Weekend Recap

It was a really, really long weekend. I had a lot of alone time on Friday, but I didn't get much reading done as I was trying to catch up on shows that kids really ought not watch with me. I did get some knotting done though.

We spent Saturday morning at the Northern California Renaissance Faire. We've been going every year since it started at Casa de Fruta. Honestly, at this point, we mostly go for the food; our favorite is the Toad in the Hole.  This year there were quite a few new vendors and I was surprised by one I was familiar with online because of my now defunct steampunk blog. We had a lovely chat and at one point they realized they were familiar with my online presence as well. That sort of 'internet comes alive' moment is pretty rare. I could probably count with less than one hand how many people I've met in real life that I first encountered online.

Sunday turned into an accidental Halloween costume shopping trip for the oldest child after we accidentally ran across a squirrel tail that was perfect for a costume she had wanted to do last year, but had given up on, Marvel's Squirrel Girl. It was a strange day of shopping. It wasn't until the evening that I was able to do any more reading or knotting. I think I'm almost done with this doily. I might get it wrapped today, but I did sell my last cat ear headband yesterday though, so I have some tatting that needs doing as well. The book should have me for at least another week or two, it's a dense tome.

Woo Hoo

For today's post we shall work backwards over the weekend if that's okay with you. Last night I got a strange convo with a simple line of praise. These sort of things rarely come out of the blue so I popped online to see if anything was going on and behold, my sugar skull mask has graced the front page.

I totally look forward to the Halloween season on etsy all year long because it's my time to get a little extra attention with my masks. Honestly they actually sell better other times of the year, I think because there are so many less expensive options to choose from, but I still get the attention with my fancy designs and that makes me pleased as punch. The feature also broke me through my most recent goal of 9000 hearts or people adding my shop as a favorite. It was a nice surprising evening though I received not a single sale as a result of the hour. Still a very nice cap on the weekend.

Saturday was spent at the faire. I left many dollars there mostly for the children and food. As you can see from this end of the day picture, they had a splendid time. Oh, we did too, I'm just grumpy because I didn't find anything perfect to buy and I left with a sunburn. Otherwise, the weather was lovely and we had a fine time.

As far as tatting goes, I've been working on a few different custom orders. The mask was purchased and I will finish it up, get some pictures and have it out in the mail tomorrow. The other customs were just some color changes and length extending. Those too need pressing and might get out in the mail today or tomorrow. Then it's back to remaking a few pieces for the store and deciding whether I should make the custom small skull mask for the shop or not. I'm still on the fence about it, but I have plenty to keep me busy. Oh, Monday here we go again.

The Faire

We made our annual migration to the Ren Faire held at Casa De Fruta. My oldest daughter has been dressing up for a couple of years, but this was the first time for the little one. So all gussied up in the fantasy versions of period wear, my husband claims he goes as someone from the future, we headed into the hills. The day was fairly cool, the faire not too crowded and we had a nice time.
The kids love to pet the lizards, turtles and snakes that have made up the petting zoo the last couple of years. The husband and in-laws go for the food and the...ummm...interesting people watching opportunities. Seriously though, if you've never been to one of these, the watching is totally top notch. There's the 'period perfect', the 'try too hard and got seriously messed up', the 'what, my Halloween costume from Target is rad' and everything else in between. Of course I would be remiss if I didn't warn you about the boobs. They're everywhere, on a platter, nearly breaking free of their bodice strapped bonds...however, this is not necessarily a good thing as there is absolutely no age, weight, nor beauty requirement for this behaviour. Consider yourselves warned.

Anyway, that was Saturday. Sunday found us trapped in the house as our patio was finally being poured. I'd complain about the concrete truck blocking our cars in, but I'm just glad to finally see some real progress in the backyard. We did manage a field trip to the home depot in the evening for some more blinds. This time, we had one chipped when they cut it. Horrible right...yeah, no. This means they gave us a generous discount on them. I got them up last night and if anyone can spy the damage I should offer them ten bucks or something. We still have several more windows to buy blinds for, this is going to be a never ending task.

This week will see the beginning of official homeschooling, a first meeting with the teacher and hopefully a lot of landscaping in the backyard. I'm tired already just thinking about it.

Meh

It's gonna be one of those days. Sure, I have projects lined up, quite a few actually, but I'm feeling a little listless and unfocused. Part of the problem is that most of my projects are off etsy. I'm sure this is perfectly normal for many of you, but my tatting life began at the same time as my etsy life. They go hand in hand for me. Every time I make a piece it ends with pictures and being listed for sale. I'm still making pieces for the SteamPunk convention Steampowered in Sunnyvale at the end of the month. It is taking all of my willpower to not list them on etsy anyway. I know that if I do that, there will be no pieces for my lovely SteamTeam friends to take with them and I really want the exposure that this convention can give me.

I've also been making a couple of masks for myself and my mother. My husband thought it would be a great idea to wear the mask to the Northern California Ren Faire this weekend. This is only the second time I have actually made myself something I sell to keep since I started tatting. I've embellished a shrug with tatting for myself and I've made a few doilies and one huge centerpiece, but since I have a one year old, I can't generally wear my jewelry anyway so it was just as well that they were sent off to people who would love them.

So, I guess I shall get back to work and hopefully I will have more to say tomorrow.