Battlecreek Boutique - Fall Show

After a long (LONG) summer of the Farmer's Market, I'm pleased to say that I am doing Battlecreek Boutique once again. Why does this make me so happy? Well, for one - I don't have be there the entire time, as it's based on a cashier system. For another - I get to sell more stuff, silly.

No, but in all seriousness, some may remember that I did Battlecreek this past April. It was my first ever experience of selling in an open venue. Sure, etsy is safe and relatively unattached, but in a place where people can actually see and touch your creations? So exciting!

And sometimes a little disappointing. Last time, there was a moment in which I was "pretending" to look at my stuff so other people would come and be interested in what I was looking at (let's be realistic, it happens). I didn't tell anyone that it was my booth unless they asked. One lady (who did not ask) said some hurtful things about my jewelry, and I was astonished that she would even go as far as to say something like that out loud, but much less to someone she didn't know. But, regardless of her atrocious attitude, I did remarkably well for my first experience and then decided to continue on with other venues - such as the Farmer's Market.

When the opportunity arose to do Battlecreek's Fall show I jumped on it. I knew I wanted to improve upon what I had going last time, even if it still isn't top-professional grade like some other people's booths tend to be. I'm here to make money, not spend it on outrageously expensive walls and decor to present my stuff. That being said, I still tried my best to make it look presentable.

(ignore the unfinished corkboards, please :) Those were to be my project earlier this week, but I had some unavoidable issues with school that came up and made it impossible for me to doll them up)

Angled view of the booth. I had the 5x8, but it ended up being about 6x8 in most areas.
We got a little cut off on the far left side due to an unexpected table placement on the other side.

This N That Creations by Nikki

Crocheted hats by Touque

Adorable magnets by This N That by Nikki - Only $1!

I forgot to take a picture of my own display... the easiest explanation I can think of to that is that I am running on dangerously low levels of sleep right now ;) I will take one and be sure to add it to this post later. Special thanks to Allison J. for making sure everything looks as good as it does. Without her, I would have... well, I don't know what I would have done.

Everyone, please come by! Even if you aren't interested in what my booth has to offer, there are other fabulous finds at Battlecreek.

New Inventory for 8/18/2012

I ordered new inventory pieces a couple of weeks ago, and a few (or 12) came in the mail yesterday. I was starting to get worried that I wouldn't have the time (or anything) to put anything together for the market this weekend, but I fortunately did.

Here are just a few:



Miniature bronze bows, steampunk bronze robots, and Tibetan silver Eiffel Towers.

Sexy lady cats & elephant heads.



Pirate themed! Or gothic. Or emo. Or whatever. Skulls, helms, and a combo!



It's never the wrong time to be patriotic... or just wear a funky hot air balloon on your head.



And finally - old fashioned steampunk high wheel bikes.
(I actually thought I ordered the miniature version, but I kind of like the large size!)


See you on Saturday!

Luke Wilson = Mary Ann Angell Reincarnate?

According to the photo that The Cultural Hall put up on facebook this morning, my great-great-great-great grandmother - Mary Ann Angell looks just like Luke Wilson.

They're right.

P.S. Mary Ann Angell was the second wife of Brigham Young.

Provo Farmers Market

This year has been interesting. Among normal yearly activities, I started my own jewelry business while taking an 18 credit semester. Not the wisest timing, but it has turned out to work in my favor. I got all A's and A-'s in my classes and was ready to do my first craft show on the very last day of the semester. Sure, I had next-to-no life, but I gained life-experience, and there's something to say for that... right? Who needs friends when you have flat back posts, industrial strength glue, and resin flowers to piece together? ;)

 (sorry for the poor quality - almost all of these photos were taken on my phone)

That show went okay. Yeah, just okay. I'm proud of the mediocre success I had, considering it was my first time selling in a public venue, and it at least made me back enough to have spending money on my much needed Caribbean cruise. But, in retrospect it was a dump. I think I knew it at the time, too, I just didn't want to discourage myself, so I kept telling myself that I was doing AWESOME. Awesomely bad.

I almost stopped my business venture right there. I was in the hole financially and I knew I would have to spend quite a bit of money to make it to a good place with my finances... but, was I prepared to do that? I don't know if it was pure-dumb-luck or straight up lack-of-self-control addiction but I decided to give it another go.

I took a month off to prepare new inventory before opening a booth at the Provo Farmer's Market. If you haven't been yet, you need to go! It's small, but it's eclectic and fun. There are craft vendors, farmers (yeah, for real! ;)), and amazing food: stone-fire pizza, authentic Mexican tacos, waffles, crepes, etc... And everyone is prepared to give you a killer deal. Me included. 

See my booth there? Cute, in'it? My regular prices range from $1-$14, and I often times have 50% sales. Got your attention? That means that the majority of my inventory is sometimes only $1.50, and some even only .50 (those are a popular seller!). I'm glad I decided to keep going. I currently bring in more money from six hours on a Saturday than I do during an entire week of part-time work during the semester, so it's been a huge blessing in my life. 

That pure-dumb-luck has paid off :)

Apple Spice Cupcakes

I have a good friend named Kristen, who is a gorgeous and impressive mother of six children, ages seven and under: including a set of twins and a set of triplets. She's simply amazing.

It was her birthday this week, and I wanted to make her something special. She works around the clock to keep her teething triplets and older children happy, and I think that makes her worthy of special treatment every day, but especially on her birthday. I also wanted to try something new, and I thought I might be gambling with this one, but it turn out surprisingly well! 

