Where Have I Been?

In true Chelsea Handler fashion..."What...a whirlwind!"

Have I beaten you over the head enough about the Buffalo Indie Market? Well, here is the recap of the events that surround that show.

Last you found me and my gals naming purses, making up soap and towel sets, stamping bags and 'sleeving' this little cuties:

Gift certificates available in my shop...click to the right on the etsy link

By Friday, I had succumbed to the notion that I wasn't going to get everything done. I still had blank purses and purses with no zippers and made the decision to stop thinking that I could still get it done. I packed a very small bag of projects that could be done between Friday night and Sunday morning, or even at the show if I was unfortunate enough to have the time. Then Friday and Saturday morning was cleaning and prepping for our Annual Thanksmas Party. Yes, totally crazy. In fact, so crazy that I cook for everyone and do not allow guests to bring food, mostly to ensure that I can eat every gluten free item safely and a little bit as a challenge. Women used to cook full meals all the time. I'm not a fan of the 'bring a dish to pass'. You are a guest in my house and I have invited you to dinner. Come, enjoy, let me sweat.

This was an unprecedented event. I was ready. The dishes were all cleaned, dishwasher empty, dips were in the oven, ice was ready, and the biggest amazement - I showered.

That sounds all well and good, but I did have a couple 'episodes' of complete desperation earlier in the day. I couldn't do it all, I still had all this other stuff to do for the show tomorrow and here I am picking up papers and toys cars and cutting potatoes. Crying, a bit of hyperventilating, then I shook myself out of it with "I don't have time to think" and was back to my warp speed of working.

It was a lovely evening, our 9th annual.

After folks left, I had a pile of wash towels to tie off and knot and hide the ends. Then I brought up most of my boxes and wrote a list. I don't remember what time I went to bed, but I do recall seeing a 2.

Early morning shower, a little food (chip dip, I think, oh, and cake) and my mom was here with the van. We loaded the van and were shocked to see that it was only 9:10 am. The venue didn't open until 10:00 am so we sat. And thought how bizarre it was that me, Carrie, was again ready. Just waiting. Unprecedented.

To the show: Our table was in a great location with a giant window behind us, loom to the right with my back to the customers so they could watch with a good view. Some folks watched at a distance since the loom bites. Some tried it out, little girls, big girls - no men. The men watched in awe though, I think they secretly wanted to try. After all it is a simple complex machine with gears and levers and wood and metal...guy stuff. Well, until you add the pretty yarn. One girl firmly thought she would break it. Then told me that she was six years old when I bought my loom. Cool, thanks.

It was a great event. I sold many purses and felt like an artist. I had some wash towels, some purses, some weavings and scarves. For the most part, the other artists were welcoming and kind and all a little bit silly crazy.

(are you still reading...this is long)

There was one vendor that sold some similar items and had visited my table prior to the show opening. She said I had nice things and walked away. I then thought I should check out my 'pseudo' competition. Her items were okay, I wasn't wow'd. But what did wow me was her blatant slamming of me.
'I can do everything, but I only brought my purses so as not to confuse the customers'
and
'Knitting is so much better than crochet, crochet is too loose and doesn't look good'
and that is the competition part of shows that I hate and tried to get away from. Luckily, I had other artists around that were community, not competition.

This is 'Blagojevich' and the price...$28 plus on Senate Seat....still available in the shop

Getting out, was a whole other story. One elevator, over 50 vendors and a couple musicians. We were third in line for the elevator with the loom. It was insane. After about 10 minutes with one person ahead, we decided to take the loom down the stairs. The loom collapses, so it is narrow, but still bulky and heavy. People followed our lead and instead of waiting for the elevator to carry down one plastic storage bin, they used the stairs. By the time we got the loom back in the van and made our way back to the stairs, there was a major traffic jam. Stairs were backed up, crazy. My arms were jello by the end of the packing up and moving out. Cherry jello.

This former name of Googly Eyed, now became Two Horned, One Eyed and Gorgeous...available in the shop

I made real on my dream of being an artist again. And to think, it all started with this little blog, about a year ago!

Many many thanks to those that came to support me, those that sent emails and convos and twitters and wrote on my Facebook Wall.

***Special thanks to Lisa G, Tom, Gretchen (next purse will don your name), Mom and Dad, Judy and Liz***

Shrinky Dinks and Rubber Stamps

Last night my girlfriends came over. All three of them. Yes, I actually have three friends that want to come to my house and help me stamp, cut, fold, thread, name and tag a whole mess of items for the show on Sunday.

I have yet to share with you the Artist interview I did for the Buffalo Indie Market, please check it out here. A special thanks to Rhona for the artist portrait. I am very excited about Sunday and proud of myself and my diligence in getting product ready. My only regret is that I didn't have enough time in the day to create. If I wasn't working or making dinner or playing with the kids, I was crocheting. We spent quite a bit of time in the basement, I at my loom, the boys at the play dough. It has been fun, but I am ready for the deadline to come and say "it is what it is, and I got what I got".

But back to yesterday. We had a swell time. Judy did all the bag stamping by the time I had the boys in bed. This photo was the virgin stamp, practice makes perfect, and by number two, Judy was off to a stellar start. The bags came out really cool. They are free, with purchase ;-) And if anyone would like me to use my new custom stamp on ANYTHING...I will stamp for you. (I'll stamp it for you, I'll stamp it for you, I'll stamp it FOR YOU!)

