Argh… I have to tell you, most days that I work, I work HARD. I start around 7 am and go until about 5 pm, but those days mostly are flexible, and require no ghastly commute. Going from this relative freedom to the grind of worrying about what time I will be arriving somewhere, and what I will be wearing when I get there, really takes it out of me. But I think most of it is the commute. I hope as a civilization we evolve beyond the five day a week (maybe more) commute for many jobs. I understand teachers, students, nurses, doctors, etc will need to commute to get near one another, to get to their jobs, to be able to do their jobs, but I think so many can sit at home a few days a week just fine and still get things accomplished. Of course that would mean having a population happy enough with their home and home life to actually WANT to be home, rather than to escape to an office, to be able to blame their miserableness on a boss, on a commute, rather than the real reasons… but I digress….
Monday: Artist check in at MLAC. 9-4ish. The usual hour or so commute via the highway became a two hour and five minute headache via surface streets. As the major highway was closed, the traffic switched to the only major alternate, which was quickly closed as well due to an accident there. Why people who drive the highway feel the need to try and do the same on a surface street is beyond me. I know, they are stressing about traffic, about being late to work, but hey, you chose to live an hour away from your job, with only one major way to get there… are we the only people to contemplate such things? Oh, BTW, I also got some labels printed, went to the post office, paid bills, and worried about J all day since she was admitted to the hospital again for her intestinal issues….
Tuesday: MLAC set up and opening reception. I got there after the usual commute around 12 noon and got home after the reception ended about 10 pm. In the morning before leaving I printed some more labels, went through and dealt with some show apps, blogged, ran out to get cat litter and then took care of all that goes with that. J was released on her own reconnaissance from the hospital. This means they trust her to finish her round of meds and actually consult with the surgeon on having some of her intestine removed… yeah, right, she’ll do that… not….
Wednesday: MLAC 9-4ish. Before leaving I got a box for C’s sister mailed out, I have to say I LOVE the fact that USPS picks up packages at your door. It must save me 2-3 trips to the post office a week, and a line even when I do need to pick up mail from my PO Box. Its really handy at the winter holidays… no line! I also picked up groceries, finished sending in paperwork for a show, and called my mom. Unfortunately to day was also the day that one of B’s cats- Tribble- passed over to kitty Heaven.. It was a bummer that I was so busy that I couldn’t be there for her.
Thursday: MLAC 9 am-2ish…I printed flyers for my next show, e-mailed a customer about a wholesale request, and put together more stock for MLAC. It seems a few of my things were sold out (or close to) during the day….that’s a good sign….
Friday: The morning started out quite busy, I had what felt like a million things to do before C got home and we left for the craft show. I printed out directions to both the show and the hotel, dropped off my stock to A for MLAC, we met at Starbucks where she got a big cup of caffeine and I got a big cup of sugar and decaf….I printed labels for bags for soap, checked the hot tub chems, fed the cats and got them water for the weekend, folded flyers for the show, took out the garbage, packed the van with displays and inventory, packed my clothes for the trip, and did laundry. C got home about 1 and we left about 2:30… the rest is another post….
Saturday: Apple Blossom Festival
Sunday: Apple Blossom Festival (kinda…) groceries, Nascar (& nap), update online events calendar…
5.07.2007
5.01.2007
April 28, 2007 Bloomsburg Renaissance Jamboree
10am-5pm
Grey Sky, Cool Air, Breezy
The last time I attended this show was two years ago. That day the sun was out, the people were out, and I sold a good days worth of sales…
This time it was grey, cold, and damp, and I sold less than ½ of what I did two years ago. The crowd has completely changed. Gone are the people looking for spring things, for Mother’s Day gifts, and here are the drunken college kids who can barely stand.
There were many empty booths that started the day and many more before the end of it as vendors packed up and left early. It was a simple show to get into (not the chaos and crowds that I remembered from years past) and set up was a breeze. If I had known my one neighbor wasn’t going to show up I would have displayed my stuff much differently. My other neighbor barely made any of what he was selling and didn’t have a problem telling customers as much. But the show was supposed to be all handmade and he shouldn’t have been there. But like moths to a flame, the crowd was drawn to cheap, shiny jewelry and he made out OK.
