Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs...

John, my husband asked me if I would make 4 signs for him for work. Because they are in the process of putting up some Bulletin Boards. Of course I told him I would. So, we went over to Lost Shade Games & Hobbies this morning and I got straight to work. I started out with a very long piece of plywood that was under 4 inches in Length and I painted it with Light Cinnamon Acrylic to match the stained wood shelves in the store.

Then, I cut out at a font size of 3 1/2 inch. I pulled the paper off of the cutting pad and used that to dab the white paint into the stenciled letters with a sponge brush.

Then I used a 1 1/2 inch font size to complete the rest of the wood, so that later he could cut in between it. Once he gets it cut I can add the photo hangers for him.

So, that was my project today. I told him once he got them done and they were hanging up to get a picture of my work on the wall. (And yes, I charged for my time and materials as well)!

Crafting As Usual

Now that I am longer a "business", that means there's more time to bring you some of my creations!
This is one I did tonight using my Cricut. This is the second project I've completed with it thus far!
It's completed and drying and since Facebook is being a pain and won't let me just load the photo. I had to do it blog style!
I still have to find a photo hanger suitable for this cute wood sign! It's $15.00 plus shipping and will soon be available to purchase in the Bonanza shop.

Later on I will be posting the photo's and listing of the Sizzix and Dies up on here as well.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year from all of us to all of you! Please make sure to turn off the music player on the right to hear the music in the card!

Free picture slideshow generated with Smilebox

Better Late Than Never

So, after the last show I decided to take a week off to focus on family, Getting things ready for Christmas, and well, just life in general. Next week though I will be right back at it! I will be out at the Staunton Mall in Staunton, VA.
Thank You to everyone who came out to the Fairgrounds last weekend and showed your support! It was great to put names with faces and even see some familiar faces stop by the booth! I took some photo's of the booth set up. I've decided though to invest in some table cloths for the shows after Christmas!


I don't know where I will be after the last show of the season! I'm hoping to pick up some shows in January! I will keep you posted!

The Art Mill

When my best friend Chrissy first told me she wanted to go to The Art Mill in Lebanon, Tennessee for her birthday. I thought, "What? I'm creative, but there's no way I can paint!" Well, she set up the appointments for us to go and you know what, for a 3 hour painting class, we had a blast!
The instructor was very clear and she did the painting with us, to show us where to start and how to outline the painting. It was great. I will definitely be going back again the next time I roll into Tennessee.
If your not familiar with The Art Mill. You can find their website here:
www.theartmills.com
This is what we did while we there for the 3 hours!

Of course we did all of ours differently! Here's a photo of what the three of us did!

Calendar of Events For IC

November 30, 2011-2nd Annual Artisan’s Holiday Bazaar. Inspired Creations will be out
at James Madison University from 11am to 5 pm!
December 3rd and 4th-Rockingham County Christmas Arts and Crafts Sale will be held
out at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds. We will be there both
days.
December 10 was to be the date for the hair clip party. That has been canceled due to another show that has been scheduled.
December 16,17, and 18-Staunton Mall in Staunton, Virginia. I will be there
all 3 days.

Dates are subject to change. Come out and support your local crafts, vendors, and artisans at these wonderful shows!

Mishaps in the Making

Have you ever been to a show and just really sat and watched people? I had a great time at the Spotswood Show even though I didn't get much time to walk around and check everyone item's out. But, one thing I noticed is the people who would come up to my booth and pick up the bows. They would flip them over to look at the back and then start pulling on them! Guess they wanted to see how strong they were and how I had attached them. Well, when I finally got to start crafting last night with some of the new supplies, I was going through some of the items from the show and noticed that some of the clips were just hanging on for dear life! Well, in a worried state I called my niece who has bought a lot of bows from me and I ask her how hers had been holding up. She said she hasn't had a problem out of them. So, is it just my paranoia or is it just from people really pulling on them?
So, I sent hubby on a panic run for some fabric glue just in case the hot glue was a problem and in a mad hurry 2 days before we are supposed to leave to head to Tennessee for Thanksgiving I had to go through each and every bow and re glue them. Of course in the end I am not changing how I do the hair bows,except for sewing the buttons on, I have decided that the hot glue has worked for me so far. But, I wonder if I can put up a sign for the shows."Do not Pull On The Bows"
What a nightmare, right? Not even, while I was doing that, my son, Max, took my purple marker I use for my stamps and decided to trace one of the bow holders I just finished for my niece and got purple marker all over.
My hubby offered to paint it, knowing I wouldn't have time to take care of it. I'm hoping I might get to it today.
Here's just some of the things that were sold at the Spotswood show

Christmas You Tube Ad!

