Monday I got up early and updated the blogs, paid the bills, took care of the cats, and paid for some upcoming shows.
Paying for shows is always a pain. Every show wants something different- 5 slides, 6 slides, put your name on the top of the slide, on the bottom of the slide, put a red dot on the lower left front of the slide, send pictures, send pictures of you making the product, send a description of how you make the product, send a self addressed stamped envelope, send 2 envelopes… the differences go on and on. It is also hard for me because I have to make a decision about exactly what shows I want to apply for. Sometimes I am waiting to hear about one on a particular date while the application for another for the same date comes due- I have to decide- apply for both? Hope I get in to one? With jury fees costing more and more each year the $10-$25 each just to apply for a show it really adds up.
Around noon we went to Atlantic City.
Tuesday: Atlantic City. It was so much fun. B and I went, it was a girls day and night out. I got a free room at the Borgata and she brought some comps for food. I only lost half of what I expected to, so that was cool. We went swimming in the indoor pool and sat in the hot tub for a while; we went casino hopping and ate some really goof food. All in all it was exactly what I needed- a day to rejuvenate, to unwind… and we actually talked about our businesses some too!
Wednesday: I paid bills, did laundry, and ordered some supplies. I also cancelled the hotel for the show I was supposed to be at this weekend, but circumstances weren’t right so I backed out.
Thursday: I ran errands: groceries, post office, bank, and drycleaner. I also want to MLAC to jury the spring show. I swear it gets harder and harder each show. We get better and better applicants and it gets harder and harder to decide. It took three hours for us to choose just over 40 applicants. As usual I just learn so much about other crafts its not even funny. I learned about jewelry, about pottery, about fabric arts. I think that it makes me a better-rounded artisan to better understand other people's mediums and what they are trying to say through their work. I also stopped to get a friend a present for her upcoming baby shower, and visited my friend A for a few hours. We haven't seen each other for a while and are going to schedule a day of knitting soon (so she can teach me how to make button holes..).
Friday: I applied for health insurance. It's been many years since I carried any and C and I decided it was finally time. It is one of those new HAS plans where I can put my deductible each year into savings and it is a tax write off, plus it carries over from year to year, and I can use it for retirement of there is anything left over by then. I did more laundry- I was so behind! And lost of homework- I was really behind in that too..And I finally had a great experience with a supplier. I purchased some supplies from Nashville Wraps and there was a mistake with my order. Not only did they ship out the right item within a few hours, but they asked me to donate the wrong item to the charity of my choice as I see fit. Bravo Nashville Wraps!!!
Saturday: Laundry and homework- finally sort of got caught up on both. C and I went out to celebrate our Anniversary. We had Italian at Stefano's. Great food, even better dessert. We brought Tartufo home with us and got extra for the next few days snacking. It is a ball of ice cream, chocolate and vanilla filled with nuts and a cherry and covered in chocolate shell.
Sunday: We went to see two houses. One had the space we need, but it was built in the 50's and really needed some major renovation work to become what we want. The other was just too small. It was built in the 20's and was in great shape, but the house was too narrow, and to make the bed and bath the size we want, we would be converting it into a one bedroom house…not a good idea…I finished the laundry (is laundry ever really finished.. I think not), I got the workshop ready for soapmaking in the morning, took care of the cats needs, and put some items up on Etsy.com. Now what is Etsy.com- its Ebay for the handcrafter… very inexpensive to list, just starting- only has about 20,000 members, and automatically builds your own little store. It was easy to use and I had 10 visitors to my items within the first few minutes (no sales yet though)… I want to put up 5 items a week until I have just about everything listed and give it a try as a new venue…
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