Notes from A Cottage Industry

Picture perfect packaging.

Ohmygosh! Thank you, thank you, thank you ever so much for all of the input you gave me through my survey yesterday regarding etsy and online shopping! I am more stoked than ever about stepping things up online.

Speaking of online shopping, just as I was getting all focused and excited about expanding things online, and re-branding my business, I got home yesterday to find the most fabulously packaged little purchase I had ordered last week, waiting for me in my mailbox. (Funny how that happens!)
Anyway, I thought I'd share it...'coz it's just that stinkin' cute. I mean, all of it. The adorable custom charm on the delicate chain. (It was rather hard to photograph, but it reads, "r + t". If you think that's cheesy, that's okay, but please don't tell me. I may be 55, but I am a completely incurable romantic.)
The logo'd packaging, and the sa-weeet little bag sent me straight to the moon, Alice.

No lie.

I was quite literally swooning. And my mind is now spinning, filled with ideas that I cannot wait to get started and share with you!

Mothers Day e-kit encore.

Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post about Moose. I was truly touched to read the heartfelt comments. My heart overflowed to know that so many of you could identify and understand what a struggle the decision was, and took time to write to share such kind comments. I should have known you would understand.

For those of you that wrote to repremand me, I respect your feelings, and your views, and hope you feel the same of mine. (If I didn't think of you as friends and value your thoughts, I would have set the post to not accept comments, or I would have deleted them.)

Anyway.

Mother's Day will be here in just a few short weeks, and I thought I'd share a charming e-kit I created last year, so you'd have plenty of time to get yours and make as many sweet decorations as you please! (All that you will need to do is print your banner, cut it out, punch holes and thread some ribbon through..voila'!)


This kit comes right to your inbox, with complete printables in a pretty pink and chocolate brown color-way, and instructions for this adorable banner in the top photo...(click on the top photo for a nice enlarged picture) along with a printable menu card, and place cards...

It all looks so festive, and spring-like, and well....perfect for Mother's Day!
The banner is a great size for hanging (LIke I did) or for folding up and inserting it inside a Mother's Day card...Order your e-kit and it will arrive in your inbox as quickly as I can send it!

Price for this e-kit is $5.00

I have other e-kits for sale as well, in my etsy shop, here:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/ACottageIndustry

I joined the Link party at....

A new E-Kit! Sweet vintage style banners...just in time for Easter!

I was looking for a lil' vintage feel for some banners I created for the upcoming Easter holiday, and I realized that what I was looking for was right under my nose the entire time!

Mmmm hmmm.

I ended up using simple manilla folders as my paper choice! The lettering is done in a verigated green-to-Robin's-egg-blue tone from top to bottom, and this adds to the vintage feel. I finished it up with some vintage bunny and nest art. Perfection!

They came out so cute, that I decided to share them with you as my newest e-kits!

I designed my Happy Easter Banners in two sizes...the smaller, triangular shaped banner pieces meansure about five and a half feet across when strung. (I hung mine accross the kitchen window...so cute!) The size of each triangle is perfect to fit inside of a large Easter card, if you want to send a surprise banner to a friend in a card....how sweet would that be?!
The large Happy Easter Banner has the more rectangular shape to each banner piece.
It makes  a fabulous statement swagged across a big window, or hung in two rows, with "Happy" swagged above the sweet lil' storybook bunnies on either side of the word "Easter".
I added a bit of extra adorment with some  scrunched vintage pink seam binding between the letters. If you'd like to have your own vintage style banner arrive in your computer's in-box, I'm offering these darling banners as e-kits for the low price of $5 each, or both for $7 since we are so close to Easter. You can print and assemble them in no time at all!

All you have to do is open your PDF's, print, cut and string your ribbon through!

sizes

small banner $5.00 USD large banner $5.00 USD Both banners $7.00 USD

B L O O M.

At the beginning of January I hosted a word of the year banner giveaway, and the banner I made for the winner was the word "Bloom".

After designing the banner, I printed one for myself, and decided it was just too perfect for springtime, to not share. (After all, "Bloom" is such a positive word, and one that I have used for myself very nearly as often as I use "Bliss" I think.)

I looked bloom up in the dictionary, and here is what I found:

bloom/blo͞om/

verb.  blossom - flower - flourish - fluoresce - thrive

Mmmm hmm. I am thinking this is the perfect time of year, with things beginning to bud, and blossom, and flourish, to have this sweet word hanging in my home.

