Busy, Busy, Busy

Oh my, I have been busy.  Last Sat, my mother, daughter and I, went to the Monarch Butterfly Festival as vendors.  I had never been a vendor at an event like this.  It was quite the learning experience.  For one thing it is a lot of work, and I mean a lot.  I did not sell anything, but my mom made 54 dollars, so I was very happy for her.  Caitlin had a ball as well. 

This weekend my husband, and son, went on a camping trip with our church.  Other than it rained, some, they had a ball and I am sure will be exhausted when they finally get home.  DJ had hurt his arm a few days before the trip, and he said it is sore now, but OK.  I have lasagna all ready to bake for them when they get home.

Yesterday, I had my first craft porch and yard sale.  My mom brought stuff, and I put out stuff, and it went well.  You never know what you will sell, or what people are looking for, so we always try to have a variety.  I did not sell any of my craft items, but I had a ton of people asking for prices and hopefully they will come back and purchase in future sales.  We are hoping to do this once each month, except December.  I think we should try to get one in, in Dec.  Will have to wait and see.  The benefits of doing it this way, is you can lower your prices, because you have no fees to website such as Etsy or Ebay, and you don't have to ship it anywhere.  Plus, I didn't haul tables and everything, it was all right there.

Caitlin had her first sleep over last night.  I was so tired, but I made it fun for them.  They loved it!

So, with all that going on, plus homeschool, Run Club and 4H, I have not painted, or made any new jewelry.  I did just start a new crochet cocoon, and I can not wait to share it.  Be sure to watch for that.  Especially if you have a new baby that you will need a gift for. 

Oh, by the way, visit my Etsy store, the widget is at the top of this blog.  From now until Christmas I am accepting offers on all my items, even Clearance.  It is free to sign up and be a buyer at Etsy, so no problems there.  I offer a layaway service too.  Message me on Etsy to make me an offer.

First Day of School Painting

I am a member of the On Fire for Handmade Etsy team. Each week they do a theme treasury. This week the theme was back to school, and I painted this little boy on his first day of school, just for that theme. Isn't he adorable? He is all done in acrylics and is available to purchase in my Etsy store. I will be doing a little girl version soon. My daughter painted with me, and she painted the lovely horse painting shown. She will be entering her art work in the North Florida Fair with our 4H group. Today, I think I am going to dabble in some jewelry making. I finished two crochet projects, that I will be sharing soon also. I will be doing my first vending event, with my mom and daughter, on Sept 14 at the Greathouse Butterfly Farm. So, all my jewelry, and some of my paintings and crochet items will be going there. If there is something you want in my store, better get it. Especially those Clearance items.

Day 8 Water Challenge Purple Spotted Swallowtail

For day 8 of my water challenge I decided to paint the very beautiful Purple Spotted Swallowtail. This was a very difficult butterfly to paint. And my water didn't exactly become the focus, so I will try a different approach next time. I love this butterfly and so wished they lived here where we are. They only live in New Guinea. This painting is available in my Etsy store, which you can visit by clicking on the widget above. I might get away from butterflies over water for a bit, but not for too long, because I am going to be a vendor with my mom at the 3rd annual Monarch Butterfly Festival in Sept at the Greathouse Butterfly Farm. I am so excited.