That didn't happen, maybe some for my sister, but not so much anyone else. Sorry.

• Have a fun (wedding) and profitable (craft fair) Spring.

Very true for both, I already participated in a 2nd craft fair and I got accepted into a 3rd. I'm also applying for 1, if not 2, more.

• Look harder for a FT Job (and if that pans out, move out of my mother's house).

Yea, working 7 days a week for weeks on end, I barely get to sleep. We'll work on this one after I'm finished with PT Job #2.

• And work on myself... This is going to be the hardest... in the short term, losing 20 lbs. for my sister's wedding.

This was actually the easiest one. From March to June I actually lost 40 lbs. That's like an average 5 year old girl, if you need a visual.

Other new things:

• I'm the new Jewelry Instructor at work! If you want to learn some basic Fundamentals or maybe just re-familiarize yourself with them, stop on by my Michaels and sign up! There's also some fun Camp Chic Jewelry Classes this summer. Playing with duck tape, safety pins, leather, etc.
• I will be participating in the 4th Annual Caffetto Craft Fair on July 24th! At Caffetto Coffee Shop, 708 W. 22nd Street, from 11am - 6pm.
  I hope it's a fun and not too hot of a day.
  
• My friend Christina will be visiting from Portland!
• My new pal Lauren, who put together the Unraveled DIY Festival, and I are planning on starting a local craft group. Each month we choose a new craft and we get a whole bunch of people together to learn it! (Costs for materials, but otherwise free tutorials & space.) Let me know if you're interested in participating! Or maybe you have a good name for the group?
• Same old, same old as far as love and personal life goes, but it looks like things are picking up in the right direction.

So we'll see how the next couple months progress and I'll keep everyone posted on new and major events.

The Unraveled DIY Festival

hbDesigns' was at the 1st year Unraveled DIY Festival! Geared towards the DIY Generation and presented by Textile Center, in conjunction with the 2011 International Surface Design Association Conference, held at the Rapson Architecture Center (U of M, Mpls). The event wasn't as widely popularized as Craftstravaganza, but for it's first year, I did make a few sales, so I was glad to take the day off to participate and meet new people.

2011 Craftstravaganza!!!

This past weekend was the 6th Annual Craftstravaganza, a local Urban Craft Fair held at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds' Fine Arts Building. There were over 70 artists, including 34 artisans new to the show (yours truly, of course, was one of them) and thousands of returning attendees. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., attendees browsed tables bursting with handmade crafts and met creators. The Minnesota Center for Book Arts and the Textile Center were also conducting workshops throughout the day. The first 100 shoppers received free swag bags with samples of vendors’ work and other goodies. This was my/hbDesigns very first craft fair, aside from the MCAD Art Sale, and I had no clue as to how I would do. Well as it turns out, people really do like my work and even bought some!

My first customer of the morning told me that she skipped breakfast to wait in line so she could see ME and buy 1 specific Shrinky Dink pendant. (Which I only had 1 of!) So that kinda made my day from the get go, despite the cold.

My little sister, Theresa was a great help! I could not have done this without her. You defiantly need two people at a table to run an event like that. We took a few snap shots of my table/set up/display, what ever you want to call it. Considering I made enough to cover the vendor fee, motel, gas and food, I would consider this event to be a great success! I hope Andy & Jen let me come back next year! This was a lot of fun!

hbDesigns also had a nice, little shout out from Betsy, the woman behind the Minneapolis Career Girl Blog! Also be sure to check out my Etsy and be a fan on Facebook for a discount!

Helpful Donations

Hey Everyone! As you may remember from my last post, I got into Craftstravaganza, a one day craft fair at the end of April. I'm super excited, but I'm also worried about the cost. The cost for the space, getting tables and display supplies plus the cost of materials to make product is adding up fast!

Here's where you, my loyal fans and friends, can help me out! You know that shirt you have in the back of the closet, the one that doesn't fit anymore or has maybe a couple holes in it, but other then that it's still in pretty decent shape... Well I'm looking for those kinds of shirts. Jersey knitted ones (that stretch), so I can make some of my necklaces.

