LaPorte Sunflower Fair Coupon!!

DON'T MISS IT!!

Tomorrow, September 18 is the LaPorte Sunflower Fair!! Hopie-Jo will have booth set up so make sure you stop by and see us. It will be a fun day and the rain will stay away!!

As a "thank you" to all our fans, here is a coupon to print off, bring to the Sunflower Fair, and receive a discount on your entire Hopie-Jo purchase. What a deal!


Make sure you sign up for our newsletter. This is the last coupon we will post on our blog. In the future, only our newsletter subscribers will receive the coupon.

See you at the Sunflower Fair!

New Product!! Multi-functional magnetic boards and bottle cap bling hooks

A couple weeks ago we came up with the idea to expand our bottle cap charm holders into a more functional all purpose magnetic board. Don't worry, we are still making smaller charm holders, we are just giving our buyers more options. Everybody likes options!

To realize our new product dream we had a very important task...SHOPPING!!!!! We headed into downtown Chesterton to Yesterday's Treasures, one of my favorite antique/vintage/resale type shops. They have everything there!! Jo and I were on the hunt for cute vintage fabric to cover the boards and also lace and crochet doilies/table runners/clothes/trim etc. Our trip was a complete success and we left Yesterday's Treasures with lots 'o treasures!

Two days ago we came up with the bottle cap bling hook idea to compliment our new boards. Which meant more shopping. We love shopping just as much as we love custom orders!
So here it is, our first multi functional magnetic board:

It looks a little bare, doesn't it?

Love the vintage crochet across the top!

So what makes these boards so special and functional (besides the fact they are handmade with love and vintage/reused materials)?

Take a look!!!!

The crochet is for hanging earrings, the bottle cap hook holds necklaces, and the board not only holds bottle cap charms but can hold up pictures or notes or anything else!

Close up of the crochet.

Boards will be sold with 2 coordinating bottle cap bling hooks. We can custom make these to various sizes and colors. If you're interested, send us an email to hopiejo@gmail.com. We will also be selling boards at the LaPorte Sunflower Fair on September 18.

Also, for girlies that like headbands but aren't into bows and ribbons, we present the simple, yet stylish, bottle cap bling headband.

This is one of our crotchet headbands with a bottle cap charm magnet attached with an alligator clip.

SO fabulously cute!!!

We have 2 weeks until the LaPorte Sunflower Fair and we have so much to do!!! If you're going to the Sunflower Fair, don't forget to stop by and say hello!

CAUTION - Rip Current Warning...please don't flash the fishes

In our last blog I mentioned that last Sunday Jo and I, and our families, went to the beach and the waves were HUGE, but I didn't have my camera to back up my claim of wave hugeness. I was smarter today.

I woke up this morning and immediately checked the weather. Had to make sure it was another perfect beach day for Jo and I and our families. Partly cloudy skies, upper 70s, no rain...but wait...a warning? What type of warning could there possibly be on such a perfect day? I clicked on the little warning sign and it said: CAUTION- Rip current warning. Which means only one thing HUGE WAVES!!!!!! Don't get me wrong, we take rip current warnings very seriously. First rule, respect Lady Lake Michigan. She is a beauty, but she can be deadly if not respected. So I went over all the rules with my kids about the waves and the rip currents, etc...then we all did a happy dance....WOO HOO BIG WAVES!!!!!

Enjoy some pics of our super fabulous day at the beach enjoying BIG WAVES! Thank you Mother Nature for the North winds blowing across Lake Michigan. And sorry to all the fishes I accidentally flashed while body surfing and being pounded by waves.

Look, Hopie-Jo toes! :)

Work Hard and Play Hard....well...kinda!

Reins of Life Dog and Pony Show...AWESOME!!! 2ND Saturday local artist event in LaPorte...AWESOME! It was a super busy Saturday last weekend, but we had a blast and it was well worth it.

We were a bit worried when we woke up to rain last Saturday, but by the time we got to Reins of Life and got our booth set up, the rain had stopped. One nice thing about the rain, it kept the heat down in the morning. By afternoon the sun came out as did the heat and humidity. But it was all good, we were in the horse barn! :) Oh yes, since the weather was hot, vendors got to set up in the horse arena of the barn. It definitely kept us cool, but the sand floor was a bit messy. Truth be told, we were glad to be inside.

