My Spare Time Designs

My Life is a Circus without a Tent!

2011-07-15T06:49:00.002-05:00

Do you ever get the feeling that you are on a
roller coaster ride without seat belts?

Well, I do!

The reason it has been so long in posting is because of many things that I will explain, so be warned this post is long!

Last time we talked I was headed to Oklahoma to spend the 4th of July with family and on the way Mr. MySpareTime and I were going to make a quick stop in Canton, TX for Trade Days. Now Canton is a sleepy little North Texas Farm town except on Trade Days and it is over run with vendors and shoppers, the traffic is slow, restaurants are crowded and parking can be a nightmare. So when we whipped right through town, got a great parking space in our favorite lot we chalked that up to the Summer heat and thought we had made the right decision to come early.

Boy were we wrong!!

We were not smart and ahead of the curve, we were stupid and uniformed. Canton had experienced major storms on Thursday evening and it dang near blew Trade Days away.

This should have been our first clue, we thought all those booths that were missing or had tents down were just setting up. We must be a little slow!

The sound of chainsaws going should have been our next tip off, but we were so fixated on the heat {95 degrees at 9:30 am} and the smell {you know, wet old junk} that the distant sound of trees being cut down didn't sink in. But when we got to this guy that's when the light bulb went off!

Look closely and you can see where the tree hit his van, while he was sleeping in it! Gotta love those junk dealers, nothing keeps them down.

So by now I am about to faint from the heat, and the smell of all that old wet musty junk is nauseating, so we hit the regular vendors I come to visit and did a quick look around and headed out of town.

You know you are having a Twilight Zone moment when you go to the Ladies restroom at Canton and you are the only person in the place {usually a very long line no matter what the time of day}

Then we get to Tulsa and get to meet our newest family member, Finn!

What a sweetheart!

{side note: isn't this tree bookshelf the cutest? My niece Aubrie had this vision and her Grandfather and Dad built it. It is full of vintage books and birds, not to mention the cutest baby sleeping on a branch!}

Had a fantastic time with my sister and spent the 4th watching a wonderful fireworks display right in front of her house! Couldn't have been more enjoyable, bar-b-que, breath taking fireworks, family and a cool evening breeze!

When we left Tulsa on Tuesday we headed home and stopped in Dallas to have lunch with our son. It was so nice to see him and he insisted on taking us back to his place to show off his pride and joy, a drive in movie size television! That behemoth is huge and Trey loves it. Mr. MySpareTime said we needed to leave so I jumped up and headed for the car. We got half way to Houston and I realized I had left my purse on my son's dining room table. Called son and he said he was headed to Houston on Friday and would bring it to me. No problem, I could do without my debit cards,drivers license, check book, cell phone, camera and favorite new lipstick for a few days. He calls me on Thursday and breaks the bad news that he will not be coming home for another 2 weeks and that he will put my things in the mail.

So for the last week I have been an invalid; no money, no driving, no cell phone! You don't appreciate what is in your purse until it is gone. I am still doing without the lipstick, I was afraid it would melt in the mail, so I should have that back later next week.

These are the adventures of my traveling circus.

What did you do for the 4th?

Thanks for stopping by!

4th of July Holiday

2011-06-30T08:32:00.004-05:00

First let me start by saying Happy 4th of July!

I remember the 4th of July back when I was a kid. We lived 7 houses away from our grandparents and the 4th of July celebration was usually held at my Grandmother's house. She had a nice shady yard and that seemed to be her holiday. We would have a picnic dinner out side under those trees and there always seemed to be watermelon, chocolate cake and homemade vanilla ice cream.

My dad was BIG into fireworks, so we almost always went to the American Legion Fireworks display and then came home to shoot off a huge assortment of roman candles, Black Cat firecrackers, Red Devil chasers, those horrible ash snakes, and my favorite sparklers. He also had rockets, cone displays and then some big finale, not to mention the hundred or so bottle rockets. Remember all these things?

Now this gal had nothing on my dad, except maybe she hadn't been drinking beer all day. {Explosives and Alcohol are always an exciting mix!}

I can hardly believe that the year is half over {makes my hands shake just to type that!} and we are in the long stretch of Summer. I am behind on so many things that it seems like I will never catch up, but guess what? I am throwing caution to the wind and getting the hell out of Dodge! Mr. MySpareTime and I are heading to Tulsa to make the acquaintance of this little cutie.

Finn is my new great-nephew.

On the way we are going to stop in for Trade Days in Canton, Texas. It is going to be 102 degrees in Canton tomorrow so we are getting there as early as we can to beat the heat. I have several vendors I want to look at and then we will do some junkin and be on the road again before noon. {I will take some photos of Canton and all it has to offer!}

The return trip will be just as hectic. We are going to try to squeeze a lunch in with our oldest son who lives in Grapevine, Texas. {a suburb of Dallas} All in all it will make for a very busy holiday.

I have a few new things almost finished. {almost is the operative word} I have been feverishly working on Snowmen in the time I have been crafting. These are three of the things that were ready for pictures.

Snowman Bowl,

Believe Plate,

and three SnowCones!

I have a snowman lamp and two really cute canvases and some fabric things almost finished and then there are the gingerbread items I have in the beginning stages. Hopefully after the holiday I can really whip right through these things.

So for now I am trying to fill orders, do proofs, print, pack for a trip, finish a project I made for Finn and a few hundred other odds and ends that need to be finished before I leave in the morning.

Have a great holiday and thanks for stopping by.

Oh, and one more thing.

I forgot to mention the Fall Fun at the Farmhouse over on Etsy.
Come by and take a peek at all the things the talented members have to offer.{type in FFOFG in an Etsy search for All Items}

Toodle-loo!

Ticked Off Tuesday!

2011-06-21T07:28:00.000-05:00

First the Good News, I had my first sale of Halloween items!

My friend Sharon stopped by to talk about a few projects I will be doing for her daughter Kelli's wedding and had to take a peek at the new Halloween stuff. She snagged the Witches Boots first thing.

Knew these wouldn't make it to the show!

Know the Bad News, I'm aggravated!

I know this comes as a shock that I could lose my patience with a customer {just ask Mr. MySpareTime about my saintly demure personality}, but I had two customers that really got under my skin yesterday.

The first one had been a very nice gal who wanted to know about my Baker's Twine and then said she didn't want to pay the Priority Shipping. I know better than to change my way of handling orders. {hence the need for Store Policies, which no one reads, but that is a whole nother rant!} I spent the good part of 30 minutes talking about her crafting and how to sell on Etsy and I agreed to ship regular post. She needed time to think about the colors and said she would email me the order later that evening. I sent a PayPal for the products and the Regular Postage. She never paid. I sent follow-up email. She said she couldn't pay right now and would have to put it off until after the 15th, that was over a week away.{Total was under $8} Never got back to me after the 15th. Yesterday she calls and tells me she is ready to take care of the order and wants my address so she can send me the payment. I explained that I only accept PayPal or credit cards, no checks. She says she wants to send me cash! I told her NO. Now she starts questioning my policies. OK, now I'm starting to get a little miffed. She says hold on and I can hear her talking to her husband about the length of her son's hair and how it should be cut and so on in a conversation, now I'm steamed. When she returned to our phone conversation I explained that these were my policies and I was sticking to it, she then said she needed to handle the whole haircut problem and would get back to me in 15 minutes. As I hung up the phone I knew she would never call back. All this over 3 spools of Baker's Twine!

So I let this frustration pass and I receive an email from a customer telling me that she is very unhappy and that her experience with Kraft Outlet was a big disappointment and that as a customer she would never be back. She goes on to explain that her package was damaged in the mail and that she didn't like what she picked out {the dreaded Baker's Twine!}

Usually I try to smooth ruffled feathers and make amends to my customers even when I don't feel like it has been my fault, but boy did she write on the wrong day! I told her {very nicely, I assure you} that the problem was with the Post Office and there is no way Kraft Outlet could be blamed for a wet package, and I offered to replace anything that was lost or damaged. I told her the description and photos of my products are accurate and that the items she had purchased were her own decision. Of course people are quick to rip off a snotty email to you to complain, but I almost never hear anything back when I respond.

So today is a new day and those two customers are just a few speed bumps in the road!

I didn't even work on anything crafty this weekend, so I don't have any pictures to share. Instead Mr. MySpareTime and I did a little bit of house updating on the upstairs, we are re-decorating all the bedrooms and we got one finished this weekend.

Thanks for listening to the gripes and thanks for stopping by.

Happy Birthday, Finn Patrick Thompson!

2011-06-17T06:39:00.000-05:00

Just had to announce the arrival of my Great nephew, Finn!

He is as cute as a button and both he and his Momma, Aubrie, are doing fine.

He was born yesterday evening at 7:56pm by C-section.
{Poor Aubrie tried all day but this little rascal just wasn't cooperating}

He weighed a whopping 9 lbs. 12 oz. and is 20 inches long.

My sister is over the moon and so relieved that her daughter is doing well. We are going to meet this handsome fella over the 4th of July holiday!

Happy Birthday Finn and welcome to the family!

Love ~Aunt B

Thanks for stopping by.

Am I Crazy?

2011-06-14T14:42:00.001-05:00

You know how you get something in your mind and you just can't shake it? I have been toying with an idea for sometime now and I think I am ready to have a Home Craft Show.

I know the sign is classy, even for Texas, and I would be hard pressed to find a nice toilet for the yard, but I think I could come up with something!

I saw pictures of a wonderful Christmas Craft Show posted on PrimMart.com last year and haven't been able to get them out of my mind. I thought that Cheryl from HandmadebyCheryl did such a fantastic job on her show that it made me think I could do that too! For all the money I spend in booth rent I could advertise and have a pretty nice show.

I thought it would be nice to do it with someone else, but the reality is that I work better on my own. I like to run the show and be the boss and I would only want to do it with someone who had a great customer following and that isn't anyone I know who's items would work well with mine. I really don't want jewelry or baby things, so I think I would just do it alone.

I have a studio behind my garage and it would be perfect for the show.

I used to work out there, but to be honest I turned it over to my son's for a Man Cave and they have moved out or moved on from that. So my little studio is just sitting there being used as a storage room for all my craft show stuff. So why not make it into a magical little shop for a few weekends in the fall? My poor little studio needs a face lift {high humidity and heat, do a number on things in South Texas}. We are going to reside the building and put in a new floor and this baby will be good as new. I have some great ideas for my humble little building, but this was something that I paid cash for with my Craft Show earnings. I was quite proud of this little building and know this is Craft Show is something I can make work.

If you have done a home Craft Show post a comment and let me know some of the tricks of the trade! I mentioned it to my sister and all she said was "Don't you know about the Craig's List killer?" I wouldn't want people in my house, but the studio is OK and Mr. MySpareTime would be with me, so I feel the freak factor would be low.

I guess what really got me to thinking about all this was I mailed off another booth rent last week and realized it would be the last time I did that show. I just find it hard to let go.

I also finished a few more things for inventory.

This is the seat of a cute wooden swivel stool

A vintage front door cut in half and made into a great wall hanging!

A few more wooden signs

A few wooden snowmen,

A cupboard door panel painted and embellished with vintage buttons,

and a cute door panel with snowman.

{I cut off the part with the vintage scrabble tiles on his scarf}

Let me know if you have any great ideas on the Home Craft Show.

Thanks for stopping by.

Changed My Mind, Again!

2011-06-08T08:40:00.002-05:00

I'm sure you all will relate to my dilemma, I am trying to cut back on craft shows this year and I just can't make myself go to just one show!

