Another Day, Another Craft Fair

Ah, the final day of September. The air is crisp; the sky fell dark before dinner time, and I’m exhausted. Today marked the end on my bittersweet summer in Boston. And it also marked the end of my recent foray into the world of East Coast craft fairs. It could have been a fabulous, dreamy day… were it not for my extremely sleep-deprived state and the lost box.

Last night, after my third BBQ in seven days, I asked a friend “up” – that seems to be a Boston phrase, as in “up” from the garden, “up” to the house, “up” and away from the noise of the party. My friend had offered to help me get everything ready for the craft fair. This was, after all, my farewell tour in the world of Boston open air markets. I’d made sterling jewelry, mixed in a bit of rose quartz and leather (wherever possible, always), plus crafted scores of textured, layered, collage-type cards… after a summer of being a craft fair slacker, I was ready for this one. I was planning to show up with everything assembled, priced and ready to go. I had it made, literally!

And it was all in that box.

Somehow, in the madness of parties, packing and preparing to move across the country, all of the items into which I’d put so much time and effort and love had vanished. I had a box: it was clearly labeled, filled with handmade goods, and ready for the fair. And, for the life of me, I couldn’t find it last night at midnight. Or at 1:00 a.m. Or even 2:00 a.m. We looked high and low, and wherever that box may have been, it was nowhere to be found.

Before I knew it, dawn was coming and I had nothing but a canopy and some folding chairs to bring to the craft fair. All my work, and all that effort… who knows where it went? I think I may have packed it up and sent it ahead of me to California. At any rate, by the time the sun came up I had precious little to show for my summer of crafting.

And so, I thought about skipping. I wanted to sleep. I wanted another day to look for the carefully packed and labeled box. But it was morning and time to go so I packed up a box of supplies (paper, cards, sterling wire, gemstones, and bits and pieces that could be spun into something good), grabbed a coffee and off I went. Today I was a crafter at large, creating on demand. People asked for items and I made them; there was no “Don’t you have this?” or “Don’t you have that?” Everything was impromptu and it all turned out o.k.

It’s true what they say about the best laid plans. And it’s true that one day can turn around what we thought was real and steady and there – in that box. Today I learned that even without the box, I can create new things; and I learned that sometimes not getting it perfect gives you the chance to get it right.

Until next time,

Conna