Booth pics!

We used two tables and filled them both!

Doesn't our booth look so full and pretty!

A pic of the inside of the barn

Our families came to visit us and take in the events of the Dog and Pony show. I wanted to go home with a Shiloh Shepherd. She was a 9 month old rescue and I fell in love with her. But hubby said no...so I refrained from adding extra chaos to our already hectic life. If it were up to Jo's kids, she would have been taking home a Japanese Chin. Anyway, we both made it through the day without adding a family member, much to the relief of our husbands.

After a long day at the Dog and Pony Show, we headed into LaPorte for the 2nd Saturday artist event. We hung out at Goose Feathers, met some shoppers, was interviewed by the LaPorte Herald Argus, and had a great time. If you live in La Porte, or close by, stop by Goose Feathers. Not only do we have a super cute display and fabulous charms, but the rest of the store is really cute too! Jo and I both purchased a couple items while we were there.

I wasn't smart enough to take a picture of our display, but I did take a pic of the outside of the store.
YEA Goose Feathers!!

Jo and I, and our families, relaxed all day on the beach on Sunday. Definitely needed after our crazy Saturday. It was a perfect boogie boarding/body surfing day. The waves were HUGE! Of course, I forgot my camera, so I can't visually back up my claim at the size of the waves. But I seriously don't remember them ever being any bigger than they were on Sunday. Crazy big...and so much fun! Me and my bikini had a hard time dealing with the force of the waves! I always had to check myself before standing up...I think I probably flashed some underwater lake life during the course of the day! So much fun!!

Tuesday Jo and I took our kids to Brookfield Zoo. The weather was perfect; partly cloudy and not too hot. Here are a couple pics from the day.




I would include a pic of Jo on her scooter, but she would probably get really mad at me! Since her back still isn't better, she rented a scooter to get around the zoo. She rode it like a champ and didn't run over any kids. Yea Jo!!

Jo's kids started school on Tuesday, but mine don't start until next Wednesday, so I took my kids back to the beach on Thursday. No waves on Thursday, the water was really calm. Of course, I remembered to bring my camera but no exciting waves for fabulous picture taking fun. So I just took a couple random shots, just because the beach is so gorgeous and I pinch myself everyday that I live here again. I really missed the beach and "my" lake! And the beach was practically empty 'cause some schools had already started!

The beach!

My kids in the water.

My knees!

That's my pretty hot pink toe.

Blue bucket...nothing more.

So after a week of play, Jo and I are ready to focus on Hopie-Jo again! My super fabulous friend Michelle (she designed our logo/stickers/business cards, etc) ordered some Hopie-Jo swag for her niece's birthday. Hopie-Jo LOVES CUSTOM ORDERS (I think we've mentioned that before). Here is a pic of what we put together for her niece.

A holder, 6 charms, and 2 necklaces. I hope her niece loves it!!

We have 2 craft shows coming up, the LaPorte Sunflower Festival on September 18 and a Holiday Craft Show at Indian Trail Elementary School in LaPorte in November. Along with preparing for those shows, we are going to try and get our product into a couple more local stores, one in Valparaiso and one in Chesterton. And we are going to get lots more product on our Etsy site. Lots to do, but with kids in school, we'll have more time to get it all done!

Busy day tomorrow!

Hopie-Jo has a BIG day tomorrow!!!! Beginning at 8:30ish am and ending around 8:00ish pm. That's a long day...but we are excited!!!

First stop, Reins of Life Dog and Pony Show. What a great organization! We are so excited to be a part of their first ever Dog and Pony Show fundraiser. There will be lots of different dog and horse related demonstrations and events throughout the day, along with vendors (we will have a booth set up) and also a silent auction (we've donated a charm holder, 3 charms, and a necklace to the auction). It takes place tomorrow, Saturday, August 14 from 10:00am - 4:00 pm. at their location in Michigan City, Indiana at 9375 W. CR 300 North. If you're local, stop by! It's gonna be a fun day. Click here for more information on the event.

