Runs on Coffee and Cream

This past weekend was ConBravo! in Hamilton. I have never been to it as a vendor or spectator. I was surprised by how busy the show was initially and how many people were in cosplay, though I felt like I didn't know who anyone was dressed as. As the weekend went on, things definitely got quiet in the vendor/artist alley room. Maybe everyone was at the panels or participating in all the fun activities listed on the schedule? I did meet some really awesome and talented people over the weekend though which was great. I plan on spending some paypal money in Etsy shops from the artists I met over the weekend. There's a few artists I'm going to share on my blog in the near future too because they're just too awesome not to.

These are some pictures from the weekend. I was in a semi-dark corner in the room and even though I saw a lot of cosplay as I ventured to the washroom or to explore the other floors, we didn't get many of them down the aisles in Artist Alley. I posted more photos from the weekend on my Facebook page. One of the highlights from my weekend was meeting Mara Wilson on Sunday. She was incredibly sweet which didn't surprise me at all. 

Day 1:

My Table.




What I wore on the first day - my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles necklace and turtle green tank.


Day 2:

My Table.


Such a cute cosplay - the Doctor and Rose.


I bought the cutest button from Rancid Yogurt.

Day 3:

My Table.



I love this photo... we went to check out the terrace during Sunday afternoon and there was a Quidditch match going on in the far background, Rose and the Doctor were dancing on the platform, and Ursula and Ariel were getting photos taken. Oh, and there's a red furry dragon lounging beside the garden.


What I wore on the last day - my new t-shirt that I got for my birthday!


It was a fun weekend. I enjoyed not having to drive far since the convention was in downtown Hamilton and not very far from my parents'. But to be honest, these smaller cons just make me more and more excited for Toronto Fan Expo!

xo Jen

When I haven't been exploring our new city or working on International Geek Girl Pen Pals Club, I've been busy sewing new products for upcoming comic conventions. I have two more this convention season and I'm really excited for both of them.

These are some of my finished products from the last month:

New Pillowcases


Pouches




This is new fabric that I bought recently and I love it!


Pillows


Tote and Hobo Bags



Kitty Kickers


This upcoming weekend is my next comic convention, ConBravo! I've never done it before so it'll be interesting to see what it's like. It's so nice that it's in Hamilton so I don't have to drive far from my parents' house. I'll be sure to take lots of photos over the weekend!



If you're going to ConBravo! this weekend, come find me in Artist Alley!

xo Jen

This past weekend was the Holiday Makers' Market here in Hamilton. It was a wonderful day and there was definitely a festive vibe throughout the church. The traffic was really steady for most of the day and sales were great. I loved selling some of my geek pillowcases (Spider-man, TMNT, Batman) that I know will be Christmas gifts. And once again, my kitty kickers sold really well. I hope they made some kitties happy!

I was able to pick up a couple of Christmas gifts as well and it was nice seeing all the other talented vendors there.

My table:






Inside the church:




It feels strange that this was my last show for 2012 and for a few months probably. Between August (Fan Expo) and December I always have a steady stream of craft shows so I always feel a little lost when my next show isn't for a few months. But in reality, I really need the time off to start building inventory for the upcoming comic conventions in 2012.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!
xo Jen

This upcoming Saturday is the Holiday Makers' Market. It's a local show that I have participated in for a few years now. The Makers' Market is apart of the monthly Art Crawls and the Supercrawl in Hamilton and then they do a couple of holiday shows. It's a fun show. Being inside the church with other talented vendors provides such a festive feeling. And this year they're having some food trucks parked outside!




To advertise for this show, there was a section in The Hamilton Spectator, our local newspaper, that showcased some of the handmade items that would be at the show and my tote bags were one of the items picked!




They also did a small interview segment on the CHCH Morning Live show:
http://www.chch.com/index.php/morning-live-blog/item/10561-christmas-gift-ideas-from-the-makers-market

If you're in the area, come check out the show and shop handmade this holiday season!!

xo Jen

... and twitter crush as well.... Alisa, from Clone Hardware, is not only a fellow Hamiltonian like myself, but she makes the greatest jewelry and accessories from upcycled computer parts. Plus, reading her tweets about her motherly adventures with her kids makes me excited for the day I have a couple of geeklings myself.

For this past Christmas, I bought one of her circuit board bookmarks to put in Adam's stocking. It was the perfect little gift for my nerdy husband. But there's also a few things I've been eyeing up in her shop for myself as well.




Go check out her blog, shop, and facebook page and admire Alisa's amazing work!

xo Jen