I printed mine on old dictionary pages, which you know is my signature look, and matted the pages against pink paper for a little spring pop of color, but the letters and vintage flowers would print just as nicely on plain card-stock. The completed banner measures about five and a half feet wide, with each letter panel being aporximately 6 inches wide and 7 inches tall, so it makes a really great statement in any room.

If you'd like to make one for yourself, my e-kit is available in my etsy shop for $10. The kit arrives right in your in-box, with directions, letters and flower pages to create as many banners as you like!

App-rehension.

Okay, so I am totally interrupting my home tour to ask a question that has been burning in my mind of late.

"What is the point of having a smart phone if I am not smart enough to use it to it's full potential?" Actually, it is not a question of intelligence, but rather a question of apprehension surrounding the whole Oh-my-gosh-what-if-I-do-something-and-lose-everything worry.

I have an unnatural fear of technology in regards to anything related to computers and home entertainment. (I guess that pretty much covers it all, now that I think about it, unless you count learning all of the bells and whistles on our multi-faceted kitchen range.)

(Which I still haven't done, although that is not out of fear, but more-so the fact that I seem to learn most kitchen-cooking-baking lessons by using a good level of wild abandonment coupled with the trial-by-fire method.)

(Literally. Trial by fire. Or smoke. Or oh-it's-still-cold.)

Aaaaanyway.

Along with wanting to get organized this year, I want to use my Generation-Zero iPhone to it's fullest capacity such as that may be, and that requires that I install (yikes!) a few...Apps. (low and behold, just as I was thinking I needed to do this, I was approached by BlogHer to participate in an affiliate program with appSmitten, and I'll receive a small payment for newsletter subscribers...)

Where was I?

Oh yes. First off, let me say that I had not a single clue what "Apps" is short for, so I googled it. It turns out that APP is an abbreviation for "application".

Go figure.

Alrighty-then. Makes perfect sense. (Seriously, am I the only one that didn't know that here?)

Now, in case you are wondering exactly which "App" prompted me to want to figure out the whole learn-how-to-install-and-use-it thing....well, it was the flashlight app. Up till now, I have been using the clock icon on my lil desktop (is it called a "desktop" on a smart phone?) and going to the Alarm page, coz it's pretty light and bright, compared to my contacts list.

I am the Queen of Jerry-rigging.

Ehem...Just so ya know, the flashlight App is much brighter than using your clock face. (Another lightbulb moment for me...no pun intended.)

So.

This got me wondering what other amazing Apps I have been missing out on. Plenty of them, it seems. You see, I found out about the coolest site. It's called Appsmitten. (Kinda cute name, don'tcha think?) and they tell you about all the latest and greatest Apps out there, and send the descriptions and links to download them to you via an email newsletter. (You've just gotta sign up for the Newsletter! It's Free, and it's got so many cool Apps!)

I discovered I could easily be checking my banking (yes, I have seen commercials for this, but figuring out who-where-when-what-and-oh-good-Gawd-HOW is quite a different story. This newsletter took the scaryness out of it all...

I have to say, thanks to this sweet lil Newsletter, I discovered that there's a whole new frontier out there for me. Oh! And it turns out that one of my friends is a contributor for Productivity Apps! She recommended an App that is now going to be helping me achieve my word goal for the year. (My word is Organize in case you have forgotten.) How cool is that?!

So, if you have a Smart Phone of any kind, and are interested in finding lots of cool new-to-you Apps that you can download and install (without the help of a fifth grader)that can totally make your life more organized (or just more fun, and in the case of fun, more is more) hop on over to Appsmitten and get yourself signed up for the free newsletter, like I did! (Even if you don't have a Smart phone, but maybe your kids do, it's a great newsletter to check out!)

I'm feeling pretty proud of myself, and...well,even though I am quite sure that the guys at the Genius Bar, nor the Geek Squad aren't going to try to head-hunt me away from my day job anytime soon, I'm still feeling ever so mildly tech-savvie right about now, if I do say so myself.

And, I'm on my way to being that much more organized!

My blog has moved...back!

My log has moved back here to Typepad.....

Please update my URL address on your blog roll if you have me listed, or grab my button. I want to thank everyone that reads my blog. I appreciate you and love hearing from you!

Tracey

More pictures from BarnHouse...

More pictures, as promised.....Joe's booth space was amazing, as always...

 

...and Vintage Brocante and Camas Antiques...

 

...and ReTreat...

 

...and Kindred Roses....

...and so were all of the other spaces...

So much creativity in one place! Thanks for having me, boys!

