Favorite Projects of 2013

It's been a great crafty year! I wanted to highlight some of my favorites from 2013, in no particular order :)

Bringing back the Felt Brooches, in all seasons. They were a huge hit with the customers this year and I have so much fun making them!

Norfolk's first Better Block, held in April. I met my good friend John Wharton and his wife Patricia - along with tons of other amazing people in the arts community. We opened our first Pop Up Shop and had a fantastic weekend running the show.

Thomas' Smash the Cake session in June. It really tested me as a(n amateur) photographer, working with babies isn't easy...but it's fun!

A year of felt food, which included nachos, donuts, salads, pita sandwiches, caramel apples, mini cupcakes, cheese wheels, blueberries and a custom-made horse food set. The horse set was my favorite, by far!

Another successful 92 Days of Summer...is it bad I'm already planning for 2014?

My felt flowers have been a long time coming and while they are still taking a while to become a big seller, I think 2014 has much more in store. 

Custom-designed wedding invitations a very awesome couple.

Refinished China hutch, a nice thrifty before and after. 

A second opportunity with Better Block, this time strictly on the design and marketing side of things. 

Felt Salad

With all the junk felt food I make, I decided it was time to make something a little heathier...a salad! I really love this set because while it's fun for any play kitchen, you can also use it to teach colors and counting. The set includes 12 lettuce leaves (in four different colors), 3 croutons, 3 mushrooms, 2 egg slices, 2 cucumber slices, 3 radishes and 4 carrots.

It was just added to my Etsy shop, so be sure to take a look and favorite the item for future shopping :)

Earth Studios

John from Glass Gardens first told me about Earth Studios. The owners had randomly stumbled upon his Craigslist ad for air plant consignment and from there he started a great relationship. I contacted them in late June about consigning my felt food and right away they knew it'd be a great fit. Getting out there and supplying a generous helping of the food was a different story. I should note "out there" isn't really "out there" at all. It's just down Colley Avenue, but anything away from my front door seems far away these days.

Anyway, I finally stopped by the shop and it's amazing. The quaint space has so much to offer in upcycled furniture, new and repurposed art, tabletop accessories and gifts. Shannon and Robyn, co-owners of Earth Studios, have such a talent for refinishing furniture, an eye for design and a great taste in home decor. It's an honor to be consigning in their adorable store and wish them nothing but the best for years to come!

#82 and #21 are off the list!

I'm participating in the 92 Days of Summer challenge. Read about it here.

It's About Time

Mike was the best boyfriend in the world and bought me a new sewing machine. For Christmas. Seven months ago. Today was the first time I used it. To be honest, I haven't sewn one thing since before Christmas (that must be a record for me). Not to mention the machine actually scared me a little. It's so fancy! More than 50 stitches, a built in thread cutter, an automatic needle threader...I mean there was a giant red Stop Sign on the front of the machine saying I could ruin it by not reading the manual. Who has time to read a manual!?

I actually got out my old machine and started working with that one. But I had it with the noise and the loose stitching so I busted out the new machine, read the book and got to sewing. I have a lot to learn yet, but was able to knock out four felt cheeseburger sets, so I can't complain.


This is definitely worth a Freebie on the 92 Days of Summer list. #61, you're done!

I'm participating in the 92 Days of Summer challenge. Read about it here.

New Consignment & Felt Creations

Yesterday was a big, fun, fantastic day of firsts. Along with being on TV, I also started consigning with The Creative Wedge (#21: New Consignment). I stopped by the gift shop earlier this month and met Sloane, one of the owners. We decided that Fairview Place's felt food would be a good fit for the shop, so I got right to work. I made two new sets exclusively for CW, a berry set and a cheese wheel set (#25: New Products). I mean, what Artisan Cheese Shop is complete without fake felt cheese!? Haha. So excited to be venturing into the Hilltop area of Virginia Beach and working with such a lovely store.

Sloane taking inventory of Fairview Place goodies

The Creative Wedge is located at 630 Hilltop West Shopping Center. They are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

I'm participating in my third 92 Days of Summer challenge. Read about the project here.

Pack of Mini Cupcakes

I have been waiting for this moment for a long time (and you thought I was going to say I'm engaged...haha). My reveal of the felt mini cupcakes! I've been planning what these little lovelies were going to look like in my head since I bought the container several months ago. Finally, I got around to making the desserts come to life. 

There are 12 cupcakes in all in the following flavors:

Coffee

German Chocolate

Carrot Cake

Pink Lemonade

Red Velvet

White Chocolate 

FunFetti

Dark Chocolate

Red Raspberry

Lemon

Peanut Butter Chip

Butterscotch

These cuties measure 2" tall and 2" at its widest point. The designs are all my own - even the pattern which took forever to get right! Set includes plastic carrying case and I can design to fit each individual party, taste or occasion.

Felt Onion Rings

Here's the thing, I love onion rings. Absolutely love them. But honestly, I can't remember the last time I ordered them at a restaurant. They seems like so much a bigger commitment than French fries and I usually can't convince someone to share an order with me....so now I have my very own felt version, whenever I want :)

These will be sold individually from the sandwiches, and come with the paper cartoon, packaged in cellophane and normal tag. $8 for a set of 6.

Nachos, anyone?

Is it good or bad this set reminds me of high school basketball games back in Ohio? Either way, I can say that was my inspiration to the newest Fairview Place felt creation. 

