RagsReborn's Spring Craft Show Schedule, pt.1 (March)

Well hello, my little craft show family... I haven't done a show since the indoor flea market at Sugar Creek Casino in January so I know you all have missed me. Right??  Speaking of the indoor flea market... here is my quick review-
       Hinton, OK isn't as bad of a drive as I thought it would be. The show was neither good nor bad. There was hardly any organization or rules to the event. Normally, I would think of this as a negative aspect, but I actually didn't mind it at this event.
       Vendors were free to come and go as they pleased and we were allowed to set up our booth however we wanted. The show started at 8am but I didn't get fully set up until about 8:45am... and I wasn't the worst, there were some vendors who didn't show up until 10am. One vendor moved her booth from where it was assigned to a completely different space so she could be near her friend. There were multiple ladies selling Scentsy. I stretched my extension cord from an empty booth to mine so I could charge my phone throughout the day. I started tearing down my booth around 3pm even though the event didn't end until 4pm. Chaos was everywhere. LOL
       There wasn't a great turn out of shoppers but almost all of the casino employees did come and browse on their break and lunch times. I (as well as several of the other vendors) was able to sell a handful of items. Due to the cheap booth rent fee and lax attitude of the event coordinators, I think it is a good show to try out if you are a new vendor. But if you have done shows for a while and have certain expectations, I would not recommend this show. Sad to say, but your expectations will NOT be met.

Anyway, time to talk about my two great upcoming shows in March. YIPPEE! \(^_^)/ I'm scaling back this year... trying to opt for quality over quantity. There are tons of spring craft shows and I decided these two would be the absolute best for RagsReborn.

Sunday March 5th, 2017- D.U.C.K. Week Junk Show
10:30am - 4pm
Piedmont High School 1055 Edmond Rd NW, Piedmont, OK 73078
https://www.facebook.com/events/1842812649334912/
       I participated in the D.U.C.K Week Junk Show last year and it was a blast. D.U.C.K week is a week long charity event put on by the Student Council at Piedmont High School. The goal is to raise money for a handful of pre-selected needy children (D.U.C.K is an acronym for "doing unselfish charities for kids.") The main fundraiser is the junk show held at the end of the week and all proceeds from vendor booth rent goes to the kids. It is a fun family event with a lot of children's activities and the entire town comes out to support it. There are going to be even more vendors this year than last year so there will be something for everyone. This is also the first show where I will be sharing a booth with another vendor. (Please pray for me! I'm an only child so sharing is not my forte. LOL)

Saturday March 25th, 2017- Craft & Market Bazaar
9am - 4pm
Newcastle Fair Barn 400 N Main Street, Newcastle, OK 73065
https://www.facebook.com/events/1714056515572283/
       This show in Newcastle is brand new for me but it came highly recommended. I actually know a couple of the jewelry vendors who will be there. The craft show has been running for several years now so I know that the event coordinators must be doing something right to keep it going. I am excited to try out some new locations, too. (which was one of my goals for 2017) I have never been to Newcastle but am very excited to introduce RagsReborn to a new part of the state. If you live out that direction, please come out and see me!

I will have more shows for April. I am still in the midst of finalizing the later half of my spring craft show schedule. Stay tuned for more!

Erica & Lacey Learn Paper Quilling

What is paper quilling, you ask? And why would Lacey and I go to a class to learn it?
       Paper quilling is an art form where you roll thin strips of paper into coils & scrolls and then position the rolled paper pieces to form patterns, shapes and designs. The art is traceable to the 15th century and became popular in the 18th century. It was a fashionable hobby for the young women at the time. Lacey & I are fashionable young women, so we naturally gravitated toward taking a class on the art form. (Note: I actually am neither young nor fashionable, but I do love art and trying new things. The classes were free at the Metropolitan Library and I also knew the teacher.)

The top right snowflake pendant is a piece that our teacher made.

At a craft show last November, my booth was next to an artist who sold beautiful pendants and ornaments ... made from paper!! I was blown away by the fact that everything in her booth was made from paper and that she handmade each piece. The artist was Toni Swayze. She has been making paper art for over a decade and is a member of both the North American Quilling Guild and the Quilling Guild based in the United Kingdom. We talked throughout the day and she informed me that she teaches for the Metropolitan Library System. We exchanged contact information and she promised to enroll me in her next class.

Fast forward a few months and Lacey & I find ourselves in Paper Quilling for Beginners. Toni started class with a brief history lesson and showed us some examples of her finished artwork. We then learned about our quilling tools. Our main tool was a metal pick with a slot across the head. The object was to slide the end of a strip of paper into the slot and coil the paper into a small tight spiral. We made several of these spirals for practice. Once we got the hang of it, we moved onto other rolled shapes. Toni provided us with a chart of basic shapes. We made tear drops, squares and hearts. After we finished making all the simple shapes, our "assignment" was to design a flower. The pattern was a little hard to follow so I made my own flowers. Since we mastered the basic techniques in the beginners class, Toni invited us back for her advanced class a week later.

Mine are the two flowers on the bottom left and Lacey's is the one to the right. She was much better a following the flower pattern.

There were five students in the beginners' class. Only three of us returned for the advanced class. The advanced class was certainly advanced. We were all given a new quilling chart with much more complicated patterns. I don't think my technique would have granted me access to the advanced class but I knew the teacher (yay for connections, right?) and Lacey was an expert quiller. The shapes we made in the advanced class used multiple strips of paper. My favorite were the beehive (below, purple) and royal flower (below, yellow). For these two shapes, we started by rolling a large tear drop shape. We then rolled another strip of paper into small spirals and then put the spiraled paper into the large tear drop.

Mine's on the left and Lacey's is on the right.

Since this was the advanced class, Toni assumed everyone was familiar with the techniques and we moved through the chart fairly quickly. I would have preferred a more thorough demonstration, as I needed some one-on-one assistance on a few of the shapes. Since it was a small class, we finished a little early and Toni was able to spend some time working at mine and Lacey's table toward the end of class. I really struggled with the Malaysian shape, which is a spiraled tear drop curled into another tear drop. Lacey's is the perfect blue one in the picture above. My first attempt was awful so Toni gave me more paper for a second attempt. Sadly, it did not turn out much better. LOL She also showed us examples of her work that incorporated the shapes we were learning. That woman makes some amazing flowers and butterflies!

I enjoyed paper quilling and I think it was fun to learn but I do not believe I will be adding it to my collection of hobbies. It proved to be a very involved and time consuming task. It took me forever to finish the simple projects we made in class (I can't imagine how long it takes for more complicated designs!) The advanced patterns demanded too much precision. After making a handful of coils and scrolls--and most of them oddly misshapen-- the task became less fun and more tedious. I just do not have enough patience for it. Which is why I am glad people like Toni go to craft shows... if I ever need a beautiful paper pendant, I know who to buy from!

Toni generously provided us each supplies and instructions for a project to complete at home. 

RagsReborn, Street Cats and My Furry Valentine

My first time making catnip toys and they turned out pretty darn good!

It's almost Valentine's Day. Does everyone have romantic plans for their sweethearts? I have Valentine's Day plans with cats... well, not really with cats but more for cats. RagsReborn is proud to be donating two cat themed baskets to a charity gala benefiting a local cat rescue shelter.

My best friend in elementary school (go Kaiser Kangaroos!!) was a girl named Jessica. We hung out a lot and I have many memories of our childhood. One thing that sticks out in all of those memories is that she was obsessed with cats. It was a love I could not understand because I was allergic to cats and couldn't grasp what the big deal was about them. We lost touch but Facebook brought us back together a few years ago. We finally met up for coffee in December to catch each other up on our lives. Turns out that she still has a fondness for felines. Jessica is now a part of the Street Cats, Inc. organization in Tulsa. Street Cats is a non-profit volunteer based organization that shelters cats who have been abandoned, lost or surrendered. All of the cats they take in are adoptable and the shelter keeps the cats until they find their fur-ever home. Street Cats also maintains a spay and neuter program to control the feral cat population. One of Jessica's main jobs at Street Cats is to plan, organize and execute the annual charity gala, My Furry Valentine. That's where RagsReborn comes in.

Jessica told me all about her organization and the gala over our coffee date. The highlight of the event is a silent auction of items donated by local businesses and artists. She wanted me to make her some catnip toys for her own cat, Beau, and was hoping I could make a few extra to donate to the silent auction. Of course I would!! And not only would I just make catnip toys, I also agreed to donate some pillows and a tote bag. I told her I am a big supporter of animal shelters & rescue programs and would absolutely love to help. (^_^) I want to be involved in anything local! Although, this isn't a craft show, per se, I dedicated all of my time from mid-January to present to sewing items for my gift baskets. I'm hoping my hard work pays off and I can generate some extra money for Street Cats, all while getting my name out there as a local Oklahoman small business.

Auction item #1- two catnip toys and a pillow.

My Furry Valentine is scheduled for Sunday February 12th, 2016. The event will be held at The Tulsa Historical Society in Tulsa, Oklahoma from 1:30pm - 4:30pm. More information on the event can be found here- http://www.streetcatstulsa.org/my-furry-valentine/. Tickets are still one sale! If you are in the area, I encourage you to go. I, unfortunately, will not be in attendance but Jessica agreed to represent RagsReborn on my behalf. I am honored to be a part of this event and hope my auction items get the highest bid!

Auction item #2- catnip toy, pillow and tote bag.