Enough of the Cicadas Already!

What's all the hoopla? The big cicada invasion's been all over the news and everyone's been bracing themselves for....

...listen for it...             ....wait...             
                                                   ...it's...

...nothing.

Except at my house!  We've had a full blown infestation in our neighborhood. I'm not sure how far it extends but my friend, who's about a mile away, has them and they're not at our shop which is about 3 miles away or anywhere else in the area that I've heard of.  When they said the not-so-little buggers would be localized I didn't expect them to be this selective.  Lucky us!

So for the past several weeks, from dawn to dusk (unless it's raining) we get to hear this:

 

It sounds like constant static!

Unfortunately, our dogs are fond of them and we've had to watch them more closely in the yard so they don't snack too much (bla-a-a-ahgug)!  The cicadas aren't toxic but their exoskeletons aren't digestible and can cause intestinal issues.  Enough said.

On a more humorous note (because that's how I roll!) quite a few years ago one of my sons (not mentioning names here, you're welcome!) mispronounced cicadas.  So their official pronunciation in our household is sik-uh-duhs (emphasis on the sik).  So for the first week it was amusing using "our" word for them but honestly I'm more than sick of the sik-uh-duhs and they can go away now.

It's a miracle! I can see!

How many times over the course of your life do you have moments of divine clarity?  You know.  Those "Ah ha!"s when you can see your future a little more clearly.  When your path is a little more defined.  When the little light bulb in your brain shines a little bit brighter because you've identified your purpose. Those moments for me are pretty rare.

It's common knowledge that in order to make a living as a full-time potter you have to do production pieces.  Everyday household items that have mass appeal and can be produced quickly and inexpensively.  I've resisted this path partly from pride, boredom and lack of time (especially recently).  Who wants to make the same dull thing over and over and over?  Craig likes making mugs and bowls but not me!  I love making my little friends with occasional housewares mixed in.  But not everyone's in the market for cute bird houses or banks.  And Craig rarely gets into the studio these days.  What's a potter to do?

After abysmal internet sales over the summer (granted, I've let my inventory dwindle) and only one show scheduled for the fall (too much other stuff going on) I've been feeling that I've got to shake things up. 

When I look back over the last year or so in my pottery business the message as been there:  Do production pots.   Crystal clear, plain as day.  But I'm stubborn.  I'm gonna do it my way.  If I make it they will come (and buy it).  Right. 

"How's that working out for ya, smarty pants?" 

--Wee Little Devil on My Shoulder

Sunday Craig and I went to the Peters Valley Fall Craft fair.  There were more potters there than usual so loads of inspiration.  I got to talking with this one fella who wasn't having a very good weekend.  He had done the show last year and did pretty well but this year he hadn't even covered his booth fee ($$$).  His items were primitive sculptures and wall masks.  He pointed to another potter down the row from him who he said was doing very well.  That guy was selling.... you know it:  mugs, bowls, platters, etc.  So this guy (I can't believe I never got his name or a card!) said he was gonna try again next year but he'll have one side of his booth with housewares and the other side with his art pieces.

So my clarifying moment came on the way home when Craig and I were discussing this and the prospect of doing such a big show.  I think seeing the sharp contrast between the success of the two potters at the show really drove it home for me.  Sometimes I can be a little thick and it takes getting whacked over the head with something like the side of a barn before it sinks in enough to register.  If I'm gonna be a profitable potter and grow my business I need to conform and do production.  (heavy sigh)

The truth of the matter is if your market won't come to you, you need to go to your market.  This doesn't mean I'm giving up on what I love to make.  It just means I need to focus more on what people are more likely to buy.  I'll just have to work my quirkiness into the dull stuff to make it more fun for me and my customers.  I have to remind myself that as much as I love when others love my little characters I get just as much pleasure out of someone loving one of my mugs.  There is a very personal connection between the maker and the receiver when something you've lovingly crafted with your own hands gets passed into someone's loving and appreciative hands. 

Now, where did I leave my glasses?

My New Project

First, I will apologize to my pottery followers.  This is completely removed from anything to do with mud.  But I did sneak some creativity into my current project.