I had been looking over my past craft show note books this weekend and realized I used to do 7 shows in 6 weeks! Boy was that a wild ride. I really don't know how I did it. I know that with my websites I have had to spend more time on them and less on the Folk Art.

So, I had myself all talked into just one show and I was feeling good about that decision, but there must have been something in the back of my mind because I didn't throw away the application. We have such wonderful loyal customers at the Judy Dierker Craft Classic at the Foundry United Methodist Church show that I just couldn't drop off the radar without saying farewell!

here is a picture of last years booth.

Mr. MySpareTime and I talked it over and we decided we would take the booth for this year and let all my faithful friends know that this would be the last year for this show. {I also wanted them to know that they could find me online or at the Northampton Show}

I feel better about saying goodbye, but the panic has switched to making sure I have enough product. We decided to just make what we could and sell it at both shows. If we only have a few things to take to this last show, well so be it. At least I can say my goodbyes and feel like I did what I should do.

Now on to other things!

Mr. MySpareTime and I have really been burning the candle at both ends to get all the Folk Art ready because our niece, Aubrie, is getting ready to have a baby!

Here is the pretty new momma, Aubrie

I have a mini vacation planned for the 4th of July weekend to go and visit and get my fill of new baby. I want to be at a place with the crafts that I can relax and recharge my batteries, so that means I will really push it until July.

We are all so excited to see this new addition to our family. We know she is having a boy and she is due on June 14th, but boy is she ready. It could be any minute, so I will let you all know when I become Great Aunt B! {I think the little stinker is holding out to be born on my birthday June 12th} A new baby how exciting and the best part is I can love it and give it back to someone else.

Do you remember that new baby smell? All sweet clean baby powder and throw up, shooey diapers and heaven all rolled into one!

I saw the cutest definition of a boy: noise with dirt on it!

Better get back to work or I'll never get finished.

Thanks for stopping by.

Craft Show E-Book

2011-06-01T10:29:00.002-05:00

As a crafter and website owner I get asked a million questions about participating in craft shows. I don't mind answering questions, but it can be a long conversation about all the things you need to do to be ready to sell your crafts at a local show. So, after a lot of thought I put everything into this new E-Book

Craft Show Fundamentals

A Complete Step by Step Guide to Craft Show Success

This 26 page E-book is an easy to use step by step guide to achieving Craft Show Success. We give you worksheets, check lists, photos and useful information. It doesn't matter if you are a seasoned crafter or a first time newbie, we have great ideas on how to improve your booth set up and display your products for increased sales!

Our E-book is backed up with over 15 years experience as a successful craft show vendor and organizer.

Know what to expect before, during and after a show.

This guide will take all the worries out of signing up for those Fall Shows!

Thanks for stopping by.

Estate Sale!

2011-05-31T07:38:00.001-05:00

Hope everyone had a safe and relaxing holiday. It seems like mine was a whirlwind of cooking and eating. Trying to get all my sons in one house, doing the same thing at the same time is like trying to herd cats! They seem to have something that takes each one in a different direction and the plans seem to all change every few minutes.

Well the weekend is over and time to get back to work.

I must admit I didn't do one thing on my crafts this weekend, but I did get to an Estate Sale and found a few things I wanted.

Over at my Kraft Outlet blog, The Kraft Journal, I have a wonderful team of creative paper crafters that are always coming up with the most beautiful cards and things. I have seen them display these items using old vintage floral frogs. So of course I had to have some. I found these at the estate sale and they were just a dollar each.

Then I found these oh so charming Vintage Christmas ornaments.

Each box was a dollar! {I may want to keep these from myself}

And just as we were leaving Mr. MySpareTime spots this wonderful children's chair. He is a little squeamish about dickering for a better price, so I handle that. It was hot and things were really moving and those ladies were ready to sell!

So we got this little treasure for only $15.

I have just found all the listings on Craig's List for garage and estate sales and love it!

Thanks for stopping by.

Ready For The Weekend!

2011-05-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

Sorry I missed the Tuesday post, I have been really busy trying to get all my projects finished before this weekend. My son is coming home for the long weekend and I would like to spend some time with him.

I also have an estate sale to go to on Saturday morning and I need all my strength for that one. They posted preview pictures and my mouth is watering already! Mr. MySpareTime and I will be there when they open. I want some vintage floral frogs and they were pictured in the preview!

I have been working really hard on the Halloween stuff, here are the latest pictures.

As you could guess, Crow Pie! {did I mention I love crows!}

Great little witches hat! {bigger version coming soon}

The Wicked Witches Party Shoes!

A dancing BOO Pumpkin!

Hootie the Owl on an old branch with an Autumn Moon!

Two Punch Needle Halloween pictures!

{Thanks Barb for teaching me how to do these}

The cutest ghost, this side of Casper!

And drum roll please ........

The Halloween Clock!

This may never make it to the show.

My friend Barb said she has first refusal on this piece and to be honest it has her name written all over it!

The over the top shape of this clock just screamed Halloween!

It has this old style face and filigree on the glass.

I covered it with spooky images and tucked inside a paper mache goblin with a vintage dictionary banner spelling BOO!

Hope everyone has a safe and relaxing holiday!

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Birthday!

2011-05-20T06:32:00.000-05:00

My son, Drew had his 24th birthday on Wednesday!

Boy does time fly.

He has turned into a fine young man that Mr. MySpareTime and I are very proud of.

He has pushed us to the edge a few times, but what a great kid. He is a very talented artist and a true DareDevil! I should have known from the start, at 5 I caught him riding his bicycle on the curb in a pair of Roller Blades! When I asked him why he was doing that he said because no one else could!

As far as work goes, I am pushing to get all my Halloween finished this weekend so this will be short.

Thanks for stopping by.

I'm In A Groove!

2011-05-17T09:16:00.001-05:00

Don't you just love it when you get a lot of things finished?

I'm one of those kind of people who work on 4 or 5 things at once and sometimes it looks like I haven't gotten anything accomplished, but then the up side is that I get a lot finished at once!

Here a few new things I have gotten finished this weekend.

A large painted canvas

A small painted canvas inspired by "Barefoot Primitives" cats!

A cute little owl on a painted canvas.

A very Spooky lighted Halloween Saltbox

and {drum roll}
the Halloween Chair!!!

Now this is just a sample of what I have left to do!

{Mr. MySpareTime was very busy this weekend too!}

Thanks for stopping by!

Blogs Back Up!

2011-05-13T17:17:00.001-05:00

Sorry this post is late in the day, Blogger has been on Read Only mode for a few days and I tried to post this morning but couldn't get on. So I took that time to list a few new things on The Prim Nest, Etsy and Zibbet.

Here is a quick look at what I have been working on!

Hand painted Happy Harvest Sign, 6" x 24" ~ $18.00

Skeleton Keys made with vintage keys ~ $5.00 each

Welcome Black Cat Sign, 6" x 24" ~ $18.00

Trick or Treat Sign, 12" x 18" ~ $15.00

Dear Great Pumpkin Sign, 6" x 36" ~ $22.00

{this is my personal favorite, I could see this hanging in my utility room!}

I have several other things finished but didn't get a chance

to photograph them yet.

I will get some shots this weekend and post it next week.

Just a teaser, I have finished a Halloween chair and this pink chair

is the before photo, wait till you see it finished!

Thanks for stopping by!

Jack Pot!

2011-05-10T06:29:00.000-05:00

Boy, did I have a great time at the annual garage sale in our neighborhood! Our sub-division holds a garage sale once a year at the high school and it used to be the neighborhood event of Spring.

They used to sell you a booth for a few bucks, then they supplied port-a- potty's and sold food, it went from 8-2 and was packed with people from the time it opened until the Goodwill trucks came to haul off anything you didn't want to drag back home.

Well as most things do, the Northampton Garage Sale changed! It is now a very small event run by the local Boy Scouts. It is still fun to go, you see neighbors and friends and find the most wonderful things!

Did I mention Jack Pot!

Here are the things I found for a whopping total of $40.

A productive day.

There were so many surprises when I opened the bags.

This great stool with the wire supports and that wonderful jug!

Vintage sewing things that took me back to learning to sew at my Grandmother's house, and old school candy {check out the candy cigarettes}

This fantastic bowl and Vintage Christmas ornaments.

More sewing things,

Vintage toys like these marbles and blocks,

{my husband said I finally found my marbles!}

Can you believe it?

All of this for $40! I was thrilled and to think I had forgotten about the sale.

Mr. MySpareTime was headed to Lowe's and saw the sale setting up and came back for me. Twenty minutes later we were headed home with our treasures.

Gotta love it!

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-06T07:33:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Mother's Day!

This is a picture of my Mom {Pat Bailey} holding me in 1958.

Happy Mother's Day Mom I miss you!

Thanks for stopping by.

My First Pattern

2011-05-03T07:13:00.001-05:00

I finally did it!

After several people wanting to buy patterns of my designs

I finally completed one.

I wanted to get several finished on Sunday, but boy was this a time intensive project. I even had Mr.MySpareTime tracing all my pattern pieces on to paper so we could scan them and have them ready when I get the directions finished.

When you have been crafting as long as I have, it's hard to remember every little step you take to make something. It just comes as second nature to do simple things like "allow to dry". I don't want to dummy down, but I need to remember this is like a recipe and leaving one step out could ruin the project.

One of my pet peeves is getting a pattern or recipe and reading the list of materials and then later in the directions it calls for something that wasn't on the list. What a bummer!

Now that I have the template all set up for the pictures and the pieces all traced, I am hoping that I can do several patterns a week. I always set my sights too high, but that keeps me on my toes.

Take a look at what someone was throwing away!

I have to give a shout out to my friend Barb.

{she is my number 1 trash picker!}

Thanks Barb, these are great!

And here is one of my Halloween things finished.

Thanks for stopping by.

Make Over Complete

2011-04-27T08:04:00.002-05:00

Way back in March I showed you a picture of the new hutch top Mr.MySpareTime found at Goodwill.

Here are the before and after pictures.

{drum roll please!}

Before

After!

I love the way it turned out and it will be a wonderful addition to my craft show set-ups. Lots of space for small things inside and on top. This gives me another shelf for display and it came with lights which was a huge bonus. Mr. MySpareTime did a wonderful job on matching the two pieces and I'm sure someone will try to buy it.

Isn't it amazing what you can find junkin'!

My Dream Big item on Etsy has been included in a wonderful Treasury about birds.

Take a peek here.

I have gotten a few more Halloween things finished and I will post pictures on Friday.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sorry Missing So Long

2011-04-22T08:52:00.002-05:00

Good Morning all you Craft Junkies!

Sorry it has been so long in posting, but you all know how life just gets in the way.

I always have the blog on my "To Do List", but it is sometimes on the bottom of that very long list. Recently that list seems to be as long as a Kansas clothesline. {something my Granny used to say}

I will play a little catch up here on all my news.

*1st. - I sold my first item on The Prim Nest!

I was thrilled,

this cute little fella now has a new home!

*2nd - Decided to really work hard on my Halloween things and have several that are almost finished!

{teaser}

My goal of having them ALL finished by Easter looks like it might be a stretch {because of #3}

*3rd - I have had several requests for my patterns, so that is what has slowed down my Halloween stuff. I am trying diligently to get my patterns in digital form {a lot more work than one might think}. Who knew you had to write out every stinkin thing you did and have clear photo's of all the stuff?

*4th - Over at Kraft Outet we are soooo busy that I am meeting myself coming and going. Beth, my Blog and Social Networking expert, has been so busy on Facebook, Twitter and The Kraft Journal Blog that she has single-handedly increased the followers from 4 to over 200!