I'm going to list all my sponsors/donors not only here on my blog, but also if you would like in exchange a felt fortune cookie or mustache key chain I would he happy to make you one.

Here's what I'm looking for the left and center t-shirts will work, they are plain, or mostly plain, stretch and it's nice that they don't have side seams. The right one is an example of one that won't work, it has a felted/texture to it that wont stretch. But I'm happy with what ever you are willing to part with... If I don't use it, you could have it back or I'll donate it to the Steele County Clothesline.

If anyone has any other thoughts/idea/suggestions I'm happy to hear them. I've never done a craft fair, so I'm learning a lot. I already have a mannequin that a friend is letting me barrow and my mom is getting some tables and I'm using the Cricut at work to make my sign, so if you have any other ideas, let me know.

I'm also be in the market for more felt, beads of most kinds, cheap displays or DIY ideas for them.

Craftstravaganza 2011 Acceptence!

Some of you may remember this image from last May, where Marisa and I went up to the MN State Fair grounds to look around and shop for handmade goodness!

This year (even with a small email hiccup) I made it in! I'm super excited. I do however have to start working by toosh off to get product made! So if it all works out, I expect to see a lot of you there, at least to say hi and check out ALL of the awesome handmade crafts for sale.

Learning Something New

And then share what you learned with others. That's how I roll. I went to a fun craft gathering the other day and learned how to make necklaces out of jersey knit t-shirts. So simple, they are totally going into my repertoire.

Supplies: A t-shirt (old, new, whatever, as long as it's a knit that stretches), a scissors, some thread and a needle. (You can also had beads (larger ones) if you so choose.

(Note: I happen to be using a shirt with no seams on the sides, you will most likely want to cut those off, use your best judgment.)

Step One: Trim off the bottom seams and then begin cutting 3/4 - 1 In. strips, lengthwise, across the shirt. You will more then likely be cutting up most of the shirt (at least to the armpits).

Step Two: Stretch out each strip, if your seams don't break, you're most likely going to want to cut them anyways, this is up to you though. Once I had all my strips stretching I cut them to the lengths I wanted and lined them up shortest to longest. Since I didn't have any seams, I could cut where ever.

Step Three: Run a needle up and down each side of your strips (I went in the same order). After doing both sides, I stitch them together. I just used a piece of the hem I cut off and used that to hide the stitches. (Just sewing the ends and flipping it over.)

And Ta Da! A fun new piece to wear. Color and options are limitless. This is a great way to recycle/reuse older shirts or ones you can't wear anymore for some reason. Feel free to experiment with how you hide your seams.

From Halloween!

Can you figure it out...? Yes, I was 'Snakes On A Plane' for Halloween, even though I have never seen the movie.

This was a fun & spooky Halloween Care Package I sent to a lot of my friends both in MN and out of state. Like: Casey in WI, Trista in CO and Christina in OR. I hope everyone enjoyed them. I know the 'hay' was kinda mean. :P

In each of the packages I made fun, somewhat, personalized tombstones for each of my buddies hand painted out of Styrofoam, along with treats and other fun little goodies.

MCAD Art Sale Enteries

The following pieces are entered into the MCAD Art Sale! This is the first time I've actually participated, so I'm going to be optimistic about it. I hope you can go and check it out!

Minneapolis College of Art and Design 2501 Stevens Ave South Minneapolis, MN Friday, November 19 · 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Now in its 13th year, the MCAD Art Sale is a Minnesota tradition annually held the weekend before Thanksgiving. Eye-catching, one-of-a-kind art created by MCAD students and recent graduates at unbeatable prices. Thousands of pieces. Every piece less than $1000. Average price less than $100. Since its inception the sale has generated more than $1,000,000 for emerging artists. All Art Sale proceeds go to support individual artists or the MCAD Art Sale Scholarship Fund. Tickets $35 in advance or $40 at the door. Buy tickets here: http://bit.ly/9Pxizv Valet parking $5.