TLC Craft Show

The TLC Craft Show is on today and tomorrow at the Moose Jaw Exhibition Convention Center in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. It is open 2 to 8 pm today and 10 am to 5 pm tomorrow Saturday October 1, 2016.  I will be there again this year. This is the second year for this sale. I am expecting it to be even better than last year's event! 

My Treasure Find

I have recently been looking for something to use a "check out" stand at my sales.  I looked around at my last sale for ideas - there were so many.  Some were handmade from scratch, others were re-purposed items (ie. a bookshelf).  I wanted something tall enough so I didn't have to bend down so much, but I wanted it small enough so I didn't take up a tonne of room which I don't have.

My husband and I stopped in at the Salvation Army Store to see if there might be something there I could use.  We were just about to leave when I saw what looked like an old trunk on the floor.  Curiosity got the better of me and I opened it up.  It wasn't a chest but rather an old wooden cabinet with small shelves and a drawer.  After staring at it with the wheels in my brain in high gear I realized that this was exactly what I was wanting.  It had room for my packaging bags, boxes, tape, tags, as well as my money box, sales book, square reader, and everything else I need on hand.  I picked it up and knew it was for me - it wasn't even heavy.  And at $15, I couldn't pass it up.  I think my husband was a bit disappointed because I got the impression he wanted it for himself.  Oh well.  It's mine now!

The front of the cabinet.  It was laying on its back when I first saw it.  That is why I thought it was a trunk or a chest.  There are handles on either side making it easy to carry.

The inside of the cabinet.  Lots of room and I love the shelves and the little drawer.  They are even able to be moved higher or lower as I need them.  And the front lowers and provides a table-like area to wrap items I sell.

I can't wait to try it out at my next sale this Friday October 2, 2015!

Pretty New Stuff

I started my sale season off this past month at the Cathedral Village Arts Festival as usual.  I had a different spot than usual, right in front of the Holy Rosary Cathedral.  Although a nice spot to see things from, I didn't feel it was a great selling spot.  So many people walked right by me.  I took it personal until I tried to get across the street.  It was like trying to swim upstream in a river full of fish.  Very difficult to get anywhere or move out of the stream once you were in it. I think next year I will go back to my nice quieter spot.  Oh, yeah.  This was the first year I saw someone blatantly try to steal from my table. A couple of kids tried to steal my daughter's iPod!  I still love the festival and will be back again if they will have me.

I have been making a few new items.  I had ordered the metal parts last fall and have finally made the beads to finish the products.  Here are some candle snuffers, coffee scoops, serving spoons, spaghetti servers, and an appetizer pick set.




Candle Snuffers

Spaghetti Servers

Serving Spoons

Coffee Scoops



Appetizer Picks

As well I have made some new bracelets.  Most of them are elastic and most of them are made with pearls - real, fake, and Swarovski pearls.  I think these are a great addition to my bracelet collection.

I always have intentions of listing all of my items on Zibbet or Etsy but I usually procrastinate so long it doesn't get done. Here is to good intentions!  If you happen to be in Moose Jaw, SK on July 1, 2015 I will be at Crescent Part as usual for Park Art from 10am to 4pm.  I will have all of my new products with me.  Hope to see you there!

Some New Items

Here are some of my new items I mentioned in my last post.  I took the pictures at the Cathedral Village Arts Festival so they aren't the greatest quality.

Wine Charms

Desk Set

Another Desk Set

New Style Bottle Openers

Some of the cute pokers I recently made, my turtle included!

Bracelet Helpers

Eye Glass Lanyards

Eye Glass Lanyards

And More Eye Glass Lanyards

Individual Bracelet Charms

Children's jewelry sets

Mens necklaces

Mens Bracelets

Infinity Bracelets

Infinity Bracelet

I hope you like these new items too.

Rain or Shine?

Tomorrow is the Cathedral Village Arts Festival in Regina, Saskatchewan.  The sale is held along 13th Avenue from 10am to 5pm.  I will be at booth 211.  This is by far one of my favorite sales.  I just love the hustle and bustle of everyone and the outlandish costumes some people dress in.

It is supposed to be hot tomorrow, but there are supposed to be thundershowers as well, depending on what weather app you look at.  I am hoping more for the sunshine.  It has only been really nice for this sale one time in the past 8 years since I have started attending.  It has been freezing cold, super windy, rainy, usually miserable.  I really hope it is nice this time.

I have made a tonne of new pokers in the past three days.  Cute little turtles were my favorites.  I hope to get a picture of them before I sell them (ya, they are that cute that I am sure someone will scoop them up right away).  I have made a lot of other new items as well.  I hope to see lots of people at the festival!

