Thoughtless Thursday: Craft Show Edition

Last Friday (July 4th) I did my first craft show, something I've been aspiring towards. For my first time out I think it went pretty well, especially because it wasn't a true craft show. It was just vendor row at a Peach Festival where people were not necessarily going in order to shop. There's a pre-Christmas craft show, just for crafts black friday weekend and I'm hoping to do that one too.

I sold my Boston Terrier (Olivia) dolls and their clothes as well as my jewelry I make. My mom made some housewares like fabric coasters and microwaveable potholder bowls. Our friend Pat made purses and brought along some collectible cookie tins she wanted to part with.

You can find the items that I sold on my Etsy.

Olivia even made an appearance to debut her look-a-likes

inside the booth. we hung the dolls from the tent so people could
see them better.

jewelry table

doll tutus and pat's purses

collectible tins

housewares and dolls and doll dresses

front table

Wordless Wednesday: The Snood

I knitted Olivia a snood! She looks so cute in it.

More of Proto 2

Here in Proto Olivia 2 almost complete!

Proto 2

I'm a day late but here is a photo of the original Proto Olivia (wearing one of real Olivia's dresses she grew out of) with all the pieces of Proto 2!

The Making of an Olivia

So practically since we've brought Olivia home all those weeks ago, my mom and I have wanted to create an Olivia doll. Yup. You read that right. A plush doll based off my lovely little dog. I finally got hit with some inspiration about how it should look and because I'm a college grad and have no job still I decided I could make these dolls en masse and sell them on ETSY. And thus, the project began. 

First we (I) traced Olivia's face and head shape onto paper to make a head pattern. Then my mom and I drew out a body and legs. We made separate pattern pieces for the blaze on her face so it could be sewn in white onto a black head, and the same for the socks on her back legs. This first doll was to be our prototype so we just used some cotton fabric my mom had in stock instead of the nice black and white micro fiber we bought for the final products.

some of the pattern pieces
Left to right: back legs cut out, body pattern, blaze pattern,
front legs cut out, and socks cut out

more pattern pieces

head pattern and the head and blaze cut out

face almost done

final product
it's more attractive in person... I swear

from the back. can you see her little
nub tail? it has wire to make it bend

I bet most will be relieved to know that this is not what the final Olivia will look like. Proto(type) Olivia didn't turn out quite how we envisioned, although we both like her and think she's cute non-the-less. The finished Proto has a little fabric heart in her chest that says Proto Olivia October 6, 2013. Ever since I was little, and before Build-a-Bear made it part of their thing, my mom and I always put a heart with the date the stuffed animal was made, when we made one together. I couldn't help but do it today too.

Proto 2 is in the process of being put together. I'll take some pictures tomorrow and post them so you can watch The Olivia Doll evolve (if you're interested).

I have to say that this woman helped to inspire us in the making of The Olivia Doll. My mom found an article in a magazine about her and cut it out. While her dolls are a little pricey at $98 they look really well made and probably worth every penny for the amount of labor and love she puts into them: Walnut Animal Society

Lots to Share and Tell!

So yesterday my mom and I accompanied my dad to a car show. We met up with two other couples and a few other men who are all friends. There was also a craft show going on so that was where the women spent most of out time there, Olivia included. I wore a purple plastic Halloween wig and a Halloween bow, just because I could. I've always liked Halloween and even though it's a little ways off, I felt like getting in the spirit. The town of Edgefield, SC where we were has painted Turkeys, like Chicago once had the painted cows (do they still? I don't even know...). I took Olivia's photo with two of the Turkeys. There were also people dressed in period costumes and doing civil war reenactments, Olivia and I posed with two such women.

Olivia next to me dad's antique
corvette

kisses!

Olivia and a Turkey

Another Turkey

She felt so important going around in her stroller with all these strangers coming up and complimenting her. Im always amazed how good she is with kids considering we don't have any at our house. We went to a little sub shop with out door seating for lunch and Olivia sat right at the table with us. Our family friend Sandy had fun feeding Olivia kettle potato chips. Olivia liked them so much she was quivering (literally) for more. It was pretty funny.

"I'll take one of everything"

looking pretty

Last week I was perusing bringfido.com when I came across an interesting listing. It was for Cirque Italia, an Italian circus that's making its way across America. What really caught my attention was that they are supposedly an animal cruelty free circus and they had a Matador routine using Boston Terriers as the bulls. Today they performed in Charlotte and my parents and I went. We had a blast! The Bostons did such a wonderful job and had the whole audience laughing. And the show we talked to the Circus performer who owns them. She was super sweet and told me to find her on instagram because she loves looking at other people's Bostons. For me the highlight was having my photo taken with a squirrel-sized monkey named Romeo. They put a towel on your shoulder for the monkey to sit on. As the monkey handler put him on my shoulder he told me, "Don't be afraid but you have a lot of earrings and he may want to play". Great, I though. But the monkey didn't touch the six earrings in that ear. He did sneeze in my face though, lol.

Romeo and 1 (they charged $10 for the polaroid, a bit
pricey but oh well)

The Boston Terrier Matador Routine Broken into 5 Clips: