I'm OBSESSED with making cute little things. OBSESSED. Not even an understatement. 

It all started with a few things to sell at a spring market ... now the little bits of cuteness are my biggest sellers at markets. 

 

I'll share the Christmas holiday trees and ornaments very soon, but I finished these Valentine hearts recently and couldn't help but post about them. And they're mostly red, so definitely could be coordinated with Christmasy things.

The mini pillows are about 6.5" wide and 4.5" tall, crafted from a linen-look cotton and finished with raw edges, so they'll fray wonderfully.  

 

The two heart pillow has two appliqued hearts and is finished with an htv vinyl black running stitch and bows.

The single heart pillow is a quilted red plaid heart appliqued to the small pillow.

The bowl filler hearts are also finished with raw edges for perfect vintage-inspired yumminess. They'll fray wonderfully and can be trimmed or not. They're great bowl or centerpiece fillers and come in either small (4" tall) or large (4.75" tall).

Both the quilt heart and 2-hearts mini pillows and the hearts are available in the Jude Harbor Etsy shop. The pillows are $7 and the hearts are $3 and $4. Honestly, the shipping is enough (thanks USPS) that I highly recommend spending $35 (can be on anything in the shop) and getting free shipping.

 

Oh  my gosh, I didn't mean to disappear for months again.

Over the last few months I've been focusing on in-person events and shows, mostly building inventory and getting my 10' by 10' booth "just right". I never, in my wildest imagination, could have grasped how much time and energy and money could go into such a small space! Of course, it's still not exactly right and I'm guessing the reality is that it will never be perfect, but it's getting better. If you follow Because I'm Me on Facebook or Instagram you've probably seen many booth pictures, and also many pictures of products I'm selling face-to-face that aren't available online. I'm working on bringing more of those products to the shop - hopefully more very soon, but if you're interested in something you see just message me. Oh, also follow the Facebook page for locations of upcoming events.

 

So here I am with some new bow ties, just added to the shop.

These fun bow ties are available with the added Easter bunny or chick for both adults and kids. And cats, each bow tie comes with it's own collar with breakaway clasp. And .... our first bow ties in the shop for dogs! The dog bow ties have a velcro closure and they simply attach to your pup's collar ... easy peasy.

 

The gingham and dot bow ties can be happily mixed and matched with these large-scale gingham print bow ties, in pink, green, and soft blue. These fun bow ties are also available for adults, kids, cats, and dogs.

 

As we approached fall market season, and after spending a minute in the grocery store where the world suddenly resolved around pumpkin everything, I thought it'd be fun to make some fall-themed keychains.

Of course, once made it made sense to add them to the online shops too. So I did.

These are so fun, and kind of make me forget I'm in Florida where it still reaches 90' most days.

These keychains, and more, can be found in the Jude Harbor stand alone shop and Etsy shop.

Happy fall, y'all!

Remember this flower thing (I mean beautiful home decor statement piece) from the other day?

Purchased at Salvation Army thrift shop for $6, this one had my daughter looking at me like I was nuts. Not my style, that's for sure.

Original use? Beats me. I guess it's probably just decorative, the little tendril-ish arms aren't strong enough for mugs and not shaped correctly to hold pictures. Do you have any ideas on it's intended purpose? I'd love to hear them.

After taking off the price tags (it had many) and wiping it down to remove dust I coated this with two coats of white gloss spray paint. When it was dry I flipped it upside down and gave the underside a coat of paint.

I let it dry for a few days, and now I have a beautiful key fob holder to use at craft shows.


It's super stable, with that wide round base, and heavy enough to not blow over in the wind. The curls hold the key fobs securely, they come off easily by hand but won't blow off or come off if the display is moved around. This piece can easily hold 24-36 key fobs. It's tall enough to be at a good height and not too wide.

Awesome solution, and one more thing off the craft show "to do" list.




The chalkboard wall behind the key fob holder is in my den/office/home school room (not that anyone does school in it, that gets done at the kitchen table ... but that's another post for another day).

Quite simply, I taped off an area of the wall and painted it with a few coats of chalkboard paint. I then cut, primed, and painted molding which I attached around the chalkboard. The hardest part was the cutting ... "measure twice, cut once" was my mantra that day.

The molding is a 2" decorative molding and makes a great "frame", giving the chalkboard a very polished look.


It's a really, really good thing this isn't a home decorating blog, now isn't it? Here's a horrid image of the chalkboard wall. Trust me, it's pretty.


Our walls are really textured and a little harder to wipe off, but still very easy. They can be wiped either with a damp or dry cloth and the paint stays put. The chalkboard paint really lives up to it's name.

The artwork, attached by thumbtacks and pins so it can be changed out easily, was done by my Great Aunt Monica, who was my art teacher when I was in elementary school (I have the greatest memories of being so proud that MY Aunt Monica was teaching my class), and who was a very talented artist. I love that I can look up from my computer and be inspired by her.

