Erica & Wes go to the Oklahoma City Home & Garden Show.

As you know, Wes & I became first-time homeowners last summer. We went to a small home and garden expo a few months after we bought our house but it was nothing exciting...it was actually rather boring. A couple of weeks ago, Home & Garden Events mailed us some junk mail that ended up being quite a treat. We received four complimentary tickets to the Oklahoma City Home & Garden Show. I think Wes was a little reluctant to go after our lackluster experience at the previous show but I insisted (because you can't let free tickets go to waste!) We went to watch some presentations Saturday evening and then returned Sunday to look at the exhibits and participate in the DIY activities.

The show was housed in three buildings on the OKC Fairgrounds. The presentations were on the Lifestyle Stage in the Pavilion. The first presentation we watched was Joel Karsten teaching us about straw bale gardens. Straw bale gardening is a technique he invented using straw bales instead of planting in the ground. Its a great method of "alternative agriculture" (his phrase) because there are no insects or weeds involved. Basically, you get a straw bale and pour some fertilizer & nitrogen (or urine, he suggested that works just as well) onto the straw bale to condition it. Then after a few days, you put your seeds or plants in there and they'll start growing. The bales last for two years. Then you can break it open and find great composted soil in there. I'm not sure how he came up with this idea but he's spread it all over the world. He went to Cambodia to teach farmers the technique and it helped to solve some of their agricultural problems. I was hoping for a more instructional presentation, but it was mostly about the history of straw bale gardening and what impacts it is having on communities now. It was still pretty interesting and I'd love to start my own if someone wants to give me a straw bale or two.

The other presentation we saw was DIY Herb Gardening with Tony Mussatto. I really enjoyed this presentation; it was educational and entertaining (much like the nerdy podcasts I listen to, LOL). Tony went through two lists of perennial and annual herbs and explained the uses of each and different techniques for growing them. He also gave us some tips on which recipes to use the herbs for and the wildlife the herbs will attract. Pineapple sage attracts humming birds, fennel attracts caterpillars and catnip attracts partying felines. (The last one was a joke he made!) Lastly, we learned some herb preservation methods, such as hanging the herbs upside-down in a paper bag to dry or freezing them into ice cubes for future use. We also learned that perennial herbs need to be mulched each year. I planted some basil in the backyard when we first moved in and it totally died... probably because I didn't mulch it. *sad face*

 I want that birdcage chair for my craft show booth! The bunny was adorable & soft. Wes thought the taxidermy raccoon eating Cracker Jacks was a hoot.

 A few pictures from "Landscapers Lane" 

For day #2, we just walked around to look at the exhibits and vendors. It was mostly salespeople hawking new windows, tornado/storm shelters and roofing...nothing we really need. We checked out a few flooring options because I want to go from carpet to laminate but that won't be for quite some time. I enjoyed looking at all the landscaping models...our yard does need work. Wes saw a fire pit he liked (we might DIY it this summer) and gutter guards that we should probably install. We weren't harassed by too many aggressive salespeople so that was good. The only ones I stopped to talk to were the Made-in-Oklahoma vendors and I ended up buying a few small things.

My favorite part of the show was the hands-on activities. They all started and ended at the same time so I couldn't participate in all of them. StateFarm Insurance had a booth that required you to fill out a short survey (unless you're already a customer, which we are, so we got to skip that part of the line. YAY!) and then pick out and plant your very own succulent.

A calligraphy instructor from Pen to Paper taught us how to make a "faux calligraphy" sign. I see these things at every craft show I go to (SO trendy right now!) and I assumed it was pretty hard to do. But it is actually extremely simple. All you do is find a pattern you like (she provided us with an original she made), transfer it onto your canvas using carbon paper, and then fill it in with Sharpie marker. The sign I made took me less than half and hour and it looks super cute!

Before we left, we had to stop at the food trucks. I got the Asian food and Wes got the American food because we are hilariously stereotypical. LOL, just kidding, it was purely coincidence. The weather was amazing so we ate outside. The only complaint we had was the strong wind but we live in Oklahoma so it is to be expected. I'm glad we took advantage of our complimentary tickets; I'm not sure we would have gone if we didn't get them in the mail. We didn't really buy much but we also didn't go with the intention of remodeling our house...just to observe. Wes liked that the show was large enough to fill three buildings. We had a great time and found it to be a nice way to spend our weekend.

Our spoils at the end of the weekend.

RagsReborn is planning for 2018.

Guess what, guys? Spring craft show season will be here before we know it! Shows usually begin in March and run through the summer. I'm still in the process of researching shows that will be a good fit for RagsReborn; I have a couple on my radar but haven't finalized my spring craft show schedule, yet, but I plan to very soon. And when I do, I will have it posted for you guys. I promise!

For 2018, I plan to aim for quality over quantity. My approach when I first started RagsReborn was to participate in whichever show I could get accepted into...which meant sewing up a storm and travelling to craft shows several times per month. I enjoyed staying busy but I believe that by being a little pickier, I can 1) choose to only participate in reputable & well established shows that I know will have an atmosphere that is best for my inventory and 2) spend more time perfecting & improving the quality of  my products. In my last blog post, I mentioned that one of my goals for the year is to become a better sewist. I just registered for a Sewing II (intermediate) course at a local vocational college. Classes don't begin until March but I am already excited to start! I also plan to attend more American Sewing Guild meetings in the upcoming months. Not only are the women in the Oklahoma chapter extremely friendly & welcoming, they also represent a fountain of knowledge and I love picking their brains to get new ideas & advice.

I Googled "color trends 2018," and this is what came up on the image search. Do you agree or disagree?

Another goal I mentioned was to cater my product more toward the general public (but I'm stubborn so I'm not completely getting rid of pattern blocking, for better or worse!). That's where I need your help. All last year, I kept hearing potential clients tell me that they're done decorating with pillows. They either no longer use pillows in their home decor or they have already amassed enough pillows and therefore don't need any new ones. So... if you are a popular blogger or community figure, please bring back pillows. Tell all of your fans that pillows are totally rad and everyone needs more pillows! And new pillows! Please and thank you. LOL All joking aside, I really would like some feedback. Can you please tell me what styles, colors, sizes, and patterns of pillows you'd like to decorate with? Also, what animals are popular with children, babies and new parents? I plan to continue to sew pillows & stuffed animals but plan to toss around some other new ideas. So, what are some other sewn items you'd like to see in my booth? My "vendor category" is sewing and home decor so I would like to stay within those boundaries. I made several flags (wall decor) for friends and family as Christmas gifts. Should I start selling those at craft shows? Any comments, whether negative or positive, are appreciated.

I Googled "fabric trends 2018," and this is what came up on the image search. Do you agree or disagree?

With all that said, I have a lot of work to do... but I'm super excited to see where 2018 takes RagsReborn. Thanks for continuing with me on my journey and I hope to see you at a craft show or two!

And here's an adorable picture of Sadie and Athena to keep you going until my next blog post.

RagsReborn Gifts says goodbye to 2017.

Hello, everyone! I hope we all left our troubles of 2017 behind us and are welcoming 2018 with open arms!

I finished my 2017 craft show year several weeks ago but wanted a little more time for reflection so I'm writing this a bit late. Last year was pretty darn good for RagsReborn over all. My #1 highlight was that I finally got into The Santa Market... and had an awesome time!! The show coordinators and volunteers were great, there was busy traffic all day, my sales were amazing and the show lived up to all its hype; all in all, it was my best show!

This show raises so much money for charity and I love being a part of this kindness!

After reviewing all my craft shows from last year, I would say that 2017 was the year of criticism and the year of risk taking. Both were scary challenges but both also helped me grow as a small business owner and a human being. And that's really what challenges are all about; you cry & have sleepless nights, then you work harder & come out the other end much braver ... and then you take that attitude into the next challenge and do it all over again. I think that actually sums up everything about owning a small business.

I am well aware that shoppers and other vendors gossip behind my back, but I've never had anyone openly share their negative comments to my face... until last year. The bulk of the criticism centered around two things - my items look too handmade and it is evident that I am a self-taught sewist. And because of that I 1) should not be charging so much for my product and 2) do not belong at large professional events. To paraphrase, "If you're going to do arts 'n crafts at home with your grandma, go back to small church craft shows and only charge $3/item." First off, I would like to defend myself and say that I am proud of RagsReborn. I personally feel as if the company has come a long way in three short years. But on the other hand, I know that I don't work out of a professional studio and it is pretty evident that I like to blend loud colors & weird patterns so my pillows don't exactly fit into what's "mainstream," and if I want to actually have customers & make money, maybe its time to be a little more hip and in tune with what shoppers prefer. Hearing other vendors' and shoppers' opinions taught me to stand up for myself but also humbled me. I am obviously biased about my products but it wouldn't hurt to work on my people skills and take a few sewing classes, and I plan to do that this year. Being self-taught will only get me so far and I know I still have a long way to go.

On to risk taking... I've been too afraid to sign up for large craft shows ("artisan pop-up shops," as they are often referred to as). I think its because my first craft show ever was the Indie Trunk Show and it was a complete disaster. The booth rent was entirely out of my price range and I looked completely out of place...talk about items looking "too handmade". LOL Those are still things I struggle with but last year, I decided to give large craft shows another chance and joined the Revolve Productions line-up. I participated in four of their events and guess what, I didn't do too poorly! Everyone measures success a little differently and I'm not ready to share my sales figures publicly but I will say that I was able to hold my own at each one of these larger events. Tobi and Revolve Productions is a delight to work with. Each one of their events was heavily advertised and they carefully selected the vendor line-up to ensure a wide variety of products. I am so glad I participated in their Wanderlust and Sleigh Bells Market shows, and look forward to doing so again. I also took another risk by introducing new items into my product line and that was the best decision I ever made. (Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to do so and sorry I didn't listen to your suggestions sooner.) Stuffed animals-especially the baby elephants-were the best sellers of the year. With that in mind, I plan to go into 2018 with new items & ideas, higher quality products and you'll continue to see RagsReborn at smaller community craft shows as well as high-end pop-up shops.