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

Byte Me

I love back to school!

In my day (as my youngest sister puts it, my “era”), getting ready to go back to school meant buying some pencils and an abacus. Today’s kids are all amped up on software. This brings me to the mix of two worlds: a merging of what is old (handmade art) yet new (handmade art) AND celebrates modern technology. Check it out: a handmade pendant that so innocently and exquisitely states, “Byte Me.”

This is from Etsy.com, about which I’ve written here. I freely admit I’m in need of a 12-step group for the Treasury component of this site. The Treasury gives every member a chance to post favorites within any conceivable theme. My first treasury was called “Hot Button Issues” (art with buttons) and, though a bit of a flop, it was a good experience. I’ve since moved on to “Like a Drunk in a Midnight Choir” (an homage to Leonard Cohen’s “Bird on a Wire”) and then – probably my best work so far – “Grey’s Anatomy,” a treasury that featured, well, stuff that’s grey.

This week I waited, pressed the F5 refresh button over and over, and at last got the chance to post my own picks under the title, “More Cushion for Better Pushin.’” That would be pincushions, my friend. Only on Etsy (eBay who?) can one find such a range of craft-meets-art-meets-ultracool that my choices of pincushions went beyond 1,000 artful treasures. At last I chose favorites: a bird in shades of blue, a little turtle made of felted wool, a happy little dumpling pincushion. Along with the pincushions I included a voodoo pincushion doll pendant.

This is something I would love to wear on a first date!

The maker of this little gem, SparkleMe, surprised me with a very nice “convo” (that’s Etsian for “message”) saying that she’d featured my Treasury in her blog.

Once you've checked out the blog, you'll want to click on this link to SparkleMe’s shop. In it, you will find the perfect back to school accessory for today’s modern kids: the cute little pendant that proudly proclaims “Byte Me.”

Until next time,

Conna