Boutique, BABY!

It's kinda like Christmas...a lot like Christmas.

Both sides...the innocent, believing child Christmas and the adult, magic-making Christmas. Putting on a boutique take prep work, emails, phone calls, signs, ads, mailers, flyers, blog buttons and posts. I takes time to find the right vendors that will bring products that will make our friends feel that rush of excitement when they step in through our doors. It's fun to plan, to map out, to watch details and figure final steps in orchestrating something like this, but then....

It's that giddy, nervous, hopeful -yes-I-may-throw-up-out-of -pure-excited-ness feeling WE get to experience, too. As vendors come in and set up, as we set up...as we walk through all the amazingly fun goodies that all of these lovely vendors have worked so hard to assemble and present. I don't sleep the night before- just like Christmas.

So even if it's not in your budget- you don't have to buy a thing...those feelings are all free and we'd love for you to come and experience Mindy Mae's Market. :D

Nikki's Niche...You Zig and I'll Zag- Chevron Style!

I've been loving chevron goodie bags...mainly for anything BUT goodies....I made some chevron lites...so cute and springy!

My latest {and still unfinished}is attempting to mix chevron bags and something I've wanted to try using in a craft for a while...

Yep. Mouse traps.

You'll start by taking the whole thing apart.  You can just toss this part and the hook at the top of the trap. We don't use those at all.

You can slip the whole mechanism apart- it's open on one side. Keep the parts (and I kept one trap intact to serve as a guide for re-assembly) together in a good place- you won't need them for a little while.

After I took mine apart I scrubbed the labels off with a pot scrubber and hot water. It was pretty easy.

After being scrubbed and disassembled the traps looked like this:

Then I spray painted mine- each a different color. (hint: I sprayed the side with the metal loops first and then "flipped it over and did the back- I probably didn't need to, but...it dried well because the loops kept it off of the plastic.)

When they dried- I found another left over plank and measured to space them evenly.

I used construction adhesive (cause husband told me to- I'm sure a glue gun would be FINE) to adhere the traps to the plank.

Then we used some small nails (here, using pliers to keep our fingers out of the way of the hammer) to secure the trap.

Then I used left over strips of chevron bags (after the lites) and modge-podged them to the traps- hiding the nails.

Here's the board drying....

I began attatching the trap parts back together...and the adhesive wasn't dry! SO- that means...

TO BE CONTINUED

(I'll show you the finished product tomorrow!)

Update: See the finished product here