I did learn of some new shows and I got a few laughs people watching (intoxicated people golf putting is FUNNY!) and I got some unexpected questions about my merchandise (do you use bubble bags to make bubbles like a wand?).
At the end we had to drive through what was 50 cop cars from at least 5 different townships that were breaking up what we assumed was a fight at a college block party.
Best Sellers: Patchouli Soap, Black Cherry Bath Fizzys, Washcloths….
Grey Sky, Cool Air, Breezy
The last time I attended this show was two years ago. That day the sun was out, the people were out, and I sold a good days worth of sales…
This time it was grey, cold, and damp, and I sold less than ½ of what I did two years ago. The crowd has completely changed. Gone are the people looking for spring things, for Mother’s Day gifts, and here are the drunken college kids who can barely stand.
There were many empty booths that started the day and many more before the end of it as vendors packed up and left early. It was a simple show to get into (not the chaos and crowds that I remembered from years past) and set up was a breeze. If I had known my one neighbor wasn’t going to show up I would have displayed my stuff much differently. My other neighbor barely made any of what he was selling and didn’t have a problem telling customers as much. But the show was supposed to be all handmade and he shouldn’t have been there. But like moths to a flame, the crowd was drawn to cheap, shiny jewelry and he made out OK.
I did learn of some new shows and I got a few laughs people watching (intoxicated people golf putting is FUNNY!) and I got some unexpected questions about my merchandise (do you use bubble bags to make bubbles like a wand?).
At the end we had to drive through what was 50 cop cars from at least 5 different townships that were breaking up what we assumed was a fight at a college block party.
Best Sellers: Patchouli Soap, Black Cherry Bath Fizzys, Washcloths….
April 23-29, 2007 Week 17
Things are really ramping up around here. I have a big push of shows in the end of April/ May and then a lull, and then chaos August-December. This week really was the start of the push. You know that time when you look back at all you have done and accomplished over the last few months, and then sit sobbing, realizing that 1) it wasn’t enough, 2) for all your planning you have so much to cram into the next few weeks, and 3) you should have done things so, so different…..hindsight is 20/20 and I can only hope to learn from my mistakes…
Monday: The new blinds came… they were wrong. We suspected that at least one would be wrong, but there were at least 4 glaring mistakes (mostly size) that was just wrong. I can safely say, don’t buy blinds from Lowe’s. I mean, they ordered new ones and they are on their way, but the whole process has been one pain after another….I also made samplers, got groceries, went to Home Depot for a few things, PetCo for cat stuff, the drycleaner, paid bills, and checked the chems in the hot tub…
Tuesday: Made soap, blogged, stained and painted some new displays so the look nice and integral with the rest of my display, did dishes, printed out directions to the show, took out the garbage, and put cured soap away where it belongs..
Wednesday: B and I went to the book sale in the morning and then for lunch. After that we went to the fabric store where she bought an awesome display that she will use in her workshop. I also cleaned my crocks from the day before, cut and milled soap, cut finished soap into bars to cure, started dinner in the slow cooker, stopped at the post office, clean soap molds, and cut fabric for my display…. By 6 pm I had one of the worst migraines I have had in quite a while. The type that hurt so much you want to cry, but crying just makes them hurt more…The stress is catching up…..
