State of MInd Art Gallery

I have recently (officially today) joined another local art market, in downtown Northville MI, called State of MInd. I am super excited and lucky there was room for one more fiber artist, my items are a new item for this shop. This artisan market is a bit different then my space at Yellow Door. I went out two times this week and stocked my 3 foot by 8 foot space with about 100 of my creations.

In addition to my wall and shelf space the owner had a purse tree, shown above, I am able to fit about 12 of my medium and pleated totes.

I have five shelves, that are holding baskets of coin purses, carabiner coin purses, tissue cozies, list takers,n etc. I also have gift box sets, and one of my best selling items 3/14.00 accessory sets. There is also a hook system that is displaying my wristlets, these are a great local seller for me so that will be an item I bring more of next visit.

Above is "for now" an exclusive item to State of MInd, jumbo cosmetic pouches, I took 5 of these large stand up zip pouches, I think they would also work as a clutch. Great item in a variety of fabrics.

Looking straight onto my space, the shop is beautiful more of an art gallery and boutique in one shop, beautifully lit and displayed a place you could wander and see new items each visit.

Local in Metro Detroit:
State of MInd Art Gallery
Monday-Wednesday 10-5pm
Thursday 10-7pm
Saturday 10-5pm
Sunday 12-4pm
*First Friday of month Wine and Cheese open to 11pm

Artist Deal of The Day at Yellow Door

I am joining in the Day of Deals at Yellow Door Art Market this week, the idea is that artists will offer handmade creations they are ready to send to a new home at great prices. I will have a selection of items at crazy prices, along with fabrics, I will also be debuting a few items that you can catch on sale before they hit the market.

Totes and purses marked down to $10 / $12/ $15.00 a few sizes in lots of colors, I will have about 20 totes in total at this price...just a peek below

I will also have discontinued table linens, a selection of dinner and luncheon sized napkins, quilted placemats and Christmas table runners...just a peek

Supplies, I will be bringing handmade yo-yo's pre-sorted color combos for 1.00 a pack of 3-4. Studio scraps, 1/2 pound pre-coordinated bundles, this is about 1.5 yards of quilting cotton fabrics.

A varied assortment of items that are not in my line at yellow door, sewn greeting cards, goody bags, gift bags, odd sized cosmetic and coin purses along with seasonal items most under $10.00 and items that will be just be a buck.

I will be using this event to preview new items that will be at Yellow Door very soon, a few below, list takers in an array of fabrics. Small list takers feature a mini pad of paper and pen, button closure. Larger list takers will have a 5 x 7 inch pad and full sized pen.

Jumbo carabiner coin purses, lug around a lot of stuff, this limited edition sized accessory, stacks and stacks in an assortments of fabrics an themes.

My new items will be 15% off regular retail, come check them out and get first pick, these will be at Yellow Door early October along with a few more new to YD accessories.

I am one of 12 Yellow Door artists taking part in this event, this is also the birthday bash for sister store Catching Fireflies. Come see us Saturday September 24th 10 am - 5 pm, you can also read more in this Oakland Press article.

Geocaching Our First Outing

I recently learned about Geocaching on a blog I had visited, I had actually heard this term before so recently was inspired by this blog post to do a little research and join the fun.

Geocaching is an around the world type of hide and seek, using your GPS you locate "caches" pretty much...anywhere. You have to create an account on Geocaching.com and choose your cache to find, enter the GPS coordinates and begin the hunt.

Our first find

We started simple in our home town as we set out more or less at dusk. We used the hint to find it as it had been raining all day and like I said it was dusk. We figured with a 6 year old a treasure hunt would be fun, it was though she was more interested in running through puddles and playing at the playground. My husband found this first one, and we left a trinket inside, you can take one if you like, we just left one this time, sign the log and put it back exactly where you found it.

Our first was in our hometown downtown park, Shain Park, a lovely urban park with art, lots of places to sit, historical monuments playground, fountain and grassy areas for lounging. Below are a few of the views of Shain Park in downtown Birmingham MI.


The park was unusually quiet as it was soaked from a days rain, the sun was setting and the clouds overhead lit the park beautifully.

Business Card Beaded Note Pad

This is a fun idea for a promtional pass out for your shop, admittedly it is a bit labor intensive but if you get a bunch going at once it is a lot quicker. Using a few supplies most would have on hand you can make little business card beaded notebooks.

What you will need:

• 2 business cards
• Filler paper cut to 2 x 3.5 inches
• 1/8 inch hole punch
• Jump rings
• Beads
  

Inside of book, "back" of "front" cover

Here is the back, I actually had business cards printed up with this simple image and my etsy shop address, I use these as price tags, make a great back for the book.

Punch 2 holes in covers

Cut your paper for inside, I do about 8-10 pages, I use a rotary cutter, mat and ruler for speedy cutting.

I actually use a binder clip to hold the book together, use the covers to punch the holes of the pages.

Using jump rings and beads, I find 3 of the bugle beads work well, notebook can still open. I used colors to match my card.

