September 28, 2011

Going to Renegade!

After participating in the 2nd Annual Austin Renegade Craft Fair back in May, Kelly and I took a chance at getting into the 1st Annual Holiday Renegade show this November. Well it paid off! R+R Design and GemJunkie will be back at the Palmer Event Center November 26-27th for the Renegade Craft Fair holiday show! We are working hard, making lots of new products, perfect for holiday gifts.

A reminder, you can also find both of us at the Austin Craft Riot holiday show on November 12-13th along with tons of local handmade artists. Keep an eye out on my Facebook fan page or GemJunkie's for pictures and updates on new products you can find at all of our fall shows.

September 27, 2011

Craft Project Complete!

So I've been wanting to make this for months and I finally got around to it this weekend. If you remember back in June I had a list of my favorite baby DIY projects and this breast feeding cover was one of them. Well here is my finished version and just in time for fall shows and grandma's visit in October!



While I'm at it...Here is a pic of my beautiful baby Gabe who is now two and a half months old.  He is all giggles and smiles lately especially around the camera. He has started cooing and is desperately trying to crawl or stand on my lap any chance he gets.


PS. As you can imagine I've been busy, busy with baby and getting ready for fall shows along with my Austin Craft Riot duties. The blog tends to come last to all those things and I apologize because I enjoy sharing these projects with you. I've got lots of new stuff I'm working on that I'll try and post soon as well as a long overdue recap of my sisters visit to Austin. All for now.

September 22, 2011

Get Organized!

With a newborn baby, getting ready for fall shows and trying to keep up with my Austin Craft Riot duties I've been been scribbling notes and lists on anything I can get my hands on. I need to get organized so I can better time manage my day (Example: I'm writing this at 4:30am while trying to coax a two month old back to sleep). So, I created this little weekly check list based on one Etsy put out at last years Craft Party {click HERE to see Etsy version}.


I love planners, especially this ONE from Robo Roku, but I liked the idea of being able to fold this into a pocket size piece that I can easily take in my purse or pocket to run errands, etc. That and I had just downloaded a ton of fun fonts I wanted to play with. :)

The version below is a little different then mine. I generalized the daily checklists for the average crafter/shop owner. Click on the image to download a copy from Google Docs. Enjoy!


September 15, 2011

This is where I'll be this weekend...


September 14, 2011

DIY Project: Jewelry Frame Display

Here is another fun, easy project you can make for your shop or home. I made my first set of frames years ago to display all my fabulous earrings in the open so it was easy to pick and choose what to wear. You can make 1, 2, 3 or more frames in different sizes to suite your needs. I made this set of three frames for a friend's birthday. They are all second hand frames I picked up at different times and just painted them to coordinate.

What you need: 
Frames (as many as you want in different sizes)
Paint
Mesh screen (Not household screen but larger gage wire screen from the hardware store. It comes in various size openings like shown below.)
Wire cutters
Staple gun
I bought frames without glass so I didn't have to waste it. If you find a frame you like that has glass you can dispose of it, give it away on Craigslist or think of something creative to do with it. I picked out three coordinating frames, two that had gold and one plain brown. I painted the large frame black and antiqued it then painted part of the small frame in black to match. I also recommend finding frames that are solid wood and have enough depth in the back to staple to.
The next step is to cut and adhere your wire mesh to your frame. I used the opening of the frame to mark my wire and because I had deep frames I added a 1/4-1/2 inch to all the sides so I could fold the edge over and staple into the side of the frames. This way the wire was contained and I didn't have it scratching my wall. If you don't have very deep frames you can add an inch to all sides and simply staple to the back of the frame. If you're worried about scratching your walls use strips of felt and a glue gun to cover the rough wire around the back of the frame. Just make sure that it is not visible from the front.

And voila, your done! You can now hang your frame(s) on the wall or I have also used mine with a stand at shows to display my jewelry for sale.  One last tip...depending on what type of wire mesh you get (stainless, galvanized, etc.) you may want to spray a couple layers of clear acrylic on it so you don't turn your silver jewelry. I only had problems with my sterling silver but some cheaper metals can turn as well if your not careful. Some hardware stores sell wire mesh that is coated with a thin layer of plastic coating. It is more expensive but a good option if you have lots of sterling silver you'd like to display.
Here is a great tutorial from The Borrowed Abode on how to make a larger wall display with old windows like the one above. This is great for someone who has a shop or workspace with ample wall space or those at home who want to display more than just earrings. Enjoy!

September 12, 2011

Happy Monday!

I had a busy weekend of grand openings, fall fairs, birthdays and more. Enjoy these pics...
Friday Night...Official grand opening of ATown. My stuff looked great! 
 
Saturday...My first fall fair after being home all summer with baby Gabe.
 Austin Flea at The Highball
My new shutter door display for screen prints. I thought it looked pretty sharp. :)
New mini French mustaches. These were a popular seller this weekend.
 
New CD coaster sets, also a popular item at the Austin Flea this weekend.  
Sunday...I'm 30!! I spent my birthday selling with friends at the Cafe Medici downtown.
Fall Fair: Handmade & Vintage put on by The Thinks.
I finally got to use my other new shutter display and it was great!
Spoons are back! I just inherited 500+ from my sister and her thrifty shopping so expect to see them at all my fall fairs.
Another new display I made out of pegboard, newspaper and a thrift store frame. A little stain on the frame to darken it up and it'll be perfect!

September 9, 2011

First Shows of the Season

Come join me for my first fall show, Austin Flea, tomorrow at the Highball from 11am-5pm! I'll be outside enjoying this beautiful Texas weather and sipping mimosas. A portion of the proceeds from tomorrows flea will go to the Central Texas Red Cross & Austin Pets Alive to help with the relief efforts of the local fires. For more info visit their Facebook page HERE.


Then on Sunday I'll be at the Cafe Medici with Kelly from GemJunkie and other awesome handmade vendors for the Fall Fair from 10am-5pm. For more info visit their Facebook event HERE.



September 8, 2011

ATown Grand Opening

ATown is having their official GRAND OPENING bash tomorrow, September 9th from 5-9pm at their new store on 5502 Burnet Rd. Come stop by to shop local, grab free food and drinks from sponsor Rebuplic Tequila, and stick around for your chance to win a raffle prize from one of the amazing vendors listed below. All proceeds from the event will go toward Austin Pets Alive, one of my favorite local organizations. I'll be there with the hubby and new baby to support local handmade!

While your at Atown I highly recommend picking up one of the new Go Local Austin cards. With this new card you can get sweet deals at hundreds of local stores, restaurants and hot spots. It supports your local economy and helps the environment by replacing hundreds of paper coupons with one little card. You can use it immediately and as many times as you want for up to 12 months after purchase. For more info about the Go Local Austin card click HERE

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