Counting Down!!!

OK, I am an emotional wreck right now. Craftacular is coming up and I am feeling ALL the feelings. As a planner for the event I am excited by all the response we've gotten and completely nervous about all the unknowns. Will anyone show up? Will everything run smoothly? Will the vendors be happy with how things are run? Will we have enough volunteers?
As a vendor I'm starting to panic because I haven't gotten as much stuff made for the event as I would have liked. Will anyone buy my stuff? How am I going to display everything? Is there going to be enough foot traffic to make things worthwhile? Of course the big question is: Can I eat from each of the food vendors in a 5 hour period and not explode?

Anyway, that's how I'm feeling. I hope YOU are feeling excitement and anticipation. I hope you have sent out the evites and are gathering the family and friends for a unique holiday shopping excursion. I hope you come ready to eat and shop!

If you are unsure if there will be something there for you, here's a list of who you will have to shop from: 
 Funky & Feisty Home Décor & More: Funky & Feisty Home Décor
and More specializes in unique, whimsical creations for the
home. Custom gifts also available. (this one is me. Stop by and say hi!)

 Crystal’s Posh Panache: Perfectly Posh products are spa grade
pampering products. All prodicts are naturally-nased ingredients
such as almond oil, argan oil, sunflower oil and olive oil, ,as well as
shea butter, etc. We have soaps, coconut oil, hand creams, body
scrubs, body masks, bath salts, body butters, face creams, face
washes and lip balms.

 Stitched on Canvas: Hand-made décor with canvas - anything
from wall/door hangings, coasters, ornaments, tissue box covers,
and so much more! Special orders are welcome!

 Knit Purl Pray: Knit Purl Pray is a group of women that have been
sharing their skills and ideas for nearly nine years. We will have
hats, scarves, mittens, wristlets, socks and doll clothes. We'll also
have the knitted/crocheted dish cloths that many find so useful.

 Nana’s Attic: Jewelry & beads designed by me. I have paper
beads and paper bead jewelry- Great Christmas gifts.

 One Inspired Life Shop: One Inspired Life Shop was created by
Kristin in 2014, out of her passion for encouraging and inspiring
others & her love for arts and crafts. One Inspired Life Shop offers
affordable gift options including jewelry, journals, prints and more.
In her spare time, Kristin also blogs at www.one-inspired-life.com.
Visit us online at: www.etsy.com/shop/OneInspiredLifeShop

 Jilsoph: Jilsoph handcrafted jewelry collections- Sparkling
Swarovski crystal jewelry makes a beautiful gift for others or yourself!
Please stop by to see and try necklaces, bracelets, rings and
earrings- both pierced and a large selection of clip-ons!

 The Krist Korner: Hey everyone. I'm Jeremy and the owner of the
Etsy shop TheKristKorner. I like to dabble in quite a few things as
long as It allows me to be outside or in the garage with my two
young sons. I revive old wooden high chairs, make customized
coaster sets, and build picnic tables for children. You can find me
on Facebook or Etsy by searching TheKristKorner. Contact me for
your Christmas or holiday needs, I would be happy to help!

 Back to Africa: Beautifully handcrafted jewelry crafted by Kenyan
men and women of recycled magazine paper rolled into intricate
beads. Pendants and earrings made of kiln fired ceramic. All designs
are unique to Back to Africa. Price ranges are very affordable
from $8 up to $48. Proceeds go to family preservation programs in
Kenya and orphan care around the world through Heart of the Bride
ministries. See more at heartofthebride.org.

 Kelly’s Kitchen: Homemade baked goods, mixes and gift baskets.

 Symphl Creations: Symphl Creations has handmade soap &
scents and affordable beaded jewelry.

Celtic Wolf Crafts
Bubby’s Bits
Usborne Books & More
Feel Good Kits
ThirthOne Gifts
Chilean Charm
Ivona Walker
JMCreations
Sissy Jams/Sissybeth Avon
Lisa’s Loops & Hoops
Bags by betty
Shine on with Francesca
Magnets & Mayhem
Modern Goldfish
Karen Quick
Coraline and Zeus Bath Co.
Bull City Soap Worx
Blooming Petals
Knitted Neckware
Paparazzi Accessories
Happy Skull Crochet
Tarandipity
Origami Owl
Blue Rose Jewelry
Durham Association of
Educators (DAE)
Needles N’ Thread
Michelle’s Stamping Corner
Lavender Lushions
Becky deForest
Dove Chocolate Discoveries
Big Woof Dog Treats

As for food we will have:
 Will & Pop's
Roll Dog Express
Jessica's Sweet Treats

Feel free to share this with EVERYONE! Hope to see you on Saturday!

