Craft Show Season has begun!

Tomorrow is my first show of the season. It is in Keene, NH - a show I do twice a year, lately with mixed results. It's funny that I continue to attend given the mixed results, but I've gotten to know many of the artists situated near me, and it is familiar and comfortable. I must admit, not the best reason for going. I always come out ahead and I like feeling apart of a community.

I have mixed feelings about most craft fairs I attend, especially in the last year - many are a mixture of quality artisan crafts and (for lack of a better word) crap - buy and sell items that are usually priced so low that I can't compete when it's jewelry. There is a lot of mass produced sterling silver jewelry out there. I complain and the promoters say that they were told it was all handmade by the vendor. Hah! 50 rings in various sizes with the same gemstone is one example of pieces made elsewhere. I am sure many of you who do shows have experienced situations similar to this.

One of the things that keeps me up the night before I do a show is wondering if I remembered everything? I am not a big list maker, even though I know keeping a list would be helpful, but do I do it, nope. I guess I like the challenge better. So I thought I would try and list what I currently bring to shows. Once the season is really up and running, I leave almost all of this in my van and only need to replenish things that have been used, which makes it much easier.

I bring:

canopy

weights

jewelry

4 tables

covers

busts for necklace, bracelets

earring stands

credit card machine

tools

earring backs

business cards

receipt books

earring cards

business card holders

banner

gift bags

tissue paper

bed risers

pine boxes to display things on

pens

anti-bacterial lotion

clip board

inventory list of jewelry

price tags

sterling silver "S" clasps in different sizes

gift certificates

signs - for earrings price; that I accept visa mastercard amex discover, sterling silver, etc.

calculator

camera

sign up sheet for mailing list

2 chairs

water

hand truck

paper towels

I'm probably missing some stuff - but that's most of it.

I am going with my daughter who will stay here tonight so we can leave early. I always seem to need to be early, even though I no longer need two hours to set up like I used to. I used to put lots of wondrous little things on the tables - like rocks framed in iron from Haiti, clay goddess plaques, and wooden pieces - that used to add to the funkiness of the table but I don't bring them any more. I realize that it added time to the set up and distracted from the jewelry. I now focus on the jewelry and try not to put out too much because when I do it's difficult to take it all in.

I suspect I am not alone in this constant battle to perfect the best setup. Would love to hear what others do.

One Can Never Tell How Things Will Turn Out!

Who plans a trip in early April and expects it to snow? Not I! It sure helps that I can flow with change fairly well. It was gorgeous the day we arrived in Shelburne, Ontario for a quiet week away. The day after we arrived it snowed....and snowed....and more snow. We received between 8 and 10" of snow. As you will see from the photos, it was quite wondrous.

Visiting with our friends Gail and Alan and their two huge dogs is always relaxing and fun. I did very little but veg. I did bring some work to do, was quite productive, and I made many new bracelets which I need for a show this coming weekend.

I hope you can see from the pictures that we had a wonderful time.

Just to fill in some info about the dogs - Logan, a Great Dane is about 3 years old and weighs 175 lbs. Rosie (the puppy) is an English Mastiff who just turned 1 and she weighs about 130 lbs. I'm not 100% sure about her weight, but let me tell you - having two large dogs bouncing around is quite different than my two 11 lbs. boys.

Tax Time - Not My Favorite Yearly Activity

I was reading one of the blogs that I follow, http://imakearrrt.com/blog/ and I had to chuckle. Tax time is stressful for everyone I think, but those of us who throw receipts in a box and go through them at tax time have a higher level of stress because there is so much to do to get it all organized. There is a certain level of panic I feel when I realize that time is short and I need to get focused and moving.

I think I got it together early this year. Today I went to pick up my taxes from the accountant - how's that - 11 days to spare. Next year will be different as I am starting to use Quickbooks. Anyone want to place a bet on whether or not I input my expenses and income on a regular basis????

I was glad to see that Alexia also wrote about tax time, and that she also struggles to get them done on time - I don't feel so alone :)

Animal Lovers Unite!

When I began this blog I thought that all my posts would be about my work & development as a jewelry artist - whether about running a small business, design of pieces, creative blocks, website design, etc. What I've come to realize is that this blog covers many different topics and areas to my life - jewelry making being a large part of it, but not all of it.

That said, I want to talk about animals, pets to be exact. I live in an area of Western Massachusetts where the MSPCA has had to close in Springfield, MA because of lack of funds. I know that the economy is bad, and cities are struggling and needing to make choices about staffing and funding, but really - cutting the care for lost, sick and abandoned pets?

I've read that people are bringing their pets to shelters because they cannot afford to feed them any longer. I cannot imagine needing to make that decision with my two dogs, Eddie and Diesel. My heart would be broken.

