1st ShabbyNChic Blog Giveaway Winner...

The Winner of my FIRST blog giveaway is Mia from Estonia. She won this shabby chic wall hanging valued at over $17.00. Thank you all for entering the giveaway and keep checking back for future giveaways as I have more planned. Congratulations Mia!

Craft Fair Display

Here are pictures of the set-up of my booth from my first solo craft fair. There is a lot to learn every time we do something new and craft fairs are no different. So here is my somewhat humorous look at what I learned in the form of a top 5 list. Enjoy!!!

Top 5 Lessons from my 1st Solo Craft Fair:

5. You can tell who does fairs often and who doesn't by how quickly they set up. (If you are new at craft fairs, it takes longer to set up than you think.)

4. When taking into account weather, wind counts in the weather category and can greatly affect the set-up of your booth. (Did you see the giveaway on my blog?)

3. Help is good! Have a friend or family member come by to check if you need a bathroom or food break (and help set up and take down if possible).

2. Pack inventory well - unfortunately stuff breaks and/or gets damaged.

And the #1 lesson I learned about craft fairs...

1. Select your location carefully! (Yes, those are toilets for slightly disabled people in the background.) I set up my booth BEFORE the person next to me. To my delight, toilets were among what they were selling and I have no idea how that happened at a CRAFT fair.

*Coming soon: A list of what worked well. Yes some things went great and I will share those too!

Beautiful Waterfalls - Up Close!

I love day trips and in Oregon there is a lot to see all around us. Last time we went to the mountain for a snowball fight in July. Yesterday we decided to go to Silver Creek Falls which is about 45 minutes outside of the state capital, Salem, where we live. At Silver Creek Falls you can picnic and barbecue and there is hiking, swimming, and 15 waterfalls (and more). Most of the falls can be seen very close-up.

We also ventured to the South Falls which I believe is the largest waterfall there. You can hike down behind the waterfall which is an amazing experience.

Pictured below you can see the North Falls where you actually enter at the base of the waterfall and can swim in the water. Now this is Oregon, so the water is VERY cold - even in August!

So after hiking to these two falls and back in 90 degree weather, we cooled off with a swim in the river at this state park...well, we waded in freezing cold water.

My Etsy Blog Treasury

Etsy.com has a lot of wonderful artists and there are numerous treasuries, but sometimes finding a treasury space to make your own can seem impossible. Well I have never successfully gotten a treasury space, so I am making my own here on my blog. I hope you enjoy my personal blog treasury.

Hope Springs Eternal pink wreath
by Ivyndell
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21011883

Tangled Rose Earrings

by Claire Pearse

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25379998

Art Print from Original Fairy Collage Painting - Sisters

by Sascalia

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28825518

Sumptuous Living Shabby Chic 16x20 Memory Board

by mulberrybliss

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25762130

Shabby Chic Pink Floral and Striped Oversized Pillows

by lilypadworkshop
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27177587

23 Pink and green polka dot, striped and rose tags

by accessoryqueens

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25111474

My Great Find!

So I am a bargain hunter and I LOVE garage sales. I find most of the pieces I redo at garage/yard/estate sales. If you follow me on IndiePublic you know that in addition to the small home decor items I sell on Etsy, I also refinish large furniture pieces and sell them locally. So I was ecstatic when I found this great dresser.

I wish I had a "before" picture because it was in sad shape. I really only rubbed it down with some Old English and it looks beautiful. So I had planned to sell it, but changed my mind when after I bought my first laptop. I came home from work to my husband letting me know that my 2 yr. old had gotten ahold of a black marker and colored all over my laptop. (Thankfully he was able to clean it all off.) Not wanting that to happen again, I decided I needed somewhere safe for my computer. Then I realized it was sitting in my garage!

So we moved it into the bedroom and now I have more room for clothes (which is always nice - right ladies?) and a safe place for my computer. And how much was this dresser? That's the best part - it was only $4.00!

Blog Giveaways - I Won!

So I entered my very first blog giveaway. I never usually do because they require you provide personal information. Well I found a giveaway on a great blog: http://crsisters.blogspot.com and they did not require personal information. CRSisters is a pair of sisters and they are fellow handcrafters on etsy, so I decided to follow them on Twitter, follow their blog and enter their giveaway.

To my surprise, a few days later they let me know that I had won! It was very exciting as not much is free these days. My prize was this beautiful handmade washcloth and Tea Olive Milled Soap (along with some other goodies). You can see from the picture that the washcloth looks nice, but when it arrived, I was pleasantly surprised by the outstanding quality and how soft it is. I love it!

They have a great shop with a wide variety of items and do regular giveaways on their blog. I have been inspired and will begin doing giveaways on my blog soon as well. So check back soon and enter all of our giveaways! Good luck!

www.CRSisters.etsy.com

Remember the Cold

A little overheated by summer? Remember the cold of Winter!

We complain when it's cold and we complain when it's hot.

Think back to snow and icicles, power outages and freezing temperatures, snowmen and sledding.