!

Barnhouse aftermath.

What a fabulous day. Perfect weather, great company, and more eye candy than you can imagine, let alone photograph!

I wanted to share a few pictures I managed to take before the faire opened, and the crowds descended...(I'll share more tomorrow, as I am already running late for work...)

 

 

 

 

 

...Those Boys of BarnHouse really know how to throw an event!

After.

 Okay, I know those f you that wanted me to leave the wood natural might be a little disapointed, but here is the result of my labor this weekend. (Pardon my photos. The lighting was terrible, and my place is so full of furniture and crafts that I had trouble finding a spot to take the pictures...and I couldn't take pictures on patio, 'coz it was pouring rain outside! I will try taking replacement shots later tonight after work when the rain has hopefully passed.)

Anyway.

I ended up painting the cart a weathered white, although you cannot really see the sanding in these pictures, and I left the brass accents alone, since the patina was so rich and warm......

 

  Whatcha think?

A lil' look at a fabulous (I think) Before............and your opinions are needed!

I snagged this diamond in the rough at a thrift shop several months ago, and have been trying to figure out exactly what to do with it for my booth space at BarnHouse....

So many ideas for this piece, and so many color choices too. Should I paint it a weathered white, and showcase it with pretty bar items, or maybe a soft dove gray with a huge beverage server, vintage silver, old chippied plates, well worn linens and whatever else for a buffet service? Maybe it would make a great patio piece, painted my signature Robin's egg blue and staged with flowers, peat pots, plants, and garden tools?

The top tray is removable, for serving from, which makes it all the nicer. Should I paint the brass the color of the cart, or keep it natural? I'm still undecided....

What's your take on this little gem? Hmmmmm?

 

 

I've linked this post to the

Furniture Feature Friday - Link Party

Down to the wire, and hoping for some sun.

It's barely a week until the big BarnHouse Market and so my lil Barbie Condo is completely looking like some sort of distribution center for Homedepot and Crafters Warehouse, on steroids. It's gotten to the point that I am not sure if I am more excited about the fair itself, or getting all of this stuff out of my entire downstairs so that I am able to feel like it is my home again.

My Camas Antiques Buddy has got some great things stocked up at his place as well, and we will be spending two full days setting up our booth space for the big day, a week from Saturday. We will begin with loading the trucks at Oh-dark-thirty on Thursday and with any luck have things mostly assembled by Thursday night so Friday can be saved for fluffing and tweaking things, along with a list of things we forget to bring from the day before.

I am not sure exactly why we junkers put ourselves through this. It's a total love-hate relationship, I swear. We love the thrill of the hunt, and the day of the show (meeting so many friendly people!) but we have the stress-filled days leading up to an event, prepping and loading and packing.

I know that most of the nation is having record heat, but here in the Pacific Northwest, it's been more like Autumn than summer, with more rainy days than not, so we're crossing our fingers and hoping for sunshine...that's not too much to ask for at the end of July, is it?

Barnhouse. BarnHouse? BarnHouse!

I glanced at the calendar last night as I was doing a rough inventory of bigs and smalls in my garage and all around my Barbie Condo. Hmmmm... Six and a half weeks till the Big BarnHouse ...45 days give or take. (Can that be right?!)

 

Oh.

My.

I can hardly wait. I've got some of the coolest pieces I've ever had lined up for this show and I am anxious to show it all off! 

The boys are changing things up a bit for this show, and it's gonna be even more fun than last year. They have changed the name of this incredible event to...

The BarnHouse Vintage Marketplace & Music Festival

featuring

music out on the grass by  

Celilo 

(so make sure to bring a lawn chair and maybe some cool drinks to take a break from shopping and just enjoy the day!)

Oh yeah, baby. It's gonna be a don't-miss party for sure. (check your calendar...what are you doing at the end of July???) They've got more parking, and hotel lodging nearby, so maybe some of you out there that don't live so close should think about a road trip?????

The new window at Camas Antiques.

I spent most of Friday working on the window at Camas Antiques. (Special thanks to AJ from Sophie's Cottage for helping me to stock the window!) My theme was kind of an evolution of spring cleaning in the far right corner...This area was my most favorite part of the window! (Click on each photo to see the entire picture enlarged for better details)

to a party on the patio in the forefront of the window...here it is from outside the shop...

...and up at the top of this post is the view from behind the table, which you can see from the side window, and when you walk up inside the display...(I adore the old Army cot full of pillows! Could anything be more inviting on a shady patio on a hot summer day?)...to, finally on the back wall and on the left end,  gardening. ( It's no easy feat photographing this window, as the glare is quite a challenge, so just bear with me.)

