Dragon's Lair Celtic (nee Lavender Lace Celtic)

The Times, They Are A-Changin'

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Dearest Friends,

Lavender Lace Celtic has been traveling the southeast since 2007, having fun meeting new people, making friends, sharing our love for the Celtic heritage and, just maybe, making a little money to keep me in my jewelry-making habit! We have loved seeing return customers and our many vendor buddies! Camping and working hard, weathering storms, floods, product loss and freezing or burning temperatures and economic woes. We have worked hard to establish a reputation of quality, honesty, cheerfulness, and punctuality. It has been a ride we would not trade for the world. If you are reading this note right now, we want to reach out and give you a {{GREAT BIG HUG}}!

Reading the paragraph above sounds like we are quitting … rest assured WE ARE NOT QUITTING! We ARE, however, leaving the southeast.

Sabrina’s husband (Kelsey’s dad), George, is retiring. We own land in San Antonio and are finishing up our new home there. We will be moving in November.

Lavender Lace will be opening a tiny sticks-and-bricks store in their new area and they will continue to do Scottish Games and Renaissance Fairs in their new state. Rest assured, Lavender Lace Celtic will always remain as close to you as your web browser! Our commitment to you and our reputation will never waver.

During this time of our transition, we will strive to get orders out to you as soon as possible. Christmas delivery will be guaranteed on orders received before 10 December.

We love you all and will miss you with all our hearts!

Sabrina & Kelsey

Lavender Lace

P.O. Box 2158

Lytle, Texas 78052

http://www.lavenderlaceceltic.com

Summer 2011 - Lavender Lace Celtic Blog

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 01:52:00 +0000

Greetings from Irmo, South Carolina!

Like schoolchildren, Lavender Lace gets a couple of months break in the summertime! Even Scots aren’t crazy enough to hold games here in the Southeast in July or August … seriously! The heat came early and with a vengeance this year. I cannot even imagine what it will be like in August – notoriously the hottest month. I pray daily for rain and the fleeting relief it brings from the blazing temps.

I will be using this time to design and create new items for my customers. Ideas are, even now, bouncing around in my head! I have had some folks contact me with specific requests that I need to fill, as well. I need to get these ideas on paper and onto the workbench!

But first … It is time to revamp my workspace! It has become a repository for all the where-shall-I-put-this stuff that finds its way into our lives. Slowly, my work area has shrunk as this stuff has crowded its way across the room. I anticipate this taking some time and definitely some energy! As I expand my knowledge and training in the jewelry business, I need more and more storage and workspace.

I plan to set up a small in-house “store” with some store displays one of my stepdaughters was kind enough to supply me with. This would be a “By Appointment Only” store. I prepare, also, to set up some small displays in salons and spas in the area.

Watch for further news on those.

These smaller displays feature mostly non-Celtic jewelry, in order to appeal to a wider audience. Sales are, after all, required to feed my jewelry-making habit and perpetuate my business!

In the immortal words of those Bartles and James guys, “We thank you for your support!”

I hope to have a presence at the Carolina Renaissance Festival this year! I am keeping my fingers (and toes!) crossed it works out! You will be the first to know!

I am currently searching for a “for a paycheck” job. I thought I had found the perfect one, but too much experience and not enough degree separated me from that dream. Now, I am looking at maybe teaching some classes and going to work for a temporary agency.

Our last three Scottish games for this year:

Appalachian Celtic Festival and Highland Games – September 3& 4 in Ringgold, Georgia

Charleston Highland Games – September 17 in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina

Scotland County Highland Games – October 1 in Laurinburg, North Carolina

If you send me your address in an email either at lavenderlace1@gmail.com or private message me on our Facebook page, I will send you a postcard with a discount offer you can use at our booth or online!

Well, that’s it for now … off to make more jewelry!

Slainte!

Sabrina Robertson (and Kelsey too!)

Swords & Sgian Dubh, Oh My! -- June, 2011

Mon, 30 May 2011 09:52:00 +0000

Father’s Day is upon us! Is Dad a knife collector? Swords capture his fancy? You have got to visit our website at www.lavenderlaceceltic.com and see the huge collection of Sgian Dubh, swords, knives, and other great items. You need to get your Scots on with a knife for your stocking!

