DH, the party animal.............choices

My husband loves nothing more than a party...especially the sit-down "etched crystal, sterling and fine china" kind of party. He's always eager to do all the clean up as everything has to be hand washed and the windows will get  washed and lots of prep work as well... I do fewer and fewer of these as even with his help they are lots of work... and tomorrow is the big day...

This time it's not fine china though...  I've decided to use my Vernon Rose pottery which I have collected a piece at a time for years.  It was only produced from 1965 to 1979. The soup will be in  cut-glass bowls and the salad on a pink swirl glass plates which match  the water goblets.... I bought these plates at a flea market in Paris. There are no roses blooming yet.  In fact there very little pink blooming but I just wanted to use these dishes as I know no one will love them as I do when I'm gone.

This tablecloth is HUGE and the last time I used it someone spilled red wine on it and it was a job to hand launder and iron...  This time it is definitely a white wine dinner...

Menu

Italian Antipasto  (made by my gnocchi expert)

Marinated Manchego cheese

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Brussel Sprouts Salad (my favorite Jose Andres recipe)

Creamy Shrimp and Scallop Risotto

Roasted Yams and Carmelized Onions

Pineapple spears

Rolls

Rhubarb Charlotte with Brandy Custard Sauce

I finished Kerry's Fool's Gold 1 and it's in the mail to Maire. Except for a small amount of beading this is ALL couched cording (both satin and gold cording) Couched cords is the very essence of goldwork I've decided but it's very tedious... and I find I really have to concentrate to keep all my couching stitches straight across the cording and evenly spaced..  If you look closely you will see my mind often wandered as it is wont to do...

The final step was adding tendrils to the flower...  You can see on the left that the flower is hanging out by itself and adding the tendrils  connected it all together.  I could have probably added more tendrils but ran out of time.The golden color is from a different lamp.. The background is actually pure white..

Isn't this gorgeous?? & Show Results

   
I was away from the computer for several days and I was so delighted and surprised to receive this photo from a lady who bought one of  my buttons to create a pendant for her mother...  This is so gorgeous!!!! She does lovely artisan jewelry and does sell online  http://www.etsy.com/shop/acottagehearth
  She makes the most clever pendants with beads and old keys...

And it was so timely to receive this photo... The show I did was not exactly my crowd... it was a spring garden event but I did very well...  So well that I will try a couple more this summer... But since I make these buttons mostly for crazy quilters I was asked over and over how to make them into a pendant or a pin...  When I started to explain how to mount them so you could bead around them.... I could immediately see their eyes glaze over...

So I got online yesterday and ordered some bases similar to this one... A button could be glued in and converted to either a brooch or a pin.  I was able to buy by the lot.  I used a site call AliExpress which is probably the Chinese equivalent of Esty for small wholesalers.  I have used them once before and was satisfied.. If use choose China Air post the shipping is free...

So now it is catch up time for stitching and painting..  The most critical spring chores are about done in the garden which is so beautiful right now... Need to charge the tractor battery this morning so I can move posts and fencing and then tote my mother to the doctor and THEN I get to stitch and watch the hummingbirds feed.

Tips on selling at a show!!

I used to do shows a lot - both large and small and can share some tips I learned along the way..and popped into my mind today as I was setting up everything up in my living room.

 Saturday I have been offered to share a booth so my space is very limited... I ALWAYS  set things up in advance.. Once you're there you can't just run home or make changes easily.  Setting it all up in advance lets you view your area as a customer will and allows you to make profitable use of every inch... My table it 18"x 48"...not very big at all.

Think levels and elevate to make your display more interesting.  When you can't spread out spread UP!!!  Clearly sign every thing with easy-to-read type.. This is a ONE-day show so I want all details covered.

First you want to get their attention...  Start with yourself... I always wear a fun  hat and something bright and colorful (with pockets). It's important the hat has a small brim so your eyes and face are clearly visible... Bring a stool rather than a chair as it not only provides a place for you to be off your feet but it puts you close to eye level which is very important...Trying to maintain eye contact is difficult when people have to look down at you.... Have something interesting to do when it is slow... people always want to see what you are doing.  I will bring CQ Saturday but used to bring something small  to paint...which I would do if it were a longer show... and most important SMILE A LOT!!!

