Mircowave Girl

Santa's Coming to Town

2008-11-09T18:49:00.008-05:00

If only Christmas weren't another 6 weeks away! I have been anxiously awaiting the holiday season to start since the middle of the summer. I have most of my shopping done (I buy Christmas presents all year long), a brand new artificial tree and ornaments, and best of all I finished printing all of my Christmas cards. But wait, there's more! This year I added ornaments and gift tags to my Christmas collection, and next week I'll have matching gift bags and pillow boxes printed.

It's Craft Fair Time Again!

2008-05-01T21:57:00.007-04:00

It's time once again for me to shamelessly promote the craft sales I am participating in this summer. The first one is Pink it the Plaza on Saturday May 17th. It's a part of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Charlotte, NC. You can learn more about the show by visiting their website pinkattheplaza.com.

I am super excited about the Indie Craft Experience on June 7th. It's going to be at the same location as last year, Centinneal Olympic Park in Atlanta. As always I will be joined by my sister who helps out during summer shows, but this year there will be someone else in my tent. Cadi from Turnip Creations will be selling her jewelry along side me. It should be an awesome show as usual. Learn more about it at ice-atlanta.com

Allyson's Designs

2007-12-06T18:33:00.000-05:00

I've decided to start posting featured artist once a month. December's featured Artist is Allyson of Allyson's Designs. She is one of my most favorite jewelry designers ever.
I had the pleasure of hanging out with her during the Indie Craft Experience Holiday Shopping Spectacular, where I got to see some of her latest jewelry designs. I especially like her award pins, made from vintage ribbons.

You can purchase her work through her etsy store (http://allysonsdesigns.etsy.com) , or visit her website (allysons-designs.com)

I am my own biggest fan

2007-11-26T16:38:00.000-05:00

I just finished a set of thank you cards that I have been working on for quite some time. They are everything I wanted them to be.
Sometimes you just have to toot your own horn.

A tale of two craft fairs

2007-11-21T23:04:00.001-05:00

Saturday was the Indie Craft experience holiday shopping spectacular and the B Complex in Atlanta. It was a very busy day, there were tons of shoppers and tons of crafters. My neighbors were super nice ladies, the Knit Girl and Kidsizzle.
After the Indie Craft Experience was over I drove to Savannah for the Mutation fair. It was a welcome change after the slightly chilly and very packed ICE . Mutation was held in a parking lot where there was plenty of room to spread out, and the weather was perfect. One of the tables adjacent to mine was Stinky Lou Lou (aka Kitsch niche on etsy) Across from me was The Family Chicken, so I got to spend a fair amount of time ogling her fantastic vases.

Crazy Craft Fair Weekend

2007-11-12T13:14:00.000-05:00

Next Saturday is the Indie Craft Experience in Atlanta. It's my 4th time as an ICE participant; there is always a great turnout and tons of fabulous handmade items. Call me crazy, but as soon as ICE is done I'm packing up my car and driving to Savannah to participate in the Mutation fair on Sunday. I participated in Mutation last October, and liked it so much that I couldn't decide if I wanted to participate in it or the Indie Craft Experience, so I'm doing both!

Thank you Rare Bird Finds!

2007-11-12T12:49:00.000-05:00

Microwave Girl has been featured in Rare Bird finds (an awesome shopping blog) for the Mr. Mustache cards I sent out for the November sampler's media samples.

They also featured my "you rock my socks" cards back in February. Be warned if you visit their blog- I alway walk away with a long list of things I really really NEED to buy.

It's party time again

2007-11-12T11:24:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday was the second annual Jump! fall party. I helped a little with the planning and made the invitations. They were designed around the time that I was also picking blueberries every day in my front yard, can you tell?

The Sampler is here!

2007-11-08T00:20:00.000-05:00

Hooray! I got my sampler in the mail today. There is a ton of cool stuff inside, and lots of websites to check out. I received one because I made a contribution for the November sampler. I sent in 100 of my "you rock my socks" cards. I hope they make someone's trip to the mailbox as fun as mine was today!

