(giveaway opportunity + newsletter signup)

Hello, lovelies!

I just wanted to let you know that I'm helping Lauren

with a giveaway to celebrate 1,000 followers on her blog...

You could win a ruffled headwrap, and you get to choose the one you like best!

Check out the giveaway here.

Also, be sure to sign up for the Petunia Blooms newsletter;

as soon as I get these headwraps listed in the shop,

I'll be sending out a newsletter with a special discount code just for subscribers!

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a date at Ringling.

a planned picnic date yesterday turned into an

unplanned afternoon at the Ringling Museum of Art...

I loved all the colors & patterns, the amazing Ca' d'Zan mansion,

but mostly just spending time with my man on his day off. ;)

hope you all had a simply lovely weekend!

about a craft fair.

I've been putting this off all week, because I don't really know how

to write about it without rambling like a crazy person...

but I'm just going to jump in. Bear with me, okay?

Last Saturday was the craft fair I've been working towards for a couple months.

I put a LOT of work into this. It kept me busy, & I sewed my heart out.

{I didn't have a real camera with me, but at least I did get a few pictures}

{me with my table. the bunting on the tent was one of my favorite parts!}

My mind works best when I make a list,

so here's a few things I wanted to share.

• make a list. {obviously. ;)} you don't want to get there & realize you forgot something important. make yourself a list, check it twice.

• it doesn't hurt to be over-prepared. I tried to think of anything that could go wrong, anything I might need to make things go smoothly, tons of dollar bills for change-making, extra price signs just in case, pens, sunscreen, water, snacks.
• be prepared for weather-related issues. I was able to borrow my tent from someone at church, and I am so grateful! the sun would have been brutal otherwise. bring sunscreen & plenty of water! we also had a few issues with wind; we actually taped down signs & displays so they wouldn't get blown away {I was very thankful I had brought regular tape + packing tape}.

• get someone to help you. I am SO thankful that my sister agreed to come with me! I couldn't have done it without her. She helped getting the tent & the table set up, talking to customers, staying at the booth so I could walk around, getting lunch, etc, etc. {Thanks, Jessica!}

• add some height to your display. my table was FAR from elaborate, and I actually did enjoy the simplicity of it. but, you don't want everything laid out on the table the same way...I used a plate stand, picture frame clip holder, baskets & a jewelry hanger to add some height & interest. I had one customer comment that she liked how everything had a specific place on the table. I think it made it less overwhelming to look through things.
• model your product. this one ended up being super important! I wore one of my new ruffled headwraps, and I was SO glad I did - the ones being sold were laying out on the table, and a lot of people didn't know what they were. It was so much easier to be able to show them being worn instead of just trying to explain it. {I said, "they just tie on, super easy & comfortable!" about a million times. ;)} my sister wore a bloom pin, so we were each showing off some product.
• don't be shy. smile! this is a big one for me. I am really shy, and I have a hard time talking to strangers. Plus, it can be kind of awkward, especially when an older lady doesn't want to take a business card because "I can make all this stuff myself." Oh. But, the longer I talked to people, the more confident I felt. I even made a new friend!

• remind customers about business cards. this was super hard for me, too, but, if we wouldn't have invited people to take business cards, I don't think anyone would have picked one up! It's also a good idea to share things like newsletter sign-ups {failed at this one} and any special pricing/deals you have for the day.
• don't get discouraged! there were definitely good parts of the craft fair. I got a LOT of compliments on my work, handed out quite a few business cards, got to interact with people, etc. But, as far as making a profit? Honestly, I didn't. And that made me really, really discouraged. As I sewed & prepared for the event, I had visions of selling a ton of my stuff, I made sure I had different price points so people would be likely to buy, & I even had some great deals going on. I just didn't sell that much. And that's hard. It's hard for me to admit it, hard to be positive about it. All that being said, I'm still glad that I was able to participate, if for nothing else than to learn.

I know that I'm not an expert on this,

but I hope that something in this post will be helpful for someone.

Thanks so much for sticking with me & reading through!

shop Petunia Blooms.

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happy weekend, lovelies.


linking up with Alissa today because if we were having coffee,
this is definitely what I'd tell you about. :)

shop the sale!

Yesterday, I shared some photos on Instagram,

selling some really adorable stuff at reduced prices!

I wanted to give my blog readers a chance to shop, too...

everyone loves a good deal, right? ;)

If you see something you just have to have,

leave me a comment with the product

+ the number of the one(s) you'd like

and your PayPal email address.

shipping is $1 each (so you even get a deal on that!),

and if you purchase 3+ items, shipping will just be $3 even.

feel free to email me if you have any questions!

(you can also reach me through twitter.)

pretty little bow hair clips, just $6 a pair

(these are usually $4 each!)

yoyo bobby pins, $5 a pair 

(#2 has already been spoken for)

petal hair clips, $10 each OR 2 for $15

bloom brooches (pins), $10 each

pretty ruffled pouches, $10 each

pretty ruffled wristlets, $12 each

everything is first come, first served,

and I'll update this post when something sells

so you know what is still available.

Thank you so much, lovelies!

& if you'd like to follow me on Instagram,

I'm thesweetpetunia.

I'll be posting more sales there soon! ;)

monday.

{lovely lilies from my favorite guy}

It was a long weekend.