This time I am hanging a CQ block to get attention and hopefully some new stitchers for our Wednesday workshops....  I used this also because it has my painted buttons on it also....LOOK busy and interesting even if you're not.

Offer some little thing really cheap...  I used to buy these mushroom hummers and feather butterflies by the gross and have lots left in the barn... It lets customers walk away happy and those $1 add up. AND people stopped and they might come back and they will remember you. When one person is stopped at your table/booth invariably someone else notices and stops also..It is a chain reaction... So even if the first person is not buying and just chatting the person who stops next to check it out might buy...

Things for displaying wares are always on my list of things to look for (cheap)...  This little item was at the dollar store and sold to display Christmas cards.  I bought 5 and they are just super....

I found this at a thrift store but they are relatively inexpensive new online. The nice thing about this is that it swivels which maximizes your display space. It allows a lot of merchandise to be out without taking up extra space also..

Here is another tall item I rigged up with a piece of 4x4 on a lazy-susan type hardware which allows it to swivel also...  I have the washers glued to it because I used it to display and sell magnets.  Today I will take the washers off and put little nails in to hang buttons cards on. These revolving kinds of hardware come in all sizes and are easy to attach to anything you want to swivel.

This tall affair is actually a rack for drying laundry and I found it at a thrift store...  It has become one of my favorite items to take as it is so versatile and takes up very little space... Plus it puts things at eye level.. So keep an eye out for items you can repurpose...

When you are choosing containers to pack your wares choose things that are attractive for display also....such as this basket.  It serves double duty..















I will expand this post later when I have more time but just a few final thoughts...
1. I want people to remember me and what I sell and associate the two... so my logo and my picture are on everything...
2.  Keep your business cards out in plain sight and keep a small tablet and pencil handy for people to leave their phone number etc. for you.
3.  Have bags for people to use....
4.  Change: For years and years I have always started the day with  one $20, ten $5s,  thirty $1s and a roll of  quarters.  I price everything evenly or by the  1/4 dollar.
5.  I will talk more about tools etc later but I do have a funky little hammer that the handle unscrews and little screwdriver are in it..  It has saved me more time than I can even remember... Also take tape...all kinds...
 6. Finally you must think security... My small buttons are on LARGE cards just for that reason... Losing a thing or two is a fact of life but don't make it to easy for a thief to slip your wares into a pocket or bag.

Next to Gma Krueger's Sour cream rolls...

my DH loves these Mexican cookies.. and the only place he can get them is in Moses Lake, WA...which has a large Hispanic population. You have to go through Moses Lake going from Spokane to Seattle so fortunately we get through there 3-4 times a year.. They freeze well so he buys at least 10 dozen at a time and has been doing it for 30 years... He's tried other Mexican cookies (even cookies in Mexico) but these are the ones he loves... They are not very sweet at all...

We made the trip this weekend to see the grandchildren and had a great visit. so the ritual cookie stop on the way home was mandatory.

The public area of this bakery is only about 8 x 10' and at the most 6 people could fit in there if they stood shoulder to shoulder.  But success speaks for itself as they have been in business for  about 30 years.. In fact we personally know of at least a dozen other people in Spokane who not only stop driving through, but call their order in ahead and will make a special bakery run to get their pastries... It is at least a 2-hour drive... They do sell other things but for my DH it's the cookies...





I'm REALLY missing my sheep and spring lambs...  It's not only that I loved them....they loved me...  It was so delightful to walk out and be welcomed with nuzzles and nudges of affection... But I'm having to settle for new baby chicks...  They were out of the breed I wanted (Australorps) so I got these black sex links which are noted as great layers...  I think they're a very handsome chicken as well..

Morris keeps licking his chops when he looks at them... I think he views them as wiggly chocolate bonbons... so we keep the laundry room door shut tight.


I'll close on a bit about another feathered friend...  I kept seeing a red-shafted flicker woodpecker flying to and from the far side of the pump house and found this 4" hole.  They must be nesting inside on the pressure tank as they keep flying in and out.. I haven't gone in for fear of disturbing them as they are one of my garden favorites... hopefully there will be no problem with the pressure tank nor the well until they have fledged... never a dull day on the farm.... I didn't even mention the golden eagles which flew over or the 5 ticks I found on my body after pruning overgrowth all morning.