Fun little hand out for when you are out and about, or save them for your best clients. I have also considered just doing a single hole/jump ring in the upper left hand corner....hmmm....

Bounce Dryer Bar

Yes, another "dumb blog post" but I thought I would share my love of this product. The Bounce dryer bar is a great laundry help. No more remembering to put in the dryer sheet, no more wearing it on your back for part of the morning, and no more throwing endless sheets away. Ok, I actually would use some of these over as a stabilizer for applique, really I don't do all that much applique so it meant a fair number of these were floating around my sewing room.

They retail for about 4-6.00 but if you keep your eyes open, watch for sales and use this with coupons I have gotten them for as low as $1.50 (with a great coupon) anything under $3.00 seems pretty good.

All you do is stick it into your dryer, there is a holder and a cartridge that you just replace when needed, they come in 2 and 3 month usage. I actually installed mine and then set a reminder in my calendar when it was 2 months to judge timing (yes, no life).

I will say they seem to work every bit as well as the sheets with the scent lasting many days after laundry being folded and put away.

Artists Market Limelight Emporium Downtown Northville

When you think walkable downtown areas in the Metro Detroit area Northville should certainly be near the top of the list. With its amazing shops, boutiques and galleries and everyday eateries and landmark restaurants it is truly a great place to wonder and spend a afternoon, day or evening.

Inside of Northville Square, looking into Limelight Emporium

Today I took a trip to consider and check out a new artist market that is opening this October called Limelight Emporium. Limelight will be located in Northville Square a stylish trendy new shopping, dining and office building on Main Street right in the downtown shopping district.

HGTV Cash and Cari retail shop Repurpose

The retail shops are at street level and one of the shops is Repurpose, which is the store for HGTV show Cash and Cari. I have actually seen this show a few times which is a reality based show following estate sales run by Cari Cucksey. This is on the same floor as Limelight Emporium.

Limelight Emporium will feature approximately 50 juried Michigan artists and crafters, a full retail shop open seven days a week. Artists rent spaces and pay commission on goods sold. The shop will also be a participant in the first Friday art walk that happens every month in the downtown area. Shoppers are treated to wine and cheese and a variety of shops open until 11:00 pm.

Above is a 6 foot wall space and a 1/2 vignette I am considering

The size spot(s) I am considering is a six foot wall space, or what is called a vignette, I am actually considering a 1/2 vignette, with this I would get more wall space and more space in general.

They have several options of spaces from endcap 24 inch to full vignettes which is about 9 wide by 5 deep. Artists can display and merchandise their spaces however they like in keeping with the vibe of the store, and of course stock with their handmade wares.

Endcap, with slatwall installation

This is the back of the store, ready with wall spaces, also a table waiting for artistic goodies

More wall spaces, and some area for display...pottery perhaps, these spots can be divided as needed
This is a full vignette, the largest space available, three walls, and feel of stepping inside a little store.

Looking from front to back, an old reclaimed church window reflects the upbeat color palette at Limelight Emporium.

First Day of School

Super excited to begin our journey which you can see above will somewhat end in 2025...uugh seems so far away...how old will I be then? We put our little one on the bus this morning, we were all excited and really ready for this day.

We raced up to the school to help get her tucked into her classroom, I was very relieved to see most parents were there as well. My husband had to remind to take a step back and let her find her way, she did great. As the teacher told the kids to say goodbye she turned and waved "Bye Mommy...Bye Daddy" and turned to join in the fun...she will be fine!

As it goes, it is back to work for me too, stacks and stacks of stuff await for me as I have a full fall schedule. I am excited to have some peaceful time to get organized and producing handmade items again.

Tote Bag Re-usable Purse Stuffing Pillow

This is a super easy and inexpensive way to fluff up your totes for displays, weather for craft shows or in a retail setting, I started using these last fall at Yellow Door. I now have about a dozen I use at shows as well, when my purses are on my grid walls I just put them in the leading two bags.

Simple to do with items you probably have already.

• Scrap fabric, to make the pillow, use a size that is common to your totes, for me I cut 2 pieces of fabric 8" x 9"
• Muslin
• Sharpie, or permanent marker to tag pillows - optional
• Pinking shears or rotary cutter - optional, but it will help in reducing fraying
• Plastic shopping bags, mine held 4 bags to each pillow
  

Make tags, I only did this as I use these at Yellow Door, the idea is they are returned to my booth, for my shows I don't bother with this step. Tags were cut 2 x 4 inches, write your message, I spritz with water then iron to set the ink.

Pink the edges to keep from raveling...to much. I also pink the pillow edges, I use a rotary cutter and actually pink to cut out the fabric. This is a great way to use up scraps or not so loved fabrics.

Assemble "pillows" I just do wrong side to wrong side with a 1/4 inch seam, leave one side open. Plastic grocery bags make a freebie stuffing, and can be squshed and fluffed over and over.

When done pin opening closed and finish the seam.
I keep one at home for picture taking to give the bags a little shape, it fits inside nicely and I can snap the clasp shut. If you are not sure of a size, experiment with a dish towel or two to get the right dimensions for your totes.