Back to making jewelry, and LOL Cat Friday!

I made a GORGEOUS necklace and bracelet last night! I used lapis lazuli, copper, and sterling silver beads all mixed together. Unfortunately, I didn't finish it until late into the night so I didn't do any photography. Guess I'll just have to keep you in suspense!

So, how about some laughs instead? All photos from www.icanhascheezburger.com

In honor of football season: (Go Dawgs, btw!)

That's gotta hurt.

And finally,

You know, that one kinda looks like me when I get some pretty new beads!

Happy Friday everyone, and have a great weekend!

It's the economy, stupid!

What a weekend!

I had a booth at the Riverfest arts & crafts festival in Canton, Georgia. (That's my booth on the right, with the purple tablecloths). This show is normally held in a grassy field, but due to the recent flooding it was moved into the parking lot between two schools. Actually, I think this was a BETTER location because the booths were visible from the road. But nature conspired against us on Saturday with heavy rain and thunderstorms. The show organizers shut the show down due to concerns about lightning.

We all returned on Sunday to a gorgeous, warm, breezy day.

I think everyone was tired of being cooped up for two weeks because of the rain, so they came out in droves. The problem is, they weren't spending any money. I only had a few sales. I checked with the other vendors who had similar items to mine, and they agreed - the economic turndown has hit us.

Even without huge $$ success, I still had a great time. I met lots of nice people and did a lot of people-watching, one of my favorite pastimes. Don't worry; if you were there I won't tell stories about you! :-)

This weekend's show - Riverfest - Canton, Georgia

I'll have a booth this weekend at Riverfest in Canton, Georgia. (There's a link to information about the festival on the left side of the blog.) Normally this festival takes place in Boling Park in Canton. But Boling Park is right on the river . . . hence the name Riverfest, i suppose??? hee hee . . . and that river has flooded the park due to all the rain we've been having! The festival will go on and is being moved just down the road a bit. So I'll be there, rain or shine. And it looks like we might have plenty of "shine" on Sunday!

If you're in the area, drop by and see me!

The flood waters are receding a bit here in Georgia, but there is still lots and lots of water lying around. We need some serious sunshine and wind to help dry everything up!

Georgia's Epic Flood

In case you haven't heard, parts of Georgia received anywhere from 10 to 18 inches of rain over the weekend through Monday. The area where I live was not the hardest hit, but we definitely saw the effects of all that rain.

There is a "swamp" that I drive over every day going to and from work. Normally, it's a great spot to see turtles sunning themselves on logs and cranes walking around in the brush. But here's what it looks like now:

The rains have stopped for the most part, and the sun is shining again. So everyone is hoping that this water will begin to recede soon.

I have a show this weekend in Canton, Georgia. The show is in a park right next to a river . . . I'm betting that the park is completely underwater right now, and it will NOT be fun setting up in all that mud on Saturday morning!

Lessons Learned during my first Arts Festival in the Rain

I participated in the Roswell Arts Festival this weekend. And for the first time since I've been doing shows, it rained the entire weekend. I was really surprised that customers showed up anyway! I didn't expect anyone at all. But we've had rain for over a week straight here, and I think people were getting a bit stir-crazy and wanted something to do. So they showed up! Although my sales weren't fantastic, I think I did very well for the conditions.

Here are a few nuggets of wisdom that I learned:

1. A poncho is an absolute MUST.
2. Bring lots of pins / clothespins. You can use them to pin up your tablecloths so that they don't get quite as wet.
3. Bring a waterproof bag where you can store some dry towels, washcloths, socks, etc.
4. Bring empty trashbags where you can toss your WET towels, washcloths, socks, etc!
5. Bungee cords + duct tape = great hanging hooks! I offered one to my customers where they could hang their umbrellas or jackets while they were looking around. (see picture) They were very appreciative, and I think it may have helped some sales because it was easier for them to browse.
6. Rubber boots. I didn't have a pair, and I wished I did!
7. Tarps. You may think your tent won't leak, and maybe yours won't, but mine did! Fortunately I had a spare poncho that I threw over the leak. But next time, I will have tarps.
8. Use plastic boxes for your product and supplies instead of cardboard. Rain + cardboard = mush.
9. Don't blow off the show completely just because of rain. People will come!

I have another show next weekend - Riverfest in Canton, GA. I'm hoping for better weather!

Festival Preparations - Can you believe this?

Last night I finished packing up all my jewelry and the tabletop displays for my show this weekend. It all reduced down to this little stack. I am always amazed at this point - I start thinking, "Wait - where are all my pieces? Do I have enough? This sure doesn't look like much for all that work!"


Of course there will be much more gear going with me - including my tent, tables, and weights to keep the tent from blowing away in the breeze. I will try to get a picture of the SUV all packed up tomorrow morning.

The end result should look something like this:



If you're in the area, come see me at the Roswell Arts Festival this weekend. There's a link on the top left side of this page for directions.


And here's what my work area ended up looking like. Anyone want to come over & clean up THIS mess for me?????

Dad of the Year Award - In my opinion, anyway.

Have you seen this video of the dad who catches a foul ball at a Phillies game and gives it to his young daughter who promptly tosses it away? If not, here's a link for you:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/ModernTube-Young-Phillies-fan-rejects-dad-s-fou?urn=mlb,189941

I would like to nominate this guy for Dad of the Year! Why? His reaction is PRICELESS! After his initial surprise at her reaction, he laughs and then gives her huge hugs! No lecutres, no anger at having thrown away his hard-earned prize - just smiles and hugs. What a guy! Yay Dad!

And get that kid onto a softball team, pronto . . . she's got potential!