SquareUP - GET IT!

I haven't done a Craft Show in a while, but I totally got one of these, just in case.  It's a Credit Card Reader that you use with an App on your smartphone.  It seems pretty awesome cause you don't need a merchant account with a third party to accept credit cards on-the-go. There is no monthly fee, just a small % of sales, and the payment is directly deposited into your bank account.

The last craft show we went to, EVERYBODY had one.  It's super easy & you don't have to record anyone's credit card #'s, so your customers might be more comfortable with that.

Check it out if you've ever found yourself loosing a sale cause you only take cash.

Future Vacations!

A couple weeks ago we went to the Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Expo.  It was really cool cause it had just a ton of booths from so many places around the world to visit.  I have to admit that we will probably never be able to afford to go to most (like the $5000 African Safari), but it was just inspirational to see all the places you COULD go!

Last year I made the goal to travel more, see the world.  So far we've done pretty well - Hawaii, Southwest Road Trip, Grand Canyon, etc.  So here are a couple places that we definitely have on our short list, as in the next year or so!

These are the reasons that (even though I so don't want to) I go to my day-job everyday.  I know that I'm tired & grumpy & hate it, but I just keep thinking about all the cool places that we are going to go to!

My family is planning a trip this Summer.  We are so going to take a mega-road trip up to Yellowstone!

This is the BIG ONE!!  We want to go on an Alaskan Cruise next summer.
And with this one, we can totally try Dog-Sledding! Awesome!!!!

Yosemite isn't that far from where we are.  We can totally hit Sequoia National Park & Yosemite in one medium-sized road trip!

The Urban Craft Center

So when I have time (eventually) I so want to check this place out!

It's a studio for crafty types here in Santa Monica.  They offer open studio time, classes, and have a library and store.  I think the coolest thing is that with their open studio time, they have access to all sorts of cool equipment that you might not use THAT often or might be too expensive to buy for their personal use.  

Some of the things they have to use are:

Janome Sew Precise sewing machines * Lendrum spinning wheels * Ashford drum carder * Bedazzler * Drop spindles * Snap maker * 1” Button maker and circle cutter * Gocco printers * Yudu screen printing machines * Cricut die-cut machine and design cartridges * Slice die-cut machine * Knitking knitting machine * Book Press * Dremmel * Large cutting mats * Irons and ironing boards * Fiskers rotary cutters * Gingher dressmaker’s shears * Swift & yarn ball winder * Variety of rubber stamps * Library of how-to books, copyright-free images, magazines, zines and a vintage books.

I think the Drum Carder is the most impressive, cause I've looked at them & they are CRAZY EXPENSIVE!  And my cousin-in-law has a Cricut & it's pretty cool, would just need to practice on if I can cut felt with it!

I'm so there....
eventually...