In my never ending quest to find cool stuff for crafty boys I've found what may be an all time winner.
Marshmallow shooter
YouTube How To
NOTE: This is a project that isn't limited to boys. I know a particular 11 year old girl that had a marshmallow gun on her birthday list last summer and had a blast with it when she got one!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
What I learned on my summer vacation.
Well, I didn't really get a summer vacation this year so instead I'll tell you what I learned at CHA two weeks ago.
The most valuable seminars I took were run by Kizer & Bender. Georgann and Rich are retailing gurus of the highest caliber. What I didn't realize going into this was that they are also neighbors. Their office is also located here in St. Charles.
The two seminars I took with them were all about appealing to "Generation Z" those wonderful creatures the rest of us call 'tweens and teens. This just happens to also be my favorite age group of people to work with so I knew I was sure to come away with some great ideas. The Friday seminar was a panel discussion with a dozen actual in the flesh Zeds. We had the opportunity to ask them what they liked and didn't like in crafts, stores, etc. My only complaint was that the group wasn't very diverse as far as demographics. Fortunately for me they did match my store's particular target market but if I had been there from a more rural or urban area I may not have gotten quite as much out of it. The Saturday seminar was more about how to take what we now know about this generation and making it work in our stores. How do we reach them? How do we offer events they'd be interested in?
These seminars were where the idea for the "Twilight Party" came from in a way. We were discussing what was hot with different age groups. I had come home Friday very excited to share with my family what I had learned and I took the opportunity to poll my two in-house Gen-Zeds. Sarah brought up how popular the Twilight series had become in her school and with her peers. On Saturday I brought this information back to Georgann & Rich and it snow-balled from there.
They were so impressed with Sarah's suggestion they even mentioned it on their blog. So I sent them information about our planned party and they posted that too!
What I've also learned this summer is that opening a store and planning cool events isn't like "Field of Dreams." You can't just build it and they will come. I've been pounding the keyboard and the pavement trying to get the word out about this event and the business in general all in the hopes that someday the crowds of mythical creatures called customers will find me. I wonder how much rent Kevin Costner had to pay on that cornfield of his?
The most valuable seminars I took were run by Kizer & Bender. Georgann and Rich are retailing gurus of the highest caliber. What I didn't realize going into this was that they are also neighbors. Their office is also located here in St. Charles.
The two seminars I took with them were all about appealing to "Generation Z" those wonderful creatures the rest of us call 'tweens and teens. This just happens to also be my favorite age group of people to work with so I knew I was sure to come away with some great ideas. The Friday seminar was a panel discussion with a dozen actual in the flesh Zeds. We had the opportunity to ask them what they liked and didn't like in crafts, stores, etc. My only complaint was that the group wasn't very diverse as far as demographics. Fortunately for me they did match my store's particular target market but if I had been there from a more rural or urban area I may not have gotten quite as much out of it. The Saturday seminar was more about how to take what we now know about this generation and making it work in our stores. How do we reach them? How do we offer events they'd be interested in?
These seminars were where the idea for the "Twilight Party" came from in a way. We were discussing what was hot with different age groups. I had come home Friday very excited to share with my family what I had learned and I took the opportunity to poll my two in-house Gen-Zeds. Sarah brought up how popular the Twilight series had become in her school and with her peers. On Saturday I brought this information back to Georgann & Rich and it snow-balled from there.
They were so impressed with Sarah's suggestion they even mentioned it on their blog. So I sent them information about our planned party and they posted that too!
What I've also learned this summer is that opening a store and planning cool events isn't like "Field of Dreams." You can't just build it and they will come. I've been pounding the keyboard and the pavement trying to get the word out about this event and the business in general all in the hopes that someday the crowds of mythical creatures called customers will find me. I wonder how much rent Kevin Costner had to pay on that cornfield of his?
Saturday, July 26, 2008
He's home and I'm broke
Latte came home from the animal hospital yesterday after work. He peed all over the inside of his carry crate so I guess his plumbing is all working again.
Poor guy must be embarrassed (or is that bare assed?) because they had to shave his bits. Imagine how funny this looks on an all white cat. Sorry, no photos for you pervy types. I'm thinking I should sew him up some little pants or something.