Did I tell you about Savannah? Long day! We left Irmo in the wee hours and drove down to Savannah for the day, then drove back that night. Slept all the next day! Ha! We had a GREAT helper, thank goodness! Who made our packing go SO much faster and let us get on the road that much sooner. Eric was introduced to Haggis and Grits, which he enjoyed but would have enjoyed more had they been hot! The Bethesda Boys Home – enough cannot be said about how beautiful it is there! If you get a chance, you really need to mark your calendar to go next year the first Saturday in May.

Lavender Lace went this year for the first time to the Smoky Mountain Highland Games in Maryville, Tennessee. Now, these games were just moved from Gatlinburg where they had been for the last 30 years! The crowds were triple what they had been in Gatlinburg, is what they tell us! The site at Maryville College was perfect for these games! We spent the weekend in a gorgeous mountain cabin owned by a dear friends’ family and we absolutely cannot thank them enough. John and Eric were both a big help to us and it’s amazing how much faster packing goes with many hands!

June!

The year is halfway over! Graduations! Weddings! The looming summer heat! Well, it all can’t be great.

June finds Lavender Lace Celtic at only two games – and both the same weekend! Clover, South Carolina on the 11^th will find Marji at the stadium there representing Lavender Lace! Please go by and say hi to Marji! She will have a tent this year and, hopefully, won’t get sunburned like she did last year.

Kelsey and I will be the 11^th and 12^th in Blairsville, Georgia for the Highland games there. Beautiful setting! We hope we do well here, as well!

The remainder of June, July and August will find us twiddling our thumbs, and (hopefully) making product. We are still a very hand-to-mouth company. We make money at an event, we can afford to purchase materials to make more product for sale at an event so we can afford to purchase materials … well, you get the idea. Actually, we have two more events to pay vendor fees for this year yet. :/

I encourage you all to go and look at what we have available on our website. We would love to expand our offerings there, but cannot afford the higher hosting fees associated with a larger online store! Yet ANOTHER Catch-22! www.lavenderlaceceltic.com

I’ll write again in August and let you know what will be coming up in September! You can do a little “reading ahead” and check out our calendar on the website!

Off to pack the RV!

Sabrina & Kelsey

Lavender Lace Celtic - April, May and June 2011

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 03:47:00 +0000

Tartan Day South on April 2nd was a HUGE SUCCESS for this brand-new event! An amazing number of people came out and spent the day eating Scottish treats, tracing their Scottish roots, and cheering some large men in “skirts” tossing heavy things! For many of those responding to my extremely informal poll, this was their very first Scottish festival and they were impressed! Donovan and his crew did an excellent job and the Historic Columbia Speedway was an excellent location! My one request for next year is to keep the winds below 20mph! We were experiencing gusts of 35mph! Lavender Lace had two tables full of product blow over! After a long day of catching and replacing tipped-over displays, the tables were just it. We decided to pack it in and leave a bit early. Many vendors were in the same situation. We are so sorry to have had to do that and heard from some late-arriving friends that they missed us! Be sure and mark your calendar to attend Tartan Day South the first Saturday in April next year! Watch www.tartandaysouth.com for updates.

We have been doing so well so far this year, that we are going to have to work extra hard to be caught up in time for Rural Hill Scottish Festival and Loch Norman Highland Games (okay, they are just going to have to shorten that name!) the weekend of April 16 and 17. This will be our second year vending at RSHF&LNHG (dang!) but I’ve lost track of how many times we went as “attendees” before we began this business and got in there as vendors. This was very well attended last year and we look forward to it being even better this year. This is just a fun time and the “Calling of the Clans” on Friday night is something to be experienced (bring a jacket)! Oh, and if you are campers, that’s a whole other party! Check it out: http://www.ruralhillscottishfestivals.net

Three weeks after Rural Hill (etc.) you will find us in Savannah for the Scottish Games there on May 7. The event crew put on a great show there at the historic Bethesda Home for Boys. Picturesque oak trees and Spanish moss cover the grounds of this park-like setting. Maybe you can find a dish of Haggis and Grits! http://www.savannahscottishgames.com/Welcome.html for more information on this event.