Thursday: I still had remnants of my migraine so I didn’t do too much. I printed and folded flyers for the show, packed my cash register and my knitting for the show, cut some soap into bars for curing, labeled bags for the show, and went through the “grey tub”- this is a Rubbermaid container I bring to every show that I keep stocked with everything from pens, to tape, to my signs, as well as aspirin, and toilet paper… hey you never know…It always seems that at the end of my last show everything gets shoved into this box, so I needed to go through it and stock it with the things I really needed…
Friday: I spent part of the day at MLAC setting up the show with the rest of the committee. I made a detailed to do list for the next few weeks, because sometimes just getting it down on paper makes me stress so much less, I used a coupon for my local yarn shop and bought some yarn for washcloths, I ended up with a free skein because of the coupon, and I couldn’t let that go to waste. I also called a show promoter about the fact that I would like to switch what show I am doing with them, I have called twice but have not heard back, so at this rate I am not doing any show with them and will not apply again with them. I hate places that cannot return phone calls!!!
Saturday: Bloomsburg Renaissance Jamboree and dinner with B& M. The show was bad, the dinner was great (but long). More on the show in another post, but dinner was at the Powerhouse Eatery in White Haven PA. It is a cool old building (a powerhouse) that has been renovated into a groovy restaurant. The prices are a little steep, but the food is good and the company was better. The service was a little slow, it took us well over 2 hours to eat and we skipped dessert. On a non show day it would have been fine, but we were all tired and sore and well, tired…
Sunday: Spent a good part of the day at MLAC checking in artists. It didn’t take as long as I thought it would. I got to catch the end of the NASCAR race, which I fell asleep just in time to miss Jeff Gordon win.
Monday: The new blinds came… they were wrong. We suspected that at least one would be wrong, but there were at least 4 glaring mistakes (mostly size) that was just wrong. I can safely say, don’t buy blinds from Lowe’s. I mean, they ordered new ones and they are on their way, but the whole process has been one pain after another….I also made samplers, got groceries, went to Home Depot for a few things, PetCo for cat stuff, the drycleaner, paid bills, and checked the chems in the hot tub…
Tuesday: Made soap, blogged, stained and painted some new displays so the look nice and integral with the rest of my display, did dishes, printed out directions to the show, took out the garbage, and put cured soap away where it belongs..
Wednesday: B and I went to the book sale in the morning and then for lunch. After that we went to the fabric store where she bought an awesome display that she will use in her workshop. I also cleaned my crocks from the day before, cut and milled soap, cut finished soap into bars to cure, started dinner in the slow cooker, stopped at the post office, clean soap molds, and cut fabric for my display…. By 6 pm I had one of the worst migraines I have had in quite a while. The type that hurt so much you want to cry, but crying just makes them hurt more…The stress is catching up…..
Thursday: I still had remnants of my migraine so I didn’t do too much. I printed and folded flyers for the show, packed my cash register and my knitting for the show, cut some soap into bars for curing, labeled bags for the show, and went through the “grey tub”- this is a Rubbermaid container I bring to every show that I keep stocked with everything from pens, to tape, to my signs, as well as aspirin, and toilet paper… hey you never know…It always seems that at the end of my last show everything gets shoved into this box, so I needed to go through it and stock it with the things I really needed…
Friday: I spent part of the day at MLAC setting up the show with the rest of the committee. I made a detailed to do list for the next few weeks, because sometimes just getting it down on paper makes me stress so much less, I used a coupon for my local yarn shop and bought some yarn for washcloths, I ended up with a free skein because of the coupon, and I couldn’t let that go to waste. I also called a show promoter about the fact that I would like to switch what show I am doing with them, I have called twice but have not heard back, so at this rate I am not doing any show with them and will not apply again with them. I hate places that cannot return phone calls!!!
Saturday: Bloomsburg Renaissance Jamboree and dinner with B& M. The show was bad, the dinner was great (but long). More on the show in another post, but dinner was at the Powerhouse Eatery in White Haven PA. It is a cool old building (a powerhouse) that has been renovated into a groovy restaurant. The prices are a little steep, but the food is good and the company was better. The service was a little slow, it took us well over 2 hours to eat and we skipped dessert. On a non show day it would have been fine, but we were all tired and sore and well, tired…
Sunday: Spent a good part of the day at MLAC checking in artists. It didn’t take as long as I thought it would. I got to catch the end of the NASCAR race, which I fell asleep just in time to miss Jeff Gordon win.
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