The Craft Show

Wow...I can't believe it's been over two months since my last post. Every time I had plans to sit down and update my blog, life had other plans. I kept hearing this GPS-like voice whispering "recalculating" each time my plans to write went astray. Along with everything else, we've been dealing with a sick pet, Gracie our ten-year old Pomeranian, who lost her sight in a matter of days while battling both diabetes and Cushing's disease. We seem to have things under control, and she's regained a lot of her spark despite her lost sight. Going for walks is still a bit of a struggle, but I'm hoping she'll become familiar with the path we use and get back to enjoying her daily jaunts.

On March 29'th, I participated in my first craft show in London, ON. I was so nervous getting my booth set up, wondering what sort of response I would get at my first show. All sorts of fears and doubts kept creeping in. My husband and daughters were absolutely wonderful and kept assuring me that things would be fine, and as usual they were right.

I had a fantastic time...great sales, terrific feedback, meeting lots of wonderful customers and fellow artists. Everything worked out wonderfully and I was so pleased with how my booth looked, especially for a first show. Here are some pics:

 

 

I was so thrilled with the results and on a high for the balance of the weekend. But, after celebrating Easter with my family I slipped into a bit of a slump-a sort of "post-show" blues. I can't seem to explain why, but think it was likely because I had worked such long hours and dedicated every spare second to preparing for the show; now that everything was over I felt a little bit lost. I'm sure part of it was likely due to being completely exhausted. I realized that having a show on the horizon gives me a purpose, which seems to ignite everything....creativity, energy, ideas. So I decided the best thing to do was to sign up for another show. I started my search and aimed high. I decided I had nothing to lose and applied to one of the city's longest running festivals.

 

I'm so excited to share with you that I've been invited to participate in London's 2013 Home County Music and Art Festival which runs from July 19-21, 2013. This is one of the city's longest running festivals with attendance that runs 125,000-150,000. A huge, fantastic outdoor festival that I'm absolutely thrilled to be a part of. Three days of wonderful music, beautiful art, and delicious food.

 

So with a little less than seven weeks to go, the creativity and energy are soaring. I can hardly keep up with myself. Lots of ideas on how to improve my booth, new design ideas, looking for new fabrics, hunting for new vintage pieces to repurpose.....I love it!!!

 

Over the next few weeks I'd love to share all of my plans and preparations with you, and promise to be back next week with updates on how things are progressing. Until then..........

 

Take care.....Marian  xo