Keeping up the pattern of events for us this spring, May 21 & 22 will find Lavender Lace Celtic in Maryville, Tennessee, for the Smoky Mountains Highland Games (formerly Gatlinburg Scottish Festival and Games). http://www.gsfg.org/ We are so grateful for all our friends and customers and want to especially thank some special friends for offering us the use of their mountain cabin for that weekend! We are SO grateful!

June 11th is that day we perform some Lavender Lace Celtic magic and clone ourselves! Really, a good friend of ours, Marji, will be manning the Lavender Lace table at the Clover Scottish Games at the Clover Memorial Stadium. www.cloverscottishgames.com Go by and say hi to Marji and make sure she is keeping up her sunscreen application!

While Marji is hard at work in Clover, Kelsey and I will be in Blairsville, Georgia on the 11th and 12th. www.blairsvillescottishfestival.org This is just a gorgeous location! Meeks Park is naturally beautiful and they are making lovely enhancements every year. This is our last show until September and we enjoy it so much there! We camp just up the mountain at Trackrock and the scenery there is lovely too.

Well, that is all for now. I’m off to make jewelry and pack up the RV … Kelsey and I will see you at the event near you!

Sabrina Robertson

Lavender Lace Celtic

Lavender Lace - March 2011

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:26:00 +0000

March … already. We are in Florida, enjoying great weather and super friends! Our first weekend, at the Pensacola Renaissance Fair, was wonderful! We arrived the Thursday before, threw our stuff down, tent up, and set up camp across the fairgrounds. A brief shower and then the weather cleared … we had some good winds as a front moved through, but nothing we couldn’t handle. Saw some old friends at the Fair (Hi, Pixie!) and made some new ones! We also made the decision to increase the size of our shop for next and subsequent years.

Because of the date change, Sabrina celebrated her birthday during the Fair this year! Celebrated by having a burger at What-a-burger with George and Amanda! There are no What-a-burgers in South Carolina. Thank you, everyone, for the birthday wishes!!! (((HUGS))) to you all!

Lavender Lace is excited about the fair eventually moving out to Robertsdale, Alabama (about 25 miles from where it is now). We went out there to check out the progress on the new place and discuss our building plans with the owners, but THAT didn’t pan out. We are very disappointed we were unable to connect with the Pensacola Ren Fair people. We had spent a great deal of time on our store plan! There are some friendly neighbors out there, though! Sabrina was traveling alone in her motor home and pulling a trailer. Several of the roads around the new site are dead ends. Not a good combination. Adventure on the road! Combine that with the inability to connect with the people we went through all that to see, and, well, let’s just say a cup of coffee and breakfast at Cracker Barrel is a good way to chillax and regroup!

The winds died down while Sabrina was “chillaxing”, and the remainder of that leg of the journey was uneventful.

A BIG part of the reason we want to drive down for the Pensacola Ren Fair every year is that Sabrina’s parents live in Fort Walton Beach and it is an opportunity to combine pleasurable business and pure pleasure! Because Robertsdale did not work out as planned, a lot more time than was originally planned is being spent here. Kelsey caught up with us and is currently enjoying her position as Granddaughter. Sabrina hopes to catch up with some old buddies while in town.

We made camping reservations in Panama City and will be leaving Fort Walton Beach on Monday. Four days on the beach! Cannot wait! Then we move to Grace Presbyterian Church for the Panama City Highland Games on Saturday, March 12. We are praying for good weather and big crowds!

Unfortunately, after we leave Panama City, it will be a quick visit with Sabrina’s sister, Brenda, because of work and volunteer commitments back home.

As you look at our calendar at http://www.localendar.com/public/lavenderlace1 you see that our next event is the first weekend in April. Go to www.tartandaysouth.com for event schedules and other information on the First Annual Tartan Day South, being held in Columbia, South Carolina. Originally, there was to be another event the same weekend, but the museum has decided to cancel that for this year.