Meet the Vendor: A Crafty Pear

I am excited to introduce yet another vendor that will be attending our 2nd SWE PTA's Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair this Saturday, November 15 from 9 to 2 at 2320 Cook Rd. in Durham.
Ladies and Germs: A Crafty Pear!
"The ladies of A Crafty Pear love to craft! We have crafts and gifts for all ages. Teacher gifts; stocking stuffers; bows and bow ties; treasure boxes; felted handbags and soap; burlap utensil holders, table runners, wreaths and more is what you will find at A Crafty Pear."

Look at all that adorableness. I am going to be next to this booth. That doesn't bode well for my wallet!
Make sure you stop by their booth and say hi!

YUM!

It's almost here! Craftacular is just over 2 weeks away. How cool is that? What's really exciting is that we will have FOOD TRUCKS!!!! Everyone loves FOOD TRUCKS!!!! So who will you get to dine with at SWE PTA's CRAFTACULAR Craft & Vendor Fair on Saturday, November 15, 2014 from 9am to 2pm? Well, let me tell you.

Will & Pop's will be there. They serve burgers and grilled cheese and are extra yum!

Mac-Ur-Roni will also be on hand serving delicious specialty Mac and Cheese. Can't go wrong with that!

Little Dipper's Italian Ice will be there to help fulfill those sweet cravings. They always have some amazing flavors.

You can click each of the names to find out more about the FOOD TRUCKS!!!! And, yes, these FOOD TRUCKS!!!! deserve all caps and exclamation points. ;)

Please feel free to contact us at swecraftacular@yahoo.com for more info

We're Back!!!!

Here it is... The news you've been waiting for... We will be having our 2nd Annual Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair on Saturday, November 15, 2014 from 9am to 2pm.
We learned a lot from last year's fair so we hope that this year will be even bigger and better. We are still planning on having food trucks, tons of vendors, entertainment and a raffle.
All the money we earn will once again go to Southwest Elementary School's PTA so that we can do some wonderful things for our school like help towards updating our schools technology.
We hope you will join us either as a vendor or a shopper at our event.
For more information on becoming a vendor please feel free to shoot us an email at swecraftacular@yahoo.com

Stay tuned for more information on getting a booth or participating as a food vendor or entertainment to come tomorrow...

Now What?

Yesterday went off fairly smoothly. I think that most of the people involved were pretty happy. We had a steady turn out and we now know most of the things that we need to do differently next time. We had a wonderful group of volunteers helping us out, the artists and vendors were awesome, the entertainment was very entertaining and the food was yummy.
The question people kept asking was would we do this again in the spring. Right now my brain is screaming NOOOOOOOOO.... but give me a week and we will see how I feel about it then.

Come One Come All!!!!!

Tomorrow is the day we've been waiting for. The Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair will finally be taking place. Here is an over view for the day:

There will be even more due to the fact that we had folks knocking down our doors even after the deadline. Some of those people didn't sign up in time to be included in the program. We are still very grateful for their participation.
Hope to see you there.

It's The Final Count Down...

I can't believe that in just a few short days we will finally get to enjoy the SWE PTA's Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair. THIS Saturday, November 23 we will get to see the labors of all our hard work. Don't get me wrong, there's still A LOT to get done but we will get there and it will be awesome!

The one thing we still need is YOU. We need people to come out and support the wonderful vendors and artists that we are STILL adding to the list. We need you to come and show some love to the food trucks who are graciously coming to spend the day with us. We need people to come and purchase raffle tickets and try to in some fantabulous prizes. We need you to come out and applaud for the entertainers... ESPECIALLY for me when I put on a Thanksgiving/Hanukkah story time. We need you to come out for the camaraderie.

Please join us this Saturday, November 23 from 9am to 2pm at Southwest Elementary School, 2320 Cook Rd., Durham for the

SWE PTA's 

First Ever

Craftacular

Craft & Vendor Fair

If you don't I will probably take it personally. No pressure though. ;) 

Soooooo.... Close

I can hardly believe that it is less than a week to our PTA's First Ever Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair. Signs are going up. Flyers are being passed around. I'm hoping that word of mouth is spreading. This has the potential to be an AMAZING fund raiser for Southwest Elementary School. The money that we earn from the rental of tables, donations from the food trucks, raffle ticket sales and SWE merchandise will all be helpful to us in upgrading our school's technological services. When all is said and done we will let you know what EXACTLY we are doing with the proceeds.
I hope you will consider coming out for the day. We have 40+ vendors selling a little bit of everything from makeup to art items to chocolate! There is bound to be something for a number of folks on your gift lists.
There will also be FIVE food trucks. Yep, I said FIVE food trucks. The good people of Will & Pop's, Chirba Chirba, CJ's Street Food, Mac-Ur-Roni and Little Dipper's Italian Ice are coming out to help support our school. Come and feed your family for a good cause. It's easier than cooking.
Even the Southwest Branch of the Durham Public Library will be coming out to join us.  Make sure that you stop by their table to say hi! We will also be graced with some wonderful entertainment options. A list of performances will be posted tomorrow.
A complete list of vendors will be available on here later in the week as will a list of businesses that don't have tables but have graciously donated items for our bucket raffle. You could win big! Tickets are $1/each OR $20 for your age in tickets. We will start pulling names at 1:30.

