If you wanted one of those button bracelets, I have one for sale on ebay.

Cassowarybuttons.com is down. I will announce when it is back up. I'll put up some ebay auctions for you button junkies later.

Finally, I have gotten off my butt, and button bracelets are here. They are a pretty handy way to display your buttons, and pretty cute too.  

Here is a handwritten note sent by the winner of the Happily Homemade contest to Funky Utopia's owner:

"dear nicole, i received my lovely basket of goodies today and it is truly special! i really enjoy hand-made things and i thank you very much for choosing me as a winner in your contest. i am sending to this address, which i found on the website. the address on the package was from texas but had no sender's name on it. i hope you will thank the wonderful merchants who donated the prizes for me. i wish you much success in your business." sincerely, h. beck"

That's really sweet of her! Also, I'd like to note that Funky Utopia is awesome, because there are journals. Of course, I think journals are awesome in general.

Yesterday, I went to the flea market. I was pretty nervous as I hadn't been to one before. Sales of course weren't great- we were inside, next to the flea market office, and I didn't actually have my own booth, but had the end of another booth. Anyway, I felt encouraged by the sales. I sold two Bush buttons(I don't have any on the site, but after my parents complaining all the time, I made some) one to an old lady who had wandered over, and one to a younger girl whose mom said "Look at the pretty buttons!" I sold two buttons one that said "Stop Blaming and Start Working" and another that said "Don't Live in Afrodenial" to a woman who had worked with me. I sold a bracelet that was made of wooden beads to an AKA, apparently. I also nearly sold two button bracelets to this one girl, and was complimented on my good idea. This whole flea market thing reminds me of how much I need to update my site. I have some good new designs I premiered at the market.
 
So even though I didn't make tons of cash(and what cash I made, I spent on corn dogs and funnel cake), I had a lot of fun. I met some old people from frog jump, TN, put my business cards in hands and interested some people in custom orders. All in all a good day.

I find it interesting that keep religion and politics out of business, only applies to left leaning politics, and non Christian religon. There are entire stores filled with Christian stuff, people who put religous themed posters and messages on their answering machines and advertise in the Christian business directory, but apparently, that's just fine. It's also fine if your politics are right wing. Print up shirts with big fat Confederate flags on them, and it's not 'keep your politics out of it", but god forbid if you speak about Bush.

I'm all set for the flea market tomorrow. Only 20 more small buttons to make, 25 more big ones, maybe a two or three bracelets, requiring 5 buttons each, small, and a few promotional ones for the bartering for space. I already have my prototype bracelet, so I will use that too. I'll also sell my necklace.

Flea Market Mojo

It seems that I'm all clear for the flea market Saturday! This is my first one, so wish me luck. I'm going to try to do a poems in the moment type thing as a gimmick, as I am fond of gimmicks. Speaking of gimmicks, some good slogans are coming in for the July contest, keep them coming. The person with the best slogans gets free buttons. Sweet,eh?

It's Summer...

and I'm dabbling in jewelry production. Bracelets would be cool, I think, because it'd be like a charm bracelet. I made a little pendant, which is pretty ok. If I could get the knot tying down, the bracelets would be a nice addition to a flea market table.

It's time for another site update

And it is a big one! First, I'd like to announce the July contest. Send the best slogan, and win a free grab bag! Also, there are lots of new buttons. The naughty buttons ones are my favorites, as they say "I'm Happy Because I Eat Cock/Pussy". I got the idea from an vintage advertisement that said "They are happy because they eat lard". In Bleeding Hearts, my favorite one days, Stop Blaming, Start Working, because I tend to see people get too smug and complacent in their calls for personal responsibility, and they actually forget their own responsibility for how things turn out.

A new button in Black Pride was sort of a toss up- it could be in several sections. However, I associate the phrase "Each One, Teach One" with blackness, so I put it in there. It's a good phrase for everyone though. Geek Buttons are back with a vengeance with Grrrl Gamer, Book Whore, and Comics Slut buttons. I wonder if they are a bit too feminine, but I don't know.