Tag Archives: nashville scene

April 2016 Craft Fairs

This month Melinda and I have participated in Edgehill Rocks as well as Crafts and Drafts.

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Crafts & Drafts, Nashville

WOW!  This was a really big event!  I mean, we knew this was going to be big, but WHOA!

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Thank you, Joey.

This was a big day for us.  We got out there, we braved the November winds, and we put on our bravest faces!  And it worked!  We had a fantastic day!  We got to the Farmer’s Market at 7:30am, scoped out the area, and then went to work (when we were allowed!)  We got set up and started selling almost right away.  Melinda’s favorite part was seeing people laughing at the needle points that we were selling.  It was pretty funny to see the different reactions!  A sweet little old lady would laugh over “cake going straight to their boobs” and it was pretty fantastic.  I really liked seeing people walk by and read the name “Cute Fluffin Stitch” out loud with a face like ‘what….is that’ and then they’d come in and see!  I also liked the people you could tell were enjoying the drafts part of the event a little more than others reacting to things “OH MY GOD IT’S AN OWL!” “Girl…I’mma have to come back for this” (and they DID!)

Both Melinda and I really wanted to say thank you SO much to everyone who came out to support us this weekend.  It really means a whole lot to both of us that people believe in us, because we do, (psh, obviously!) but when others do and show it, it is especially great.

This week I’ve been cramming in listing time to get as much listed as possible.  I got our remaining feedsack pillows listed, and they look great!  I have just a few more hoops to get up and then we’re adding a custom order hoop option to the shop.  I made a couple of owl coin purses (I was aiming for at least 10, then 4, and finished 2 😦 ) and one of those little guys went home with a sweet little girl!  They are really adorable.  I’m going to add those to the shop as well.  Melinda is working on some more hoops, and I’m going to work on some more purses, but we may be done for the year as far as events go!  It’s been so much fun!  We’re already applied to a few events early next year!

Last weekend and looking ahead!

We were out and about this weekend at the Pleasant View Tent Sale!  We had a fair time, even though the weather was less than desirable!  We had a pretty good turnout.  There weren’t large crowds and lulls of no one, it was all pretty consistent traffic.  I feel like I need to do a post about craft fair etiquette, because some people made some major faux pas this weekend.  We had a lot of fun meeting some members of our town’s parks & rec department, and we may have scared them by screaming “YOU’RE LESLIE KNOPE!!” but I really feel like if that’s your job, you should watch the show about your job! 😀

Next weekend we’ll be out again at the Nashville Farmer’s Market as part of the Nashville Scene’s Crafts & Drafts benefiting Soles4Souls.  A reminder to anyone who’s planning on coming to bring a pair of gently used shoes (or new shoes!) to donate.  There’s going to be crafts, beers, craft beers!  And a wide range of things to shop for and see.  Come by and see us!  We’ll be doing our best to stay warm and cheerful!

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So what have you  been up to out there?  We’ve been sewing away!  Hope you have been as well!  Until next time, happy sewing!

Going to Market

Hi Everyone!

This blog post is brought to you by the letter M!  M–makers, masterminds, markets and Melinda!!  Yep, that’s right, its me, Melinda, the newest half of CFS.

   Melinda

I’ll be sure to slap a bio up in a little bit but I wanted to fill you all in on the fun (and exhausting) weekend that Ashley and I had peddling our wares at Handmade Nashville this past weekend.

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It’s mid-September here in middle Tennessee and that means that autumn is quickly upon us.  School zones are jamming up traffic in the morning, pumpkin spice everything is back in stores, leaves are changing colors, and in Pleasant View (the tiny town where we live) the crisp air smells of tobacco being smoked and prepped.  All these things mean my favorite season is finally here!  Autumn in Tennessee really is just about as comfy and cozy as anything else I could ever think of.  The changing season also meant an awesome weather day for us at Handmade Nashville.  Sweaters and scarves and crafts–oh my!

Ashley took CFS to Handmade Nashville at Curvy Yoga in July, but this was the first opportunity we’ve had to bring our collective works together and set up for an event.  The foot traffic was a little underwhelming, possibly because there was more than one cultural/heritage festival going on in town the same day, but we had enough customers to keep us entertained and we also had a chance to mix and mingle with the other vendors.  Of particular note were two tiny tot bowtie sales men that were there helping out their mom.  I’m a sucker for little boys dressed in cardigans with elbow patches and loafers–especially when they also dance to “Billie Jean.”  Here are some pictures from our booth:

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Despite the small trickle of people through the venue, we did well at the fair and got some positive responses back later in the week with information on other fairs that we may decide to jump in on later in the year.  One big one that we’re SUPER excited about is hosted by the Nashville Scene at the Farmer’s Market on Rosa Parks Blvd near downtown.  Crafts and Drafts is scheduled to be held on November 7th and will showcase tons of local talent both in the handmade crafting community and the adult beverage community.  Anyone who is local to us should definitely put it on their calendars!  It will be a great place for you to support small businesses, shop for the holidays, day drink or just come say hi to us–no negatives there =^)

So that’s what’s been up with us this week.  Coming down from our craft fair high only to be accepted for Crafts and Drafts, so planning will kick into HIGH gear for that immediately.  On a personal note, I did a little exploring today as I am taking advantage of my last couple days of freedom.  This coming Monday, I have to have a spinal fusion surgery (I KNOW! I’m not even that old!).  I’ll be very restricted for my first 3 weeks post-op, so I took a small adventure today to check out a local quilt shop and an estate sale that I had a hunch might have old-lady sewing paraphernalia.  My hunch proved right on the estate sale.  I scored some really dope vintage fabrics and notions.  Most of the notions are from the 50’s and 60’s and are still in the original cellophane!!!  I hoarded them all, of course.  Now I must make some kind of shadow box to feature these amazing baubles because they are FAR too cool to sit in a box for another 50 years.

xmas vintage unnamed33chicken The quilt shop was adorable.  The Fabric Shop in Springfield, TN is located right downtown in their historic square across from the old courthouse building.  The selection isn’t huge, but the prices are reasonable and I was surprised by some of the novelty prints that they had in stock.  It looked as though they might even offer classes in the back of the space.  It was definitely worth the trip up, and I got some cute prints for some hoops for Crafts and Drafts and also some fabric I need for the Schnitzel and Boo Mini Quilt Swap that I’ve signed up for.  I’ll definitely go back to have another look the next time I’m in Springfield, especially if they keep those novelty prints in fun rotations!  Plus, Ashley didn’t get to go with me–gots to take care of my girl!!

Well that’s about it for now.  Tomorrow is guild meeting.  Ashley is going (my crippled state can’t handle that much excitement) and then we have time set aside to plan our little hearts out.  You’ll be seeing more from me, especially as I recover from surgery.  I may just pop in with a funny picture or joke–I’m just that kind of gal.

TTFN!  Go make something fun!