Waterloo Arts Fest Wrap Up June 28, 2010

Sunday Afternoon Housewife at the Waterloo Arts Fest, Cleveland, Ohio

This past weekend I participated in my first craft fair in Ohio and spent my first night in Cleveland! It was a lot of fun visiting a part of Ohio I had never been to before. My husband went with me on this trip (thank goodness because we blew a tire on the way home-don’t worry we are a-ok!) and we met up with our  friend Cheryl Andrey. She’s the wonderful person responsible for the Sunday Afternoon Housewife logo, and she and her new husband Andrew took us to a delish restaurant called Melt Bar and Grilled. This place was just featured on Food Network, and so you maybe have heard of it! It was simply amazing food.

On Saturday my husband and I headed over to set up at the Waterloo Arts Fest, which was a really great festival celebrating a wonderful little neighborhood. I met so many new people, and made some great connections with lots of awfully crafty folks! Some of the best news of all to come out of the trip is that the awesome handmade goods store Salty Not Sweet will begin carrying Sunday Afternoon Housewife goods in about 1 week! I’ll update you more about this soon, but now onto the fun photos from the Waterloo Arts Fest!

One of my fave things is the truck that you see that looks all black. This truck was painted entirely in chalkboard paint, and all the kids loved writing all over the truck with chalk.  If I ever have the time (and money!), my truckie better watch out because this is about the coolest idea ever. Another thing I enjoyed very much were the stilt creatures. I really enjoyed watching them walk by my booth and battle it out in the middle of Waterloo. What fun!

Squeaky Queen Soap

Of course there were all sorts of awesome vendors at the fair. I highly suggest you check out Squeaky Queen Soaps for some awesome soap with fantastic packaging. I scored a bar of Beer Soap made with Guinness Stout and a tube of peppermint lip balm. Both items are just fantastic!

If you’d rather your art last a little longer than a few weeks in the shower, you should check out Susan Cross Pots. Her pottery was just fantastic, and I picked up an adorable salt cellar as a bridal shower gift for a friend.

Oceanne

The lovely work of Oceanne made it’s way to Indy for the INDIEana Handicraft Exchange a couple of weeks ago, and thankfully, Anne came down and said hello. It’s always nice to see a familiar face when you are traveling and I can’t wait to see her again next weekend at Bazaar Bizarre! This time I might get a chance to chat a little longer and pick up some of her jewelry!

For a full list of vendors who were at the fair, you can click here. I really enjoyed getting to see some new stuff and meet new artists. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to see me. I’ll be back in Cleveland again this Saturday, July 3rd for the Bazaar Bizarre. I look forward to spending even more time in Cleveland, eating more awesome food, and meeting even more awesome artists.

100th Post Thank You and an Awesome Slice of Press June 24, 2010

Hey Lovelies! Well, I haven’t posted anything for a couple of days because 1. I have been really busy getting ready for the Waterloo Arts Fest this weekend and Bazaar Bizarre next weekend (yes, for some reason Fate has decided to send me to Cleveland, OH two weekends in a row!) and 2. I have been putting it off because I knew my next post (er, this post) would be post #100 and I felt I should have some kind of super special post for post #100, but I didn’t know what to write!

I suppose what it comes down to is that I just want to say thank you (yes, to you!). It seems like I’ve come an awful long way in a year, and I’m pretty darn happy to admit it. I know I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for encouragement and support from some very great people. I would love to say thank you to my wonderful husband, Mark, and the support he gives me personally and from Standard Recording Company; to Amanda Mauer-Tafflinger, owner of the INDIEana Handicraft Exchange and Homespun, for all her encouragement in the beginning as well as for her continued support; to my best-ever booth mate and friend, Jen of EleanorMac, without whom I might not be able to get to some of these awesome fairs, and also without whom I certainly would have much fewer bathroom breaks; and to my newly found extended Texas-sized family including Jessica of Funky Finds, Tania of The Curious Cake Shoppe, and Jennifer of Blueskysunburn Creations– all three of you great ladies have been great support whether you know it not! Of course most importantly I would love to thank my customers. Each and every person who has bought a scrabble tile pendant over the last year, became a fan on Facebook, or given me a #FollowFriday shout on Twitter has been an important part in helping me grow as a person and a business.

