All posts filed under: Create.

tiny trees.

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Happy Christmas season! We had a mini Christmas tree decorating contest at work. My coworker gifted us with tiny brush trees and challenged us to decorate them for Christmas. I raided my craft supply stash for some mini tree decor inspiration. I gathered seed beads in pinks, felt, and snowflake confetti. I started with a garland of beads. Then I made a tree skirt out of felt and snowflake confetti. I added another garland. And finally some tiny bells. My coworkers decorated with a Feed the Fish co sticker, pushpins (so clever and functional!), a skateboard, and buttons. When it came to judging…Basically, I won. 😂 Thanks to my coworker Monise for this fun idea! I might need to recycle this project for next year, too.

you’re the flower crown lady!

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Yup! I’m the flower crown lady. That’s what people shouted at me at the SJ Made Craft Fair last weekend. Apparently, SJ Made ran a Facebook ad with my photo (above) so people recognized me at the show! This was my biggest event of the year. I set up a 10′ x 10′ booth with all my felt creations, a custom banner bar, a custom felt flower crown bar, and a sale basket. Big booth means I brought everything. I loaded up the craftmobile and snapped a photo so I’d remember how everything fit so nicely inside. My canvas: There were over 250 vendors at this show. And I got the booth right at the entrance, in the middle. Front and center! I wanted my booth to feel inviting because I felt responsible for greeting everyone who came in the door. Ha! And….after! The long table faced the entrance and displayed most of my product line. On the inventory list this year: wall hangings, pennants, surprise boxes, hair clips, tassels, ornaments, and of course, taco garlands! I …

winter pop-up.

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Oh hi, it me and my God-sis. This year, I’m participating in the Makers WorkSpace Winter Pop-Up Shop – three weekends of handmade crafty fun! The pop-up is set up like a gift store and boasts over 60 artists! For the 2nd annual pop-up market, they invited a few makers to host interactive Meet the Maker experiences for each pop-up day. I got to set up a lil DIY station for opening night! Behold, mini felt succulent gardens, complete with tiny Christmas tree and reindeer decorations. I met some fun, crafty peeps, including someone who just moved to the area from none other than my hometown. Small world! I’m so thankful I get to share my love for craft with the community. Here’s a peek into the shop’s offerings… So good, right? A big thank you to Kyla of Impressed by Nature and Jenice of California Native Jewelry for organizing the event! There are still six more days of pop-up left ~ go get your handmade, local, and crafty on. A few featured makers: Feed …

craft lady reporting for duty.

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A friend of a friend got married and I was craft summoned! I helped with day-of decor set up. It felt like a craft challenge. It was pretty exciting. The reception was held at Hillside Community Church in El Cerrito just a mile from my home. When I arrived the bride had a whole squad of decor helpers setting up all of the guest tables. The decor themes included elephants and travel so they had postcards and elephant figurines on display. My mission: pie bar set up and assorted sign making! I brought some of my craft lady display boxes and decor, and was given doilies, fabrics, and chalkboards to play with. My friend Laura was on map duty, as well as signs, making sure everything was pretty, and then tending bar at the wedding – she did it all! Before/During:  Display hack: tape boxes together for varied height! Font inspo: the wedding invites! After:  Pie bar close ups! I’m really into these crocheted doilies and golden elephants! And I couldn’t help but take so …

animal ears!

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As part of the Make Art Family Day programming, the Museum of Craft and Design invited me to lead the animal ear headband craft inspired by the current exhibit: Judy Kensley McKie’s Cast of Characters. Charlotte at the Museum gathered all these great supplies to use, including this fascinating glitter fabric paper that (get this!) doesn’t flake off or make a mess! We had headbands in all the colors, plus sparkly gems and furry poms. It was fun to see people get creative with the supplies set out. Some made headbands inspired by real animals; some created their own creatures. We got your polar bear, your ram, mythical leaf creatures… Headbands inspired by starfish, bunnies, deer, lion cubs… Yay, crafternoon! Also, headbands and headdresses need to be a thing people wear on the regular. They are so fun!

planter party.

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Free Home Depot workshop? I’m in! Home Depot has monthly DIH or do it herself workshops. The workshops are made for beginners, and they walk you through a simple home project. This month we made wall planters. The DIH workshops are generally taught in demo fashion and you have to purchase supplies and make your project at home. But tonight we got hands on access and got to take home what we made for free. Score! Our instructor cut the wood for us and we sanded and stained, and attached all the hardware. This was probably dangerous, but I totally used power tools while wearing sandals! 😛 With the right tools and space, this is a super easy project. I’m not a big fan of the sawdust (it’s messy and I don’t want to breathe it in), but I did enjoy the staining part (just like painting!). Tahdah! Now, what plant to use and where to hang? Home Depot might be my Third Thursday hangout from now on…

swap…and make!

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Spring cleaning! My friend and I hosted our second craft swap last month. OMG, so much good stuff and so many good people! Per usual, we set up areas for each type of art or craft supply (e.g., painting supplies, paper craft supplies, jewelry making supplies). Swappers placed their unwanted items on the tables and were free to grab whatever other items they wanted. We also set up a free make and take station – felt flower gardens for all! Highlights: I met a felt mouse friend, I scored big on the swap (yarn, sushi fabric, dominos, a giant basket, beads…I’ll keep you posted on the things I make!), and all the unclaimed items went to three awesome places that support educators, creativity, and reuse! Shout out to my God-sister for helping get stuff to places after the swap! For next time, we’re dreaming up ways to make it a more social and creative event. A crafty challenge mayhaps? What new/fun crafty item have you scored lately? Share below!