It was a cold and icy winter here in Oregon and although I don't really miss it, it is good to remember on these HOT days.

INEXPENSIVE SUMMER ACTIVITIES

Whether you have personally been impacted by the bad economy or not, we are all wanting to save money. I think that "just in case" mentality can serve us well. But how to get there can be difficult to figure out. So here's my 2 cents. I hope this list provides at least one or two new ideas of fun activities for you and your family, friends... This list should provide options no matter where you live!


My Favorite Summer Activities:


1. Minor League Baseball Game - Much less expensive than Major League games and just as much fun. You can usually find one of these teams closer to home and the kids can easily get autographs too. (About $10.00/person)






2. State Parks - Find a great state park for a day trip. Just pack up a picnic and bring some walking shoes, frisbee, ball and glove, or any other items for outdoor activities you enjoy. (Minimal fee for parking.)





3. Library - It's a great place to cool off on really hot days and curl up with a book. There are also movies, magazines, and music. Most also have free activities for kids. (FREE)



4. County and State Fairs - A lot to do at the fair, so the trick is to find the deals. They always have discounts you can usually learn about on their websites. Enjoy ice cream as you walk around, listen to music, see the animals and visit the petting zoo. Just bring food or eat before you go and stay away from the rides. (Price varies.)



5. Camp Out - My favorite is a backyard camp-out as it takes little preparation and you have everything you need inside. Set up a tent with sleeping bags. You can even do Smores on the BBQ! (FREE)


6. Playground Hunt - Get a map of your town (or a nearby town) and set out for a day of playing at as many playgrounds as you can find. Be sure to take a picnic lunch with you so you don't stop to buy food. My kids love this and will spend 5 min. at some parks and over an hour at others. (FREE)




7. Plan a Day Trip - Get out a map of your state and find a place within 3 hours of your home and make a day trip. You can often get to the mountains, beach, a lake, or a great attraction. We have gone to a wild animal safari, the beach, and our favorite - the mountains. Nothing better than a snowball fight in July! (About $40 for gas, but can vary.)





8. Go Swimming - You can either find a lake or river or go to your local pool. *Be safe. (FREE-$6.00/person.)


9. Visit a Museum - If you research museums, you may be surprised how many there are in your area. Just be sure to research admission as they can vary greatly. (FREE-$28.00/person)


10. Go on a History Hunt - This is a scavenger hunt for historic markers in your town. You can either visit a few historic locations or create hints for older children to find (you drive them). Fun and educational for everyone! You can have a picnic lunch at the final destination. ($5.00-15.00 for gas).


*I hope this list inspires you with new ideas to enjoy the rest of your summer.

Westmoreland Milk Glass - What's it worth??

I love vintage and antique and that includes milk glass. I have a great piece that was passed on to me from my grandmother from the Hobnail design. I love it and am not parting with it, but I have found a several other beautiful pieces over the years.

So I have a few pieces of milk glass that I am selling in my Etsy shop, but am having trouble pricing a couple of pieces. If you know about these specific pieces, I would love to hear from you!

The first is of the quilt design. It is a very large pedestal bowl. It is 7 inches tall and 8-9.25 inches in diameter at the top. It has the "WC" at the bottom. Of course I have found information on a lot of pieces in the quilt design, but I have never seen another one of these.

The other is also Westmoreland with "WC" printed on the bottom. It is a vase that is slanted at the top and is very tall and slender. It is 8.75 inches tall and about 2 inches in diameter at the top. The design is difficult to see - perhaps wheat or leaves.

I have two others listed in my shop that I was able to find information on and I will add these if I can find an accurate price. Thanks!

Baking Time!

This past weekend I spent one morning baking. With the summer heat and all of the great, fresh, local fruit; we are unable to eat it all before it goes bad. Of course you can make smoothies, but the baking bug bit so I found a couple of recipes online.

First I made "Easy Banana Bread", and it was (easy)! I found the recipe on Cooks.com. I had everything I needed and in no time we had delicious banana bread. I make mine in small (2x5 inches) loaf pans. The hardest part was waiting for the bread to cool to eat it! *I did add some cinnamon and a bit of nutmeg to the recipe. Yum!

Easy Banana Bread Recipe

3 bananas, well mashed
1 c. sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 c. vegetable oil

2 c. flour (1 c. can be whole wheat)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash bananas in mixing bowl. Add sugar, eggs, and oil, mixing well each time. Sift dry ingredients together and add to banana mixture. Pour in greased 5x9 inch loaf pan and bake 55-60 minutes.

I also tried a new muffin recipe for the abundance of blueberries I had (from a friend). I made Berry Oatmeal Muffins (recipe from allrecipes.com). The added oatmeal, cinnamon, and brown sugar to the tops of these puts them over the top! *I left out the wheat germ and added more blueberries than it called for. To make them lower in fat, I also replaced half of the oil called for with apple sauce.

Link to recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Berry-Oatmeal-Muffins/Detail.aspx