No More Butter & Eggs

No more Butter & Eggs Day, for another year at least. I always breathe a sigh of relief when a show is over--and I sleep like a log that night, too. Shows are a lot of work, leading up to that day, since I never seem to have enough inventory. And then, being outdoors from 7:30am until after 5pm is exhausting, doubly so if it's a 2-day show. But finally, I've gotten the hang of doing them, and they don't seem as daunting as they used to. I enjoy the interaction and direct feedback from customers.

In some ways, with this past show, I think I got a little too relaxed. Didn't push myself as hard leading up to it, didn't plan out how I wanted the booth to be laid out the day before, which is something I usually do. Also, my best friend Lisa usually comes to help me set up. She has a great logistical eye and usually tells me to move this rack over here, put these products in the front of the booth, etc. This time, Lisa didn't come (I told her not to, although she offered), and I lacked her discerning eye.

But the pendulum has to swing back and forth before it finds its comfort zone. After two years of getting stressed and nervous about shows, it's a welcome change to be a bit too laid back about one. Hopefully, I'll be able to find the right balance for my next show.

Speaking of which, my next show: Sonoma Plaza Ox Roast, June 5-6, 2010

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New Cork Collection Photo

The store in San Anselmo that sells my products is going to be placing an ad in The Pacific Sun newspaper! So they needed a photo for the ad, which prompted me to get cracking and take this photo.

This Saturday is the Butter & Eggs Show and Parade in downtown Petaluma. My booth will be in the A Street parking lot. Hope to see you there!

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Embellished Cork Messengers

There's no doubt about it--I'm lazy when it comes to this blog! But hopefully, it means I'm being productive in other ways. Right? Well, I don't know how true that is...but I'm trying. Sewing has a way of being edged out by everything else in life.

I am pleased with these new embellished messenger bags. After I made the journals in my last post, I realized that I should be embellishing more of my cork items. Natural themes seem to pair best with the cork. Pictured above is my first leaf motif, a close copy of what I made for the journal cover.

Then, I made this straight stem motif. Both my daughters prefer this one. I have to say, I kinda like it better, too.

The embellishment is time consuming--but I find I enjoy that part best. Although I may not really be able to recoup the time spent in the price of the bag, it's okay for now. If I were making hundreds of these at a time, I might need to come up with a quicker way of doing it than cutting each leaf individually with plain old scissors--but for now, it's something I can do while I watch American Idol or Project Runway. ;)

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Journal Covers

At Staples, I happened to find a bunch of composition books for only .50 each. Since I'm often asked for journal covers, my bargain purchase made me decide the time was finally right to make some. These covers are made with light cork fabric and then embellished with dark cork that I have cut out and appliqued.

I think the leaf is my favorite. A standard sized composition book slips easily into the slots and can be replaced with a new one.

There are two ribbon bookmarks for keeping your place.

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Dark Cork Wine Totes

Wine totes are a unique way to give wine as a gift. Hopefully, the recipient will re-gift the wine tote so it gets many uses. But I've had many people tell me that they plan to bring the wine in the wine tote, but then take the wine tote back home with them. Sort of like a casserole dish, rather than as part of the gift!

I decided to make some wine totes out of dark brown cork fabric. Previously, I only used the light colored cork. The dark cork has a leather-like feel and weight. The handles are made of bamboo grown in a neighboring town, but I also made some with birch, from a large tree branch that fell down in our yard a month ago in a rain storm. Now that's upcycling!

Any preferences on number of stripes? One, three, or none? The stripes are pieces of natural colored cork fabric.

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O-Ring

Border prints take me back to high school (or maybe even junior high school). I always loved skirts with border prints, but border prints on short girls is a "Glamour don't". Plaster that black rectangle right over my face, why don't you!

Maybe that's why this brown floral border print purse makes me so happy. You can be short or tall, and it doesn't matter. It looks good on just about everybody!

I have made a few purses in this o-ring style, and they have all sold well. It's not a big purse, but it's deep, which gives a snug feeling of security to your possessions. This style takes 4 rings, which can get pricey. But I recently found a good source for them, so now I'm ready to make them in earnest.

Click here to see this purse in my shop.

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Black Cork Sling

I'm excited to introduce a new color for my cork bags--black! Technically, it's not a true black, more of a brown-black. I know that I personally favor black bags, so I had to make one for myself right away.
This sling style is really versatile. The strap is long enough to wear cross-wise, if desired. The zippered pocket on the outside provides easy access to your cell phone or keys.

Best of all, it's made of cork, which is eco-friendly as well as water- and stain-resistant. Although similar to leather in feel, no animals are harmed in the production of cork fabric. And it was handmade--by me! In my own sweat shop (except that it's too cold for any sweating right now). Now I need to get my rear in gear and add it to my website.....

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