Excuses, excuses

Today's post will be later this evening.😟 I know I made a challenge with myself.  But, I have until 11:59 p.m.

My First Craft Show (reprint from August 26, 2012)

The following is a reprint of one of my favorite posts from August 26, 2012. I no longer participate in craft shows but I enjoyed it while I did.

My First Craft Showing



Unable to have the banner I'd designed in Publisher, printed at an office supply store, I resorted to making this one around 11:00 pm, the night before my display.

I'VE  BEEN FREQUENTING THE  East Lake Farmer's Market (ELFM) at East Lake United Methodist Church. . From a previous post you will know that I subscribed to picking up a half basket of fresh fruits and veggies as well as homemade goodies every other week. This week was different in that I got to display my own craft items. This  is something I've wanted to do for a long time but couldn't get up the nerve. I enjoy being in the company of others who craft. I found it at ELFM. I was not so much interested in making money as I was getting up the gumption to actually get out there and experience the craft vending world.      

            

Most books I borrow from the public library but I was so impressed with, The Handmade Market Place by Kari Chapin that I bought it. It is chock full of worthy information and tips. It seems that every question I had was answered somewhere in her book.

ON WITH THE SHOW

A table showing my wares.



yellow tie dyed tee shirt scarf with matching yellow beads.

Here is one of my 4 cardboard models. As stated I "reuse and redesign  with discards." I found these photos in  a 2nd hand shop. They'd been taken from discarded photo albums. I was looking for vintage photos and found what I wanted. I took the head shots to Staples and had them enlarged. I then asked and was given cardboard boxes from a car parts warehouse (They have the best boxes, Sturdy and clean) and cut out the shapes.   The initial inspiration for the models came from  Bea Graansma and Carolina Gonzalez .

 

All neckwear comes as a duo. A tee shirt scarf with an accompanying  vintage necklace or a tee shirt necklace.
The lighted compacts in the forefront have vintage photos also.



**BTW All of the photos I used are from a secondhand store. I don't know any of these people. 



Neckwear doubled

 

White tee shirt  scarf worn with a decorative pin.

The neckwear can be worn together or separately. Most lengths are in the 30+" range. It can be worn long or short by doubling the necklace and scarf around the neck. Wearing it with a brooch  or pin would be nice also.

I only decorated 4 compacts. To see a close up of the others click the photo of the table above. I sold three of them. Below is a closeup of the first one to sell.




This is the backside of one of the lighted mirror compacts

 


This is the front side of the compact. I used lace, photo and cut outs from thrift outlets. I call this one "Saturday on the Town."



I didn't have a picture of the pink one showing the lighted mirror when slid open so
this is  "On the Beach".   Slide open to use the mirror. Slide the cover farther down to use the mirror lighted.





This is Lois whom I met weeks earlier. She gave me the info on who to call to get the "hook up" to be a vendor. We shared a booth this past Saturday. I was facing north and she was facing south. Look over her shoulder and you'll see my table behind her.



I am proud of myself for finally getting out there and trying it out. I'll be there again next week.

THAT's IT*** Reprinted from August 26, 2012

Birmingham Oddities

TAKE NOTE-If you're offended by animals stuffed by taxidermy, ghoulish collections, or the macabre, this post isn't for you. 

Just a short walk down 23^rd Street and 1^st Avenue you’ll find the home of Birmingham Oddities.  Quirky, unusual, surprising might be  a few of the terms you’ll use among others when you step inside.

I learned from the shop keeper that the owner began his collection as a child with bugs, butterflies and the like. Later in life other items were added to the menagerie of curiosities.  After a while it grew so large that he needed a place to store them. He opened this shop to share and sell his collection. The owner is from Cullman but works in Birmingham as a prosthetist.

There won't be a lot of text to this post. Mostly, there will be pictures.

The bottles list names of potions such as zombie cure, graveyard dirt, coffin foam. BTW the  B&W canvas  behind the potions had a naughty word so I covered it up. To the right is a collection of animal skulls, teeth and laboratory specimens. They threw in a scary green head for color I guess.

Stuffed birds, fish, moose, horns, skulls etc.

What do you do with a collection of turtle shells? Of course you make a turtle shell purse. Notice the back is the back of the turtle shell and the front is the under body. It has a leather lining inside and a leather flap to close it. The leather fringe is a nice addition. The purse was only $38. No, I didn't buy it.

The jewelry consisted of various animal teeth, mouse skulls, bones, pendants with  contents unknown to me, ceramic , turtle shells, dune 😮??? and various orbs

A mannequin with two lit bulbous  light covers for breasts.

This speaks for itself

Specimens you might find in a school Science lab.

I was told that the designer of these dolls buys old dolls from the thrift store and redesigns them with red and yellow eyes, paints and dresses them  to create the scary effect you see here.

The woman in the shop says the owner is thinking of having a Krampus party or parade. People who are into the macabre, supernatural, and Halloween might find this an interesting place to visit and possibly buy some things of interest to them.

That's it ***