Hi hello, and welcome back! It’s been a few weeks since I last said “hey”, so I figured I’d check in and let you know what I’ve been doing lately!

I’ve been doing a lot of crocheting & bread making.

I’ve done other things, but primarily, that’s what I’ve been doing the most of. I was also in one of my friends’ wedding last week. Enjoy a picture of me and my sweet husband. We took our daughter too, but she was too busy tearing up the dance floor or running around being a rambunctious toddler to sit super still for a picture 😉

I’m waist deep in preparation for the next round of the Groveport First Thursday show. I talk about it more in depth in this post. I took a lot of my learnings from June’s show and plan to make my setup better and more refined. I also started dehydrating my sourdough starter so I’d have some of that for sale this upcoming event, too. Unfortunately, I don’t have a ton of space to store my bread loaves, so a lot of what I plan to make will need to be made next week (week of the event), which makes me a little nervous. But I’ve been working on my bread recipe and ratios a lot lately, and I finally have a good grasp on what ratios of flour to water to salt work best for my home. My husband slash taste tester hasn’t had many complaints about the things I’ve been having him try 😉

If you know anything about sourdough, there are a ton of variables that can make your baked goods soar or fall flat (quite literally. I’ve scrapped quite a few dough balls that just refuse to rise). I’m in the process of writing up a recipe for what is working for me, as well as some tips and tricks to make things work for you.

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I’ve also been crocheting pretty regularly. Most weeks, I’ll crochet a few times a week (typically when Scott is down playing video games), but lately it’s all I’ve wanted to do. I found a cute little Red & Blue Heeler crochet hat pattern and I’ve been obsessed with making them. I’ve made 3 so far, which is crazy to me. Typically, I’m a one and done type of crocheter. I primarily do pattern testing, so I fulfil the testing requirement and then shelve the pattern for “later” (my patterns folder on my computer is where things sometimes go to die). It’s rare to find a pattern that captures my interest long enough to make multiple.

Seriously though, look at how cute this little puppy hat is. I was so impressed by how it turned out.

We love Bluey and Bingo in our house. The lessons are phenomenal and it keeps our toddler’s attention. She’s even at the age where she’s singing along to the theme song in that cute little high pitched voice she has. Of course, she doesn’t say “mom” but she’ll sing the crap out of “dad”.

The pattern for these hats have modifications for 5 different sizes, which is great. If you’re local, definitely stop on by. I plan on having multiple colors in each size!

I also just competed a placemat pattern test for a new (to me) designer. Be on the lookout for the review of that pattern once it finally drops 🙂

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I’ve also been doing a lot of thinking about how I want to display my items at fairs and events. My old method was literally putting out every single thing I make in hopes that it sells, but I think I’m going to scale it back a bit. My plan right now (and this may change) is to have a home side, which includes placemats, dishcloths, and scrubbies, along with my baked goods, and then the other side will be stuffies, keychains and hats. I think having too many different things tends to overwhelm people. I want my space to be enticing, not overwhelming. I’m also working diligently to streamline my pricing models and have pricing based on category of item instead of each individual item having its own price, despite being extremely similar to something else. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I can get that figured out within the next week lol

Now that obligations are slowing down a bit, I can start to feel more excited about things to come for my business. I have a few applications out to different craft shows around the Columbus area, and I’ve been accepted to be a vendor at the Groveport Farmer’s Market. Hopefully I can continue to get my name out there. I’ve also been thinking about expanding into the teaching realm to teach other prospective makers how to crochet. I actually was able to teach my manager at my day job how to crochet, and she made an adorable baby blanket for her grandbaby to be 😀

Thanks for reading, everyone. I hope to see you next week if you’re local. Definitely come see me at the First Thursday event!

until next time xoxo