Green

Well, I had some time to experiment with various green glaze combinations. I think I have hit on a nice combination. It was sort of by accident, but I am quite happy with my result. Let me know what you all think about it.

Life here at Big Dog Pots has been pretty shut down this week. My son and I came down with Swine Flu. Or the Piggy Plague as one of my nephew called it. Luckily we caught it very early and got right on medications within the first 12 hours of symptoms. Everyone in the family showed various symptoms, but my son's were the worse. He is coming along and getting slowly back into his regular routines.

So, I guess this is good news. Now I don't have to worry about going to all these shows and catching Swine Flu!

I have 3 shows in the next 2 weeks and am looking forward to a brisk show season. Hopefully, shoppers will be purchasing this year. Last year my traffic was pretty low, but this fall so far the pace has picked up.

I have decided to support a new organization that I have become aware of recently. It is the Reesie's Project. It is a wonderful group that supports families who need to give up their animals due to financial or health reasons. They also do outreach into the community with coat collections and distributions. Their website is www.reesies.org. Check in and see what they are all about.

Well, my car is packed and my pieces are ready for the show tomorrow at the Warrenton Boys and Girls club. Off we go!

Tick Tock Tick Tock...

Well, I must say, I did this to myself. I make pottery as a hobby. OK, it is really my only "job" other than mom and animal wrangler, but I am lucky, I don't have to make a living from my hobby. I go to various craft fairs and sell my pieces, mainly so I can make more :). My proceeds are donated to local charities that I like to support.

ANYWAY, last October I attended a local 2 day fair at the request of a friend. It was really an awful venue for me. So this year when they asked me to come back I asked if they had done anything to improve the traffic to the vendor area. They said they had come up with a lot of new ways to draw people in, and they did.

Basically, this is a lesson learned! Craft fairs that are tagged onto another event are not going to be a great venue for me. There are about 3-4,000 people who attend the event, but they are really there for the food, kids games, music and other activities. The way the facility is set up it is just not conducive for a good flow to the vendor area.

SO, I spent another 2 days in crafter wasteland and only made one sale at 7 pm on the second day.

Well, it wasn't a total loss. There were 2 other vendors there that gave me a lot of great advice and I have hooked into a couple other shows for next year that are very promising.

So, all in all, although I really didn't like the idea of being inside for such a beautiful weekend, it served its purpose. I learned to choose my venues wisely and to make the most of even the worst of shows!

Thanks to the hosts for this show. You all did all you could, and I know you did. I really appreciated all your efforts and all your hard work to try to get the traffic back to us. I guess you can lead the horse to water but......