I've been working on getting the shop ready to open.  We've gotten the preliminary approval from the township and have sent the application to the state for our dealers license.  In between piles of paperwork I've been painting the office.  We settled on English Racing Green as our official color to tie in with the name Highlands Auto Exchange.  And because I can't stand boring white walls I thought the checker board was appropriate.

New wall before (yawn)

New wall after

Now we're very fashionable (I think)

Prior color was Painters Tape Blue

The view from the shop is much  prettier.  It overlooks the Musconetcong river across the road.  I might have to take up fishing.

View of the shop from the road

Craig had the brilliant idea of displaying and, hopefully, selling pottery in the office!  He's a genius!  So this is the wall I'm thinking of putting up some shelves/displays.  Maybe we'll do a special:  

"Buy a car - get a mug"!

=D

Temporarily (I hope) Refocusing

Unfortunately, pottery as taken a back seat recently.  Fortunately, though, it's because Hubby's business is moving again.  That doesn't sound very fortunate since he moved in January but the space he's in now is zoned industrial only so he can't sell cars retail out of that location.  One of his dreams has been to have his own used car lot.  The arrangement he's been working with is a little complicated and I won't bore you with the industry lingo and details that I barely understand.  The new location already had a car lot there so that makes it super easy for him to apply for a dealers license.

I had a craft show this past weekend and usually that's my focus for the week leading up to it.  This time I had more of a "Oh yeah, I have a show Sunday." reaction when looking at my calendar.

Loving my new table covers, btw.

The hippo bank was my first sale of the day!

The show went very well and I really should have more scheduled for the spring but the thought of having to spend hours in the studio under pressure to get my inventory restored (did I mention the show went very well?) in addition to helping Hubby out with getting the new store ready, birthdays, getting pics done for eBay listings, bookkeeping, working on our ASP mission fundraiser (tickets still available!), entertaining In-laws, Easter, taxes, spring cleaning, more birthdays.... (gasping, head spinning, holding wall for support!)  Holy heart failure, Batman!  When did my life get so busy?

So, I'm going to take the spring and summer off from doing shows (though I might do the one in June at the Bethlehem ice rink.) and hopefully, hit the circuit really hard in the fall.  We'll see.

A Poopy Day!

After last week's very successful craft show I was all ramped up (though a little nervous about my inventory level) for this weekend's show at a new venue.  It was at a huge county tech school in a very nice area about half an hour from NYC and run by promoters that I've worked with before. My expectations were high. 

After driving an hour to the school, there was already a line of cars/vans lined up in front of the school when I arrived so I parked about 6 car lengths from the doors.  I found my booth space and come back to the van to unload and realized I forgot my cart!  I have this old beat up cart that I can wheel 6 bins on at once.  Maybe because I hadn't brought it the prior week, because I knew there were firemen to help out, it didn't occur to me that I hadn't loaded it.  It was on my packing list.  Obviously, I needed to check that list one last time!  To quote the ever lovable Charlie Brown - "Aaugh!"

So, two by two, I start carrying in my bins. Arms aching, mood grouching I texted a little rant to my husband about the cart. Things started turning around! He's coming out in this direction later and will bring my cart. Also, 2 wonderful guys took pity on me and helped me bring in the rest of my stuff! My space was good and pretty close to the entrance. The extra time I had allowed for post-setup/pre-show browsing was gone. Oh well.

The show started at 10:00. Usually, there's a flock of early birds waiting for the doors to open at most shows. No flock. Hmmm.... Curious. After a while it became clear a slow trickle was the best it was gonna get. I hadn't realized this was the first year for this show and several of the more seasoned vendors were commenting how there's a glut of shows in this area making them less of a novelty. Great!

Needless to say I didn't do well. I don't think anyone did.  Several vendors packed up early (a big no-no!) and the mood of disappointment was cast over everyone. But my husband had delivered my cart so loading up went much smoother than the morning travesty. Unfortunately, the headache I felt coming on when I finally left was a raging migraine by the time I got home. Straight to bed for me. The difference in stress level between last week's show and this week's was huge! Making a profit definitely helps take the edge off of a bad day.

