The Missing Paint Swatches

Last week I talked about picking a color to paint my living room. I had the little booklets with the tiny little color samples in them, but once I started to narrow it down, I knew I needed more.

I went to Menards and picked out a bunch of the nice big 4 X 5 color swatches they have in the colors I liked. I brought them home and I taped about 6 different greens to two different walls in my living room. Then I took the accent color swatches and I tucked them in around the back of the green they went with...kind of like this.

Each time I was in the living room, I would notice the color swatches and slowly I was starting to eliminate the ones I didn't like. Then it happened....

We got home Friday night from the craft show set up, and as I walked through the living room I noticed that Wrigley's little bed had something all over it. I walked over to take a closer look. I bent down to see what it was, and it turned out to be what was left of a lovely yellow accent color swatch. I looked up at the wall and one whole set of swatches was missing! I knew where the yellow was, but what happened to the green, the blue and the brown? Obviously they fell off the wall, and I was hoping the rest of them had slid under the couch when they fell.

Uh, no!

The colors looked really nice on the wall....I did not check to see how they looked in the back yard.

Craft Show 101

I had Matt on my mind yesterday, but I did have a few things to tell you about the craft show this weekend.

My location was pretty good. It will be a while before I earn my way into the prime rows, but we were in the middle on an aisle and it worked out well, except for an hour or so each afternoon when the sun blasted in the skylights right on my check out table! We joked around about it just being my "heavenly glow", but it was seriously blinding at times.

Instead of the "teaser table" I had out front at the other show, Irv added awesome shelves to one side of the front of the booth and they worked beautifully. I had a couple of cake stands, some coasters and some light switch covers on them and people would stop, look at those things and come in. It was great!

I did learn a couple more very important things. One is that signs are a must. I kept thinking they would look like clutter, but when I was busy talking to someone and another person looked interested in something....even though I couldn't talk to the second person right then....a cute sign with the right words....spelled correctly would have worked. So, Saturday night I made some cute signs and put them around the booth with little bits of info about my totes, the aprons and the coasters. People actually read them! I did them on the computer on card stock and accented with scrapbook paper. Easy, inexpensive and useful!

The other BIG thing I learned is that even though I am not a seasonal decorating or dressing type person...hundreds of people are. I saw so many people walking around with Halloween and Thanksgiving stuff. It's not my thing, but that doesn't really matter. I must learn to please the masses. So, on that note, I will be making some holiday themed coasters and aprons for my shop and for the little tiny show we are doing at the church/school where Irv works. We'll see how it goes.

Here is a funny for you....this was my fourth show. At shows one through three, my cakestands were by far my best seller. I had decided that I probably wouldn't make any more light switch covers or coasters because they just don't sell. HAHA! Guess what sold the most at this show? Of course, coasters and light switch covers. So, what do I know?

Craft shows are a whole lot more than I ever thought they were. They are like a little business venture of their own. I am having fun, I'm learning, I'm meeting so many wonderful people...customers and other vendors and I can see where with time, this could become a nice way to supplement our income.

Oh, I have to say hi to my sister Karen in Tennessee who informed me yesterday that she reads my blog every day. I never knew that. So, hi Karen! Love you!

Now I need to go make some Christmas coasters! Chat with you soon!

A Roller Coaster of Emotions

The craft show went well. I paid my fee and made the most I have yet. I once again learned a lot and I will take what I've learned with me to the next show. I was actually thinking about doing one more big one this season if I can still get in until I saw poor Irv hobbling around this morning. His back is a mess from lifting boxes, crates and the booth. :(

Thank you so much for all of the birthday wishes yesterday. That was so kind of all of you. It was a wonderful birthday.

On a sad note....Matt's first Search and Rescue ended sadly. My heart is just aching for a family, for everyone that helped search including my little boy.....A woman in her 50's had dropped her husband off so he could hunt on the mountain. They set up where they would meet for her to pick him up. When he got to the location that evening, her car was there with their dogs in it, but she was not there.

They searched that night until they couldn't any longer and then Matt's group joined them Sunday morning. They had a helicopter and ATV's, people on foot and people on horseback. Matt hiked for hours calling her name and following the instructions from the command center on where to search next.

Late in the day, the helicopter spotted the woman not far from her car....where people had already searched, but apparently had missed her. Matt and his partner sped on their ATV following instructions being given to them by the helicopter. The woman's husband and his partner arrived first to find her already deceased. Matt and his partner arrived next. The paramedics arrived and determined that there was no sign of a struggle or injury, so they are assuming she might have had a heart attack.

Matt is having a difficult time, which is to be expected, but knowing that they helped the family find her after her being missing for almost 24 hours is helping. He is very tired and overwhelmed by the whole day. I'm sure it will take time....

Things like that really put life into perspective. The little things that bother us or the petty things we complain about....really aren't such a big deal after all.

It's Going to Be A Marvelous Day, but Aren't They All?

