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Ok, this is a new festival at the Redwood Acres Fairgrounds in Eureka taking place in April and October. It's put on by an artist who thought we needed a show to do during these two slow months for crafts vendors. And she's got the right idea here... again, I'll say how well she put it together, how I like the non profit activity booths, the themes, the quality of vendors, the beauty of the addition of beer to the festival. It's all very good.
But, people just don't really know about it yet. I guess. Because attendance is still pretty low and slow. I did pretty well at the spring version... but this time not as well. My neighbor didn't show, so I even had a big Mermaid clearance area (in the empty spot) which didn't really yield results. Oh well.
There was music. There was beer. There was a diverse selection of art and crafts. There were some friends to visit with.
IF YOU LIKE TO GO TO CRAFT FAIRS, YOU NEED TO ATTEND THIS ONE AND BUY STUFF NEXT TIME! APRIL. BE THERE. I ALWAYS HAVE CLOTHES ON SALE FOR THIS EVENT!!
...for YOU to send me money...
I'm working. I'm just about done dyeing, gotta finish up the label-sewing, ironing, hanging & pricing. Then, off to my last out of town craft show of the year. Wooo! The Steele Winery in Kelseyville... near Clear Lake off hwy 20. Easy little 3.5 hour drive. I'm hoping this is my last big shebang. According to the vendors I met down there this summer, this is THE woopedydoo event. I'm ready. Looks like the rain is supposed to stop just in time for 73 degree days and sunshine. Yippee.
(hey, this could be your big chance to give me some money... you waaaant to go wine tasting this weeeeekeeeeend...)
Let's see... what else... oh, yeah. I opened an Ebay Store this week too. We'll see how it goes. There's a monthly fee, but then I can list things in the store for super cheap listing fees but a higher percentage if they sell. They don't show up in searches as readily as regular auctions, mostly just in the store list. There are some cool perks and tools they give you though. And it's easier to list higher priced items or things I have a lot of... like kits or buttons. So... it's a fun new toy. Can't wait til I have more time to play with it.
That is all. Carry on.
Yeah see, here's the cool part where the universe starts hurtling cash towards me in support of my move to save the world full time. You can be a part of this deep cosmic happening by sending me some money too. See?
Ok, well I'm remembering when I left my job at the storage place to pursue my dream of self employment... a bit prematurely, but still. In the span of maybe 2 weeks, people sent me money that I didn't even know I had coming. Hundreds of dollars, I swear.
Let's see... I got a power company refund of a deposit I had forgotten about. Which led me to phone my old roommate/dickhead boyfriend for another deposit I recalled helping to pay. Got that back too. There were some show fees I had written off... for a little market I had paid for then stopped attending. Didn't expect the money back. Yet, the organizer walked right up to me on the street and said,"I owe you money, let me write you a check." He insisted, so I took it. THEN, maybe the weirdest one... my aunt in the midwest was looking online at one of those lost money sites and found that I had like $250 coming to me from my childhood bank account. No kidding. It had been abandoned and forgotten when my parents divorced.
So, it occurred to me today that this could be happening again. Let's see... my last day of work was thursday. Since then I have had a bank credit for $50 and two orders on my web site for a total of about $160. Not bad for 3 days huh?
I can't wait to see what else will come in the next couple weeks... seems like I should have more this time. Maybe $1000 would be a good total.
You can help. Buy stuff, the universe wants you to.
Holy crap, what a fun time!! Maybe I have mentioned it before, but I LOVE going down to the Mendocino coast! It's so much like Arcata and home. The people are so cool, the area is so beautiful, the vendors are so talented. It rocks.
Caspar Fest was no exception. We really lucked out with the weather, sunny and beautiful... while it poured rain at home on Sunday, I heard. A bit of wind and pretty cold at night, but overall nice nice.
Now, there were a few adventures on my way down. I was running pretty late getting out of town Friday, so I thought it would be smart to book a room in Willits for the night. I couldn't set up the booth until Sat morning anyway and the van was full of stuff, which makes sleeping in it a challenge. Also, I wouldn't stress so much about getting there by dark if I wasn't driving all the way. Smart. Yep.
I found a good deal online and booked it. Well, when I got there that night I found I had booked it for the following night. Smart. They said all they had was a double room for about double what I was going to pay. Sigh. I talked them down a little and took it. Then, they told me to cancel the reservation by calling an 800 number... which I did. The 800 lady said they should have transfered the res. because now I might be charged a penalty for not canceling in 48 hrs or whatever. Sigh. One pricey cheap motel room.
THEN, the drunk chicks next door woke me at 2:30 and I couldn't fall back to sleep. Up at 5:45 to drive the last hour to Caspar and save the world.
Luckily (or something), the first day of the show was very slow. I mostly visited with folks and watched the entertainment, which was completely visible from my booth. Woo. There was the Flynn Creek Circus from right in Caspar. They opened each day with a side show... the funny announcer guy did some stunts, they had a bearded lady lovely assistant (a long-haired guy in a sparkly tu-tu outfit) and these acrobat folks who did a neat artistic act on a hanging trapeze thing.
Also, lots of great music. The one act I was excited for was the Blushin' Roulettes. They too are local, saw them last year... and KHUM plays them lots. I am a huge fan. But, you can't get their album anywhere. So, I was stoked to finally get one. Very home-burned-style, which explains why it's not in stores. Ha. But, I have one and I'm very happy. They call their music 'nuevo americana'. It's original tunes in the old-timey style, two chicks with a guitar and a cello. They're great.
Another highlight was meeting my booth neighbors, fellow mermaids. Three ladies who are part of a collective which harvests and sells seaweed. They know all the medicinal properties of their numerous types of dried seaweed, have recipes and stuff. I learned a lot. Also, you might see some similarity between our logos. I gave them a bunch of Bohemian Mermaid stickers, and (though I didn't see it) I guess they cut them out and stuck them in a circle on their Mermaid work truck. Yes, there was a bit of mermaid bondage going on... really awesome women.
The second day thankfully was much busier for me, so I ended up with a respectable amount of sales. I think moving the show a month later than last year really cut off the tourist aspect. It was mostly local people who didn't really have money to spend. But, they were fun to hang out with.
Oh, and I wish I had a photo, but there was a hot air balloon too! While we were breaking down the show on Sunday, listening to Kevin & the Coconuts... this hot air balloon was giving rides up and down right next to us.
Yes, another fun event in Caspar. The theme this year was community, so there were lots of local foods, activities and organizations. Tons of creativity and interesting people. If you haven't been to an event in the Mendo area... you're missing out.
Ok, I'm back from the Caspar festival and working my last days at the Peace Place... and I am freakin tiiiired. Sheesh.
I'll post separately about the festival, it was super fun. But you know, it would have been courteous for my last week at work to be a slow one. It's been so busy. I mean, I've had one day off since um... jeesh, when? Hm one day in like over 2 weeks. I took the monday after North Country Fair to sit around mostly. Then prepped for Caspar and got home sunday night late... back to work monday A.M. Sigh. For a lazy person, I work hard man. Ha.
But, tomorrow's my last day. Post work beers at the Lost Coast Brewery to mourn my passing. Then dyeing stuff for the next two shows. Yippy. I'm starting to feel the freedom and really excited to work on some Mermaid projects unencumbered. I'm ready.
Saving the world ain't easy, folks.