While Judy was stamping bags and labeling hang tags, Gretchen the Great was cutting, folding and measuring the gift certificates. A less than glamorous job in which I didn't get a photo of the process. I'll show them off when they become available at washmycloth.etsy.com. They will also be available at the Buffalo Indie Market and are redeemable for anything in my shop, even a custom order.

As far as my note of Shrinky Dinks, half the table had no clue what they were and for that I am saddened. I definitely see a Shrinky Dink Date for my gals.

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My only question...who's bringing the Easy Bake Oven?

Show and Tell: or Proof that I am Creating

These are from my Cadet/Navy blue 100% cotton warp and weft. Two manly man (metrosexual) scarves and a little diddy leftover. The scarves are each 60 inches and the other piece is about 20 inches. Take 140 inches of weaving, plus 27 inches for spacing the fringe, plus 5 inches to get started for a total of 172 inches of weaving. Each inch taking approximately 6.2 minutes, yields 17.77 hours of weaving time. And that doesn't include the winding, the threading, and the rolling or the washing and tying off.

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Now we know why weaving is so slow...

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These will be available at the Buffalo Indie Market on Sunday, December 14th from 12-5pm at the Pearl Street Brewery in downtown Buffalo.

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If they don't go to a good neck on that day, I'll list them in my shop on Monday, December 15th.

Stocking Straight Jacket

My camera hasn't been clicked in a while, so I was browsing through old photos for another project, and thought this one captures how I am feeling these days.

This is Sam in 2004 at a year and a half old. Boy, was that funny. I was trying to get a Christmas photo and Tom was 'assisting'.

I have been feeling a little guilty from not blogging as much as I like to. It really does help my mental file folder. As I said a while back, it was time for lists and manila folders. I am ashamed to say, I haven't gotten that far.

What I have been doing is making purses, lots of them. I can't show you, because none are done. They need zippers and beads and buttons and fun stuff. There is one that I am especially excited about. This week is wash towel week and weaving. I finished the second scarf of two and have a little warp left. I am going to weave it off and maybe come up with a little dresser scarf or table something...maybe a purse? I just can't bear to throw away that yardage.

As you all probably know, I am doing a weaving workshop and selling at the Buffalo Indie Market on Sunday, December 14th from 12-5. I am so excited and as equally nervous.

Needing to focus, I may not post as often as I like, but know that I am thinking of you and appreciate your reading. Get ready for December 15th when I get back to regular blogging and getting ready for Christmas.

Maybe, just maybe....a free giveaway when I return? This may be a good time to become a follower of this blog.

Das Polka Series

Is it possible to have too many polka dots?

I am loving this unintended outcome of the long leaf green purse in the background. I was hoping to have a flat circle of color embedded into the purse. Fortunately, I didn't think it through all the way and this is what I found at the bottom of my washing machine.

Doing the happy dance in my basement, while holding a wet purse. Mama said there'd be days like this!

So now...I might keep going on the dots, bumps, balls, you can call them whatever you want, but I call them fun!

My pal over at hooRAy gave me a blog award. My first award in almost a year, which I'll do when I get the yarn out of my brain. You can read about it on her blog, which is very honest and real. She is doing the 30 posts in 30 days this month, so keep her honest and check in daily.

Working on:
~Two scarves for loom, wound the warp, now need to thread the reed and the harnesses (all to be on and woven no later than December 9th).
~Two little custom orders for trades that I am doing...I LOVE trades.
~Winter white purse to be dotted and felted and enough wool to make at least 4 more purses.
~Winding a warp for the coasters that will be part of my weaving workshop at the Buffalo Indie Market
~My interview and pics for the Featured Artist Profile on the Buffalo Indie Market Web page.

Okay, off to hyperventilate.

Do you think it is rude to take my crochet to a candle party at a neighbors tomorrow??? I'm going to do it. Bad? pa-char

A special welcome to Magnus Victor Carlson, a little viking in NYC with some totally awesome parents and aunts and uncles! Welcome to the Spinning World, Magnus.

Emerson Taymor's Great Idea

3 D Business Cards

Brilliant Idea!

Also, a quick thanks to my dear friend Linda for helping me wrap my brain around a project to do for the Buffalo Indie Market as a Workshop. Still in its infancy, my idea (Linda's idea) is to have folks weave their own drink coasters. They will weave four at once and have the option of a couple colors to create solids, stripes, whatever they choose. I will pin their name to the section they weave and secure all the threads at home and ship the coasters to the crafter. Any thoughts? Comments? I am going to use thick cotton yarn so that we have a solid base and it is a quick and thick weave, maybe 10-15 minutes per person. How about a suggestion for the warp color? What would you pay to learn the basics of weaving and create your own coasters?

Thanks for dinner, too, Linda! If you ever want an excellent meal, with gluten free selections on the MAIN menu (you don't even have to look off of a printout that you brought from home), head to Curly's Bar and Grill. Worth every penny.

You may even get a free recipe from a crazy waitress for Beef Stroganoff without mushrooms!

December Fourteenth

Wash My Cloth is going to participate in the Buffalo Indie Market on Dec. 14th for their big Holiday Show. And the best part...I am bringing my loom (Tom, please take note, I'll need your help) and (Dad, can I borrow your van?) and (Mom, be there?).

I have plenty of time to get ready, right...famous last words. I will note this blog entry around the 12th of December, and say something like "why did I do this in the middle of December???".

Sharing this with you here, puts me on notice.