The Handmade Market

Ok, so you want my highlights? Well, my favorite things included jewelry by Metamorphosis Metals and the photography of Mikel Robinson. His light box photos are luminous and dreamy. Here is an image of them in an installation. I am trying to figure out where we'll put a group of three in our house (are you reading this honey, trolling for Christmas ideas for me?)

What did I buy? A kiddie tee from Sarah Holsapple (see above and visit her at etsy), a painting from Merideth Steele, and some delicious cookies. I was looking for a few shirts for my husband but I went too late in the day and his average, most-popular size was all sold out everywhere.

The tote bags we gave out were a hit, too. I hope to see lots of those non-disposable bags used at the grocery stores and retailers of Raleigh. They are nice and thin, so they can crunch up really small and just be right there in your purse when you need it. I put one in my purse today.

We (meaning Ornamentea and Panopolie) were the 'Gold Sponsors' of the Handmade Market. I really support and am amazed by the talent in all the Handmaidens. Many of them have strong connections to the stores and I didn't have to think for very long when they asked me to sponsor them. As a business, we struggle with how to spend our advertising dollars. We can do ads in the daily paper, phone books, local magazines and weekly papers, national craft and trade magazines, or on line. We can mail out post cards to our mailing list or buy names. All of those are generally expensive and maybe don't work at all. There is so much advertising everywhere, so many ads competing for your attention, my attention. Lately, well for the last year at least, we are trying to spend our advertising dollars in smaller chunks. We are doing year book ads, high school newspaper ads, buying pages in the programs for the local theater and dance performances and doing things like the Handmade Market. It may not work any better to do this than to do an ad in Bead&Button, but it at least it seems like it makes more of a difference to put a reusable tote bag in your hand or pay for a page in a high school year book.

Funny, funny...

Ok, tomorrow I will post with all my good news from the Handmade Market (quick note, it was fabulous!)Today I had the longest day ever since I kept thinking hubby had changed the clock in the bedroom (he hadn't, extra hour!) kitchen (he hadn't, extra hour!) or the van (he hadn't, extra hour!). I love this daylight savings time magic.

Used the coffee corset today, it made my trip to Target oh-so-much-more fabulous. My husband rolled his eyes. No coffee for him. The only downside to the whole day is the fact that the dance and club music of my college days is now the Muzak of REI. Yeh. The whole time we were trying to find pink, made in the USA, tie tennis shoes for Cleo we were listening to Depeche Mode, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and the Psychedelic Furs. I busted a move or two for Cleo in the sock department and she said, "Mom, you can dance to this?" HUH? Well, just give me a second to change into my black leather motorcycle jacket and put on some eyeliner and Doc Martens and I will show you. It made me feel sought after, honestly. I mean, they are playing my music because they know I want to buy socks and pink suede tennis shoes for my child.

Go read this guy's blog. Pay special attention to the post about the 70s Sear's catalog. My family did a lot of matching. A lot. We had matching bathing suits, matching dress-and-tiny-tie ensembles, matching pjs. My father and brother would have matching ties and matching stretch plaid pants. My sister and I had millions of matching dresses with my brother sporting a tiny matching shirt. My mom SEWS so there were really no limits. She can pretty much make anything, unfortunately. My dad is a big fan of matching to this day and thinks it's great to get (hold on to your seat) matching sweatshirts with our names embroidered on them for me, my husband, my sister, her husband, my brother and his wife. Yeah. Consider that this also means that there must be a picture taken with all of us lined up showing off our new togs. Now, even if you don't know me at all you probably cannot picture me dressed like five other people in a Ohio State sweatshirt with our names embroidered on the chest. I mean, who would wear that voluntarily?

(I feel free to put this here in my blog because, as far as I know, my dad has never read my blog. Now I will find out if he is being stealthy and has been reading all along. My guess is no, and hopefully my siblings won't rat me out. If they do, they will get something matching for their Christmas gift this year...)

Thanks to Julie for the link to 15 minute lunch! the guy is really funny, read and read.