Wordless Wednesday

Get Your Shopping Done in a Day

It's true. You can totally get all your holiday shopping done in one day. If you'd like, you could also spend every last penny of money you have, and happily so. Where and when is such a opportunity presenting itself? Why, the No Coast Craft-o-rama, of course!

Let me tell you the story of the No Coast Craft-o-rama. Oh, the year was 2005, I think. Right around the same time Crafty Planet opened it's doors. I had started crafting things to sell and was having very little success at the local craft sales. Around the same time my mom was retiring, and bugging me about what she was going to do with all this newfound time. So, I set about to recruit forces to help me plan a wee little sale in our fair city. And that is what I did.

To get things started, I dropped in on Trish at Crafty Planet. "Trish," I said, "...how can I get some hip crafty peeps together to help me plan this thing?" To which Trish said, "I'll help you!" And so it was. I created some flyers and hung them about town. Trish passed the word through the store and her wide network of crafty hipsters. The night of the first planning meeting arrived...and some people showed up! Real, live people! Who also liked the idea of a cool, indie craft sale! It was a thrill. To this day only one or two of the people who were at that meeting are still involved with the planning, but believe me, every one of them made a difference in how things came to be!

Fast forward past all of the agonizing hard work of putting together that first sale, trying to find vendors, a location, determine advertising needs, establish an identity and get organized to the morning of the sale. We all arrived at Columbia Manor in northeast Minneapolis with butterflies. Would anyone come? Would the tables all fit? Would everything run smoothly? As people trickled in, then crowds amassed, then hoards of made shoppers practically stormed the place, it became clear that we would far exceed our expected attendance of 500. In fact, I think I recall we had around 2,500 attendees! It was amazing, and one of the most exciting and rewarding feelings I've ever had to see all that hard work pay off. Our vendors said that shoppers were crazed, throwing money and snatching up crafts like it was their last ever opportunity to get a piece of the craft action. My husband dressed as Santa and dj'ed all day, and my mom had a banner day of sales. All of my friends came, and I made new friends and discovered some unbelievably talented local crafters and generally just had an awesome day. It whet my appetite for more.

As I said, the whole story is a long one, but I've helped plan this sale for the last four years -- everything from writing press releases to setting up and tearing down tables to helping design shirts and web sites and choose vendors and appear on media interviews. It's been a labor of love but also extremely consuming. This year I stepped away from it all to focus on (selfishly) me, my family, and lots of other things. But I can rest easy knowing that it's now in Trish and the Crafty Planet gang's capable hands. I feel like I set out to accomplish something really great, and I did -- and now it's got momentum of it's own! I can finally just show up and shop...with no responsibilities! It's a great feeling, and I plan to completely blow every penny I have there. So if you're expecting a gift from me this year, you can't come shopping with me. Or you've got to get lost...which won't be hard to do at this event!

Come check it out and support local handmakers. They deserve your business!

Finally Finished with the Baby Blanket Project

Here I sit, wasting time blogging and reading blogs and lolly-gagging around the internet. You'd think I didn't have ANYTHING better to do. Oh, WAIT! I DON'T! That's right -- after four months (more?) of knitting almost every night, I finished my first charity knitting project. It's luckily large enough for a baby, and it's got no major flaws, so I think it's destined to be part of a bundles of love bundle! The feather and fan knitting pattern didn't turn out half bad with two colors. I actually kind of love how down the middle you can really see the curve of the pattern. The pattern was free if you'd like to try it.

Here's what was running through my mind as I knit this blanket over the last several months:
1. I have a really short attention span; why did I choose a blanket?
2. I am expecting my first nephew; should I be knitting for him?
3. I am totally going to run out of teal yarn (which happened)
4. I'd rather be sewing
5. I could get a lot more knitting done if there weren't so many White Russians to drink or bags of microwave popcorn to eat
6. I wonder what sort of baby will get this blanket...? A cute one? A happy one?
7. Am I done yet?

Well, I'm finally done, and I think Bundles of Love will be much better off if I knit some smaller items for them in the future. Otherwise, lots of babies will have cold nights from lack of blankets because of my slowness. Maybe tiny sweaters is more my speed.

In other news, we (like every hipster in town, apparently) hit the Craftstravaganza this weekend. It was nice to see some of the awesomest and most friendly people I know, and we were glad to pick up the next size bigger of our kiddos Charlie and Sarah gear. This time we let Wee Pumpkin pick his own and much to our surprise he chose "aar" (car) over lorry (truck).