Our next show is local and less expensive. Since it's about 10 minutes from home I'll have my boys come out to help with the unloading and loading. But our last show of the season is the following weekend out in the same area as last week with the same promoter.  I've done that venue before and had a good show but my expectations have been knocked down a bit.  I have to learn to expect the worst so I won't be disappointed. This is not a philosophy that fits me at all.  =/

From our family to yours - Have a safe, peaceful and thankful Thanksgiving!

Success!

Everyone arrived safe & sound!

So I had my first craft show using "The New Packing System" and it went swimmingly (does anyone even use that word anymore?)!  Setting up took about the same amount of time, which I expected, but breaking down?  Breaking down was so quick!  Okay.  Not super-quick but quicker than usual.

I had a hard time with larger items not fitting back where I thought they were supposed to go.  I might have to label some of the spaces that are for specific items until I'm more familiar with the whole layout.  But considering my caflarfles I was pulling out of the lot 45 minutes after the show ended!  That's a record for me.  Unfortunately, I have to qualify my speed by informing you that this show was at a firehouse and all of those strong, brave firemen were on hand to help us load our cars (they wanted their truck bay back!).

This coming weekend I'll be at a high school that I haven't shown at before and I'm pretty sure the firemen or any other helpers won't be available.  This will be a truer test of the time it will take.  I'll let you know.

Customized Pottery Packing for Craft Shows - Small Items

Since I started this blog I've struggled with sharing relevant info.  I'm not one to post for the sake of posting and my life's not interesting enough to use it as a journaling tool.  I want to share things that others will find helpful or insightful.  I want to leave a positive mark not just add to the cyber noise.  So what can I share?  My expertise is...  Well, not very expert.  I'm a pretty good potter but by no means a master.  I'm a wife of 21 years and a mom of almost 19 years and still looking for the instruction manuals.  Some days I feel like I've got less than nothing to contribute.

Today, however, is your lucky day!  I've been stewing on a problem for a few weeks now and solidified the resolution enough to give it a try yesterday.  It worked beautifully (well, not visually) and I'm hoping some of you will find it helpful.

I've been doing craft shows for a few years and I usually am on my own.  During my last show a few weeks ago my dad made the mistake of stopping by close to the end and found himself helping me pack up.  Lucky for me but I'm sure he'll time it better in the future. Now, for any of you who do the craft show circuit you know the bane of the process is setting up and breaking down.  Well, for potters, glass artists or anyone with fragile product the packing is slo-o-o-ow!  Have you ever moved?  Remember packing your dishes and glassware?  Every piece needs to be protected from breakage even if you're only going across town.  Now imagine having to do that every weekend.  YUCK!  I'd wrap every piece in newspaper and stack them carefully in the boxes.  I have the boxes labeled but at the end of a long day I'm not so careful whether I get everything in it's proper place.  Hence, I'm always one of the last crafters loading up my car at the end of the day.  DOUBLE DOG YUCK!  (and, yes, I used the word "hence"!)

The old packing hodge-podge

During our weekly phone call Dad and I were discussing possible solutions to my packing issue.  How can we make it quicker and still protect each piece and keep it organized? You've probably seen those fancy moving boxes with the cardboard dividers.  We were thinking along those lines.  Unfortunately, our pottery varies in size from spoon rests to large bowls and birdhouses and everything in between.  So I needed to customize.

The new Beautifulness!

Maybe I'm coming late to the game and you're sitting there shaking your head because this isn't as awesome of an idea as I think it is.  Too bad!  It's not often I impress myself and I'm still reveling in the prospect of leaving a show less than an hour after it ends.

In case you're mildly impressed and think this would help your craft show experience be less stressful I'm sharing my process.  Obviously, you'll be adapting to fit your own needs but you'll get the general idea and I'll be happy to help you out if you have questions or get stuck.  (And thank you, Mr. Huckle, for high school drafting class!)


