Spring Bada Bing Recap

What a lovely event on Saturday at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery!



Lots of wonderful handmade items, friendly people, and good beer!



The place was packed from 11 until 5 with people shopping, chatting, and just enjoying the handmade goodness around!



I didn't get a chance to sit down much, which was a good thing! The food trucks were so busy that they ran out of food. WOW! It was a great day and I'm so grateful to all that came out to support the event. It was well organized and the Richmond Craft Mafia does a great job of bringing out the crowds! Looking forward to the next one!

Many thanks to my Dynamo for all of his help packing, loading, and unloading along with lots of encouragement. It's been a busy time getting ready for these past two shows! Thanks to my parents for their help and support and my friends for coming out to support me.

Here are some pics of the other vendors at the show!



















These great utensils...

Easy to make rag ribbon wreaths

So, my mom surprised me with this beautiful rag ribbon wreath!



She had seen some online for sale, but just knew she could make it herself. So, she did! And, it turned out lovely.

It gave me an idea to make a couple as thank you gifts for my volunteers that recently helped me with the Fair. So, here are some of my creations...



I had some ribbon stockpiled along with some tule, so I went to town!



All you have to do is get a grapevine wreath or a foam wreath form and some coordinating ribbon.



Simply cut strips of ribbon and start tying knots side by side around the form. Keep the knots tight together. This will help the wreath to be full and poofy!



Stagger the knots so that the ribbon sticks out at different angles to give it fullness and personality! I think it's easier to see on this fall wreath I made...



It's so simple!!



Ribbon is not cheap, but if you catch the seasonal ribbon on sale or get lucky and find some at a thrift store, you're good to go! I also attached some spiders and other embellishments to make it spookier! Just use some fishing line hold them in place!



My mom is so crafty and clever! What an inspiration to me for this project! And, I just love Halloween, so it was extra fun! Email me if you have questions!

Friday for the Arts this Friday - Stop by to see me!

Friday for the Arts is this Friday, May 11, 2012 from 6 to 10 p.m.!

Stop by to see me at Kimberly Ann's:
246 N. Sycamore St.
Petersburg, VA 23803
(804)586-1633

I'm so excited that Kim has invited me to be a part of Friday for the Arts at her store!

From Kim's e-newsletter:

"Barefoot, Pregnant & Squeaky Clean"

Join us for Babies and Bubbles…

Bid on Handmade Soaps by Rachel Chieppa & a Custom Belly Cast by Zoe Nicole Elston all to benefit The James House

Belly Cast by Zoe Nicole Elston!

Opening Reception: Friday, May 11th – 6pm ‘til 10pm

Purchase luscious handmade soaps crafted by Ms. Chieppa and
meet Ms. Elston, who will be happy to commission a personalized belly cast for the woman with child in your life.

The James House provides cost-free advocacy and support for people who have experienced sexual assault, domestic violence, or stalking and empowers them to become healthy, safe and self-sufficient. Over 1,200 individuals and their families are helped by the James House each year. This organization serves the Tri-Cities including the communities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Petersburg, Dinwiddie, Prince George, Surry, Ettrick, Enon, and Matoaca, as well as the solidiers and their families at Fort Lee. More info: www.thejameshouse.org

Bidding is via a Silent Auction. If you can't be there but would like to bid, please call us at 804-586-1633 and we will submit a bid for you. The auction ends at 10pm on Friday, May 11th.

Hope to see you there!

Lovin' Color

So, a week or so ago I made another batch of the ever-so-popular lavender chamomile soap! This is my TOP seller by far! It is easy to see why! One sniff and you're hooked! It's just so soft and gentle. Even the men like it!



But, this time I wanted to jazz it up a bit with a new color technique I learned.



And...I really like the result! It's more fun and eye catching!



I just love the soft colors of blue, lavender, yellow and cream!



I think it makes it look even yummier!



I can't wait to see what the customers think!



There are two options for customers now! We'll see how the reactions are and that will determine whether I keep up the colors or not.



I personally like the colors. Using color in my soaps really allows me to be creative and different..What do you think?

a few more watercolor cards

I finished up a few more watercolor thank you cards.



This one makes me think she's howling at the moon!





Hope you have a lovely weekend! Thanks for reading!

wrapping up in color

We wanted to thank our doctor for everything she did to fix Lexi. So, I got to work making an afghan for her. I wanted it to be brightly colored to remind her when she looks at it how many lives she brightens each day in her job. Even though she doesn't always deliver good news, she does try her hardest everday. It is very evident. I wanted her to know that we appreciate how special she is.



So, I was thinking bright colors and a big flower as a reminder to her to think good things even when times are bad.



I apologize some of the pictures aren't too clear!



Of course, we also will be giving her some soap for her and her furry kid!

trust journal pages

Just wanted to share some of my recent journaling pages...