Let me start this blog post off with something I think that could be fun to do. I'm a very open minded person and I have an addictive personality. I don't often get to share my personal life with my fans and followers and I'd like to change that a little bit.
I'm always striving to be more open. So to kick start this Monday morning I'm going to share with you one of my favorite musicians. I like a lot of music ranging from opera all the way to metal bands and Irish pub songs. I like to give everything a try at least once. This artist was introduced to me on a forum a few years ago and I was so blown away by this man's work that it inspired me in some of my story writing endeavors.
His name is Ed Alleyne-Johnson. He has a very unique instrument and it was one I had never heard of until I saw a video that was linked in the forum I belong to. I think his work is so haunting and beautiful. If you have an ear for classical pieces you may just like this musician and composer. Here is a video I found just searching for his name on Youtube. I happen to love the song he is covering!
Here he is playing live doing a song from his own CD called Ultraviolet.
I would love to see him playing live someday. I'm certain it's a life changing experience! What sort of music do you like to listen to? What music really inspires you?
Craft Shows from May
I've had two craft shows this month. Unfortunately unlike my first show back in March neither of these two worked out very well. I think the first show I attended on the 4th was just not advertised enough sign wise. There weren't any signs out on the main road leading to the venue. I also feel the crowd was just not right for what I was selling. I had more people wanting to buy my mannequin (Beverely) and her wig than I had interested in my jewelry or Vintage wares. They plan to have another show this September. I'm not certain if I'll attend again. There was very little structure to the show and it seemed a bit too much like a free-for-all. While I met some wonderful people I think a lot more planning needs to happen if future shows are to be successful. It just didn't feel like a vendor-friendly show.
My second show, on the 11th, didn't turn out well either. Unfortunately although this was the 8th year for this particular show the weather was forecast to have downpours and thunder storms for the entire day. Even though it didn't rain until the last half hour of the show I believe the potential for bad weather kept many from coming out. I am hopeful that next year will be better and I do look forward to giving this venue another chance. My only wish would be that they have a rain date for this show as it is unfair to their outdoor vendors that don't have the luxury of being located inside the main building. There was also a pet adoption held along with the craft show.
I had a lot of fun meeting all the dogs and cats looking for their forever homes. I was a little disappointed however that many of the handlers didn't seem to care where their dogs were dragging them around to or what the dogs were doing whenever they stopped to meet someone. One of the dogs happened to pee on one of the table skirts of the vendor selling across from me. Most of the handlers also would stop right in front of the vendor tents to talk with people walking by which I believe was a large deterrent to anyone who might have otherwise stopped by the vendor booths. It is difficult for people trying to shop while there are dogs jumping up their legs.
I am hoping that next year the weather is nicer and that perhaps the venue re-think where they place the pet adoption tables. While I support adopting shelter animals I think a lot more thought needs to go into keeping the dogs away from vendor booths. I certainly don't mind them walking by (I don't expect them all to be forced to sit still all day) but it certainly didn't help with sales for mine or any of the other vendors who were set up next to or between the pet adoption booths.
I did get the opportunity to snap some photos for both shows. I suppose that is the plus side to not having many shoppers coming by! lol
Here are just a handful:
These two are from my Lionshead Lake show on the 4th.
Pictured right is the jewelry half of my booth. We had it facing out toward the entrance to the parking lot where people would walk in.
And lastly here are two photos from my Skyline Lakes Fire Department Craft show on the 11th.
Pictured right is a front view of my table set up on Saturday May 11th. I had invested in some plastic table clothes and skirts (because of the predicted rain fall). I also acquired some green shower curtains to hang around the back and sides of the canopy. These did an excellent job of keeping the wind from knocking my displays over. I will be investing in some actual canopy curtains so that my set up looks more professional. I also plan to obtain some real table clothes and skirts as well.
Here you can see my best friend Michelle who spent the day with me. She was a huge help with setting up. You can also see that I've ditched all of my hang tags for my items. There was no tangled mess to sort through when it was time to pack up and leave. I also plan to update my little price signs that were placed with some of my items.
If you would like to see more photos from these and other craft shows I attend, please check out my facebook photo albums or my flickr gallery.
Flickr
I have a ton of work to catch up on this week. Also I will be looking for more craft shows to attend. Hopefully I can get more lined up very soon!
Have a great week everyone. :)
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