The next few months hold lots of exciting things for Sunday Afternoon Housewife. Most exciting is that very soon I will have a new website. Also exciting is that I am going to be spending the rest of my summer traveling all over the place meeting lots of new people and visiting with some old pals. I’m really looking forward to it.

Now, some icing this pseudo-anniversary cake is that today I was featured on VenusZine.com. The fantastic Sarah Richcreek of The Hot Cookie wrote a fantastic article on the INDIEana Handicraft Exchange, and there she included a bit of my work, a bowl full of moustache pendants (top right corner). Thanks so much for including me Sarah! As a regular reader of VZ, I have to say I am pretty excited about being on Venus Zine!

Well, tomorrow morning I’ll be hustlin’ round like crazy, trying to get out the door and on the road at a reasonable hour in hopes of reaching Cleveland, also at a reasonable hour. I’m really looking forward to meeting lots of new people and seeing lots of new artists. You can bet I’ll be writing about them when I get home, so stay tuned for post #101!

Oh by the way Steph Mineart is the lucky winner of this last week’s blog contest! Congrats on your win Steph! Let me know where I can deliver your treat!

INDIEana Handicraft Exchange Wrap Up June 18, 2010

Last Saturday was the most awesome ever INDIEana Handicraft Exchange.  If you didn’t get to make it to the event, you’re probably regretting it already. With over 100 booths and vendors from all across the continent, the biggest problem I had all day was trying not to spend every last cent of my own hard earned money!

I was happy to be set up again in Gallery #2. I played a little with my booth space this time around, trying something a bit different, and I really like the way it worked for me. In case you didn’t get to see my booth, it looked a little something like this:

My Booth at the IHE

Sunday Afternoon Housewife Booth!

This was the first time I did any type of “L” shape table display, and it really did work out for me! I’d love to hear what you thought of the new display- was it easier for you on the other side of the table?

Of course, all the time I show you what my stuff looks like, so I won’t share anymore about my stuf today. Let’s talk about all the awesome that I bought and loved at the IHE instead! With so many new vendors this summer, I wanted to make checking them out a major priority, and I’m way glad I did!

One booth that had me at first glance was 16 Sparrows. I went back to the booth twice after the initial visit trying to decide because I have always, as long as I can remember, been a sucker for cool stationary, and the ladies at 16 Sparrows have everything one needs to write beautiful letters, keep addresses, label goodies, and all while showing a bit of tounge-in-cheek humor. I couldn’t decide exactly what I wanted most, but I ended up with this (P.S. dear husband don’t look if you are reading, I’m trying to hide this from you until September):

One Bad Ass Card from 16 Sparrows

Down in the Underground, which on second thought really seemed kind of appropriate for this vendor, was Spellbound Soapworks. Much like stationary, I love a good soap. Sometimes I like my soap for the smell or ingredients, but this may be the first time I have ever bought a soap based solely on the fact that it made me laugh out loud with joy and giggle all the way back to my booth, and then made me decide I had to go back for another. While most of the Spellbound Soapworks soap was more sci-fi than anything, this was my two bar purchase (yes, I got the one pictured and one purple with sparkles for my neighbors ):

Gay Bar

While I still have a lovely bar of moustache soap from GEEKSOAP in my guest bathroom, as soon as it is gone, I’ll be putting out the Gay Bar!

No explanation required

I think you would be hard pressed to call RAR RAR Press, anything but pretty fucking awesome. A table full of fun prints and postcards, all made using hand set type left me standing there for eternity trying to decide what I couldn’t live without. I settled on the above post card. I’ll be saving it for a very special occasion.

Uncommon: Things for the Home was yet another booth that really caught my eye. Lots of lovely things all handmade of wood and awesomeness. I had a hard time deciding (and I’m sure the guy thought I was nuts asking so many questions about coasters) but I ended up with a set of gorgeous wooden coasters. I’m glad I finally took this picture so I can put them to use:

Wooden doily coasters from Uncommon

Really cute buttons will get me every time, and at the booth of The Sweetie Pie Press grabbed and wouldn’t let go. When I saw these buttons with 1″ stories, I knew I had to dig through the bowl until I found every single story there was to have.

