Oh my, I had no idea how long it'd been since I really posted! And it's not for lack of sewing and related business.


The images have little to do with the writing ... the links have to do with the writing, the images are a few of the treasures I've been included in lately on etsy.


First, I participated in a craft show at an outdoor festival at Mixon Farms in Bradenton. First show I've done since 2008. It was ... an experience.

• When you read reviews and ads telling you to get a good tent, that a cheap one will fall apart on a windy day, know that you will experience a windy day and your tent will break. Luckily, my only broke a little and some help from my very resourceful neighbors saved the day. Many other, better, tents were not so lucky - many of them bent and broken beyond recognition. I'm shopping for a good tent.
•  While moving the craft show indoors to a citrus packing plant on a rainy windy Sunday may sound like a ridiculous idea and a surefire failure, it might not be. We had much more foot traffic than we'd had the day before and people actually took the time to stop and talk (maybe because they weren't afraid of blowing away!)
• I need more little items to draw customers in. Quilts are great, but browsers not in the market for a quilt didn't stop to see what else I had. I'm planning to create some fabric/ribbon/glitter fairy wands for the next show, and perhaps a few other eye-catchers.
• Possibly, I need to find a different type of venue. I loved having one-on-one interaction with people, but this wasn't a spending crowd, I'm thinking for of an arty show might benefit me.
• More product, better display. I've been pinning craft booth and tent ideas left and right.
• I was told that the second year of doing shows is when you make money. You've had a year to try them all and by the second you're able to weed out what does and doesn't work, and which shows to do and not to do.

Then I participated in a quick sale through GroopDealz, selling crayon holders. That went well. Very well! I'll be working with them again in a few weeks, and will be running a sale through The Attic Light, also for crayon holders, next week.

• Yes, I'm in a bullet point mood tonight.
• These sales will not make a vendor rich. My hope in doing them is to get my name out there and links to my etsy shop. So far the response is ok, maybe I'd prefer more, but ok is ok.
• If you opt to do one of these sales know the terms. Know what percentage cut they'll take, know how and when you'll get paid, know what they require with shipping (ie - tracking numbers), and be sure you can provide the quantity required in the time allotted and still maintain quality.
• Oh, and when you package everything up and seal it all, all 149 envelopes, make sure they're correct. It's not so much fun to have to open, unpackage, and inspect all the orders because you screwed a few up somewhere. I know. Lesson learned: two people need to check the orders before the envelopes are sealed.

 I've also finished two quilt blocks for Block Swap Adventure, which I forgot to photograph.


And a mini quilt for a Quilting Gallery swap, photos to come.