With that many followers I was a little embarrassed by the appearance of the blog, so I decided to throw some lipstick on that pig and have started a blog make-over. {I will be switching over the graphics during the Easter Holiday, so come take a look next week}

Here is a preview of the new buttons

*5th - It was my 27th Wedding anniversary
yesterday to Mr. MySpareTime.

What a great looking pair!

Crazy about him then and nothing has changed in 27 years.

He is my best friend and the love of my life.

So these are the things I have been doing the last week and a half, but that is no excuse for not keeping up with the blog. I just hate it when people give the excuse that they are just too busy, so I will save the lip service! Life is like a CIRCUS, sometimes you are the Ring Master, sometimes the Clown, sometimes you fly high like the Trapeze Artist and sometimes you shovel elephant POOP!

Hope your day doesn't involve a shovel!

Thanks for stopping by.

Spam and a Baby Shower!

2011-04-05T06:35:00.001-05:00

It finally happened, I got spam as a comment!

Don't these people have anything else better to do with their time than post crap on other peoples blogs or hire someone to write a program that will post it for them?

Now really, do they think that the followers I have are interested in online gambling?

I think this is a crafter lured into gambling by a blog post!

What a sorry state, I have always told my kids if people like that would spend just one fraction of their efforts doing something good, instead of underhanded, they would be very successful.

Well on to happier thoughts, the baby shower!

My niece, Aubrie, is getting ready to have a baby in June and we are going to go to Tulsa, OK this Thrusday to be a part of the family Baby Shower.

Shopping for a baby shower is sure different from when I had a baby. They register now and that makes it easier, but I'm sorry I think they have made raising kids a science project. All the stuff they sell you that is high tech, baby wipe warmers, diaper wrappers, baby listening monitors, cameras for the nursery, electronics that tell you if the baby is breathing, swings that run on electricity or batteries. I'm sure these are all wonderful inventions, but how did we all survive? We rode bicycles without helmets, had our butt wiped with un-heated wipes, bounced around in the back seat of my mom's car without seat belts {now that was a very bad idea} and we all made it. So I decided I would buy something that was low tech and just plain cute.

picture from Pottery Barn Kids

This blue polka dot bag is so Aubrie! I had the babies monogram put on the bag, FTP. They are expecting a boy and his name is Finn Patrick Thompson. I hope he has red hair like his dad and the sweet intelligent nature of my niece. Bonus, he is due to arrive just a few days after my birthday! So I have a few other gifts in mind but I will share those after I get them finished. You know me, I have to make a gift for all my special people.

So I will miss posting this Friday and Mr. MySpareTime and I will be having some fun with family.

Thanks for stopping by.

Breaking News!

2011-04-01T09:01:00.003-05:00

Just had to post the picture of all my goodies!

This was a GREAT garage sale!

I love to go to sales where the owner is elderly.

{that didn't exactly sound right}

They have the best stuff, I don't need baby clothes or ugly home decor.

I'm looking for the unusual and vintage stuff
and old people have that.

What great finds,

two sweet vintage keys,

Three vintage funnels,

a vintage measuring cup,

Old pizza pan,

{this is very nostalgic for me, my mom had one just like it}

assorted old cookie cutters,

two large jars of vintage buttons,

and a child's Christmas cookbook full of great illustrations.

All of this for $3,

you heard me right, just $3.

SCORE!!!

Thanks again for stopping by.

Craig's List

2011-04-01T06:45:00.003-05:00

Don't you just love it?

When I was a girl I used to watch for the Thursday paper so that I could see where all the Gargage Sales were going to be that week-end, but now you have that info right at your finger tips with Craig's List.

Now that it is Spring, these babies are popping up all over.

I just love to see what is for sale.

In Houston, and surrounding suburbs, we have deed restrictions and our sub-division doesn't allow you to have garage sales. Like many of the other neighborhoods around here, we have a community wide garage sale once a year. This makes for easy pickins.

So when I see one of these

I'm ready to go.

Mr. MySpareTime is still a little squimish about rummaging through other peoples belongings {especially while they watch you} and he hates to dicker with them. Now mind you he will pinch a nickel until the Indian mounts the buffalo, but this garage sale custom escapes him!

I know what I'm after and what I will pay for something and it doesn't take me long to go through the junk. This is what I got at a church rummage sale this past week.

Well better dash, there are two estate sales today right in my neighborhood. {guess they didn't get the memo about that being against the deed restrictions}

Thanks for stopping by.

The Tax Man Cometh!

2011-03-29T07:58:00.003-05:00

I hate this time of year, TAX TIME!

It seems like such a huge job to get all those little scraps of paper into some kind of order and put your whole work year into a few lines on a form. But it has to be done, I just see so many other things I would like to be doing instead of adding up receipts!

I promised you a picture of the new potting bench,
well here it is!

I missed that thing more than I realized. I use it for so many things, spray painting, staining, sanding and all kinds of crafty things. I even do some gardening chores on it too. I am afraid that my days of doing much in the garden are long gone. I barely have time to get my house cleaned {and sometimes that falls short} but to putter around in the garden is history. I do like for it to look nice, so everything I plant has to survive a Houston summer {hot with lots of humidity, half a day of shade and automatic sprinklers}. If a plant cannot survive all of those things it will not last at my house. Each year I buy a new fern for the patio and promise myself that I will water it faithfully, but each Spring I am back at the Garden Department buying a new one!{at my house we consider hanging baskets annuals} Really, what I want in a back yard is someplace that looks nice while I float around the pool.

I actually started working on things for the
Fall Craft Show season.

I made a list of all the things I wanted to get finished by Easter and I have quite a list! I promised myself that I would get all the Halloween things finished before Easter. Well this Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be a crafting marathon.

As you can see I have a pile of junk just waiting to be worked on.

Better get back to those receipts, Mr. MySpareTime just left for a 3 day business trip and when he gets home he wants to see how bad the damage will be!

Thanks for stopping by.

Friday Finally

2011-03-25T07:59:00.004-05:00

The weekend is almost here and I have so many plans. We have been having wonderful Spring weather and it is a pleasure to be outside.

This is my backyard, I just love the way it looks in Spring.
My Granny loved azaleas and it makes me think of her.

As you can see my azaleas are in bloom and so are my roses.

It will be the 4th of July before we know it, so I am going to savor these Springtime days.

Mr. MySpareTime will be rebuilding my potting table this weekend because it had to be removed when they re-sided the garage. I use this outside table all the time, spray painting and crafting. Who knows I might even do something for the garden!

Lovely spot in my garden, this is where the potting table was.

{I will post some pictures of the finished project!}

As you may remember from an earlier post, I had a lady ask if I sold my patterns, so that is something I will work on this weekend. I have one finished but need a new picture for the cover. I think this will be a new challenge and once I get them finished it will be easier to keep up. So keep watching I might just have a give away to launch my new line of instant download patterns!

Mr. MySpareTime found a few more items for me on a business trip.

I just love the wooden bowl it has feet!

{sorry couldn't get the feet in the picture}

Thanks for stopping by.

What A Weekend

2011-03-22T13:33:00.002-05:00

Mr. MySpareTime and I had a very busy weekend. One of our good friends' daughter was getting married in Waco, Texas this last Saturday and we were going to take this road trip for a little relaxation. Then I remembered that it was the Humble, Texas Trade Days and Community Garage Sale on the same day! We were going to leave for Waco at noon so we had to really hustle to drive over to Humble, do some junkin and then get back by noon.

We hit the mother load!

We got there just after they opened and what it looked like was a craft show/garage sale/antique dealers. It was a mish-mash of all kinds of things I didn't want or need. The prices were very high. Then we ran on to a gal who had some really great items at very reasonable prices and she said every price was negotiable!
{now that is my kind of gal!}

I got the quilt, and these two vintage sifters for $12.

Then we headed into the Garage Sale part of the building and only in Texas could you find a Garage Sale in the same place where they had a cattle show, boy did it have an odor! I wore flip flops and was not prepared for a loose dirt {and who knows what} floor. But we found this clock for $4 and the barrel for $5, childrens ice skates for $5 and

the Bid Kahuna of the Day,

this chair was only $5!
{That's right folks, only $5}

We hauled our treasures home and headed for the wedding, but before we could get out of our neighborhood there was an Estate Sale and I found the prim Santa for $1.

Along the way to Waco we found several Flea Markets to visit, but boy are they proud of their junk!

{I'm sorry, I will not pay $45 for a cracked crock!}
After several stops, we came away with nothing.

Then on Sunday, as we were headed back to Houston, we came across a large outdoor flea market and stopped in to take a look. Well if I needed a pony ride or live chickens, religious icons or cowboy boots, baby clothes or produce, old video games or a hair cut, a new puppy or a live exoctic bird, this would have been a great place!

All I found was this cute table for $3.

So my entire weekends accumulations was a
Grand Total of $40!

Now I just need to get started on them.

Thanks for stopping by.

What A Phone Call!

2011-03-18T09:47:00.002-05:00

Just yesterday I got the nicest phone call from a gal who wanted to know what happened to my website. She said that she had bookmarked several of my Primitive Santa's that I had for sale and that she was wanting to purchase one or two and now couldn't find them. She said that all she could track down was this blog.

Well to make a long story short I told her that I had switched over to the blog because most of my things were one of a kinds and it was hard keeping up with a full fledged website. {I know, so much for keeping it short} During the conversation it came up that she really wanted to purchase several of my patterns for these things. Well as crafters I'm sure you all are like me, we have great plans but something seems to always get in the way of our genius ideas!

I have had a plan to scale back my shows and start moving more toward Etsy and selling patterns on PatternMart.com.

I even have an account on PatternMart, just never found the time to switch all my doodles and sketches to real patterns.

So this phone call has gotten me off dead center, I am going to make some patterns!

{I don't know how many at first, but that is my plan.}

Then started talking this over with Mr. MySpareTime and he pointed out that there are only 24 hours in every day. He then asked when exactly was I going to sleep? I hadn't gotten to that part yet in my plan, so we started talking about all of our online businesses.

We have been so blessed by the wonderful customers who follow us to craft shows, who purchase printed items from Print Me Prim and the great people who have turned Kraft Outlet into more than we could have ever expected, but something has to give. {and I don't want that to be me!}

I was a statistical analyst before I got married and I look at my craft business with a logical eye. There is no way for me to keep up with two very busy online businesses and do more than 1 large craft show. I have My Spare Time on Etsy, I have it on the Prim Nest and I have a very large craft show in October, so it isn't like I'm giving it up, I just need to be realistic about time and money and personal sanity!

So with a sad heart I have to say that My Spare Time Designs will not be at the Judy Dierker Craft Classic this year. But you will still find me at the Northampton Spirit of the Holidays Marketplace on October 8th.

Come by and say Hey!

Well enough life changing nonsense!

Thanks for stopping by.

Supper Speedy Post!

2011-03-15T06:00:00.002-05:00

Just popped in to say Hi!

We are moving our son today and headed for Dallas with a truck full of his junk.

{it feels like we have moved this crap all over Texas in the last 4 years}

This could easily be us, except we don't have the bird!

Luckily we have his best friend and one of his brothers along for all the heavy lifting. Hope the weather holds out and that the temps are cool.

Just had to tell you all about the Spring Celebration going on at The Old Farmhouse Gathering group on Etsy.

Take a look at all the wonderful Spring things these talented ladies have to offer.

Gotta run!

Thanks for stopping by.

What A Find!

2011-03-11T08:28:00.001-06:00

Take a look at what Mr. MySpareTime
found at GoodWill this week!