1" stories by Sweetie Pie Press

One of my last purchases was from a vendor I have written about before: Get Lathered. This solid shampoo and conditioner (yes, solid- like bar soap) I first encountered at the Bloomington Handmade Market. I was a bit leery back then, but since then I have expressed pretty strongly to everyone who will listen about how much I LOVE this product.

shampoo and conditioner that Rocks n Rolls

If you haven’t tried this yet, then your hair isn’t as happy as it could be. Trust me, you need to get some shampoo and conditioner from Get Lathered.

There were several other vendors whose stuff I totally adored. If these awesome goods aren’t blowing your mind enough, you also should really check out So Silly for great silk-screened shirts for kids, Foxglove Accessories for very unique jewelry all made from postage stamps, and Crimson Tate for handmade quilts and other awesome hand sewn accessories.

So tell me, if you made it to the INDIEana Handicraft Exchange, who was your favorite (or favorites!). Don’t just sit there and be a blog lurker, post and tell me what you love! I’ve got a special something for you if you do:

Comment on today's blog and win this sample of Shampoo that Rocks from Get Lathered!

I’ll wait a week for you to realize how bad you want this, and then I will choose a comment at random and give that lucky person this fantastic sample of Shampoo That Rocks from Get Lathered. And you know  I want this really bad for myself, so maybe you can just keep your comments to yourself. (j/k!!!)

Gearing up for the INDIEana Handicraft Exchange June 10, 2010

This last week I have spent an enormous amount of time getting ready for my favorite craft show of the year: the INDIEana Handicraft Exchange! The summer show will be held this Saturday, June 12, from 12pm-8pm at the Harrison Center for the Arts at 16th and Delaware in conjunction with the Independant Music and Arts Festival. Over 100 vendors will be on hand to showcase their handmade jewlery, clothing, plush toys, soaps, cross-stitches, and there will even be delicious edibles from vendors such as the Hot Cookie, who was recently featured in Ready Made Magazine!

Before I head to the IHE, I thought I’d take a moment to share with you some of the new goodies I’ll be bringing along. There’s a lot, so I hope you like pretty pictures, and I really can’t wait to see you this weekend! Also, don’t forget, that the first 50 people in line at the IHE table in the gym when the show opens at noon will get awesome reusable tote bags filled with IHE vendor swag. If you happen to be one of the lucky 50, bring your Sunday Afternoon Housewife postcard to my booth (Booth #63 in the Gallery#2) and claim your free goodie! I’ll see ya Saturday!

How to Make Glass Tile Pendants May 29, 2010

Glass Tile Pendants by Sunday Afternoon Housewife

One of my favorite things to make next to my Scrabble Tile pendants are glass tile pendants. They are fun, easy, and always look great when finished. A couple of weeks ago I taught a class at Mass Ave Wine Shop on how to make glass tile pendants, and there was lots of interest in where to supplies came from because everyone wanted to make more than just one! I thought about it and decided that I would write this tutorial as a reminder for those who were in the class, as well as those who could not make it, and also start offering glass tile pendant kits (more on that below!). So, if you are interested in making a nice glass tile pendant for yourself, it’s a really simple process and the all you need to know for how to do it is right below!

Supplies needed:

A variety of glass tiles are available from shops on Etsy.

Glass tiles: There are lots of options here- I mainly use 1″ glass or circle tiles, but there are also rectangles, ovals, and many different sizes available. One good source for glass tile pendants is Etsy, search under supplies for glass tiles, and many options will come up.

Aanraku Bails

Bails: The most common type of bail is an Aanraku bail. These are widely available on Etsy. There have also been lots of new bails introduced on the market recently, and these types of glue-on bails are even now readily available at Hobby Lobby.

Glue: You have two options here for adhering the image to the tile, you can use either Mod Podge or Judikins Diamond Glaze.  Mod Podge is easily purchased at any craft or hobby store, while I have only been able to find Judikins Diamond Glaze online. Again, Etsy is a great place to purchase both.

Adhesive: Also a glue, but this type you will need for adhering the bail to the glass tile. I have only every used and highly suggest E-6000. This type of adhesive provides a very strong bond between the bail and the glass tile.

