Taking Care of Business

Over the last few weeks I have been working hard at gearing up for my second indie craft show. It was a true labor of love and now that I have lived through it, I can share the experience with you. Two years ago a group of friends decided to bring an indie craft show to our area. I was blessed to be chosen to participate and it was awesome. The response was much greater than anyone could have guessed. Last year the venue was changed to a local art museum. I was able to attend that year, but with a 5 month old, didn't apply. As I walked around looking at all of the booths I knew I would have to try to apply again for the 2013 show. So, in the middle of December I listed some new items in my Etsy shop and applied on line. A few days before the new year I got an email saying that I was in!! I was so excited. And really since then I have been using most of my spare time to gear up for the show. Mr. Cherry even took the girls away for a weekend so I could focus on sewing.

This past weekend was the big event. Mr. Cherry and I went to the museum to set up Friday afternoon. After getting my booth all set up I quickly drove home and got ready for the special gala night. It was fun to mingle with customers and talk shop a bit with the vendors around me. It was a great laid back atmosphere to start off the show. I headed home for the night where I stuffed a few more crayon rolls and finished up two more up-cycled puppy dogs.

The next morning I was back at it, but there was no relaxing on Saturday. They always give away 100 swag bags to the first attendees and that brings a mad rush from the start of the day. I would say the crowd started to thin out around 1 pm, but people came to the very end at 5. It was a long day that flew by. I had so much fun selling my items, people watching, and soaking up the atmosphere. I had some great vendors around me who I chatted with throughout the day. The organization of the show is done so well and the organizers take such good care of the vendors. It is really like no other craft show I have experienced.

At the end of the day, Mr. Cherry and the girls came to help me take down after a very successful few days. I tried a few new things for the show that I will share another time. For now, I am off to enjoy a day back at my regular day job. You know, feeding tummies, changing bottoms, and cleaning rooms. I am actually looking forward to it.

Valentine Garlands

I have a couple of friends who do photography out of their home. One of them recently asked me if I could make a fabric love banner for her to use as a photo prop. I had been wanting to make one for myself, so I jumped at the idea and made two. One for me and one for her. The great thing about making things for photographers is that you can get some great pictures of your product. :o)

 I used an unbleached muslin for the pennants and Heat n Bond for the letters and hearts. After ironing on the letters and zig-zagging the pennants, I stitches them on to some twill tape I had.

Another photographer friend of mine has been doing boutique shoots with her newborn daughter. She was telling me about this shoot she had coming up and I offered to lend her a felt heart garland I had made last year.
It is so much fun seeing things that I have made with these little cuties in these pictures.

Foodie Friday: Vanilla Baked Donuts

Remember that donut pan that I had to get while I was at the end of my pregnancy with Cream? You don't? Well, you can read all about it here.
While I don't use it all the time, it does make the odd appearance in our kitchen. You can read another recipe here.
When I saw this recipe from Shugary Sweets on Pinterest recently for Vanilla Bean Baked Donuts with Strawberry Frosting, I knew I would be getting my donut pan out again.
I followed Aimee's recipe except I added two Yoohoo Strawberry milk individual serve packets to the donut batter and again to the frosting in place of the gelatin. I didn't have strawberry gelatin on hand and did have the powdered milk mix. (Dollar Spot impulse buy one day.)
The donuts are yummy as usual. All baked donuts lack the fried goodness of a real donut, but they are still a tasty treat.
If you are looking for a fun February snack I would suggest these.

image: Shugary Sweets

Valentine's Love Shirts

This week is quickly turning into Valentine's Week here at Bowl of Cherrys.

I am just wishing that I had more time to make all of the cute ideas I see and want to make. Here are some pictures of the shirts that I appliqued on for the girls for Valentine's last year.

 The good news is that Peachy's still fits her and I already made a new one for Cream. I used my normal Heat and Bond technique for shirt decorating. I like the additional heart that I added to the back.

Also notice that Peachy's is in capitol letters and Cream's is in lower case. Fun.

S'More Valentines

There is just something so fun about Valentines Day. Especially when you have children. It is a sweet holiday that can be all about giving and showing your love to those who matter most to you. There is also that key component about it being in the dead of winter after all of the Christmas business has died down. For me, I am looking for any excuse to celebrate this time of the year.
Here is a charming little gift for children and adults alike, a Valentine S'More Kit. I made mine with some small paper gift bags. I added a fun little label that reads. "Everyday I Love you S'more, Valentine!"

Inside was a Hershey's bar, a Valentine bag filled with marshmallows, and a small package of graham crackers.

A fun and simple treat for your sweet!