OC fair 2010: joy, tears, and lessons learned for next year

The OC  Fair ends this weekend and before we left for 127 yard sale, we went to see how some of my entries in preserves turned out.
I was a little nervous.  I didn't get to prepare the way i wanted to-Patchwork got the best of me and I had very little time to make anything. Fortunately, I had most of the items i submitted still left over from sales, so i managed to just barely turn in my items (missed 2 entries though).

We decided to take an evening with our friends Adriana from Anarchy in the Garden and her hubs Hector and partake in some fair.  I was lucky that friends saw my outcome before i could go, so most of the butterflies where gone by the time we got to the tent. Big note on displays: OC Fair stepped it up this year-no white boring room with ugly white displays...lots of decor and interest...looked pretty sweet and in the small corner you could see my 2 little jars of Basil and Habanero Jelly with their tiny awards!  BIG shout out to Melanie Harvey who got mucho praises and awards on her beef jerky-STUD!

(a frosty margie next to my prized jellies)

(part of the "much better" display for preserves, can they work on the fair logo now??)

As i become older, i have done less of the "up-side down- make you dizzy and have a headache" rides (plus they always seem like the screws are almost ready to pop out!) and more of the things that i used to think were boring.
Over the years, i have come to enjoy the photography exhibits.  There is so much local talent out there, maybe one of these days i will have the nerve to put something in-there is definitely A LOT more competition in this field than the preserves!

(this was my Best of Show photo)

We happened to go on one of the smaller roller coasters though, something pretty tame for us oldies-but-goodies. Our thrill-seeking days were mostly spent on the ground, shaking our heads in how sick we would get if we were on them.

(just watched from below-i am a little afraid of heights-OK a lot!)

One of my favorite places at the fair is the farm animal section-of course we did the petting area and saw a number of cute babies.  My faves were the 2 week-old pigs that were hiding under their mama's warm belly-one hidden under the straw too!

(LOVE the petting section)

Part of what the fair is most known for is the the various fried foods that are only available at the fair (and thank goodness!).  The Heart Attack Cafe had popular items like deep-fried oreos, veggies and even a stick of butter (heard it was nast-surprising no??)  We ended up sharing fresh tater chips and fried mozzarella-which was awesome because of the marinara sauce, spanakopita, chili fries and of course a few margies (not a fair without).  All was pretty decent, but i would love to see a vegan/strong vegetarian  presence at the fair-i think they would kill it!

(Heart Attack Cafe had deep-fried butter!)

We happened to spend a good amount of time at the garden/ag area as well, the garden section was really given a face-lift this year and there were rows upon rows of veggies on display-very impressive.  One of my favorite groups, the Rare Fruit Growers of Orange County where also present with what seemed like 30 types of avocados...i am seriously wanting to hang with this crowd!
Adriana, a Master Gardener, found her peeps the OC MFP's and had some chat time, but alas no one even heard of the Master Food Preserver Program...maybe in 10 years we can have a presence at the fair.
I did manage to talk to some of the gardeners about doing a class with them in the future and registering for the MFG program in 2011.

(cutie-pie pigglies)

Now that i have actually gone through the process of submitting entries to the fair, i am a little less scared. some ideas for next year:
- preserves: peach-hab jam, pluot preserves, squash pickles and a hot relish
- heat: i am going to expand on the hab jelly success and work on another pepper jelly
- dried: kale or collard chips
- jellies: i have 2 unusual ideas that i am working on, i should have them for sale during the holiday shows.
-veggies or fruits: the fair does weekly judging on ag products, even if you don't win, you receive free entry with the submission, Adriana and I already talked about doing this for next year-i love this as a fun project to do together!
...and if i am lucky, maybe a photo!

affordable art: treasure frey

hooked on etsy-and this is why.
etsy allows you to find some really wonderful and affordable artists like Treasure Frey who has these whimsical and intelligent watercolors that have prints that allow you to have amazing works in a crazy recession.  these images so remind me of childhood favorite books where you can stare at the images and hear the story without reading them. plus she is in LA!

(so needs to be on a shirt)

(Where The Wild Things Are, Where the Sidewalk Ends anyone??)

