Weekly update. . .next week

Ok so the tick tock clock is about to run out on me, I only have 6 days left, technically only 5 because we set up the tent and tables the day before, so really only 4. 😟 In this final week of preparing and planning for the Elevate Artisan Market I still have to assemble 11 of the 12 tabletop easels, repack the show tote with the proper boxes, bags, packaging, price the art, figure out a booth layout, oh and actually pack inventory, etc. I still don't feel like I'll ever be ready, but I do have over 2 dozen paintings framed and 3 dragons I'm willing to sell. 😅 I've actually made 6 chainmaille dragons but I am keeping the first 2 and my husband claimed the blue one. 😎 

The purple one is shorter but because of the legs it's actually about the same number of rings as the green one, so they will all be priced the same. The red and black is the newest and I have begun a new version of blue. Although, I'm not sure I'll get a 4th finished before the event I guess it can be my work project in the booth. 😉  I've been considering making little cards for the dragons, description of materials and ring count type of info, but then I thought about "adoption certificates" with names and creation date. 😊 I think I may be overthinking. 😅 I also think my overthinking is just me thinking of ways to waste time I don't really have.  

I am really happy with certain paintings in their frames, they just coordinate beautifully, and the frames really finish the art. 

Weekly update. . .it's been a week

Well. . . it has been a week; it's been a week since I posted and what a week it has been. 😒 No I do not mean that in "good way" as I cannot say it has been a good week. 

First, the week started off with water leaking out of my closet 😯 discovered it was coming from the AC in the attic and has apparently been leaking off and on for a while (weeks possibly months). 😱

Seeping slowly thru the ceiling in the very back corner, completely unseen behind all the stuff because ya' know it's a closet full of . . . stuff 😟 it was finally noticed because it sogged so much that it made a puddle on the floor that came out into the hall 

so yeah, that is ceiling to floor ruination of the beautiful cedar lining in my closet 😧 in a corner so 2 walls and a ceiling to repair/replace 

I should note it wasn't as bad as it could have been because I'm "crazy" so the stuff on the upper shelf was wrapped in plastic for storage purposes anyway. 😅  

There were boxes on the floor that got wet but nothing inside was damaged, some of the stuff hanging got wet but my fancy dresses were stored in bags so fine. I have one thing that I need to take to a dry cleaner to see if it can be salvaged, but truly lucky because it could have been so much worse. However, that does not change the fact that the cleanup and getting the AC ripped out and completely reinstalled has taken a lot of my time this week and it's a small miracle that I have made any progress on show prep.  Seriously, that's not hyperbole I also had a dr. appointment this week where I got my flu shot which made my arm feel like it should just fall off. 😅

So yeah kind of miraculous that I accomplished anything this week. 😏  

Somehow, I have managed to continue to frame art and even added a few rings to the dragon on the bench. I have just under 2 weeks before Elevate I don't feel like I'm ever going to feel ready. 😶 I had so many ideas, wire trees to make, new things to try, more dragons. . . but there is no way the epoxy finish of certain paintings is getting done, it is not likely that there will be many more dragons maybe one. I do have some hope of new wire trees, but it's trying a new thing so not sure how I'm going to "finish" them as they will be free-standing and not my normal in the hoop hanging design. I've been considering various materials for "bases" from smooth river rocks, wood slabs (painted or not?) driftwood so many possibilities.  

Weekly update. . . AAaaaah

 Yeah, that's just me screaming. 😐 I am making progress on the art framing but booth layout and set up are making me mental. Oh, and there seems to be another hurricane in the works. 😕 

I've got 10 finished so far, but over 20 more to go. 😅 Plus the dozen tabletop easels to assemble.

I am ridiculously nervous about the upcoming event, as if I haven't done dozens of events for years. Part of it is because it's a new venue and "new" events always make me a little nervous, but a much larger part of it is being the first time I'm setting up with just art. I've been selling jewelry for a decade, but I am less confident about my art. I have sold some art at other shows but not usually a lot.  I think that is because it is not usually the focus and not much of it is actually displayed, most of it just lives in its' crates, even in the booth.  

I really liked the crates for storage and display when I bought them years ago, the idea of flipping thru paintings the way I used to look thru my parents' vinyl records was cool. . . But apparently, I'm old and most people don't feel that way. 😅 

It has not been a very effective display or actually led to a lot of sales of the art, so maybe a booth with nothing but art properly professionally displayed framed on easels it will be better. 😇 When I think back on it, most of the paintings that have sold at events have been framed and/or sold off of the front display not out of the crates, most people don't look in the crates and even those that do usually only flip thru the first few paintings not the whole crate.  I am allowed to take the wire trees and a limited amount of chainmaille in the form of ornaments and fidget balls, so hopefully I'll have good sales anyway. 

Weekly update. . .Hurricane Helene

Well, that happened, hurricane Helene blew all the way up to category 4.  I was really hoping it wouldn't, but it did, it also came right into the "Big Bend" again even though I was told when we moved here that it's very rare for hurricanes to landfall in the Big Bend. 😕 😐 I would accuse people of lying to us, but my research backed it up.

However, someone needs to update this because we have now had 3 in 13 months, Idalia, Debby, and now Helene. It went from 3 in 125 years to 3 in 13 months, I'm both annoyed and concerned about living here now. 

We have been lucky each time, but part of that is also about decision making, when I bought this house, I was looking for high ground that wouldn't flood, it had to be a minimum distance inland, I had a lot of criteria that had nothing to do with the closet space. 😅 When I settled on this brick monster our concern became the trees, because "large lot with beautiful mature trees" sounds great but in practice these Georgia pines are a mile high nightmare. So, we decided to get a tree service and have something done, a professional opinion, we ended up paying a small fortune to have several trees removed and a lot of trimming up done on many more, at the time I wasn't thrilled with the expense or the noise and I actually cried over one of the trees they took out, but now 3 storms later with NO damage I think we made the right choices. 😏

We didn't go crazy and denude the whole lot there are still a ton of large trees in my yard just not too close to the house, nothing hanging over the roof. 😇

There is still plenty to clean up. 