Well, the RV is packed and we are ON THE ROAD!

Slainte!

Sabrina & Kelsey

Lavender Lace Celtic

Lavender Lace February 2011

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 05:59:00 +0000

Hello everyone!

A long, strange winter? Is it me, or has there been an awful lot of snow this year? I know we here in Columbia have had 3 significant snowfalls this year, when we are usually lucky to get 1 small one, if that, each year. It was freezing in my workroom and I confess, I did not work out there as much as I should have! Now, I am playing catch up to get ready for the new season coming up fast! Here's a quick overview of the current status of our upcoming year:

Lavender Lace begins our new season the last weekend in February (my birthday!). My husband, younger daughter, Amanda, and I will be going to Pensacola, Florida, for a Renaissance Faire. They have to leave me after the weekend to return home. I’ll be alone for a week or so, then Kelsey’s spring break begins and she will join me in Florida. We visit her grandparents for a few days, go camping on Panama City beach and then have a Scottish Festival there in Panama City on March 12 before heading back home.

Tartan Day is going to be different this year. Still the first weekend in April, but it will be at the Columbia Raceway. The museum will be the site for some aspects, but not all. I’m not sure of the details, but I’ll post the information on my website as I learn more.

The middle of April (15-17) we will be in North Carolina at the Rural Hill Highland Games. Love this one!

May 7th is the Savannah Highland Games -- such a beautiful location! Hoping to get some "Haggis and Grits" again this year! YUM!

May 21st will find us at Marysville College near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I hope my sister, Brenda, can join us for that weekend! This will be our first year here, so wish us luck!

In June, I have two games the weekend of the 11th. A friend of mine and her daughter take part of my inventory to Clover, SC, for the Scottish Games there, while Kelsey and I travel to Blairsville, Georgia, for a weekend event there. The Blairsville Games are held at one of the loveliest locations -- we just love it there!

We have July and August off to rest and restock inventory! Last year, we went to Charlotte for an Irish Festival in August – we had lots of fun and made a little money but it was so unbelievably hot we just cannot go back. It took the better part of a week to get my body thermostat back to normal!

Lavender Lace was just invited to attend a games in Ringgold in north Georgia, the "Appalachian Celtic Festival and Highland Games" on Labor Day weekend -- we're going to check that out this year!

The Charleston Highland Games at Boone Hall Plantation in Mt. Pleasant are on September 17th. Huge attendance and another great location! I wish they would make this a two-day event!

October 1st is Scotland County Highland Games in Laurenburg, North Carolina. We are so happy to be included in this game! They are now limiting the vendor field and we so are honored to be included in that esteemed group!

October 22nd we will be at Berkeley Park in Hendersonville, North Carolina, for the Foothills Highland Games. This is a new location and we hope it works out for them and us!

The last show of the season is a big craft show here in Columbia at Jamil Temple the Saturday and Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend.

You already know I list all the games Lavender Lace will be attending on the Calendar link on our website. You may not be aware, however, that I also list a lot of events that Lavender Lace does NOT attend! It is a good resource to find those games that you may not be aware are happening nearby. If you click a game you are interested in, there is website information provided for the game in the popup!

Another announcement: We now welcome Lord Discover to the realm of Lady Visa and Master Card!

Well, back to my workroom! We'll see you at the games!

Slainte! (your health)

Sabrina & Kelsey

Lavender Lace Celtic - Purveyors of Celtic Curiosities

The Robertson Family - Proprietress'

http://www.lavenderlaceceltic.com

Facebook: Lavender Lace Celtic

P.O. Box 386, Irmo, SC 29063

LAVENDER LACE ? NOVEMBER 2010

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 01:23:00 +0000

Hey, everyone! Ceud Mile Failte! (a hundred-thousand welcomes!),

I think I can go a few months without seeing turkey now. How about you? Whew! Great food! Great family! Great times!

What a finale to 2010! When we last wrote you, Lavender Lace was looking forward to the last few games of the year. The majority of these last remaining events have been unbelievable!