On You Tube:

Giving The Gift Of Handmade

My kids were invited to a Special little girl's birthday party at church last weekend. And immediately Bows and Bow Holder popped into my head as a perfect gift. That's what I had been planning to give all my nieces and Lexy for Christmas as well.
I'd much rather spend a couple of dollars and take the time to create and design an item they will cherish. So, I took the time to email the parents and ask them what were the colors of their rooms or their favorite color.
This one is not finished yet, but it's halfway there. I still would like to add some green leaves and of course I need the ribbon to hold the bows. So, yes, I know I have not posted anything new in the store's, because I am working on so many other projects right now.

I will post more photo's on this blog post as I get the other's done. I still have an A, M, T, and L to do!

Spotswood Elementary School

Saturday November 19, 2011 from 10-3 pm- Spotswood Elementary School is having their Holiday Bazaar. It will be located in the School's cafeteria. The Holiday Bazaar will showcase local Artists, Vendors, and Crafters. And yes, I will be there as well.
Free babysitting will be offered on site as well, but on a first come, first serve basis. Come on out a get an early start on your Christmas List!

The First Show Of The Season

The first show of the Season has come and gone. And I wanted to share some photo's with you. Although I think after looking at the pictures it is time to break down and buy some more table cloths. What a wonderful time it was to get to know all the sellers and consultants at this show. It was my first School Craft Show ever and I really enjoyed talking with the parents, helping them coordinate their Hair Clips with their child's outfits, and watching everyone leave my booth with a smile on their face! What a great inspiration it was throughout the day.
I giggled when one of my customers said she always buys her daughter more clothes when they buy new hair clips, so they will match!
My first customer of the day was looking for the Headbands and she wanted them to coordinate with each other, because they were for her twin nieces. And because I didn't have them all out on the table (not enough room). I pulled out the box of them and we went through all them. She settled on a green and pink one and because all my items are buy 2 get 1 free, she picked out an extra pink one for them.
Here's a photo of the new booth set up with my new retail shelf. I'm the one on the left. The lady on the right is another seller that was there who makes Jewelry and we were talking about all the different selling sites out there, when hubby John snapped the photo real quick!

Here's a photo of just the new retail shelf!

And here's some photo's of some of the things I sold. I couldn't find a photo of the vase I sold. But I was really happy that I did sale one!


Of course there were a lot more items that left my booth that day!
And here's the best part if you didn't catch us on Saturday at Skyline Middle.
On November 19th from 10-3 I will be at Spotswood Elementary. Here I don't have a whole booth, I just have a table, so I have my fingers crossed that I will be able to fit a lot on one table. But, at least I won't have to load up the shelving, canopy, and tables for this show!

Love

"Love Makes The World Go Round"

Fairy, Fairy...

Fairy, Fairy quite contrary how does your garden grow. With flowing ribbon, buttons and bows, and Flowers lined up all in row.

Okay, well maybe not lined up in a row. But, I've been working months and months on the design for these Fairy wands. And now I'm finally happy to say I am finished with it and have some completed just in time for the next 4 craft shows.

I will not be listing these in either store. If you'd like one of these or perhaps a custom made wand, you can contact me at inspiredcreationsbymichelle@gmail.com and message me. They are $5.00 a piece and shipping is $2.50.

And for these lovelies you can see I went all out and staged the photographs of them to make them look extra special!
The length of these fairy wands are 13 inches in Length and the flowers are 2 inches. 2 flowers adorn the tops of these wands that are attached to green, wood sticks.

Christmas Arts And Crafts Show And Sale

The 36th Annual Christmas Arts And Crafts Show and Sale is on December 3 from 9-4pm and December 4th 10-4 pm at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds. Instead of supporting the big chains this year, Come on out and support your local artisians and crafters!
Inspired Creations will be there both days. We will be in booth number 58! This is the biggest and best show in the valley!

Meet The Seller

You've met my children and you've seen my handmade items on a regular basis. But, do you know the seller behind all those items you've seen! Many of you are friends on my personal page and some of you have bought my items. Well, today I am doing a Meet the seller blog post, for all those fans who have know idea who designs and hand makes all those items in the Bonanza and Etsy shops!

I am Michelle. A 37 year old mom to 3 precious children. I have a 5 year old son, a 3 year old daughter and an 18 month old little girl. Yes, I am very busy. Crafting gives me that peace in the middle of a hectic day. You know the kind of day I'm sure. The one where the kids are never satisfied and the mom is about ready to throw up her hands and give up.
Where do I get my inspiration from? Living Life! Music, my children, my husband, Seasons...I can't describe it really, it's just there. And Yes, I am one of those that if an idea pops into my head, I have to get it done. You'd think writing the idea down would be enough, but it's not.