I recently spotted a recipe for stuffed black forest cupcakes... however, I'm not a fan of non-fresh cherries (it's one of the few foods I refuse to eat) and decided to make the recipe with a twist. A box of spice cake. A can of apple pie filling. Stuffed with cream cheese. Apple butter frosting. Drizzled with caramel. YUM!

Ingredients:

1 box of spice cake 
1 can of apple pie filling (diced)
2 (8 oz each) packages of cream cheese (softened)
1 egg
2 tbs sugar
4 tbs apple butter (start with this amount and add more if you like a more bold flavor - I personally double it)
1 stick butter or margarine (softened)
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 lb caramels, melted in some milk and confectioners sugar



Frosting: Make the frosting first! This will give it a chance to set up and make it easier to work with. Blend 1 package of cream cheese, confectioners sugar, butter/margarine, and the apple butter. Let set up in the fridge.

Directions: Prepare the cake mix as directed on the box, and line two muffin tins with cupcake liners (should make at least 24). Blend the remaining package of cream cheese, egg, and sugar. Spoon 1.5 tablespoons of batter into each liner, topped with 2 tsps of the cream cheese spread and a small spoonful of the pie filling. Fill the remainder (almost to the top of the liner) with more cake batter. Repeat for all remaining cupcakes. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

 (before the top layer was put on)

Let the cupcakes cool before frosting them. If you have any left over pie filling, you can pipe the frosting in a circle and garnish with the pie filling, or simply frost them how you please. Melt the caramels with a little bit of milk and some confectioners sugar and drizzle over the top of the cupcakes. The more milk you add, the runnier it will be, so start off small and work your way up.


Let sit in the fridge overnight (though, you should wait to drizzle with caramel until you're ready to eat them)- this will allow the cupcakes to set completely, and will make them very moist!

Southwestern Scrambled Omelet

I know, I know. Omelets aren't scrambled. Well, mine is. I'm usually too impatient and too busy to have the time to spend on making such masterpieces, but I don't mind :) I think what this recipe is just as good as any ol' omelet. What I like about this recipe is that as a poor and busy college student, I can make the mix on Sunday night and have it last through Friday or Saturday morning. If you use it for your family, it only takes as long as it takes to cook the chicken breast and to scramble the mix. Because it is scrambled, you can do smaller portions and use it as a side to pancakes or waffles, or use a whole meal.

Ingredients:

12 eggs

1/2 cup of milk

1 cooked and cubed chicken breast

Your choice of vegetables

1 cup shredded cheese (optional)

Salsa (optional)

Directions: Thaw and cube the chicken breast, and cook thoroughly. While chicken breast is cooking, crack the eggs in a medium sized bowl, and use a whisk to gently break up the eggs. Add the milk, shredded cheese, and your choice of diced vegetables. (For these pictures I just used olives, which is all I had on hand, but I sometimes use tomatoes, broccoli, and red and green bell peppers. The more vegetables you use, the heartier of a scramble you'll have.)

Scramble the mix as you would regular eggs. Portion out the scrambled omelet eggs on plates and garnish with salsa, or use salt and pepper in lieu of salsa. This also tastes great on toast or rolled up in a warm tortilla.

This recipe costs only as much as you put into it :)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bonbons

These are likely the least glamorous of my "creations," nevertheless, they are quite tasty :) The title pretty much says it all - chocolate chip cookie dough (with oatmeal) covered in chocolate. It's a common mistake to think a bonbon refers to chocolate coated ice cream, but these will knock the socks off of you, even if my pictures aren't super pretty.

This recipe can be made just as easily and yumm-ily with regular chocolate chip cookie dough - I just have a personal preference for oatmeal in the mix.

Being a poor college student who was fresh out of floor and oatmeal, I did what any poor person would do and bought a Betty Crocker mix instead of replenishing my store. Sure, in the long run it would probably have been cheaper to just buy the floor and oatmeal, but I didn't. However, you can use whatever recipe, mix, or prepared cookie dough your heart desires!

To omit the raw egg aspect, I substituted the one egg that the mix called for with 3/8 cup of milk. If that math is a little too wacky for you, it's one 1/4 of a cup and a half of another 1/4 of a cup.

Ingredients:

Chocolate chip oatmeal cookie dough

Milk

Chocolate Almond Bark*

Vanilla Almond Bark*

Directions: 

Prepare cookie dough as directed on the package or in your recipe book. Omit the egg by replacing it with enough milk to keep it as moist as necessary to stay glued together, but not so much that the dough is runny.

Roll the cookie dough into small balls using a melon baller or a tablespoon. Freeze cookie dough balls in the freezer for about half an hour (they can be stacked on each other).

 

Melt two squares of chocolate almond bark in the microwave, in 30 second intervals. Dip frozen cookie dough balls in the almond bark and lay out on a piece of wax paper (they will stick to any other surface and break when you try to remove them). Drizzle with melted vanilla almond bark.

Pop them back into the freezer for a few minutes to harden them up again and they'll be ready to enjoy!

To buy all the ingredients necessary, this can cost anywhere from $3-$10. I had everything on hand, minus the cookie dough, so I got away with it for only $1.60.

* I prefer to use almond bark for dipping things, because it is thinner and spreads further than chocolate chips. One package of almond bark is more expensive than chocolate chips (by about $1), but it spreads further, drizzles more easily, and is softer to bite into :) You are, most definitely, welcome to use chocolate chips instead.