Images: What are really fun about glass tiles is that you can put anything on it! You can use a favorite photograph, a found image, or you can easily purchase fun images from Etsy by searching for “digital images” under supplies.

Paint Brush: You’ll just need one to paint the glue on. It doesn’t have to be any fancy kind.

Chain: Of course most pendants are going to need a chain. I provide a ball chain necklace with my glass tile pendants, but you can use any kind of chain that you have already, or you can purchase a chain off Etsy or at stores like Hobby Lobby or Michaels.

Ok, so now that you have all your supplies in order, it’s time to make your pendant.

Step one is to cut the image you have selected to the right size to fit on the tile. Once your image is cut, you will be ready to glue it onto the tile. The tile normally will have two distinct sides- one will be smooth and the other will be slightly bumpy.

Apply the Judikins glaze to the back, or bumpy side of the glass tile in a thin coat

You will use the Judikins or Mod Podge to glue the image onto the the bumpy side face up so it is viewable through the clear clear side. Act quickly when gluing on the image, and don’t skimp on the glue. If a little bit squishes out the side, you can wipe it off right away, or easily scrape it off when it dries. Make sure you press the image very hard up against the glue and glass so that it makes a tight bond and to ensure there are no air bubbles. Allow the glue to dry.

Apply two layers of diamond glaze to the back side, allowing each to dry before moving onto the next step.

After it drys, you’ll want to put two coats of glue on the back side of the image. Make sure you are careful to get it on all the edges really well and put good coats over the back (though do make sure you are letting it dry between coats!).

Apply a generous amount of E-6000 to the bail...

Once the glue has dried, it’s time to attach the bail. Use the E-6000 to adhere the bail to the back center of the tile and allow it to dry. It will take a bit longer than you expect, so let it dry throughly.

Press bail firmly to the center back of the tile. Excess glue can be easily peeled off after it is dry.

Once it is dry, any excess E-6000 that oozed out can be easily peeled off. If you got any excess glue anywhere on the tile, you can use your fingernail (or I guess like a nail file or something more official!) to scrape off the dried glue. Put it on your chain, and that’s it! You’ve made yourself a glass tile necklace!

Your finished tile is now ready to be put on a chain and around your neck!

Now that your necklace is finished, you can wear the heck out of it and brag to all your friends about the awesome necklace you made for yourself! Disclaimer: Remember to take it off before you go swimming, get in a hot tub, or take a shower, or else you will totally ruin it.

So, now you know how to make the necklace, but you still need the goods? I know if you only want to make one, you could spend upwards of $30 on supplies and shipping, so I’m making it really easy by offering you the brand new Sunday Afternoon Housewife Glass Tile Pendant Kit!

The Sunday Afternoon Housewife Glass Tile Pendant Kit

This kit includes everything you need to make your own glass tile pendant. It comes with 1 glass tile, 1 bail, 1 chain, 1 tube of Judikins Diamond Glaze, 1 tube of E-6000, 5 pre-cut and hand selected images, and a sheet of directions. It comes packaged in a super cute take-out style box which makes it great for gift giving as well as keeping for yourself and all for the great price of $10! It saves you the hassle of having to shop around, and it also comes with my personal supplier list, so if you decide you want to make more, you’ll know where to get the best deals! Click on over to my Etsy and get your kit today, or come see me at any of my upcoming fairs to pick up a kit for yourself or a friend!

Hip and Handmade at the Indianapolis International Airport May 20, 2010

For the last couple of weeks or so, I’ve been working really hard to get ready for something very exciting, and last night, this exciting thing finally happened! Last night I went out to the Indianapolis International Airport and set up my display at Hip and Handmade in Indy at the Enroute Spa!

Hip and Handmade in Indy is located inside Enroute Spa on both concourses A and B  of the Indianapolis International Airport.  Erin Humphreys is the owner of Enroute Spa, and she is a huge supporter of artists and crafters who make handmade goods. Last December, I participated in the Hip and Handmade Holiday Craft Fair, which was held in Civic Plaza, and I met Erin. Ever since then, I think I can say we have been on each other’s minds! I’m so happy now to be working with Erin again. She’s such a positive person, and she’s been very encouraging to me over the past few months, and now I’m so happy to say we are working together.