The final bill wasn't as painful as I had originally feared. I was gaging my guess on what it has cost for the dogs to be hospitalized overnight. Fortunately cats are cheaper. Note, I didn't say "cheap". I have a saying, "Nothing costs more than a free pet."
Keep on truckin'
Sarah (Mini-me) and I are having too much fun planning this party for Friday. We have some really cool crafts planned and have been trying to get samples made today. (Keeping my fingers double crossed that the jewelry blanks I ordered Wednesday to be sent Priority arrive on Monday!)
Today she painted this wooden toy truck to look like the main character, Bella's, old truck. We also made some polymer clay beads for our ribbon book marks. Sarah put it all together for this cool display.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Bite Me.
Mini-me got me to read the first three books in the Twilight series sometime last year while waiting for the last Harry Potter book to come out. (The family that reads together, gets into book series theory debates together, or something like that.) Since that time they have become somewhat of a phenomenon in the world of teenage girls.
We pre-ordered our copy of the latest in the series, Breaking Dawn early in the summer and Mini-me has been waiting for the midnight release party ever since. The internet is awash in release party costume ideas and heated discussions about who will win Bella's undying love (excuse the pun!)
We figured if the rest of the world was as or even more into this book as we were we'd might as well make a party of it! We've spent the past week brainstorming ideas for fun and original crafts that relate to the story and have come up with some great ones. I lucked into finding a fabulous jewelry company at CHA that has fabulous pewter pendants ready to be personalized and embellished. We're also making red satin book thongs, bottle cap pins and decorating canvas tote bags.
If you already have plans for the midnight release join us beforehand for pizza, crafts and fun, we'll be finished up in plenty of time for you to still make it to your local bookstore to pick up your copy well before the break of dawn!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Whew!
Hello internet. I'm still around. Just too busy to keep in touch. I'll be a better penpal in the future I promise.
Last weekend was CHA in Rosemont. I chose to drive in Friday and Saturday. Mr. Mess had originally booked me a room nearby for Saturday night so I could stay over. But after two days of seminars and walking the show floor I just wanted to go home and hang with my family and process all I experienced. I'll have a CHA-centric post here later today hopefully.
Of course after being away from the store and the home for a few days I'm way behind. Add to that all the new ideas I came back with that I want to implement ASAP, my mind is spinning. It also seems that July is the month that all the salespeople from various advertising venues descend en masse on small retailers like myself. Everyday I've gotten calls, drop-ins and appointments with advertisers. Everything from coupon mailers to online aggregate referral sites and everything in between. If you're wondering, no I will not be placing a $3000 display ad in my local yellow pages, so don't look for me there.
The girls and I had an exciting night Tuesday night. At around 10pm Latte, the fat white brother (cat for new readers!) started yowling and hissing at his brother and Ozzy. I went to see what the trouble was because it didn't sound like the typical play fighting they often do. When I approached Latte he hissed and yowled at me too. I finally got a hold of him and examined him for injuries and discovered that he had a blocked urethra and was passing blood in his urine. He was in obvious pain. Male cats can crash fast when this happens and go into renal failure in a matter of hours. I called the ER vet and they said as long as I could get some urine out he was okay until morning. But by midnight he was really miserable and wouldn't let anyone anywhere near him. The girls convinced me that we had to take him in, we weren't going to get any sleep anyway worrying about him all night.
So at midnight we drove across town to the ER vets. He spent the night there with a catheter and IV. I had to go back at 7am to transfer him to our regular vet back across to our side of town. He'll be there under the watchful eye of Dr. Dodd until Friday afternoon. (I've been avoiding thinking about how much this will all cost. The ER bill was almost $800. 72 hours of hospitalization is beyond my comprehension right now.)
Last weekend was CHA in Rosemont. I chose to drive in Friday and Saturday. Mr. Mess had originally booked me a room nearby for Saturday night so I could stay over. But after two days of seminars and walking the show floor I just wanted to go home and hang with my family and process all I experienced. I'll have a CHA-centric post here later today hopefully.
