Friday Five

1. Liz of Made in Lowell's post about paying for handmade is really important (and well said!)
2. A gingerbread Downton Abbey! 
3. A food storage chart, including what produce to keep on your countertop and what to refrigerate. Super handy.
4. Did you know that Bill Cosby has a website and it is awesome? You can vote for your favorite Cosby Sweater!
5. The 40 Cutest Things That Happened in 2012. #4 is questionable, but the rest are pretty great.

Post-BBB

The Bazaar Bizarre Boston has finally come and gone which means - I can sleep again! I can sit for five minutes without thinking to myself "there really is something I should be doing instead of sitting here for five minutes"! I can remember to eat meals and drink water! It's a beautiful thing.

But seriously, I'm both sad and relieved that it's over. I always spend the week after the BBB with that "I feel like I've forgotten something important..." sensation. Also, every year I feel like I can't participate in the Christmas season until after the fair is over because there's just no time. The tree gets decorated in haste one weeknight and all my gifts are purchased in the week before the 25th.

It sounds like i'm complaining, but I'm really not. I love the craziness of the BBB and to be honest, I like the challenge of finding a balance. I'd be so bored otherwise!

The actual fair went really well. I did a general wrap-up over here on the BBB blog, but on a personal level, I had a pretty good day. I did better this year than last on several levels and I definitely had some really amazing customers. I love the people who see something of mine and their eyes light up and you can tell that they instantly connect with your work and that they "get" what you're trying to do. I think I've talked about this before, but you know what I mean? It's such a great feeling and what keeps me coming back for more.

source

I'm already looking forward to next year! :)

Friday Five: Happy Places Edition

Today's Friday Five is a list of tiny happy places. I figure they might be useful today. 

1. A video of a ridiculously cute baby bulldog.
2. Cooking for Lucy the Hamster.
3. Fuzzy friends!
4. LJC's pugs are so stinking cute. And festive!
5. My own personal happy place. 
6. BONUS #6: Look at my friend Amy's cat Hank! <3

Bazaar Bizarre Boston Prep

I'm finally feeling much better, but now things are quiet around here again because I'm SO SO SO SO busy getting ready for the Bazaar Bizarre Boston!

I'm one of 8 organizers of this annual fair (our group, the Small Craft Advisory also runs another fair in the summer, as well as some other smaller events here and there) and we've been working super hard in order to make sure everything goes smooth as silk on Sunday.

In addition to organizing the fair, I'm also a vendor! I'll be there with my Margravine stuff again this year. In addition to my faux fur items, I'll also have a few new things including my chiffon scarves in a bunch of colors, some zippered pouches/clutches, and the glitter headbands I've collaborated on with Alison of sewmaryann (the SCA's fearless leader!)

I have a sort of giant pile of pieces that need to be sewn together between now and Sunday and it is DAUNTING. I posted this blurry photo of the pile on Instagram last night. It's for the best that it's blurry, because seriously - the pile is scary.

Can I do it? Maybe! I'll try to finish what I can and won't stress about the rest.

Honestly, the BBB is one of the days I look forward to the most each year and I really think it's going to be amazing this year. I'm SO PUMPED about this year's event that I'm actually worried about suffering post-BBB letdown!

Friday Five

Back on schedule!

1. I like that Kat Von D is pretty into handmade stuff. Her taste is a little too steampunk-y for me, but I appreciate her appreciation for indie artists on Etsy (and elsewhere). Did you know that Courtney Love is also a big Etsy buyer? Back before they made it private I remember clicking through pages and pages of her feedback and thinking about how cool it would be if Courtney Love were to buy something from me on Etsy.
2. Bill Murray on the last time he ever saw Gilda Radner.
3. "The squirrels in our neighborhood are out of control chubby. Look at his wee gut hanging over the edge of the bucket." I lol'd.
4. Look at this hexagonal glitter manicure! I don't know that I'd have the patience to pull that off. I'd probably lose my sanity and sight like that artist guy who made a sculpture on the head of a pin? Idk, I heard that somewhere. Oh, speaking of...
5. ...have you seen this sculpture of Betty Boop inside the eye of a needle? The sculpture is INSIDE THE EYE OF A NEEDLE. In case you didn't catch that.