Hope to see you there. If you come out, make sure you find me and say hi!

It's a Craftacular Countdown!

As you may have heard on Saturday, November 23, 2013 Southwest Elementary School's PTA will be holding our first ever Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair. You will find the event at Southwest Elementary School which is located at 2030 Cook Road in Durham. That's not too far from 40 right off of Fayetteville. We will be there from 9am to 2pm for all your shopping fun.
You will find a wonderful assortment of items both handmade and from nationally known companies. You can find something for everyone on your shopping list.
I know that shopping can make you tired so we will have a variety of food truck options available to you. You will find scrumptious goodies from CJ's Street Food, Chirba Chirba, Will & Pops, Mac-Ur-Roni and Little Dippers Italian Ice. These are all local guys who are as excited to feed you as you will be to try out their offerings. Just click on their names and find out the deliciousness they have in store for you.
Each of our vendors will also be offering an item for our bucket raffle. Tickets will be a dollar each or six tickets for $5. You get to choose the prizes you want to win. There promises to be some amazing things offered.

If you are still interested in a booth please CLICK HERE for more information. Deadline for applications is November 1.

  

Please come join us and bring your friends!!!!

Meet The Vendor: Linda Hardin

Here's another one of the Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair's vendors. Are you getting as excited as I am?

Linda Hardin

1) Your name and the name of your business

Linda Hardin of Polka Dot Ideas

2) What will you be sharing at the event?

Handmade, colorful, coordinating home decorating items to dress an ordinary room including pocket pillows, lampshade slipcovers, monogram wall and table top art. I also have many gift items just for fun such as tutus, tooth fairy pillows, jewelry bags, as well as some holiday themed items, gift bags and tags, and decorative banners. I welcome custom requests to match any theme or color scheme!

3) How long have you been doing this?

I have been sewing window treatments and bedding for more than twenty years but this creative venture started with a friend in 2009.

4) What is your favorite thing about doing what you do?

Colorful fabrics and beautiful papers inspire me and I love the design process of taking raw materials and mixing and matching patterns to create my ideas. Shopping for fabric makes my day.

5) What is your favorite book?

The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye

6) How can people get in touch with you?

By email at PolkaDotIdeas@gmail.com or by phone 540-420-9049. You can view some of my items and show photos on my flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/polkadotideas/sets/72157631161778052/ Someday soon, I hope to have an ecommerce website.

7) Is there any piece of trivia about yourself that people might find interesting or amusing?

I have lived in eleven states and one foreign country, Spain. As a child, I lived off the Rota Naval base in Puerto de Santa Maria. That’s the port where one of Christopher Columbus’ ships, the Santa Maria, sailed from in 1492. The fact that the city was centuries old impressed me even as a child.

8) What did you want to be when you grew up?

A writer, or an interior designer, or a merchandiser…I’m still deciding.

9) What is your favorite animal?

The hedgehog, but you wouldn’t know that by my collection of watercolor paintings of birds from artists around the world.

10) Do you have another ‘real world’ occupation or hobby?

Yes, I am a medical accounts receivable specialist by day.


I really do hope you will check out Linda's Flickr page. Her stuff is seriously cute!

Time is Drawing Near...

... and I couldn't be more excited. We are still getting applications from artists and crafters as well as business owners. At this point we have more than 20 booths for your shopping pleasure. We also have FIVE food trucks. Will & Pops, Little Dippers Italian Ice, Mac-Ur-Roni, CJ's Street Food and Chirba Chirba will be gracing us with their presence. It should be a yummy, good time.

The Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair will be held to raise money for Southwest Elementary School's PTA. The PTA will be putting the money to good use by using for the school's technology fund. Along with the booth fees and monies donated by the food trucks we will also be selling raffle tickets. Raffle items will include donations from the vendors as well as other local businesses and restaurants. As it's a bucket raffle you will be able to choose which items you want to win.

There are STILL booth spaces available. You can find the forms HERE. Keep in mind that you need to have your forms post marked by October 15 in order to take advantage of the reduced rates. As of the 16th booth spaces go up by $10.

