Bohemian Mermaid Palace

Excellent question. Thanks for asking... Um, I've been festivizing like the rest of you. Went out to North Dakota for a week to visit my mom et al. Good times. Art-wise, not too much happening as I recover from this nasty cold. I have some garment dyeing to do for a friend who makes baby clothes. I got some beautiful beads and baubles as gifts from my sweety... so as I've been laying around blowing my nose, I've also been making jewelry. My ebay stuff went on hold for my time out of state. But today I decided to switch auction managers to save some cash... so I've been learning the new site and transferring auction stuff. The old one was Vendio.com (previously AuctionWatch). Really a great and easy to use site. I've been with them for years, they were free back in the day. Now there are lots of plans and their fees are pretty low. But, for the amount I sell, I shouldn't be paying for extras. Ebay and Paypal cost enough. So, I hunted around and found Auctiva . W...

It was fun!! I think I need to do this one every year... It's well run, the lady in charge is awesome and makes herself available all weekend. What a concept. It's put on by the city recreation dept so there are lots of kids volunteering and school bands playing. Just a fun atmosphere. They had a little food stand run by the kids too. Everything was either $1 or $2. The brownies were awesome and we got two coupons for free coffee. The Arts in the Afternoon program kids were selling silk scarves they made, which was neat. I got to see a few friends and made a few trades for gifts. I made money too! It didn't look good on the first day, but the second day was awesome and overall I did pretty well. Woo. They do need to advertise a little, at least on the community calendars... the crowd was pretty thin. But otherwise, it's a good one. Ok, I gotta go to officegirl land now, photos and humorous anecdotes to follow...

Well, it's my day off from officegirl land. I guess one tends to sleep in on those days. But there are things to be done!! A craft fair to prep for ... and as usual I'm behind schedule. Lately I've been crashing early and waking early and it's been good. But nooooo. Last night I crashed early (rather than working like I should have) cuz I was tired and I figured I'd wake up early like I have all week. Barney kisses me good bye at about 6:30, and lately I've been unable to go back to sleep afterwards. Not today. Sigh. Woke up at freakin 10. What the hell?!? Anywayzzzz... I'm only taking the time to write here cuz well... computerizing goes so well with my coffee. And I do need to wake up a bit. Luckily I have my Mermaid Power Mug to help me along... Buz brought this from Ireland (I think) and bought it from the artist at a craft fair or something. Isn't it awesome?? The photo doesn't do it justice really. So what's on the agenda for today? Plenty,...

Yeah, the new studio space is at home now. It is good in many ways... the main one being cost. And it's close. I have all my worldly possessions in one spot. Handy. I did get a little spoiled at the last studio. The two big rooms with sinks and tables and show space and teaching space. The nice central Arcata location. But, I never could afford it. Not the whole thing alone. There are some adjustments to be made with the new setup, unpacking still to be done. But here's the scene as it is now... I have one whole bedroom for my artgirl activities (Barney the Best Boyfriend in the Wholewideworld was all for it. He rocks!) It has big windows, pretty good light. Room for tables, a cabinet and shortly some bookshelves. Most of the dry type supplies like sewing, beads, painting stuff and kits. There's a huge walk-in closet that spans most of the length of this wall. Holds lots of Mermaid goodies. I've packed away most of the knit clothing, but there's still room for the ...

I've been pondering... and perusing. And it seems like I need to better define what this here blog is all about. (check out breakfast blogger , now THEY have a purpose!) I've started to cruise around some other local blogs and it's fun! Most of them discuss local happenings. Very interesting. Some are just funny and entertaining. That's good too. And now that a few have found my blog... I feel a little more pressure to perform. So to speak. I mean, so far, nobody but my parents read it. And someone in North Carolina. I never thought much about being entertaining or even informative. I started it for two simple reasons - 1. To get more traffic to my online store , and maybe sell some stuff. 2. To have a place where I can blather on about the mundane details of my Mermaid life, interesting only to me. My friends are polite, but really who cares about how the Ocean green came out in this batch? Ok, I guess I figured some customer might find it mildly amusing to see what I...

Really I am. Ok, maybe I haven't been overly motivated with the holiday slacking and rainy day moods and whatnot. But, I've got things going on... oh yes. Next weekend is the afore mentioned Arcata Holiday Market , at the Arcata Community Center (next to Health Sport). Yay! I do love the craft fairs. The last time I did this one, there were lots of new-ish crafters along with some old friends... all high quality goods. Many opportunities for Xmas gift bartering. Love it! And I hope to make a bit of cash too, of course. See some old customers, that's always fun. Anyway, today is dyeing day. I'm not doing too much, just enough to satisfy some recent orders and flesh out the stock a bit. Since I stocked up so much for the North Country Fair, I resisted the urge to spend lots of money on supplies. It's tricky really... need enough stock to do well, but not be stuck with too much afterward. My next show probably won't be until March or so. I've also been making ...

