4.30.2010

An Atomic Holiday

Just a couple weeks ago I sent off my application to be included in the 2010 Atomic Holiday Bazaar.
Not even a week later I had an acceptance letter waiting for me when I logged into my email account first thing in the morning. AWESOME. Gotta love a prompt and enthusiastic welcoming to the show!

In it's fifth year already, I am blown away that I didn't know about this gem of an indie craft fair until last year. Maybe it's because I wasn't involved in my own business back then, but really, what excuse did I have for not knowing about it when I was living in Sarasota? I drove by this building where it is annually held every day.


Oh, I love that coastal Florida art deco architechture.

I am really optimistic that this will be the best show of the year for me and that means lots and lots of work this summer building my inventory for the Fall and Holiday rush. I have shows scheduled for November and December with one I'm wavering on for October. I've been really happy about using only profits from my artwork to pay for my needed supplies, but I think I'm going to have to give myself a little more cash to get everything I'll need to have enough work for all these shows.
It also means that I don't get to take too long off from creating while we're packing up and moving in July and August. I'll also have to get my enameling area ready for working pretty quickly even if that means leaving other (more fun?) home decorating projects aside until I feel confident that I'm not avoiding the real work to be done in the studio.

My goal for the summer is to work more consistently. I can't exactly keep a schedule because I like to plan studio time around when Collin will be working in the evenings too. This lets us at least have a couple nights a week to relax, cook, and eat dinner together. I need those nights. So, on nights when he is out I like to enamel, or photograph, or edit photos, or post them online. Right now I've been doing a whole lot of nothing because I have a larger stock of inventory. I don't want to let that lull me into a sense of security though.
Ideally I would make time for myself to enamel, photograph, edit and post items online once a week each. Maybe I can keep myself accountable by fitting in a blog post about new pieces and progress on here?
For now these sound like nice goals. I'm just glad people are reasonable here and no one really schedules art festivals in the middle of the oppressive Florida summers - I would be too tempted to sell and I need to pace myself to keep from getting burned out.
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4.01.2010

sickness

That's where I've been.
Sick.

Allergies.
Oak pollen coating everything in fine dust - turning the city to a giant tennis ball.

Oh, and work. Can't stop working now just because you are sick! Not when there are new instruments to finish setting up to get them running!

Really though, I was sick last weekend. Thursday night I woke up twice to change my sweat-soaked shirt and my fever didn't back down until overnight Sunday. So I did actually get to spend my already-a-day-off Friday and then my made-it-a-day-off Monday on the couch. That's also where I wound up each night after waking, again, so incredibly hot that I couldn't even lay next to Collin. Or the cat.
My only symptoms were the ridiculous fever and the constant coughing that kept the both of us up all night.


I started feeling better, minus the bruised rib I caused from coughing nonstop, but working full (or longer) days the rest of this week has wiped me out.

Other things that have been keeping me tired:
Filling custom enameling orders Monday and Tuesday night. I love love love waking up to new orders, whether they're from friends or strangers. Okay, especially from strangers! It really makes my day.

Wednesday I went out with Kara and Anna for dinner at Bistro1245. Nommmm those portabello sandwiches. Ugh. I could eat there everyday. It had been way too long since we've gone down to mid town for food and I need to be willing to drive more than 5 minutes sometimes to savor my old favorites. In town for just a couple days, Kara is home to Florida from NYC for Easter weekend and I am so glad she stopped in Gainesville. I say it all the time that one of our biggest reasons for staying in town is that everyone loves to come visit you. No one moves away and hates this place, so to be the ones who host visitors instead of the ones who travel to their friends is perfect for us!

Thursday wasn't anything fun, but I had to come all the way back into work to read samples that arrived late Wednesday night. It was the longest most drama-filled day ever for our sampler and I'm thankful my backup analyst had a flexible night so that I didn't have to miss dinner with my girls. I rewarded myself for driving all the way out there by getting chick-fil-a on the way home (since both of the ones in town are so far from us). I freaking love their chicken. Forever. But it's hard to keep from eating like all of it on my drive home. Stop lights just make you want a fry.

Now I'm here, working on Friday and pretty set in my decision to leave early as usual on a Friday to hang out at home for the afternoon with the family. I might go by the grocery store to pick up the rest of the sale items for the week I want to buy. I might go by El Indio and pick up mexican food to satisfly the craving I have for it already this morning at 9:15. Damn. 2PM can't come fast enough.

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