A Good Day in L.A.

10/28/2013

The weekend before Halloween was a first for us...we decided to try something completely NEW and travel out of town!

We've been looking for an excuse to go visit "Whimsic Alley", so when we got the chance to be a part of their Halloween Faire, OF COURSE we said yes!

The hardest part?
Figuring out how to pare down our collection of merchandise that typically FILLS a 10 x 10 foot space so that it would fit on a single table! Choosing which items to bring and which to leave 150 miles away felt a bit like having to choose a favorite child! But 8 boxes and 15 shopping bags later, the van was filled, and we hit the road!

Have you heard about Whimsic Alley? What??? You haven't???
All self-respecting fans of ANYTHING Harry Potter or Doctor Who MUST visit this place at least once! You'll feel like you are walking into a book! Several wonderful shops-within-a-shop await, and there is something to admire nearly every time you turn your head!
Seriously (or Sirius Black-ly??? Sorry, couldn't resist)...CHECK IT OUT!
They also carry a lot of great stuff from other fave fantasy and Sci-fi series!
Find their shop info at www.WhimsicAlley.com

We had no idea what to expect during the weekend, so we viewed the event as a "mini-vacation", and a chance to network, as well as to hang out with our friends from
"Kit's Designs"...another San Diego-based crafter!
The weekend we were there, the "Great Hall" was filled with 20-something vendors
from all over Southern California selling some really amazing hand-made merchandise!
We're not talking the typical granny slippers and potholders- we're talking AWESOME alternative stuff to wear, play with, and eat! Every vendor was friendly and fun. What a great company of vendors to be associated with!

Friday was a great day to meet our "neighbors", and seemed to be the morning for all the vendors to buy from EACH OTHER as we got to know the location and enjoy the ambiance.

Saturday, business really picked up, and we had our first "Celebrity Sighting". We can now say we know what Howard Wallowitz's Mother REALLY looks like, cuz she came by our booth!

Sunday was exciting, because it included Trick-or-Treating for kids, and a boisterous costume contest. And what a surprise..our friends and neighbors from Chula Vista (really, they live a BLOCK AWAY from us!) came up to visit us, and their little daughter WON the costume contest with her precious "Mary Poppins" outfit, made entirely handmade by her Mommy Alma!

All in all, it was a great adventure and worth the drive! Next time, anyone want to lend us a sofa to sleep on to save us the hotel fees?

Now we have a few days to relax and enjoy the rest of the Halloween week, but only a moment, because our next show is NEXT WEEKEND! From now til December 14th, we'll be at 1 show or more every weekend! Time to get the Gingerbread baking and the stockings hung. AHHHH!
Now THAT'S SCARY!!!