Working on the show schedule

Hi everyone,

I am busily working on my show schedule for this next year. It's tough deciding where to go! I want to be loyal to my regular shows but need to find new venues as well. The economy has definitely slowed down, but when the going gets tough, well, you know. If any of you have any great show suggestions for me, up and down the east coast, please, by all means, let me know!

I did purchase a new printer this year......yay! I am slow to catch on to new things though.... ahhhhh! So I am trying to learn a new system and I am definitely not a techie. This is a new larger format printer, so I can reproduce my larger designs without sending them out. I do offer the originals for sale as well but obviously, with this economy, we have to have prints available.

Also just a note to say that I really enjoyed all the nice comments that people send on the the etsy cottage style blog. Thanks so much! It is a pleasure meeting you all! Well it's back to the desk to organize my life!

A coffee break

Sorry I have been away for a bit, very busy like the rest of you!!! LOL I am thankful to be done at the mall this last holiday season! So here I am on a coffee break and thought I would finally up date. A bit of good news on that is that Earth Wood and Stone, another shop that I have done business with in the past, will continue to remain on at the mall permanently. What's good about that, you ask? Brian Genello will now be carrying all my favorite designs in his new mall location!!!! YAY! That means that we will not be doing the mall store again next year. I know we will not have all the opportunity to meet great customers and repeat customers and I will really miss that! However, most of you know that I enjoy the art and designing part and this will give me more time in the studio. Maybe I can get on more of those requests!!! It is very difficult to run a temporary store and complete works of art and signs at the same time and remain focused. So we are very excited about this opportunity! So please go in and support Earth, Wood and Stone and I am again, available for some of those special designs you were asking for!

I am also busy getting ready for the show season this year. I know we are worried about the economy but I am still very positive. I pray for God to help me make good choices and for those good choices to choose me! I have sent a small list of the shows in which we know we will be at this year, to my webmaster. We will be adding other listings as they accept our applications.

If you have any suggestions for shows in your area, let us know!

Well, I have some horses who are waiting for dinner, so I better get going! Pics are Rocky, Sweet Pea, Twister, Tatoo, Tazer, Angel and Dreamer.

Laurie

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope all of you are having a wonderful start to your new year. It is exciting to feel like we are starting on a fresh slate, trying new ideas for our work or just putting the past year behind us!

Our website did pretty well this Christmas so that was great. It has taken some time for it to get going. I am always looking for tips and ideas from other craftsmen and artists on what I can do to make that better.

We are trying to schedule our shows for the next year also. Some I need to get rid of and try some new ones. It seems like the smaller local ones, with lower costs, are starting to become more appealing. The big arenas charge so much of an entry fee to the customer, that they just don't want to pay it.

I am also more interesting in doing wholesale. We have few stores that we are providing our artwork for and that is very exciting. I am not yet ready to do the big wholesale shows though, and like to go out and meet the store owner myself. Also that way I am able to pick and choose where it goes.

We did our usual New Years Bash at the ski slope on New Years Eve. My kids ski and snowboard, and my daughter is an instructor at one of the local slopes. We had taken my daughter to this event for several years, but only started skiing ourselves over the last 2 years. It is so much fun and I enjoy it, even though I am usually flat on the ground several times during the evening! LOL So my kids thought I should learn to snowboard. Now that is quite different from the usual skiing but I did try it, with lots of help, and I am thinking this might work for me!

Thanks so much for the nice comments from all of you! I am new to blogging and I enjoy feed back and advice from everyone! Now that the mall is almost done, we are there til the 10th, I will be able to get more involved here!

Happy New Year!