the craft pad

Still Crafting....

2010-12-04T11:41:00.000-05:00

I wonder if there's a support group for blog neglect?? I would probably qualify for the president! I really don't know how some people do it - kids, work, housekeeping, husband, craft business, life?? Oh, and maybe a shower once in a while? If anyone has any time management tips/hints/ideas, PLEASE let me know!!!

I just left the Annual Craft Bazaar to raise money for Plymouth Nursery School (where Ella attends preschool). There were lots of handmade items, jewelry, home decor & baked goods for sale. Here are just a few pictures of some of my usual wares, packed in between the Smencils and handmade kids aprons:

There's Sheela - the supermom of three kids under 5 (arrrghh!!) who put everything together and doesn't seem to need any sleep....(?)

And she still has a smile on her face :)

There's still a lot of great stuff available. For my local readers, the bazaar will go on today until 4pm. Anyone interested in purchasing the items shown in the picture, just e-mail me. I can create custom pieces also, so if there's something you'd like in another color, size or theme, just ask me!

If you'd like to attend an upcoming craft class, you can e-mail me here. I'll be doing kids craft classes too!!

Blog Links from Swap-bot

2010-07-31T23:59:00.001-04:00

Besides my family & work, the thing taking up the rest of my "free time" these days has been Swap-bot. If you love getting mail the old-fashioned way, you'll love it! Its my first time joining any sort of online swapping group, unless you count Postcrossing (for postcard lovers!)

One of my recent swaps was a blog swap, not only to promote our blogs, but to see what others are doing. I wanted to share some of these blogs with you!

I love to travel & thought Olivia Arrow has a great way to discuss her escapades. Another fellow Swap-botter has not one, but two blogs! I was very impressed with her creative blog, but then I read her other one - Ramble Time - Reinvented - and liked what she had to say even more. (Have a look at her June 24th post.)
Jessica, one of my Swap-bot friends in Italy has a super-cute blog. Check out some of her beautiful creations! Lil' Miss Polkadot has an adorable blog, as well as a shop and one of her items made it to Etsy's front page last month!! She gives me inspiration for the Craft Pad...
Jennifer, at Just Add Water Silly is also very talented, and shows it in her zentangled bookmarks. I'm really into Zentangle lately! Did you know there's such a thing as a CZT?? (certified Zentangle teacher) Who knew?!
Another crafty swapper is Tally; here is just one of her cool ideas on her blog I Could Make That. (I love the name of her blog!) Our Simply Crazy Life is a beautiful & inspiring blog. She has a great idea for posting links that she calls "link love". Why can't I think of these things??
Speaking of great ideas, "cricutcritter" (her Swap-bot name), does things that I never would have imagined you can do with a Cricut! One of the cutest blogs I've found is out of Indonesia, called Sugar Crawler. I can't wait to try salted butter caramel ice cream...YUM!
Finally, a girl after my own shoe-lovin' heart is Soraya, a.k.a. Dissloved Girl. If only I had some place to wear such fabulous footwear....

I'm back.....

2010-07-22T14:48:00.005-04:00

Once again, it has taken me way to log to post! This is an on-going struggle within myself. I'm always worried that I don't have anything interesting enough to write about or that people will want to read. Recently I found some blog idea websites that I hope can help me overcome my fear, or lack of motivation. For me, there's a fine line.

I have been somewhat* creative during my silence over the past few months. I've done some spring cleaning (per my husband's request), organized random things around the house and continue to work full-time. I'm also trying to be more engaged and "in the moment" when spending time with my 3 year-old - my other full-time job. For me, that means less time on the internet & getting next-to-nothing else done. I'm sure most other moms reading this know exactly what I'm talking about! And, I'm proud to say that at this very moment my craft room is clean!! I still have quite a bit of organizing to do, but there's room to walk around in there without stepping on several things. I have eliminated the "piles" on the floor, mostly because my husband was claiming it was a fire hazard. (If you ask me, he was exaggerating. But I don't keep anything too flammable in there anyway.)

I'm off to work now, but here are a couple of things I've been working on...


Zentangle for "white-on-black zentangle" swap on Swap-bot.

Paper dress garland. So cute & fun to make!

Cupcake "cake" for Ella's 3rd birthday party.

*I'm only "somewhat" creative because I don't make something everyday. If I was truly creative, I would have hundreds of pictures to post of what I've made. I'm still trying to find out how much caffeine I need to be truly creative.

Motivation & Time

2010-02-02T01:01:00.007-05:00

Where have I been?? You can see, I haven't blogged in over a month and I don't have a good excuse! Everyday I tell myself, "I HAVE to blog today!" and then the next day comes...
Yes, motivation & time are partly to blame - I'm not too motivated lately and I have no time!
I don't have any excuse for taking so long to post something; for me, the trouble is deciding what's interesting enough that you'd want to read it! As always, I'm open for suggestions.

