Home Sweet Home

I try to keep this blog all business and not get too personal, but there are some times the lines blur.

It's been a tough couple of months. I've been going back and forth to the East Coast where my mother has been in and out of the hospital. It's been a scary ride and there were many times we almost lost her. She's doing better now (still in the hospital but improving) and I am still trying to catch up. This has been the hardest thing I've ever gone through, but at the same time I feel so blessed and grateful for the many lessons I've learned.

1. Yes I can! Being self employed I have always felt like I can't leave my business for more than a couple of days unless it's for a business trip. I've spent over 35 days out of town in the past two months and while it hasn't been easy, I learned it can be done. Friends help out and do what they can, catching up in between each trip has been overwhelming at times, but my buyers and customers have been incredibly understanding. I'm still able to pay my bills and it's all working out. And the bonus lesson: I realized I can take a vacation.

2. It's really okay to ask. I've never been very good at asking for help or support, but I sure had to learn these past 9 weeks. I realized that many people like to be asked. Friends feel helpless when you're in crisis and accepting their help is good for them, too. And when I had no choice I found that others could do things that I always thought only I could do. Apparently I'm not indispensable.

3. I have the most amazing, incredible, generous friends. There really are no words. I am beyond grateful for the cat sitters, the bill payers, the stock deliverers, the order packers, the errand runners, mail collectors and all the amazing people who did thankless jobs like empty rotting food out of my fridge and cleaning the kitty litter box while I was gone. I am also thankful to the kind folks at BMAC who accommodated my needs to set up early and get out fast when that dreadful call came, to all who listened and gave me hugs when I was falling apart, and for my kitties who remind me every day to be quiet and get centered, and guide me there with a nuzzle and a purr.

4. It really is true that you can handle more than you think you can. I never would have imagined I could manage the kind of stress, worry and workload I have this past summer and fall. I found priorities became clear, the choices became easier, family became closer and friends held me up when I was down. When you are in crisis some primal instinct steps in to help you find balance. I learned to breath, that you can only take it one step at a time and that being in the moment is the key.

5. Thank you Verizon. As much I resent my cellphone most of the time (I hate to give out my number and almost never turn the blasted thing on) I have to admit, it was my lifeline while I was away. I cannot imagine managing everything without it while spending 12-14 hours a day at the hospital, 3,000 miles from home.

6. I believe in angels. It's true our healthcare system needs some reform, and I won't go into the countless stories of how many times a day mistakes were made or it took hours to get help. (NEVER let someone you love fend for themselves in a hospital!) But the people in the trenches, the kind, hard working doctors, nurses, PCT's, and PA's at Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut are my heroes. I never in my wildest dreams imagined we'd be surrounded by such wonderful, kind, caring and patient people. There are too many to list, all with wings - but Dr. David Cohan - I may have to make you a cape.

New Contest

First of all,I apologize for my absence for the past month. I've been dealing with a family emergency and have barely been home since late July. I am home now, things are improving and will post again soon. I promise!

For now, here's the next contest. The prize is the newest wall clock - Leap Frog. And if you tell a friend about the contest and they win - you win, too! Just tell them to include your name and email in the comments section of the entry form.

A Peek into Trade Show World

I thought it would be fun to show you what it's like to set up for a trade show, so I took mini-videos during different stages of my set up at the Buyer's Market of American Craft. This starts about an hour into set up, after I unloaded all the boxes from the palette, carted the palette out of the way, dragged my tables into position and hung up one curtain. That's about when I remembered that my video camera was in my purse.

This is not the best video, and some of the shots will seem repetitive, but if you look carefully you'll see things have changed. (small changes to you, but a there is lot of work done between each shot.) Setting up a 15 foot booth alone is about a 6-8 hour process. Some artist's set up is simpler and shorter, and some are incredibly elaborate, including the building of walls and other major structures and can take a couple of days.

The last sequence was taken the morning of the show just before it started. I wish could have showed you all the other beautiful booths and interviewed other artists but we are not allowed to have cameras on the show floor during the show. (this is a very good rule, which protects the artists.)

Feel free to ask questions if you have any. Enjoy.

Stories from the Front lines

Last week at the market a woman stood at my booth looking at the magnets for quite a while. They all look they same and fill a large display stand with a sign that says "Magnets".

After a few minutes she asked "Are these ALL magnets?"

Confused, I hesitated before answering, "Yes, they're all magnets."

"Oh," she said with a pause...and then, "What do they stick to?"

After a stunned moment I answered. "They stick to metal."

"Ohhhh" she said and thought about it for a long minute before asking "Is that all?"

When I told her yes, she left. I'm not sure what kind of magnets she usually uses, but I wish I'd asked.

I am constantly stunned at the questions people ask and the strange things they say at my booth. A few years ago a well dressed middle aged woman told me in all seriousness that she'd love to buy one of my clocks but couldn't because she lived in a different time zone.

Many years ago my friend Jane was selling jewelry at Pike Place Market and a woman spent a long time choosing a pair. When she finally narrowed it down Jane said "You know, you should really try them. Wait'll you seem them in the mirror, they look great."

The woman picked up the earrings, held them (still on the card) up in front of the mirror and said "You're right! They Do look great in the mirror!"

I just love people. It's endlessly amusing and astonishing working with the public.

Then there was the time when my boyfriend and I were selling hand panted eggs and a couple admired them, oohing and ahhing over each design. Finally the wife said "You know, I really love them.....but if you sat on them they would break."

