My first time in a craft show was this past Friday and it was amazing!!

I’m so excited to share about it!!

I was a vendor at Crafeteria, an indie craft fest hosted annually by Frances Vintage in Phoenix.  I was honored to have my handmade goods chosen for participation, and it was an honor to be there selling to all our local supporters.

I loved every part of getting ready, but man was it exhausting!  I needed a table, but decided we should build a booth with a banner to display my goods at height.  So Ant and I drew the sketches and he and my mom brought it to life.  It was incredible.  The banner took me about six hours to draft and paint (I measured and free-handed each letter…thinking back, I could have printed my font on paper and traced.  But this way there’s more of my sweat in there and it feels good).  The end result is exactly what I was hoping for, and those hours spent were well worth it.  And now I can’t wait to use it again for my next show!  (Because there will be more!!)

I worried that I’d feel embarrassed of its size when we got there, but it really attracted attention and I feel like my brand is nice and cohesive with it there.  People even referred to it as “the Huckleberry booth,” which was so fun to hear!  They know my name!!

There were so many nice things said, but my favorite comment of the night happened when a couple came by and browsed the dolls sitting along the shelf.  The man pointed to a Kismet wearing square glasses and a plaid shirt with flip flops and asked Ant, “Is that you?”

I thought it was hilarious.  I definitely model my plush after the people in my life and Ant is my most influential muse.  He’s the reason some of the Kismets wear glasses and I fashioned those spectacles specifically based on his frames.  So to hear someone recognize that, it was pretty gratifying.

I had so much fun talking with the customers and getting to know other vendors.  I found out about some other vending opportunities and co-ops and I’m excited to follow up on those and see what happens!

Ant was amazing as my helper, at the show and the entire week before.  He stayed up with me until 2am some mornings, asked me repeatedly what he could do for me, and cheered me on the whole time.  I can’t tell you how important that was, especially the day I went to bed at 6:30am.  I was nuts.  He did so much behind-the-scenes work and contributed ideas that wouldn’t have even crossed my mind.  He made every aspect better.  He was so good (and cute) at the show, welcoming each person that stepped up to our booth, chatting and running our credit card orders for me.

And my mom was amazing too.  I love that this craft-mania is in me completely because of her.  I love that we share that appreciation for handmade and entrepreneurship.  I watched her and her best friend build a mini business when we were kids and they always encouraged my best friend and I to create.  I guess it had a lasting impact and I’m so grateful for that.

I loved our crafty night on the eve of Crafeteria when my mom came over at 10:00 to cut twine and hole punch discount cards for me.  Ant sat next to her cutting tiny cards and I put the finishing touches on my banner.  We drank mochas and soy lattes and talked and worked.  It really was lovely.

And I know now I’m starting to sound like I think I’ve won an Oscar or something, but to me it feels almost that big.  But I also just have to say that I have the best friends and family a girl could ever want.  Throughout the week I got messages and texts that cheered me on.  The night of the show I saw each one there in support and I just want all of you to know how much that meant to me.  I know I am so blessed to call each of you my friend.

My parents brought Ella Faye for the last couple hours of the show and I was so happy she was there.  She is my inspiration for all the hats and she gets so excited over the plush that it makes me keep sewing and stitching.  She is my little cheerleader, whether she knows it or not.  I wish I’d gotten a photo with my girl and my love (and my parents and every friend, for that matter), but things were so busy.  And wouldn’t you know, our camera lost battery within five minutes of photo-taking.  It’s alright though, I think I’ll remember this experience for a very long time.

By Friday afternoon, I really thought I was ready for a break from sewing and crocheting.  But that night all my energy and enthusiasm for it came rushing back.

On to more crafting.  I’ve got the bug and I want more!!

I would like this many hands right now.

Hello Friends!

Tonight I am feeling a little more upbeat about what I’ve accomplished and what’s left to tackle.  I crocheted three new little caps over the course of the day, started stenciling out my big booth banner, and I have dedicated tonight to putting the finishing touches on the last of the dolls.

I feel like I’m slowly catching up, but I always think I can do so much more than I actually really and possibly can.  I know a few details have already gone out the window.  Here’s where my prioritizing skills come into play.  I’m not very good at letting things go, even if they are tiny details.

There’s a plan in my head and it’s always hard to adjust it once it’s there.  But I will get along…

Here are some snapshots of my progress over the past couple of days.

Legs awaiting attachment

Holiday caps!

Tags for Huckleberry caps

Drafting my banner

I do have to say that my overwhelmed-ness and nervousness are definitely being overridden with feelings of excitement!  I keep getting giddy bursts!  I cannot wait until Friday night!