One side of my new display at Hip and Handmade in Indy

Erin’s spa is a beautiful store that offers full range of  services from manicures and pedicures to massages. They also sell their own line of handmade, natural soaps and lotions.

About a dozen crafters are featured at Hip and Handmade in Indy

Lovely displays at Hip and Handmade in Indy

Even more great displays of handmade goods

Next time you are flying in or out of the Indianapolis International Airport, you should stop by Enroute Spa and take a look around, get a massage, and possibly even pick up some handmade jewelry from me or pick up great scarves, headbands, crochet hats, purses, bags, and soaps all made by Indianapolis crafters, sold locally by a great local business!

Announcing Make and Take Jewelry Classes at Mass Ave Wine April 26, 2010

I’m really excited to announce that I’ve partnered with Mass Ave Wine Shoppe for monthly make-and-take jewelry classes for the summer!

Make and Take Glass Tile Pendant Class May 15th

The first class will take place on May 15th and we’ll be making glass tile pendants. The one inch glass tile can be customized with any picture brought to class, or there will be lots of fun images to choose from. You’ll make the pendant in class with help from me, and even get a chain with it so you can wear it home! If you’re really nice though, you might decide to make something special for your mom since Mother’s Day is the next day!

Make and Take Button Ring Class June 19th

In June, we’ll be making button rings from vintage buttons. You’ll have tons of buttons to choose from, and you’ll be making a ring you can wear home!

Both classes will include all supplies needed to make the project, I’ll be providing instructions, and you’ll get a glass of wine, all for $15! Mark these dates on your calendar and get ready to learn to make some fun, unique jewelry you can wear yourself or give as a gift!

Crafting for a Cause April 20, 2010

A little less than 2 weeks ago we found out that due to budget shortfalls, the Indianapolis- Marion County Library Board of Trustees may have to close 6 library branches in the Indianapolis area. One of the branches on the chopping block is Spades Park Library.  This little library is my neighborhood library and sits only a few houses down and across the street from me. I can see it from my front porch and I go there on a very regular basis.

Spades Park Library

Spades Park Library was gifted to the City of Indianapolis by Andrew Carnegie and has been a community gathering place, safe haven, and resource to the community ever since. Now it might be closed after 98 years of service.

This news is heart-breaking to me and the large majority of my neighborhood. We attended in full force a meeting of the IMCPL board of Trustees last Wednesday to voice our concerns and had record-breaking attendance at our neighborhood association meeting (yes, at the library!) last Wednesday.

After the meeting, I decided I had to do something, and fast. Thanks to the quick work of  Cheryl Andrey, I was able to get a tee shirt design in my hands by late Sunday evening. Last night, my husband and I spent the night crouching over the YuDu pulling shirt after shirt as the orders began to pour in.

I’m so proud of my neighbors and their willingness to give money to save the library in our neighborhood (all proceeds from the shirt sales are going to Spades Park Library).  Plus, I feel good that I was quickly able to put shirts on the backs of over 25 people before we attend another meeting to fight for our library later today.

It’s hard sometimes to keep up on blogging, tweeting, Facebook-ing, all creating my own jewelry to sell at fairs and on Etsy, but I know you’ll understand if I’m less than active on the blog over the next couple of weeks.  I’ve taken on a serious role in this, and I’m trying my hardest to fight this library fight and save our community center.

Even if you don’t live near Spades Park Library (or in Indianapolis for that matter!) You can still support our cause and get a shirt for yourself. If you paypal $18 plus $3 shipping to mellenlatta@gmail.com, I’ll send you a shirt, and you can feel good knowing you are helping to keep open a small, historic and very valued community resource.

Super Secret Project Revealed: Cast Resin Hoot Owl Pendants April 14, 2010

I hope every one is having a fantastic week. I am sure enjoying the weather here in Central Indiana- a perfect 75 degrees! Friday looks like it may be the day I get the garden tilled, and then I’ll have a few gardening posts for you now and then in addition to this craftiness!

Today I wanted to share with you something I’ve been referring to as my “super secret project” over on Facebook (are you a fan yet by the way? Click here to become one!) and I’m pretty excited to share this with you because I’m really looking forward to some feedback.