A Blast From The Past

2007-11-05T10:45:00.000-05:00

I bought an awesome old slide projector, complete with hundreds of someone's old vacation slides, at an antique market a year ago. I brought it home, rifled through the slides a bit, and then promptly forgot about it. For some reason I thought the man who sold it to me said the projector needed a new bulb, so I never even plugged it in. It took a friend asking what it was for me to even take it out of the case, and lo and behold- it works. It smells horrible, like your grandmother's musty old basement, but it makes a really nice sound when you advance a slide.
I somehow wound up with a slide carousel, even though this machine uses a different type of tray, and I already had a case full of glass slides (that won't work either) from a previous thrift store purchase. They are mostly vacation photos from the 1970's, but the glass slides are from the 1950s. I think I'll remount them and use them as inspiration for some paintings sometime in the future.

Happy Birthday Axel!

2007-11-03T22:34:00.000-04:00

Axel (who was the inspiration for the Happy Birthday card above) turned one year old today. We had a party for him, and invited some friends and a boston named Hansel. I made them "pup cakes" with muffin-cup-liner-shaped ramekins filled with dog food. I "iced" them with easy cheese (Axel thinks it's fantastic, I think it's revolting) and then topped them with a dehydrated chicken treat. They were a big hit with the boys.

After Axel and Hansel met and had their treats, Axel was humped in the face for an hour or so. I'm sure he would have liked it to have been a little less one sided, but he just couldn't seem to get a grip on Hansel; he's a slippery little fellow. Once they got that out of their systems, they had fun playing a bit before Hansel had to go back home.

Buster!

2007-11-02T14:48:00.000-04:00

The Crafting Patch Market wasn't quite as busy as we had all hoped, but it was a fun day in the park. My sister helped me out, and brought Buster (who is a shih tzu/poodle mix) to be our mascot. She had 3 dogs to choose from, but Buster won the "who wants to go to the park" contest by a landslide. Roxanne couldn't have cared less, and Riley didn't try very hard at all. We met a bunch of awesome crafters, and we had really great booth neighbors.
While we were there, Smoky Mountian Fibers introduced us to the wonderful world of needle felting, and we spent the next two days making needle felting food items.

My Bad

2007-11-01T16:36:00.000-04:00

It's been a while; I'm sorry for neglecting you blog. Here's a card from my newly finished set: Lil' Critters Cards For All Occasions. There are seven cards total, each featuring a different critter saying either "Thank You", "Get well soon", "Happy Birthday", "Happy Anniversary", "Congratulations", "Hello", or "My Bad".

The Crafting Patch

2007-10-07T22:37:00.000-04:00

The Crafting Patch Market is this weekend! I'm super excited to be able to participate. There will be some great Etsy sellers, and best of all it's in Charlotte so I get to see my family while I'm at there.

Hooray! They're Finally Here!

2007-09-26T19:33:00.000-04:00

The 2008 Microwave Girl Christmas Card!

I'm super stoked. I LOVE making Christmas cards, and these are the best ones yet! They will be available in my Etsy store, kateisgreat80.etsy.com.

Busted!

2007-09-25T18:13:00.001-04:00

Meet Rocket (the cat) and Axel (the dog). They are sworn enemies. Yet, this morning I found these two cuddled up in bed after I got out of the shower, noticeably closer together than they were before I got into the shower. They actually have a great deal in common, and if the cat ever figures out how warm the dog is I'm sure they will be best cuddle buddy friends.
*Here's an updated picture from 9/26/07, just one day and they are TOTALLY snuggling. How can they be so content at night and still fight all day?*

Crafting 365

2007-09-24T21:38:00.001-04:00

Today I joined crafting 365 on flickr. You're supposed to craft a little every day and post of picture of what you have done. My picture for the day is the first step of my Christmas cards for this year. The first batch will be finished soon and I will be ready to take orders for more.

I'm it.