Immediately following the Dog and Pony Show, Hopie-Jo will be headed to La Porte for the 2nd Saturday local artist event. Hopie-Jo products are now being sold at Goose Feathers, 515 State Street, LaPorte, IN, and we will be at the store tomorrow evening from 5:00 - 8:00 pm. Click here for more information on LaPorte's 2nd Saturday event. Swing by Goose Feathers tomorrow evening and check out our bottle cap bling and the rest of the super cute store!

We can't believe the summer is almost over! Once the kiddos are back at school, Hopie-Jo will be putting a lot of time and effort into our Etsy site and also getting our product into other local stores.

AND, our website will be done soon!!! We have a fabulous designer working on it and we hope to get it launched within the next couple weeks. Thank you Danielle!!

See everyone at the Dog and Pony Show or 2nd Saturday in LaPorte!

Summer Time...and the livin' is easy

I just realized I never posted pics from the craft fair we did way back in May (is it really July already?)

Here is one half of our booth


And here is the other half!


Here are some of our holders and purses

It was so much fun we've decided to do more. We just got done filling out two more applications. One for the Sunflower Fair in LaPorte September 18, read all about it here. The second one is for the Reins of Life Dog and Pony Show on August 14 in Michigan City. Read more about it here and here. Fingers crossed we get accepted to both. We're especially excited about the Reins of Life Dog and Pony Show. We think it's a fabulous charity and we would be so proud to take part in their event! We will also be donating a charm holder, 2 charms and a necklace to their silent auction.

We've had a few sales on Etsy this summer. But honestly, we haven't been putting the time and effort into our shop like we should. Hopefully that will change.

We have been filling a lot of custom orders (yeah! we love custom orders!) and getting ready to pitch ourselves into other local stores. We have a meeting on Tuesday with a shop in La Porte and hopefully they will decide to carry our stuff. We will let you know how it goes!

Jo, ever the creative one full of new ideas, came up with a new idea for bottle cap bling purses....tie dye!! Check out this fabric she tie dyed!

This will make the coolest purse!

So will this one! Can't wait to show you all the purses when they are finished.

We're starting to work on back to school and fall themed items...which leads us to Christmas items...crazy how fast the time goes.

Hard to believe summer is half over! Enjoy what is left of it!

Our First Craft Show, Bottle Cap Bling Purses and a Coupon!

Jo and I have been working hard getting ready for our first craft show! We have around 200 bottle cap charms, over 30 bottle cap bow barrettes, over 30 bottle cap bow headbands, 6 charm holders (4 hold charms and barrettes!) and 6 of our newest item, bottle cap bling purses!!! WHEW!! We've been busy!!! First, any of you local folks looking for something fun to do on Saturday, come see us at the New Buffalo Craft Fair! The fair will be held at St. John United Church of Christ, 200 West Buffalo St. in New Buffalo, MI from 10:00am - 4:00 p.m. (Michigan time). The weather is supposed to be beautiful so stop by the craft show, hit the beach, finish with a fabulous meal at Redamaks...sounds like a great way to spend the day!! AND, for all our readers, a coupon!!!!! Print out the below coupon, bring it to the craft fair, and receive a 20% discount! Excellent!!!!



Can't just gloss over the fact we have a new product! We are now selling Bottle Cap Bling Purses. They are sooooooo cute!!!!! We need to thank our fabulous sister-in-law Tina! She is the one constructing the purses. Jo and I don't know how to work a sewing machine....I know...embarrassing...maybe one day. When we had the idea for making purses, we knew who to turn to, Tina, she is master of the sewing machine (and she is oh so creative!!) Jo and I gathered fabric, new, vintage, and up-cycled, and gave it to Tina so she could work her magic and create cutie purses! And then Jo and I bling them up with bottle caps and bows. Take a look at a few that will be available at the craft fair this weekend:

Behind the bottle cap, under the flat, is a magnet that keeps the purse closed.

The perfect size for a wallet, lip gloss, and other little treasures.





Look how cute the bottle cap bow is on this one!!



The divine Miss O modeling one of the purses.

We will also be making adult purses, perfect for a night out or shopping when all you want to carry is your phone, credit cards, money, and maybe some lipstick! So handy!

We hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend! A heartfelt "THANK YOU" goes out to our troops and all those who have served in the armed forces.

Happy Memorial Day to all!!