2014 Craft Shows

I have applied to several  sales this year.  I just had my first one, Buds of May, in Regina on May 3, 2104.  Sorry to not have posted that on time.  Other sales which I have been confirmed for are the Cathedral Village Arts Festival in Regina on May 24 and Sunflower in Yorkton, Saskatchewan on September 5 & 6, 2014.  I will post the other shows once I have been accepted.

Here are a few new items I have been working on.
Eye glass lanyards
Wine charms
New bracelet helpers (or whatever you decide you want to use these for)
Children size jewelry

I will post pictures of these items once I take some.

I hope to see lots of people at the upcoming shows.  It is always nice to meet new people and see familiar faces!

Kids and Cold Weather

My daughter came home yesterday after having fun with "winter olympics" at her school.  I came to ask her to rip a bandaid off my arm (yes I am a bit of a baby) when I noticed how red her hands were.  She had tried to hide them from me.  I asked if she wore her mitts. She had that look on her face teenagers get when they know they can't lie.  No, she didn't wear any the entire time she was outside in -17 celsius weather, playing in the snow.  When I saw the "worm-like" growth on her pinky, I got quite worried.

Her pinky is quite large compared to normal.

I called the medical clinic but they were full, so we went to the hospital. By the time we got there, she noticed more tiny blisters on her pinky.  Sure enough, she had frostbite.  Polysporin, bandaids and being careful to avoid infection were ordered.

You can't really see how red her hand actually is in this picture but you can see the line on her hand above her wrist where her hand was exposed.

After a restless sleep, she got up this morning.  Her pinky blister has grown almost the length of her pinky.

Her pinky the next day.

My point of this post is not to tell you what to do when you get frostbite. It is to show what it can look like and tell you it is painful and to encourage you to show the pictures to your kids who refuse to wear mitts on a cold day. This is what it can look like. And this is mild.

I don't know what it will look like in a few days. I am sure it will get worse before it gets better. I just hope it doesn't affect her too much.  She is right handed and loves to draw. She was thinking of being a tattoo artist when she gets older.  All of these could be affected because of this.  Today she finally realized how important simple things are, like taking the extra two minutes to run to her
locker to get her mitts.

Her knuckle was cut quite deep as well. 

A Place to Find Everything Carelebeads

I have decided to get a Premium Account from Zibbet.  My reasoning is then I can have a place on the web where I can list everything I have and then point people in that direction, be it people I meet at sales or work or people I meet on the street.  If people want to buy off of Zibbet, great!  But if they don't, I don't need to feel like I will be penalized for selling it somewhere else as it is no longer considered fee avoidance, like on Etsy.

I have started to list items on Zibbet.  I have 22 at this time, but I am trying to add more all the time.  I have pictures of over 100 of my items.  It is just to find the time to list them all.  Then to find the time to take pictures of the rest.  Plus I like to make new items from time to time.  In time I will have most of my products listed.  I am looking forward to having most of my items in one place.

I will still have my Etsy site for some products, or until the ones there expire.  I have a hard time justifying paying .20 cents and 3.5% of the transaction per item when I can pay $79 per year for unlimited products and that is it.  What is funny is that when I began on Etsy, paying .20 cents and 3.5% sounded great!  Times sure change.  I am glad I am making this change.

I thought I would add a picture of some of the items I have recently made.  None of these will be on Zibbet or Etsy as I have them on display at Watch Tower Glass in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
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Here is a link to my Zibbet shop: http://www.zibbet.com/carelebeads
You can always find the link by clicking on the owl on the side bar as well.

Thanks for stopping by!

Whistlestop 2013

This year's Whistlestop is fast approaching. Once again I will be participating. This Christmas themed sale will be held on October 25 and 26. There are 70 vendors this year ensuring there must be something for everyone. So come on out Friday from 2pm to 9 pm or Saturday from 10 am to 5pm. $5 gets you in. Children are free when accompanied by an adult.  Hope to see you there!

A Few New Pieces

Here are a few new items I have made.

A triple strand bracelet in copper and hematite.

A double wrap gemstone bracelet with large butterfly toggle and one grey and copper glass bead.

Silver letter opener with moss green glass bead.

Silver magnifying glass with moss green glass handle.

Silver magnifying glass with black, green, and blue glass handle.

Double strand bracelet - mother of pearl strand and rose quartz with blue/green glass bead strand.

50 Shades of Grey inspired charm bracelet.

Thanks

Thanks to everyone who came out to Park Art yesterday.  What a gorgeous day!  No wind, no rain, warm day.  Ok, it was hot, but I would take that any day over wind and rain.  Of course I didn't take pictures of the event again.













