The Orlando FL Craft Super Show

I just returned from the Craft Super Show in Orlando and I have to admit, it wasn't what I was expecting or hoping for. I was counting on there being lots of new sewing resources and young people, but there was very little of either.

There was no shortage of people at the show. Here's the line just for the "will call" window. These are people who bought tickets in advance - the majority did not do this. There were four other lines that were much longer. It's hard to tell from the tiny picture, but there aren't any young people waiting to get in. The median age was about 50 if you exclude babies.

I found virtually nothing for sewers. This was the closest thing to a sewing display. At this tent you could drop $25.00 to stand in front of a camera and make a fool of yourself while pretending to host a TV show. I passed. My own FREE sewing video will be posted on evilneedles.com soon.

Here's a good look inside. Everyone was pretty old. I scouted for young crafters. Each time I saw a young person they had a green "employee pass." I don't mean to sound like I have anything against older folks, it's just that I was really hoping to see lots of fresh, new faces. I feel like the home arts are soon to become the lost arts and the best way to keep them alive and well is to bring new people into the scene.

Those green "employee passes" that all the young people were wearing turned out to be for the green building convention. This expo was a showcase for builders, contractors, and vendors to show their newest eco-friendly products. How cool is that? I really wanted to go walk through but it was $60.00 per person and it was my boyfriend and me.

From what I've read around the web, lots of people are very excited about this craft show. I was really let down. I don't think it's just a case of the grass is always greener. The show was pitched as the ultimate craft show, the biggest in the country; but it was really just one room in the convention center and the room was split in half.

Furthermore, the advertisements say that vendors would be giving out more freebies than you could carry. I got a tote bag and nothing to put in it. Everything was for sale. I guess I'm just a cheapskate with unreal expectations.

Macs crash too

You know all those sales advertised on TV: PC's for only $299 or even less? Now is the time to take advantage and get a backup computer. A laptop that is just for emergencies is a MUST for any small business owner. I got lucky yesterday when my Mac crashed and I had access to an emergency laptop. Below is my rant.

I've owned a Mac for as long as I've been in business. Well, maybe not the whole time: it was actually a bad experience with a PC that convinced me to switch to Mac. Aside from some minor moodiness, my Mac has been pretty predictable for the last five years. But lately it's been running slow and crashing unexpectedly - I guess all crashes are unexpected.

I know Yahoo! is part of the problem, oh by the way, don't host your site through Yahoo!; but that's another post for another day.

I'm up to date with all my updates, I use Tiger 10.5.whatever, I even make sure and store all my big picture files on a flash drive. But, despite all of my precautions, my precious Mac took a dump.

So what happens when a Mac takes a dump? Well, mine started running slow, sending up warning messages about an invalid script, dropping my browser, and refusing to log on to the internet.

I first ran a hi-tech virus scan on it that turned up nothing. I had a feeling since Macs don't really get viruses. I then tried cleaning up my hard drive to free up some space - nope. So rather than play the guessing game I just wiped the whole thing clean. I started from scratch. It's always nice to clean house, at least in theory. Once you actually do wipe the slate clean it can get pretty frustrating. So yesterday I spent the whole day reinstalling software, trying to remember passwords, AND, since mine is a Mac mini with an Intel chip I also had to spend half the day chasing down drivers for PC programs.

Luckily my mom let me use her PC laptop to keep up with emails. But I hate laptops, they feel so cramped.

This isn't a rant against Mac or for PC, it's a rant that no computer is safe from crashing. They all do it. If you LIVE on your computer you should have a backup.

WIN a $30.00 gift certificate to my store

I'm very happy to be offering a $30.00 gift certificate to evilneedles.etsy.com through prommafia.com.

Prommafia.com is an exciting blog that finds some of the coolest girl stuff on the web and brings it all together in one place.

Don't let the name fool you: sure you'll find tons of awesome prom appropriate clothing and accessories, but you'll also find countless pieces for your everyday wardrobe.
Why not take a minute and check out prommafia.com? I can think of at least 30 reasons it would be worth your time.

Stay safe at your first photo shoot.

I just got home from a really fun photoshoot.
I worked with Clyde McKenzie of newimagephotography on a photoshoot for Ibi Salon here in Orlando.
Everyone was awesome which was very lucky on my part! A good photoshoot can be the key to building connections, getting great photos, and even bartering for some useful stuff. But, as women, we also need to acknowledge that these experiences can be dangerous. Below is a little advice on how to stay safe when shooting or working with someone for the first time.
Let's face it, people are dangerous. The best way to stay safe on a photoshoot or any gig in the fashion biz is to bring a guy. Sometimes this just isn't feasible so here's what I do before I meet up with strangers.