There is a sidewalk sale going on all up and down 4th Avenue today, with very nearly all the booth spots at Camas antiques participating. (My things are all 10% off!)

Mom's the word.

Mother's Day is this Sunday.

(I know. It feels like Christmas was just three weeks ago, right?)

My own Mom (the Sewing Queen of Northern Nevada) is up here for a short visit this week, and so we had an early Mother's Day dinner last night. I thought I'd share the cute lil' banner I made, (click on the top photo for a nice enlarged picture) along with a menu card, and place cards...It all looked so festive, and spring-like, and well, like Mother's Day!
The banner, and everything else are in  my etsy shop in a Printable Party e-kit sent right to your in-box, just in time for Mother's Day!

ANOTHER move.

...and thank God, this time I won't be having to pack any boxes, 'coz...........my blog is moving! The big move will happen Sunday, May 1st. (You'll simply be redirected with a link to click to take you to my new-and-improved-and-oh-so-cute blog...) I'm pretty tickled with the way it's turning out, and I can't wait to share it with you!

 Actually, not only will you see a new look on my blog, but my entire business..my etsy shop, my business cards, price tags (not 100% sure on price tag colors yet, by the way...)... everything is going to have a fresh new appearance.
Right now I am trying to decide between two looks for my new business cards...but I am having trouble getting the colors to be exactly what I want, and little stuff like this makes me over-the-moon-crazy-nuts. Seriously, I am a complete spaz when it comes to making sure things are centered, and colors are matching or what-have-you. (Are you like that?)

Anyway, it's coming along, and I'm excited to share it all with you this Sunday..so stay tuned!

 **Edited on February 23, 2012 to add** I've moved my blog BACK here to Typepad!

Don't forget about the jingle contest!

How'd you like the chance to win some cash? Well, there is still time!

Mmm hmm. I thought so. Check out my review blog to get the scoop and enter...Good Luck!

CLICK HERE TO READ ALL ABOUT IT.

An extra lil' blog post for Wednesday...and a contest!

How'd you like the chance to win some cash?

Mmm hmm. I thought so. Check out my review blog to get the scoop and enter...Good Luck!

CLICK HERE TO READ ALL ABOUT IT.

Blooming cupcakes and more on the lil' flutter-bys.

The lil' bouquet of edible flowers came out nicely and the butterflies were a perfect finishing touch!

The butterflies were easy to do. Once I made the pattern, I simply laid a piece of parchment paper (available on the aisle with the aluminum foil at the grocery store) on top of the pattern and then piped out the main color of my butterflies...
I then filled another parchment bag with the darker color frosting and piped the outline and details. I let them dry for several hours and they were ready to be placed on my cupcakes. For those of you that are interested in learning how to create the sweet lil' flowers, as well as the recipe for making the butterflies, I have added several new pages, with complete step-by-step instructions to the booklet that accompanies my "Make it Special- Cookies and Cupcakes" DVD kit. You can order it here.

I've linked this post to Metamorphesis Mondays from Naps on the Porch. Check out LOTS of other great ideas by clicking here.

GoodWill hunting.

All those goodies that end up in my booth space are found on some form of hunting expedition.

Okay, I stole the title for my blog post from my weekly thrifting pal. (It was just so perfect that I had too.) Every Tuesday we meet up at our booth spaces at Camas Antiques and then share a car ride in an attempt to save a few pennies on gasoline as we hit our local GoodWill thrift stores. We save a few more pennies by skipping a pricey restaraunt lunch and instead, make a weekly run to the border for the two dollar "Meal Deal" that we eat while driving and chattering between bites of our burritos.

Anyway.

I was noticing yesterday as I unloaded my latest finds into my garage that I always seem to find things in groups, or collections. My latest stockpile, completely unintentionally, appears to be pedestal tables...
and lampshades....
and baskets.
I think it's funny how these collections just somehow morph from one item into an assortment of three, or six or nineteen, and I am wondering now what my next collection will be.

 

Party on.

