No, this post has nothing to do with Charles Darwin, it’s about my booth for the OOAK show. Here’s a picture of how I imagined my booth would look when I sent in my application last summer:
I’m in the Rising Stars section, where you pay per square foot for your exhibition space, I have a tiny 3′x4′ space to work with, and I thought my painted blue stepladder would look really cute. I had the idea that my dresses would hang on poles along both sides, and my hair bands and bandanas would look delightful arranged on the steps. That was before I went to the Christmas OOAK with exhibitor eyes.
When I looked at other people’s displays, I soon realized that my (cute) ladder was way too small, and would not stand out as much as I thought it would and I was afraid my booth would get overlooked. There was only enough room to hang about 10 dresses each side, and I had no idea where I would put the 8 lights I needed to show off my product.
I’ll reveal what I came up with soon, but it’s still under wraps right now!
The countdown is on for the Toronto One of a Kind Show. Move in day is March 29th, and as I write we are entering the 3rd week of sickness in our house, so I’m feeling way behind on my sewing projects, and a little crazy, hence the new header (which is also a little nod to my son who made an awesome Mad Hatter in the local youth production of Alice in Wonderland 2 weeks ago).
I took Friday off from sewing, and visited the National Home Show in Toronto. I had the pleasure of watching these two in action, and then had my photo taken with them afterwards.
Their performance was hilarious, I’m glad I wasn’t sitting in the front row as they pulled out a few ladies to embarrass. I’ve always enjoyed their TV show, but felt they were often a wee bit mean to their team, but having met them they are way nicer in person!
Now, I wonder if they would be interested in building my booth at OOAK?
I find it difficult to motivate myself sometimes, which I think is the bane of most people who work for themselves. Whether it is another interesting blog to read, or keeping Ironman’s Webkinz alive, I can always find other more important things to do than get on with my real work, leaving me to panic at the last minute, and wish I had started earlier. This is really frustrating to me, because getting into OOAK is a fantastic opportunity to have my work reach a larger audience, but I’m going to blow it if I can’t summon up the drive to be more productive.
This is why today I have created my own motivational phrase, “What Would Sarah Do?” Based upon a popular motto during the 1990s and which an old friend altered to “What Would Keith Do?”, I will be using Sarah Richardson as my motivator. I don’t know her personally, but admire her style and drive, so whenever I need a kick up the butt in the next couple of months, I will be saying this phrase to myself.
Am I kidding myself that I work better under pressure, or is it just a habit that I’ve got into?!
Here’s my (sewing) to do list for the week, it doesn’t even take into account all the last minute stuff I want to get done before the kids finish school on Friday.
Make 3 children’s aprons
Make 1 adult pair of flannel PJs
Make 1 boy’s pair of flannel PJs
2 girl’s name banners
1 crayon roll holder (it was made but not to my satisfaction, so needs redoing)
And now I’ve entered this competition from the talented Lizzy House, you could too! There are great prizes to be won, all you have to do to enter is leave a comment on Lizzy’s blog, download a template for a Peep Mini Boot, make a boot or two, show it off in the Mini Peep Boot Contest Flickr Group. Contest is open until the 20th.
One of our favourite Christmas traditions is actually something that my children’s school arranges. It’s called the “Snowflake Shop”. Early in December the children bring home forms for up to 6 gifts, and gift tags to colour in. We send the completed form, gift tags and money (each gift costs a massive $1.50!) back to school with them and then the kids shop for Christmas gifts for our family. The gifts are wrapped at school, so we have no idea what we will be receiving from them on Christmas Day.
I absolutely love this tradition, the children are so excited to choose their gifts without any help from us, and I’m always surprised at the choices they make; they know us better than we know ourselves! The shop is run by a group of volunteer parents, so this post is dedicated to them to say thanks. Here are the presents the kids brought home yesterday, under their own special tree. I can’t wait for Christmas Day!
I still have these from the first Snowflake Shop my (now) 12-year old gave me when he was in Kindergarten!
Finished these 2 yesterday, so they count in the pillow week challenge.
Really love these two, which are in my hallway, on my thrifted bench:
“High on a Hill sits a lonely goatherd!”
Finally made one, didn’t get to make as many as I’d planned last night, all the painting that I’ve been doing over the last week caught up with me and I crashed at 9:15.
This one is for Ironman’s bedroom, it definitely goes with the all new purple and pink bedroom, but she thinks it’s the princess and the penguin, not the pea.
I have some of this which I think is crying out to be made into cushion covers, perhaps I can squeeze in a couple tonight while watching Grey’s?
Erin from house on hill road has thrown down the gauntlet in the form of a pillow challenge. Not satisfied with preparing for Boy’s birthday next week, and painting Iron Man’s bedroom, I have decided to join in. Here is a pile of fabrics I’ve pulled out of my stash. I hope they will become pillows by the end of the week. They will be going in Iron Man’s bedroom, which is now a delightful purple and pink (Ironman is my youngest, a girl, not that there’s anything wrong with purple and pink for a boy’s room, just that in this case the pillows are for a princess, hence the need for some Heather Ross Princess and the Pea).
The idea is that pillows are pretty quick items to make, and so you can whip up quite a few in a week (well, you could if you weren’t starting 3 days into the challenge!). I have been following Erin’s blog for several years, in fact it was through reading her blog that I became inspired to start my own business, and then my own blog.
She has some extremely helpful tutorials posted, including some for pillows. Here’s a link to the start of the challenge, care to join me?
Here’s the invitation, now to work on decorations, party favors etc.
The moustaches over my address, phone number etc are a free edit from picnik, love a fun way to make something incognito.
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