I like to spend time with my family. Getting ready for the Craft Shows takes a lot of time to make sure everything is right and sometimes family gets lost in that chaos of boxes, I call merchandise! I also spend a lot of time cleaning and doing laundry. But, I am always reminded of what my mother must've felt like when we were growing up.
I am originally from a small town in Tennessee. I've only lived in Virginia for the past 5 years. I like to be out doors. Camping, going for a walk, just whatever strikes me in that moment. I like to find new projects to create and share them with everyone. Photographs were taken by Melissa Atchley Photography!

Vacation Dates

Okay, here are the Vacation Dates for the Store's. This includes the Bonanza Store and The Etsy Shop. Dates are Subject to Change depending on how long it takes to break down for each show.
November 11th at 9 pm EST until November 12th 8pm EST
November 18th at 9 pm EST until November 19th 8pm EST
November 22-November 30 I will be on Vacation. But, I will open shops from where ever I'm at for Cyber Monday. I also have a show on the 30th so I will re-open shops at 8 pm EST.
December 2 at 9 pm EST until December 4th at 8 pm EST
I will add more dates as I get them in. If dates or times of Events change I will let you know. Because the December 3 and 4th Christmas Show is not set in stone yet.

SkyLine Middle School

It's official, Inspired Creations will be at Skyline Middle School for their fundraiser on November 12, 2011 from 9am-5am! Come on out and support one of your local schools and local businesses! My booth will be located in the cafeteria!
It is also my understanding that Lost Shade Games & Hobbies will be there as well.
Inspired Creations will be running a special Buy 2 Items Get 1 Item of equal or lesser value free just for this event! Christmas is coming and it's a perfect time to stop in and buy Handmade Items at Affordable Prices!

Upcoming Events

Here's a list of events going on with Inspired Creations or the date's of where we will be next: Events are subject to change, but I will keep you posted.

October 17, 2011--Breast Cancer Awareness Auction on the Facebook Fan Page. Starts at
8 pm EST. You can find the fan page at this address:
www.facebook.com/InspiredCreationsByMichelle
November 12, 2011--SkyLine Middle School Arts And Crafts Fundraiser (Time will be
Posted later on, I seem to be a little cluttered at the moment)
November 30,2011--2nd Annual Artisan's Holiday Bazaar at JMU Student Union 11-5 pm
December 3rd & 4th--Rockingham County Fairgrounds Christmas Show (Subject to change)
December 10, 2011--Holiday Hair Clip Party 6:30 pm EST (Address to come later and
more details)

Ribbon Flower Magnets

Since I've already got one posted up in the store, I thought there was no reason why I should list them under the Sneak Peeks. Turn your Fridge into a beautiful flower garden with these RF Magnets. Their slowly making their way into the Bonanza store.

The magnets on the back aren't very big, but I did order 100 of them, so that way I could sell the magnets in sets rather than one by one. They will be 1 1/2 in and 2 in. I already have one of the 2 in. listed in the store.
I thought these would be perfect at the November show, considering it was a fundraiser for one of the local school's.

My Montage 7/14/11 at OneTrueMedia.com

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

New Items

What's up with all these new items being listed in the store's? I am in the process of tripling inventory for the Christmas Show (Dates to be released later). So, I'd thought I would introduce you to these new designs.
Newborn Kufi Hats are $10.00. The Ribbon Flower's are placed on either the front left side or the top of the hat. The colors I have are white, pink, red, navy blue, cream, and Royal Blue. Not all of them have been posted up in the store yet.

Jewelry-$5.00 Mainly glass bead earrings and bracelets.

New Styles and Colors of the RF Crochet Headbands-$6.00


RF Snap Clips-$4.00

RF Tote Bags-These little beauties are 6x7 in. $6.00

There are also RF Magnets as well. Which I will placing in groups to sell in the store's. They will be split up to sell single for the shows. I will do another blog on them later on, once I get more made.
There are over 500 new items. I will be adding new Ribbon Flower Hair Clips and RF Brooches and Hair clips as well.

Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and normally every year I do a Gift Basket full of pink items and sell it. But, this year I want to do something different. I am going to be holding a Breast Cancer Awareness Auction on my fan page on October the 17th at 8pm EST time.
I will be donating for this Auction: 1 Pair of Handmade Glass Bead pink ribbon antique copper earrings, 1 pink Ribbon Flower Brooch/hair clip, and a set of White Gift tags with a pink ribbon on the front. All proceeds from this Auction will go straight to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
If you'd like to help with donating a pink item for this auction, please message me and send me a photo. Please remember that all proceeds will go to the foundation to help fight Breast Cancer. Together we can find a cure!

What's Up With All This Christmas Talk?

