Almost-last minute costume help

This beer, the Troeg's Troegenator, is one of our beers at Pop-Up Sunday this weekend. I think that the troll face on the box is exactly the right size for a troll mask...and I'll have an ex-acto knife for you at the beer tent if you want to make one. He's printed in lovely colors and is just scary enough.

And the beer inside...it's pretty good! Come try one. All our beer donations on Sunday will go to Urban Ministries for their work with folks in need of health care and food. UM of Wake County serves some of the most needy families around us and they do it with an amazing ability to put almost every donated penny into client services, not fancy cars for their executives. I like that in a charity!

So, back to masks...

I'll see you Sunday at Pop-Up Vintage Market. 


Thanks to Troeg's beer and RA Jeffreys for keeping us in beer in each month at Pop-Up.

Women's Health Magazine cites Raleigh as best for culture...

Have you seen POP-UP Sunday’s blurb in the October issue of Women’s Health Magazine? Raleigh is voted #3 (behind Austin, TX and Denver, CO) for it’s cool culture, local galleries and art markets. We think they should have added 'Awesome Bead Store' to the mix, but oh well.

The article cites Pop-Up Sunday, the Handmade Market and downtown Raleigh's First Friday as examples of how much fun Raleigh is. We agree! Hey, would this be a good time to remind you we have a free First Friday project every month? 

If you want to see how cool Pop-Up is, the next one is THIS Sunday. 

Pick up a paper copy or visit the Pop-Up blog to learn more. 

Good Morning, Tuesday!

good morning-

I hope you were able to join us on Sunday for the BIG Pop-Up Sunday Vintage Market. It was ah-may-zing, if I do say so myself. The weather was perfect, those baked potatoes from Stufd were better than I imagined, and we had a great group of vendors. The very best part? With the help of Big Boss Brewing, we raised over $500 for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Triangle AND they recruited some volunteers for their programs.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters seeks to pair adults with children who need a strong adult presence in their lives. These children gain a trusted friend and someone who will help them navigate life; the adults gain so much more. I heard story after story on Sunday from volunteers who told me that the time they spend with their little sister or brother is the highlight of their week. Thanks to everyone who came out on Sunday, we were able to hand them over $500 to put towards programming and administrative needs. Through June 21st, we'll also be passing on all the money in our Round Up jar on the counter to this worthy organization. Learn more about Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Triangle here. 

The big news I have for you this week is that we will be having an Elaine Ray bead final Trunk Show on Thursday evening from 6-8 and Friday from 8:30 am -7 pm. Elaine has fired her last batch of ceramic beads and she's delivered them to us to sell. We hope Elaine will be on-hand Thursday night to get hugs and well-wishes, and we hope you'll join us, too. If distance prevents you from joining us in person, you can call the shop on Thursday after 6:00 and we'll be set up to offer shop-by-phone service. Please join us if you can. While we are sad to see Elaine leave the bead world, she has a good reason.Read more here. 

I'm also happy to announce that Erin Siegel, on of my favorite jewelry designers, has produced an e-book with us here at Ornamentea. Punk Chic Jewelry has 16 amazing projects that will inspire you to add a bit of edgy glam to your beading work. We've created wonderful kits for each project in the book. Erin is a talented designer, and her instructions are always easy-to-follow. If you want to learn more about Erin's e-book, including a free peek inside, check out the Punk Chic Jewelry page. 

P.S. At the advice of a talented young friend, I'm going to be posting my letter on our store blog each Tuesday. This content also appears in our store newsletter. It is free, and I send it out each Tuesday morning. If you'd like to subscribe to our weekly store newsletter, click here to find out how.

The BIG Pop-Up Vintage Market is coming soon...

don't you want to take a road trip to Raleigh?

Pop-Up Sunday Craft

More info at Pop-Up Sunday

Animals Can exhibit benefiting Second Chance Pet Adoptions

The Animals Can exhibit opens tonight at Second Chance Pet Adoptions. You can see what an amazing group of area artists have made from...pet food cans. Really, these beautiful frames above are all created using cat food cans. The art work in this show will make you think twice about your recycling bin!

Want to make your own can art? Join us Sunday at Pop-Up Sunday and make a can-art treasure box! Pop-Up Sunday is from 12-5 in the Ornamentea parking lot and this month all the proceeds from beer donations go to Second Chance. We'll have beer from Carolina Brewing and a great group of vintage and handmade vendors.

See the full N&O article about Animals Can right here. It's going to be fun!