Nachos and Cheese, with jalapeno slices. Set includes 13 chips (four with cheese and peppers) and a block of cheese. Looks good enough to eat, right? Chips are bendable so you can stack and pack your nachos anyway you'd like. Check out the listing, available now over at the shop!

We're on Disney Baby!

Another Fairview Place feature! This time on Disney Baby! Lacy Strossner, the author of Living on Love blogs for the site and wanted to feature my felt sushi in her latest article about the best gifts to buy for Foodie Babies. You can imagine my excitement to this news! When you're finished checking out the article, stop by her blog. It's full of cute stories, great photographs (check out her 52 Project) and delicious recipes.

Custom Orders!

I cannot begin to tell you how much I love getting custom orders! I was contacted via Etsy a few weeks back by a woman asking if I could make play horse food. Turns out her daughter just loves horses and plays with her stuffed horse animals and sometimes her sister even acts as the horse (adorable, right?).

We brainstormed a little to figure out exactly what she wanted. We decided on a carrots, apples, hay and a little bag of oats. I just love this little set and it only took me a few hours last Sunday morning to make. The search for the metal pail was a little more difficult, but I finally found one at Michael's (go figure). I haven't decided if I'll make the set a permanent shop item, but I bet a lot of little farm girls would enjoy this.

Felt Donuts

You probably wouldn't believe that with my huge sweet tooth, I'm actually not a fan of donuts! Definitely a bagel girl...but a felt bagel would be pretty boring which is why I went with the sweet breakfast alternative. I only ordered two of the donut containers, so this is just sort of a trial run. 

You can buy the whole set (6 donuts) with container over at the shop for only $15.50. I also make custom orders, so you pick your favorite six and I'll bake away!

Happy Blog Anniversary!

It's been 1 year since my first blog post on Fairview Place. The last 12 months have been filled with their ups and downs, stressful, yet exciting, journeys and a place I've really become proud to call my own. I've made 328 posts this year. I've had more than 14,000 hits from 10 countries. I reached 106 sales on Etsy. And more than 130 sales at Kitsch! Now, these numbers don't mean a lot in the real blogosphere world, but they do to me!

I have taken some time to reflect on this blog and what it's done for me through the past year. Then what it could do for me in the future. I've tried all sorts of crafts and cooked up a storm, Music Monday-ed my way through the year and listed my heart out. Although that does sum up about 87% of my life, there are other daily happenings - small and big - that should be captured. With that in mind, I've created some new weekly and/or monthly features that will start popping up next month.

So, hold on tight, I hope 2013 can be just as exciting as (if not MORE than) 2012...Cheers!

Happy Halloween!

 Just had to share a couple photos a recent customer sent to me. She bought Fairview Place felt peanuts to complete her son's elephant costume for Halloween. Aren't these just adorable? She is entering him in an Animal-themed Costume Contest...so best of luck to her and little elephant!

New Packaging

I was out to find new packaging for my felt sushi and stumbled upon Plastic Container City. For those of you in the business of buying packaging for food (real or fake), you have to check it out. What's great about this web site for me, is I can buy as small or big of quantity as I want. I bought 20 sushi boxes, then found these and bought just two (for prototyping purposes, not the real thing).

This site turned out to be a magical place for me (yes, I really do get that excited about food containers). I found doughnut boxes, french fry cartons, takeout containers, chopsticks, bakery twine and more! Now you also have an idea of the new products we'll be making later this month. My shipment arrived in just a few days and I'm so excited to start the new sushi line - with my first order going out today!

Day 29: What I've finished this week

I'll have to say, it's been an extremely productive week for me! And I still have tomorrow! However, football and some brews sounds pretty tempting :)

1. Halloween Cards

2. Felt Memory Games, including some Halloween themed ones!

3. Felt peanuts and sushi set

4. Chalkboard table runner

5. Grocery shopping

6. Shipment for a Holiday Guide featuring Fairview Place

7. Ordering new supplies

8. Ordering kitchen cabinets

I am participating in 30 Days of Lists. There's still time to join, click here for details. And click here to see all the awesome listers participating.

New Sushi Rolls

In order to save a little time, I've been experimenting with some new ways to make my felt sushi. Along with some new rolls. Can you tell what they are? Do they pass the real-ish looking test? Does it really matter since it's play food for children :)

Can't wait to get your hands on your very own set? Check out Fairview Place on Etsy.

Kristin Michelle Photography

About a month ago, I had an order for a set of felt chocolate chip cookies. When I went to address the package I realized it was going to my hometown in Ohio! What a weird coincidence, right? I sent along a note to say thanks and let the buyer know I was an Alliance native as well. In return she posted the adorable photo she took of this precious little baby with a cookie monster hat and my cookies!

Turns out, she's a family photographer and does amazing work! I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share her great work and spotlight a fellow Alliance talent. Make sure to check out her Facebook page and Website for more sweet photos and details on how to get your face in her camera :)

#67: Draw

When I was in Thailand I made drawings on a daily basis, however that is one thing that has completely diminished the day I got back. I put this on the list in hopes of getting back into, that didn't quite happen. I did manage to create a little hand-drawn library for the felt food that have different color/flavor options.

It may seem unnecessary, but when you're creating five or six felt sushi sets at one time, it's nice to have a little diagram of the process. I mean you wouldn't bake a cake without a recipe, right? It's the same thing :)

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!