What I Bought at No Coast Craft-o-rama

I did spend a sizable sum of money this weekend at No Coast. Here's the roundup of items that can be disclosed...

1. An ornament and coaster set from Keen Olive
2. A perpetual calendar by Cassie Medema Design so that I can keep track of family birthdays (not my strong suit)
3. A cute onesie from Happify
4. A really cool pencil box from Mogo
5. A shirt from Campfire Goods for Mr. Pumpkin

Here are some vendors I saw that I thought were really amazing and might have to patronize over the interweb:

1. Aaron Sober ceramics were so original, I was really impressed; I really loved the animal shapes
2. Hat Menagerie's cute hat knitting kits were cleverly packaged and even cuter knit up
3. Numsi had a really cute picture of a digger suitable for the Wee Pumpkin's room that I'm considering
4. Loved the great camera straps by Souldier

...and really, so much awesome stuff. It's hard to write about it all!

I Survived No Coast Craft-o-rama

Phew. I can't remember the last time I was this exhausted. Oh, yes. I can. It was last year after No Coast Craft-o-rama. It's so draining both physically and emotionally to put the whole thing together that, despite requests to do it more often, I can't imagine doing this more than once a year.

I bought a ton of stuff which I will round up in the next day or so. I only bought myself two things and managed to spend the rest on gifts (like I should). I was telling a fellow volunteer that I wished that we could enforce a "checkout" policy whereby every shopper had to show us what they bought. It's so fun to see all the great things that people find; even after going through everything four times or so, I was still seeing new things.

The highlights of my weekend were the Como Ave Jug Band (and accompanying kids pictured above) and the Craft-a-thon. Big shout out to all the judges, the MC and the contestants. I loved it! But in the end, the Minnesota Rollergirls went home with the grand prize, which included two Janome sewing machines and a bunch of other fantastic stuff from our sponsors (Crafty Planet, Sublime Stitching, Handmade Nation, Venus Zine, Craft Magazine...).

Did you go? Likes? Dislikes?

Earflap Hat With Skulls

My son is usually a pretty willing (and ultra adorable) model for my projects. This one, however, not so much. Maybe it's the fact that I'm trying to get him to put on this super warm hat and it's 80 degrees outside. Or, by the time I get home from work and everyone eats and he gets a bath he's much more ready for a book or some snuggling than a modeling shoot. Oh, well. I did manage to snap this shot of him just about to take the hat off.

I am going to make some slight modifications to this new design, such as making the front flap a little wider. I hope to whip up about 100 of these for the big craft sale in December. I want to get some red plaid flannel to make some cute hunter-kid hats with. Yay! It's hard to get excited about winter, but I'm trying!

Apply Now for No Coast Craft-o-rama

Just a little plug for all of you who are interested in applying to be a part of this year's big sale: the No Coast vendor applications are now available on our web site! The sale will be December 5 and 6 this year, at Midtown Global Market.

In other exciting news, Lonny Unitas will be the designer of the No Coast artwork (including posters, postcards, tees, etc.) this year. We're so excited to work with him!

Also, No Coast will be getting a new web design to align us better with our overall nonprofit mission of helping the crafty scene in the region. We've selected Giant Squid Industries to help us, and we hope to launch the new site later this year. I'm really looking forward to seeing that project come together.

Bingo and Grandma Betty

My grandma Betty was a pretty awesome grandma. When I was little she would take me on walks "in the ditch" by her house, which was pretty much a little culvert that sometimes was dry, and sometimes allowed for just the right amount of splashing around. She would also pick me up from school if I was sick and take me to McDonald's for a sundae. So, you know, a real "grandmas grandma." Pretty normal in most ways.

However, in the years before she died, grandma Betty surprised the whole family by becoming exceptionally good at a kooky little game my family plays around the holidays called "Big Ass Bingo." It involves the standard game of Bingo, but with really sh*tty prizes. I mean, like the craziest, most bizarre and disgusting stuff you can come up with. My grandma, who liked to buy cutesy stuff and candles and soaps and things, eventually caught on that the prizes were supposed to suck. And once she caught on, she ruled it.

Grandma found some terribly awesome stuff, probably hidden in her basement for decades, or stumbled upon at a garage sale somewhere, and it made us crack up. Clown heads with crocheted stuff around it and weird misshapen kid's pottery and who knows what else. She would try to wear a poker face when someone was about to open something she'd brought, but she couldn't contain herself. Her prizes were so bad, she even wrapped them in crappy paper. And she found it all very hilarious.

