And...scene!

What a weekend!

I spent Saturday manning my table at the Winnipeg Folk Festival holiday craft sale. The traffic was fairly slow, although there was never a time when there wasn’t someone shopping (or, rather, browsing). It definitely wasn’t as busy as last year, but I had several small sales and managed to get two sock monkeys stuffed and stitched up. I didn’t come out of there with a pimp-wad of bills, but as far as days go, it was fun and productive. Plus, it gave the mascot a chance to take the bus downtown and hang with his mom for a couple of hours.

On Sunday afternoon, I made my way down to the shop and crammed my section full of everything for our Open House and sale (aka “Get stuffed!) Besides the collective members, we had a few consigners and guest artists (some of whom are now new consigners!) and the store was chock-full of unprecedented levels of handmade goodness. It turned out to be a fairly successful sale for me, but the real bonus was getting to spend 4 hours in the company of some of my very favourite gals. It was less like work and more like a fun holiday mixer....and it was a great chance to get to know some of the ladies a little better. And there were cupcakes, courtesy of Pam at Cakeology. ‘nuff said.



So, I guess that wraps up the craft sales of 2010. I definitely learned a lot this year, but there is still tons more to figure out and make sense of. If I took one lesson from 2010, it is that predictions are generally futile. What works one year isn’t going to work the next, and the best thing to do is just keep developing, refining, and taking cues from your customers. I don’t think you can ever do too much of that; they are, after all, the reason for all of this nonsense. ;-)

...and my two front teeth?

What do I want for Christmas?

To quote Steve Martin, "If I had one wish that I could wish this holiday season, it would be that all the children to join hands and sing together in the spirit of harmony and peace. If I had two wishes I could make this holiday season…”

Ah, that never gets old. But, seriously, if I were forced to make a list, it would read something like this:

- A trip. To anywhere - across the globe, across the country, or across the river. Heck, I'd settle for across the street.
- Something shiny.
- Shoes for spinning class. (Edit: you’re too late…I bought myself a pair last Sunday.)
- The new Steve Martin book.
- The new Amy Sedaris book.
- A subscription to Bust magazine.
- Kirby’s Epic Yarn for Wii.
- A 2011 pin-up calendar.
- Sirius satellite radio (for home and car).
- Command Start.
- A work bench.
- A big, rolling tool kit.
- A bigger gym bag, to accommodate all of those shoes!

That said, I spend most days feeling almost overwhelmed by my good fortune and really don’t want for anything. ‘cept for maybe time. More time to enjoy the things I have (and the people I adore) would be good.

Pants on fire.

Yes, I said I was finished making stuff for the season.

Yes, I promised my child that I would put away my sewing machine so that we could reclaim the dining room table.

Yes, I had every intention of hanging up my brushes and returning the crate of paint cans to the sketchy room under the basement stairs.

Yes, I have lied before.

Watch for fresh, new blackboards, corkboards and dry-erase boards, making their debut this weekend at the Winnipeg Folk Fest Holiday Craft Sale and the Mozy Rue ECO Collective “Get stuffed!” open house and holiday shopping party.

Can you spare a pair?

Donate new, warm socks and gloves and enter to win a handmade "Everything is ticketyboo!" sock monkey.



Socks and gloves can be dropped off at the Mozy Rue ECO Collective, 531 Osborne St. during regular business hours* until Dec 19th. The draw for the sock monkey will take place on Monday, Dec 20th.

*Mon - closed, Tues/Wed - 12-5, Thur/Fri - 12-9, Sat/Sun 12-5. **The store will be open until 7pm on Dec 19th for the "Get stuffed!" holiday shopping event.**

Stuff it.

Certainty is uncertain.

If there’s anything that is certain about being in the crafty business, it’s that nothing is certain. Even events that are “sure things” can sometimes turn out to be disappointments or not quite what you had built them up to be.

Take this craft-sale season, for example. The applications were sent on time; the jurors gave their nods of approval; by all accounts, it was looking to be the best one ever for my crafty friends and me. Everyone had their strategies, but, generally speaking, we were all going for the tried and true, heavy traffic sales and made gobs of product based on past attendance at those events. With weeks of preparation and boxes of freshly-minted goods, we were ready.

The buying public, however, had other ideas. What those ideas were, I’ll never know, but suffice it to say that coming out to sales wasn’t one of them. Perhaps I set my sights too high; all I know is that out of 4 craft-sales, I haven’t had one that made me say “wow, that was awesome”. Instead, I had 4 that made me say “WTF?”

My only saving grace has been that I’m not alone in my confusion regarding the poor attendance. Literally everyone that I have talked to post-show has been just as baffled. Seriously, though…where is everyone? Is the public shopping online? Have they returned to the malls? Or are they just plain crafted-out?

And, for the record, I do not mean this as a whine. I am absolutely grateful for the sales that I have made and the opportunities that I have had to meet new people and put myself out there. I think that I, like many of my friends, had perhaps set my sights a little too high. Because, really, I have done pretty good this year….and it’s not over yet!

TAYGCS – 2 sleeps

Reminder: the This Ain't Your Grandma's Craft Sale is this Sunday at the Park Theatre.

If you're not from Winnipeg, it's not too late to buy a plane ticket and join us!!

Bellybutton!

It’s funny how the universe works; yesterday I was right in the middle of starting a post about my favourite new necklace, when I received a message from Em and Corina, the lovely and talented duo behind jake + cleo and the makers of said necklace. Apparently, as great minds often do, we were thinking alike and blogging about each other’s wonderfulness.

I have actually been meaning to write about my necklace for a couple of weeks, ever since I won it in a contest on the jake + cleo blog, during a particularly good streak of luck*. My failure to blog has been entirely about my current time-crunch, though, and shouldn’t be seen as an “out-of’sight/out-of-mind” situation. In fact, since receiving the necklace from the girls, I have worn it practically every day.



My “bellybutton” necklace is just like the one pictured above, but on a black linen cord. If you want one, too, you can buy one from the jake + cleo Etsy shop. Just remember, though, like all handmade goodness, yours will be OOAK (just like mine!)


*That same week, I won a Kindle and some cupcakes. More about that at a later date, but go me!