Update on Fabric Flowers and Shopping and My First Craft Show!

So after my sad, droopy flower (which I've made into a refrigerator magnet) I decided to make another one Thursday night.  I think it's much better:

I turned this one into a pin and wore it to work on Friday:

I've found that it's much easier to use a button with a raised back than it is to cover and use a button with holes.  The flowers still take me about 2 hours to make and by the time I'm done I don't want to ever see fabric again...but they really are fun and easy.  I made another one which I've turned into a barrette:

These flowers really are creative!  Please visit Sew Ritzy~Titzy's blog for the tutorial.

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So I've been shopping at A.C. Moore, Michaels, Panopolie, and Carolyn's Bead Addiction so much, I'm not sure I have enough gas to go anywhere else this week (oops!).  Check out some of the awesome things I picked up!

Now I'm going to get the chance to incorporate filigrees (is that a valid word?) and vintage buttons into my work for the first time.  These pictures don't provide an all-inclusive list of everything I purchased, but you get the idea.

So why, besides the fact that I love my craft, did I feel the need to go crazy in almost every craft store and boutique I could find?  I received an email from the Raleigh Jewelry Meetup Group that a craft show was going on Dec. 12-13 and there were still plenty of spaces for artisans to sign up.  I jumped on the opportunity and now I'm going to be selling at my first official craft show next weekend!  I have been trying to get advice on what to do and so far what I've noticed is that artisans mention over and over the importance of having a variety of different styles of items and large quantities of stock.  Since my first shopping excursion, I've dedicated myself to do as much crafting each day as possible.  I probably spent 12 hours yesterday making new items.  Want to see some of the newer items I plan to bring to the craft fair that aren't on Artfire or Etsy yet?  Check out the photos below or visit my Flickr Photostream.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
 
If you're in the Raleigh/Durham or Central NC areas, make sure you attend the craft show, Carolyn and Friends Artist Affair.  It's located at Carolyn's Bead Addiction (formerly Bead Delite) on Old Wake Forest Road near Capital Blvd and Triangle Town Center Mall.  Be sure to visit my Google Calendar in the side bar and click on the event for more information and the complete address.  I will be there both Saturday and Sunday Dec. 12-13.  I hope to see some of you there!  If you're an artisan, contact Carolyn ASAP via email at carolynsbeadaddiction@yahoo.com as she has a ton of space outside of her boutique and may have some left for you to sell as well.  If you come either as a customer or as a fellow seller, make sure you introduce yourself both in the comments and at the show!

Until next time,
Elle