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 My kids are with their father for a little bit so I'm in "project mode" while I await their return.

Project 1: getting the house clean. Deep cleaned and purged of stuff we don't need. It has been a major project but I'm down to the last few rooms and seeing light at the end of the tunnel. It's a good looking light too!

Project 2: sewing. Beginning with the quilt tops above. The two tops are identical in design, just different colors and fabrics. I used Elizabeth Hartmann's Crazy Nine Patch Block tutorial here and had so much fun putting these together. I highly recommend giving this a try. I was able to put each top together in an afternoon, each set of 9 crazy blocks took me just under an hour, so it's a super quick and easy technique. I'll share many more pictures after the quilts are done.


Project 3: repurposing this gem. At least I think I'm repurposing it, I'm not exactly sure what it's original use was so maybe it's always been a craft show key fob holder. I kind of doubt it though.

Lest it go unnoticed, the really ugly positioning and lighting of the thing is intentional, just like an infomercial. That way the "after" will look most amazing.

Project 4: catching up on my tv shows and sleep. Need I say more?

In other news, I received this beautiful block in the mail from Andra of Simplify and Quilt. I love it and it's another perfect addition to my growing block collection ... one block closer to making a quilt!

Happy Memorial Day. Thank you to all the soldiers who've ever served our country.

This week I am featuring photos taken by my children. I often use images they've captured, but don't credit them enough for their work. This is their week.

The other day I found my little camera - my basic not DSLR camera and it was loaded with great images taken by my oldest son at the craft show I did in Alachua. Here are a few for your viewing pleasure.

Seriously, I wouldn't hesitate to move to Alachua if the opportunity presented itself. Such a beautiful town.


Please, share links to your kids photos in the comments. I'd love to feature some of them.

The most recent show has come and gone.

It was hot, and humid, and not too busy. I'm not complaining, it's the end of May in Southwest Florida; hot, humid, and far less busy is the norm (and why we go to the beach, early in the morning). The hope, of course, is that it'll be busy anyway. This weekend, unfortunately, didn't prove to be the exception.  I did do a fair bit of networking, learned of some good upcoming show prospects, and made some new friends. Onward and upward.

Prep for this, and future, shows included a day of shopping. I wanted to go to IKEA. I knew I'd find what I wanted at IKEA. I knew I'd be happy at IKEA.  But I convinced myself that Old Time Pottery was just like IKEA, and two hours closer to home. Yeah, it was NOT like IKEA. At all. So the day was spent searching thrift stores for some types of somethings to hold handbags, a key fob holder, and a good display for bow tie barrettes. Oh, and a plant shelf type thing for folded onesies. Some serious out of the box shopping.

I found a black plate or album rack for handbags for $1 at a secondhand shop. A bit of shiny white spray paint and I had a white metal piece that would keep handbags from falling over. The jury is still out on the success of this one. It certainly did what I wanted it to, but I wasn't overjoyed by the look of it. I'm leaning now towards a baking pan, painted white of course, or maybe a serving tray ... something with sides so I can "shelve" the handbags and keep them from blowing over in the wind.

I found a decorative metal napkin holder for the key fobs. After painting it with a high gloss white spray paint I purchased a few packages of small S hooks to complete the project, and then turned it on its side. The key fobs, unfortunately, were too long for the display. Back to the drawing board (I have a plan, but am not sure how it'll work, so I'll share that another day if it's successful). As an aside, is it odd to pick up a few cans of white spray paint "just in case" when you go to Home Depot for something completely unrelated?

No plant shelves to be found. At all, not even ones I didn't like. I have a feeling that if I hit a couple garage sales on Saturday morning I'll find just the right shelf unit.

At a local Goodwill I found a great freestanding framed mirror, table top sized, and fell in love. Unfortunately, the way the edges were shaped I knew it wouldn't work for me for barrettes.

I moved on to Salvation Army and found a rather unattractive gold-coated plastic frame. But it had good bones and potential. I took it home, primed it, and painted it ... glossy white. Of course. Painting it made the details look more antique and more subtle, rather than just gaudy.

After the paint dried I filled the frames with sales information for the barrettes and ponytail holders and reinserted the now cleaned up glass.

I then got out the hot glue gun and added strips of 1" wide blue ribbon, with the ribbon glued right onto the back of the frame.

Total cost for the bowtie barrette holder?

$1. Yup, $1. I think it looks pretty darn pretty for $1. I already had the paint and ribbon, so only had to pay for the frame.

Total time invested in the project was about 30 minutes, not counting paint drying time. The painting was the only part that took any time, once that was done I just had to print up the signs and add the ribbon.

The barrettes look so pretty on the frame. They're really easy to put on and take off. And the frame adds a bit of character to the booth, more than a typical peg rack would.