Now there is one less place open to receive animals in need.

One woman I know through the blogging world, Michelle Harvey, wrote about a great challenge called "My FURPOWER $1 Donation Challenge!" to raise money for shelters. Michelle has been an animal advocate for most of her life and is supporting this challenge. It's a great idea and I hope you will check it out and make a donation. You can reach the blog entry at http://www.romeothecat.com/2009/03/announcing-my-furpower-1-donation.html

I also want to suggest that you check out Michelle's blog (http://www.michabellacreations.blogspot.com) - she is one creative artist. I am very fond of her work. Some of the pieces from her blog are shown below:

One of My Favorite Places

I love Shelburne Falls which is located in NW Massachusetts, close to Vermont. It has a lot of culture for a small town, with an Artisan Co-op Gallery, funky coffee bars where local musicians come to play, The Bridge of Flowers, which once was a trolley bridge I believe, the potholes - amazing rock formations that you can go down to when you want to sit and reflect, and amazing reflections on the water from the bridge that runs through the town. I spent some time there last weekend and love how these photos came out. Of course I should be working on getting new pieces up on the web, and completing some custom orders, but it was a glorious day to be outside and I wanted to post about it.

I've Been Interviewed - that's a first!

Miriam of Angel's Hair wrote and asked if she could interview me for her blog. I've been following her blog for a while and jumped at the chance! She sent me the questions and after much back and forth on my part, I answered the questions and sent them back to her to be published in her blog.
Today the interview is up and I'm pleased with it.
When I was younger I hemmed and hawed over any writing I needed to do, finding it difficult to get out of myself to write. It was especially difficult for me to write papers at University. I had a friend who would sit with me which helped keep my anxiety at bay so that I could get my ideas out. That seems to have shifted. I love writing in this blog, and seem to have resolved the fears that my writing isn't good enough. Now I worry that I'm not succinct enough and that I've become wordy. Seems like the process of writing remains a challenge.
If you are interested in learning more about me, check it out. Once you are there, make sure to look at Miriam's drawings. Her illustrations are quite wonderful.

Compassion - My Journey

I seem to be a complex person - never seeming to be satisfied with what is, but always searching, rarely staying static for long. That seems to be my life journey. As I've written before, I am studying Reiki, wanting to incorporate energy body work into my life, as a way to offer healing comfort to others and also as a way to work on myself. My body hurts more as I age and Reiki energy work provides relief.

Reiki is an amazing technique, opening me up in new ways, and has led to a deepening self-evaluation of my spiritual life, or maybe it's better to say, my lack of one. I've always defined myself as an Atheist and have not spent much time thinking about religion and/or spirituality, even though I have "toyed" with Buddhism since my 20's.

On my Facebook page I have written that I am a "Goddess loving Buddhist", which seems to fit, although the Buddhist part has become more central and the goddess piece has moved more into the background. Truthfully though, I've never spent much time thinking deeply about either of these paths I've (sort of) taken. There has definitely been a shift, which I am trying to articulate here, although I'm not sure how successfully.

The Goddess piece is about a connection to the power of the female, and the knowledge of the mystery and power that she holds, in whatever incarnation one looks to. I love her connection to nature and inner strength, although sometimes her strength is directed outward and seems violent to me.

The Buddhist piece has always been about being centered, choosing to focus on being balanced, being able to detach and stay still, refusing to be locked into negative thinking patterns, and believing in the good of people. Not always an easy task for me but I do believe that the more I am able to stay present and focused, the less I get pulled into negativity.

I have now added a new piece which is Compassion. Compassion is central to Tibetan Buddhist thought. Compassion (Bodhisattva) is best represented by Quan Yin whom I believe holds tremendous strength, giving and fortitude. I am including three photographs that show different images of Quan Yin. She is revered in Buddhist teachings. Compassion comes in many forms. I am not always able to be compassionate, nor do I fully understand it fully. But I do think I get it now. I hope that focusing on compassion with stay in my thoughts each day as I go about my life.

So why am I writing this?

I am writing about this because of a blog entry I read recently about a basketball game. Funny connection I guess, but not really. Lori Anderson, one of the finest jewelry artists around, wrote about an article she read about a high school student, who was blind, being allowed to toss all the free throw shots in a basketball game that was a fundraiser. His brother used a cane to tap the hoop and this young man, Matt Steven, was able to follow the sound and shoot for the hoop - he succeeded 4 out of 8 times. How amazing is that? I loved this story, especially that his team allowed him to shoot, even though it might have meant they lose the game. If you want to get the full picture, go read the article which is highlighted on Lori's blog post. You can access it by clicking on the blog entry title at the top of this page.

Sometimes it's not just about winning!