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!!!!)

Thinking Inside the Box... KABOOM!

Greetings from the Paper Dolls Sweatshop! One project that I've been cranking out this week are "Exploding Boxes". It was such a treat to receive one for my birthday this year, and I just had to learn how to make one myself! The first time was a little daunting... measuring, scoring, folding, cutting, measuring, cutting on the WRONG lines (whoops), starting over, scoring, folding, cutting... and 4 hours later -(not kidding)... I was pleased with the prototype! Now that I understand the assembly process, and have a father who is retired and willing to do all the scoring, folding, and cutting, it only takes me 2 hours to embellish and fold up the box! ha!

This one is my favorite of the 7 boxes I made this week:

"Love" Exploding Box

(the lid)

BOOM! the inside of the box :)

(a view of one side with pockets for notes, pictures, keepsakes...)

(another side)

(another side)

(the last side)

Can you picture a special person who would love this as gift? Especially with all the weddings this summer? I can, too! :) Here is a simple tutorial if you'd like to try one on your own. I promise that if you give this as a gift, you'll get an "explosive" reaction. Happy crafting!