KEEP TRYING NEW THINGS....

My first craft show is Saturday.  I have been a shopper at many, but never sitting on the other side of the table.  My avoidance of doing one of these to date was because I believed I would need to make a lot of the same thing in different colors and sizes and it seemed a bit overwhelming.  Or at least that is what I have been telling myself, to support my reluctance.  To get myself out of this ‘box’, I decided to take an OOAK approach.  Where everything is ‘one of a kind’.  The good news is that this is a small, church event that is also their first craft show.  So it should be fairly low pressure.  This should help me decide if this is a good avenue for me and the my art.  If all goes well, I may just try another!

Not having done one before, I had to do a bit of shopping, besides getting all the pieces made!  I hung out at Staples last night picking up a cash box, sales slips, bubble wrap and even a PayPal device so I can process credit cards with my phone into my current PayPal account.  I was thinking I would not be able to get something like this setup before the event, not knowing what was involved, the options and what the cost was.  Turned out that it was only $15 for the device and the charges are the same as when someone uses our online PayPal account.  One of the ladies at a recent Goddess Garden Studio open bead group was talking about how taking credit cards made the craft show events so much easier and created more sales.  Luckily I have a very talented husband, that technology is second nature to, and I am sure he will have it connected in no time!  Lucky me. ;-)

I have completed the bracelets, had the initial trial on the glass tree ornaments and the second set looks like it will be great for the show.  So the next few days I really need to wrap up the glass work and finish up the last few details and I should be ready for Saturday… and fit that movie in Friday that my husband and friends want to go to!  It is all a delicate balancing act.

Looking forward to teaching napkin collage on Thursday evening…. I know I will have a few more people LOVING this art medium.  There is just so much you can do with it.  FUN, FUN, FUN… And yes, I think I can fit in this AND be ready for Saturday.  Would not want to miss out on a little, messy, creative art class.... ;-)

Stepping off onto another new adventure… good or bad, you don’t really know, if you don’t try…

 

A-HA MOMENTS...

Life is full of these a-ha moments and sometimes it is not what we expected.  I have been ‘off work’ for the past few months as my consulting assignments ended.  This gave me more time to catch up on a few things around the house, supporting my husband’s business and time for my art.  On the surface this sounds like exactly what I was asking for, but in the process I learned my inherent need to be busy, very busy.  When my world is ‘overloaded’ I start systematically organizing my time and making time for things that are important to me.  I actually find I am more productive with my time, and I am more engaged in my art with the time I set aside.

The last few weeks have been a series of new adventures…  I agreed to my first craft show Nov. 23^rd in Charlotte.  I am now organizing my work and deciding what to bring to the show and what else I should make.  I will be bringing my glass and jewelry, to see how these two fair.  It will be a fun and new learning.  

  

I also had my first job interview in over 13 years.  Oh my.  I would like to take my project management career on a little adventure of its own.  I have found a few companies so far that are different enough from what I have done the past 10 years in project management to make them intriguing.  It would be wonderful to start something new.   It will also be nice to fill my days with projects and my evenings and weekends with art…. Sounds pretty wonderful.

On a more artistic note, I had the wonderful pleasure of donating an item to the Right to Life of Holland Area auction that ended last week.  It is nice to be able to lend a little support to good causes.  If you find yourself in Holland, stop at Creative Corner, to see all the Christmas items starting to appear in the booths.  I have added Christmas ornaments to my table… be sure to check them out!

Time keeps moving forward, throwing us little curves and providing us glimpses into ourselves.  With the right mindset, it can be quite an adventure!