Mt Horeb Art & Craft Fair – A followup

Editors Note: Major props to a couple of my besties who helped me work this show. Pedicures for all.

This is a good show. I would do it again. Let’s cut to the chase…

The Pros

• It’s close to home. Like 15 minutes away. Score.
• My booth was 3 spaces off the corner of Main and Third Street which mean I could pull my car RIGHT IN FRONT of my booth for BOTH loading and unloading. This may be lost on the average reader but not having to haul heavy stuff for any distance is amazeballs. Especially since it was beyond hot. I’ll get to that later.
• My booth was also like ½ block from the artists center which meant an air conditioned building and real potties. No port-a-potties. Praise Jesus!
• People spent. It helps that my price point even with my recent price increase is still pretty reasonable, but I was consistently busy, despite the heat. An influx of cash helped me feel less hot. Just sayin’. And there was no balking at my adjusted price points. Hurray.

The cons

• The heat. Hot. Hot. And more hot. Oh and humid too. It was more or less tolerable in the shade but take down was a beast. There is nothing quite like standing on asphalt, in the full sun, in 95 degree weather trying to stuff a 10x10 EZ up tent into an uncooperative bag. Good times.
• Whiny kids. There were a lot of them too. Excessive heat brings out the cranky-pants in kids and adults alike. And lets face it – I was hot and cranky too. Crankyness is contagious when the temperature is midway between a sauna and Turkish bath.

Bottom Line

• Good show. Well organized. Well attended. On the list for next year. Check.

Buy unique. Buy handmade. It’s my new mantra.

Liquid Goodness

Sangria.

It’s my new favorite thing.

It’s also a perfectly refreshing summertime libation. And given the recent heat wave that has, unfortunately, settled into Wisconsin, a must have summertime survival cocktail. We’re not talking mildly hot. I’m talking African veldt hot.

Hot.

Hotter.

Hottest.

Sticky, sweaty, stifling heat. The kind of heat that foreshadows hell, if you believe in that sort of thing.

Sangria is wine with a kick. And it has fruit. So it’s practically healthy.

I will admit, I initially balked at Sangria. It has brandy. Not a lot. Just enough for a little buzz boost. I was skeptical. I have bad brandy history. One erroneous over-indulgence when I was 19, when Ann Felachino snuck my under-aged sorry-self into the Nitty Gritty and fed me unhealthy quantities of brandy old fashioned sweets. It didn’t end well. I was a victim. Needless to say I can barely look at brandy some 20+ years later. Happily the brandy is just a background buzz boost and the wine + fruit is center stage.

My Sangria recipe has undergone a bit of tweaking. Tweaking being defined as “more booze, less mixer”. My first pass at Sangria had 32 ounces of mixer. 32 ounces!. That’s 4 cups mixer to one bottle of wine and 3 Tbls of brandy + fruit. It was a little flat.

I did what any good amateur mixologist would do. I Googled. I read. I made some notes. I tried again. And this is what has evolved into my new favorite summertime big girl fruit punch.

Important note –  Sangria is cold and refreshing and slips right down. Probably a bit too quickly,  so be sure to pace your chemicals (and eat some real food) so you don’t have a nasty hangover.

Stefanie’s Sangria

• 1 Cup of chopped fresh pineapple or apple – you choose, they are both good. You could also use pitted cherries but I found cherry pitting to be more of a hassle then it’s worth.
• 1 lemon and orange – thinly sliced
• ¾ cup of brandy
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 bottle red wine. I used Rioja which is from Spain but a decent Pinot Noir works too…or you can use a Merlot if you like something drier. Both wines used were in the less than $10 range. Sa-weet!
• 2 cups diet white soda

Prepare fruit. Add brandy and OJ and let ruminate for a few hours. Overnight is ok. I mean really, is there anything better than boozey fruit? I think no.

Meanwhile, chill the wine and soda. Then mix the whole mess up. Give it quick stir. Pour into a wine glass over ice.

Sigh contentedly.

 

Facebook – it’s not for thank you notes

Ever.

Just so my position is clear right out of the gate.

I understand that we have evolved into the mecca of social media; however I would like to point out that facebook is not a vehicle for sending thank you notes.

I’m a stickler on this.

I was schooled in Etiquette in the house of Donna (my mother). I have my own copy of Emily Posts Guide to Etiquette. I have used it often. There are very specific rules about thank you notes and I don’t care that facebook is the whiz bang new thing. Facebook is not a vehicle for a thank you note even if that note is a “private message”.

I sent some baby gifts to extended family members. Two of the three “thank yous”, I received were via facebook. Uh, really? I didn’t post a picture of the gift on facebook. I actually picked something out, wrapped it, shipped it and included a card. The receiver of said gift should sending a HANDWRITTEN thank you note, putting a stamp on it and dropping it in the mail.

I can’t bend on this one. There is a protocol for the formalized hand-written note and I don’t care what kind of technology is in place today. Technology is not a replacement for etiquette; although I am finding it is eroding it and lowering our collective standards for acceptable behavior in polite society.

As a refresher…gifts given for weddings, baby/bridal showers, confirmations/graduations deserve a HANDWRITTEN thank you note. Birthday gifts that the receiver is unable to the giver in person (such as a card that includes cash/check) also deserve a HANDWRITTEN thank you note.

Not a text message.

Not an email.

And not a facebook post.

A thoughtful gesture deserves a thoughtful HANDWRITTEN response.

No exceptions.