Such a fun time! A line of shoppers waited for Camas Antiques to open yesterday for the big Birthday Bash. (Of course I forgot to have my camera out at that point...) There were lil' favors, and music, and lots of oohs and aaahs heard round the store. Oh, and my favorite shopper came by, which made my day even better...
I must admit he was more into looking at the choo-choo train up high in my best buddy at Camas Antiques booth, and in eating his Cheerios snack than actually shopping for vintage treasures, but he was such a good sport...
The birthday celebration continues all weekend at Camas Antiques, and Friday when I was helping out I snapped a few more shots of some of eye candy for you. There are so many great looking booth spaces that I thought you'd enjoy taking a peek at....Billie's booth is always a favorite... and there are some new booths in the basement that are absolutely wonderful!!!

 

My Best Buddy from Camas Antiques was masquerading as a salesperson while stealing pieces of cake working with me, and so my day was pretty near perfect. (He was the icing on the cake so to speak)
I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Birthday Party.

Camas Antiques is celebrating another birthday this weekend with a huge sale! All day today, Saturday and Sunday, you'll find nearly every booth with discounted prices and lil' treats for shoppers at the register as you shop. I have everything in my booth 15% off, and that includes the items in my booth that are already marked down!

If you come by the store today, look for me. I get to go and play with my friends at Camas Antiques today, helping out with crowd control and working the floor! Come by and say hello!

The little chair I can't seem to part with.

Oh. My.

Last week out thrifting with my thriting friend, I got an incredible deal. It was supposed to go straight to my booth space, but...instead...it has now bcome my newest favorite prop for taking photos.

Vintage.

Aqua.(Turquoise?)

Lil' chippied white Queen Anne legs.

Too perfect.

She thought so too, so yesterday we did a photo shoot right here in my Barbie Condo's Backyard.

 

Now, do you see why I can't seem to let this sweet chair go to my booth space?

 

Another trip to my booth space at Camas Antiques.

I've been busy thrifting as I shared with you earlier this week, and now I've got my booth re-fluffed and foofi-fied for the weekend. (It's First Friday here in Camas and the store will be open until 9:00 tonight!)

Lots of new-to-the-booth items and some great lil accessories....

I'll be re-vamping again next Tuesday, after a weekend of creating and thrifting!

Thrift store dreams come true..times two.

Monday and Tuesday were some of my best thrifting days, dollar for dollar...evah. And, to make things even better, I got to thrift with some fabulous thrifting partners. Monday was spent at the thrift stores with my daughter, who was on the prowl for things to add some homey touches to her boyfriend's kitchen, (That's her rooster up there in the picture..oh! And did I mention it was half off day at Salvation Army's Thrift Store here in Vancouver, Washington? Ya, baby. That's the kind of day I'm talkin' about.) and Tuesday's excursion was with a fellow booth mate from Camas Antiques, my friend Christa, from the oh-so-fabulous Chloe Rose . (...and just you wait until you see the charming vintage fan back chair I got while out and about with Christa!)

The reason I am sharing that I had amazing two days in a row of thrifting is that, with gas prices teetering around $3.50 a gallon here, driving to several thrift stores around the area needs to be a fruitful excursion, now more than ever before. A ten or twenty mile round trip that ends with no purchases is a pretty pricey little car ride. Not only that, but time spent driving all around town thrifting is time away from painting, pricing and booth fluffiing, so if it's a bust, it's kind of devastating. (to me at least)

Anyway.

Like I said, two days in a row...I experienced unprecidented success at the thrift stores.(Which, in case you didn't know it, is unheard of in my world.) My shopping partners were wildly successful as well, which made the days perfect. I returned home as happy as a kid with a new bike at Christmas, and dove into my bags of new-to-me vintage treasures and began pricing and cleaning.

It might sound goofy, but this is the kind of thing I live for these days, people. (That, and new episodes of Modern Family.)

 

Making a really great impression.

Just last week I shared Carter's Mama's newly re-done home office, with all of it's fabulous vinyl lettering (and numbering!) to add the unexpected wow to the room. Well, guess what? You (and I) can have this look too, even if we don't have a Silhouette Machine!

To find out how we can all have this, click here to hop over to the other page on my blog...

...just click here.

Fluffing up my booth space.

I've got my booth space at Camas Antiques looking  pretty good this week. Lots of new vintage pieces have been added, and there are still more to come within the next few days!

Be sure and plan to come by if you're in the area, as all the booths at Camas Antiques are full to the brim with vintage treasures!

Junk Salvation Flea Market

So.

Much.

Fun!

If you were one of the many, many folks that came by to say hello, thank you! It was such fun meeting you in person. For those of you that weren't in the area, or able to come to the show, I have pictures to share. Here was our cash wrap, complete with Clark's vintage cash register, and a sweet lil' sign I made for us. Our booth was pretty much wiped out within the first 45 minutes, and we continued to revamp the space throughout the day, making things move in closer and fluffing...next time we'll keep much more overstock in the truck outside!