We had to make a run to the post office and thought we would stop in at Goodwill and just take a quick look around. When I heard him call my name I knew he had something he wanted me to take a look at. He didn't even want to step away from the thing, afraid that someone would snag it.

This will fit perfectly on top of my black sofa table that I use in my booth set-up. We made one years ago and people still try to buy it from us, but is had seen it's last show. This is an actual hutch and already painted black. We are going to add a shelf for more display, but other than that it is good to go, even has a light.

Found this great little wood piece too. I can just see this full of greens and some kind of Santa.

Well, better get to work we have a wedding to attend this evening.

Thanks for stopping by,

It's a Conspiracy!

2011-03-08T08:41:00.001-06:00

You ever get the feeling that everyone and everything have joined together to work against you? Well I don't, but sometimes Mr. MySpareTime thinks like that! I am beginning to have that feeling about this planned trip to Canton I have been talking about. Now Canton Trade Days only happens on the the Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday before the First Monday of each month. This is something you have to plan for.

We were suppose to go in February.

It SNOWED!

Waited another month and had the whole trip planned for March.

Son moved, made a quick trip to Dallas!

Now I have to wait until April for my first trip of 2011 to junkers paradise!

{I just know I missed a ton of great stuff}

{I had my mouth all set for a grilled corn on the cob and hand roasted peanuts}

Do you ever think we will stop being parents?

That we will stop putting our kids before ourselves?

I don't.

That is what makes a parent, but dang am I ready for a break!

So instead of a road trip to Canton I hit a neighborhood Estate Sale and scored big!

These fantastic cutter quilt pillows made from old quilts in the Texas Hill Country.

A great little chair

vintage watch parts and religious medals

and these vintage muffin tins and old wooden spoon.

Too bad the estate sale didn't have Corn on the Cob!

Thanks for stopping by.

Just Wanted To Spread The News!

2011-03-04T06:37:00.000-06:00

Hi all, just had to tell you that I am now a member of Primitive and Folk Artists Etsy Team and Old Farmhouse Gathering.

These are wonderful groups of talented artists that all work together to support and promote each others craft and websites. If you don't already know about them come over and take a look at all the great prim shops.

Also, make sure you sign up for the Give Away, what a JackPot!

Thanks for stopping by.

Grand Opening!

2011-03-01T06:10:00.007-06:00

Today is the Official Launch of the Prim Nest!

Come on by and take a look at all the wonderful things these talented artists have to offer.

One of the thing that I have listed on the Prim Nest and in my Etsy Shop, mysparetimedesigns2, is this cute old fashioned egg carton full of Primitive paper mache eggs, nesting material, a tiny Robin Red Breast and an altered art grungy tag that has a page of sheet music from an old hymnal printed with vintage style graphics of a birds nest and a sweet little bird in an envelope, then the words "Dream Big!" stamped on.

What a cute display for Spring!

Then Tina, from Tattered Sisters,
is haveing another Tuesday Blog Challenge.

So come on over to see what Handmade
items everyone is sharing.

Thanks for stopping by!

It's Crunch Time

2011-02-25T06:22:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry to say that this will be a quick blog post. I have so much to do this weekend that it isn't even funny! You know how you have a deadline and then all kinds of stuff pops up and keeps you from your task? Well I should be the post child for that this weekend.

First Kraft Outlet is having a slamming month {due to all the Spring weddings that are happening}. Then the Prim Nest has its website launch on March 1st {and guess who isn't quite ready?}. Then one of my girlfriend's daughter is having a wedding shower and I need to get the gift and of course I am making her something and it is waiting for the finishing touches, we have a party to go to on Saturday and the best news ever, my son Trey got his first professional job!

He will move to Dallas in two weeks and we have so much to do to get him ready to leave. Add to all of this a celebratory brunch for him on Sunday with his brothers. I'm just tired thinking about it all.

So, today I will make this quick little post and tell you all to keep your fingers crossed that I can get it all finished in time.

Thanks for stopping by.

It's A Blog Link Party!!

2011-02-22T06:56:00.000-06:00

Every morning I visit my favorite Primitive Forums and Communities and then do a little blog hopping just to find out what is going on. Today I went to Prim Mart and found out Tina from Tattered Sisters Primitives was having a blog Link Party. Then I get to A Primitive Journey and Tracy from The Prairie Patch is having one too!

So today I will join in on both of these Link Parties and I hope you will too.

Tina's Challenge is Tattered Crows

Tracy's Link Party is all about Primitives!

Come on and dive right in, I did!

Thanks for stopping by.

It Feels Like Spring!

2011-02-18T07:01:00.006-06:00

The weather is warm and Spring is in the air!

photo curtesy of Bowtoo from Flickr.

We have had great weather all week and it looks like we could get a few showers later today, but I am not letting that squelch the feeling of Spring!

I have been accumulating new things for this years craft season and they have been piling up in my garage for several months. Now that the warm weather is here Mr. MySpareTime can finally get these things out of his domain.

I found a few more things last night when I ran to Hobby Lobby. That is a great shopping center for me, Hobby Lobby, then Dollar Tree and then Goodwill. {a trifecta of crafting stores!}

I didn't hit Dollar Tree last night but here are the things I snagged at Goodwill.

I have so many plans for this weekend and I know that I really need to be productive. March 1st is the launch of the Folk Artist group The Prim Nest and I am sorry to say that I am not ready. I only have to have 4 items on the site, but to tell you the truth it is hard for me to come up with Spring/Easter items. I have all my ideas ready just not started or finished.

One of my biggest faults is that I cannot leave things alone until they look EXACTLY the way I want them. I'm not a girl who SETTLES,{ask Mr. MySpareTime!} and the smallest detail can sometimes set my teeth on edge. As I mentioned, The Prim Nest is getting ready to launch, so a couple of days ago I needed to do all the boring stuff on the site like uploading my banner, writing all the shipping info and policies and getting the administration stuff on my little page ready for the products.

Nothing is as simple as it seems.{read that again out loud!} I thought this will be an easy upload and then I would be off and running. Oh no, the banner{the one above} was too large, so a simple Photoshop session and it will be just great. Oh no, every time I uploaded the darn thing it had white fringe around parts of the banner and that was driving me crazy! So I ended up spending several hours completely redoing that banner {all 27 layers} to take off the shadows and make the thing smaller. Then I thought while I am here I will make my Etsy banner to match, well those darn things are so short that I had to adjust all the layers {again!} to get them all to fit. Well it is done now and I love the way it turned out, but boy what a mess.

Mark your calendars to fly by The Prim Nest and check out the flock!

Thanks for stopping by.

I Won!

2011-02-15T06:29:00.000-06:00

I just had to share the wonderful box of goodies I received from Linda at PrimMart. She posted on that site that she wanted to thank everyone on that community by having a Give-Away. All you had to do was comment on her post and your name was entered in the drawing. Her 2 year old grand baby drew my name. Whoo Hooo!

The box was just full of all these wonderful Spring Easter items. She did a wonderful job on everything and with the weather warming up I can hardly wait to get out the Spring things.

Speaking of warm weather, the temps are back into the 70's and the weather man said we were through with cold weather! Mr. MySpareTime started the annual yard clean up and you know what warm days mean, we can SPRAY PAINT again! Now all those projects that have been piling up in the garage can finally get started. I will post pictures as soon as I get some things finished.

Thanks for stopping by.

What is this?

2011-02-11T07:35:00.001-06:00

Mr. MySpareTime was out on business and when he came back into town he stopped by one of our favorite thrift stores and this is what he found.

I love the way it looks, but I don't really know what it is. He thought it was a table from the 1960's Early American decor phase. I think it might have been a magazine table or maybe just a decorative bench. Back in the '60s your mother's decor was either Early American, Danish Modern or Mish Mash.

My Mom was Mid-Centrury Modern all the way

and Mr. MySpareTime's mom was Early American,

so I will defer to his expert opinion on this one.

When you come from a home where you have an eagle over the fireplace and a wagonwheel lamp in the den, then you have probably seen a table like this.

All I know is that I think it will make a great holiday table!

Thanks for stopping by,

I have a plan!

2011-02-08T12:17:00.001-06:00

Well, kinda. Because of all the icy, cold weather lately Mr. MySpareTime hasn't been able to get outside and prep all the things I need to be working on. I already have four "special" projects just waiting for me to get to them.

I am very blessed that I have a bunch of girlfriends that scour their closets, their favorite junk/antique shops and department stores for things they want me to transform into items for them.

Rhonda wants a matching chair for her other grandson.

Barb just wants these painted with a simple crackle finish and some holly added.{Sorry to say she said do them at your leisure and it has been a year!}

Sharon has a list going.

She brought this chair for an overhaul and then her poor Santa needed a spa day.

I have to say that this is a testament as to how well built Mr. MySpareTime makes our items. This old guy is at least 10 years old and all that is wrong with him is that he is faded and his tree needed some work. We removed his arm to strengthen it and as soon as the temps get into the 50's for a few days I will head out there to get him all spruced up! {I will post a before and after picture when that happens}

Most of these things will be done once the weather warms up and they really shouldn't take too much time, probably a day or two.

But back to my plan.

I have been wanting to take my folk art business in a slightly different direction this year. Due to the huge amount of sales on both Print Me Prim and Kraft Outlet it is impossible for me to make enough product to fill four days of shows.{also, my girlfriends like to come over for preview days}

Each year I try to make a list of all the old tried and true items I will make for the shows and then add at least half of those numbers in new products. Sometimes it is just the same products with a new design or sometimes it is something I have never done before. Here is where the fun creative side runs into the analytical business side. I love to try new things but I also have to make a profit. So my plan was to make about 2/3 of my inventory Christmas/ Santa items, then 1/4 Snowmen and 1/12 in Halloween. As usual I have come up with way too many Halloween ideas. {did I mention we love Halloween around here}

I have a list going in my inspiration book and will be finalizing that list this week. My goal is to be finished with all Halloween items by Easter! I have to come up with my materials list this week and head to Lowe's on Friday. This is a great plan, but I don't think I have ever hit my deadline! {life just gets in the way}

Oh, and take a look at what I got Mr. MySpareTime to snag out of the trash!

Score! A full size solid wood door and a newel post. {He is still a little squeamish about dumpster diving, but he is getting better!}

Better get some work done so that I can work on that list.

Thanks for stopping by,

Cancelled!

2011-02-04T09:33:00.004-06:00

Well as you guessed the road trip to Canton has been cancelled. WE were supposed to get 1"-3" of snow, but all we got was 1/4" sheet of ice! It is a mess, they have closed all the freeways and said it won't get much better until tomorrow.

This is Mr. MySpareTime's car!

And the wimpy little icicles on the side of the house.

Nothing pretty, just a traffic mess.

I was in the winter storm mode yesterday and cooked up a storm. I made chili, and homemade vegetable soup, gluten free German Chocolate Cake and Gluten Free Pizza. Now I have dinners made and I am going to take advantage of the time stuck at home.

I am a great believer in lists and planning. I'm sure this is because it makes me feel like I have some control, but it also gives me peace of mind to see all those little check marks.

So this long cold weekend I will get my "game plan" ready for the new season. One of my problems is that I see so many new things, in magazines, on Etsy, on eBay and on websites, that I want to make. I would say one of my biggest faults is sometimes not being able to reign myself in. I will still be adding things to my product list a week before the first show.

I will use today to catch up on all my other work and then I will make a huge bowl of buttered popcorn and a big Coke and watch a marathon of 1890's movies. Mr. MySpareTime hates those movies, but I'm sure once he gets his fill of weather reports he will find some movie that blows things up and we will both be happy.