Fourth Of July Food Truck Rodeo

We are closed each year on the 4th. It's usually blazing hot here in Raleigh and everyone is focused on food and fireworks, not crafty goodies. Plus, I like to spend that day with friends and family, celebrating our political system by arguing about discussing politics and eating frozen treats. It's very American. 

The Raleigh fireworks have, for years, been out at the fairgrounds. This last year they were moved downtown. This excited some folks (me) and distressed others. After the works were set off a bit too low for anyone to see, there was a bit of a brew-ha-ha over the whole thing and many, many folks groused and complained. This year, the City of Raleigh promises us that the works will be MUCH higher. They have said that the second show of sparkly pretties will be visible from Glenwood Avenue, among other locations. 

We've donated 300 sparkly pinwheels to the Raleigh Convention Center to give out, for free, at their tables along Fayetteville Street. Get one if you can, they are a nice, quiet, way to celebrate the day. 

Our store will be closed on Thursday and we are turning the parking lot over to some of our favorite food trucks. They'll have a mini Food Truck Rodeo right here at Ornamentea. You can come here from 7-11 pm and listen to music from DJ Rob and have a great dinner. They tell me that there will be a children's coloring tent and even tables and chairs for the adults!

Trucks joining the fun include:
Sweet Stacey Cakes
Chick-n-Que
Captain Ponchos Tacos
Sarges Chef on Wheels
Virgil's Jamaican 
Sunset Slush of North Raleigh

Of course, you can just watch the fireworks from here if you want. You can also stop here for a bite and then head downtown on foot or on the R-Line.

I'll see you there! Happy Fourth!

*That image above is from this N&O story. It shows LAST YEARS fireworks, too low to see unless you were super, duper close. 

Indie Kid Crafts at PopUp Sunday

Are your kids crafty? Mine are. They love to make things, and they love the idea of selling their creations. Starting this month at PopUp Sunday they can sell their work at our Indie Kid's Craft Tent. There is an application to fill out, and a table fee, just like an adult craft show. Each child will be responsible for ringing up their own sales (we are using calculators!) and handling their own customers. If you want to get your child involved, download the application here on the PopUp blog. The next PopUp is Sunday, May 19th.

(these pics are of my girls making altered art journals, which may or may not show up on their table...)

Pop Up Sunday Recap

The first ever Pop Up Sunday was a big success. Even though the weather tried to freeze us out, Bitty Roo Designs sold MOST of her furniture in the first hour of the show. My own family added to our crown collection at Crowns By Sarah's booth (not this exact one, but isn't it pretty?)

We kept warm with chicken wings from Chick-n-Que and hot pizza from Klausie's. Considering the fact that Mike broke his leg this last week were a bit surprised he was able to join us. Don't worry, he had a driver, but he still navigated (loudly) throughout the parking process. The pizza was just as great as it always is.

Joelle Collins screened shirts (thank you to the JLR Bargain Box for a great donation of shirts!) and folks walked away with nifty Raleigh graphics and a new knowledge of screen printing. You can watch a video here of the screening process#PopUpSunday vine.co/v/bp7e1rAIUlD

We raised over $207 for Motheread with donations for the shirts and the cold PBR. Yes, it was chilly out there but is it really ever too cold to drink a PBR?

My favorite booth was the super-yummy-smelling Whispering Willow Soaps. I could have stayed in their booth all day. My girls bought a soap and some lip balms from them. I forgot to go get a bottle of their fabulous hand soap or some laundry soap, so I'll have to pick some up at Anvil Gallery (where their products are stocked!) They were right next to Patina South and Tracey's new camper, Ruthina. This was Ruthina's 'before the makeover' event, but I could have moved right in!

The next Pop Up is on Sunday, April 21st and our charity will be the very worthy Diaper Train. Join us for fun activities, food, beer, shopping and a day in the lot.

 Oh, and I almost forgot the very best part of the day? A cup of hot coffee and a cupcake from Sweet Stacey Cakes...this was Joelle's version of that but I know many folks warmed up that way!

Pop Up Sunday March 17th

Our very first Pop Up Sunday is this weekend. One of the vendors is Doug Kowalczyk, the genius responsible for our ever-so-busy gardens here at Ornamentea. He specializes in container gardens and his methods of stacking and layering plants to create a looks-good-all-year planter is fab. I can't wait to see what kind of unusual container gardens he has this weekend...I'm in the mood for spring!

Pop Up Sunday is 12-5, this Sunday. Get more information here.