Don't worry, I'll be blogging about the

craft fair soon, but today, it's just this.

a 3+ mile walk this morning.

coffee and some great Truths from scripture.

lunchtime by myself while the mister is busy at work.

cleaning. our little home is a mess.

a visit from my dear friend planned for later.

trying to plan and figure out how to implement a newsletter

& FB page in the best way for my business. 

{anyone have any tips? I'm overwhelmed!}

dinner out with the mister & a couple of his coworkers.

and hopefully some sweet snuggles with my sweet husband. :)

Hope your Monday is lovely, friend.

*****

speaking of a newsletter, I finally decided to create one for Petunia Blooms,

but I'm still working on something special to send out for the first one.

{hopefully to be sent later this week!}

I'm sure most of you have a full inbox already, but I would love it if you signed up!

My goal is to send out an occasional update & have some

exclusive, newsletter-only deals for you.

sign up here!

thank you!

excited + nervous

The craft fair that I've been getting ready for is tomorrow!!

I feel like I was sewing myself silly. ;)

Here's just a peek at some of the prettiness I'll have at my table...

I'm really excited. But also really, really nervous.

I did a craft fair back in October, but it was small, at my church,

and I knew most of the people who came.

This one has 60+ vendors!!

But, I hope it will go well, and that I'll learn a lot.

And I'm hoping & praying it doesn't rain!

If you live in the area, all the info for the event can be found here.

I'd love it if you stopped by!

Also, I'm working on a post with tips for craft fairs,

and since I don't have a lot of experience,

I want to know what your #1 tip/suggestion is!

Leave me a comment & I'll be sure to link to you. :)

made: my first quilt!

I had been wanting to make a quilt for a while,

but it was a project I was a little afraid to take on by myself.

I'd also been wanting to take some kind of sewing class, just for fun,

but the classes offered at Jo-Ann's weren't really cutting it for me.

Then I discovered a little quilt shop less than 10 minutes from our house,

and they were offering a beginner quilting class...

I ended up getting the last spot in the class!

I'm so glad I took the class. It was a lot of fun, and it was nice to

get out of the house for the morning, learn something new & make something pretty!

We made smaller quilts, "snuggle-sized", and I was really glad that

we went through every single step, right down to the binding

(which was the part that confused me at first).

It's not perfect, but now I have a beautiful quilt

& the skills learned to make another one very soon!

on sale!

I added some new pretties to the shop over the weekend,

and the good news for you is that they are all on sale!

adorable headbands for $6 and $8, and even a few clutches for only $10!

be sure to check out the sale section; I'd love it if you did a little shopping! ;)

the craft fair is coming up this weekend,

and hopefully after that I'll be able to list even more products.

so excited to share some of the new things I've been working on!

beautiful messes.

I spent most of yesterday afternoon crafting,

working on Mother's Day gifts & making cards

for moms, graduates & birthdays.

I used some of my favorite washi tapes,

and even though I made a mess, I had to snap a picture.

Finding beautiful in the mess is important, don't you think?

Hope you all have a simply wonderful weekend!

little things.

sometimes the little things are just my favorite...

...like going to see The Avengers on a Saturday morning,

and then enjoying lunch out with my man.

...like maxi dresses & cute sandals on a Sunday.

...like cute new business cards in the mail.

...like my new favorite necklace, worn 3 times in the past week.

...like a $2 caramel frappuccino during happy hour.

...and like the lovely pink roses & lilies my sweet husband

sent me to celebrate 7 months of marriage yesterday.

these are the things I don't want to forget.

(made) a colored pencil roll

It's no secret that I love to make gifts instead of just buying them.

My niece's 8th birthday is tomorrow, and even though her gift will be late,

I still wanted to make her something cute + useful.

My sister-in-law suggested a crayon roll;

I made once for another niece a couple of years ago and it was a big hit.

But since this niece is turning 8, not 3,

I decided to go for colored pencils instead of crayons.

It turned out SO adorable!

I hope she's going to love it. :)

I used The Pleated Poppy's crayon roll tutorial,

which is a really great one; I would highly recommend it if you want to make one!

I just changed up the measurements a little to fit pencils.

for the inside/outside/flannel lining pieces

8" x 16"

pocket piece

10" x 16"

instead of stitching the pockets 1" apart,

I did them 3/4" apart.

{with these measurements, I made 18 pencil pockets + some extra fabric,

which I just trimmed off so I would have an even number of pockets}

You can use those measurements + Lindsey's tutorial to make your own

colored pencil roll! They really do make wonderful gifts. ;)

*****

linking up with Elizabeth today!

thoughts & Truth.

I read this passage this week from Lies Women Believe

{by Nancy Leigh DeMoss}, and I just had to share:

"His Word is Truth, and if I am to defeat the stronghold of Satan's lies in my life,

I need to saturate my life with God's Word. I cannot make it without consistent time

exposing my mind and heart to the Truth of God's Word."

It spoke to my heart, really.

There are some issues that I struggle with,

some places in my soul where Truth should dwell.

Some lies that I have been believing.

I am so thankful that His Truth sets me free.

{if you've never read Lies Women Believe,

I would highly, highly recommend it.}

happy weekend, friends.

{currently loving} my bike!

I don't think I've mentioned it here on the blog yet,

but my mister bought me a bike about a month ago!

I've been loving it.

It's a nice change of pace after walking and running for exercise,

and I think it's a lot more fun than running. ;)

What about you? What kind of exercise is the most fun for you?

linking up with Krystina for the first time in a while; hurray!