Bohemian Mermaid Palace

I love doing craft shows. Love it. But this season was a tough one. So much so that at the end of it all I was questioning how many shows I want to do next year. I might finally be getting too old for this. I won't get into the ins and outs of it all... but one show in particular haunts me still. There is a music festival not far from here, in the beautiful forested mountains. For years folks have been telling me I should take my clothing booth there. My booth would fit right in, it's a fun time, etc. The only thing that stopped me was the heat. Like most mermaids, I don't do well in heat. But this year I tried to do many of the shows I had been avoiding for whatever reason. So I went for it. The venue was a beautiful wooded park. I got there late in the afternoon so the heat wouldn't kill me during setup. There was a tiny slope I had to climb to haul my stuff from my van, but otherwise not too bad. I created a lovely double booth and I was happy. I did notice many

Oh my. It's coming up so fast... one week from today, I'll be packing up the van and checking my lists for departure on the Mermaid Tour 2010. I'm working hard not to have a freakout (like I often do when on my way out for a show trip). Doing my walks and taking care of bidness. But, each day my excitement level ratchets up a notch. I fear I'll be unbearable by next week. Anyway, I have all these travel details cluttering my brain. I figured I could bore you with them here... that's what blogs are for. Ha. As I have been preparing for my 6+ week craft show/camping trip, I have formulated a basic living plan. During the shows, I will hide out in my van as I normally do... somewhere close to the show. This is easy, as the van is empty and I can park it anywhere and go unnoticed. I'm usually so worked and tired, all I do is eat and go to bed anyway. Between shows, I'll camp in the beautiful forest lands. Tons of fabulous camping all along my route. I'

Success! A good time was had by all, and sales couldn't have been much better. Woot! I can always count on my SoHum peoples to come through. Really fun to see everyone... thanks to everybody who visited my little booth over the weekend! The weather turned out great, even too hot for me. A tiny bit of drizzle, but mostly it was sticky humid. The sun did come out here and there, so we were able to achieve that good summer festival feeling. I was about as close to the stage as one could get. I love being by the stage, but being SO close it was pretty loud even for me. Especially at breakdown time when the metal band played. Kinda hurt my head. I had a few hiccups with my girl party/helper plan. Sigh. But hey, I gave it a shot. Anyway... I did have some friends hang out for a bit, had enough help to do some shopping on Sunday which was a luxury. I was on my own for setup and tear down and that was a little rough. But the crazy sales, cool neighbors and friendly customers kept m

Wooohoo! It's officially a GO!  Back in Feb I had a brainstorm to do an extended craft show trip this summer. I have talked about doing this for years. Although, my fantasy is more like a year long trip... but this is a good start! Somehow I managed to find 4 shows in a row, both by time and geography, that are juried and look quite good. AND happen to lead up to the big craft show in Bismarck, ND where I have family. Then I waited to see if I would be accepted to at least 3 out of the 5 to make the trip for sure. I mean, the gas alone will cost about $1000. If I'm going to do it, I need it to be worthwhile money-wise. ND is far away! As of yesterday, I have been confirmed in 4 of the 5 shows. I've yet to hear from the last one, but my fingers are crossed!  Now that I'm talking about it as a reality (rather than a possibility), I'm getting more and more excited. You can see the individual show details on my Facebook page over there>>>  I'll se

Ohhhh it's getting close... spring is right around the corner. And you know what that means. Craft show season begins. Can't wait! So, I have my first confirmed show of the season, which is the Sebastopol Apple Blossom Festival, April 24-25. This is my first time at this show... well except once when I was working in that kid's booth in college. As I recall, it's a beautiful park setting. There's a parade and wine/beer tasting. Plus I have a couple friends I can visit in town. Should be fun! I'm sending out applications for may and june as well... I'll be adding them to my cool little google calendar (>>>) as they are confirmed. Woot!