The second annual Scotland County Highland Games in Laurinburg, North Carolina were absolutely phenomenal! They had WAY over 7.000 in attendance and I believe that every one of those people made a purchase in our tent! Ha! The weather was great, the venue was terrific, and everything went very smoothly for the organizers. Lavender Lace had an unbelievable amount of work to do before the remainder of our events. We continue to hear from many of you and so enjoy your kind words and wishes.

The Foothills Highland Games in Hendersonville, North Carolina, went off (almost) without a hitch. Our tent blew over, but sustained minimal damage and repairs are underway! Windy ... cold ... did I say windy? The typical Foothills games! I understand snow was, like, 20 miles away, but didn’t make it to us! Whew!

We are doing a craft show here in Columbia. Jamil Temple, to be exact. BJ, of Fan-Glasstic, is our tent-mate and Alan, of Anvil Artistry, is to be our neighbor for the day! Saturday, November 27 from 9am to 5pm and Sunday, November 28 from 1pm to 5pm.

***CONTEST*** ***CONTEST*** ***CONTEST***

Become a Fan of Lavender Lace on Facebook! Spread the word to your friends! When we get to 500 fans, we will give away a gift card to one lucky fan! http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=301600634105

Our 2011 season will begin in March. The year will start with two consecutive weekends in Florida. We have family in the area, so we will be combining business with pleasure. We will begin with Pensacola for a two-day Renaissance Faire, a “private showing” for the residents of Theresa Village during our break, and then a trip down to Panama City before heading to Montgomery, Alabama and then back home. We have a nice break to make LOTS of jewelry for next year!

We will be offering some new items next year and hope that you will come see what we have dreamed up now! We will write again in March!

Slainte! (your health!)

Sabrina Robertson Camacho

Lavender Lace Celtic

http://www.lavenderlaceceltic.com

Lavender Lace October 2010

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 01:39:00 +0000

Hey everyone! Failte! (welcome!)

Well, on the calendar, Fall begins September 23rd. But all y’all Southerners know that Fall REALLY doesn’t begin until the end of October … Halloween … right? Whew! This summer is a scorcher! I, for one, am glad it will soon be over!

Okay, the Charlotte Irish SUMMER Fest … can you say HOT? Can you say SUNBURN? Out on a parking lot with NO relief from the heat or any shade! Finally, about 4:00 or so, the sun slipped behind a tall apartment building and we got some very welcome shade. The festival was scheduled to last until 10:00pm, and at 9:00pm, exactly, the wind and rain came! Once we had our product secured, we took our time packing! That rain felt SOOOOO good! We were drenched to the skin by the time we got into the RV. Slept like the dead, we did!

The Charleston Highland Games on the 18th were spectacular! Another hot, muggy day in South Carolina – but, oh, a great time was had by all! Vendors in our area were very close ... so we had to change our arrangement a bit. It was just starting to sprinkle as we packed up. We were more worried about the thunder. We decided to stay an extra night to avoid weather on the road.

October 2nd will find us at the Scotland County Highland Games in Laurinburg, North Carolina. This will be their second year and they have promised not to be caught off guard by the huge crowds again! WOW! What a great time we had last year! We are really looking forward to this one. We are stocking up on items we have not had all year – so come by and see what is new!

For those of you going to the games at Stone Mountain, Georgia in October, be sure and ask the organizers (and anyone else who will listen) where Lavender Lace is! We would love to be in the games there next year! While we are “talking up” Lavender Lace, put in a word for us with the Northeast Florida Scottish Games & Festival in February, too!

Make plans now for November 6th and the Foothills Highland Games in Hendersonville, North Carolina. That is the last highland games of the year here in The South! We always have a great time there.

Lavender Lace will be at the Jamil Temple here in Columbia on November 27 & 28 (I-26, Exit 106A). It is a Christmas craft show and the absolute last personal appearance by Lavender Lace for the year!

*** Announcements ***

Our catalog is now a downloadable .pdf file on our website! YAY! You can print it out for free and peruse it at your leisure. The link is located on the home page about halfway down.

