Month: August 2007

  • disappointing day

           Aug

        The show on Sunday didn't go very well. I only sold a pack of notecards for $6. The room was pleasant, diffused daylight falling on a parquet floor, but there was  very low attendance.  It rained in the morning, which was probably to blame, but even when the sun came out later, there were stretches when there was only crafters in the room. Not enough variety of merchandise, there were so many people selling jewelry, it seemed almost every other table. There was also a bunch of booths selling manufactured goods such as Tupperware & Pampered Chef. Promoters ought to know this constitutes an insult to those of us who spend time & money hand making things using actual talent. Plus, it doesn't even fall under the "craft" description.
       In the afternoon there were a number of people who stopped & paid lavish compliments to my work & expressed interest in future shows, but it didn't translate into sales. But none of the crafters I spoke to did well, most didn't make back the $35 entry fee. I know it was a first time show, so there was low expectations, but it was still frustrating when it happened. I did meet some nice people, both fellow crafters & shoppers and had a yummy fruit smoothie, so I wasn't totally depressed about the day.
     

  • Happy Birthday Rufus!

            birthday 07

       Today is Rufus's birthday. He's 5 years old  now, time for kindergarten. He's had a fun day; ripping paper, rolling his tunnel, having a special giant salad. It has 2 kinds of lettuce, apple, grapes & carrots. He really enjoyed it, as you can see from this photo of the birthday boy.

  • quick update

       Getting ready for a local show this coming Sunday, so I've been really busy. It's a big one, over 50 vendors, where I'll use my display panels, which is always a lot of work gathering up both the artwork & the equipment. On Friday I'll be carrying everything down 2 flights of stairs to load the car. I haven't been feeling too well  and the upstairs neighbors are keeping me awake more than usual, so it's slow going. Thank heavens my sister will be helping me set-up & take down. It's a new show, so I'm not sure how the response will be, I hope to at least make my entry fee back in sales.

       Hope that the weather will have improved by then, as it's been raining almost steadily for the last 2 days. It's much cooler as well, feeling more like October rather than August. It's been weird weather all summer. All year, actually.

        I'll take pics & report back after the show. Wish me luck!

      

  • newest painting

       This is one of the new paintings I'm sending to Daytona Beach, Florida for the "Cold-Blooded Creations" show next weekend, Aug. 17-19th. It's called "Muskrat Neighbors" and besides the title animal, also has a Spotted Turtle, Wood Frog & Question mark butterfly in it. Done in acrylic on a canvas panel, it measures 20"x16".

     

  • wildflowers in suburbia

           Queen Anne's far view

      Though we've had much less rainfall than usual, some areas of the state is actually in drought conditions, there's still a modicum of wildflowers around, most notably chicory & Queen Anne's Lace, the latter seen here. This is a field behind a shopping center not far from  the library where my book group meets. It's hard to believe they haven't  covered it in concrete & housing developments yet. Apparently Queen Anne's lace is also called wild carrot, but I've never pulled one up to check the roots & see if the name is based on fact. I think it's a pretty flower & like how it attracts bees & butterflies. It's also nice to see a bit of wilderness along the road.