Join Me in November!

I'll be joining a number of fantastic mom crafters on November 11th between 5-9pm at Ashbridge Manor in Downingtown for a holiday Mom Bazaar! So if you are local, stop by this free event to see all the new items I've been screening and stitching up through Babee Crafts.

Preview all of the great products that will be at the Holiday Bazaar by visiting the following websites by clicking on the link!

• Lovely Little One – Handmade Baby and Nursing Apparel
• Tastefully Simple – By Melissa Auvil
• Elephants on Parade – Handmade Hair Bows and Clips
• Meredith Joy Designs – Jewelry and Greeting Cards
• Scentsy – Flameless Candle Warmers
• Stampin’ Up
• Creative Memories
• Tiffinee A-Z – Antiques and Used Items
• The Smiling Door - Creative Door Decor
• Studio 791 - paper inspired stationery, magnets, collage items, desk accessories
• Babee Crafts – Organic and Eco-friendly baby gifts
• Thirty-One – Purses and Bags

Such Kind Words!

Friend and fellow blogger Andria of Andria Drawing Near posted a wonderful piece on the recent Clover Market which included a little bit about Babee Crafts. So, I'm stealing her post and sharing it below. But don't just read it here. Click on over to her fabulous blog. You'll be amazed by all the clever crafting this stay-at-home mom of two does. Truly beautiful!

Discovering the Clover Market

Last Sunday, in addition to finding a Paper Source within an easy drive from my home, I discovered a lovely place called the Clover Market.

The organizers describe the market as "an upscale vintage outdoor market...featuring original art, antiques, vintage jewelry & clothing, artisan crafts, and handmade items." In other words, my ideal browsing destination!

The vendors all take real care when setting up their booths, in order to make their vignettes interesting and their merchandise accessible to their customers.

Half the fun was checking out how items, as well as prices and other information, were displayed.

One of my first stops was to visit my friend Jen, who in addition to being a full-time high school English teacher, mother of two boys under three, writer of two blogs, and owner of an Etsy store called Babee Crafts, finds time to represent her hand-crafted baby items at markets, shows, and bazaars!

(If I ever find out her secret for juggling all these roles--and doing them all so WELL--while maintaining an admirable level of good humor and a relaxed vibe, I will definitely share it with you!)



Some of the vendors included:

--antiques and vintage items for the home--

--architectural salvage--

--purses and other fabric items--

--jewelry--

--paper crafts--

More by Andria at Andria Drawing Near

What a Fabulous Day!

It was wonderful to be outside all day yesterday for Clover Market's Fall Kick-Off - fabulous weather, fantastic shops, and so many fun finds! I'll share some pictures very soon, but for those of you who were not able to attend, I wanted to share just a few of the fantastic shops that you missed. You certainly will not want to miss October's market!

Upcoming Events: Clover Market in Ardmore

I'll be there in September. Will you?

Clover Market - Perfectly Lovely

Facebook fans know that I made an odd gift request for my birthday last week. While many women ask their husbands for perfume or jewelry or a day at the spa, I asked mine to build me a "bakery" display shelf for my booth at this past Sunday's Clover Market. I figured since so many of my baby gift items were food-inspired, I should have a bakery display to showcase my cupcake and sundae sets, the new "bun in the oven" gift sets, and coffee-inspired sets.

And not long ago I stumbled upon Shauna and Stephen's design for a similar bakery case over on their blog Something's Hiding in There. And so an idea was born - the Babee Crafts' Bakery Booth, complete with bunting and vintage table cloths and a retro apron (thanks Creative Chics). It's still evolving. I have plenty of new ideas for my next fair, which will hopefully be a return to Clover Market in mid-September.

I had a grand time scoping all the other vendors at Clover Market. I was fortunate enough to have some great "neighbors" on Sunday who volunteered to watch my booth so I could grab a quick peak and some of the other displays (thanks Sally and Anna!). Besides wanting to spend every penny I made while I was there, I also got to finally meet some of the people that I've been following on Etsy and Twitter - like John Sturgis, Christina of Momo Trees, and Jan of Janzibar. And like the marvelous Jen McCleary, whose blog I stalk. And just like her work, her booth was gorgeous. It sucked you in!