And then I cannot wait until Saturday either, when I am going to spend alllll day doing fun things with my little family.  I feel like I am missing them these past few days, I’ve been so pre-occupied.  I have Saturday all planned out.  I can’t wait to feel a little relief too.

I keep telling Ant that this feels like my childhood playtime come to life.  I am so in love with all this planning and decorating and detailing.  It makes me a little nuts but I love it so much more.

I hope you locals will make it out to Crafeteria on Friday night!  I am so excited to see all the other vendors and their handmade goods!  Here’s a write-up about it from the Arizona Republic.

Can’t wait to see you there!!

Now off to work!

I am so thrilled to be a part of this year’s Crafeteria Indie Craft Festival, put on by the one and only Frances!

I absolutely love their dreamy little store and it’s an honor to offer my handmade goods alongside them.

If you are local, please come out and say hi!  It will be my first “show” and I am a little nervous but about fifty times more excited.  I’d love to see some familiar faces on December 3rd!

I will be offering up my little cool weather caps (including some new holiday hats!) and many many dolls from the Kismet Plush Collection.  Much of what you see in the shop will be there at our little booth!

The festival is right around the corner…there is a lot of work to be done but it is the kind of work I am so grateful to have!

I can’t wait to see you there!

Some new little ladies and chaps have found their way to the shop!  Here they are:

Thanks for getting to know these little guys!  It’s so nice to finally get them out here!!

I’ve got more more more plush to share but I think my upcoming listings will be a few caps, just to mix things up a bit.

Hope you’re all having a lovely week!

First up is the set of best girl friends, Janette and Ruth Ann:

I’m still not sure if it’s a good idea to assign a set of dolls as best friends.  Will it make them sad when one goes to a new home without the other?  Will one feel left behind?  Have I set them up for heartbreak?

These are questions the twelve year old in me asks myself.  I always thought (just maybe still do) that my stuffed animals had feelings and were just as sensitive as I.  Better yet, they would come alive on the shelves that lined my walls and dance around at night while I slept.

Come to think of it, there were a few animals that sat on those shelves for the sole purpose of unnerving me in the dark.  I can recall one or two that had menacing facing once the lights went out.  I don’t know why I didn’t take them down.  I guess I figured the others would keep them in line.

Is it any wonder I get such a kick out of creating plush?

(It’s so interesting to find out why you do the things you do.  Don’t you think?)

Then there is little Marion:

My sister had a piano teacher named Marion.  I remember walking through her apartment complex with my mother and sister on the way to her lessons.  I think there was something in her house that she collected that I was very fond of.  I know I looked forward to going in and seeing the trinkets at each visit.

Every Christmas I pull out my sister’s piano sheets and play the beginner’s versions of “Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick” and “Angels We Have Heard On High.”  Marion’s pencil markings dance along the notes as my fingers awkwardly fumble on the keys below.

Lastly there is Hamrick:

He is the first little man in the shop to sport a tie!  There are many more like him to come.  I love the addition of the tie to these little guys.  Although I will admit, each time I sit down to tie these ties, I spend about 20 minutes on the task.  Then I go find that handy youtube video and do it the right way.

What I love about these neck-tied guys is that you can make them look spiffy and polished or disgruntled, exhausted, and ready for the weekend.  The neckties are sewn onto the boy at each end under the collar and can be completely untied if you want that completely unkempt look.

I think I will be including a how-to flyer with each neck-tied guy so the new owner can feel free to tie and untie to his or her heart’s content.

That’s it for this round of Kismet Plush Preview!  I plan to list more very soon.  It’s time to get my…gears…into gear.

It’s Friday!!  Have a fabulous weekend!

First big batch of Kismet plush, December 2008

I thought I’d take some time to introduce the Kismets here on this little space.  I think as I list new dolls in the shop, I will share their stories here as well.  After all, they are like my little polyfill babies and what kind of mother would I be to not tell you a little about each of them?

First up is Marabelle.

She looks so ready for Fall with her little scarf.  I love the contrast of the stripey bib with her floral dress.  Stripes and florals are quite nice together, no?  And I also love her red tights.  I wish I could pull off some red tights…

Here is Miss Gladdie.

I think Gladdie looks sweet.  But when you get to know her, you find out she has a spicy side as well.

Throughout school, my classmates would refer to me with the phrase, “It’s always the quiet ones…”   I feel a kinship with Gladdie.

Next up is Bea.

Growing up, my best friend and I would dream about blowing up Barbie clothes to be our size.  I am kind of entertaining that dream right now with Bea’s little dress.

Also, I like that every time I type the name Bea, the computer corrects it to say “be a.”  I like the possibilities of that one.

Lastly, we have Jonah.