Have you got your special Lavender Lace Rewards Program card yet? Nine purchases will get you a big 25% off your tenth! Please see me to get one of these special cards. Online or catalog purchasers will get a card and a sticker to stick on with each purchase! ***

If you are a Highland games committee member, or know of an event that I do not mention here, please let me know and I will get the word out to my subscribers.

Well, I am off to pack the RV for The Road!

Slainte! (your health)

Sabrina

Lavender Lace August/September 2010

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:29:00 +0000

Hey everyone! Failte! (welcome!)

The summer has zipped by! The kids are going back to school, and though the heat hangs on, we are in anticipation of that first cool evening signaling the return of fall!

This Saturday (August 14th) will find Kelsey and me in Charlotte, North Carolina for the Charlotte Summer Irish Festival. I know, I know, IRISH?!?! But, Celtic is Celtic. There will be no games, but lots of music and dancing! Beer drinkin’ too, I am thinkin’. If you are in the Charlotte area, make your way to the city and you will find us at the corner of 3rd and South Tryon Street in Uptown Charlotte.

Go ahead and mark your calendars now for the 2010 Charleston Scottish Games on Saturday, September 18th at Boone Hall Plantation in Mt. Pleasant, SC. We will be camped out at the nearby KOA for the weekend praying for good weather and cooler temperatures!

I will go ahead and make quick mention of the Scotland County Highland Games in Laurinburg, North Carolina now because it is Saturday, October 2nd. This will be their second year and they have promised not to be caught off guard by the huge crowds again! WOW! What a great time we had! We are really looking forward to this one again this year.

*** Announcements ***

Our calendar is now a downloadable .pdf file on our website! YAY! You can print it out for free and peruse it at your leisure. The link is located on the home page about halfway down.

If you are a Highland games committee member, or know of an event that I do not mention here, please let me know and I will get the word out to my subscribers.

Well, I am off to pack the RV for The Road!

Slainte! (your health)

Sabrina

Lavender Lace June 2010

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 02:30:00 +0000

Hey, everyone! Failte! (welcome!)

June already?!?!? Well, I have been busy the past few weeks working with the Census Bureau, making jewelry when I have enough energy left at the end of the day and trying to remember to feed my family! Just kidding about the last, but that paycheck will end soon enough and things will return to normal.

Even though Lavender Lace was not able to be a vendor at the Greenville, South Carolina games back on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, I DID go and help Danny Skinner of Celtic Concepts out with his booth. HRH Prince Edward was in attendance at these games – though I did not lay eyes on him.

This weekend (June 12th & 13th) will find Kelsey and me in the north Georgia mountains for the Blairsville Scottish Festival and Highland Games. Lavender Lace will perform an amazing feat of magic and be in two places at once! On Saturday, the 12th, we will ALSO be in Clover, South Carolina! Actually, a dear friend of mine, Marji, and her daughter, Kate, will be representing Lavender Lace there for the day. If you are in either of those places this weekend, please come by and say hi!

The granddaddy of all the games in the Southeast, Grandfather Mountain (pun fully intended) will take place in July, unfortunately without Lavender Lace. We simply cannot afford the vendor fee there! But if you need information about going, there is information on our online calendar. www.LavenderLaceOne.com

I have put together a print catalog for Lavender Lace! I am so excited to have done this – it is something that I have been mulling over in my mind for quite a while now. In order to not loose money on it and have it thrown away … I will have to sell it for $2.00 and refund that money with the first purchase. I hope that those of you who purchase the catalog enjoy it! I took a great deal of pleasure in making it more than just a product catalog. There are several surprises sprinkled throughout its more than 30 pages.

*** Drumroll please …***Have you got your special Lavender Lace Rewards Program card yet? Nine purchases will get you a big 25% off your tenth! Please see me to get one of these special cards. Online or catalog purchasers will get a card and a sticker to stick on with each purchase! ***

I sure hope that you enjoy these newsletters as much as I enjoy writing them! If you are a Highland games committee member, or know of an event that I do not mention here, please let me know and I will get the word out to my subscribers.

Well, I am off to pack the RV for The Road!

Slainte! (your health)

Sabrina