I made this fancy bingo card, in fact a set of bingo cards, in her honor. The anniversary of her death is in a few weeks and I'll be thinking about her, playing some bingo and laughing our heads off. If you would like to introduce the family-bonding game of Big Ass Bingo to your family, stop by my booth at No Coast. I'll have a set with your name on it.

No Coast Posters for Download!

Guys and gals, it's one of my favorite times of year. It's craft sale time. I have to admit, it's also an extremely busy time of year. There are about a billion moving parts to putting this thing together, and the 8 or so of us who plan it squeeze a HECK of a lot of time out of our personal lives to do it, and we don't make any money for it! But enough whining, let's get to the good stuff.

Of course I think our local crafters are about the sweetest, most talented, generous and amazing people you'll find anywhere. One of them in particular, Adam Turman, really stepped up to the plate to help us out this year. He designed a poster so cool that I giggle just a little bit every time I look at it. It's pink and brown (great colors), features a cabin (I love cabins) and just screams Midwest crafty charm.

Highlights this year of course include my mom selling her knitting needle and crochet hook bags, Kristen Mary and her hubby Trophiogrande International selling stockings, fabric paper dolls and illustrations, Charlie and Sarah who sell clothes for little boys (and girls), and Fantastic Toys, whose stuff I have admired but not yet bought.

If you haven't already, make a shopping list, come on Friday (avoid the crowd?) and be prepared to want WAY more than you can possibly afford.

No Coast Craft-o-rama
Nov 30, 3 - 8 PM
Dec 1, 9 to 5 PM
Midtown Global Market, Lake St.
Minneapolis

No Coast Craft-o-rama: Big Success!

It was a long weekend in Pumpkin Land! Friday afternoon we trekked over to Midtown Global Market to await the delivery of lots of rented tables for the big event. Willa and I waited in relative calm, just knowing that the storm was about to begin. We've been planning for this all year, and it's a little surreal knowing that people are on their way from Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinios and the far reaches of Minnesota to be part of the festivities.

We were really glad we arrived early to set up tables, and we also got the help of friendly Joel and the Americorps volunteers who arranged lights and moved things around for us.

Around 4 everyone started to arrive for the pre-sale. At that point I got really nervous, because we still hadn't put up all the tables, some spots still looked really dark, and I hadn't placed the signs on each table so the vendors would know where they were situated. Much less, we hadn't unloaded our car or started to worry about setting up our own table yet! But, never fear, Ellen, Trish, Chrissy and various Midtown employees helped get everything in great shape before invited guests arrived.

The pre-sale was very relaxing and I'm glad we had the "dry run" to work out kinks. Most of the vendors were able to leave their stuff on their tables until morning, which made the start of Saturday very un-chaotic (thank goodness!). We sold quite a bit and met some nice shop owners, as well as Arwen from Craft, who was kind enough to blog about us.

Saturday I woke up at 4:15 AM, wide awake and ready to go. Unfortunately, that lead to a very tired Pumpkin Girl for all of Saturday. But, I toughed it out and put on a happy face, until about 5 when I just wanted to sleep, or cry, or both. The day was amazing, with over 8,000 people attending (we expected 5,000). I ate lots of good food, including Huevos con Chorizo, egg rolls, and garlic chicken. I saw lots of friends (thanks for coming Carrie, Brittany, Eric, Becky, Jen, Andy, Meggan, Caitlyn, and everyone who couldn't find me but stopped by). The Roe Family Singers rocked for about four hours and I was sad when they stopped, but I also enjoyed the hip hop step group (of cute young girls) The Sandburg Steppers.

I only bought two things. One, a great necklace from Small Motor Designs and another unmentionable gift for a good friend who couldn't make it.

Mostly, this day was about friendship, family, and crafting your heart out. I have to give MAJOR shout outs to my girls who plan this event with me. I know each and every one of them working long hours and did lots of things they didn't want to or have time to, just to make this so successful. They deserve a big raise (ha! well, a raise from $0 isn't hard to do)! Also, big props to my mom Granny's Closet, who I heard many people say had come early just to get to her table early (she nearly sold out of everything).

Thanks everyone who came and supported the fun, sweet, brilliant designers and craftspeople at No Coast Craft-o-rama 2006. Thanks for supporting me!

Getting Ready for No Coast Craft-o-rama

I'm getting really excited...No Coast is only 41 (OMIGOD! FORTY ONE! THE BIG FOUR ONE!) days away! Here at headquarters we've been cranking out some awesome Pumpkin Girl wares, like room and linen spray, grocery lists, and yes...Christmas cards. Here's a couple new designs to pique your interest!!