The GREAT Craft Festival!!!!

Hello faithful readers,

So, did anyone other than me read the title of this blog and instantly think of Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin? Its fitting for the season that's for sure! Not to mention a classic.

The Great Craft Festival is being held at Cashman Center, November 4th - 6th and Paper Dolls is going to be there! We are super excited for our first large craft fair but also exceedingly nervous! The booth fee was not a meager amount for our little business and we are all having nightmares of no one showing up, not being able to process credit cards due to a freak internet connection mishap, selling nothing, and any number of other mini craft disasters you can imagine!

We have been working away creating all kinds of crafty art with a conscience - the sweatshop is back in business. Also, we have enlisted the help of family and friends for making us an awesome display fixture, assisting with set-up, and just begging them to attend and pass the word on. We've ordered bags, tissue paper (because that makes everything pretty) and new business cards. I tell you, there has never been a time where I've felt more official or more broke!

So, please plan on coming to the Great Craft Festival in a couple of weeks and tell all of your friends! Here are the details, we hope to see you there:

Great Craft Festival
Cashman Center Exhibit Hall
November 4th (10-6), 5th (10-6) and 6th (10-5)
850 Las Vegas Blvd N
Cost: $8 for adults (but we have a $2 off coupon - see below!!!!)

4 Rs and a U!

How many times have you been cutting a pattern out of felt and looked at the remaining scraps feeling guilty? They aren't really big enough to make anything out of but you just can't bare to throw them away. Or maybe, you slice through cardstock at a whirlwind pace while making exploding boxes, scrapbook pages, etc. and just swipe the left over bits of polka dot papers and strips of patterned vellum into the recycling bin. And I bet you have all looked at a few inches of remaining yarn, thread, or ribbon and just known there is nothing you can do with such a small scrap!?








Ruth, Gracie and I are constantly trying to think of things we can do with what others view as trash, rubbish, disposable or unusable. It really isn't hard - it just takes a change of mindset. And before you start calling us things like "green police" or "tree huggers" please realize that half of our motivation is financial. Well,, maybe a third! The more you reuse, recycle, upcycle and repurpose, the less you have to buy. And for three girls who aren't the richest crafters in the world - that's huge!

What is upcycling and repurposing anyway?

Most people who grew up with the three Rs are pretty aware of what reusing and recycling is. But what about the 4th R, Repurposing? Repurposing is literally what is sounds like. It basically means revamping something with a new use. Reusing a coffee can to capture used oil, keeping your PF Chang's left-overs container to feed Grover his morning kibble, etc.



Now, what about that pesky U?

Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value. Similar to repurposing but the important part is that upcycling maintains or improves the quality of the materials . Many of the handmade items sold on Etsy are made with upcycled items. There are coin purses made from sweaters, earrings cut out of vinyl records and an old travel case made into a clock, to name just a few. Another example might be taking the Starbucks coffee sleeves that you would normally throw away and using them as mini album pages such as the Las Vegas mini album Gracie made below.
So, the next time you find yourself walking over to your trash can or recycling bin, take a moment to pause. Ask yourself, is there something I can use this for?

It's hard to find good models these days...

So what's a lady to do when she doesn't have access to kid models for a "photoshoot" so that she could add more items to the Paper Dolls Etsy shop? Model them herself?

EH! Wrong answer! Can you say fivehead? My forehead can give Tyra Banks's forehead a run for her money. It might honestly distract you from the cuteness of these fabric yo yo headbands and barrettes.

(My mom made these... can you believe how crafty she is?)

Another option would be to bribe her god daughter with obscene amounts of candy ask her god daughter who was staying over to model them for her... no pressure.

She said, "Yes!", people! Halleluyer. She was a very cute model, if I had to say so myself.

What's funny is that my nephews wanted to get in on this photo party... no bribery... nothing!

Thanks for your help you guys! I'll only be using the lil lady's shots, but I loved your enthusiasm, boys!

It's true that no children have come out of my womb... yet! But I consider these guys like my own. When I have kids one day, I hope that they turn out just like these little cupcakes.

B.I.Y. is the new D.I.Y.

Are you on the bandwagon? Come on, you know you want to. What does B.I.Y. mean, you might ask? It means: buy-it-yourself. Do you all remember that old Rice Krispies commercial where the housewife made a plate of Rice Krispy Treats for her adoring family? She bars herself in the kitchen for an hour, throws flour around everywhere, messes up her hair; the works. Then she calmly mixes up the super-easy recipe on the box and sits down and does her nails, or takes a bubble bath or something. I might not be remembering it exactly right but you get the point.

Well, my friends, that woman can be you. All you have to do is buy some lovely hand-made, one-of-a–kind piece of art or craft item (I know of a great Etsy shop I can recommend), pay for it and have it sent to you in the comfort of your home.

When it arrives, safe and sound with heartfelt thanks from the artist(s), sprinkle a couple buttons around, a few pieces of string or twine, and maybe some glue for good measure and then present it to your special someone. Everyone will be so impressed and all the work is done for you. Great idea, right? It’ll be our little secret.

Bar Coaster Mini Album

Mike "Esquire" turned 31 two days ago and so of course a Friday night Happy Hour was imminent! Gracie took some photos at McMullan's, our favorite pub - its our Cheers. Not everyone nows our name, but most do! Lauren happened to find a couple of stowaway beer coasters in her purse this morning, so today I made him a little album out of them.

It's super easy - I think it actually looks better when you let as much of the coaster show through as possible so - you don't need a lot of paper. Just punch 2 holes along the sides of as many coasters as you want to join together, I used 5. Then attach them with ribbon or string.

Add all your photos, stickers, embellishments, etc. and you're good to go.

This is a great project for all those embarrassing or out of focus pictures you can't use in more traditional projects. Have fun kids!