Just thought I'd check in here, between all the crochet pattern stuff... about how real life is going here in The Palace. Still slow and wintery, but whiffs of spring are here and there. The daffodils & beach visits are up. That's certainly a sign. I have sent out 2 show applications already, and I'm filling out my calendar for the season. Yay! Have I mentioned how much I love traveling to craft shows? Probably. Anyway, I do. Love it. This season I am seriously considering at least one extended festival trip, ending in ND where my mom lives. I'd be gone over a month... starting in Eugene the 4th of July, hitting a show each weekend as I work my way up to the Seattle area. Then, cruising across the north to Bismarck for their big show in Aug. How fun would that be?! We'll see how it pans out... View Mermaid Tour 1 in a larger map I've also been working hard to get my etsy store (look over there>>>) stocked up... while working to promote t

As predicted, a wonderful time was had in beautiful Mendocino, CA. I asked for a view of the stage and got just that. As usual, my neighbors were fun and talented. I'm considering going back for their holiday show over Thanksgiving weekend. hm, we'll see.

I think this time I'll skip the commentary and just post some photos. Such a beautiful town!

Hey do I have time for this right now? Hm, if I make another cup of coffee, sure... mmm. ok. Well lagging still on my reports. However I have photos! woo! The Benb ow show was nice as usual. That is, the Mateel Arts & Music Festival. Perfect weather, good attend ance from what I could tell. Although Stu pointed out there is usually a time w hen it's elbow to elbow and we didn't see it get that crowded. Still lots of folks. We were across from the Holistic Hooping booth which was fun to watch all weekend... Two little bummers, ok 3. 1) Stu was a freakin grump. Note to self, leave him home next time and take a girl. 2) and I haven't dwelled on this at all really, but one o f my nicest pieces was stolen. It was a bummer, but I hate giving that sort of thing much energy so that's the end of that. 3) I managed to get poison oak, which finally cleared up a few days ago (that's 3 weeks of pure torture my friends). Haha. Still my favorite show... I mean look at our view

Yep another hopping spring turning into a busy summer... along with my new day job (sigh) I'm super busy right now. Loving it. Of course, the big one coming up is the awesome Mateel Arts & Music Festival next weekend June 6-7 in Benbow. Our biggest and most fun local event, I would say. Tons of music and performances on 4 stages, over 100 high quality craft booths, a big kid's area and a beautiful location. Just lots of smiling folks and a super fun time. I'm SO happy to return this year, after my little hospital vacation last year. Yes... this is a much better year by far. I've been a little behind on my postings here... um let's see... I'll briefly recap my festivals so far. After the local Spring Fever Festival, which was fun as usual... I headed up to Gold Beach, OR for the Art & Wine Festival. A lovely little show near the beach with wine tasting and nice quality crafts. Not a huge money maker for the crafts vendors I think... but the beach campin

I know I have the fever, so do you! First local craft show of the season... woo!

Hey that was fun! I know that's what I always say... but really. A great festival, (nearly) perfect weather, gorgeous location, nice quality crafts & music and very well organized event. The show folks came by VERY regularly to see if we solo vendors needed breaks or food. That alone was quite impressive. We even got food vouchers, very nice. I was pleasantly surprised at how many art friends I saw there. Always fun to catch up with my peeps. And Stu joined me on Sunday so I got a couple smooches too. The van ran great, no problems there whatsoever. I did have one minor adventure during setup. Gale force winds were a-blowin when I arrived. Most other vendors chose to wait to set up in the morning... oh but I was sure I could do it. Once my booth is up it's very heavy, I never have wind troubles. So I stubbornly insisted on trying to set up my tent, as I watched my neighbor's tear right through the top. She and another neigh bor held my frame a s I tied tubs and racks t

Oh man... do I really have to say how excited I am that show season is starting? Nah. It's understood. My first show this year will be the Bodega Bay Fisherman's Festival down near Santa Rosa. Last year, as some may recall, this was also my first show scheduled and I was equally excited to go. However, it also turned out to be my first New Van breakdown, one of many in a string of unfortunate events. So I am feeling um... hm... a little nervous at the memory of being stranded in Willits. But I'm also feeling it will be a small milestone. If all goes smoothly, I will see it as a sign of a better year to come. Anyway, I came across this video of the festival so I thought I'd share. Seafood, boat parade, pet parade, kite flying, wooden boat contest, music, and crafts of course. Bodega Bay Fisherman's Festival

Yes, once again I'm up to my elbows in dye baths and mermaids as I prepare for another North Country Fair. Takes place each year on the Autumnal Equinox weekend at the Arcata Plaza. That's this coming weekend by the way. A great great festival. Tons of local and area artists, great quality of crafts every year. Music and dance on 3 stages. Local food and brew. Really a showcase of local talent, everyone comes out to play. You are sure to see friends you haven't seen since last year's festival. So so much fun! And entrance is free. Oh and the parades. Saturday at 1:00 is the Samba Parade, which is fun to watch. Steel drums and dancing women, hello. Sunday the All-Species Parade, anyone can join this one. Kids and adults in creative costumes, kinetic sculptures, and who knows what else. On the vendor inside tip... this year for the first time (at the last minute), they required vendor liability insurance. I know at least one vendor who withdrew, hopefully it didn't im