Of course after being away from the store and the home for a few days I'm way behind. Add to that all the new ideas I came back with that I want to implement ASAP, my mind is spinning. It also seems that July is the month that all the salespeople from various advertising venues descend en masse on small retailers like myself. Everyday I've gotten calls, drop-ins and appointments with advertisers. Everything from coupon mailers to online aggregate referral sites and everything in between. If you're wondering, no I will not be placing a $3000 display ad in my local yellow pages, so don't look for me there.
The girls and I had an exciting night Tuesday night. At around 10pm Latte, the fat white brother (cat for new readers!) started yowling and hissing at his brother and Ozzy. I went to see what the trouble was because it didn't sound like the typical play fighting they often do. When I approached Latte he hissed and yowled at me too. I finally got a hold of him and examined him for injuries and discovered that he had a blocked urethra and was passing blood in his urine. He was in obvious pain. Male cats can crash fast when this happens and go into renal failure in a matter of hours. I called the ER vet and they said as long as I could get some urine out he was okay until morning. But by midnight he was really miserable and wouldn't let anyone anywhere near him. The girls convinced me that we had to take him in, we weren't going to get any sleep anyway worrying about him all night.
So at midnight we drove across town to the ER vets. He spent the night there with a catheter and IV. I had to go back at 7am to transfer him to our regular vet back across to our side of town. He'll be there under the watchful eye of Dr. Dodd until Friday afternoon. (I've been avoiding thinking about how much this will all cost. The ER bill was almost $800. 72 hours of hospitalization is beyond my comprehension right now.)
Thursday, July 17, 2008
New Fabric!
These are from the "Portugal" line by April Cornell for Moda. Gorgeous, soft colors and beautiful all over floral designs define these pretty summer cottons. I can see pretty A-line skirts, sleeveless tops, or summery sundresses made from any of these.
The second bunch of fabric to arrive this week is also from Moda. This time it was the "Pumpkins Gone Wild" line from Sandy Gervais. Really fun and bright. I love the falling leaves one and the all-over funky floral is really cool. I think I see a groovy witch or seasonal apron coming soon out of some of these.
Yes, they both can sew.
This one just doesn't usually choose to.
MiniMe got her top braces off yesterday. After her appointment, she came to the store with me. Isn't her new smile gorgeous? She doesn't hang out here with me as often as her little sister and hasn't shown as much interest in doing all the crafty things that E and I do around here. But yesterday she was either inspired or just really bored because she made two pillows for her room and a fabric covered message board.
Remember when I mentioned a couple weeks ago that she was going to repaint her bedroom? Yeah, about that. It is a hair past half-way done. This means that the second floor of our house is completely and utterly trashed. Almost all of her earthly belongings are piled either in the hallway, the guest room or the "spare" (formerly my sewing/craft) room. The laws of physics would indicate that there is no possible way that all of that crap will ever fit back into the smallest room of the house, her bedroom. It may also explain why it has been virtually impossible for her to accomplish and maintain a clean room for the past year or more. I see many trips to Goodwill in my near future.
MiniMe got her top braces off yesterday. After her appointment, she came to the store with me. Isn't her new smile gorgeous? She doesn't hang out here with me as often as her little sister and hasn't shown as much interest in doing all the crafty things that E and I do around here. But yesterday she was either inspired or just really bored because she made two pillows for her room and a fabric covered message board.
Remember when I mentioned a couple weeks ago that she was going to repaint her bedroom? Yeah, about that. It is a hair past half-way done. This means that the second floor of our house is completely and utterly trashed. Almost all of her earthly belongings are piled either in the hallway, the guest room or the "spare" (formerly my sewing/craft) room. The laws of physics would indicate that there is no possible way that all of that crap will ever fit back into the smallest room of the house, her bedroom. It may also explain why it has been virtually impossible for her to accomplish and maintain a clean room for the past year or more. I see many trips to Goodwill in my near future.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Spaces still available!
Tomorrow night's Jr. Mess Maker Club still has a few spots open. There are also openings for the July 25th Club Night. Call me at 630-443-4770 and I'll add you to the list.
This month we're playing with some cool Artgirlz products and making funky paper dolls using rubber stamps, colored pencils, fabric scraps and our imaginations. (Doesn't the one I made look just like me?!?)
