Announcing The 2015 Polka Dot Flea Dates

YaHoo!!!!   I'm officially announcing the Second Annual.....

Polka Dot Flea

Saturday and Sunday

June 13-14, 2015

Indoor/airconditioned

 Central Florida Fairgrounds

 Orlando, Florida

100 booths filled with the "Best of the Best" Vendors selling.....Vintage, Funky, Shabby, Refurbished, Rusty, Antique, Quirky, Repurposed, and Industrial Wares.

  Here's the scoop.....I am still reeling from the huge success of the first Polka Dot Flea last June. 

The only complaint we heard was "It was too crowded" (Not a bad complaint really)

So.....I knew if there was going to be another Polka Dot Flea it had to be in a larger space with more vendors.  Could I do it? Did I want to do it?  I knew I couldn't do it alone.   My son helped me with the  last Flea, would he be willing to do all of the social media, run the actual show, help with staffing and details?

The answer was....YES....YES....And.....YES!!!!

We picked the Central Florida Fairgrounds for the first Polka Dot Flea because....If...Just maybe....The Flea was a success, we wanted the option to move into a bigger space without having to change the location.......So a BIGGER space it will be!

The Polka Dot Flea is moving from 7000 sq ft to 21,000 sq ft!!!

And

From 40 to 100 booths!!!

And

From 1 day to 2 days!!!

I don't have any aspirations to grow the show larger than 100 booths.  I want this to be a once a year show that people look forward to, mark their calendars, maybe even plan their Orlando vacations around.....How cool would that be?

  The fairground features 600 camping spots with hook ups and a shower building.  We had a couple of campers at the last show....

.......And I'm hoping that we can attract a lot more to the beautiful tree lined camping spots on the lake at the fairgrounds

And I'm thrilled to say that Barr Display and Adjectives Market are both on board to be sponsors once again!

We are not quite ready to accept vendor applications.  There is  a little more work to do on the website and I want the attorney to do a little tweaking on the contract.....You will be the first to know when the Polka Dot Flea is open for vendor applications.

So there you have it...I'm scared, I'm excited, and possibly.....Just plain crazy!!!!

Happy Creating

Carol

Polka Dot Flea website
Follow the Polka Dot Flea on FB

Glamping Art

Mix a little Glam + Camping and you have "Glamping"!  

 I had a lot of fun this past week framing up these cute little vintage campers.......Glampers

 I bought this fun fabric a while back at a little quilting shop outside of Orlando......

....And hung onto it until.......Inspiration finally hit!!

I didn't want to waste the fabric by simply making a couple pillows.   So, I made the most of it by cutting out each camper and framing it.

I added a few do-dadas, decorative stitches, and vintage rick rack to make each one unique.

I love all of the vintage trailers that people are glamming up!

I plan on selling these at the next Polka Dot Flea.  Yep, there is going to be another one!  I will share the details on my next post. 

 Here's what I'm thinking....The Central Florida Fairgrounds has 600 camping spots available, many in a gorgeous tree lined area on a lake.  If I do a two day show (Details soon) how great would it be for Glampers to come spend the weekend right on the grounds and take in the Flea?  

And....Maybe... pick up a cute little framed Glamper at the show?

Happy Creating

Carol  

Making Pillow Cases For The "Pillowcase Project"

How is it that I have been sewing my whole life and never made a pillowcase?

I follow a great blog called "Kelley Highway" and she is collecting pillowcases for the National Children's Hospital in Quezon City, Manila, Philippines

Kelley has called this the "Pillowcase Project", you can read all about it HERE.  When I read the post, I knew I had to get onboard.

  Since I have a lot of polka dot fabric...Surprise...I decided thats what I would use to make my pillowcases.  I hope the kids like polka dots

  

Kelley and her husband are originally from Missouri and became Missionaries 15 years ago.   They now split their time between Manila and Guam and are serving several island regions in South East Asia and the South West Pacific including Australia.  This is why she calls her blog "Kelley Highway" ....She's always on the road.

I look forward to reading Kelley's blog....Instead of "Where's Waldo" I always wonder "Where's Kelley".  She takes her readers along on her mission work and freely shares the life lessons she's learned and the work she does.  She also blogs about her family, sewing, and crafting...Making it a delightful read.   

Although Kelleys life and mine are vastly different, I know, that if we ever meet we will talk until our jaws ache.

When I was looking online for a pillow case tutorial a friend told me to Google "Taco pillowcase"......LOL..... After a little looking I realized that she must have said "Burrito pillow case"....Yes, that's what it was...It's an easy to follow tutorial.

If you are not a seamstress but, feel inclined to contribute to the "Pillowcase Project", I'm sure the kids won't mind if the pillowcases are store bought!

Here's a quote from Kelley  "What a boost this would be if your readers would sew together a little kindness for these precious little people.  We all have so much, don’t we?"

Happy Crafting

Carol