Whoa Baby! Today is October 4th....and a remarkable day in history! 58 years ago today.....my parents were blessed with a rather plump little baby girl.....ME! I can't believe I am 58 years old today. How the heck did that happen? I feel like I'm about 40...but then I guess that isn't possible when my daughter just turned 35 now is it?

I hope to do a Giveaway of some kind this week in honor of my birthday...so stay tuned.

I was up early this morning making a couple of signs for the craft show booth and then I need to run to Walmart for some more candy....it went over well yesterday...although I think Irv ate a lot of it!

I had insomnia last night. It could have been caused by the excitement of the craft show, but I really think it was the Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie from Chile's that I had for dessert last night....and I only ate half of it!

While I was laying in bed awake at about 11:30 p.m. my phone rang. It scared the heck out of me. Needless to say when I picked it up to see who it was it took a moment for my eyes to adjust....it was Matt. Then I was really scared....he doesn't usually call that late.

He was at the bar with some friends and his Search and Rescue pager went off! It said to meet at their lockers at 6:30 a.m. and to dress for snow and wind. He immediately left the bar and was on his way home when he called me. He needed to get his stuff together and get some sleep. He has no idea what the call is, but it's in a neighboring county about an hour away. He is thinking maybe a lost hiker....I told him good luck and that I will be hoping for a happy ending to the story! I will let you know.

With that, I am going to go finish my signs and get ready for Day Two of the show! Have a wonderful day everyone!

Craft Show Update....

Well, the show is really nice. It's a huge exhibit hall at the county fairgrounds. It's only about a year old, so everything is still clean and neat. My booth worked out well.....and.....I already made enough to cover my fee and made a very tiny amount of profit....and we still have tomorrow! Sunday isn't usually real busy, but anything I make is profit so I am extremely happy.

I even sold a nice tote bag and two aprons, so that was really cool. I had a lady that works in a bakery ask if I could make her an apron with cakes or cupcakes on it, and she is going to e-mail me and we'll do it though my shop. Someone else wanted a couple of different style light switch covers and she is suppose to e-mail me as well. Hopefully they. That would be really great!

Handed out lots of cards and talked to a lot of people, so no matter what happens tomorrow it's been a successful show for me.

I have some things I need to do to get ready for tomorrow, and I'm tired and hungry. I need food and my pj's! Have an awesome evening and I will be back to chat with you soon!

Craft Show Weekend!

I am at the craft show! I will try to let you know later tonight how it went. Chat with you soon.

Banish Those Blues

Do you ever wake up in the morning already feeling down in the dumps and you haven't even gotten your butt out of bed yet? When that use to happen to me, I would just get up...miserable and depressed and assume it was going to be a crappy day.

Not any more!

I still do wake up some mornings with that "blue" feeling, but now I handle it much differently. Now I lay there for a minute, take some nice deep breaths and I look that feeling square in the eye. I let it know that I "see" it, that it isn't pulling anything over on me....I acknowledge it.

More often than not, the feeling sort of dissipates all on it's own. Sometimes I will recall that I went to bed with something on my mind and I realize that I am being reminded of that. I address that concern in my head and if it's negative, I refuse to let it be a part of my new day.

I know it sounds crazy, but I'm finding that the more I take control of my thoughts...the less useless thoughts I seem to be having....leaving me more time to just be happy and free of thoughts that serve no purpose. It's pretty cool.

So, the next time you wake up feeling "blue", take a few deep breaths, look that feeling square in the eye and let it know you are aware of it....and move on. It just might turn out to be one heck of an awesome day!

What a Way to Start The Day!!

I ran into another vendor at the last craft show and she asked me if I had made the vendor apron I was wearing. I told her I did....that it was just one I threw together real quick for the show out of some fabric I had. She asked for my business card and said she would be in touch...she wanted two aprons. It turned out she lived in the town I live in.

I figured I wouldn't hear from her again, but sure enough, not long after the show she e-mailed and we made arrangements for the two vendor aprons. Well, she picked them up Monday. I had them nicely boxed with ribbon so she didn't look at them at my house. I was nervously "sick/anxious" all day wondering if she would like them. Each apron had a little "thing" that bothered me. They were little things that someone else probably wouldn't notice, but drove me nuts.

She e-mailed me Monday night after I shut down my computer, so I got her e-mail Tuesday morning first thing. She LOVED the aprons. She already recommended me to two of her friends and would like me to make Christmas aprons for her two little girls! Chee Hoo. She made my day...maybe my whole week.

I haven't done much custom work and this was the first time I did a custom order for a total stranger. I made an apron for Angela of Pickles on Pizza a while ago, but I "knew" her. This customer also bought her own fabric. I actually like the brown and pink combination so much, I think I am going to make one of my "soft sider" tote bags using those colors.....when I have time.

Even though it is nice to have a face to go with what you are making....this order made me a little anxious. It just felt different than when you are making something and hoping some stranger will fall in love with it and buy it. Not sure what it was, but it went away as soon as I got her e-mail!