Life? What Life?

A really interesting article came out yesterday in the New York Times about crafting and making a business out of it. For the past couple weeks I have been coming home from working and immediately going to what I call my Craft corner and slaving away until 12am-1am in the morning. Taking a break? Not possible. Dinner? Where are the take out menus? Lunch break? Break out the embroidery and start stitching!! I realized after reading this article that this lifestyle wouldn't change if I did decide to quit my day job and just craft for a living. The ladies mentioned in this article all work super hard and although 13 hour days sounds insane, I can't help but think how exciting it is to be able to run and manage your own business. It is definitely not easy, but knowing how much someone loves something you made with your hands makes it all worth it sometimes. You can find the article HERE

Tis the Season!!

I have two holiday craft fairs coming up this month. The first one is this Saturday at the California College of the Arts from 11am-3pm. I'll be sharing a table with my lovely friend, Alison Yates. She is an awesome artist and will have some delightful silhouette cards for you to peruse and purchase. Check out more of her work HERE The next event I'll be at is the following Saturday, December 12th at the Root Division Gallery in San Francisco. The Under 100 'H' sale where every item is under $100. For info about the gallery and the event go HERE I'm thrilled about both of these events as they will be a mix of arts and crafts. So come out and score some great one of a kind presents this weekend or next!!

PLAID/BLACK Friday!!

Don't forget to shop at your local and independent businesses this season!! Here in the Bay Area we have Plaid Friday happening today. Show your indie/local businesses some love by wearing some plaid while you shop. Shop for new bow ties necklaces and other accessories at Pretty Penny. Or check out some great stocking stuffers at my online store. We are in the Holiday spirit and am offering FREE SHIPPING til December 18th on all orders, complimentary GIFT WRAPPING, and the option to send your gift directly to your recipient(s) through me for FREE! So what are you waiting for? Go check out the SHOP!!

Holiday Hit List

I have never been one to shop for presents at big chain stores. Okay, occasionally I may seek out a must have gift at one of those awful overpopulated stores but in general I try to shop local. This year I am on a mission to buy only from independent business and handmade vendors. And you should too!! Not only is it fun to shop this way but you are guaranteed to find one of a kind items that your family/friend is going to love. Yes, you may end up spending a little more money but remember that money is going towards people like me who need it to fund future amazing products for you!! For you folks who are in the Bay Area/California region, here is a list of events you should check out: Bazaar Bizarre I applied for this event but didn't get in :(. I am still hoping to check it out on Sunday. Jenny Hart, the embroidery goddess,will be there hosting a workshop. I hope to have a chance to meet and thank her for all of her hardwork and inspiration. SF Renegade Holiday Fair The spring Renegade Craft Fair was the first large craft event I had been and I was so inspired, impressed, and overwhelmed (in a good way)! I'm sure this holiday event won't disappoint. We'll see if I can hold back the temptation to shop for myself (Yeah Right!). SFMOMA Holidaze A weekly event put on by the SF MOMA Artists Gallery that started last week. Should be good!! L.A. Area: Bust Holiday Craftacular I was going to participate in this event but alas, I couldn't make the trek down to L.A. Silverlake Craft Market. I plan on making a trip to L.A. sometime in the spring to take part in this event. Sounds like a lot of fun.

Spotlight: 3 Girls and a Goat

I have a new little obsession with acorns and leaves this fall. Which is why I might have to hire this woman to make some business tags for me. I love how delicate, unique and simple her cards are. But what really won me over was the textured paper. Whenever I see stuff like this, I'm reminded about how great it would be to learn how to make my own paper from scratch. I would love to start up my own little paper accessory but I've got no time to do such a thing. Luckily there are people like 3 Girls and a Goat out there to make great stuff for me! Is it weird that I would want this as wall paper? Remember fall is a time for layers.Really diggin' the flora/fauna theme. I love people who sew paper.

Leather accessories

I love working with leather. I love working with recycled leather scraps even more!! The nice thing about leather is you don't have to worry about the material fringing and losing its shape. So much fun! I plan on making more of these leather leaf necklaces. Little pins and hair accessories.

New bow ties for you!

One of my hottest items at the SF Indie Mart were my bow tie necklaces. People loved them along with my bow pins and barretts. So now I am stocking up for the holiday season. We've got polka dots, which are always a big hit, calico floral, and a blue floral speckled fabric that has little deers on it (click on the image to get a better view).