Something that has kept me busy over the last few weeks is organizing my craft room! After BANG!, it was a disaster and I didn't know where to start. There was no room to walk without stepping on or around something, and no place to work because my craft table was covered with brads, ribbon scraps, paper and other debris! It took a lot for me to show this, (I'm only able to after my mother sent me these pictures), but here's a before picture...

That's just one view; you're unable to see the floor....trust me, you don't want to!!

At first, I was just moving stuff around & creating organized piles. Then, after a few late-night, several hour-long cleaning sessions (the only time I get anything done), I started to have some hope....

And here is a during picture....

Once I got the desk cleaned off, it began to look like a place to create, rather than just a storage room. Note all the piles on the right! Someone saw these pictures and described it as "a nice juxtaposition of super-organization with real-life piles"! I thought that was a nice way to put what my husband sometimes refers to as my "crap" room.

And then I FINALLY got most things put away & in the places I want them. I added an old dresser that we were going to get rid of, as well as taking advantage of the space under my work table. By the way, the dresser is full already! What did I ever do without it??

I still have several "piles", but at least they're not on the floor. I can't describe how good it feels to walk through my craft room freely, without watching where I step!

Like my life, my craft room is a work in progress. There are still things I need to go through, condense and organize further. Now I'm able to work, walk & find things easily.....until my next project or craft show!!

(**Pictures are from Mel Stampz**)

BANG! Craft Fest

2009-12-21T13:31:00.016-05:00

I did it! I am happy to report that I completed my first craft show on Saturday. Though it was really cold, I think BANG! was a success & fun too! I got a lot of positive feedback about most of my products from customers and other vendors.

This is my table after we finished setting everything up. Overall, I was happy with it, though I made a few changes as the day went on. (If the picture seems a little confusing, its because there is a mirror on the wall behind it.)

I displayed my handmade ornaments on a small Christmas tree.

The ornaments were pretty large so the tree is hard to see - but that was the point.

I used my "Clip-it-Up" to display my handmade cards & some ready-made stationery products. It worked out well as customers were able to turn it to look at everything that was available.

Here are some of the holiday cards I offered.

This was the most popular -
(Frayed Ribbon Christmas Tree)

And some others...

I displayed handmade note card sets around the table. (Each set comes with 4 matching note cards, 4 coordinating envelopes & envelope seals.)

The ribbon bookmarks were also good sellers...

I made a few sets of coasters as well -

Other offerings....

Cookie Cutter Gift Sets (includes 3 graduated cookie cutters, 2 recipes, meringue powder, skewer, icing bag & a cookie ornament for inspiration - or for your tree!)

Mini Clipboard/Desk Set (includes mini post-it pad, tear-off calendar, pen holder, 3 mini clothespin "clips" and bulletin board strip with 2 push pins.) You can use dry erase markers on the board as well.

All in all, I think it was a great experience. I met so many talented and kind people, who were more than willing to share their experience & ideas with me. I especially want to thank Liz, of Its All in the Bag. Her table was next to mine and she makes the cutest aprons, bags & crayon holders! I enjoyed talking with her so much. She gave me lots of ideas; too bad she lives in Rhode Island! I know we'll be in touch though.

And I really enjoyed meeting Lou, of Lou's Upcycles. She does amazing things with used plastic snack bags and anything else that food comes in! I can't thank her enough for sharing a little bit of her oodles of experience with me. I definitely plan to talk with her again soon.

I can't forget Julie, of Voma for telling me about Bang! in the first place. I never would have gotten anything made if she hadn't lent me the use of her craft room. I'm also lucky she's not charging me her consultant's fee!

How NOT to Prepare for a Craft Show...

2009-12-19T05:12:00.000-05:00

Good Morning! Today is the day - my first craft show! I planned to get a good night's rest, but then I started remembering one thing, and then another, and then...its 5am. Oh, well. I know I'll be running on adrenaline anyway. I finished most of the items I wanted to make, but I still wish I had made more. I'll be sure to post some pictures from the show when I get home. Two lessons learned: Don't wait until two weeks before a show to start making anything; and Don't do a craft show one week before Christmas! Ask me how much shopping I've done, goodies I've baked, or holiday cards I've sent....you can guess what I'm doing this week. At least our Christmas tree is up & decorated.

BANG!

2009-12-14T23:27:00.000-05:00

Its almost here! BANG! A kick-ass arts & crafts festival is this Saturday, December 19th. This will be the premier event for the Craft Pad and I am very excited to show everyone what I've been working on over the past weeks.

Here goes....

2009-12-11T12:33:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Craft Pad!!! I am really excited to share ideas with you and show you all the crafty things that are going on inside my head! This is the first time I've ever "blogged", so any thoughts or suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated.