RagsReborn is back from summer break.

I'll type this out later... I know it's a little small to read.

I have a craft show this Saturday!! \(^_^)/ My first one since May. It was nice having two months off but I'm eager to get back to showing my pillows. I've missed the craft show excitement and my fellow vendor friends. What have I been doing this June & July? Well, lets see...

I started working with various fabrics. Don't worry, I still sew t-shirt pillows but I've also started exploring different fabric options. (Every artist needs to grow!)
       A coworker suggested that I sew burlap pillows, which is currently my major project. I hope to have a large selection of burlap pillows at my upcoming shows--everyone cross your fingers & pray that I finish in time. I've also played around with lace, satin and velvet (all pretty difficult to work with). And I've purchased a bunch of fun patterned quilter's cotton. If you have any fabric or pillow ideas, please send them my way!

Aside from sewing pillows, I've also branched out to be the local seamstress of my workplace. LOL I turned a shower curtain into a two panel window curtain for a coworker. Almost all of my coworkers are familiar with RagsReborn and we have tossed around ideas for all sorts of projects. I have definitely seen an increase in custom orders over these past few months. Passing out business cards to any and everyone is starting to pay off! 

While I was on summer break, I visited some local boutiques. I stopped in Sparkle Shack Gifts/Jenny's Thrift and Velvet Bird Antiques to chat with the owners and leave business cards. I'm not ready to be showcased in a shop, yet, but I'm certainly entertaining the idea. I also participated in craft show "swag bags" for the first time. There are three shows that I wanted to do but couldn't, for one reason or another. To show my support, I met with the show coordinators and left some business cards for them to use with their promotional goodies. 

So, that was my summer break. Now back to business! Here is a list of my upcoming craft shows:

SATURDAY JULY 30:

Summer Fun Craft Bazaar

9am - 4pm

Norman Masonic Lodge #38

1700 N. Porter Ave.

Norman, OK 73071

SATURDAY AUGUST 13:

Indian Taco Sale & Indie Market

11am - 2:30pm

OK Choctaw Tribal Alliance

5320 S. Youngs Blvd.

Oklahoma City, OK 73119

SATURDAY AUGUST 20

A Bazaar For All Seasons

9am - 3pm

Del City Christian Church

4340 SW 15th

Del City, OK 73115

FRIDAY AUGUST 26:

Quarter Mania "Fun"draiser benefiting The Friends of the Mustang Animal Shelter

5:30pm - 8:30pm

Mustang Town Center

1201 N. Mustang Road

Mustang, OK 73064

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 10:

Third Annual Classic Car Show

Noon - 5pm

Doo-Wop Glam Shop

5581 NW Expressway

Warr Acres, OK 73132

RagsReborn's first charity auction.

I had an absolute blast at my first Quarter Mania auction!! I will be participating in the next Quarter Mania (they happen quarterly & the show organizers are currently looking at available dates for the next one) and I highly encourage you to come. All proceeds benefit a different charity each time. 

Before I start, I want  to let you know that if you are looking for a home in Oklahoma, you should totally check out the city of Mustang. The houses are nice--aka new, large and in a quickly developing suburb, the people are beyond friendly and their community center is the nicest thing I have ever seen. 

       In the middle of town, there stands the Mustang Town Center. It is a ginormous complex that includes a library, fitness center, park, and multiple banquet halls. The auction was held in The Great Room (one of their larger banquet halls that had a kitchen). I've never been to Mustang, let alone the Town Center, so I parked on the entirely wrong side of the building. I must have looked bewildered because the first person I happened upon offered to help (she, unfortunately, didn't know where the auction was, either). I then wandered into the fitness center and the girl at the front desk gave me very detailed directions to The Great Room. She offered to walk me so I wouldn't get lost but her supervisor wasn't around to grant her permission and she couldn't leave her post. I found the room with no problem and checked in. The women running the auction were incredibly friendly and helpful. I dropped off my quarters & chose my table to set up my items for sale.

       Then came the task of hauling all my items in. As I was walking to my car, I saw two teenagers wearing shirts that announced they were "staff." I asked if they could help me carry in my trunk of pillows and they had no objection!! (I'm always stunned when I come across nice teenagers.) They were very polite and informed me that there was a much closer parking lot where I could move my car to unload the rest of my items. I parked right by the doors and managed the rest of the unloading on my own. Like I said before, Mustangians (or whatever they call themselves) are beyond friendly.

I set up right in front of the west window at sunset. Not smart.

Okay...back to the auction. This was my first Quarter Mania and didn't know what to expect. Luckily, I set up between two veterans. I was in between Brandy, who sold Pink Zebra and children's book author, Carly Cartmill. (Shout out to these lovely ladies!!) Doors opened at 5:30pm and patrons flooded in. All of our auction items were set up on a long table for viewing. Patrons could purchase paddles and quarters. There were so many in attendance that we ran out of paddles and the show organizers asked for people to sell their paddles back if they had bought multiples. There wasn't much time for shopping but vendors had tables along the walls just in case shoppers wandered by.

Pink Zebra to my right and Carly Cartmill to my left. She was promoting her latest book, Stuffed.

Patrons browsed & shopped, ate yummy Frito chili pie and mingled until about 7pm when the auction started. Here's how it worked:
1. The MC announced an item--which vendor the item is from, a brief description and how many quarters it cost to bid. Ex. OU themed tote and pillow gift set from RagsReborn. Two quarters to bid.
2. A volunteer (vendors were volunteers for the night) would grab the item and walk around showing it to all the tables.
3. Then the bidding would start. Each item cost either 1, 2 or 3 quarters per paddle to bid. If you wanted to be entered, you would drop your quarters into a little Tupperware that runners (that was my job) would pass out and collect. If an item cost 1 quarter and you bid 1 quarter, you got to raise one of your paddles, 2 quarters for two paddles, etc.
4. Once bidding ends and all the quarters are collected and all the paddles are raised in the air, the MC draws a number from the hopper.
5. If the number corresponds to the number written on your paddle, you win!

The OU basket was my highest grossing item.

It was simple & fun and everyone participated. It was crazy! I was on my feet all night running around everywhere collecting quarters and depositing them to the bank. What a riot! Everyone was in high spirits and items were flying off the table. After the first hour, we had a 10 minute intermission. I used that time to have a quick bite and make a few sales. I was able to network and meet some new friends.

Then the second half of the auction started and it was just as busy as the first. At the end of the night, I had a bag full of quarters and eight pillow sales! (That doesn't sound impressive but there was barely any time to for making sales, so I believe that was an accomplishment.) And more importantly, I passed out all of my Spring Craft Show schedule flyers & a lot of business cards. I talked to almost everyone in the room and gained some interest in custom orders. I even got invited to be a vendor at an event next weekend! I had to decline since I am participating in D.U.C.K Week.

I posted short videos of the auction on my Facebook and Instagram pages. I'm really glad I was a part of this and I am already signed up for the next one. I hope I see you there!

It's Spring Craft Show Season!!! \(^_^)/ YES!!

      

       I love to read literature. 

I love the art of story telling and character development and all the little details. 

       I love using my imagination. 

Unfortunately, I think that has made me rather long winded. I find myself getting too immersed in my stories when I converse with coworkers about my weekend. I elaborate too much and take too long to get to the point. But tonight will be different... I'll be snappy; three months, five craft shows and a short description of each. Let's get this going!

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 26TH:

       WEST OKC QUARTER MANIA "FUN"DRAISER IN MUSTANG, OKLAHOMA

       This will be my first charity auction. All of the vendor booth fees will go directly to the Mustang Animal Shelter. (Yay! Puppies! Adopt, don't shop!) If you buy a paddle to participate in the auction or get dinner at the event, those proceeds will go to the shelter as well. The Facebook page for the event is here.