The location for the event was perfect, with ample sized booth spaces, and some of the cutest danged stuff I have seen in quite a while. Linda, one of the Funky Junk Sisters, brought her trailer...so cute! And there were a couple of other trailers as well, and I got pictures of one of them.
I was told that when they do the show up near Seattle (The next show will be in May) they have lots of people bring trailers and they form them into a circle outside and camp in them during the show. (be still my heart! How fun does that sound?!)

Lots of our amazing and talented friends were in this show...

 

It was a fun, fun day and we are already looking forward to (and planning for...!) next year's Junk Salvation show!

 

 

Junk Salvation sneak peek.

All the info on the Juk Salvation show is on the post before this one, but I wanted to share just a few shots of some lil' spots in our booth before the show tomorrow.

Show time is 8:00-4:00 and you'll want to arrive early for the best selection. Let me just tell you right now, there are some absolutely amazing booths at this show! Dixie and Linda (The Funky Junk Sisters) have done an awesome job with this show and we are thrilled to be part of it!!!

Almost showtime.

So....this is the most organized I have ever been for a show, and yet..I am still not feeling organized. While I have piles of finished projects everywhere you look, I still have so many more pieces not completed.

I'm not sure if it's my time management, the fact that I just have so many ideas for things that I continue gathering pieces, the possibility that I might subconsciously like to work under pressure by waiting until my deadline to work like a maniac, or because I seem to procrastinate a little bit once I get a project far enough along that I can see how it is going to look in the end, and I loose my zippity-do-da for wrapping the end up. 

Whatever it is, I kinda like to think it's a genetic thing, except the only other family member that seems to have this tendency would be my first born daughter, so...maybe not.

I catch myself wishing for just four....more....hours in each day. Seriously, if every day had 28 hours in it, I am quite sure I could get everything done on my To-Do list. In fact, I think I'd be completely organized.

Anyway.

Where was I? Oh yes, I am more organized than ever before. And excited. I can't wait to set things up tomorrow and take some pictures. It's gonna be such a fun show! We have a great booth location.... (Come see me in booth spaces 19 and 20) ...and there are so many fabulous people doing the show that it is sure to be a wildly fun day. There is an admission fee, but if your print off this coupon and present it at the door, you'll get a dollar off, so be sure and do that.

If you're in the area, I hope to meet you. If not, I'll be sharing pictures after the flea market!

Apparently, the road to success is always under construction.

My little Barbie condo looks more like a construction zone this week than a humble abode. Shocking, I know. (What? You were picturing me, all organized, methodically painting and creating a piece at a time in my garage, then pricing it and stacking it somewhere in an orderly fashion? Ha! The garage is officially full, and my little dining room has now become command central; my newly designated area for pricing stuff.)

Seriously, poor Moose doesn't know what the heck is going on, what with the painted chairs lined up along the back wall of the cozy living room, and vintage crystal stemware stacked all about. He mostly lays in the entry way where he feels a bit more secure, and looks around like he can't quite decide if we're prepping for a blow out cocktail party for the Obama's, or if we're getting ready to move again.

He can relax come mid morning Friday, when the crazy-ness will all have been moved out of the living room and we'll begin set up for the big show this Saturday. Till then, he'd be well advised stay out of the hard hat area or he's likely to find himself with a vintage bow on his neck and a price tag.

Be mine.

Valentines Day is one of my favorite holidays of the entire year. Yes, a lot of folks (men mostly I am pretty sure) think it's a cheesy-Hallmark-card-created-overly-materialistic day, but I am not talking so much about the gifty end of things...I just love the concept of it, you know? Shower the people you love with love and all that. Bake heart shaped sugar cookies and give your grandbabies a special little you-are-sooooo-loved baskets of treats kind of stuff. Write I-love-you on a card, and mean it.

*sigh* I know, I know. I am a hopeless romantic.

Anyway.

Here is my latest lil' E-Kit, all ready for Valentine's Day. (The sweetest day of the year will be here in just a couple of weeks, you know!) You'll find it in my Etsy shop, (Click here to see...) and it includes instructions and templates to make a nice big banner, and as a lil' bonus, eensy-weensy letters to make a coordinating mini banner, all for $6.99.
Make one for yourself, a couple for friends, and several mini banners to pop in the mail inside your Valentines....

Pretty sweet deal, huh?