2007-09-22T02:03:00.000-04:00

Uh Oh.
I’ve been tagged twice now. Once by Project Felt (about 10 days ago, oops) and once by Clay In The Hands So here we go then, 7 random facts about me:

1. I have a dog named Axel, and I taught him to dance. We like to dance to Queen when no one else is home.
2. I cannot wag my tail. This isn’t entirely true, since I don’t actually have a tail, but if I did I wouldn’t be able to wag it. This was discovered when I was very young and had and MRI. I am missing a bone covering in my lower back that affects me in no way other than the inability to wag my non-tail (that’s how the doctor explained it to my mother and me at any rate). You can just consider me more highly evolved than you.
3. To continue with the physical abnormalities, I can roll my tongue into not one, but three loops, making a clover-type shape. My husband can do it too. I once told a coworker that we liked to make out like that and the girl standing next to me started laughing and hit her head on a ladder. (FYI, I’m pretty sure it would be impossible to make out while rolling your tongue, but I’ve never tried.)
4. I quit smoking exactly 617 days ago, and it still sucks.
5. I have a collection of fake credit cards. Whenever I get one in the mail that says “your name here” I keep it. I like it when it is a completely transparent card but there isn’t a magnetic strip or signature line.
6. Taco night is my FAVORITE. And tonight was taco night! What a great day!
7. When I am cutting something with scissors, I bite my teeth when the scissors close. I don’t do it so much anymore since my friends mocked me quite a bit for it, but it still catch myself doing it sometimes. I do wonder if I have been doing it my whole life; no one pointed it out until college. Although my mom always says “you have to hold your mouth right” to get some things done, I wonder if she knew and never told me.

Now I have to tag.
Here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about YOU: some random, some weird...all devastatingly interesting.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

Except I don't really feel like it right now. It's late and I'm tired. Maybe I'll do it later, but I doubt it. I'm lazy and going out of town this weekend.

Craft Show Check List

2007-09-17T14:58:00.000-04:00

It’s going to be a very busy fall with all the craft shows coming up, which means I need to start getting ready. On more than one occasion I have forgotten very important things, but this list helps me to cut down on making a mad dash back to my house to pick up what I forgot (or sending my poor husband to do it for me).

Table & Chairs Unless they are provided
Tent For outdoor events. Also bring some water jugs to use as weights so your tent won’t blow away, and have a plan for protecting your merchandise if it starts to rain.
Table Cloth Make sure it covers the sides of your table so you can stash all of your boxes underneath. I made one for my table that has my shop name on the front.
Banner Great for hanging on your tent at outdoor shows, or for your table at indoor shows so people know who you are.
Display fixtures In my case this is a card rack and a magnet display. Even if you don’t have any display fixtures, try to create height on your table. I use boxes that are covered in the same fabric as my tablecloth.
Merchandise Make sure it is clearly priced. Also think about how you are going to carry your merchandise and display fixtures. I put everything I can in suitcases with wheels so I make fewer trips back and forth to the car, and I don’t have to carry as much.
Lint Roller For fabric merchandise and your table cloth.
Business cards I also have stickers and 1" pins to give away.
Scissors
Tape Packing tape and scotch tape is all I have ever needed.
Clothes pins Bull dog clips are also good to have.
Twine
Cooler, drinks, and food Some places have snacks, some don’t. Better safe than sorry. I also like to put out a bowl of candy for customers if there is room on my table.
Paper towels You probably won’t need an entire roll, but I like to have a few on hand in case of spills
Money apron I use this instead of a cash box. It has three pockets for cash, and a small pocket for quarters.
Cash Bring more than you think you will need. I have run out of change before and lost a few sales before my husband could bring me more.
Calculator Make sure the batteries are good.
Receipt Book
Bags Some events provide bags for shoppers, but I bring my own just in case. I use the “thank you” bags that you can buy at any office supply store.
Notebook For a mailing list sign up and last minute signs.
Pens Bring extra. People accidently walk off with your mailing list pens.
Price tags
Inventory list This is really optional. It’s how I keep track of what I have sold; I just mark things off of the list. I used to write everything in a receipt book, but this is much faster, and lets me get back to helping customers more quickly.
Garbage bag For your garbage and your customer’s. Even though it’s really not nice, some customers will leave their garbage on your table.
Allergy medicine and sun screen For outdoor events.
Hand sanitizer Hopefully you’ll be handling money all day, and money is very dirty.
Camera It’s not vital, but I like to get some pictures of my booth and the rest of the event.
A good friend It’s nice to have someone sit with you, and watch your table so you can go to the bathroom.
Something to do For those times that your booth isn’t slammed with customers, it’s nice to have something to do other than twiddle your thumbs. I like to make extra price tags or my afro baby magnets.
Everything you need to process credit cards Make sure you have your card imprinter, slips, and that you take down all of the customer’s information you need to process the cards (like the billing zip code)