Hey, another fun year at the Blues by the Bay festival. Check out my sorta panoramic view from the booth. That pointy thing just to the left of the glare spot is the stage. As usual the music was awesome, the crowd fun, the sun shining. We were only a few booths from the stage in one direction, and 2 booths from the beer in the other. Perfect! Well, the only imperfection was the wind. Wow. Super super windy, especially Sunday. I know there was at least one tent taken by the gusts, and setups were definitely shaky. And it was quite cold. But the sun shone and that was all we could really ask for. Saw some friends too... like CJ here, who turned out to be one hellofa sales woman. Jeesh. Who knew. She's just a natural schmoozer, and cute as a button. Who can resist? We had a great time visiting with her and her hubby. I also got to see Sarah at her booth nearby... found out she and her man are expecting a baby!! yowza. They will be opening a temporary store in the Bayshore Mall from O

Oh yessss, it's almost time for another Blues by the Bay , coming up on Labor Day weekend. Wooo! It's gonna be great. We had such a fun time last year... and this year my booth is much closer to the stage. Oh I'm excited alright. I just love a good music festival. If you haven't been, do it. It's really a family event... lots of dancing, food, local brew. Right on the water. People paddle their kayaks right up to it. Looks like there are more vendors than last year... of course, crafts have only been included for the past 2 years. I'm hoping their move to a holiday weekend will bring in more folks. And that the weather is nice. Woo! Meanwhile, the Buddy Brown Blues Festival in Blue Lake is also coming up on um... this Saturday, the 16th. I might need to go check that out as well. It's nice to be at a festival and not working, from time to time.

What a weekend! I took my little clothing booth to Mt. Shasta for the big 3-day 4th of July festival. It's gorgeous up there and the show was fun. Barney's been working in the bay area for the past few months, so it was great to hang out with him and camp. My friend Doug the whale guy was right behind me, visiting with him was a nice bonus. Most notably though, was the drive across 299 and all the fires still going on there. Wow. I mean it's sad enough to hear all the reports... but seeing all the fire crews, big base camps, and thick smoke really brought things to life. In a few spots, fire spread all the way down to the river and was in view from the highway. Heartbreaking. But, thankfully, the smoke in the Mt. Shasta area cleared for the weekend and the weather was beautiful. Now I'm preparing to head down to Mendocino for the Mendo Art Center's summer craft fair. Time to get busy dyeing...

Well the art & wine thingy in Gold Beach was so much fun! Ok... there were mishaps, but first the positive. Gold Beach is gorgeous! Right on the ocean, as was the Event Center on the Beach, aka Curry County Fairgrounds. And the people were SO so friendly, wonderful crafts and wine vendors. I just had a great time. Not only that, but I was approached by a nice lady who owns a shop in town, South Beach Gallery on 101... and she'll be carrying some of my nicer clothing items from now on. Woo! I really made some great new friends and business contacts. Fun fun. The downside (and I'm a little embarrassed to add this) was that Shiny Van broke again. Seriously. Barney came up all the way from the bay area to help me tow it back home. Again. I know... ridiculous. Well, the good news is that a) I believe the correct diagnosis has finally been made and is on its way to being fixed, and b) after a little sit-down with the lot we bought it from (used & 'as-is'), they seem t

Pretty...

True, the show was not busy... still it was fun. I was surprised at how not-busy it was, really. I know it was an unusually warm weekend, but jeesh. Last year's was much better, even with all the increased advertising this year. Hmp. Again, the crafts were great, the music was fun (we were right in front of the stage), I saw many friends and spent some quality time with Dimitra & Veda, my awesome booth helpers. The print booth was a hit... well, relatively speaking. If there had been more kids or um people, I think we would have cleaned up! Still it was a great first run, learned a lot and over all it was well received. Yvonne of The wax hands come by to consult for a while. She had some great ideas for improvements. I think I'm going to try it (by myself!) at the show in Old Shasta for Mother's Day weekend. Woo.