On Fire For Handmade

I am sooo excited to be featured in Great Finds - Rich Fall Colors!  My chili, rust and brown slouchy hat is in good company in this amazing collection of handmade items.  Please check them all out and give the craftsmen some love!   Here is the link:  http://onfireforhandmade.com/fall-great-finds/

There is also a contest, and the craftsman with the most points will win a prize, so PLEASE help me win by voting for my hat!

"We Are On Fire For Handmade because It's Better Handmade"!!!

September Mama's Market Is This Saturday

It is Mama's Market time again!!  The Market will take place this Saturday, September 8th, at The Birdhouse in Knoxville, Tn.  The address is 800 N. 4th, Knoxville, Tn.  It is on the corner of 4th and Gill off of Magnolia.  Set-up is at 10:30am, and the Market runs from 11:00am to 3:00pm.

Enjoy community space where crafty women sell, trade and build with each other from all over East Tennessee.

Sustainable and locally-focused shoppers will really enjoy the Market. The mama’s will be providing regionally produced crafts, food and everyday-use products.

“Do I have to be an actual Mama?”

Not at all. If you’ve arts and crafts you’d like to sell, show up at The Birdhouse with your wares around 10:30am & set up. Some tables are available, though you may want to bring one, just in case. Food, music & children are welcome!!

What’s this “Mama’s Market”?
Glad you asked!
The Mama’s Market is an open community space for women crafters and artists to exhibit, trade and sell their homemade wares. The primary goal of The Market is to provide venue to area women in which to engage in the development of alternative economy. Organized and operated by both urban and rural crafters, The Mama’s Market is an essential component in the larger network of sustainable, radical homemaking endeavors being built in Eastern Tennessee and Southern Appalachia. A particular focus is given to the work of blurring the sometimes prohibitive boundaries between urban Knoxville and the largely rural communities that surround the city. Ultimately, we hope to foster a permanent network of economically viable home-based producers, rooted in family and Appalachia as a whole.

I think I Need An Intervention

To all my dear friends out there, HELP!!  I think I need an intervention!  I have been pinning on Pinterest now for about seven or eight months.  It wasn't so bad at first.  I would just glance through the pins, occasionally liking a pin or two.  Days would go by and I wouldn't even give it a thought.  I enjoyed it, but really didn't see what the big deal was all about.

Then, one day I decided to see if I could create a "board".  Being a home based producer who sells on the internet, I thought this could be a great way to get some more exposure.  So, I set about learning how to create my first board.  I called it "My Stuff".  Creative, right?  Well, it turned out to be quite a bit of fun, so I decided to try another one.

I absolutely love to decorate, and so, I decided for my next board to be a place to gather decorating ideas.  I called it "Home".  Still really creative, huh?   I was totally amazed at how many people there were out there with absolutely brilliant ideas that fit my particular style to a tee.  I was on my way.  Suddenly, I was checking in about once a day.  Pinning two or three pins and then off I went to be brilliant at something else like cooking.  COOKING!!  WOW!  I'll bet I could find some great recipes!  Now, I'm up to three boards.  Only this time I decided to get a little more creative with the name.  So, I called it "Yummy Goodness".  I still think it is really cute and make sure to pay plenty of attention to it on a daily basis.  Maybe ever two or three times a day.

So far, I am just having fun.  Then it hits me...I wonder how many awesome pins I am missing while I am doing the dishes, or vacuuming, or cleaning the toilet.  Man, I'll bet there are some great tips for cleaning shortcuts or recipes to make your own cleaners, or even your own bath and body products.  While I am at it, I love DIY projects, so maybe I should make another board for that.  Wait, what about the garden?  I totally need a board for the garden!  I have been wanting to re-do my studio for quite some time, so there is another board I need to make.  Hmmmm....I wonder if I could color co-ordinate my boards so when you click on the page that shows all my boards, it would be totally cute?

Then...It happened...I was totally helpless!  I tried to stop myself, but I just couldn't!  I was up at 3:00am PINNING!  while I waited for the timer to go off on my latest dinner creation, I was pinning tomorrows recipes!  And then, the unthinkable, while I was home alone for an entire week-end....I did it.  It hit me like a ton of bricks...I began BINGE PINNING!  My boards were filling up at lightening speed.  I couldn't stop!  New boards for crap I don't even care about.  Anything just to keep pinning!  Lord help me!  I can't stop! 

Now, here I am, exhausted and in need of a glass of milk and a nappy.  Has anything like this ever happened to you?  Or is it just me...

New Hats Are On The Way

Summer is almost over, and my design season is too.  I love the creative process!  My first listing for the season was a OOAK hat that I made for some fun hand painted buttons that I found in New York while visiting my daughter.  They were so warm and yummy that I decided they needed their own hat to adorn.  Warm, Fall colors are some of my favorite and I really enjoyed playing with them in this hat!   https://www.etsy.com/listing/107245451/ooak-crochet-hippie-hat-slouchy-beanie

Definitely Feeling the Granny In Guerillagranny Today

Today seems to be a day to become one with my white haired self.  I got up today, giant mug of coffee in hand, dedicated to conquering the world of internet marketing.  The plan was to make my shop an internet sensation, and my cute little white haired self, everybody's favorite Guerillagranny.  At least that was the plan.

I started with this blog.  I re-arranged, added, removed, changed colors, widgeted, gadgeted, and just plain wore myself out trying to make it the snazziest blog online.  Well, I did manage to change the color, but I never did figure out how to widget.  In fact, I actually ended up with fewer than I started with.  Have no clue where they went!  The whole gadget thing is a complete mystery to me and after multiple attempt to gadget the snot out of the page, I ended up deciding that gadgets were seriously over rated, and I didn't really need them anyway.

I think what the problem is that my adorable white hair, along with the effects of pregnancy, childbirth, child rearing, and lastly menopause, has damaged too many brain cells and rendered me dependent on the younger generation to help figure out all this computer technology stuff.  What was really lacking was my four year old granddaughter showing me what to do.  Have you ever noticed how a two year old can sit down at the computer and navigate like an IT Technician.  Meanwhile, all of us white hairs just sit and stare at the screen like we have just seen something from the Twilight  Zone.

I can remember laughing at my mother-in-law as she stood in front of my microwave looking completely baffled.  Now I stare at the computer screen with that same expression on my cute face.  However, I am fiercely tenacious, so look out because I will never give up!  I will figure this thing out if it is the last thing I 

On Fire For Handmade Is Featuring ME!

OMG! What an honor! The On Fire For Handmade team has chosen to feature one of my cloche style hats on their site this week! There will also be a contest to vote for your favorite featured item. The contest runs from Sat., Aug 18th thru the following Saturday. PLEASE VOTE! I would love for my little flapper hat to win!! Here is the link: <>a href="http://onfireforhandmade.com" target="_blankonfireforhandmade.com/great-finds
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Etsy Team for Knoxville Mama's Market

I went to the Mama's Market at the Birdhouse in Knoxville to sell my crochet creations on Saturday, and it occurred to me that there are many other craftsmen and artists in my area who have Etsy Shops.  It seems to me that there are so many awesome ways for online sellers to network now, and I decided to jump in there and be a part of that effort.  Helping one another build our way to successful businesses is such a rewarding way to build community with like minded people.

My group is called Knoxville Mamas Market, however, it is not exclusive to people who sell at this particular Market.  It is open to any home based producer who lives in the East Tennessee Region.  So, if that is you, and you are looking for ways to connect with other crafters and artists in the East Tennessee Region to help one another build a successful business, then please check out our team.  You can find it here:  http://www.etsy.com/teams/13241/knoxville-mamas-market.  Hope to see you there!!