Hope you have better weather and thanks for stopping by.

Old Man Winter Has Us On Hold

2011-02-01T08:27:00.001-06:00

It has been warm and balmy here in South Texas for the last few days and I was all excited about this much anticipated trip to First Monday Trade Days in Canton, TX. As most things go when you are trying to plan an outdoor activity the weather throws you a curve ball.

Now I'm from Oklahoma originally and I know that weather can change in a heart beat, but come on, we went from mid-70's on Monday to low-20's tonight! The weather in North East Texas is getting pretty bad, sleet and ice and probable snow. We even have a chance of SNOW here in Houston on Friday morning!

Now I am all for a road trip, and Canton is a fun filled day, but there is nothing in Canton worth freezin my tater's off for. All that junk will be there next time, but it's the "what if" factor that keeps you headin back.

I had my list and I checked it twice, I was ready for a full day of shopping.

Now I checked the weather and Friday in Canton is supposed to be mid-50's! I really don't know what we are going to do, so we are on hold here and probably won't know what we are going to do until Thursday.

I will keep you posted!

Blog Envy

2011-01-28T08:20:00.002-06:00

Do you ever just spend a few hours blog hopping? I don't mean reading the blogs you subscribe to, I mean starting on a blog you like and clicking all the links to blogs that particular blog author likes. Sometimes you find the most wonderful unexpected things in the world. I was hopping the other day and ran across this blog, Southern Fried Momma.

This woman is a hoot!

She has a way of writing that is like so many people that I grew up with. {one being my sister!} They always have a funny story or a weird and wacky spin to their missadventures. I started reading the blog out loud to Mr. MySpareTime and we both were hysterical. I laughed so hard I cried.

Her blog has no crafting tips, no beauty secrets, recipes or advise, she just writes about what is on her mind and boy is she entertaining! Stop by and check her out.

One major thing you notice with your blog hop is how diverse peoples blogs are. There are some that have so much going on that you can hardly read them. I have a thing about music, I used to have it on this blog, but I read an article about music and it made sense to me. A lot of people read blogs at night {maybe they can't sleep} and when the music comes on it scares the crap out of them. I must have a short attention span because I read and click and read some more and that darn music reloads each time. It slows down the whole process and irritates me.

I don't mind advertising on blogs, but it does frost my cookies when it's on the side bars, at the top, in the middle of the posts and I even had one that popped up at the bottom of the blog and scrolled along with me. Come on people, give me a break. I know they say that Google AdSense is great, but this is getting to be too much.

The other thing I notice is what great writers there are out there in cyberland! Now maybe they are not writing the great American novel, but they are writing about fun, interesting, thought provoking, informative things. Blogs are about real people, and I love that. After I have one of these sessions I just feel so inadequate!

Well, enough about my blog envy. I have been getting ready for the trip to Canton and I'm making that list. I thought I better get an idea of what I really wanted and needed and not just come home with my red and black polka dotted shopping cart full of crap I didn't really need.

These trips to "Junker's Nirvana" are full of excitement and anticipation. They are also filled with checking the weather report. It has been warm here in South Texas and next Friday is supposed to be in the Low-50's in Canton. Last night the weather man said a big cold front was headed our way and it could stall out around Northern Texas {well guess where Canton is?} So now I am planning my Junkin outfit. It has to be comfortable, warm, has to go with comfortable shoes and has to go easily under a coat. It will all work out, usually I have on something that would be great for Houston, but in Canton the wind is blowing a gale and I'm freezin, or it is hot and sticky or raining or any mixture of these weather situations.

This is what I hope the weather will be like, but I'm not holding my breath!

Thanks for stopping by.

Check it out!

2011-01-25T07:12:00.004-06:00

I just had to post about the new design team I have working with me over at Kraft Outlet.

For anyone who likes to work with paper crafts and stamps you have to stop by our blog, The Kraft Journal, to see all the wonderful things Beth and her Creative Design Team have come up with using products from our site.

I guess when you craft in one media form you sometimes don't realize all the wonderful things others are creating with different materials. I should never look at these things because it inspires me to try my hand at paper crafting. I have done a little, but nothing like the things these gals have come up with! I guess I thought it was all just scrapbooking, boy was I wrong.

Once a girl friend of mine {who is a bead freak} asked me to join her bead shopping. Well where in the world have I been hiding? We went into this little shop and it was like Dorothy opening the farmhouse door on Munchkinland! All the colors, all the textures, all the new and wonderful things I had never seen! I thought I was a pretty focused crafter, but after 30 minutes in that place I was overwhelmed with all the choices and had to rely on my girlfriends expertise to help me make my selections.

I think it is great to find new crafts, it humbles you, it challenges you and expands your horizon.

Thanks for stopping by,

Take A Look

2011-01-22T09:22:00.001-06:00

Mr. MySpareTime and I had to run errands yesterday and look what we found!

A great little chair, metal cookie cutters, tea kettles and a roll of old tickets.

This stuff he found on a business trip to Austin. I love the metal pitcher and that neat stool!

And this funny little kids stool and a wonderful quilt rack! Watch out Ebay here I come, don't you think an old quilt would be just the ticket for this rack!

We are making a list and checking it twice, because we are headed to Canton for Trade Days in February. {better add an old quilt to that list} If you have never been to First Monday then you need to go. It's huge and there is something there for everyone; antiques, junk, crafts, new stuff, old stuff, crap and carnie food! {and one guy who makes the best darn roasted peanuts} Canton is just a sleepy little town east of Dallas, TX except on Trade Days. Which by the way is held the Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday before the first Monday of every month. We try to go on Fridays because Saturdays can be a booger, too many people, too much traffic and we just like to get a jump on that.

It is going to be cold and rainy here this weekend so I think I will play with some new things I bought at Micheal's the other day. I saw this great idea for journals and found these neat little canvases, so I will pop in a good movie and sequester myself in the workroom. {sounds like a plan}

Thanks for stopping by,

So Excited

2011-01-19T06:23:00.001-06:00

Sorry for this being a day late, yesterday was a huge mess! You know how that is, you start off with a plan and before you know it you are still on the first item of that "To Do" list, just bogged down in details!

That is the beauty of a nights rest; a whole new day, a new chance to get things done and renewed energy! {If I don't open my email I might keep this perspective}

Well, I am so happy to announce that I have been accepted as part of a new Online Primitive Group of Folk Artists and Crafters at

Kelle, over at Pattern Mart and Instant Printables, decided to start this exciting group and I am pleased to be a part of it. This will keep me moving because you have to post something new at least once a month. Her expected launch date will be March 1st, so come on over to the site and join her mailing list to see everything they have to offer.

Tomorrow is Texas State Sales Tax Deadline Day and I am happy to say that chore is behind me and today is going to be spent getting as many orders out as possible. I want to get started on a few new things before my Prim Nest launch.

Thanks for stopping by. See ya,

Just Had To Share

2011-01-14T07:32:00.003-06:00

This has nothing really to do with crafting or junkin or anything like that, but I just had to share a few of the photo's from my niece's wedding. She married the greatest guy and they make a wonderful couple, she is an EMT/Paramedic and he is a Fire Fighter. They met on an ambulance run {how romantic}!

What a great couple!

The beautiful Bride.

Not only is she pretty, she is smart, has a wicked sarcastic sense of humor {wonder where she got that?}, loves people, is so responsible about her life and is a cowgirl Diva at heart!

Here is the aisle runner I painted for the wedding.

All Kyle {the groom} said about the wedding is that he didn't care where it was, as long as he could wear flip flops! Well here they are! {too cute}

My sister, Nanette has so much to be proud of. Two wonderful daughters that have great husbands and now she will be a grandmother in June! {spoiler - It's A Boy}

After all these wedding photos I do have a confession to make. I have found a blog that I have spent way to much time on this last week.

Junk Salvation!

You have to take a peek at all the wonderful things these two crazy sisters have to offer.

Have to run, I am headed to Wally World before the day really gets crazy.

See you next time.

Look What We Found

2011-01-11T06:34:00.005-06:00

Last Friday was a big success. We hit all the usual places and came away with several things.

A chair and two lamps that I think will become Santa heads.

This funny Santa head pot, that I can just see a Prim Christmas tree in {after I grungy the face, too garish}.

And the big find of the day, a dulcimer, what a find! It still has four strings and makes noise {I wouldn't call it music}. Don't know what I will do with this yet, but I know it will come to me.

Well, better hop over to my other site Kraft Outlet , I am working with a new creative design team and they gave me a long list of items they would like to see on my site, so over the holidays I placed orders for many new items. We are now a distributor for 7Gypsies products!

When the two huge boxes arrived yesterday I wanted to stop what I was doing and play with all the new things. They have such unusual products and a distinctive style {sort of like My Spare Time Designs!} We will be getting in many more new things soon, like some really cool rubber stamps, twill tapes and a great line of books for inspiration. I have about 25 new items to add to the site so better get started. Mr. MySpareTime is headed out of town for the rest of the week so I will have plenty of time to get things done {or at least that is the plan}!

New Year's Resolution

2011-01-07T06:53:00.003-06:00

Today is Friday and one of my New Year's Resolutions is to make time for Mr. MySpareTime and myself. We have worked so hard getting our three craft businesses successful that sometimes there just isn't enough time for FUN! After raising 3 sons {and thank goodness they are almost grown}, I have decided this year is all about ME! I sometimes feel like I get lost in the shuffle.

So today Mr. MySpareTime and I are going junkin. We have declared Friday as "Fend For Yourself Friday". We are going to take 1/2 day, every other Friday to do what we want; hit all the Goodwill stores, Habitat for Humanity ReStore , thrift shops and anyplace else that strikes our fancy. We might even go wild and go to a movie {if we could find one that we want to see}. On one of these Fridays we are already planning our first trip of the season to Canton, Texas Trade Days.

It almost feels like playing hooky. You know that feeling, part excitement, part guilt, part freedom and part fear! You want to go, but you have responsibilities. You need to go and take a break, but you should really be getting things done. Well, I am going hog wild and making a break for it. I have things I could and should be doing, but I am heading out of here at 12:30pm today with no regrets! I will not answer the phone or check email, I will run with scissors and throw caution to the wind {well that sounds good, but I am not too wild}.

I have to look at this realistically, I have to collect new items for My Spare Time Designs or there will not be anything at the craft shows. I am really working {even if it feels like fun}. So I will post pictures on Tuesday of all the new things we find today, so wish me luck!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-05T08:18:00.004-06:00

I'm back and already I'm a day late!

So many things have been going on around here and it just hit me, when I saw the last blog post, that it has been 2 months since I last posted. I am back on the Tuesday {except for today} and Friday posting schedule. Many changes have been made in the last two months, but I promise to share regularly all the things that I am working on in My Spare Time!

First, you might notice a few changes here on the blog. I have switched over my website to this blog and will be using this space as my website. Didn't seem like a good use of time to have a site and a blog when the site was never updated. My Spare Time Designs is moving in a new direction and we will be focusing on the unique, one of a kind items that my customers seem to love. I love to create, but when it comes to mass production {even if it was just 5-6 of each} it is a BORE! So join us here and become a Craft Junkie!

Second, the look of the blog is a little different. Because I switched my blog over to a commercial blog I could no longer use the blog graphics that I was using{no CU on graphics from the Shabby Princess} . I really liked the look and thought the graphics gave the perfect feel to My Spare Time Designs blog. Well after a Google search I found Shabby Miss Jenn Designs and fell in love with her graphics! She gives you the rights to use any of her graphics on your blogs as long as you buy the graphics and you do the work, {NO file sharing}. So I used her wonderful graphics to make this custom blog set just for ME!! Love the way it turned out.