Remember my awesome day job ? I still like it. It's become a little more stressful, as I take on more responsibility. But, overally it's pretty cool. I work for the Peace Resource Project... "We want to help you raise funds and awareness!" We sell a bunch of stuff with peaceful-type themes to shops, non-profits and individuals. Mostly buttons and stickers, but also now a considerable amount of DVDs and misc other stuff like patches, jewelry, postcards and flags. My job is customer service. I man the phones, take orders, fill orders, invoice and package orders to the peaceful masses. I meet some interesting folks from all over the country, and sometimes other countries. There are some folks that own hippy stores or have a table of buttons and stickers on the street. Some very business like, some not so much. One guy, (I think he's in southern california with a street table someplace) is very nice but doesn't know any of our stock numbers. We have almost 500 sti...

Ok, well the credit card chargeback freakout is about over. I got the original amount back into my bank account. Not the extra chargeback fees though. Turns out that since there were two transactions in dispute, I got charged the $35 fee twice. They said it was non-refundable processing fee, much like a bounced check fee. I spoke with the nice lady who bought the stuff and she was soooo sorry. She said she had remembered who I was the day after she disputed the charges, and right then called off the CC company who said they'd undo the complaint. She figured it had been taken care of. Ha. I told her about the extra fees, and she says she asked her company to see if they could get them waived... I guess they said they'd try. Although, if that's even possible I don't know. Doesn't seem likely. But, she pretty much agreed to pay the money either way. Sigh. We'll see. Otherwise I guess that's just the cost of doing Mermaid business...

So more planning and scheming is afoot. I'm really excited about this... My best friend in the wholewideworld is Heather, who also is the best seamstress I know. We are currently in the pre-planning stages of a new line of Bohemian Mermaid clothing which she will sew for me. I think we agree that the first pieces will be a chemise-style poets blouse - gathered at the neck and sleeves with a full flowing cut. And, some style of bodice, similar to this one... which can be paired with the blouse. Ooooooh it's really exciting! I'll keep most of my other goodies as they are... but slowly add more custom pieces sewn by Heather. Other items we are discussing are a wrap skirt, a loose cape-like jacket, a vest, and a ruffle skirt. The best part of all this is the freedom of using whatever fabrics we like. Right now, I buy my garments already sewn, and dye them. Although there are lots of styles and fabrics to choose from, there are limits... and most other dyers buy from the same su...

Well, this weekend I'm off to clothe the masses once again in Mermaid style. Headed down the highway 101 to lovely Ukiah, California for the annual Pumpkinfest. Woooo! It's always exciting to try a new festival... this one happens to be located in the city of my birth. Also the resting place of my grandparents. I have many fond memories of childhood visits to Ukiah. My grandparents' house with the glass doorknobs and that photo of Grandpa in his Andy Griffith style police uniform. The park down the street with the cool rocketship slide. Strawberry ice cream cones and Archie comics from the cigar shop downtown, where everyone knew Grandpa. Eating tomatos out of Grandma's garden. That sort of stuff... So, I plan on driving by the old house and park while I'm there, maybe to the cemetary if time permits. And I hope to make a little cash also. I have been sick at home for a couple days, but I'm determined to have fun in the sun this weekend! Woohoo!

Oh, I always have plans alright... Let's see, uh... OH I just found a site for the informational-type pages I've been wanting to post: Bohemian Mermaid Info Pages . The store only has so many pages to edit, so I'm adding a whole new site with links, wholesale info, FAQ page, and ultimately some crafty projects or how-to info, and whatever other fun stuff I can think up. Setting that baby up was my Sat morning coffee/computer funtime today. What else...? I have a couple craft fairs coming up... I guess I'm going to Ukiah next weekend for the Pumpkinfest. Haven't yet gotten any paperwork, maybe it's time to call. Hm. The next one isn't until December, in Arcata. Oh of course I have some issues with Christmas-time fairs. Maybe I'll post about that later. Otherwise, I'm still getting my studio together at the new house... moving is slooooow work. I'm also thinking about where I can teach some silk painting classes during the winter & spring mont...

