The girl is crafty like ice is cold!

I have kicked it up a notch, taken it to the next level, moved beyond the ranks of the recreational crafters a step or two closer to some semblance of a professional. I think.

Last weekend I peddled my wares at a craft boutique held at a local christian church. There were about 35 local vendors there, selling everything from AVON to purses to homemade jams. My friend Carie does these shows often and convinced me to try it (check out her Etsy store, amazingly cute stuff for the kiddos).

It was quite an experience, and the jury's still out on whether or not it's something I'll pursue in the future. It basically took over my life for 3 1/2 weeks, and so far I haven't made any money (in fact I am still over $100 in the red), and now my house needs a massive cleaning from weeks of neglect, and my children have eaten so many chicken nuggets they now have dangerous levels of artificial growth hormones and antibiotics coursing through their veins, and I have a stack of ironing seven feet high, and everyone I know may end up getting gift cards for Christmas.

But it was fun. I learned a lot. I made some really cool stuff. And I found out that there are people out there that like what I make enough to pay for it, and that makes me feel good.

Here is my table:


I made purses (but the highlight of this photo, eclipsed by my craftiness, is the beautiful black stand that my oh-so-handy husband made from scratch... it's like being married to Al (from Home Improvement)).

I made skirts. These I created without a pattern, basically from something I saw a little girl wearing while running through Hobby Lobby. I think they turned out pretty swell.

I made pillowcase dresses, only not out of actual pillowcases, because I couldn't find ones cute enough to suit my fancy.


I made many, many hair bows, all of which I wanted to keep for Layla. I love hair bows. Love them. Love.


I made adorably dainty fabric flower brooches. They might be my favorite, since they are the only thing I can wear. They fancy up a cardigan, hat or tote quite nicely.

So, I'm glad I tried it, but if I don't actually make some money soon, I think I'll stick to crafting for my house, my kids and my friends. If anyone is interested, I have now set up an Etsy store of my very own! Check it out, tell your friends! (Anyone into graphic arts and want to help me out with my banner? It's terrible, and I'm sad to say I spent over an hour getting it to look that shoddy.)