A bird in the bag?
Emily and Lauren are sisters who have been coming in to learn to sew this past month. Their first projects were cool pajama pants (sorry no pictures). Then they chose Amy Butler's new pattern, The Birdie Sling for their second project.
They did a great job choosing coordinating fabrics. Amy's great colors and patterns make it pretty easy anyway! Emily chose Temple Garden and Full Moon Polka Dot from the Lotus collection with Oxford Stripe for the lining. Lauren selected her fabrics from the new Midwest Modern line; Optic Blossom in linen, Martini in mustard and Happy Dots in grey for the lining.
This was my first time making this pattern too. As with any pattern, I'd advise reading through the directions before starting. Amy Butler patterns are very clear and detailed. This one doesn't have a lot of diagrams and there were one or two steps that may have been clearer with a diagram. Also we had a little trouble getting the top of the bag pieces and the top bands to match up evenly. We managed to fudge around enough that the end result was fine. I haven't found any references to this problem in other online reviews of this pattern so it may have just been our mistake. I'll have to make another sometime to see if we weren't precise enough in our cutting this time around. This turned out to be a two session project. On the first day we got through the first 6 or 7 steps in the pattern and finished up the last 4 or 5 on the second day. The laying out and cutting of the pattern pieces always takes longer than you expect it to and with the last few finishing steps it is always important to take your time and be sure you do a nice neat job.
The finished bag is very roomy and the pattern includes instructions for two interior pockets. One is divided and quite deep, Lauren commented that this one is the perfect size for her eyeglass case. It wouldn't be difficult at all to add a zippered pocket to the lining or a smaller cell phone sized pocket to the nice wide strap. I'd also suggest adding a magnetic snap. The other feature I like about this pattern is the use of fusible fleece for the lining interfacing. It gives the bag a nice body and protects your belongings a little bit. (One caveat: the fleece interfacing I ordered came in non-fusible so we used a temporary spray adhesive to stick the lining and interfacing together during assembly. This worked just fine, maybe better than using fusible as my luck and experience with some fusible fleeces has been hit or miss.)
Overall I'd give this pattern an A and Lauren and Emily an A+!
Foxy, Foxy!
A second friendly fox from a WooPets kit. This one will become a thank you gift to the mayor for attending my ribbon cutting last week.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
*Yawn*
Don't know why I'm so tired today. I think the 4 day weekend psyched my body into believing it was permanently back in "stay-at-home-mom-summer" mode.
We had a nice, quiet, laid back holiday weekend. A little swimming, some book reading, a few social events. Friday we just hung out by our pool most of the day and then went to friends' for a picnic. Mini-Me wanted to go to the fireworks (Mr. Mess and E didn't want to go) so she called a friend and I took them. We parked here at the store and walked downtown to find a place to watch. We found an unoccupied spot of grass near the river. Impromptu and casual, just the way I like it.
Saturday we did a bunch of housework, had friends over to swim and make s'mores in the firepit andLittle E (can't call her "Little" now, it's almost her birthday!) had two friend over for a sleepover for her birthday. Sunday morning we got up and went up to Rockford to the Discovery Center Museum. I'm not sure why E chose this as her birthday outing destination but the girls had fun and it wasn't very crowded so I was able to enjoy myself too.
Yesterday I spent putting away laundry and just decompressing from the weekend. I need a day like that on a regular basis. Time to get caught up on schedules, bills, paperwork, laundry and my favorite stupid television shows! Later in the afternoon the three of us girls went to the nail place and Mini-Me and I got pedicures and E got a manicure. Made it seem like a real vacation. Perfect.
We had a nice, quiet, laid back holiday weekend. A little swimming, some book reading, a few social events. Friday we just hung out by our pool most of the day and then went to friends' for a picnic. Mini-Me wanted to go to the fireworks (Mr. Mess and E didn't want to go) so she called a friend and I took them. We parked here at the store and walked downtown to find a place to watch. We found an unoccupied spot of grass near the river. Impromptu and casual, just the way I like it.