I hold a special place for all the little plush boys that come to be.  I especially like that Jonah’s best friend is a girl, and that she seems to be the bolder one in the relationship.  Have I dedicated too much thought to the dynamic of a plush doll relationship?

So there are the first few of the collection in the shop so far!  Thanks for meeting the Kismets.  They are delighted to make your acquaintance.

I also listed three more gals and the first boy with a necktie today.  So stop on by and say hello!!

And again, again, again, Happy Fall!!

This is a very exciting day for me, indeed!!

My crafty baby, Huckleberry Faye, is finally ready for the world!

Altogether it’s been four years in the making.  It was four years ago that my first plush design, a little doodle of something I called a Kismet, was sewn into something tangible.

From there the designs and patterns evolved and I finally became settled in the way they look today.  Each time I put the finishing touches on one of my dolls, I feel like I’m polishing up my newest little kin.  By that time, we’ve been through so much together…

Sewing surgery if you will.  Clipping, cutting, pinning, prodding, poking, sewing, all of this happening to the doll, of course (aside from the occasional pinning or poking).  I put so much of myself into each one of these creatures, and it is bittersweet to list them and hope that they find new homes.

But then I remember, I haven’t made them for me.  I’ve made them for little hands and little arms and hopefully they will be greeted with great big smiles.

As for the cold-weather caps, those came from my fingers quite naturally.  A while after I worked up Ella’s original cap, I realized I should maybe make more like it and see if anyone else would want to outfit their cutie’s head with a kiddie-chic cap.

So I had a hat for the girls, I needed one for the boys…and soon I was crocheting little gnome-like caps every day.  When we found out we were having a girl, I thought maybe I could add a little feminine flair to the bottom, and The Poppy Cap was born.

With every cap I crochet and doll I piece together, I think about how I really and sincerely want to instill in my girls that they can create an idea, own it, and with work and determination, see it come to life.  They are my inspiration and I hope someday they can look back on the time their mom sold handmade goods and feel inspired in return.

So friends, please go and browse our new shop and see what my hands have been busy with for quite some time now.

It feels so good.

Here are Selma & Charlotte.

Selma

Selma is an old soul. She is a keeper of vintage bits & loves to doll up her outfits with antique pieces she’s collected. Her ideal weekend includes scoping out estate sales & eating strawberry ice cream with her slightly younger sister.

Charlotte

Meet Charlotte. Her dream is to find a cottage in a cozy forest town & while the time away with her true love. She very much enjoys a warm mug of cider on a blustery afternoon & her hobby is collecting old picture frames.

Sisters – they bring this old scene from “White Christmas” to mind. We watched Bing & Danny dance across the screen on television the other night & tonight we are due for another holiday film. And perhaps some hot cocoa. And maybe some more sewing. And just maybe a little bit of rain.

Happy Friday evening to you & yours.

I decided to grasp the positivity of the morning & got out of bed before the wee one awoke. I fixed a mug of coffee & sat down to work on the three dolls that have patiently been waiting for their finishing threads. And I actually feel like I got a lot done. Ella gave me two solid hours of uninterrupted work time.

I tell you, I felt like an elf in Santa’s workshop. There with my cozy beverage, Christmas tunes jollying around me, sitting at my sewing machine making toys. All I needed was to see snow flurries out the window & I would have checked my feet to make sure I wasn’t in pointy toed slippers.

This little man has found his way to the shop:

Meet Henry. He was named after his grandpa, with whom he shares his shade of hair & love of butterscotch candies. Henry likes to play tennis in the mornings & follow his matches with a pineapple smoothie. If you keep your eyes open, you may just spot him on a perfect afternoon, strolling about under shade trees with pockets full of butterscotch. And he may just share with you.

I’m very fond of his pants & flops. Quite the charming combo.

A duo of girls are on their way to keep him company tomorrow.

A lovely evening to you & yours!

…This girl has been sold. My first Kismet sale! Hoorah! It’s been a long, long time coming. I’ve been (quite slowly, but steadily) cranking these dolls out for a year, in one form or another. Part of the reason it’s taken me so long to get them in shop is my (unhealthy) attachment to each one. I tend to draw out each decision & prolong their finishing touches. Once I’ve named them & given them a story, they instantly become my polyfill-ed children. I get too personal with each little doll. I suppose it is a good thing, to be proud enough that I want to keep each one. It is also somewhat of a curse.

To see they are liked & have one purchased is a wonderful honor. Thank you, dear customer, thank you!

She should be in Texas by now.

It was bittersweet to see her go, but Ella made me put my brave face on & chaperoned me to the post where we shipped Poppy off & wished her good hugs.

Here she is telling me not to be such a baby.

More dolls such as Poppy to be in the shop tomorrow.