Third, {now hold on to your hats} I have made a Facebook and Twitter page for My Spare Time Designs! I know I posted a whole thing about not wanting to be so technically connected, but I have made it a New Year's Resolution to learn to do both. So click on the buttons to the right and become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. You can also get us as an RSS Feed and be notified of all the goings on here at My Spare Time Designs. Now remember that I am knew to this, so don't expect too much!

Fourth, after a lot of thought I have decided not to participate in the Champion Forest Baptist Church, Winter Wonderland Market this year. The show is wonderful and well run, the people there couldn't be nicer and I have always done well there, but I'm sorry to say that I will not apply this spring. I have come to a place in my Folk Art where I cannot produce enough product to supply four days of sales. The Northampton Spirit of the Holidays Marketplace and the Judy Dierker Craft Classic at the Foundry UMC are the only shows I will be doing this coming season.{I will keep you updated about these shows} So mark your calendars for these two shows in October, you can see my schedule posted on the right.

So with all these changes being made and my other two websites, you can understand why I took off two months to get some house cleaning{both mentally and physically} done. Thanks for following along on the tales of an Online Primitive Crafter.

Eye Candy!

2010-10-29T11:30:00.000-05:00

I have a very good friend, Barb, that has the most wonderful collection of Primitive Halloween things, that I just had to share them with you. She was gracious enough to let me take a few pictures of her beautiful home, so here they are.

Everywhere you look there is something wonderful!

A crow in a purple Witches hat watching the candy bowl.

{how cute is that!}

A beautiful needle punch box that Barb made.

Wool felt and hooked pillows.

Halloween Penny Rugs and Jack-O-Lanterns.

Buzzards, pumpkins and crows, Oh my.

{I even spied one of my Skeleton Keys in her collection}

A huge assortment of charming folk art Jacks.

And you should see this at night, all the happy faces glowing in the shadows!

Her breakfast room is full of treasures, and this

black hutch is brimming with wonderful things to peek at.

Small chairs full of pillows

{two of those look familiar}

Her Salem witch and the cutest vulture you will ever see.

If you think these are great, you should see her Christmas decor. I am very lucky to have a great group of friends that do not mind me invading their homes with my camera. Names were changed to protect the innocent!

{not really but that sounded good}

Thanks Barb for letting me share your wonderful collection of jolly Halloween ghosties and ghoulies and long legged beasties and things that go bump in the night!

The Judy Dierker Craft Classic

2010-10-18T06:50:00.002-05:00

The second craft show is over and behind me and what a great show we had! Mr. MySpareTime just had to have a new mini video camera and take a look at this video. {see below this post} The darn camera is the size of a cell phone and I think it took great pictures.

Mr. MySpareTime apologizes for panning a little fast, but he is still getting the hang of it. This is what the booth looked like Friday night right after we set up. By Saturday at 4pm all we had left were the walls, one snowman, one Santa and 2 little pumpkins! We had a great show and we want to thank all our wonderful customers for making this show season the best one we've ever had.

So many of our customers have become our friends, Kim and Ellen, Susan and Bridget and too many to list. We love to see you each season and truly appreciate your support.

Our last show is the Champion Forest Baptist Church on Nov. 5th & 6th. We have our same booth and love doing this show. It has over 200 vendors and they do a fantastic job running this event. I have 17 days to regroup. I have already found a few new things to work on and many things half finished that will be at this show.

Well, better get to work, I have tons of orders on Print Me Prim and Kraft Outlet to catch up on and then I will be working into the night getting all the things finished for this last show.

2010-10-18T06:31:00.002-05:00

One Down, Two to Go!

2010-10-14T06:58:00.002-05:00

Well, the first craft show of the season is over and done and it was a huge success. Thanks to all my wonderful customers and friends who support my crafting addiction.

Here are a few pictures of our booth at the Northampton Spirit of the Holidays Marketplace. This is our neighborhood show that is sponsored by the Northampton Home and Garden Club. I am the vendor coordinator for this show, and this year we had over 50 vendors. We raise money to fund college scholarships for art students at Klein Oak High School. Each year we have given away at least 3 scholarships.

Mr. MySpareTime has a new toy, a tiny little video camera. He is still learning how to use it and once he gets all the kinks worked out we will post some video.

This will be my only post this week, I need to get a few things completed before the Saturday show and I have been slammed with orders online. Never complain about sales, but boy would I like a day off! Oh the fantasy of sleeping in {7:30 am for me}, doing something fun {hanging out in Barnes and Nobles} and going out to a restaurant for dinner {no Taco Bueno or scrambled eggs}!

Knock, Knock, Wake up that was a dream!

Back to reality and my crazy crafting world of computers and glue guns.

Up To My Eyeballs!

2010-10-05T07:32:00.000-05:00

The first craft show is speeding toward me like an out of control train and strangely enough I am pretty calm! Maybe I have finally lost my mind. I am not completely finished with things for the first show, but you know it will all come together somehow!

My sister and brother-in-law are in town and yesterday we spent all day working on the finishing touches of my niece's wedding. They are getting married over the Thanksgiving weekend and I know the wedding will be beautiful.

My sister's oldest daughter got married several years back and it was a lush fall wedding, full of coppers and pumpkins, grapevine accents and wheat. What a perfect day; cool and crisp, bright sun and the true feeling of Autumn. They were married in front of a large set of arched windows over looking rolling hills and just as they were starting the vows, off in the distance a beautiful horse came running over those hills and it looked like something out of a movie.

I know my sister will do the same for this Winter Wonderland wedding she is working on. She has worked so hard on this and I know it will be breath taking.

Sorry no pictures today, I just don't have the time to take any and post them. I will miss Friday too, that is set up and I have a full day.

Special Order

2010-10-01T06:49:00.000-05:00

I just love special orders, especially when they are from my two friends Sharon and Barb. They just bring me a little treasure they have found and say "Work your magic"! Boy what freedom, to be able to do anything I can think up. What trust!

I forgot to get a before picture of this cute little clock that Sharon dropped off last week. She said she was cleaning out a closet and getting things ready for Goodwill and saw this clock and thought I could do something with it. Well here it is.

A wonderful Halloween Clock!

The right side,

the left side,

the top

and the front, again.

Did you notice the small bat on the second hand? I cut that little bat out of card stock and glued it to the second hand, he flies around the clock face!

I loved how this turned out and wanted to keep it for myself. I told her a masked man had stormed into my house and demanded the clock, but she didn't buy that! So, it has gone to live at Sharon's house, maybe she will give me visitation rights?

It is crunch time here and the first craft show is coming at an alarming speed. Still have a bunch of things to finish {and start}, but what's a girl to do? I think I will be Scarlet O'Hara today and just say "Tomorrow is another day!"

When It Rains...

2010-09-28T06:50:00.003-05:00

It Pours! And baby I could build an Ark!

There are only 11 days until my first craft show and the final push is on! I am trying to get as many things done as possible because my shows start October 9th and my sister is coming for a visit this Sunday. We have many things to do before her daughters wedding and this is going to be a working visit as well as play. She is bringing her husband, Dan and that will give Mr. MySpareTime a playmate! They have a long list of HoneyDo's to work on while my sister and I shop and craft. It works for me!

When you would really like to spend time crafting is the exact time everyone wants to place an order on one of my websites. It seems like 10 orders come in every night and my email box is full of special requests. I know I shouldn't complain, but that is something I do very well!

Here are some of the things finished recently.

An old tea kettle,

A prim paper mache' Santa,

A cute snowman tray,

And a vintage recipe box, it says Holiday Memories on the box and I included matching cards. I thought it would be great to give each person in your family a card and let them write down their favorite Holiday Memory, then you would have a collection.

I am working on chairs these last few days and will finish today. Better get back to work, October 9th will be here before you know it!

Heads Up!

2010-09-24T06:33:00.001-05:00

My oldest son is going to California today for some additional IT education and certifications and this will be his first big trip alone. He is going just north of San Francisco and will be there 10 days. We are very excited for him, but wish that he could have more time to really enjoy the area. San Francisco is one of my all time favorite places to visit and I wish I was going with him. But I transgress, the reason I need to post today is he is taking my camera. {guess I know what the boy should get for Christmas}.

I know I posted a picture of the old vintage Canadian baby sled Mr. MySpareTime found at Habitat For Humanity. It was in great shape, but honestly who the heck needs a baby sled in South Texas? Sooo, here it is all painted and stained and ready for someone to enjoy.

I have a vintage one of these and use it to display some primitive Santa's on my coffee table during the holidays.

I love the saying that I painted around the sled!

So I will talk to you later, I have a few shirts to iron
{for you know who!}
before I get my day started.

Oops!

2010-09-21T08:20:00.001-05:00

Ever have one of those days? Sometimes it feels like everything is going great and all things are aligned with the universe and then something happens. Now this is not the end of the world, I was rocking right along getting things painted and in my over zealous crafting I painted a large wooden bowl that was not ready for paint. All of my items are base coated and then lightly sanded before I paint on them. Then after the paint has dried all wooden items are either stained or waxed.

Well you can see for yourself what happens when things get out of sequence.

I never should have painted on a piece that wasn't already sanded. Mr. MySpareTime gave it a light sanding and boy did it do a number on the paint job.

Totally my fault!

{there dear, you have it in writting}

Lesson learned, always check your paint surfaces before you spend a good hour on a piece.

But all is not lost, I just had to touch up the painted areas that got the worst of it and then once that paint had dried we decided to poly coat it. {better safe than sorry!}

Once again Santa has a white, not black speckled, beard!

Time is drawing near for the first show, so back to the grind stone!

Update!

2010-09-17T09:32:00.002-05:00

Last month I posted a picture of a vintage school desk that Mr. MySpareTime found, well here it is finished!

I love the way it turned out and it is very comfortable to sit on.

The days are all starting to run together, but I am really starting to push out the product. Sometimes when those creative juices start flowing you can really get a lot accomplished.

I have planned to get as many of the big items finished this weekend as possible. Then I will concentrate on all the small stuff that still needs to be finished.

Here is a preview of things that will be at my first show October 9th. That is if my girlfriends leave anything behind, they all like to come to preview my stash and dig through the shelves and tubs to find a treasure.

A funky little chair, maybe for a hobbit!

A few wooden stools,

A dolls table and chairs,

A cute accent chair and

A curb alert! Found in the garbage on trash day.

Very old and loved (except for being left in the trash part).

Better get back to the grind stone, I have my work cut out for me!

25 Days and Counting!

2010-09-14T06:20:00.001-05:00

Just under one month and My Spare Time Designs has kicked into high gear.

I am working on all the unfinished pieces that have been in my game room for months.

I realized I never posted pictures of the finished pieces, so here are a few of the Fall things I have finished.

I only have two shows before Halloween so I only make a few Fall items.

I love this time of year!

For the next 3 weeks I will be spending every spare minute getting my show items ready.

It is always amazing how it takes a full year to get enough items to do my shows and then it takes just 4 days to sell them all.

Thanks to all my customers, we truly appreciate you!

This Is A First

2010-09-09T18:52:00.001-05:00

Things have been so crazy around here that I haven't had a minute to do anything. Mr. MySpareTime is out of town tonight and I thought I would post those pictures of my fall decor. I don't think I have ever post twice in one day!

Here are those awesome plates I made that look so creepy! I will post a tutorial on Kraft Outlet's blog, The Kraft Journal, on how to make these decorative only plates. We sell the decal paper and the graphics are courtesy of Graphics Fairy.

