Hello- I am back!

Well, time had a tendancy to fly, doesn't it?  At least for me- I was stunned to see that it has been nearly 2 months since I posted anything here!  The end of summer came rather quickly for me, and as busy as it normally is, it was complicated by the fact that my 16 year old son contracted mono two weeks before school started.  So yes, the end of summer was busy enough with getting two kids ready for the start of school, and then I got to play nursemaid as well.  Thankfully he was over the worst by the first day of school, but is still in recovery mode.  My daughter started middle school, so there were all of the adjustments to make with the new environment there.  And then, right on schedule, we all got sick by the second week of school with a nasty cold.  It was enough to knock me out of commission for most of last week, which is unusual.  Hopefully things will ease up now, and everyone will settle down into the new routines of fall.

In my business with everything, I had not had any time for crafting lately, so did not really have anything to share.  However, in the last week, I have (perhaps insanely) agreed to participate in a holiday bazaar put on at my son's high school by a woman from the Oregon Women in Business group, with which I became affiliated last spring, after I attended one of their local events.  My very good friend Erica was at that event selling toffee that she and her wonderful hubby Matt make in their business, Broken Top Toffee, and I got to talking with Gillian, the woman who had coordinated the event.  I gave her my card and became member of the organization's Facebook group, so heard about the event when it was first announced.  It is going to be a very large event.  At first, she estimated 50 vendors, but it seems that the high school can accomdate twice that, so she is shooting for 100!  Now, I have only done two sales before, the largest of which was the Salem Etsy Team Spring Sale in May, and that was only about 25 of us, so this is going to be substantially bigger.  I must admit, I am just a bit intimidated!  But, I have a few weeks to prepare.  The event is slated for Saturday, November 10th, so I have the next 6 weeks to prepare.  It's a holiday bazaar, so that means having holiday items for sale, and that is what I am hard at work on at the moment.  Every year, I think that I should really start making some holiday items in, oh, June or July, but I never do get around to it.  Now that I have a fire under me, I have been cranking out the holiday cards like nobody's business!  Here is a sneak peak at a couple fo new items that will be for sale on November 10th.

These cards are dry-embossed using embossing folders, and I think have a simple elegance about them.  The inside will have a simple "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" sentiment, but otherwise leave the rest blank for personal messages.

I have plans for other products, and those plans are going to keep me busy right up until the bazaar.  I plan to do some other holiday cards using patterned papers, as well as some gift tags.  I am also going to again attempt some magents.  My daughter and I tried these for the spring sale, but had rotten luck then.  There were two types: the laminated ones that I've done before, and a new type, made with clear glass stones  with pressed flowers glued to the underside, so that they show through.  They were lovely...except that when you attach the magnet to the back, it falls off, because there is nothing to protect the pressed flower.  When I was at the spring sale, I talked with a gal who makes jewelry using glass pieces, and she told me about a produt that she uses called diamond glaze.  I tracked some down, so I am going to attempt those magnets again and see if that glaze will help make it a success!

I also have a few birthdays on the horizon to prepare for.  My BFF Kendra's birthday is October 7th, my step-mom's birthday is the 26th, and my mom's is in mid-November.  So I am also thinking ahead to those.  I always enjoy experimenting with differnet card designs for family birthdays, so this is a chance to have some fun with something different!  That will be nice since I am cranking out holiday cards of similar designs in volume.

I need to get back into the swing of things, and that includes reviving my Facebook page.  I kind of let it go by the wayside for the last few months, but shockingly, I got notice of a new follower a few days ago!  Well, to that individual, thank you, and I will endeavor to make it worth your while!  Look for an update very soon!

I will be back soon to post an update on my progess on preparing for this big holiday bazaar.  My mind is bursting with ideas, and the past couple of weeks I have been shopping for supplies and can't wait to dig into them and start playing with designs!