Weekend Craft Show

I think this is going to be my last craft show. Packing,transporting, setting up, closing my online shops....ohmygosh...I'm exhausted. Talking to people, seeing the faces of the new owners of my jewelry~it's all great. THEN...I'm home and I have to put everything away, my house is a mess. I've decided that I'm not doing anymore shows unless it's really an unbelievable show~!

Now for a cool find: I got this display box FREE, yup, that wonderful four letter word beginning in "F". Snagged it on it's way to the dump. It looks a bit empty in the photo- a sign of a successful show! A little scrubbing, pages from a vintage typing manual papered to the wood. My husband got me some LED lights. Oops! I guess this means I'll be back out doing shows again! I think I say this every year after the last show of the season. See you in the spring.

I've been reduced to a bag woman

Okay, I'm a professional artist, translation:  people are now paying me enough for my art, jewelry and handbags to support myself- but isn't that why I got married>?  His money supports us, mine is whatever money or on responsible days~my retirement fund!  Even though I have 4 online stores and I work as an art teacher part time, even  sell my jewelry wholesale now!!!  I am still the maid, cook, chauffeur, care giver, dog walker, poop picker upper!, laundress etc, you can fill in the rest as I'm sure you have your list!  Popping a tube of paint is directly causes a  "Mary, ..."  or the phone rings..."Mom..." or someone stops by because I'm not working, can't be- I'm at home. 

 

I read a great article about creative people, we're disorganized, scattered, etc!  No I'm not, I just have to fit it in between the 90 other demands of the day.  My husband asked at breakfast why I was soldering on the kitchen counter?  Uh, last night  they all wanted a big dinner- soldering had to be done, can't I do that while I watch a vat of spaghetti sauce simmer?  Made perfect sense to me!  I didn't get any flux in the pan!

 

By working like this  I  am still able to cook, clean, be healthy in my home-if you don't clean that mold will kill you!...hmmm, wonder what kind of medium I could mix it with to make...I digress.  I’m always multi tasking, just  moving the art with me.  I've become a bag woman!  I have great tote bags, saved over the years from every charity, club or wherever they seem to come from, now I have a new GREEN stash of grocery totes to pull into service.  All  the bags have glue, scissors, thread, needles, yarn, crochet hook, knitting needles and about four ongoing projects.  When I leave a room, a bag goes with me, when I go in the car, sometimes two bags go with me.  I am never without my projects now.  I went on vacation one time and forgot a bag and had to go to the store just so I could have some art supplies with me.  I wouldn’t be comfortable otherwise.  Now before I go I pack the art supplies a week in advance, my clothes an hour before I leave for the plane.  I have my priorities right!  Gotta go, which bag will I take with me?  

Is This A Sickness? And are you qualified to help??

Yeah!! I went to an auction and have a huge haul of bronze keyholes,VICTORIAN SHABBY CHIC BRASS METAL PRIMITIVE MEDIEVAL GOTHIC ART DECO HARDWARE GOTH ESCUTCHEON COVER PLATES FURNITURE PLATE ALTERED ART MIXED MEDIA ASSEMBLAGE STEAMPUNK !!!!! Dancing around my pile BUT!!! I have to sell some in my supply store on etsy to make the money back I spent that I don't have!!!! That's NOT THE PROBLEM!! The problem is I want to keep most of it for myself. The problem with being an artist is stuff. You never have enough, you're always looking for more, have no storage for all of it, can't get rid of it because it may just be the piece you're looking for in the future and on and on.....Is this a sickness??? I have two bedrooms, an office, a finished basement that is HUGE, an area in the family room, MY CAR!!, the garage and even things in the shed. OHMYGOSH!! Am I going to be on the news someday as the woman found under a pile of newspapers, only insert art supplies and paintings for newspapers!!! My pile is growing....and GROWING. I opened a supply site on etsy, then a sewing supply site on etsy. It hasn't helped, it's actually hurt! Now I can't pass up anything because it may go on the site OR in the pile for later. Really, I'm not a nut, just obsessed with my art. THere it doesn't stop. I am obsessed with my art. Does that mean too many paint brushes. NO. I paint. I draw. I sew. I build. I assemble. I make jewelry. I make soap. I make paper. I make things from paper. I collage. I do mixed media. I do clay, both ceramic and polymer. Now you take all of those and you have art supplies X however many and on top of that I'm an obsessive instruction and biography and anything altered art book and Magazine collector. I think it's a sickness, but right now I'm not looking for a cure. I will take some off today's finds and put a FEW of them in my store. The rest I'll leave out for a while so I can just enjoy gazing at them. Help needed, qualified destashers only need apply. http://www.pinksupply.etsy.com