Truly, it was the easterly shift that spared us, we got a glancing blow instead of a direct hit. I feel bad for everyone who lost their homes on the coast, for those poor souls that lost their lives, for all the flooding and terrible damage done in other states. 😞

I now have less than a month before the big "Art show" which I am thinking will likely be a disaster for me. I don't have enough of the art framed. I don't know what I'm doing for display in my booth because I'm not used to just showing art. I had ideas and I thought I had a plan but the more I think about it the less I think it will work. 🫤 "Nervous" no longer covers my panicky desire to just move to another state instead of going through with this show. 😨  

I have spent hours agonizing over which pieces to frame and which color of frame for each, I think I have a plan finally, but now I have to find time to actually do all the framing. 😅 More than 30 pieces in less than 30 days does not seem likely especially when I factor in a doctor's appointment and a dental cleaning, oh and my AC is messed up again so service calls and workmen traipsing thru the middles of it all. 😟 I can feel the failure coming from here. I guess no one would be surprised if I said Progress has stalled. 

Yep, he's just lying there half done 😔 wings still not attached, no tail yet. 

Weekly update. . . Progress is slow

😅 My progress on Progress has been slow this week. 😂

So that's a funny joke if you know that my latest dragon project is/was going to be named Progress. 😉 

It is also somewhat funny, at least to me, that he's still not finished, he really should be, but my birthday was this week and I've been busy and distracted with other things. 😎

Although, I really need to get very busy and productive in the immediate future, I have that art show next month and I still don't have enough art framed or much of a plan for the actual booth display. 😕 When I scheduled it I had months, so I haven't really been worried about it or focused on it but now . . . tick tock time is almost up and I'm still not ready, I am also really nervous.  I keep thinking about cancelling but this event is hard to get into and has a waiting list so if I cancel, I'll likely never get in again. 😏 Plus my husband has bragged to many people that I would be there. 😑 So, I will not let myself back out but I'm not currently happy about going, maybe that will change if I can get myself sorted out and come up with a display plan. 

Weekly update. . . blah

While not very informative "blah" is very descriptive of how I feel these days, between the life worries and the weather I'm just . . .blah. 😑

I have deactivated all my michaels' makerplace listings because they put this ridiculous suggestion scroll at the TOP of listings, now I am fine with the "you may also like" standard at the Bottom of a page but to put directly competing listings at the top of the page before the buyer can even see the actual listing they clicked on is a huge "Aw HELLZNO" for me. 😡

Some sellers tried to defend the move saying, the scroll is not that big, or it's just random things, however, on my laptop screen it's pretty big and not random, other sellers said on mobile it pushes the listing well down the page. 

Since it is in fact a 3rd platform for me I don't need this especially right now with more important things in life to worry about. Although I am wondering if this is why I don't have more sales on this platform.  I remember etsy trying this and sellers revolting. The only time etsy does this is if someone clicks in thru a pinterest link, if you click an item in etsy search you get that actual listing, now there are multiple scrolls and suggestions at the Bottom of the page (where they belong) but first you get the actual thing you clicked on. This just comes off so temu, ebay, amazon, yard sale desperate to me, it's pointless page clutter and directing shoppers off the page before they can even look at what they actually clicked on. 

This really reinforces for me how much I appreciate goimagine and the fact that they do not do things like this. 😉 As a matter of fact the only suggestion scroll at the bottom of a goimagine listing is a "more from this maker" displaying my own stuff. 😎 Because unlike other corporate marketplaces goimagine listens to and respects their makers and is not constantly trying to redirect buyers out of our shops or to cheaper things.  😇  

Now that I've gotten that off my chest let's move on to the fact that I didn't get this week's dragon finished. 😏 I have made progress and thanks to my husband's smarty-pants-ness I think when it is finished his name will be Progress instead of TheGreenDragon as previously planned. 

At least his head is attached to the body, which is half covered with scales 😉 so ya' know progress

 

Weekly update. . . 9-8-8

Since it is 9-8 I thought I'd take a moment to talk about 9-8-8 for those that may not be aware of the crisis line, lifeline, mental health help line for national suicide prevention.  It is free help available to all, started just a few years ago, it has saved lives, if you or anyone you love is ever in need . . . I'm ok, I have cried and am processing my father-in-law's cancer diagnosis, it sucks, it's scary and sad but there is a treatment plan and we are optimistic about things. 🙏💞

Of course, for us sci-fi nerdy types today is Star Trek Day, the day we celebrate the tv premiere of the first episode. 😎 Yes, I will be watching lots of assorted Star Trek things today. 

In business news: I am still on my "social media break" and I am finding it helpful to not have to worry about daily posting while dealing with other life events. 😇 I am sure I will return to business as usual eventually but for right now this once-a-week post is easier. I am working, albeit slowly in short bursts. I added legs to the purple dragon and I'm not convinced I like it, it's not exactly what I pictured. 😏

I mean he is still cute, the legs do help stabilize his sitting, but I'm considering removing and re-attaching them different. Also, not sure I love the pattern I used; I may have to try something else altogether. 😅 On the other hand, there is always the next one to try something new with. 

The next dragon will be green, although I don't have the large/fancy scales in green, I do have the smaller ones for his back. So black and mirror large scales for the fringe and wings, which will work great since the rings are a mix of black and shades of green. 

His official name will be "The Green Dragon" like the pub from Lord of the Rings 😁 because I'm a big 'ole sci-fi lovin' nerd. 😉