The lights at the end of tunnels...

Well, I had a much more fantastic craft fair experience this past weekend! In my humble yet naive opinion, Handmade Promenade was a delightful success! Record Store Day at Luna Music in Broadripple provided the perfect backdrop for the edgy and diverse talent presented at this renegade craft fair. I felt honored to be there, and I enjoyed great sales and live, local music all day. The wind was blowing, the sun was shining, and people really came out!

It felt great to have interest in my work again, and it was right on time after having a slow couple of months. I never really consider myself trendy, I'm more of a creative-type, so after emerging from my creative cocoon it's always nice to have some positive feedback. While watching strangers peruse my booth, I am often reminded of the first time I cooked for my husband... he is a man of few words and fewer obvious emotions. After eating for several minutes he said "No one has ever made anything like this for me. This is awesome." SCORE! The anticipation was awful, but the result was well worth it.

I presented a new item this time around, and I got great feedback from it. The belt bag/hip bag made a great debut! I thought of it as a result of participating in craft shows... it's always such a pain to have to keep track of your purse and money while in such an open and busy public space. It is also difficult to have several hundred things draped from your shoulder when going anywhere with your children... and for baby-wearing fans, a shoulder purse just complicates the whole scenario of wearing your child around and constantly smacking them with your bags. So, the belt bag was born!

They're made of vinyl and cotton with aluminum rings, thereby making them completely vegan. I try to find remnants and upcycle things I find in the thrift store to make these... I also try to avoid calling them fanny packs. But to be honest, the function behind a fanny pack cannot be denied... it was just the aesthetic that needed work. This particular one was purchased by Jenny Elig, the style columnist at the Indy Star. She wanted to show them in her column! Wow! Look for links and bragging later...

So, I've decided that I need time to stock my goods. I'm taking the summer off from craft fairs. I plan to spend the next 6 months sewing fleece sets for children, innovating other accessories to be ready for winter, and delving into the world of Etsy. I'll return to the craft circuit in the fall, just in time for holiday bazaars and cold weather. Here's a sampling of the kids sets I made last winter:

I might actually have time to do some personal sewing as well... which would be great for me and my daughter's wardrobe! Mother Tucker will be sewing indeed...