Tools you'll need:

• Graph paper or make your own
• Calculator (maybe)
• Pencil
• Utility knife
• Scissors (maybe)
• Metal ruler or straight edge and ruler
• Old cardboard box
• Hot glue gun w/glue (maybe)
• Recycled packing material
• Snacks (optional)

Here are the steps:

The plan

The notched walls

Putting it together

Loading it up

1. Measure the interior of the box/bin.  This bin's interior measures 20" wide x 14" deep x 5" high.
2. Measure your items.  It's easier if you have similarly sized items to give you equal spacing.
3. On the graph paper map out the plan.  This bin holds the spoon rests which need a space about 4 inches wide by 1 inch deep.  I have 30 spoon rests so my calculations gave me 2 rows of 14  and the extra 2 spoon rests will have to be relegated to another area. 
4. Take your cardboard (I used a sneaker box for this grid but will need sturdier material for larger items), utility knife and metal ruler measure and cut the main pieces of your grid.  In the example I had 2 pieces 14" x 4" (side walls), 4 pieces 8 1/2" x 4" and 9 pieces 8" x 4" (cross walls).  You don't need cardboard on the outer sides.  My grid doesn't fill the whole bin so the 8 1/2" pieces are so I can fold the end to make a tab to glue to the outer side wall for stability.  If your grid fills the whole bin you only need inner walls and no tabs.
5. Now you need to cut a notch for each intersection.  Each notch should only go up half way.  I cut one notch 4" from the end of each 8" & 8 1/2" piece and 13 notches 1" apart in one of the 14" side walls.
6. Now you can slot everything together. 
7. Line the bottom and outer walls of your bin/box with padding material.  (mine's recycled shipping material.)
8. Insert your grid and load up your inventory!  For the left over space I've stacked some flat items with a sheet of thin foam or bubble wrap layered in between and 1 inch foam around the sides.  Not a scrap of newspaper to be found!
9. Add another layer of padding on top (we don't want things hitting the lid when we can't avoid that pot hole!)
10. Time how long it takes you to unload and load at your next show and report back to me.  I don't have another show until November and the suspense is killing me!

Next I'll be working on packing medium and large housewares and my birdhouses and banks.  Here's the link.

Push-me-pull-you

Shortly after graduating high school I worked at a florist starting as a driver then learning floral design and working in the shop.  After 2 years of starting in August to prepare for Christmas I couldn't do it any more and quit.  It made me feel like a Scrooge dreading Christmas, which is one of my favorite holidays.

This weekend was our first craft show for the fall/holiday season.  This is the earliest that we've done a fall show and my mindset is focused on the harvest season and Thanksgiving.

The show was in a church and vendors were spread throughout the building.  When the show started at 9:00 music started playing in the foyer, which was about 10 feet from the "Board Room" where I was set up with one other vendor.  A gentleman came in with a little boom box and asked if we would mind having music playing in the room.  Since my roommate was occupied he directed the question to me.  I declined because I've found the music can be distracting and just adds to the din when there are a lot of people in a small space.  As shoppers started coming (we had a very good show) I didn't even notice the music.  When it started quieting down after lunch I noticed it again.  It was Christmas music.  Of course!  What else would they be playing?

I'm sure there have been hundreds of marketing studies done on the effects of music on shoppers and being a vendor I want the shoppers to buy my amazing items.  ;-)   But as a shopper I cringe when I hear Christmas music before Halloween.  Probably because I've been a shopper longer than I've been a vendor I still have that negative reflex.  It was clear that many of our customers were gift shopping so maybe the music helped.  I just need to embrace my cringes and accept my roll in the pre-holiday madness. (heavy sigh)

Etsy Treasury

Check out this hilarious treasury my goofy frog bank is featured in.

'ARTitude!!!' by BKYStudios

I love the character and imagination that I see in all of these pieces-- I hope that you will enjoy them too!

Octopus Art Sculpture with H... AmuseYou $32.00	Frog Coin Bank Sculpture in... thistlebeepott... $39.00	Knit More - Yarn Bell - Rea... PoFu $45.00
Garden Gnome Flipping The Bi... PhenomeGNOME $59.99	Mad Meow - Grumpy Calico Cat... MaidOfClay $57.00	Ceramic Snail Dish RudkinStudio $36.00
Halloween Candy Bowl - Grim NelsonStudio $30.00	WORRY WART sculpture blobhouse $20.00	Flying Pig Oinker Polymer Cl... mirandascritte... $15.00
Chicken Lovers, Poultry Part... RenesClayThing... $17.00	Funny Monster Ceramic Travel... LennyMud $20.00	PuNk PiRaNHa Junior Rakupferamik $69.00
I AM THE WALRUS . . . . Wa... MudFairy $30.00	Vicious Cupcake No 9 Dr. Fel... smallandpissed $169.00	Devil Demon Sculpture, Clay,... RedandMain $32.00
Mez swear I ain't seen a... WisperOn $22.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

The proof is in the birdhouse???