I was speechless, but quick witted Bruce said "Well, I guess if you're shopping for something to sit on, you might want to look somewhere else."

And one my favorites was from another artist, who when asked for a business card answered "You know, I'm all out. But I tell you what - when I get home I'll throw one out for you."

(I'm sure most of you have your own stories. I'd love to hear them. Really, we should compile a book.)

The Fun Part

I used to have a joke with my boyfriend whenever we found ourselves in the middle of some unexpected adventure, like getting hopefully lost in a strange town, or finding ourselves at a wedding with a bad band and a sleeping drunk at our table. I'd look at him and say "I love this part!". As if we were watching a movie. For some reason it always made us both laugh.

About a month ago I had an idea for a new product: magnetic bookmarks. I was just about to leave for a show in Las Vegas, and before I left for the airport I ran into the studio and made some quick funky prototypes. I packed them along, showed them to buyers and all of them seemed to love the idea.

Now, I've mentioned before that I'm impatient. So I didn't do the easy thing and decide to introduce the new line next winter. I decided to debut them at The Buyer's Market of American Craft in Philadelphia, August 1st-3rd. Which meant I had just over four weeks to design the whole line and have them printed, packed up and shipped, and create a custom point of sale display (which I'll be selling to buyers for their stores.)

Developing a new product line is fun, but it's also exhausting and stressful. And you can always count on the fact that there will be puzzles and problems along the way. So doing it with a tight deadline looming really amps up the tension. I had to design each of the bookmarks inside and out, (that's 24 different designs, folks) research and order the correct magnets (not as simple as it sounds), find a place that could make custom sized clear envelopes, as well as a place that would design a custom resale display and have it delivered in time, then create and print new catalog pages, specials flyers, postcards, signs, webpages, etc. The number of phone calls, diagrams, faxes and samples that I dealt with every day was staggering. It was crazy, every minute seemed hectic, every decision more complicated than I expected. But I did it. At least my part is done - as of today.

1600 magnets arrived yesterday. 24,000 bookmarks and 30,000 clear sleeves are due here by early next week, as is the display prototype. Then I just have to assemble and package about 300 samples, pack them all up and ship them out to Philly by the end of the week.

But you know what? I love this part.

Staycation!

I work 6 days a week, so Sundays tend to be all about chores and errands and catching up on personal emails, phone calls, etc. The only time I ever take time off is when I go visit family or go to a trade show. And in my book, those don't really count. I have been incredibly busy this year and a little burned out. So have been craving what I think of as 'a real weekend' - two full days in a row of doing whatever I want to do. All day. No requirements, no obligations, no work of any kind. I figure if I can't go away on a vacation, I can pretend I'm on one right here at home, right? So last weekend I did something I haven't done in years. I took the entire two days off.

First, I called two dear friends and we planned a canoe trip down the Black River for Saturday. Diane and Mary arrived at my house that morning and we packed up our picnic lunch and drove to Black River Canoe Trips in Tenino where our rented canoes awaited us. Then we set out on the river, and spent the day laughing, watching heron, eagles, and hawks. It was a fabulous trip. On the way home we stopped in a perfect little small town dive bar for cold drinks, compared our sunburned arms and vowed to plan special day trips more often.

Sunday was a rare treat. I let myself have a lazy morning (no chores allowed, and I had to fight myself a few times as I reached for the windex) and then spent the entire afternoon at the V spa in Olympia where I had scheduled a day of pampering. I started off with a fantastic 90 minute massage. My masseuse was fantastic. She gave me an incredible facial massage she learned in Brazil (which is where she is from). My massage was followed by a lovely lunch of salad, fresh fruit, iced tea and frozen yogurt for dessert. I felt like a princess, sitting in a huge overstuffed chair in my terry robe, being served lunch on a tray in the beautiful little private sitting room.

When they came to get me after lunch, I could barely move. But next was the deluxe anti-aging facial and knew it would only get better. The highlight of that hour was the Self Heating Mud pack which was applied to my spine and stayed on during the facial treatments. It was the strangest sensation ever, and the sounds it made! The entire hour it was bubbling, crackling, popping and even squeaking and felt like tiny fingers and bubbles parading all over my back. I loved it!

By the time I got home I was more relaxed than I remember feeling in years. I spent the evening on the deck reading and ignored the phone and kept myself from checking email. I honestly felt like I'd escaped for the weekend without the hassle of travel.

I love working for myself. I wouldn't trade it for anything, but I have to admit that I'm the toughest boss I've ever had. I never imagined that I'd end up working pretty much every day when I started this business. As most of you know, there's always something that needs to be done and when your business is your passion, it's hard to choose time off instead. But I remembered this weekend that as important as my work is, I need to make more time for me. And I'm putting in for another weekend off soon.

I hope my boss approves it.

Contest!

Has it really been three weeks since I've posted here? I've been so busy since the show in Las Vegas, it's been crazy.

So instead of a long post on any particular topic I thought I'd share my excitement about my brand new Contests page. I've wanted to add a contest to my site for a long time. I love giving things away! I will not be collecting email addresses, you will not be added to any lists when you enter. But if you want to be notified of future contests you can sign up for the newsletter.

For my first contest I'm offering a supercool combo-prize. One wall clock, one alarm clock, one set of magnets, and one dozen cards. Your choice of design. (That's $90 worth of goodies.) Enter now and please tell your friends!