Holy smokes... as my good friend Fred so politely pointed out, I've been gone a while. Offline, except at work, and living temporarily in what I now refer to as The Homeless Studio. It wasn't so bad. I mean it could have been much worse - if we had been living in our van or forced to mooch off of friends. Basically, the housing in my area STINKS. We jumped the gun giving notice at our last place and it backfired on us. Just as school was starting at the college. Bad to worse. So, for 6 weeks we have been camping out at my art studio in Arcata. Nobody there really cared. There are a handfull of art students who live in their studios in that building, in fact the lady who had my studio before me lived there too. And there was room for the essentials... bed, movie collection, tv, clothes, dog. On the down side, however, it IS a commercial building with business activities going on. Like the woodworkers next door (ie on the other side of the wall by the bed) who start up the table...

Does it ever end?? Well, first off... I had a GrEAT time at the Caspar World Folk Festival! I knew the second I got outa my van I was in the right place. It feels a lot like home down there... right on the coast, super nice folks, beautiful scenery. It was a small event compared to other festivals I have attended, but the quality of music, crafts and people more than made up for it. Quality over quantity, you might say. I actually did pretty well, considering the small crowd... and broke all my previous bartering records. Man, I came home with some GREAT goodies! And new friends galore. Really really fun. The other side of my recent adventures involve moving into my art studio while we continue to find a home. Sigh. It's very cozy... and easy to get work done. Ha. And we sure are saving money! Aaaanyhow... my projects now include some illusion necklaces for my good friend Leisa's wedding, a bunch of tie-dyed bandanas for a friend of my little sister, and misc items ordered at t...

"Does Miss Mermaid know, She is made of sausage And a friend from the sea?" (Note: When I googled 'crazy mermaid' I got this pic. You MUST look at this guy's other Japanese kid's lunch haikus . Awesome!) I like to keep busy, for sure. But seems like the past couple months have been craaaazy busy. What with craft fairs every other weekend and my day job, i've been using every day off either working in my studio or selling at a craft fair. Whew! So, I was looking forward to July... no big fairs until August. I thought I would relax and beef up my web site , etc. But noooooo. We decided to move into a bigger house, and to push ourselves into motion, gave our notice on July 1. You know what that means... we are near panic as we continue to try to find a place to live (housing up here is nuts, have to race tons of other folks for the good ones). Meanwhile, the current land lady wants to show our place in a few days. Hahahaha. We haven't done a bit of house ...

I finally took my camera to the Trinidad Farmers & Artists Market... ...there's my booth... The view from my booth across the way... too bad you can't see the woven scarves very well, they are gorgeous. This is my friend, Marianna with her lovely wares... she's a fun booth neighbor, and her sister (the lady with the little oyster shell paintings) gives me snacks. Woohoo. Again, the music was excellent. A group of guys singing old-timey tunes, twangy harmonies and all. Rooster Something, McClintock? Close. Anyway, that's my weekly Trinidad Sunday Market report. Read more about it in my earlier posts. Good times...

...California, that is. Ok, so I started the Trinidad Farmers & Artists Market yesterday. Well, started to do it regularly anyway. I've mentioned it before, but it's worth mentioning again I think. Trinidad, for those who haven't been up to this end of the state, is maybe the prettiest town in the area. It's got some cute little shops, restaurants and B&Bs... as well as gorgeous beaches and ocean views. It's also right next to a ton of camp grounds and state parks, ie redwoods. Really beautiful. So, this little Sunday market happens each Sunday throughout the summer, in front of the grocery store there. The quality of crafts is very high, for such a dinky market. We just have a ton of talented folks around here, what can I say? There is also music each week and it's really pretty fun. Yesterday (I wish I had taken my camera, maybe next time) went very well... I thought. The music was exceptional... I think they were called The Fabulous Blue Jays (or was...

(ok my photo thingy does not work at all anymore!! AAAAAAAhhhhhgh!!) Man, it's hard to get outa the chair on a hazy day off... b ut there is work to be done! Yeah so, I'm getting ready for the 4th of July festival up in Crescent City, a bit up the coast from here. I'm a little nervous, this is my first time up there for a show... but there are issues with all of the 4th shows. The Arcata one is best for me of course. This is my town and my peoples... my customers expect to see me there and generally I do well at any Plaza event. However, as usual, the folks who run these fairs keep increasing the cost for the honor of selling in their little town. Man I get mad. This year, this ONE DAY event costs the same as the North Country Fair - a two day kick-ass festival in the fall. Not only that, but the 4th allows imports (not only handmade-by-the-artist goods) and they are notorious for placing say, 3 jewelers in a row. Or, like last year, my booth next door to two big booths of ...