Saturday we did a bunch of housework, had friends over to swim and make s'mores in the firepit and
Yesterday I spent putting away laundry and just decompressing from the weekend. I need a day like that on a regular basis. Time to get caught up on schedules, bills, paperwork, laundry and my favorite stupid television shows! Later in the afternoon the three of us girls went to the nail place and Mini-Me and I got pedicures and E got a manicure. Made it seem like a real vacation. Perfect.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Week in Review
Whew! For a three day work week I've been really busy (good busy!) and it has flown by. My blog posting stats have been weak at best recently but this week will have to suffice with a long week in review post before I head out of here for the holiday.
First of all we had our official ribbon cutting here Tuesday afternoon. Many members of the Chamber of Commerce and other local business people came out to show their support. I was so thrilled to have the mayor, Don DeWitte, attend and do the official ribbon cutting with me. As it turns out, it was like old home week for him. He grew up in the house directly behind the store here and spent his youth running this neighborhood!
Wednesday and today I've been doing a lot of what I opened this store to do; teach people to sew. Yesterday I had two return students that made pajama pants with me last week. This week they came in to make the Amy Butler Birdie Bag pattern. We didn't quite get through the entire thing so they will be coming back next week to finish up.
Today I had a fun morning doing my part to contribute to "Burgess Camp." My friend Judy has her 5 grandchildren come for a few days every summer and they do all kinds of fun things together. I was thrilled to be able to offer them a morning of crafting fun. We made fish in a bag soaps and some "dragon tear" magnets. (The youngest grandchild informed me that the flattened marbles are actually "REAL!" dragon's tears! Who knew?)
Then to wrap up my week Chris, a new sewer and new student, came in to make her first apron. She is a natural! She chose fabrics from the Moda Christmas selection (25% off for the month of July!) to make her sister a cute hostess gift.
So it is official, Chris is the winner of the first Christmas sewing/craft project completed at My Eclectic Mess 2008! Drop the balloons!!!!
So now I am off for the holiday weekend to spend some time with my husband and kids, probably a large amount to be spent lounging in a pool float. Mini-Me is planning to repaint her bedroom (I think this may count as the 8th or 9th time one of the upstairs/kids' bedrooms have been painted since we moved into this house 11 years ago!) I would really like to have nothing to do with the entire project but I doubt I'll get so lucky. Did I mention that the room is currently dark brick red?
Someone please pour me an icy cocktail, I'll be there in a few minutes!
First of all we had our official ribbon cutting here Tuesday afternoon. Many members of the Chamber of Commerce and other local business people came out to show their support. I was so thrilled to have the mayor, Don DeWitte, attend and do the official ribbon cutting with me. As it turns out, it was like old home week for him. He grew up in the house directly behind the store here and spent his youth running this neighborhood!
Wednesday and today I've been doing a lot of what I opened this store to do; teach people to sew. Yesterday I had two return students that made pajama pants with me last week. This week they came in to make the Amy Butler Birdie Bag pattern. We didn't quite get through the entire thing so they will be coming back next week to finish up.
Today I had a fun morning doing my part to contribute to "Burgess Camp." My friend Judy has her 5 grandchildren come for a few days every summer and they do all kinds of fun things together. I was thrilled to be able to offer them a morning of crafting fun. We made fish in a bag soaps and some "dragon tear" magnets. (The youngest grandchild informed me that the flattened marbles are actually "REAL!" dragon's tears! Who knew?)
Then to wrap up my week Chris, a new sewer and new student, came in to make her first apron. She is a natural! She chose fabrics from the Moda Christmas selection (25% off for the month of July!) to make her sister a cute hostess gift.
So it is official, Chris is the winner of the first Christmas sewing/craft project completed at My Eclectic Mess 2008! Drop the balloons!!!! So now I am off for the holiday weekend to spend some time with my husband and kids, probably a large amount to be spent lounging in a pool float. Mini-Me is planning to repaint her bedroom (I think this may count as the 8th or 9th time one of the upstairs/kids' bedrooms have been painted since we moved into this house 11 years ago!) I would really like to have nothing to do with the entire project but I doubt I'll get so lucky. Did I mention that the room is currently dark brick red?
Someone please pour me an icy cocktail, I'll be there in a few minutes!
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