Reedom School Craft Fair

Saturday, November 14 I'll be selling at the following event.  Please come out and support all the crafters!


Reedom Elementary School Craft Fair and Cook-Off
Saturday, November 14th 10am-2pm. 

10025 Rumrill Street, Las Vegas, NV 89178

Free Admission

Join us at Reedom Elementary School in Mountain’s Edge
for our 2nd Annual Craft Fair & Cook-Off.


Jewelry, Candles, Skincare Products, Wood Crafts,
Pottery, Adult & Kids’ Clothing, Accessories,
Home Decor, Gift Items, Scrapbooking Supplies,
Card-Making Supplies, Handmade Dolls, Holiday
Crafts, Baked Goods and More

Christmas Tree Displays

I've not posted tips for craft shows in a while so here is a short one since craft show season is in full swing.  I know many of us make ornaments, they are a staple of many booths and for good reason...they sell well.  Displaying them can often be difficult though.  A tree gets the most attention but can take up too much space in a booth.  Consider a smaller, narrow tree that can sit on a table or display kinda up at eyesight.  You can use the tree to highlight you ornaments by placing one or two of each kind on the tree and fill small baskets with your ornament stock under the tree. You could also hang extras on hooks next to the tree.  If you have electricity, lights on your tree will always attract customers but that is not always available.

I just recently purchased a vintage looking tinsel tree to display my ornies.  It's not something I was looking for but it just really spoke to me that day.  What I do like about is that the branches are very few and they are really stiff.  Ornaments will be easily seen on the tree, the branches won't sag and it catches the light since it's 'tinsel'.  They had them in several colors but I went with the pale green one.  I think the silver one would have been great also.  For me...not the red tinsel...but it was I catching, the teal blue one was kinda cool too.

Alpine trees are great for displays as well.  They are narrow and spindily and some have the trunk showing, giving room for lots of ornaments to really stand out.  You can get them from 2 foot to 7 foot + yet they only take a small amount of floor space.  They also look great when several of them are grouped together.  Now, like many trees...you can get them pre-lit.

I have always loved the Charlie Brown tree.  How great would this look in a booth display...awesome!  It would also be a great topic of conversation because the memories it would bring back for many customers.  Add a few ornaments, a little blanket and....'ta-da'!

Also consider putting other items in/on your trees.  Dolls, Snowmen and Santas look great tucked into the branches of a tree.  I've also displayed signs and other painted items on my trees as well.  Hey, jewelry would look great on one of the tinsel trees...just saying.

Don't have lots of room?  Attach your tree to the wall.  Push all the branches to the front and ziptie or bungy your tree to the wall display you use.  Don't have walls?  Just do the same thing but with attaching it.

I've spray painted a tree black and used it for Halloween ornies and decorations as well.  A dead tree branch in a bucket is great for this as well. Just put some plaster paris or quick drying cement in a bucket to stablize the branch and weight it down. Spray paint it in your color choice for a cool, eye-catching display. 

Always try to bring your displays off the ground.  Even if using a tall tree, consider setting it on a crate or box.  Customers don't want to bend over to the floor and they oftem miss seeing items that are on the floor.  Remenber, most customers only really see things that are 2ft to 6ft off the floor.

Show and Tell Friday

Wow, this week went by fast.  I've not painted, sewn or glued anything...but I have been in the kitchen baking up a storm.  Cookies galore have been baked...it was National Cookie Day this week...Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Cranberry to be exact.  I've also baked up 8 batches of Lemon Bread.  Yummo!   Our yellow lab also thought they were yummy since she stole 2 of them off the counter and devoured them on the living room carpet. 

Free Ornaments

That's right, a free handmade ornament with every purchase this holiday season.  I have lots of one's or two's left from other events and they are now your gift with every order placed on my Etsy site or my website.  Ornaments are totally random so it's just like Christmas when you open the box.  Happy shopping!

http://www.twiddlebugz.etsy.com/
http://www.twiddlebugzdesignz.com/

Las Vegas Mesquite Club Stencils Turkey

I was asked to present a project for the ladies at the Las Vegas Mesquite Club.  A stenciled turkey was decided upon, kits were assembled and packed up for a fun-filled evening of crafting.  None of these gals had ever stenciled before and what a great job they all did.  I'm so proud of them.  Twenty-three ladies completed their turkeys with giggles and squeals of joy...and one terrific gobble call as well.  Everyone had a wonderful time.  I look forward to teaching these gals again.

Happy Halloween

Dressing up can be a scream and playing tricks is dandy...

but when it comes to Halloween it's all about the candy!

It's so fun to paint and decorate for Halloween and my favorite's by far are

my Gaye Shoell pieces.  What a talented person she is.  I've enjoyed many

painting seminars learning and painting with her.  She's quite an inspiration to me.

This trick or treater is 'Wierd Wolf'...just one of her many awesome designs.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Show and Tell Friday

I don't know what happened to this week, it has flown by for sure.  My son and I drove home from Reno on Monday. Tuesday I caught up around the house, shopped for food and such, and did a demo at the crafters guild meeting. Wednesday I cleaned and had a Pampered Chef party, Thursday I did paint a little, completed 10 of these turkey plaques (they were also my demo Tuesday night, I gave those two pieces away).  Timm and Chris poured concrete, we're in the process of building an outdoor kitchen.  And well, here it is Friday already. 

These two cabinet doors I finished just before I left for the craft show last week.  I sold the scarecrow to a gentleman that bought a couple of doors from me last year so he's starting a collection of sorts.  He also donated 4 more doors for me to paint on.  What a nice guy he is.  I'm telling you the folks I've met in Reno are the nicest people...and loyal craft shoppers.