I also ask that you tell your friends about this event. It should be a great opportunity for community members to get out and meet one another while supporting a very good cause.

Paging All Foodies

We have confirmed our list for the food trucks that will be joining us on Saturday, November 23, 2013 at the SWE PTA's CRAFTACULAR Craft & Vendor Fair.
The line up is as follows:

Will & Pops

Mac-Ur-Roni 

Little Dippers Italian Ice 

CJ's Street Food

&

Chirba Chirba

You can click on any of the names to go to their website and find out what they offer. There should be something for everyone. Please tell your friends and come to support all the local business owners who will be there while also helping out Southwest Elementary School. 

 

Come and Get Your Grub On!

The Southwest Elementary School PTA's Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair will be here on Saturday, November 23. I am getting super excited. People are signing up to help from right and left. We have food trucks for your dining desires. We will have Will & Pop's Food Truck featuring burgers and grilled cheese. You will also get to chow on grub from Mac-UR-Roni featuring build your own mac and cheese. For your sweet tooth we will have Little Dippers Italian Ice with their scrumptious frozen treats. There are more on the horizon you will just have to keep an eye open for what other surprises we may have.
With that in mind, we are hearing from still more artists and business owners. We are still accepting applications. You can find the forms here: http://swepta.weebly.com/craft-fair.html. Remember that booth prices will go up after October 15.
Can't wait to have you join us

Building a Sense of Community

One of the things that I am really hoping for from the Southwest Elementary School PTA's Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair is that it helps tighten our already close knit community. SWE has a wonderful group of parents, teachers and staff. It's a warm and inviting place. I want that warmth to spread to the community. To the city of Durham and surrounding areas.
I am excited to show people how a gathering such as this can be a wonderful place to meet people. To learn about what else there is outside the circle we are already comfortable with. It is a place to build friendships.
Those who take part as vendors often find a great network at an event such as this. It's a great place to learn about other events and to build a new clientele.
Those who come to look and shop often find new and unique products to give as gifts or keep for themselves. One of my favorite things about events such as this one is meeting new artists and small business owners. It's great to be able to help out a budding entrepreneur. I also love sharing these terrific folks with the public.
You may just meet the next up and coming artist or find your new favorite food truck. I hope you and your friends come by this family friendly event to check it out for yourselves.
Remember, we are still looking for vendors, food trucks, entertainment and volunteers to help us out for the day.
Here's a flyer you may see around town:

Feel free to pass this on to everyone and anyone!

Our Hopes and Dreams reposted

I am reposting this as I think it is easier than rewriting it. ;) I'm feeling lazy.
Please share with your friends.


We have big hopes and dreams for the Southwest Elementary School PTA's Craftacular Craft and Vendor Fair. Some of the things we are planning on are:

Wonderful and Amazing Art from Incredible Artisans

A Food Truck Rodeo

Make and Take Crafts For the Kids

Door Prizes Provided by our Vendors as Well as Community Supporters

 LIVE Entertainment

And, Most Importantly, 

A chance to help out both a local elementary school (That would be Southwest Elementary School in Durham, NC) as well as local small businesses. 

We will definitely keep you posted as we start to see this thing come together.

 

If YOU or ANYONE you know is able to help with any of these categories OR if you would like to volunteer your time PLEASE CLICK HERE for more information and all the proper forms.

Thanks so much. Hope you will be a part of this wonderful fundraiser. Don't forget that SHOPPERS are also an important part of making this work.

These Kids Need Your Help

School has started back up. Parents everywhere are sending up an exclamation of joy. If you are like me you are rejoicing in the fact that the bickering has been cut WAAAAY back. If you are also like me you are pleased to be seeing those parents you have begun to rely on for school gossip, to commiserate with over your kids trying times and to whom you brag when your kiddos have done something awesome.

Southwest Elementary School has a wonderful network of parents who really care about, not only their own kids but also the kids that they have gotten to know. It is a great school. The parents are eager to see their kids and MY kids excel. That's why we are calling on YOU for support.

Although spaces are filling up for the upcoming Craftacular Craft & Vendor Fair we would love to have you get involved. We are still looking for the following people:

Direct Sales Businesses

Artists

Crafters

Volunteers

Food Truck Owners

Any Small Business Owner who wants to set up a booth

People to advertise in the program for the event

Talented people to entertain throughout the day

Folks who would like to donate items for our raffle

People willing to advertise the event

and of course

People to COME AND SHOP!

This is going to be an amazing and community centered event and we would love you to be involved. The PTA will be using money earned from the event to help the school update its technological resources. Let me ask you:

Have you EVER seen a group MORE in need of technological advances?

For more info click HERE.