Phew!!

No Coast is over and I'm still in one piece. A HUGE thank you to all of my friends who were kind enough to visit me at the sale, and even deeper gratitude to all of you who made a purchase. I put my heart and soul into those bags - hopefully it shows! And who knew my shop keeper's apron would be such a hit? The guy who owns Safari restaurant in the Midtown Global Market asked me to make him one in orange and black.

I kept comparing this experience to getting married. You spend months getting ready and then once the event is over you hardly know what to do with yourself. Luckily, I have a big order to work on. I did enjoy one day off, though.

Is Mercury in retrograde, or something? I ask because I'm am out of a bunch of supplies and so are my suppliers. So, I'm scrambling and will have to get creative. For example, I found a new source for organic cotton canvas a few weeks ago when I learned that Organic Cotton Plus was out. The new company's web site said the minimum order was 60 yards of woven fabric. Okay, that's a lot, but I would use it up in time. This week they require a "good fit" form and a minimum of 300 yards per year. Yikes!! How does a person store that in their home? Short answer, they don't... Next issue, I'm out of label making supplies and Brewer Sewing has decided to stop carrying the product. Okay, Luscious Labels to the rescue, right? I guess not. She's closed due to medical issues. Please contact me if you know of another label maker.

Happy Halloween!

We had a sweet and slightly chilly Halloween. The boys and I started the day by carving a pumpkin that we picked ourselves at Harmony Valley Farm in Viroqua, WI. We roasted the seeds with olive oil, sea salt and garlic powder. A nice change from the mountains of candy loaded with artificial colors and flavors. It occurred to me today that one could probably make a fortune developing/selling all-natural, almost-good-for-you Halloween candy. I can't be the only mom concerned about these kinds of things. One of my neighbors was passing out granola bars tonight. Now if I could just come up with a recipe for my own that don't contain soy/canola/peanuts, etc.

So, aside from Halloween preparations, I have been taking care of sick kids, working on business cards/hang tags, and doing my best to sew as many bags as humanly possible for No Coast. I seem to working in phases. The current phase is Japanese prints - mostly from Kokka. Their fabrics are so nice and the colors are delicious! I'll get some photos up as I finish them. For now, here are some pics of the mayhem in my sewing room.

Bags littered everywhere.

This is the tip of the fabric iceberg.

Girls Night Out at Red Ribbon Studio

Maribeth, the amazing photographer behind Red Ribbon Studio, was kind enough to invite me to her open house/girls night out party to sell my bags. It was cold and windy outside, but warm and inviting in Maribeth's beautiful storefront, ensconced with photos of happy couples on their wedding days. Wine and snacks helped warm the evening up, too. Jessica Warner gave chair massages, and Amy of Armato Design & Press sold her cards, notepads, and super cool CD sleeves she designs and prints with her very own letterpress. Be sure to check her out at No Coast Craft-o-Rama!!

Now it's time to "really get cracking", as my mom would say, in preparation for No Coast. I've been checking the Vendors page compulsively as links are added. Amazing stuff.

Here are photos of the bags I sold last night.


Oh, how I love these owls. This fabric was much thinner than I anticipated, so I used lots of interfacing on this one! More of these will be available at No Coast.


Ah, pumpkin orange! This is a yummy Joel Dewberry print.


The photo doesn't do this bag justice. It looked great on Maribeth! A chic Amy Butler print paired with lovely red ribbon made by Midori.

Wow, my very own blog. What took me so long? I've been working every spare minute getting ready for No Coast Craft-o-Rama. The event is November 30th & December 1st at the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis (my home away from home). Hooray, I'm so excited to be one of the 100 vendors! I will also be selling bags at the City of Lakes Walorf School Holiday Fair on the same weekend in the school store this year.

Blogging could easily become addictive...