Funnel Dogs, Craft Fairs and Such......

Today we took our little Bichon, Chauncey, to the vet because he had been licking his right paw incessantly. Well...it appears he has a compulsion to do so...for whatever reason...and so to stop him and let it heal...he now wears one of those awful collars. So it looks like he has a funnel around his head....
He is not adjusting awfully well.....and we still have tonite to go through. I really hope that he gets used to it....it saddens me terribly to see him like that.

On to other things.....the craft fair.....that was

So after being so terribly organized (with the help of my mate) I was ready to go at 5pm on Saturday night....a totally new position for me to be in. My children will tell you that Mom always was up until 4am the night before trying to make that one last ornament which invariably didn't sell. So we relaxed on Saturday night and watched the temperature drop, the wind pick up and the snow turn horizontal and drift around our street. When we woke up Sunday morning we could not see the North Shore and the snow and wind were still horizontal and the temperature was hovering at -11 without the wind chill. However, not one to quit when committed, we loaded up the car and SLOWLY made our way over to the venue on the North Shore to find that many others had braved the elements to do the same thing. We crafters are a sturdy lot!!!
It was cold, but we managed to find our table and set up everything. Only 2 ornaments needed repair due to transportation damage, which was a miracle. A few changes had to be made on the table because I hadn't tried out the design in a practical fashion...mostly theoretical....but it was nothing that couldn't be changed on the fly.
After we set up....I got more coffee....and then I sat....and watched everyone.....chatted a bit....and the day wore on. I sold nothing....nada...not a thing. So I made a few observations....

• Kamloops is just not ready for me as an artist.
  
• what I do is not a craft anymore...it is art.
  
• what I do is unique
• several people loved my work, but didn't buy....and loved the idea of making a children's book out of what I do. (Encouragement is always good!)
  
• there is STILL no one in my area who does what I do.
  
• I am going to spend the next year improving, writing, experimenting and having fun
• I will target a higher end show and maybe small gift shops
  
• and finally....a comment was made to me that people in Kamloops will ALWAYS go to something that costs little or nothing to get into....as a form of entertainment....they don't go to buy so much as to see what's there. A different concept to be sure...but then it's the venue, large and full of a mixture of crafts and commercial ventures. One needs to have a show that specializes in nothing but handcrafted items....so we will see what we will see ....next year.

On the whole it was an interesting experience....I wasn't particularly upset about the non-sales....because I went into the fair with the attitude of experimentation....and if things sold... fine and if not...that was fine too. To see the new ornaments that I added to the mix, go here
and click on Nutfolkery II. The other work that was on my table is in the other folders on that site, with the exception of my Christmas photo cards. I would like to post them...just haven't figured out how to do it. I took photos of local snowy scenery around Kamloops (and my backyard!) and printed the photos onto glossy fronted cards and added original sentiments and non-original clipart appropriate to the pictures. I did the designing of them last year, but decided to try to sell them this year. I'm thinking that maybe I may not continue down that route....but time will tell.
So there you have it.....all the excitment....all the buildup....all the work....for nought...financially....but a true learning experience in showing direction.

And finally.....
All you Lower Mainland people ....for goodness sake....stop whinging about the snow and cold. Try being up here where it is presently -24 with snow on the ground....like this
and this.....
and you have to do this......
and it's STILL -24 outside....you know...that's when your NOSE HAIRS FREEZE!!! (However, I do sympathize with your power outages....but you know..it's all that WET snow!!) How can you tell I'm a former coastal resident.
..and I will not gloat to Stella and King D because their time is coming back there.....it's not a case of if the snow will come....but when....

On that note...the furnace is turned down for the night and my studio is getting cold....time to curl up under the duvet with DH with Funnel Dog on my feet!!

Slainte!!