My son's wedding

I can't believe I didn't tell you about my son's wedding. DUHHHH! My son married this sweet gal from Minnesota after a year of dating. She took a leap of faith and left everything to move to Las Vegas to be with him. They got married May 10, 2008 at the Valley of Fire 50 miles north of Las Vegas. It was a beautiful day, not too hot (thankfully!). About 60 family members and friends came out to celebrate the big day. The reception was a Bucca di Beppo's, not your typical reception but not much about them are typical so it was just right for them. Very relaxed, fun atmosphere with great friends and food...what more could you ask for. We are all very pleased and excited with them and the whole event!

Latest dolly

Here is one of my latest creations. I just love the look on her face...I think I feel that way today. hehe She a a sister with short hair but I really like her pigtails. I'm adding her to my website today so if you love her, stop by and adopt her please. Someone said she looks like me...as cute as she is I'm hoping not.

So good to get out of town

Jan and Timm pointing us to our next destination

Woo Hoo! It was wonderful to finally get out of town. We haven't been camping since the end of January, and boy was I itching to hit the trail. Our ATV club went to the Gap Mountain area in Nevada about 165 miles north of Las Vegas. A cold front brought us scattered rain everyday (which is a treat for us around here) and very cool weather for Memorial Day (another treat for us by the way, we hit record highs of 108 the weekend prior). It was a great opportunity to try out our new rain gear, and may I say it works great! We spent 3 days riding in wide open Nevada among the sagebrush flats, pinion pine and juniper covered mountains, and everything in between. Cassy, our yellow lab, rode with us on Saturday on the back of Timm's quad...for 60 miles...she was awesome!

Here she is a the hot springs with Timm. She so wanted to get into the water after that stick but I didn't want stinky wet dog in the RV all night.

Prepping for the Fall Craft Show Season

I know summer is just starting with Memorial Day weekend but over the summer is when you need to be getting ready for fall shows. They will sneak up on you before you know it and you want to be ready for them! So here are some of my suggestions on what to do to prepare for the fall show season:
· Research and review shows: Figure out what shows you want to do this year. Maybe drop one that didn’t do so well and add another.
· Submit applications: Request applications, fill them out and get them sent in early. Many of mine were due by the end of March for Fall shows.
· Set aside funds every week, payday, etc for expenses: Don’t be caught short, take a few $$$ every week, place them in an envelope and tuck them away. Use this money for your bank, fuel expenses, hotel, etc.
· Fill out your calendar: Book your dates, add them to your calendar so you don’t overlap events, family time, etc.
· Get an extra calendar, cut it up, tape it to your craft door so you can see thru the end of the year. This will let you physically see when they are and how long you have to prepare.
· Review patterns and books: make a list of what you want to complete this year – what sold best last year you may want to repeat, there were things that you wanted to get done but didn’t-add them to the top of the list.
· Set goals: post a clipboard, note book, etc to the door (wreath hanger and ribbon on clipboard) – keep a list of what you complete everyday, this is very helpful for me.
· Check supplies: What do you need, order wholesale if possible, allow time for them to arrive
· Use coupons to purchase larger items or bolts of muslin, etc. from your local stores. This can save you lots of money.
· After completing your items, photograph them, tag them…be sure to include personal/business information so customers can contact you later, box them up. Label boxes so you know what’s in them…this way you don’t have to dig and search for items later.
· Don’t put things off…time will get away from you.

More tips coming next week!

Our Own Craft Show

Hey all you crafters, did I tell you my friend and I are now promoting our own craft show? Well, we are! It will be a different format than most local shows. We have rented a retail shopping location for the weekend that is just awesome! In a growing southwest area of town located at Tropicana and the 215 Beltway in the Lowes/Walmart shopping center is where we will be. The space is +/- 5000 sq ft with a really clean look. We are renting spaces 'as we speak' for the July 25-27 show. 6x6 spaces are $95, 10x10 spaces are $125. The best thing about this is (besides being indoors in the summer heat) is you get to use your whole booth for display. You don't need to make room for transactions (which eats up a larger portion than we all think it does) since we are offering a central check out system. You don't even need to run to the bank to purchase change for the event. We will do that for you.

Since many of our favorite shows have fell to the wayside or started to carry commerical merchandise we wanted to bring crafts back to Las Vegas. Starting our new show is our answer to the issue. So be sure to visit Show & Tell Crafters Market and support your local crafter! You can also visit our blog at ShowandTellCraftersMarket.Blogspot.com

And the winner is....

This cute little dollie was just shipped out to her new home in Pensylvania. Her new mommy, Keri won a gift certificate from my booth at the Primmart Yardsale a few weeks ago. I'm sure she is going to love her new home. If you like her...don't fret... I have 19 more bodies to complete. They all have the same body, their faces vary slightly...but all are adorable! Just send an email if you'd like to adopt one of her sisters today.