I don't have anymore sales booked at this time.  If there was anything you have seen at previous sales that you would like, please contact me and I will see if I still have it or if I can remake it.  Check out my etsy shop in the side bar or at www.carelebeads.etsy.com .  I am going to try to put up more of the newer items I have made this year.

Have a great summer!

Park Art 2013

Park Art is coming up again this year.  As always, it will be held July 1 in Crescent Park in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.   It is hosted by the Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery.

The public library with the museum and art gallery attached to the side.

Park Art is full of beautiful creations.  You will find pottery, paintings, jewelry, woodworking and so much more.  And the setting is so pretty.  It is located in front of the public library and the booths are nestled in the park amongst the trees, bushes, and squirrels.

The entrance to Park Art.  It sure looks different that day!

There are activities for the children in the museum, which is attached to the library.  I know my kids have enjoyed these events.

Speaking of events, there are things happening across the bridge in the park and at the ampitheatre all day in honor of Canada Day

The ampitheatre in the park.

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If you are in the area, be sure to come down and enjoy the day.  At Park Art, there is truly something for everyone.

Ribbons and Bows

Something new that you will find on my table at craft shows is hair accessories. My girls have been helping me create cute headbands and hair clips. Here are a few we have made.

They are a lot of fun to make. I enjoy making them because the are instant as compared to my beads. I can pull out my ribbons and glue gun and within moments I can have a simple hair bow completed. By comparison, my beads have to sit over night just to cool down. There are many more steps between that and any finished product. Quite time consuming.

I also like to make them because I can get my girls to help. My youngest has had a couple mishaps with the glue gun but other than that they enjoy creating the bows as much as I do. They definitely have different creative ideas than I do, which is great. Who would want everything to be the same or just one style? This lets them have fun as well as make a little extra money.








One day they will be working on the torch too. Until then, this will have to do.

Cathedral Village Arts Festival 2013

On Wednesday I found that I will indeed be a part of this year's Cathedral Village Arts Festival. They opened an entire extra block this year due to increased demand. Imagine all the extra vendors they will have this year!

My sister has finally decided to set up a booth there as well. Check out her mylittlepaintings on facebook and on etsy. Like me, it seems a lot of her best work doesn't make it online so be sure to look for her at the festival if you get there.

I have recently thought up something new using drawer pulls I made years ago. Hopefully I can get some made for that show or at least one made to show you here what I am talking about. Until then I will say no more about it.

I am very happy to be going back to the Cathedral Arts Festival this year. I believe it will be my 6th or 7th year there. I absolutely love this show. There is so much to see. The only drawback is the time of year. Of course there has been sunny days (one or two) but the weather is not always cooperative. It has been so windy, I once saw someone's gazebo/sunshade lift up and knock them to the ground. That was the worst. It has also been bitterly cold. I think that was last year. But despite the crazy weather, people still show up. And I am glad they do. Without people, there would be no show.

The festival runs from May 20-25. The street faire is on May 25 and this is what I will be participating in.

The Cathedral Village Arts Festival will be held on May 25, 2013 in Regina, Saskatchewan on 13th Avenue from Angus Street to Montague Street. It runs from 10 am to 5 pm.

I hope to see you there!.

Etching Some Beads

I made some beads to etch recently. Like I usually do, I couldn't bring myself to etch some of them because I liked them the way they look now. So I made myself etch only some of the beads.

Here is my makeshift setup. Newspaper, rubber gloves, a cup of water with baking soda to neutralize the beads, beads, and acid for etching. (I like to use paper towel too but only had kleenex.)

The beads are strung on fishing line with plastic E-beads between to prevent large, unetched areas on the ends.

Here are the beads before etching - shiny. The one thing I really do like with etching is how certain transparent colors show up decorations that you otherwise couldn't see.

Putting the beads into the acid. Yes, I am too lazy to actually put the acid in something else so I just thread them into the bottle. Actually I do it this way to avoid more mess, spills, wreaking my glassware, etc.

I don't usually leave the beads in the acid long. The longer they are left, the more matte the finish becomes.

I let the beads sit in the water a minute or two. The water and baking soda neutralizes the acid and stops the etching process.

Once the beads are taken out, I let them dry for awhile. Then I cut the fishing line off and let the beads fully dry until I am ready to use them in my projects. These ones are all for earrings.

The last picture shows the beads after they sat for about half an hour. The white spots are baking soda that I need to wash off but you can see how the beads have changed from their shiny beginning. The purple half and half beads and the half green - half purple beads show up more once they are etched.

One more thing to mention is that you need good ventilation to use liquid acid. Make sure to read all of the precautions on the bottle before using it.

I would etch more beads, because I love the look, but like I said above, I have a hard time bringing myself to do it sometimes.

Thanks for reading!