I am not selling the barrettes online at this time, but if you're interested in them let me know.


If I had a bigger frame I could run the ribbon horizontally and use clothespins to attach the bow tie ponytail holders I made recently. The two frames next to each other would create a stunning display.

bow tie ponytail holders

Do you have any out of the box decorating ideas to share? I'd love to hear them.

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A little bit of this and that ...

After much delay and distraction I've listed the neckties in my shop. Bow ties ... not so much yet, but I'm working on it. Each tie is just $13 each. I'd made them all with adjustable slide neck clasp hardware, but then opted to go back and change all the baby ties to velcro so they'd come right apart if they were ever to catch on something. Obviously, baby should be supervised at all times (and is likely to not wear a tie for very long anyway), but better safe than sorry. All larger sized neckties are completely adjustable, from tie length to neck size, for years or use.

The ties look so cool on. My heart skips a beat when River is wearing one, he's just so darn cute (actually, I kind of always feel that way about River, but the tie doesn't hurt).



This Saturday I will be participating in a craft show on Fort Myers Beach, the Do Wop Festival. It will be held at Santini Marina Plaza (far south end of the island) from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Mention that you're a Facebook friend when you stop by to receive 25% off  of everything.  Check out new pencil rolls, bow tie barrettes, and onesies, as well as a large selection of summery quilts.

I haven't killed any plants yet in the annual gardening effort. In fact, I've added more peppers and herbs to the lanai garden. We planted chocolate mint the other day, which lives up to it's name -- we're already exploring recipes to use it in.  And the celery has gone from this to this in just over a week:


I'd originally planted 3 celery bases(?) and one didn't take at all, so I replaced it with two more.

The first round of this project I soaked the bases for about 24 hours in warmish water and then buried them about an inch below the soil, as recommended. Clearly that wasn't working so I pulled them out and planted them much closer to the surface, in fact, all new growth was left out in the open, with the dirt barely covering the base. That worked so much better, the stalks immediately started growing - like the next day they'd doubled in size.

For round 2 I soaked the bases for just over 48 hours and planted them after they'd already started producing new growth. Right now the bases are way out of the soil ... I'm going to add a bit of soil and compost to cover them, but still keep the new growth out in the open.

I've been watering them daily and keeping them in full sun. So far so good. Apparently, which I didn't realize when I started this, it takes about 2 months to get edible celery. I'm practicing patience.

Lastly, on Friday my crayon rolls will again be featured at GroopDealz. If you weren't able to get in on this deal the first time here's another chance. I'll post a link as soon as the deal goes live.

Enjoy a wonderful day.

The Lakeland Artisan Fair has come and gone.

Attending required a just over 2 hour drive which began before the sun rose. Oodles of fog and cows entertained us as we drove the "back way", through the smaller state roads instead of the interstate. More often than not I had the road to myself, making for a quick drive up there.


I brought two assistants to the show and they worked hard. I couldn't have asked for better help. After a few hours Mia found a sculptor working on a clay mermaid and sat transfixed watching him create. Kaden found a friend, a very active toddler who was quite happy to have a big kid to keep him entertained (I'm not sure whether it was Kaden or his young friend who was more tired out at the end of the day!).

Yes, the tablecloths shrunk. Oops.

As seems to be par for the course, the booth had to be set up differently for this show. We had browsers on the street side as well as in the show area, so I created a little back door opening and displayed a few things facing that direction.

Overall traffic flowed really well. Lots of browsing. I find that often people see the booth, glance, and move along. There was very little of that this weekend, much more entering, browsing, and chatting.


The sign holders are $1 kids craft picture holders from a local craft store. They are simply spray painted white. I added stones at the bottom front and back to add a little stability, but once a slight breeze kicked in they all blew over so I'm going to be coming up with a Plan B. The backs have little clothespin-like clips to attach the price and description signs.


Overall, this was a very small show. Traffic was steady but light. Sales were not all that great. But - I met a lot of wonderful artists and a lot of networking was done. Cards have been exchanged (I think I came home with about two dozen) so we can pass along show information.


After the show my assistants and I went to Ikea for a little dreaming. There's a new commercial running about some families who live in Ikea, just liked it so much they never left. I get that.

Thank you so much for sharing your Diet Coke experiences. It's incredibly encouraging.

ponytail hair bows

Happy Thursday.

This weekend is the Lakeland Artisan Fair in Lakeland, FL. Come by and say hi if you're in the area. It looks like a great little event with music and handcrafts.

Last week I sewed non-stop for the rodeo event, this week I've taken it easy and made a few bows and bow ties. Hopefully that won't bite me in the rear later ... I have visions of getting to the show this weekend and being completely unprepared. But relaxed. All's well.

I've decided to give up Diet Coke. No biggie, right? Except that it's all I drink. I don't like anything else. At all. Not even a little bit. I started drinking Diet Coke when I was about 16 and never looked back. That was a very long time ago.