A newcomer at this month's market was Rebecca of Chirp and Bloom. I must confess that I scoped her booth quite a bit. It was just too adorable. And okay, I may have snapped a few pics of her booth and tagged them with "ideas for my booth". Her simple touches, curtains on the side of her booth, a rug, all made her display feel welcoming and uncluttered, and perfectly lovely.

Just like Clover Market in general - welcoming and perfectly lovely (and a little clutter isn't such a bad thing, especially if it's vintage!)

Clover Market - Thanks For All Your Support!

What a weekend! On Sunday I did my very first craft fair. But to group Clover Market in with other craft fairs would be underselling it terribly. This was not your run of the mill, crocheted toilet paper cover craft fair. Clover Market is an ecclectic collection of fine artists, vintage shops, handmade crafts, and refinished finds. And what a spectacular collection it was! It was very difficult for me not to go shopping at the market following a sale in my own shop!

I had the pleasure of being between a wonderful collection of vintage items showcased in Nanny Goat Antique's booth and some truly beautiful artwork created by Deena Ball. I must confess, being between these two booths in particular was a bit overwhelming. Nanny Goat's booth was awe-inspiring. The items and the layout were beautiful. Throughout the day, Deena and I would marvel at the number of passersby who were just drawn into Nanny Goat's booth. You couldn't just simply walk by their tent. You had to stop. And Deena's booth was filled floor to tent-top with beautiful watercolors. Her attention to detail so perfectly captured in each frame.

So needless to say, I was a bit worried about how my little Babee Crafts booth would do. Turns out, I didn't need to worry! Many of the sellers there with me were fellow Etsy shop owners, and many of them stopped by to connect in person. It was wonderful to be able to meet so many of the faces that I had only seen online. I also met a number of local PSMM bloggers and twitter followers. Anyone who thinks social media is simply a fad, should have stopped by my booth on Sunday. I met a number of people who stopped by to say they followed me in one place or another online. How cool to meet so many in person!

And here's what I've learned - I didn't have enough nursing necklaces. For some reason, they were a big seller. As were my bun in the oven sets. But my biggest lesson - don't go overboard on pink. My pink cupcake sets, sundae sets, and bun in the oven sets did not go as quickly as I expected. Instead, I sold out of all my gender-neutral and boy cupcake sets before noon! So less pink, more yellow for June's showing at Clover Market. I also had a great deal of interest in my diaper wreaths and nursing bracelets, though not too many sales of these items. I had lots of promises to contact me via email and my Etsy shop for these items, so I'll have to wait and see how these items do.

So now I have plans to kick it up a notch for June's Clover Market. My husband is helping me build a bakery case to display all my "baked goods", and I just got in touch with i play organic babywear about their organic layette and bath items. It looks like my sushi sets will be going organic for June's market! I also recently made a great connection with Mary Tsolak, president of HavluTowel (how cool to hear directly from the company's president!), who helped me order organic cotton red socks for my cupcake and sundae sets. And of course, just like this past weekend, I'll have many organic items made using Hudson Baby's organic cotton layette items. Babee Crafts is going organic!

I'm looking forward to seeing more of you at June's market on Sunday, June 5th. So if you're local, please stop by and say "hi!"

Tomorrow is National Mom's Nite Out!

From the Mom's Nite Out blog: You're Invited!

Every Mom deserves a night out – even if it takes place at home! We have your invitation to one of the most widely anticipated National Mom’s Nite Out Celebrations. And the best part is, you can even party in your pajamas! Whether you’re at home in front of your laptop or at a party with your smart phone, we encourage you to take part in our super-sized National Mom’s Nite Out Twitter Party!

Date: Thursday, May 5, 2010 (Thursday before Mother’s Day)
Time: 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. EST
Location: #MomsNiteOut
Host: @MomsNiteOut, led by the members of the MomSelect team

During the action-packed two hours, we’ll be giving away tons of prizes, generously donated by amazing companies and brands! And of course, we’ll be toasting our motherhood by celebrating the moments that make our job so special.

This year, we’re proud to be supporting Autism Speaks in conjunction with National Mom’s Nite Out™. Autism Speaks is the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. Since this evening is one of the largest cooperative efforts of Mommy groups, Mom-focused organizations and corporations, bloggers and vloggers, all coming together for one great night in support of motherhood, it is the perfect opportunity to unite with Autism Speaks.

Moms are invited to support Autism Speaks in celebration of National Mom’s Nite Out.

To make a donation visit http://events.autismspeaks.org/mno

Let us know you’re coming by clicking HERE to RSVP. And as always, make sure you’re following @MomTalkRadio, @MomSelectAmy, @ResourcefulMom, and @MomsNiteOut to join in on the fun!

We hope you’ll join us as we declare this one night to honor the work that Moms do every day of the year and support an amazing organization!

Clover Market - Lucky Finds for the Home

Check it out! I'm featured over at the Clover Market blog. And if you want to see more, be sure to stop by my booth on Sunday, May 1st in Ardmore, PA!

Clover Market - Lucky Finds for the Home: New Clover Sellers - Coming May 1: "Our May 1 sellers group is REALLY shaping up.  We have over 50 confirmed sellers and we're still reviewing applications. I've posted all of..."

New Items for Second Saturday Event

April is right around the corner, and I've been busy preparing, gathering my beading supplies, sewing notations, and warming up the glue gun in anticipation of spring. I have a number of new items ready for Media's next Second Saturday event, happening April 9th. I'll be in store at Local Home + Gifts right on State Street between 6:00 - 9:00 pm.

Second Saturday is a great time to get out and see Media. On the second Saturday of every month, most of Media's businesses stay open late and host local musicians, crafters, and artists. It's a wonderful opportunity to meet the many talented residents of our wonderful town.

And, to meet me! I'll be hanging out at Local along with all sorts of baby goodies (including some free giveaways!) between 6:00 - 9:00 pm. Please stop in! I'll have all sorts of new things with me, made just for this event, including an organic diaper wreath, nursing bracelets, and my new favorite creation - organic knit teething bibs with an all natural wooden teething ring attached!

Take a peak! Here's the new organic diaper wreath I've created. Made of 12 organic diapers (which make wonderful burp cloths as well), this wreath also features two "flowers" created of two organic burp cloths and is fastened together using 12 diaper pins. The main giraffe decoration is an adorable and soft baby rattle. The whole wreath is useable! This wreath also comes with 20 wish tags. On one side is a place for baby shower guests to write their wishes for the new baby, and on the other side, a place to write their wishes for the new mom. The tags can be tied to the pins on the diaper wreath making it a practical, eco-friendly, and beautiful keepsake for any new mom.

I've also put together a number of new nursing bracelets. My nursing bracelets are just a little different from others you may have seen. They were created out of necessity. Many of the nursing/feeding reminder bracelets that you find are created out of wire that wraps around your wrist multiple times. Unfortunately, my two-year-old liked to uncoil my original bracelet, making a "snake" out of the bracelet. It ended up too loose, with the wire ends catching on my newborn's clothing. So, I created nursing/feeding reminder bracelets using durable stretch cording; no wires to catch or snag. And, I've started to making a number of my new bracelets using semi-precious stones and gemstones. I'll have new bracelets for Second Saturday which feature amethysts (February's birthstone), peridots (August's birthstone), jade, and agates.

I'll also have a number of new sweet confections with me, including some creative "bun in the oven" gifts, and my new favorite, a teething bib made of organic knit featuring a handmade wooden teething ring attached. I'll be sharing a bit more about this creation and my collaboration with another fellow Etsy artist in a future post soon.

Please stop in and say "hi" on April 9th. And, if you tell me you that you follow me on this blog, my Twitter account, or the Babee Crafts' Facebook page, I'll give you 10% off your purchase!