It's Only Mud

Where did the summer go?  What summer?  Being business owners can limit many things including summer vacations.  Time and money are always diverted to keeping the store open and profitable.  So, no Jersey shore, Dorney Park and not too much pottery going on either.

 I've been continuing with my pottery classes.  We've been working on throwing taller.  This week one student made her first closed form.  We were both so excited!  Teaching is reminding me of my fears as a new student and I'm trying to eliminate those fear in my students much sooner in the process.  The biggest one being fear of failure on the wheel.  In pottery, like in life, you learn more from what goes wrong than what goes right.  Thin walls, thick bottoms, uneven lips, air bubbles are all things that can be overcome with practice and experience.  Mistakes on the wheel often turn into disasters in the kiln.  The most important thing to remember:

"It's only mud and as long as it isn't fired you can reclaim it."

 We had a pigeon mosey into the studio

then it just moseyed right out again.

Random.

 I was very late getting my show applications in again so I'll probably get crappy spots but I did get accepted so no wait list for me.  =/

Here's where we'll be:

October 20 - Wayne Valley High School
Wayne Valley Fall Craft Show
Wayne, NJ

November 9-10 - Whitehouse Fire Co.
Whitehouse Fire Co. Holiday Craft Show
Whitehouse Station,NJ

December 7 - Warren County Technical School
Crafts in the Warren Tech Holiday Craft Show
Washington, NJ

December 15 - Wayne Valley High School
Wayne Valley Holiday Craft Show
Wayne, NJ

Mark your calendars and make a point to buy something handmade this holiday.

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.

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.

Out of the Mud and into the Furr

I thought I'd introduce some of our household today.

We have The Boys (our teenaged offspring and a nephew) and The Kids (our dogs).  We're lab lovers and rescue lovers.  So our current pack consists of:

Madeline Anastasia (because her initials had to spell out MAN in order to offset any possibility of estrogen overtaking the testosterone in the house!) - a 6 yr old yellow Lab mix.

Princess Maddie, aka Maddie Moo, Moo Moo

At 4 months old she developed a growth in her lower jaw that was diagnosed as cancer and we were told she'd be gone within the next couple of months.  Six years later, she's still with us and has some teeth that grew in crooked (Snaggle Teeth) but we think she's beautiful, especially when she smiles!

Oliver Twist - a 4 yr old black Lab Beagle mix.

Oliver, aka Ollie, Wallie, Ollie Pops

Oliver started out life being called Malcolm but was quickly renamed when he would pick up his food dish after being fed and walk around with it very reminiscent of Oliver Twist.  He has half a tail.  Out of all of the litter mates that I saw when I picked him out only one of them had a full tail (I'm always drawn to the underdogs).  We were told his mom was a pure bred black Lab and, after examining him, our vet determined his dad was probably a Beagle because the tail defect is typical of that breed.  I'm sorry to report that Oliver has a problem.  He's a tennis ball junkie!  I don't let him bring them into the house because they get so slobbery and gross so he'll sit at the back door looking longingly at them on the deck.  He needs help.

Then there's Franklin:

Franklin, aka Frankie, Franklinstein, Froo Froo, Yittlest Putch, Spankie

Frankie's not a Lab.  He's a 2 yr old long haired Chihuahua with a Rottweiler's ego, a cat's voice and mismatched eyes.  He came part and parcel with my nephew when he moved in with us and we've become very attached to them both.  The first time he visited he was dealing with a Jesus complex.  I guess he'd never seen a pool before and didn't realize it wasn't a solid surface so he walked right in.  After I fished him out he shook off and walked back in again.  I think that's when he realized that only Jesus can walk on water.  Not Chihuahuas.  We've never had tiny dogs so it's been very amusing watching the big dogs interacting with him.  Frank and Oliver have their daily wrestle where Oliver will have Frank's whole head in his mouth (it is the same size as a tennis ball!) then lay down to let Frank jump all over him.  Who needs TV when there are dogs in the house!  =D

Score one for the Chihuahua!

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.

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)

Treasuring the family drama

It's been 15 years since we've had a legitimate ER visit with our kids. With three boys, who have a father who's parents were on a first name basis with the ER staff, I consider this a major miracle.

I said "legitimate ER visit" because we had a "false alarm visit" with the whole shebang: EMT's and an ambulance ride. Our middle boy fell out of a tree when he was 7 or 8. His brothers came to fetch me from the house and I ran out to find him laying on his back crying "Ooow! My back hurts! I can't move!". Hence, the EMT's were called in. He was immobilized and carted to the hospital in style. After a thorough exam, including x-rays, they cleaned the large scrape on his back that he had gotten from falling against the tree and sent us home. Very anti-climactic, huh?

Now for the drama. Our oldest boy had broke his arm when he was three. That was our first ER visit. He now works in a sheet metal fabrication shop and caught his finger in one of the machines yesterday. He had an open fracture and is now all stitched back together and resting in front of his video games. Poor baby!

I know. You're thinking "That's it?" and you're 100% right! Our family has had it's share of major drama but, thankfully, not directly involving the boys. We have been so blessed with healthy children and when little things like this happen to them I thank God because it can always be so much worse. I know parents whose children have addictions, chronic illnesses, life changing injuries or have died. My heart brakes for them.  We are so blessed!

So I'll take our little doses of drama and put them in our treasure box because everything that's put in our path, good and bad, is a challenge. How we deal with our challenges is what defines our character.

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 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!