What an awesome day!!!!

This morning I made my first actual Etsy sale!!!  I've made two sales prior but they were to friends so I don't really count them. ;)  The lady that bought one of my favorite necklaces ended up being from Minneapolis and wanted an item that was made locally for an interview she was having.  She called it her good luck charm.  I was on cloud 9 for the rest of the day which just kept getting better and better.  

As the day rolled on, so did all the great wonderful things that don't happen on a daily basis.  A graphic designer on Etsy and myself finally finished designing my business card... which I love!  He was so patient with me, considering I'm kind of a perfectionist when it comes to details.  Then, later on in the day Maria and I went uptown to get her a basket of plastic fruit which she came to love at her little friend's birthday party.  You know, the kind where all the fruit is out of proportion.  Well, she loves it and walks around carrying a plastic  ice cream cone in each hand.  And... speaking of ice cream cones, we were able to catch the neighborhood ice cream truck for the first time when we got home.  The ice cream man is something I never got to experience as a child but always wished I had.  It actually brought tears to my eyes I was so excited.

To top off the awesome day I received a package in the mail.  Who doesn't like getting things in the mail?  It was my ring mandrel and rawhide hammer I ordered on Ebay.  The hammer seems a little cheap but I think it'll serve it's purpose.  

Definitely a day worth validating :)

It was a success!!!!

Realizing I had to "get a move on", I finally decided to post about the art festival weekend.  April and I exceeded our expectations and are already planning for the next one.  We had so much fun talking about crafts, kids, and husbands and reminiscing about childhood memories.  I think we both realized how much we needed time away to do our own thing. 

As I have said before, we shared a booth across the street from the actual festival.  My parent's live on commercial property so we were able to set up shop.  Unfortunately, we were approached by two women who also had tents.  They said we looked "tacky" and that we hadn't considered the festival coordinator's (a local church goer) time and effort.  I let it go and tried to play nice... I think they were maybe just a wee bit jealous because they had to pay the booth fee and we didn't.  Nonetheless, we capitalized on the festival (just like the rest of the town) and numerous people said our tent was the cutest and most creative.  Tacky my a**!!!!

So, here's a picture of April's side.  She had it set up so cute with all of the pink, handmade fabric bags and all of her pretty paper creations.   It was so sweet I could've eaten it!

Then there was my side.  The COMPLETE opposite!  Earth tones,

 rocks, and thrift market finds.

However it looked, we had a blast and made money doing something we both think we were made to do.  What else could we have possibly asked for?  Can't wait for the Duluth Fall Fest on September 20th.

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On another note, I posted a lot of extra inventory in my shop tonight.  The following photos are of my Candy Necklace and Earrings.  The colors remind of some childhood candy I used to get from the neighborhood service station.  It's funny how even though the store has changed names (I believe more than once)  we still call it what we have always known it as... TownMart.

In season

ripe red raspberries by the handfuls

peppers peppers and more peppers

not to mention beets, cauliflower, beans, zucchini, peas, more basil than I know what to do with, and tomatoes plants that stand taller than me, though not ripe and ready.

Well worth my time

Here's a photo of my jewelry display from last Saturday.  A nice woman from Minnesapolis bought a pendant necklace I made from a round, flat Lake Superior rock.  It was quite lovely and I don't blame her for wanting it all to herself.  After a couple more sales, the wind changed and I decided to call it a day.  Overall, I would say it was well worth my time.

  Things will be set up a bit differently for this weekend's art festival in Two Harbors.  I'll be sharing a tent with my cousin which hopefully won't make it look so sparse. 

Also.... here are some of my new items I made this past week.  They'll be for sale at the festival, but perhaps you'll see them in my shop if they end up not selling.

a Lake Superior rock pendant necklace and matching earrings

and a lovely red jasper necklace and earring set that I 

wouldn't mind keeping  for myself.

Heat wave

Talk about being hot hot hot!  I can barely stand all of the hot and humid weather we've been having over the past week.  Getting wet is not one of my favorite things to do unless it involves a shower or tub, otherwise I'd be swimming every chance I had.  Living on Lake Superior definitely has it's perks though with it's cool lake breeze.  

Our trip to the Minnesota Zoo last Monday was even hotter!  We ended up making a few other stops on our one day getaway... the Tanger, Chipotle, and The Beadhive.  Lots of fun to be had by all but this was by far MY highlight of the day ( I wanted to post the video but was unable to, so you'll have to settle for the picture which doesn't compare... sorry).

Keeping busy

Here we go again... another attempt at an art fair.  It's called Under the Spreading Walnut Tree and it's being held in Two Harbors on August 9th and 10th.  Lucky for me, my parent's conveniently live across the street which me means I can have a booth for free.  My shop has been neglected seeing as how I've been trying to build up my inventory for this fair... here are some of my latest designs.  

earrings and bracelet set

bracelet of Lake Superior rocks

little hoopies

I'll be sharing a booth with my cousin April who creates all kinds of ridiculously cute cutsie things... very talented.  We're both looking forward to a weekend filled with laughs and hopefully some sales :)

***

Oh, and I almost forgot... today's rummage sale outing scored me this lovely pendant and clip earring set for a $1.50... cha ching!

What a relief!

My stress level has just been lowered by a marginal amount.  The weekend of parades, parents, and class reunions is FINALLY over!  

It was great to see everyone and reminisce about old times... although I do believe some were fabricated (not by me).  Good friends, great food, and more than my share of long nights. 

All of the hard work paid off... but boy am I glad it over!