This past summer has proven to be monumental in the development of our birdhouses.  We have quite a few of them on our deck, trees and patio.  We started putting them on our deck for decoration but last year put some in trees and under the deck (which is on the 2nd story) to see if we could get any birds to nest in them.

One birdhouse was in a grove of poplars in the middle of our yard and I'd seen a bird going in and out of it but couldn't make out what breed it was.  My dog, Oliver, was sniffing around at the base of the tree one day acting kinda funny.  When I went to investigate I found a baby blue bird on the ground!  Oliver and I sat back and watched as the momma coaxed the baby to fly.  The birdhouse they happened to habitate in was a baby blue fish.  Ironic, huh?  Unfortunately, I was so excited, I didn't think to get my camera.

A few weeks later, while resting in the shade after weeding (my favorite!) I heard a fluttering ruckus nearby and looked up to discover a house wren going into a birdhouse under the deck!  I think I actually clapped my hands (yes, I'm a dork!)  I sat very still and strained to hear tiny chirps.  We had several babies!  More claps.  I ran for my camera and started shooting.  All I can say is "Thank heaven for the person who invented digital photography" because I would have had to pay for several rolls of film to be developed to get the half dozen good shots I ended up with.

 

As if this wasn't enough excitement, Mother Nature has also proven to be no match for our birdhouses!  We experienced a 5.8 earthquake on Aug. 23 followed by hurricane Irene later that week.  They all survived unscathed! 


Can't wait to see who moves into the neighborhood next spring!

Upcoming Craft Shows

I just wanted to share some of the Holiday craft shows we'll be selling at this fall:

• October 1, 2011 - Holiday Craft Faire, Bethlehem, PA from 9:00 - 3:00   www.easthillshcf.org

• November 12 & 13, 2011 - Whitehouse Fire Co Craft Show, Whitehouse Station, NJ from 10:00 - 4:00  www.whitehousefirecompany.com/craft-show

• December 3, 2011 - Crafts in the Warren Tech., Washington, NJ  from 9:00 - 4:00 

These are all well attended shows in which all vendors go through a jury process to ensure only high quality, handcrafted items.  

Hopefully, we'll be adding more shows as we get additional confirmations.

Please come out to do some shopping and stop by our booth to say "Hi" and  mention this blog post to get a discount!

It's been awhile but I'm back and I'd like to share the latest addition to our birdhouse collection:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80106838/catapillar-leaf-birdhouse-nest-garden

The Art of Being an Artist

My dad's been trying to get me to be an "artist" since I was a kid.  I was always making crafty things and sketching.  He encouraged me to go to an art school.  Besides the fact that the thought of going to college scared the crap out of me, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do.  I couldn't see myself as an artist.  The literature in the high school guidance office talked of Graphic Arts and that didn't appeal to me.  My four years of art classes in high school was mostly limited to painting and drawing, neither of which got me very excited.  So I did nothing.

For some reason having family and friends tell me I had talent didn't make me feel that way.  I guess I acknowledged it, to an extent, on a "crafty" level.  It wasn't until my pottery teacher's husband told me I was under pricing my birdhouse for a student studio show that I began to think of myself as marketable.  This took a while to sink in and take root.  I started selling at local shows and when I saw almost everyone who looked at my booth smile or even laugh I finally realized the definition of my gift.  I knew it was there but having third-party confirmation helped solidify it in my weak ego.  Seeing some of the joy I get from creating being passed on to someone else just from looking at one of my pieces.... priceless!

So, does being marketable make you an "artist"?  It shouldn't.  But in my mind, apparently, it does help.  Making something that excites my passion and seeing the intended impact in a strangers reaction makes me feel more like an artist (and that will be $40, please).  They're shoes I'm growing into and starting to feel more and more comfortable in.  But I need to walk around in them a lot more!