       I had no idea what "Quarter Mania" is until I signed up for this event. (I still don't quite know all of the rules.) From what I gather, all you need to do is to show up, buy a paddle for $3 and then bid on items for a quarter each. For each quarter you bid on an item, you get your paddle's number thrown into the hopper. When the auction starts, they draw numbers out of the hopper and if your number is called, you get the item regardless of how many quarters you bid. Of course, the more quarters you bid, the higher your chances are of getting the item. Here are my three items I've donated to the auction.

 Animal themed gift basket

 TV & movie themed gift basket

OU themed gift basket

SATURDAY MARCH 5TH:

       D.U.C.K WEEK JUNK SHOW IN PIEDMONT, OKLAHOMA

       This will be my first official craft show of 2016 and I'm pretty excited about it. The event organizers are doing one heck of a job on advertising and promotion! There will be some direct sales consultants (boo) but there will also be a lot of craft/junk vendors, too (hooray). Here's the Facebook page for this event. Two words- food.trucks.
       I didn't know what D.U.C.K week was before I signed onto this event. It's a charity acronym that stands for Doing Unselfish Charity for Kids & and an event that the Piedmont High School does each year. The residents of Piedmont petition the school to support their child, then all the proceeds from the week's events go to the children that were selected. I think it's pretty great of the community to be a part of this. There is a $3 admission to this event but it will be worth it. There are both indoor and outdoor events and promises fun for the entire family.

SATURDAY MARCH 12TH:

       CREATIVE CRAFT FESTIVAL IN NORMAN, OKLAHOMA

       There's nothing too out of the ordinary about this show; it won't be a charity event and there won't be live music but there will be unique handmade items, craft vendors and artists. Just like how a good old fashioned craft fair should be!
       I have two vendor friends (Glass Soldier Gifts and Pens & Things by Paul) who do this show annually and they love it. I have only heard good things about this show and I really wanted to do it last holiday season but I did not have time. So, I'm pretty pumped that I am a part of it this spring. There are a handful of shows throughout the year at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds and this will be the first one to kick off 2016!

SATURDAY APRIL 16TH:

       WESTERN OAKS CHRISTIAN CHURCH 7TH ANNUAL CRAFT SHOW IN OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA

       This will be my first time participating in this show but the show has been around almost a decade! 7th annual craft show!! From what I've been told, spaces for vendors fill up quickly. When I applied, RagsReborn was put on a waiting list and the show committee had to decide to open up more rooms within the church for additional indoor booths. (Thank goodness that they did!) That is just one indicator of how big this show will be. Here is the Facebook page. The photos section shows previous years' indoor and outdoor craft booths with lots of variety in items for sale.

       As you can tell from the picture above, I have just barely started to prepare for this show. I have almost all of my product for the February and March shows complete but I haven't done much for April shows. I have a lot of fun shirts and ideas swirling around in my head so keep posted for new pillows. I post on Instagram pretty regularly. (P.S. I can't get this to type black. For some reason, Blogger really wants it to be green.)

SATURDAY APRIL 30TH:

       THE CROWN CENTER'S HANDMADE SHOW IN MOORE, OKLAHOMA

       This is the ONLY all handmade show that I have ever been to as a shopper and as a vendor. There are absolutely zero direct sales and no boutique items. It's all crafters, artisans, upcyclers, etc. There are booths with quilts, jewelry, wood workers, religious items, peanut brittle, baby bows... Craft show perfection!!

       I participated in their holiday show last year and absolutely loved it. The show organizer was amazing, the other vendors were friendly and the shoppers and church community were very supportive. It ranks in my top three of shows that I have ever done. At the end of the holiday show last November, the show organizer invited me back to be a part of the spring show and I could not have been happier. I have been looking forward to this show for months and cannot wait to see all of you guys there!