I’ve been wanting to expand the Sunday Afternoon Housewife line a bit, and I figured a really fun way to go about it might be making my own molds to cast resin in. I really enjoy working with resin because it always keeps me guessing every single time I try a new project! Anyway, I purchased some mold making materials and then went about casting my own mold and then casting resin inside that mold to create unique resin pendant.

My first go at it has been only moderately successful (and by first go at it, I mean after something like 5 times of ruining molds before I got the hang of this new medium!). So, I made a simple cast of an old metal owl pendant I own to see what would happen. The end result? Well, take a look:

First two rounds of casting from my handmade mold

This is the second cast from the handmade mold

The green one was the first one I made- could use a bit more sanding/ polishing

So, I’d love to know what you think about these. Are these something you like or think you would wear or possibly buy as a gift? Or, do you find them ugly and wonder what on earth I was thinking? Honesty is the best policy around here, so please share your thoughts! Of course if you like these, I’ll make more in more colors and probably work on perfecting the process, and if you tell me you hate it, well, then I’m back to the drawing board! Comments, please!

Friday Is the Best Day April 9, 2010

I really love Fridays. It’s my favorite day of the week for many reasons, but mainly because Friday is MY day. I work for no man and no institution; on Fridays, I only work for myself.

Today has been quite a busy day. I have been running errands most of the day, but those errands have resulted in getting  to go to 4 of my most favorite places: bookstore, craft store, craft store, and the other craft store. Yes, I went to 3 craft stores today (and got something at each one)!

I got a new book today, The Handmade Market Place: How to Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally, and Online. I started reading as soon as I got in the car (don’t worry, my husband was doing the driving) and I am only about 20 pages in, but I already love it. I can’t wait to finish reading this book!

My new jewelry display stand!

After the book store, I hit the craft stores and got lots of supplies. I got this new-to-me display stand the other day at Midland Arts and Antiques, and it required some gussying-up, so I got what I needed to do that, as well as some other supplies for a super secret project I hope to share later next week, and I also got some other supplies I needed like resin and a new circle hole punch.

officially a craft disaster area

This week my dining room table turned into my favorite place to work. I’m not sure why this happened, but the likely cause is the fact that the craft room has become a total disaster area (again). But this picture is the dining room table. Well, it’s under there somewhere, I swear! I know it looks like a total mess, and it is (yes that is a half-consumed bottle of wine from 2 days ago, an almost fully consumed bag of chocolate Cadburry Mini Eggs, deodorant (why?), but holy craft, I got a lot done this week in this cozy, crafty mess!

More new map inspired bracelets

I had such a great response (sold out!) to my new bracelets last week at the Bloomington Handmade Market that I made more. I also made some other bracelets with circles:

New circle picture bracelets

I’ve been working on some new types of pendants this week too, including these 3/4″ metal pendants which have a vintage picture and then a resin layer:

New metal and resin pendants

And then I’ve also made half a dozen pairs of 1/2″ metal and resin earrings. This picture shows some of the earrings before I added the hang-it-off-your-ear part:

New earrings...

I’ve also spent a lot of time this week working on packaging up these new goodies (see the display picture).  Packaging always takes more time than I think it should. I’m hoping to figure out a way to stream-line this process in the very near future.

A little cherry on the top of the week is that late last night, I got word I have been accepted to attend the Waterloo Arts Fest in Cleveland, Ohio in late June.

The Waterloo Arts Fest News follows news from last week that I was accepted into the East Nashville Arts Festival in Nashville, Tennessee in late May, which means I’ve got to get my suitcase packed because I’m hitting the road the next couple of months! What feels really great is that earlier this year I told myself I wanted to go to at least 2 more states this year for fairs, TN and OH, and now I feel great because I get to go! I’m going to update my goal for the year and hope that I might now be able to add Illinois and either Michigan, Wisconsin or Minnesota to the list for the year. Whew!

Ok, so one last plug:  if you are in the Mooresville area tomorrow, I’ll be at the high school from 9am-3pm for the 26th annual fair there. It should be a fun day- there are raffle prizes, food, and more. Stop by and say hello, but if I don’t see you, have a great weekend!