R.I.P. David the Gnome

2007-09-05T13:58:00.000-04:00

David the Gnome came to live with my husband and me when we first moved to Atlanta four years ago. He was a good gnome, and will be missed. His death came as a surprise; he was knocked over by our puppy, Axel. His arm fell off, and was partially eaten. David was the last of the Gnomes that lived in our back yard. His brother (also named David) died a year ago in a tragic basketball accident that crushed his skull.

Coming Soon...

2007-09-03T00:01:00.001-04:00

Over the past few months I have been concentrating on adding new greeting card designs to my store. In June I added four new card designs and a postcard set, and there are lots more on the way. These designs are a sneak peek at what's to come. Each will be a part of their own 5 card series.

5 reasons I love Playstation 3

2007-09-02T00:48:00.000-04:00

1. My husband has stopped playing World of Warcraft and is now playing Playstation 3 games. This may not seem like an improvement, but it is. Now I can sit next to him on the couch, he doesn't wear that stupid headset anymore (most of the time) and he can hit "pause" whenever he needs to.

2. You can't have a Playstation 3 without having a fancy new TV. At least that's my husband's opinion, so now we have a new TV.

3. I get to play Puzzle Fighter again, and it's new and improved. The game isn't really any different, but I can play against people online.

4. We are spending time in the living room for the first time since we moved into our house 10 months ago. We threw out all of our crappy college furniture when we got this house and started from scratch, bought a new couch and worked hard to make the room nice, and then abandoned it for the computer room/studio. It's nice to be in there again.

5. It's wireless. And I don't mean I love having wireless controllers and internet connection, I mean I love not having wires everywhere getting tangled up and looking messy. I get enough of that with my computer desk.

Always a Bridesmaid...

2007-08-31T20:42:00.000-04:00

It's that time again. Somebody's getting married and I get to be a bridesmaid, but this time I also got to make the wedding invitations. This was by far the most complicated gocco project I have ever undertaken (I used 10 screens total), but they turned out great.

Best Purchase Ever.

2007-08-30T19:48:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I am beyond thrifty. There are a few things that I refuse to skimp on(toilet paper, for example), but I usually cringe at the thought of spending my hard earned money. After weeks of agonizing about whether or not I should spend $400 to get this craft armoire I finally caved. This piece of furniture has changed my life. Before I had unorganized stacks of fabric and supplies covering an entire room, now it's all right there at my fingertips, and tucks away out of sight when I'm not working. I was skeptical at first. I didn't think that even half of my stuff would fit inside, but I have room to spare. It even has a power strip built in. This is hands down my most favorite purchase of all time.

The Legend of Microwave Girl

2007-08-29T23:44:00.001-04:00

When I was a kid, my parents had an ugly avocado green oven/ microwave combo appliance. The microwave was suspended over the stove much like modern day over-the-range microwaves. I liked to stand on the kitchen stool and watch my food cook, which was really not very interesting considering that there wasn't even a rotating plate in the microwave- only a light.
One night when I was 5 years old, I was watching my food cook with my face pressed firmly against the door. Lightning struck the house. No damage was done except our TV died with a loud bang and a very small amount of smelly smoke, and the light in the microwave never worked again. My father is a bit of a hypochondriac, and thought that something must be wrong with me after that incident. Microwaves create radiation after all, but it had no effect on me. I think it is an injustice that nothing happened to me though. Spider man was bitten by a radioactive spider and he got super powers. Where are MY super powers?
So "Microwave Girl" is my superhero name even though I have no super powers whatsoever. It's also the name of my company. I have a shop on etsy (kateisgreat80.etsy.com) where you can buy all of my super, but not super powerful, handmade merchandise. Ironically, I did not own a microwave at all for quite some time. I finally bought one last month, and I love it.