Here is her ETSY shop for buying!

cross your fingers-OC Fair time!

well it's official i just entered the 2010 OC Fair! in about a month i will have to drop off my preserves to be judged (did you know that each item you submit costs $5)? you also can only submit one item per "class".

for 2010, i submitted: habanero/fire jelly, basil jelly, curried carrots, apricot BBQ sauce, peach-habanero jam, strawberry-chipotle jam.

i will post my experiences soon!

affordable art: Hi Tree

i had actually seen this artist a few years back and had planned on carrying this LA-based Tina of Hi Tree's work, but one thing led to another and i totally forgot.
while going through my old bookmarks on my computer-doing a little Spring cleaning, i noticed the link and realized that i waited too long to do something-looks like Tina has added to her line and i LOVE it!

(these can look great anywhere-office wall, kid's room, family room)

(i love these pins-these seem to be a new addition to the collection)

(if you know how to embroider-this is a cute project to do yourself!)

my favorites are the trees and whats great about them is that there are small versions and even key chain varieties available. Hi-Tree is based out of LA-she would be great for Patchwork!
to see Hi Tree's Etsy store, go here.

the story of hanging out in Long Beach

earlier this week, i was in long beach doing a number of things with several of the new friends i have met over the past year who are doing some amazing things:

In the AM:
met some of the folks of Downtown LB to discuss the possibility of having our indie-craft fair in the Arts area...seems like a good fit and it naturally compliments the urban-type scenery that we have in Santa Ana...lots of old buildings and an eagerness of revival...it seems like it could fit.
This in no way would happen however without the work of community-movers-and-shakers We Love Long Beach. Founded and ran by Scott and his sister Robin Jones, this duo and their supporters, volunteers and board are truly making Long Beach a better place by connecting people and building a strong community...something that we need here in Santa Ana (hint-hint, wink-wink!). i have to admit that while sitting there talking of our ideas and ideals for making our homes/neighborhoods/community a better place i could not help but be inspired and so grateful for meeting each other...

For lunch:
i met with Robin and Scott part 2 and with another stellar LB person Adriana, founder of Anarchy In the Garden who is a woman on mission: to promote the world of gardening, punk-rock style...what were the 4 of us talking about?? Creating a Community Food Day for Long Beach. That's right- celebrating education, growing, community and the spirit that food can only bring for the masses! More to come on that...

(Adriana workin' her garden magic at last year's Patchwork Show in Long Beach)

In the afternoon:

I have heard of {open} and had been wanting to pay a visit, but as any small business owner knows, saying and "doing" are 2 totally different concepts-there is NEVER enough hours in the day nor days in the year that can allow you the time to do and meet who you want. at Patchwork LB, i made it a point to visit with the {open} peeps and what i found was a like-minded, spirited woman co-owner, Se' Reed who i immediately jelled with (pun!). After playing email tag for what seemed forever, we were finally able to meet and was able to visit this Long Beach fave destination-LOVED IT! this is truly a destination if you are in the area!

(an old-school {open} sign)

(se' talkin' books in the attic)

what did we talk about??? besides finding out that Se' and i have a cr*p-load in common and talking feverishly like old friends that had 2 hours to catch-up on 10 years lost, we also want to do few favorite classes in the LB at her space: and Foraged Foods and Preservation for Drinkers...excited about both of these events!!! below are some images from my visit.

(who would have thought i would find this treasure!)

(a fave for both of us-VONNEGUT- long live Cat's Cradle!!!)

(LOVE the artwork and displays here..everything is so special!)

needless to say i am thankful in my budding friendship with the several people i have come to know in Long Beach...to many great and fruitful endeavors! ...MORE TO COME!!!!

adventures with avanti-of course with margies

(says Mark-excellent!)

a lesson in combining things you love:

(the cooking area)

(a yummy mistake)

(mistakes are gooooood)

for the past few years, i have been wanting to go to culinary school. having a biz, little funds and time really do not make that accessible-but something inside me really and truly wants to learn about cooking..i have to admit that as much as i love what i do, i am realizing that i love the food industry more and more...how do i make it work?

(found the margies!)