I especially like the brain!

And here is a painting I did for my dining room.

Want to see more of my Fall Decor?

Here is a slide show.

Fast Forward

2010-09-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

Remember two posts ago I showed you a great chair Mr. MySpareTime found for 5 bucks? (just scroll down a little and you will see the chair) When I posted that I said it had my name on it and boy howdy did it! Take a look.

I loved how it turned out. I saw the seat design on a needle punch that someone had and I took my inspiration from that. I wish I knew who the designer was so that I could leave them credit, but I just love how it turned out.

It sits in my entry along with my good witch, pumpkins and black birds over head on the crown molding rail.

I was really ready to put up my Fall and Halloween decorations, so Mr. MySpareTime and I took some time to get that done. I will post a slide show (when I get a minute) and let you see all the treasures I found for this Autumn!

Got to run, Garden Club meeting in a few minutes. We should really change the name of our women's organization, we do great charity work for our community, but we really should be named the Northampton Ladies Who Lunch and Shop! We never pass up a meal (or snacks or refreshments or samples) and we always find a place to shop on our road trips. Today is our Welcome Back Brunch (see a pattern here?) and it is a great time to catch up with everyone. Happy Fall Y'all!

Just Wanted You To Know!

2010-09-03T08:03:00.002-05:00

As some of you know I own the website KraftOutlet.com. We sell paper, cardstock, tags and all kinds of cool stuff for the DIY crafter.

About a week ago a lady contacted me on Etsy and said that she worked as a guest designer for people and that she would love to work with Kraft Outlet. Well after a few convos we decided this would be great for both of us.

Kraft Outlet would like to welcome Tifany from Ink Blots by TRD as the guest designer for the month of September. Here is the first project she has created using our Buff/Ivory Cardstock and Blank Lunch Bag Kraft Notecards. What a great card, I love the bright green and brown kraft together and the buff ivory cardstock gives it a little polish!

She will be doing a project each week using our products and there will even be a tutorial! So stop by
The Kraft Journal and take a look at all the new things Tifany will be creating.

It seems like summer has flown by and it is hard to believe that Labor Day is here. I hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday weekend. If you come looking for me I will have my fanny parking in the swimming pool, sipping on a long cool drink and waiting for the Bar-B-Que to be ready!

This One Has My Name On It!

2010-08-31T20:08:00.003-05:00

Is there such a thing as Junkers Anonymous? Well if there is, my husband might need a 12 step program. At first I couldn't get him to even slow down at a junk pile and God forbid I wanted to stop in at Goodwill while he was with me; now he hits Habitat For Humanity in every town he visits on business.

He brought home this baby and it has my name written all over it!

I knew the minute I saw it's country charm that it would be a Halloween chair!

Wait till you see what I have in store for it. I am chomping at the bit to bring out the Fall decor so this will jump start Autumn in my house.

Take a look at this price.

$5.00 is his favorite price (next to free)

Now I don't want to call my husband cheap, but he's tighter than skin on a grape! He loves a great deal.

I have so many girl friends that walk early in the morning and I am on speed dial for Curb Alerts. Today a friend emailed and said she had drug home two children's chairs and they were on her front porch waiting for me. When I got there they were very heavy and she had to carry those all the way back to her house.

Boy do I have good friends!

I Have Created A Monster!

2010-08-27T07:40:00.000-05:00

Mr. MySpareTime has turned into a Picker! He has fully embraced the Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity stores. He gets a real rush out of finding something that is one of a kind. Take a look at his new find.

A vintage school desk chair!

And check out the price tag!

That's right, only $5!!! What a score.

The man was giddy with excitement over this find, I will post later when I get it finished.

God help us if he ever overcomes his fear of what people will say if they see him digging through a trash pile!

First Meeting!

2010-08-24T08:31:00.001-05:00

The first meeting of the Houston Chapter of A Primitive Journey was this last Saturday. As director I am in charge of getting all the members together on the third Saturday of each month for something fun. I guess the state of Texas is not the hot bed of Primitive decor. As of Saturday, I am the only member signed up for this chapter, so taking things into my own hands I decided to do some recruiting.

Mr. MySpareTime and I are members of a Supper Club and three of the women in that group are Prim Lovers. Our August dinner was this last Saturday at the home of Sharon and Bob Oakes and I took this opportunity to tell my friends about A Primitive Journey and our group. I also wanted to see the improvements Bob and Sharon had made to their home since Hurricane Ike put a few trees in their living room. Here are a few pictures of the beautiful prim displays Sharon has around her home and the wonderful appetizers she had prepared.

Sharon and Bob had to move out of their home for several months while work was being done to repair the extensive damage done by the storm and Sharon says she has still not gotten all of her things back in place.

Thank you Bob and Sharon for letting me share a small tour of your beautiful home.

If you live in the greater Houston, Texas area and would like to join A Primitive Journey Chapter, just hop on over to A Primitive Journey Forum and sign up.

Must Be The Heat!

2010-08-17T09:04:00.000-05:00

It seems like summer has been here in South Texas for months and months and months. The temps are in the very high 90's with about 90% humidity. The other night we had a heat advisory AT NIGHT!! At 10pm the temps were still in the 90's. So working outside in my garage to finish the remaining items has been a challenge.

I finished all the snowmen and all I have left are the Santa's. There are 40 left to finish and if I push hard I will have them all finished, tagged, priced and ready to go by the end of August. Mr. MySpareTime finds satisfaction is that number. I must admit it is like pulling teeth to get me outside, but I find if I get out there very early in the morning I almost enjoy it.

As you can see the room is filling up!

I mentioned before that my youngest son was going to make private label potpourri and room sprays for my craft shows, well all the supplies arrived and I can hardly wait to see the finished product. Here are a few of the mixins we got from Sammye at Prim By Design.

They look real and smell like a real cinnamon bun!
Thanks Sammye for all your hard work, I love them. I can tell you I was worried about shipping in all this heat. So stay cool and I will talk to you on Friday.

Hallelujah!

2010-08-10T17:19:00.002-05:00

There is light at the end of the tunnel!

I have not gotten much done this past weekend because my oldest son, Trey, graduated from Sam Houston State University. Mr. MySpareTime and I are so proud of him and I know he is too. My sister and her husband came for a long weekend and we all made the trip to see the big event. I know he is so relieved to be finished but he is freaking out now that he is no longer a student. Instead of a student he is just un-employed!

I don't know which one of us is happier!

One son down and two more to go.

Guess I will have to work overtime to get caught up with everything.

Mish Mash

2010-08-06T07:32:00.004-05:00

Today is going to be a very busy day for me. My oldest son, Trey, is graduating from college this weekend and my sister and her husband are coming for a long weekend. I have a million, OK maybe a slight exaggeration, but a laundry list of things to do before they arrive. As a matter of fact I have had this list going all week. Mr. MySpareTime has been gone on business since Tuesday morning and is due to arrive here in Houston in about 3 hours. He had better hit the ground running because I have a list for him too! One of the things on that list is straighten up my game room/studio/craft show storage. I need the room for people to sleep, we will have a full house for the weekend. I must admit I have let the work area go!

Between the cleaning, yard work, filling orders, ordering new product for Kraft Outlet and general living, I broke my little toe. Oh I knew I had broken it the minute it got caught on the leg of my family room wing back chair. Boy did it hurt, I was hopping around the room and thinking many bad words. It has really thrown me for a loop, I will now have to wear flip flop sandals to graduation! This minor mishap has made that list a little harder to achieve.

You know your feet sure look fat and oddly shaped when you take a close up picture! It actually looks better in this picture, but still swollen and painful.

I wish my mom was here to see Trey graduate. She flew to Houston to be with him for his first day of Kindergarten and then surprised him and his brothers with lunch at McDonald's. I asked him if he would like to go for a Happy Meal today to make school a full circle, but he said it wouldn't be the same without Nana.

Cutting is Through!

2010-08-03T07:51:00.001-05:00

I can see light at the end of the tunnel!

This weekend we finished cutting, sanding, painting, scuffing, sanding(2) and assembling all the wood items for the fall shows.

I now have to add all the accessories to them and
then they are ready to go!

It has been around 106 degrees heat index here and it sure takes it out of you to work outside in that heat. But they will get finished in the next week or so.

P.S. ~ just wanted to share with you a great place I found for potpourri.

Mari at Rachel's Potpourri is great and her potpourri is fantastic, stop by and see the great selection and wonderful prices she has to offer.

Pallet Make-Over

2010-07-29T19:00:00.001-05:00

Take a look at this transformation!

Before - old shipping pallets left in a dumpster.

After - Santa's Shipping Crate.

We cut the crate up and threw away the side supports, then screwed the sides and bottom together to

form a 12" x 24" crate, painted it Fire Engine Red and painted the letters.

Topped it off with a coat of dark stain.

This will be great for display at the craft shows and because it turned out so cute, I will be making a few to sell. Wouldn't this be cute on your kitchen counter with candy jars in it or maybe on Christmas morning filled with assorted coffee mugs and a steaming pot of coffee!

I don't get it!

2010-07-26T17:10:00.001-05:00

Do you Tweet?

Do you post your latest creations on Flickr?

Do you constantly update your Facebook wall?

Well I don't!

(OK, I said it and I can hear your gasp from here!)

I know I should, or at least that is what every crafting business blog post and online article says I should be doing. I get bombarded by Etsy's weekly newsletters and forum posts telling me how Social Networking is the only way to get my products noticed, and that you really should, no let me change that to must, do all this to keep people informed of your every move.

GET OVER IT!

Here is a news flash! You and I are not that important. People are not hanging on every word I speak or thought I think, so why would I Tweet? I like real people and real conversations, so why would I want to just post a random blurb on my Facebook Wall? I want to connect with the people who read my blog or buy my things. I find inspiration in human contact and honestly who has that much to say about themselves!

Do you remember what it was like when you were young and your parents didn't seem to be able to do anything with technology? They didn't seem to understand cable TV, or how to program a VCR and God forbid the electricity would go out and they needed help resetting everything. (My in-laws thought if they hid the remote control to the television no one could steal it because they wouldn't be able to turn it on!)

I'm not that bad, but I must confess I don't know how to use my cell phone to it's fullest and I don't even have a "smart" phone and more than once I have told someone that I don't know my own cell phone number. I'm not afraid of technology, I just want to un-plug from a few things! I want to be free from Tweets, Facebook updates, text messages and email. Being disconnected is wonderful, I love running with scissors and working without a net, this is true relaxation!

But I will drag myself into this century and find the balance between Social Networking and being Social. I am going to make a big effort to learn how to use Facebook efficiently and learn my cell phone number! Tell me how you navigate social networking. Where do you find the right balance and what are some of your best tricks on how to stay in touch.

So someday I can say "follow me" on:

Fast and Easy Fix

2010-07-23T06:52:00.000-05:00

I told you I would be back on Friday and here I am to share with you our newest re-do.

We found this great sofa table at Goodwill for only $5.99!

It had great bones but the side rails were missing and it was a little wobbly.

And now it is a beautiful addition to my craft show set-up.

It is amazing what a little black spray paint, some sandpaper and paste wax can do!

Mr. MySpareTime added the leg supports and that fixed the wobble, he sprayed the legs black, sanded the edges for a time worn look and then finished it off with a good coat of paste wax and a good buff. (He left the top the natural stain) Bet someone tries to buy this at the first show!

Talk to you on Tuesday.

Scored!