Have you noticed this weekend all the new categories popping up on the left hand side of the Bonanza Store? Are you curious about the new items I will be hand making or embellishing for the Christmas/Winter Line!
Well, here's a list of all those new categories if you haven't noticed them yet!
~Ribbon Flower Kufi Hats
~Ribbon Flower Tote Bags
~Ribbon Flower Magnets
~Handmade Glass Bead Earrings
~More variety of Crochet Head Bands, Ribbon Flower Brooches and Hair Clips!
~More Colors in Ribbon Flower Scrapbook Embellishments.
~Christmas Cardstock Tags and Gift Tags
~Sets of Christmas Cards
~More Colors in RF Snap Clips
~And Lots More!
So, This is what the Christmas talk is all about! Lots of new items and You can bet each one of them will have their own special blog!

Introduction

If you've seen the head form shots for the RF Crochet Head Bands, then chances are you've already been introduced to the 2 newest members of the Inspired Creations Team. These 2 lovely Heads arrived from The Wig Company last week and I have been really antsy about getting the shots with the head bands on taken and posted up with all listings.


But, then yesterday, I was trying to come up with a way to have them model the RF Hair Clips and I thought, "I know I have some really nice Halloween wigs somewhere!" So, I went on a search. And instantly, my 2 newest members became Wednesday Adams and Betty Boop! Awesome!

My 3 year old, Lexy, had loads of fun helping me set up the heads for the shots. And I was proud that she could be there to help me get the newest members ready for the modeling debut!

Roses Are Red...

1/4 in. Red Rose Ribbon Flowers are Handmade with 3/8 in. Red Grosgrain Ribbon.

Their small enough that you can use them on your Scrapbook Pages or Projects, Cards, Jewelry, etc. They come in little tubes of 40 for $8.00.

Red is the only color I have in stock right now. I will be adding more colors to the store later on as more Ribbon and sales come in. If you want them in another color before I get the rest of the colors in and listed, please email me at inspiredcreationsbymichelle@gmail.com and let me know how many you would like and what color.
Here is a price list:
40 Roses - $8.00
20 Roses - $4.00
If you want a different quantity message me and I will give you a direct quote with shipping as well.
Anything Less then 40 Roses, will come in Blister Packs, instead of the plastic tube's.

Old Product, New Twist!

You've probably noticed these in the stores. As plaques they were getting the looks and all the comments about how cute they were, but no one was really buying them. When I went to the craft show in July, I didn't have but 1 made and I used that one for a display to hold the Ribbon Flowers.
When I did the second show, I had my display and then an extra one. I wanted to test them out at the shows first. And I knew when I sold the first one at the August Show. That they were at the right price and were the right item.
So, I've been transforming all my plaques into lovely bow holders.
Here's the newest one-Hope

Here's some of the old plaques that have been transformed!


With this transformation came an idea to add some mesh fabric to them and make them earring holders as well. I'm thinking of trying a demo and see how it does as well. So, Be on the look out for them.

Window Project

Me, Hubby, and the girls took a trip downtown this morning to visit The Lady Jane Shop. We picked up one of her Windows while we were there and I couldn't wait to start the project! It only took me about 2 hours to put the paper on it. I still have to spend another 2 hours sealing it. And I'm hoping this well get done this weekend sometime.

You can find The Lady Jane Shop in downtown Harrisonburg, VA!
Bet your wanting to see what the finished project looks like!
Here's a far away shot of the window!

And here's a close up of the panels! My camera didn't do some of the colors justice again.

I've decided to hang this lovely piece above my fire place and display it happily for all to see. I love to use my work in my home.

Melissa Atchley Photography

Melissa is a wonderful friend of our family. She also used to be Max's teacher at Matthew's Center. She asked if she could come in and take some photo's of the kids for her portfolio and because we needed some updated one's anyways we said Sure! You can find more of her photographs on her blog at http://melissaatchleyphotography.com/.
She specializes in not worrying about getting the kids to pose for the camera, but letting the kids play and taking photo's of them in action.
Here's some photo's of our photo shoot if you haven't seen them already.

This is of course is our youngest Haley. Her photo's are of course a lasting memory for us. And we thank Melissa for catching all of them on the go.

This is our middle child, Alexandria. The camera certainly likes her and vice versa!
And Last is our oldest Max. He is the hardest to get a photo of, because he is always on the go!

Inspirations By 2 Beautiful Babies!

Have you met my daughters Alexandria (Lexy for short) and Haley? My kids are truly my worst critics and yet they are my inspiration for most of my merchandise.
Haley Loves to wear all kinds of things in her hair!

Lexy, not so much. Matter of fact Lexy is at that point where she doesn't like to wear the cute dresses anymore. She would rather pick out her own clothes.

The reason I am introducing both my girls to you is because they are the inspirations behind the new ribbon flower hair clips and the new one's fixing to make their debut in the store. Lexy saw the big pink/blue one and she wanted me to put a clip on it right then, so she could wear it. Of course with 2 other kids needing mommy's attention, it didn't happen. Matter of fact these are not even finished yet. But, I am going to post them up anyhow. and then add the new photo's after they are finished later on


I have a week to get all these done for the August Show! Here's to hoping it will all be completed in time!