Thank You!

Thanks to the beautiful beach community of Encinitas for a wonderful craft show.  Above is a shot (sorry it's so grainy and dark, that's the trade off you get for wonderful shade) of my booth with my handmade charms, necklaces and boxes made by my friend Rosemary.

Here I am looking extremely tired I'm afraid.  

Above are two wonderful customers I so enjoyed meeting Robyn and Judy.  Robyn is wearing a pirate charm she bought from my website.  

I had a wonderful time meeting all of you who came to the Encinitas street faire.  The weather was perfect, and it is so fun for me to actually put faces with emails and orders.  What an experience it was and I am truly thankful for your support.  Finding out how much these charms mean to you absolutely inspires me to move forward.  

Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Love,

Martha

Mother's Day Sachet

Don't you love the look and feel of old linens?  I sure do.  Above is a recycled hankie I turned into a lavender sachet.  I love the decorative details on it.  I attached a mother/friend charm and tied it with vintage seam binding.

I sewed an old button to the back.

Another close up of the sachet.   

Did you know lavender repels moths as well as promotes relaxation?  So it keeps the bugs away and calms you down.  This makes me want to keep the sachet for myself!  But alas, I must part with it. Tomorrow is another craft show I'll be attending in the delightful beach community of Encinitas.  The show is from 9-5 (although I'll be there at 6, gulp), and if you're a California Girl, please be sure and stop by to say hi.  If you're familiar with the area, my booth will be by Pino's Restaurant on Coast Hwy 101. 

Take care and have a wonderful weekend!

Martha

If Momma Ain't Happy...

"If Momma Ain't Happy Ain't Nobody Happy."  Have you seen this quote before?  I love it because it is so very true.  In my own childhood home my mom always sort of set the tone for the happiness meter.  If she was in a bad mood, the whole family seemed to suffer.  I feel like I'm like her in many ways.  Even now, I'm feeling a little upset and I'm not exactly sure why.  Maybe it's the taxes that just nailed us, or the fact that my puppies are constantly chewing up our newly planted trees, or my never ending cold, but I just feel frustrated.  That's why this quote came to my mind today, and I found a lady in a photo that seems to scream this sentiment. Isn't she just perfect?  I'm going to make her into a necklace.  So whatever your feeling right now, remember as a mom many times you dictate the tone of your home.  For good or not so good.  Haven't we a lot of power girls?

Yours Truly,

Martha 

Beautiful Boxes & Crowns

It's finally Friday!  And I received the most beautiful package in the mail today.  My dear friend Rosemary made me one of her beautiful box creations, and 2 crowns.  The crowns are for my dress forms, and the "girls" are ecstatic to have them on!  They are made of the richest German glitter glass and trimmed with silver and gold.  And they fit perfectly.  Thanks so very much Rosemary for making these for me, I really do appreciate it.  Now I'd like to find a vintage dress with a corset to put on my 2 girls.  It's like playing dress up with my Barbie dolls all over again! Do you have a dress form you've dressed up you'd like to show me?  I'd love to see it.  Oh, and have a wonderful weekend. 

~Martha 

Happy Birthday Sunny!

Greetings,

It's my puppy's 1 year birthday!  We named her Sunshine (Sunny for short) because we got her when some sunshine was desperately needed in my family's life.  We had just gone through the loss of our 11 year old black lab Toby, and in a lot of pain.  It is amazing how a dog can become such a close part of your family. (Right now even typing his name brings tears to my eyes. ) So we got Sunny and she really has brought us a lot of happiness. I have another puppy too shown in the photo above.  His name is Stormy and is 6 months old.  They are both Golden Retrievers, not Labs, just very light in color.  The two dogs together are so funny to watch and when I'm having a bad day they really lift my spirits.   Hope you are having a great day, and if you have a dog give him or her a kiss from Sunny!

Tatters and Tags

Hi there!  Well the first show of my little craft show season is over, and to tell you the truth I'm pretty tired.  Thanks to the lovely ladies that stopped by due to my blog.  It is so nice to know that my humble blog is being read by you.  I thought next time I do a craft show it would be fun to bring my computer and blog while the show is going on.  

Here are some photos of my dear tattered dress form.  She's been through a lot but is a survivor and I think just perfect.  Her name is "Betty Boob" due to her obvious physical flaws.  She is from Barcelona, and appears to be quite old but still likes to dress up and accompany me to craft shows.  My dear friend Rosemary is making her a crown so she's going to be really happy about that.  

I was tagged by Pat of Mille Fiori Favoriti to participate in a 6 word meme..."Six words that represent your life's motto."  I came up with "keep faith, fear not, have fun."  Because I rely on my faith in God and that He is in control, I can't let fear paralyze me from going forward, and without laughing and having fun life becomes way too serious and dull.  

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Take care,

Martha

Craft Show Craziness

Hi there!  So nice to have you stop by.  Well tomorrow is my first craft show since December, and I'm nervous and excited as always.  I guess if I were selling something I didn't make it would be better.  But I did make these darlings from creating the design, cutting the glass and soldering, to gluing on the rhinestones and ribbons.  They are a true labor of love, and I can't think of anything else I'd rather do, but with any passion the bad side comes out too.  I've cursed, cut myself, burned my fingers and legs, screamed at my family (I'm sorry!) and  battled severe migraines.  So sometimes it's hard to lay it all out there for the public to see and judge at a craft show.  I still get nervous and fearful, and think to myself is it good enough, should I have done more, or I start comparing myself to others, which is my kiss of death.  But like Betty Bender says, "Anything I've ever done that was ultimately worthwhile, initially scared me to death."  

So I just thought I'd share some of my feelings before I get back to work here.  If you're in the neighborhood tomorrow, please stop by and say hi to me.  I'll be getting up bright and early tomorrow at 4 a.m.  :)

I hope you keep your passion burning even when it gets hard, and face your fears too because that's when great things happen in your life. 

Take care,

Martha

Sweet Sparkling Treat

Hi there!  Look what I got in the mail yesterday. It's a beautifully customized gift box from my friend Rosemary.  It's for my sweet niece Amber's birthday and she's going to love it.  She's an amazing dancer, and I remembered Rosemary makes gift boxes with little vintage ballerina's dancing on them that I just had to have. This box is encrusted with glittery sparkles that look so pretty and I tucked a initial "A" charm that I make inside the box.  I think our little creations compliment each other very well. Thanks so much for making this for me Rosemary!  I'll be back for more.  

Take care, Martha