Ask if you can bring a friend. If your photographer says no it's a bad sign. BUT jealous boyfriends can ruin a shoot and many photographers know this. Also, photographers DON'T want to hear your boyfriend's ideas and critiques. Because of this many photographers have a "no boyfriend's allowed" policy. If this is the case it doesn't mean you can't shoot with them, it just means you need to be vary.
Let someone know where you're going - the exact address, the phone number, the name, and what time you should be home.
Call the photographer before, don't just email. You can learn a lot about someone over the phone.
Meet up in a public place. I know this is a hard one and sometimes it really isn't possible, but it's worth a shot - especially on a first shoot.
If you're supposed to shoot at a business like I did today, look them up online to make sure it's a legit place and not just a warehouse set up to look like something else.
When you get there DON'T just walk in. Walk by, look for other girls, other people, and populated businesses near by.
I like to call my boyfriend right before I go in to let him know it looks cool.
WATCH OUT for the old bait and switch. This takes good judgment on your part. If you're supposed to shoot clothing don't get duped into shooting lingerie or fetish stuff. Also, if you're supposed shoot in the evening and the photographer moves the session to 1:00 am it's a bad sign. BUT sometimes things come up and plans need to be changed. For example, I was set to do a roadside shoot the other night but the high school had a football game so the road with packed with traffic. I had to reschedule for later at night to get a clear shot.

99% of photographers are great people who really are into the art aspect of it. I want all of your shoots to be safe. Many photographers have been in the biz for long enough to know what to expect - jealous boyfriends, crowded venues and bad weather can all put a damper on things and turn a photographer off. Be smart BEFORE you go out to a shoot.

I'm in a treasury today!

Thanks to Latigomoon for featuring one of my items in her treasury!
There are tons of other cute things in it too, take a look:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=72491&show_panel=true

Argentina!

I try to take a trip to Argentina and visit my grandmother in July every year but the economy is so bad I had to cancel my trip this year. I'm usually so excited to go around that time of year because seasons in Argentina are reverse, so July is really the middle of winter.

I decided that since I can't visit this year, the next best thing is to find Etsy sellers in Argentina.

soleilduautomne makes the cutest pumps and they come in so many colors! I also read that she sells at the San Telmo handcrafted fair. This is one of the coolest places I've ever seen. Check out this link to pics of this amazing neighborhood in Buenos Aires (I found this link through her profile):

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=san+telmo

This handmade sweater from ledimi is a steal at only $50! How amazing would this look with a pair of dark tights! She also has one in white













and finally, look how cute this silver handmade ring from mujoyas is and it's only $55

150 yards of black and gray striped fabric YES!!

It's a miracle!!!!!! I thought I was going to have to discontinue my black and gray butterfly back tops, but I found 150 yards of fabric. What's so cool about this is that the roll came from a closeout jobber so it's like recycling. If I didn't buy it this stuff might have ended up in a landfill.




That huge roll of fabric will be turned into butterfly back tops like this one. I'll also be making tons of racer back tanks. The butterfly tops will be available in sizes small - large and the racer backs will be made in sizes small - x-large. You can get them from http://evilneedles.etsy.com and http://shanalogic.com.

This awesome picture was taken by eric wimberly.

I was featured in an etsy treasury today!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=62141

Thanks to Nancy from Nancymyoder

SexyEtsy Feature!

Milton over at sexyetsy was kind enough to feature my red and white striped tank. It really is an awesome blog. I found my new favorite lingerie designer from Uruguay on there along with really amazing photos from other creative sellers!

http://sexyetsy.blogspot.com/

My red and white striped tank made the Etsy gift guide today!

Right Wing Nut Job About To Enter, Get Ready

I came up with a cool idea for a photo shoot that involves a large American flag. I put this post on craigslist:

"If your flag is getting old please don't fold and burn it. I need a large OLD American Flag. I will treat it with respect. Send me an email and I'll come and get it. I just need one. "

Check out the reply I got from some mouth breather.
"now you know they ate that damn flag with all that pork spending and earmarks."
He included a picture of a dead pig with a flag stuck in its mouth. I don't want to repost it.

So I replied back with the following: "I don't mean to sound ignorant, but who ate the flag and what are earmarks and pork spending?"

Let's see if this knuckle dragger will stop raping his tween cousin long enough to reply.

One of my items made it to the Etsy home page today!

Americana country photo shoot at the Slavia House

All of the pics in this set were taken with an Kodak Easy Share point and shoot camera. F8 A1/10 ISO 80. As it got darker I changed the ISO to 200.

The model sure looks cool, but don't be fooled, it was 98 degrees in the hot FL sun and we were all sweating bullets.

I don't know what this place used to be, but I LOVE the rusty tin roof. It's totally run down and you can tell squatters and hillbilly kids like to hang out in here and drink, but for me it was an awesome place to take pics.





