Christmas spectacular!

This, my friends, is the busiest week of my year.  I am participating in a 3-day craft show at FBC Georgetown, the aptly named Christmas Spectacular!  This isn't just any little craft show, no siree.  Georgetown, in spite of being more or less a suburb of Austin, still really has a small-town feel.  And the whole small town seems to turn out for this shindig!  70 vendors, last I heard...

I'm sooooo not ready, but who cares.  I didn't even know if I would participate this year, because of things with my dad.  But after he passed, I knew that some very serious craft therapy would be good for me, so I jumped right in.  It wasn't enough time to do all that I would have liked to do for the show, but it was healing to be creative.

And I know my daddy would be proud of me for that.

The etsy shop will be on vacation during the show.  After it's all done, keep your eyes peeled for another original pattern, this time a knitting one...

If you're local, come by the show!  It's this Thursday through Saturday, 9-5 on Th and Fr, 9-3 on Sat.  Highway 29 in Georgetown, just west of I-35 and Wolf Ranch shopping center.  Seriously, this is an amazing show, and it benefits the preschool there at FBC.  I'll be in the foyer!

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ta-da!

Yay!  I've had a lot of fun with this!

Our family tradition includes an Advent calendar, and I've had trouble finding one I really like. My last one was cute, but the pockets were so small that you couldn't put anything more than a mint in each one.  And since I have a kid that's allergic to food coloring, we don't do a lot of candy.

And these flag banners (I hear some people call them buntings) are everywhere this year...and soooooo cute...and this Moda Fruitcake fabric matches my house so well...you can see how this developed.

The family likes it so much that even though I just put up the greenery and lights to take the pictures, they want me to leave it up.

Who am I to argue with that? ;)

Pattern is now for sale in the shop.

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what i have been doing instead of blogging.

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my little model

Took some etsy listing photos with A-bug yesterday. She really enjoyed the modeling! Of course, I bribed her with cookies.

She doesn't just stand there.  Oh no.  This girl does not know how to be still. She mugs, poses, dances, spins.  She has her own inner soundtrack going at all times.  I make a game out of trying to figure out what song is playing in her mind.

"The hills are alive..."

"I feel pretty, oh so pretty..."

"Shake shake shake, shake shake shake, shake your booty, shake your booty!"

Never a boring moment with this one!

The stars and swirls apron is already up on etsy here.

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and we have a winner!

Hooray!  We have a winner in the CSN giveaway!

Liz said:

"I love your camera strap cover with the Michael Miller tools fabric!"



Thanks to all who entered, and welcome to my new followers!  This was the first time I have been contacted by an outside company to do a giveaway, and hopefully not the last.  You guys will be the first to know!

This week I will be working on lots of stuff to add to the etsy shop, and getting ready for two craft shows in the next three weeks.  And of course, I have to keep my family fed and clothed and all that.

Be sure to go over to Liz's blog, because she lists lots of other giveaways!


{Random.org was used to generate the winning entry.  A big thank you to CSN for the opportunity!}

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it's time for a giveaway!

Hi all!  I am thrilled to bring you a giveaway from CSN Stores this week!  CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find everything from nesting tables to handbags to baby shoes, you name it.  This would be a great place to start your Christmas shopping!  I'll be giving away a $35 gift certificate to one lucky reader.

Here are a couple of things that have caught my eye on the CSN site:

A better looking mirror for my guest bathroom!  Free shipping, too...

This gorgeous tote, which I think would hold a lot of knitting projects!  And it's gray.  I'm really into gray right now for some reason.

I bet you can think of lots of ways to spend $35!

There are lots of chances to win!

1. Leave me a comment!
2. Follow my blog (Google connect or RSS), Facebook, Twitter, or tell me if you already are.
3. Take a peek at my etsy shop and tell me something you like or want to see there.
4. Take a peek at the CSN stores sites and tell me what you would spend your $35 on!
5. Spread the word and tell me how you did it!

Remember to leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry - so you get all your chances to win.  And be sure to include an email address in your comment or Blogger profile, so I don't have to track you down.

Contest closes Sunday, Oct. 17, at 11:59pm CDST.

{images courtesy of CSN}

edited to add:
I am not being compensated by CSN, I was merely contacted by them and agreed to host the giveaway to bless you guys!!

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"Creativity is not a pretty sight."

Horrific pile, eh?  My mom is visiting, but when she saw my office, she was not surprised.

Because when I was a teenager, I had a Garfield sign on my bedroom door that said, "Creativity is not a pretty sight."  I used this as an excuse for all kinds of horrific clutter in my room, which truly was either debris from creative activities, or a general lack of cleanliness because I was so busy being creative I didn't have time to clean.

Nothing has changed.  ;)  Everything in my sewing room has to coexist with my musical instruments, so they all kind of mingle.  I drape lots of things over my music stand, like these camera strap covers waiting for fleece innards.

I'm getting ready for my only craft show for the fall, a fundraiser for my kiddo's preschool.  Last year I kind of stumbled into this thing because a friend asked me, then she had to back out at the last minute due to childcare issues.  So I just did the best I could, with really low expectations, and rather low inventory as well.  And it went AWESOME.  So I'm back. 

I actually didn't sign up for the show by the deadline.  I didn't want to commit because my dad was so sick.  But they called anyways, the day after the funeral.  And well...I might not be ready for it, but you know, life is short.  So why the heck not?  If I don't have a lot of inventory, I'll just take custom orders like last year.

Besides, hand-binding table runners and knitting hats is a great way to pass the time while I watch the kids play!

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