2010-07-22T17:48:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, Mr. MySpareTime said that we needed a break from all the websites, blogs, craft show stuff and kids, and that we need a day to play. We headed out for lunch and a treasure hunt! I had several things in mind that I wanted to look for and this was the perfect opportunity to find them. I needed small odd shaped bottles for a big Christmas gift for my Santa Exchange. Usually I just tell Mr. MySpareTime what I want and he goes into "scanning mode" and comes up with some great things. Well today was no different!

Our first SCORE were these humble (and obviously dirty) vintage Christmas glasses.

There is a long story behind these glasses and they have a special place at my holiday table. Many years ago, 28 to be exact, Arby's was giving these away if you bought their breakfast sandwich. I didn't eat breakfast sandwiches, but I wanted these glasses. So my dear brother-in-law, Dan, ate an Arby's breakfast sandwich every morning for 8 days to get me those glasses as my Christmas gift, and these Arby's glasses have been on my Christmas table ever since. Well, when we all had kids and they grew up and were able to eat that the "Big" table I needed more glasses. I searched EBay and found 4 more and the tradition continued. Well fast forward to yesterday, and we were in Goodwill and Mr. MySpareTime brought them over to me and knew they were destined for our house. All of the kids are now grown; some have married and some have girlfriends, but I have enough glasses for everyone!

Here are a few more of the assorted things I found!

Just "stuff" to use in my crafts, or for Halloween decorating. I am consumed with Halloween right now, well to be honest I have been all summer. I caught the bug when I found a vintage Ouija Board on EBay and had to have it. Many of these treasures will show up in later posts transformed into something else (except the olive boat - I lost mine and found this one for $2)

I have so much more to show you but I will save that for Friday. Okay, I know that is tomorrow, but I hear a glass of wine calling my name and I must heed the call.

Talk to you on Friday.

I Have News!

2010-07-16T07:17:00.002-05:00

If you love Primitives and are a primitive crafter, customer or just love talking about Prims then A Primitive Journey Community is the place for you.

This community is full of wonderful women who all have things in common. There are wonderful tutorials, informative crafting information, links to wonderful sites and super friendly members who welcome you with open arms. Diane, from A Primitive Journey, has come up with a great idea, Primitive Chapters all over the country. Each Chapter will meet the 3rd Saturday of every month, each meeting will be planned by a different member of that particular chapter on a rotating basis, meetings can include primitive shopping, antique shopping, going out for lunch as a group, crafting day, crafting classes etc... whatever you can come up with that is FUN and agreed upon by your members.

The chapters are intended to bring together like minded gals, for friendship, crafting, learning and networking, but you have to be a member of the Primitive Journey Community to join. So hop on over to the Community and sign up, then let Diane know you are interested in joining a chapter and then let the fun begin!

In an earlier post I showed you the cabinet I found at Goodwill.

Well take a look at that baby now!

What a perfect piece for display in my booth.

All the displays in my booth are primitive black. I think it makes the things inside pop out. Mr. MySpareTime fixed the wobble in it and then I painted it and added the vintage style glass knobs. The cabinet was $29 at Goodwill, the Kilz base coat paint was $25, black paint was free (used it on my office desk) and I already had the knobs from something I took apart! I don't think I could have found a piece any better for under $55! You watch someone will try and buy it at the craft shows.

Well better get to work, have a long weekend ahead of me. Thanks for stopping by, talk to you on Tuesday.

Buried Alive!

2010-07-13T06:46:00.000-05:00

Do you ever feel like the more you work the more behind you become? A couple of weeks ago I felt like I was so far behind on painting that I would never be ready for my first show. (That darn little widget on the right hand side of my blog is taunting me!) So for over a month now, I have been really trying to get a regular painting schedule.

A few days ago I thought, boy I'm tearing right through this stuff and then the next day didn't hardly get anything accomplished. I guess even though you work on several things if they are not completed you don't feel like you have gotten much done. Like I've mentioned before, I like to work on several pieces at one time, that eliminates the wait for drying. So the studio is filling up with almost finished Santa's and Snowmen and the game room is starting to have almost as many finished pieces and unfinished pieces, but the work continues.

And who could get any work done with this little friend hanging around? My husband calls him Mr. Stinky but that cat has him wrapped around his paw, he is a real people cat.

I also wanted to show you all the cutest things ever. I love Halloween and have been hitting Etsy pretty hard lately. I found this wonderful Etsy Shop, Northwind Star, that has such great things and at such reasonable prices. The first thing I bought was "Buzzy" her wonderful buzzard.

Then Buzzy needed friends, so I got three of her fantastic bats.

And to save on shipping (wink,wink) I added something else to my shopping cart.

I thought this wonderful cornucopia would be perfect all through the Fall season.

You know right now Fall seems a long way off, but I put up my Fall decor around the first of September, that is only 49 days. EEK! I better get off here and head back over to Etsy, I had my eye on some adorable Black Cat Ornies!

Talk to you on Friday.

Back to Work!

2010-07-06T09:34:00.001-05:00

Well, the holiday is over and time to get back to work. The 4th of July was kind of a bust here in South Texas, it rained very hard all day on Saturday and finally cleared up late Saturday evening. It has been so very hot here and that coupled with all the rain made for the perfect sauna, so most folks stayed inside and that included me!

I had a goal for myself, and as usual I didn't quite make it. I think I have my target set to high, but if you don't aim high you never get anywhere! I have all my large wooden Fall and Snowmen cut, painted and assembled. Now I need to finish about half of them and I will be able to put those things behind me and move on to Santa's. We got two sets of the Santa's cut and sanded this last weekend and have about 12 more sets to go! I was hoping to get all the Fall and Snowmen completed by the 4th, but came close.

Well in my "Spare Time" I thought that I wanted to add handmade potpourri, room sprays and primitive tin can soy candles to my craft shows and website. My husband said "Absolutely NO! I was already spread too thin and I couldn't take on anything more right now". But I know they would be a great seller at the shows and I already knew what I wanted, my only problem was finding the time to do it. Well ask and you shall receive! I was talking about it at the dinner table and my youngest son, Graham and his girlfriend, Ashley, were there. I just asked in passing would you all be interested in starting a small craft business and make the coordinating room sprays, potpourri and soy candles for me. They jumped at the chance. Problem solved! Now I have my youngest son in the craft business.

Mr. MySpareTime always says I think to much about stuff, but I don't like surprises and I just want to be prepared. So along with all the other things going on this weekend I got to thinking about my craft booth. I have always been very proud of the way our booth looks at shows and feel like we go the extra mile to make our displays look inviting.

And now with the addition of many more small items and the room sprays, candles and such I needed a new display. I don't like my things to be expensive or store bought, I like for them to be upcycled items that we find or purchase at thrift stores or garage sales. I knew exactly what I wanted but was having a hard time describing it to my husband, head of the production department. I needed to run some errands yesterday and look what was waiting on me at Goodwill! Score!!!

This is just what I wanted! It needs some fixin up, but nothing big, just a little trim and some paint and it will be good to go. What a perfect addition to my set up. It has space for the stuff I am getting from Graham and Ashley and extra display space on top and doors to open and display handpainted holiday tea towels and maybe inside a place for pillows and such. I will keep you posted as to the transformation.

Well better get busy around here, got a lot of orders over the three day weekend and need to start on that.

Talk to you Friday.

Featured Crafter!

2010-07-02T11:11:00.000-05:00

Hey, just wanted to let you all know that one of the websites I own, Kraft Outlet, has been named the Featured Crafter at Honey Creek Market.

Stop on over and check out the advertising opportunities that Kristie has to offer.

At Kraft Outlet we sell all kinds of Kraft Paper products for the artist, crafter and small businesses.

I am headed to the garage to stain about 25 items I have ready. I try to do all that messy work at one time. We are having rain today, leftovers from that hurricane, so it will probably take forever for this stuff to dry.

I will talk to you all on Tuesday!

Spreading the Word

2010-06-30T13:20:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone, head on over to my friend Willa's blog, The Old Cupboard Door, and see what she is giving away. Willa is a very talented painter and comes up with the cutest stuff ever! If you follow her blog and make a comment on her give away, then you are entered to WIN this wonderful spoon.

Who wouldn't want to win this? I've already left a comment, so I hope I win!

I've been so busy making things that I haven't had time to take any pictures. I will get that done by Friday, so talk to you then.

I'm Back

2010-06-25T14:54:00.000-05:00

Told you I would be back today. I am in a much better mood after venting about the crazy customer.
So I had seen some pictures of fake caramel apples and I thought these would be great in my kitchen for Fall. I asked the gals over at PrimMart if they knew of a tutorial on how to make these. Well true to form, those women gave me several sources to pick from. I liked this one best because it seemed simple and looked so real! Who could guess they are Modge Podge and Hampster Bedding!

Check out the neat tutorial at Dragonfly Treasures.

After I got them finished I thought I would make a few and sell at the fall craft shows.

Who wouldn't like one of these?

I have a ton of things almost finished and I will be busy all weekend so talk to you Tuesday.

Mad, Mad, Mad!

2010-06-25T09:19:00.001-05:00

I should have posted on Tuesday but I was so mad I just couldn't see straight! Sorry if I am ranting,
but just needed to get this off my chest.

I have known for a long time that when you deal with the public you get all kinds of reactions to the work you do. I think that I am pretty tough and don't take the comments to heart or let it get under my skin, but this women has stepped over the line with me and I am astonished by the gall of some people.

As some of you know I am the owner of the website Kraft Outlet. We sell paper, envelopes, labels and grungy hang tags to many customers all over the world. I had gotten a phone call about 2 months ago telling me she had purchased some grungy tags from Kraft Outlet back in mid 2009. (Now that is before I became the owner of Kraft Out). She told me the tags hole protector had come loose on all the tags and want to be assured that this would not happen with this batch of tags. I assured her it wouldn't and she place a nice order for the tags. I hand make each tag and am always surprised at how different each batch comes out. As we all know handmade items have variations and differences. I shipped her order and never heard any complaints, or praise, back from the customer.

Last month the same customer places a sizable order for more tags and I make and ship the tags to her. Monday, almost a full month from the time she received the tags, I get a nasty phone call from the woman. She says she is calling to tell me that these are not the same tags. I questioned her, did I make the wrong size or what? No, they were the right size, but they didn't look like the first batch of tags I had sent her. I told her that hand made items never look exactly the same and that I had made this group of tags exactly as the other ones, but that I had no control over how the paper takes the stain. She kept telling me she was a small business owner and that the only reason she was calling me was to "help" me improve my product, and telling me she wanted to place a very large order with me for more tags. She kept asking me what I could do to make the tags look like the first batch. After 15 minutes on the phone with her, I thanked her for her "help" and explained again that I could never guarantee the outcome of the tags because they were HAND MADE. She said "So what you are telling me is that you have no control over the paper?" Right lady, that is what I am saying. Now just to mention I never got mad or raised my voice, I just kept repeating the same information over to her. She says OK and tells me if I cannot make sure they look like the first batch she will not be placing the order with me and hangs up.

Five minutes goes by, phone rings and I see on caller ID it is the same women. I am a little steamed now, so I let the answering machine take the call. When I listen to the message I am really mad. She is now raising her voice and tells me that she thinks I didn't do anything to the tags but take them from one box and re-package them with my label and they are terrible and they look like I PEE on them! OK that ripped it, she had crossed over the line, and I didn't care if she had a million tags on that order, I would not be doing business with her! Now the good part, she left her phone number and said I should think about it and call her back to talk about the large order! What is she thinking?

Well, I have gotten over the Pee comment and now I can write about it without getting mad again. So here is a picture of the tags from another batch

from what I understand the tags she received didn't have enough stains on them.

What a whack job!

I will post again later today with happier thoughts.