So... what was I going to write about day jobs... um... Well, the one I have now I totally love. And I've been thinking about how it compares to the other jobs I've had the past couple years. Let's see... Since I started my Mermaid Biz about 5 yrs ago, I've spent 2 of those years unemp - er - SELFemployed. The first year, I worked in that cushy office job mentioned below... running a storage rental office. That one really got my business started, I just poured all my income into it. Plenty of energy left over, even working 40 hrs per week, to do all my artgirl activities. Later, I worked as an arts instructor in a day program for disabled adults. Man, that was a cool job. I basically played all day with a group of about half developmentally disabled folks, and half with various dimentias like alzheimers, stroke, brain injuries... as well as some physical disabilities mixed in. It was challenging and I loved it. I realized I have a bit of a talent for teaching and I go...

That photo below is actually a postcard... it's stuck under the glass on my desk at work. I didn't put it there. I love my job.

You know... I've been doing this art stuff for a long time. My entire life, really. And sometime in high school I decided I could make a living at it. I still think I can. I sincerely believe that if you put your energy into what you love most, what your real talent is, everything works out for the best. You are happier, more productive... and karmically pretty taken care of. Plenty of jobs out there if one is creative about it. About 1/3 of the way through college, I stopped working as a (miserable) waitress, and lived off of student loans and grants... so I could pay more attention to school and art. At some point I did my best to take only art-related jobs, when I WAS working. I was poor, but oh so happy ... and I felt like a 'real' artist, actually getting paid for making things. I did all kinds of art jobs... I designed a website character for an internet startup... I designed and crocheted a ton of custom sweaters for a lady who just loved hand-crocheted stuff... I wo...

Well... it's my day off from Officegirl Land. Aaaaah. That really makes me want to sit around in my pj's all day and drink coffee around the house in a generally irresponsible manner. HOWEVER, a Mermaid's work is never done... so... What I'm actually going to do today (after I'm done drinking coffee in my pj's) is head downtown to take care of some bidness. It is a beautiful and (for us) warm sunny summer day in Arcata, so it will be nice to bop around doing my errands. This is what I really love about living in a small town that IS NOT set up in a sprawling manner, like many other places in the state... I can drive to my studio, park and walk the 2 blocks to the plaza, where I can easily get all my errands taken care of. AND there are lots of folks walking around doing the same, like a community should be. WE get out of our cars and say hi to eachother. What a concept, huh? So... first I need to meet Marianna at the studio, so she can pick up her table and the ...

So, I've been corresponding a bit with a lady on the east coast who loves mermaids like I do. Lucky for me, she loves my clothes a little too. We have been working on some orders for her, via email. Which is great... Excellent. Meanwhile, I have also been trying to find a 4th of July festival for the Mermaid booth . The local ones have irked me for various reasons... so I called for an application to the Crescent City fair, about an hour and a half north of here. I have been waiting for it, so I can apply before it's full... checking my po box daily. The other day I found a 'pick up at window' slip in there, figuring it was my application in a big envelope or something. Sigh... which annoyed me. Fold it a little, will ya? I was having trouble getting to the po before closing time. Ok... so yesterday I finally get to the post office at 10 minutes to 5... of course there's a big line, and (for the first time maybe ever) no postal worker yelling out 'anyone just ne...

Is it possible to be addicted to bead catalogs? Whew. Cuz I can look at them all day long... make lists of the stuff I want... design jewelry, figure out pricing, etc. I have a stack of like 5 catalogs I've been looking through for days. I love them! I have been working on designs for necklaces to match my mermaid clothing. I actually made some... but they really don't work for me. They colors are fine... faceted glass beads with semi-precious chips, which I thought would look earthy yet sparkly. And I guess they do, but they are so boring! I'm trying to create some simple but cute styles I can make quickly and so sell fairly cheaply... sounds easy. If you can make decisions and not just pour over the catalog for hours. You. Not me. Cuz I'm addicted. I guess.

So, what (I'm sure you're wondering) is The Mermaid up to today?? Well, let's see... I've got the big Mateel Arts & Music Festival at Benbow Lake (that's southern Humboldt County) next weekend. It's a biggy, and one of my best... so I'm literally up to my elbows in dye and clothes and all that stuff. Today I'm off to the studio for my 3rd 9-10hr workfest in a row. My routine has been this: 1) Get up and make coffee, smooch on the bf for a bit, wash the previous day's dye batches while doing various stuff on the net (ie making a new blog, etal). 2) Stop by Safeway for a peppered turkey & swiss on rustic italian roll, some peaches and a green tea. 3)Hit the studio until I can't see straight or my back hurts (whichever comes first). 4) Come home and resume bf smooching. Today is my last day to bust out the bulk of the work, cuz I have to be Officegirl the rest of the week... which only leaves a few hrs in the evenings. But, I think it's...

Woohoo! Lookit me and my new blog! I thought it was time for a page all about my artchick adventures. Well, I know I'M excited... eventually YOU will be too. Here we go... onward!