Here's a cool shot that really shows how run down this place is. My guess is that it's been abandoned for at least ten years.










I really wanted to use this pic on etsy but it wouldn't crop right.
As always, there's my beloved vintage Harmony guitar.







If you look at the bottom right corner of the pic you can see we used an old real estate sign to reflect the sunlight to help with the shadows.

makeup fell in the toilet

I was in the middle of listing my new striped tanks on http://evilneedles.etsy.com when I heard a crash in the bathroom. The door then slammed shut abruptly. I ran over to see what happened and my boyfriend was in there on his knees pulling stuff from the toilet.

Turns out, in his morning routine, he knocked one of my makeup bags into the toilet. He tried to save the good stuff (Smashbox primer and a couple of Mac pieces, but it was too late). A couple hundred dollars just went down the drain - literally.

I'll have pics of the tanks up later today - after I go and buy some new makeup.

the Post Office is at it again

As if this move hasn't been enough trouble the Post Office has stuck another thorn in my side. A few days ago they ruined a bag of purse closures that I ordered. I guess they weren't done having fun at my expense because they really got to me with their latest exploit.

When someone moves they usually fill out a change of address form for each person in the house. This change of address form used to be available at the Post Office. You'd fill it out and hand it over to a clerk and all your mail would get forwarded to your new address. NOT ANY MORE!!

Now you have to go online (usps.com) and fill out a change of address form and pay $1.00 per addressee. I had four: me, my boyfriend, my business and my dba. That's a total of four bucks. This really wouldn't have been a big deal if that's all it took.

But wait, there's more. Doing it the old way you could expect your mail to find you in a day or two. Well, I'd been in my new house for 15 days with no mail when I finally got a confirmation from the Post Office - ONE SINGLE CONFIRMATION - not four like I paid for. And it said "if you have not received mail at your new address call 1 800 ask usps" so I called.

They wanted me to re-pay. The guy on the phone accused me of lying about filing the change of address form. He said there was nothing he could do and transferred me to an automated recording to enter my credit card and pay for four more address change requests. I ended up having to call back and gave him one hell of a tongue lashing. The jerk makes at least $40,000 a year to answer phones. YES, $40,000 to answer phones. That's what those criminals at the Post Office get paid JUST TO START. My $4.00 may only be .00001% of that, but when I pay for something I want it.

So I went to my old Post Office. Those people are so worthless they're actually part of the reason I moved. I payed over $12,000 last year in postage and they treated me like a jackass and that's what they did yesterday.

Some cubicle jockey gave me the typical "my hands are tied" speech. So I got a little loud and the Post Master came out. What do you know: I have the receipt and none of my address changes went through and they had a pile of my mail in the back. WORTHLESS!!!! The United States Post Office is worthless and run by incompetent, slack-jawed bottom feeders who all probably took remedial math and barely passed.

Bottom line: I don't expect my mail to get forwarded, that would be too smart a solution. It looks like I'll be driving across town every couple weeks to argue just to get my mail. It's gonna be a long August this year.

more sewing machine troubles

When it comes to sewing machines I'll always recommend Sears (Kenmore) to beginners and even mid-level sewers. They're cheap, easy to use and they get the job done. The problem is that they aren't very reliable. This can be offset by purchasing the extended warranty. The Sears sewing machine warranty is the best in the biz because it's pretty much a "no questions asked" warranty. You simply bring the machine in when it gives you problems and they fix it - at least they try.

I brought one of my machines in three weeks ago. When I got it back it had two new problems and they didn't really fix the original problem, they sort of hid it. I don't want to get into all the problems. I just want to put it out there that my machine is back at the repair shop, but it's not really a big deal because they're fixing it (allegedly) for free.

If you buy a Sears or Kenmore sewing machine get the warranty.

DELAY on the purses

I've been trying to make some new purses for a couple of weeks now and I keep getting road blocked. First one of my machines took a dump, then another one took a dump, then I got the first one back and the guy at the repair shop didn't fix it right.

Today the Post Office joined the "Hey let's ruin Patricia's day" club. I ordered a pack of purse closures - 50 of them. When the package arrived it was torn open, ransacked, and shoved into a plastic bag with the P.O. logo on it and a sterile sotra "we messed up - sucks to be you" note.

Bottom line: I now need more closures before I can get the purses up.

Vintage Record Album Jewelery Boxes

So I just moved into a new place and while I was clearing out the attic I found a box of vintage record album sleeves. There were no records - just the sleeves. I thought about tossing them or hanging them on the wall. But when I noticed my new sewing room was already getting cluttered I decided to turn one into an organizer. It worked out pretty good so I made a few more to post on etsy. They're very decorative and would be at home in any room of your house. Click on the pics for more details.