Week 1 I cut my consumption of the stuff in half. Easy peasy. Really, I started drinking hot water with lemon in the morning and ice water throughout the day and it's not as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, it's ok. I'm now in Week 2 and was almost done with it completely when a few days of really bad headaches hit and I caved. The funny thing, though, was that the headaches made me mad. Mad at the Diet Coke. Mad enough to be happy to be giving it up.

So far I'm not feeling great and happy for giving it up, but I know even if I feel the same now in the long run it's a very wise move.

Have you ever broken a tough habit? How did you do it and how did it go?

Join me this Saturday in Lakeland, FL at the Tuesday Music Club for the Lakeland Artisan Fair. Mention that you're a blog (or facebook or twitter or however you found me) friend to receive 25% off storewide.

I'm bringing a whole bunch of quilts, pencil and crayon rolls, bow and neck ties, hair bows, onesies, hand and tote bags, and other assorted goodies.

The weather should be great ... a perfect day for strolling and shopping.

A few notes:

• fundraiser means lots of happy wonderful people to meet and chat with
• rodeo is a seriously cool thing, these guys and gals are talented beyond belief and they work hard
• when the live auction for $1000 worth of meat ends at $2400 you might tear up a little, knowing that's a huge and awesome contribution to the funds being raised
• take better and more pictures (I sure didn't)
• know how to get there ... what seems simple may not be and may leave you driving around in large circle for 45 minutes (in a very small town)
• BBQ pork restaurants often don't serve food for non-meat eaters, plan accordingly (oops)
• dirt floor = unique challenges and lots of dust to get rid of the next day

making friends

What else can I say, it was a lot of fun for a great cause. I sold some things but mostly just had a wonderful time.

I rarely saw my kids as they were off watching the rodeo all night. I, myself, saw very little of the rodeo because I was at the booth, but that only means we have to go to another rodeo very soon.

Seminoles

Gators

Prepping for an upcoming event, The Guardian Angels Service Dog Ranch Rodeo, being held in Labelle, FL this Saturday evening.

From the facebook event page:

"This event is to raise the funds to get Maggie Lou Hughes (9 years old) and Reagan Dollar (4 years old) each a Diabetec Alert Dog (DAD), these girls were recently diagnosed with TYPE 1 diabetes. DAD's are able to alert their owners of an impending blood sugar high or low, BEFORE IT CHANGES. These dogs are life changing additions to diabetics. It offers them a higher level of "control" on their bodies. Damage is caused to their organs when their blood sugar swings high and low, and it is cumulative over time. These very special dogs are able to minimize this long term damage and offer these girls a healthier future, and a safer today. The cost of these dogs is $20k (each) over two years. Our goal is to put a serious dent in those funds for these families.



The Ranch Rodeo will take place April 28th,7pm at the LaBelle Rodeo Grounds. Call Ins are April 23rd and 24th from 6-9pm at 863-517-1314. Events are 4D Barrels, Poles, Steer Undecorating, Team Tying, Team Roping, BULLS and Ranch Bronc Riding. This is NOT a team Ranch Rodeo, its single entry with All Around Cowboy & Cowgirl buckles. There will be slack Saturday morning.

THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU!!!"

I've never been to a rodeo. My only idea of what a rodeo is like is what I've seen on tv, so I'm super excited for this one. The kids are too, especially the boys ... go figure.

I've been prepping in high gear, lots of bow ties, the fairy rings above in school colors, and after I get off the computer I'm going to start on some key fobs and business card holders.

If you're local please join us as we support this important cause for two young local residents. IF you attend the event mention that you're a blog or facebook fan of Because I'm Me and receive 25% off you entire order.

 To create the second set of bookmarks I went into Picnik and and created a collage - faint gray heart on top, the word "Love" on the bottom, saved it and printed six onto a sheet of white card stock. Using an Exacto knife I cut out the hearts. I sprayed the backside of the love/heart card stock page with spray glue and carefully placed a square of floral fabric, backed with interfacing, over the heart (still on the backside). I then sprayed a sheet of blue card stock with spray glue and adhered it to the backside of the love/heart card stock page. I cut six hearts out of the card stock sandwich, added a hole and ribbon, and rounded the edges.



This last set of bookmarks was made by first cutting two sheets of cardstock into 8 sections. Into 1/2 the sections I cut leaf shapes with an Exacto knife. Spray glue was sprayed onto the backside of the cut out sections.  On the backside of the leaf shapes I placed little scraps of fabric.  The backing pieces of cardstock were then sprayed with glue and attached, creating a nice sandwich. Sides were trimmed, edges were rounded, holes and ribbon were added. More instructions at How About Orange.

All the bookmarks are packaged in sets of two, wrapped with cardstock paper labels.