Stuff I like - Cute Lamby Cards

I really dig Etsy.com.  For those of you not following along, Etsy is a web-portal that allows artists to “set-up” their own shop and hock their stuff to the internet buying public.

Etsy is awesome because it’s pretty inexpensive and easy to navigate; however it totally over-saturated. There are thousands and thousands of artists all clamoring to be found. It can well worth it to take some time and sniff around the various showcases and listings; albeit time consuming.

I stumbled across this artist who takes oh-so adorable pictures of lambs. You can buy the prints or she also makes cards. I bought the cards. I love these cards and the little lambs on them. They look so happy. They are more original then your garden variety Hallmark and I’m pretty sure if you send someone a little note with this cute little lamby on the front is bound to generate a smile.

Rescue yourself from homogenized sameness. Buy unique. Buy handmade.

In search of a thicker skin

I’m 43. And I still need the stamp of approval. Sometimes. Not always. But definitely sometimes.

Oh sure. I’d like to be able to portray myself as a strong, vibrant women who doesn’t care what anyone thinks. And sometimes I actually believe that about myself. Almost. But my skin isn’t quite as thick as I would like to think it is. Sometimes it’s downright papery thin.

Case in point. I follow a local blog and occasionally comment on said blog. I made a fairly lengthy comment recently and oh brother… right between the eyes with the “you’re opinions are so lame” by fellow blgogers.. Which, ya know, shouldn’t really bother me because c’mon, it’s an anonymous blog comment. But geesh. I felt unliked and unloved. Why do I care? I was probably looking for validation which I clearly wasn’t going to get, but searched for it anyway.

Pathetic.

I so need to get over myself and grower a thicker skin.

Working on it…

The Lowering of our Collective Standards

“What do you think the Devil is going to look like if he's around? Nobody is going to be taken in if he has a long, red, pointy tail. No. I'm semi-serious here. He will look attractive and he will be nice and helpful and he will get a job where he influences a great God-fearing nation and he will never do an evil thing... he will just bit by little bit lower standards where they are important. Just coax along flash over substance... Just a tiny bit. And he will talk about all of us really being salesmen. And he'll get all the great women.” – Aaron Altman, Broadcast News

 This blog was never intended to be a political forum but I struggle with not commenting on what has become an obvious blemish on our collective standards regarding the news. And it’s my blog so I can do what I want. So there. Insert foot stomping here.

Reading the news take time.

Time is precious commodity. There is never enough of it. I get it. I do.

We have evolved into a society of must have it right now this second information at our fingertips. Unfortunately we want all the facts from one source in easy to digest, 10 words or less, bite size bulleted chunks of information.

I tell my son often that if you want to take a position on an issue, fine, but you better do your due diligence before you stand up on a soapbox. And due diligence takes time. A responsible citizen of the world digging into any number of the litany of issues should be reading a variety of sources, asking questions, probing, digging, listening objectively to both sides of an argument before forming an opinion. Color me simplistic but it seems like critical thinking 101 to me.

I have turned into a big of a news junkie of late. Not on every issue. Probably not even on most issues. But I follow a few blogs around Madison and read a lot of sources on some of the hot issues around town. I admit shock and awe at what passes for thoughtful journalism. Or even thoughtful commentary. Instead there is biased, knee jerk, “journalists” who read one source and one source only, never ask any questions much less address them and then put it in print – where it is read by the masses. Masses who are want their news in easy to digest bite size chunks.

And that’s just what they are getting. Flash over substance.

Shame. Shame. Shame.

Stuff I like - Warm Glass

Important disclaimer.

Art is subjective. Some local handmade stuff is tripe. Really. It’s truly awful stuff. The ceramic painted figurines spring to mind. So do dried floral arrangements. Or the wishing wells made out of logs. I’m sure some people like ceramic painted figurines, dried floral wreaths and log wishing wells… but I am not one of them. More often than not if someone is making crap I’ll probably be a bit snarky and poke some fun. I’m an equal opportunist that way.

The cool thing about the local handmade market is I get to meet other artists and check out the cool stuff people make and sell. I met this artist at a show last year. I really like her fused glass magnets and coasters. I own some magnets and have given a set as gifts. I plan on giving more sets as gifts. Everyone likes magnets and coasters. And they are cool looking. I mean you could buy a set of coasters from Crate and Barrel (don’t get me wrong I love Crate and Barrel) or you could buy something unique and handmade. A one of a kind original. And the magnets are strong. Not that I don’t appreciate my “Middleton Vet” magnets complete with phone number, but these magnets are pretty and actually hold up a few things. Sa-weet!

As a tangent to this subject, I know there are other bloggers who endorse a lot of artists and their hand-made wares in exchange based on a review of their product. I know this because I receive emails on a regular basis from bloggers who find my online etsy shop and want me to send them a “free” sample of my work so they can review and blog about it.

It’s a good gig if you can get it; American resourcefulness at its finest. And I will admit I’ve fallen for it a few times. And then I grew a brain and realized all I was doing was giving away free baby bodysuits with no hope of repeat business. I don’t do that anymore. If you want a tye dye t-shirt, buy it like everyone else.

My philosophy is more straight-forward and less loosey-goosey. If I like your product. I’ll buy it. And if I really like it I’ll probably mention it here because I’m all about sharing the good stuff. And I believe that handmade can be truly awesome and maybe we can rescue ourselves from a houseful of items with “made in china” stamped on the back.

Go for unique. Go for handmade.