Chef Tanya and Mark of my fave restaurant Avanti Cafe have allowed me to intern every couple weeks. i cant believe that i can even do something like this-but these dear friends are allowing me to work their kitchen and gain experience in my personal culinary adventures that in the 2 shifts i have worked, have been a yummy lesson...
this past Friday was my second shift in which i cleaned, made orders and waited on a party of 18 (all with supervision!). i see a lot of people from the store and life in general, and although i cannot spend time talking to them, i love that i have reconnected with those whom i haven't seen in a long time. i will be posting about my "adventures" a few times a month along with what i have learned, what i ate and who i met... what a great experience!

(after the shift: margie extravaganza!)

(yes Mark-gulp, gulp)

Patchwork Long Beach...lots of thank yous!

this past Sunday we had our first Patchwork in Long Beach...and i must admit, i was a little scared about the whole thing.
it was only 2 months ago, that i was talking to Angie Redenback from The Outfit about the lack of holiday shows. i thought that Long Beach would be a great location and really considered that it could happen, but that meant work had to be done fast-kind of tough at a very time consuming time of year when i try not to add extra work-aka the holidays and being a retailer.
usually, Patchwork takes about 3-4 months to plan- it leaves enough time to cover all aspects of the event, properly screen vendors and allow both Nicole and i to do our usual jobs while putting on the event. having less time and a new location AND preparing the Santa Ana event (and running a biz)...well, you can't help but be nervous about how it is all going to turnout.

after a crazy November preparing Santa Ana and quickly finishing details of the Long Beach show, we finally stood there, in front of our booths looking out to our finished product. i went up to nicole at the 90+ booth event and looking at the almost empty aisles and nervously said, "Nicole, i am scared, no one is here." to which she replied, "dont worry, it's 11, at 11:30 start worrying."
20 minutes later, we were slammed.

needless to say, Patchwork Long Beach was a huge success. the attendance was estimated at 800-900 attendees and i have heard nothing but compliments, cheers, community, and inspiration since (and of course when the next one was going to happen!)...i cannot tell you how thankful i am for that initial conversation with Angie. i am also so thankful to others who made this event possible:
*Angie from the Outfit: who first got the momentum going, took time out to do meetings/site evaluations and introduced me to...
*Robin from We Love Long Beach: her and her brother Scott have been instrumental in getting Patchwork going in record time. thanks for helping with city work, sponsors, and promotion and VOLUNTEERS!
*Courtney from C-Salt Gourmet: who took an entire day from her busy schedule taking me all over LB to evaluate sites for the event.
*Ray Pok & City of Long Beach: and other city staff members who believed in this community event and helped made it happen in record time.
*Ellen Griley and The District Weekly: for writing an awesome cover story on us and Patchwork!!
*Our event Sponsors who took a chance and believed in us: Le Creperie, Toorak Coffee, The District Weekly, Memphis Cafe, Taco Surf, DDR gallery, Anarchy in the Garden, {open} books, The Kids are Alright, Yelp! and always Harveys Seatbelt Bags.
*friends, customers, volunteers, music, solar power (!), and everyone else who made this event possible!

({open} books)

(Hazel from yelp! with Dave from Memphis)

personally, i am glad it is over-but in my heart i cant wait for the next one...i just need a few months of rest!

(on-site screen printing was awesome to have)

(thank you Jeremy for the tunes)

(i always set up last, but still manage to sell a lot)

gardening for the small space dweller-Harvest to Home

(awesome window display right?)

i just recently had the pleasure of meeting local garden entrepreneur Mike Saraylian who found me from customer recommendations saying that we should meet.
we instantaneously hit it off- not only being small business owners, OC natives, but have a passion for food and growing things.

(stands are optional, you can have them on the ground)(Mike watering the garden)

Mike owns the business Harvest to Home, a service that brings small hydroponic food gardens to people who either have very little room to grow food, or they lack the proverbial "green thumb". Simply pick which season goods you want to grow and Mike comes by with your little garden installed and you only have to water every few days. after 4 months of eating your bounty, simply return the box or choose the next set of food you want to grow and start again. easy?-YES, affordable?-YES, good for apartments/condos?-YES, eat better?-YES...what are you waiting for?-BEATS ME.
just last week, Mike came in and installed 3 boxes, we are so happy to be selling these wonderful garden gadgets! the best thing is that you only need to water every few days and into this small tube that irrigates your garden...think hydroponics.

if you want to see more, come by the store or visit Mike and his business here.

