this and that

Well, kids, we've survived our very first RiverFest! Things started off slow, but picked up rather quickly. We made a tremendous amount of money in just one day and I'm so grateful to have had the option to take part in it. I walked around and met a few Etsy sellers who happened to be selling there, and made a few new contacts that I'm so excited about!

First up was the very lovely Lorraine Bowen who sells the most insanely gorgeous paintings for way cheaper than anyone should ever sell anything. My mom, Sandy and I scooped up a ton of her work and she's also agreed to sell her work in the shop. I really want to give her a show as soon as possible, but she's going to be showing at Kismet, also in Troy, in July and I can't afford to be found guilty of overkill so early in my career. So, we'll sell her work on the walls of the shop, and maybe later in the year we can move some new work into the gallery in back. I'm so in love with this stuff, and it really couldn't come from a sweeter woman.

Next up was Amelia (love that name) from A.G-P. She's an Etsy seller I had never had the pleasure of finding until Saturday. I love her work and so wished I could afford to buy some of her originals. I think I might have to grab some prints from her shop, though. Too good to pass up. I told her about The Paper Sparrow and hopefully we can work out some sort of consignment deal. I think her work would fit in quite well here.

Jennifer from The 2 Fireflies was there, too, with her gorgeous glass jewelry. So cool. I've never been a huge fan of fused glass jewelry, but when I saw her bracelets I fell in love. I'll be contacting her soon about the possibility of selling here. Hopefully she'll say yes.

So, that's the scoop on RiverFest. Tons of people, weather that was entirely too hot and humid, but it worked to our advantage because it rained in the afternoon and people scrambled to go indoors...yes, through the doors of our shop. Amazing.

In other news, I was asked by the owner of The Spectrum theater and The Ultraviolet Cafe to make some of my reusable coffee jackets to sell in both locations. She's going to work out a deal with her own customers where they'll get something like 50 cents off a cup of coffee when they buy the jacket. Should be fun. I've made ten to start and if they sell well I'll make more. These certainly aren't my original idea. They're all over the internet, really, but like all things innovative, it takes a few years for the concept to make it to upstate New York. I haven't seen any sold around here at all. Ca-ching! There's a coffee shop right behind my store so I see those paper jackets all over the ground, and I've seen some people take a brand new sleeve off their cup and throw them right in the trash. So wasteful. These leave a much smaller footprint on the earth and they give me the opportunity to use up some scraps. I love the fact that the fabric sleeves absorb water, too, so they're perfect for cold, drippy, icy cups on a hot day.

Anyway, hmmm, on the agenda for today...watch this again. I don't have kids, as you know, but I've always been fascinated with pregnancy and birth and this documentary was enlightening in a way. Go Ricky Lake! I love being able to watch short movies while at work (via the Netflix "Watch Instantly" service). I should be sewing, really, but I'm waiting on some parts to arrive in the mail, so for now I'll take a break and catch up on some educational films. Riiiight.