Patchwork fair: the case of the sads now over

still trying to find my camera cord to upload pictures that will be blog posts (HELLO Alice Waters!) but i wanted to do a quick post of our latest Patchwork event b/c it has meant more to me at this time than ever.


as some of you know i have had a case of the "sads" (aka bummin'-aka depressed). maybe it is the weather, maybe it is the workload, maybe the economy, maybe i need to feel complimented as the saying goes rather than pissed that hard work becomes mimicked in blatant fashion...maybe it is everything in a hard to swallow taquito. even blogging has been something that i dont want to do as much as i love sharing information.
Patchwork Santa Ana, has grown so much over the past few years...this past show has brought me such pleasure not only seeing the record numbers turn out for the event, but really remembering 2 people-an aunt (me) and her niece (nicole of random nicole), sitting in a backyard in Irvine talking of manifesting a dream of her niece to have a craft fair in Orange County of all places.
my niece Nicole is more like a sister. in fact when people finally meet her they are shocked that this person i have talked about is really the same age...in fact we are. only 5 months apart (please ask us for a family graph-this is our running joke!) we have always been raised close to each other and have spent our lives having a connection that is so similar to a dear friend from school. you know: may have not seen for a while, but as soon as you see them, you go back into your normal "way" of how you were back in the day...we just know each other.
our family heritage of OCD and workaholic nature really came to fruition this past sunday when our 5th installment of this dream not only took place, but rocked the kasbah as i like to say it. i may have been running around like a sweaty-dirty-crazy person, but i do it for a dream that has not only enriched and inspired my community and friends but truly makes me believe that when you put your mind to it- dreams really do come true.

(livin' the dream)

the sweaty-dirty-crazy person slept on the floor with her dirty-a** feet for 36 hours in the same clothes, no shower after another successful event-VIVA LA PATCHWORK!

(Mothers Market-a great supporter and friend!)

(peeps checking out local goods-LOVE it!)

SEE YOU IN LONG BEACH on NOV 29th!
PS there are more photos, just ask Nicole, the OC Weekly or some of the many other people who were able to take pix!

the fun part of my job: Salvage Life and Au She Cosmetics

i must admit, one of the best things about having a store like this is being able to meet so many incredible, talented people that are right in our area.

just yesterday i was able to meet 2 fellow female entrepreneurs: Beth from Salvage Life and Tatiahna from Au She Cosmetics.

I met Beth from Salvage Life at a craft fair in Cerritos...looking at her pieces, i instantly fell in love with her artful deconstruction of things that i would normally overlook. I immediately wanted to carry her jewelry. Beth and her adorable daughter came by in the morning with a series of necklaces made from vintage watches, chains, belts and other trinkets that were combined together to make one-of-a-kind pieces.
she also sells lovely vintage slips and wears that complement her jewelry line. Her blog has better images of her work.
(Beth's beautiful and curious daughter)

(trying to get to her mommie's jewelry!)

(necklaces made from old watch pieces and vintage chain-GORG!)


In the afternoon i met with Tatiahna of Au She Cosmetics. I had only met her a few days ago, when she came in to drop off her application for Patchwork. I asked her what she was selling and she told me that she had a line of handmade, natural and organic cosmetics. HOW do you even begin to make makeup! not only that, but she uses at the least 99% natural ingredients (most of her line is made with natural pigment as well.
i have been searching high and low for a small-batch, natural line, one that i could try and actually talk to the person who made the product-i had completely given up on it and here she was in Placentia!
Tatiahna was formerly a make-up artist and while she loved make-up, she didn't love the industry..she really wanted to work with people and work with a product that made your insides as good as your outside and is a rebel in the cause for changing beauty stereotypes. we met today and now i have a few samples to try out (the lip products smell WONDERFUL!)

(Tatiahna demoing how to mix eye shadow with her cream primer)