This is the first segment of my Marketing Series on Craft Shows. This particular post, designed for the true craft show novice, will explain the differences in types of craft shows and help you decide which kind of show is right for you. The next segment will help you find those shows.
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So, you think you’d like to sell at a craft show! I’m assuming you’ve already developed and created a product that you feel is of decent quality and design that other folks will like it and want it.
The first step in moving toward your first craft show is to determine what kind of show you belong at. The majority of my readers will fall into the “arts and crafts” category as opposed to “fine arts.” While this can sometimes be a fine-line type distinction, it is a big difference when it comes to shows.
“Fine Arts” shows tend to feature more one-of-a-kind, higher-end creations like oil paintings, large focal pieces of furniture, sculptures, large mosaic or stained glass pieces, gallery quality-photography, etc. Fine art shows tend to be expensive juried and quite exclusionary.
Most dictionaries define “fine art” as “art produced primarily for aesthetics and not for utility.” Unless your jewelry is made from precious metals using only fine gems, it is most likely not “fine art.” I have only once seen a crocheted item in a fine art display and that was a unique sculpture-like piece meant to merely be displayed. Fine art generally is considered to require fine skill. In other words, if an average crafter or artist could produce the item following instructions from someone else, it most likely does not qualify as fine art. Since most of us would not be described as geniuses, virtuosos or Michelangelo prodigies, I will move on to regular arts and crafts shows.
“Arts and crafts” shows have further distinctions and clarifications. Some are designated as “traditional,” “primitive,” “period,” “folk”, “contemporary,” etc. I have even seen some designated as “Western,” “Coastal” and “loving hands.” All of these labels are very subjective and open to discussion.
One of the most ambiguous terms out there is “professional crafters and/or artists“. A show advertising such participants is generally trying to convince potential customers that this show will feature a higher quality of merchandise. Most definitions say “professional” means engaging in an activity as a career. No one says you must be completely self-supporting in your career. My position is, if you are out there trying to sell your products for money, you are operating as a professional. “Professionalism,” in my opinion, is a form of business-like behavior. (And that, my Dear Reader, is a topic for another day!)
The next most basic fact involved in picking a show to do is whether the show is “juried” or “non-juried.” (For the record: In my 30+ years of experience, I have not found the fact that a show is juried or non-juried to cause any significant difference in my sales.)
A “juried” show means that a person or committee will review the quality of your merchandise to determine if it meets a certain standard for participation in their show. Jurying is generally accomplished through the submission of photos of your merchandise. In most cases, these jurists require about five shots of items “representative” of your product line.
Sometimes, a jury will also request photos of your booth or set-up. If this is your first time, you will need to do a dry run set-up and take pictures. If you are applying for an outdoor show, set this up outside. Likewise for an indoor show. (Such a dry run can also alert you to set-up problems you may not have considered.)
***Do not let the jurying process prevent you from participating as a first-timer. This merely assures a better selection of work and generally will attract buyers that return year after year as they know they can count on the merchandise available at such a show. By the same token, do not allow the fact that you get juried out of a show keep you from trying again. Often, shows limit the number of crafters in each category and may only accept the five best in each category.
I have come across a few elite shows that require in-person jurying in which you bring your creations to them for physical review and, often, questioning of you as the creator. A few juries I have participated in have required the representative photos but also a list of specific items that will be sold. Anything not listed would not be allowed. I would not suggest one of these precise shows as a first-time experience.
**Some juried shows also require a “jury fee” that is charged over and above the show fee and is usually non-refundable. Again, I do not recommend such shows as a first-time thing.
Do not overlook other selling venues like street fairs and festivals, school and church sales, flea markets, farmers’ markets and roadside stands. Many a successful crafter has gotten their start at the school or church event. These events tend to be less expensive but smaller. Customers tend to expect more reasonable pricing at these locales and, in the event of the flea market, will try to bargain with you for a better deal. You will also find the set-up is not as elaborate at most of these events and a beginner can get away with a table with a nice cloth and some folding chairs. (Although, a nice display can and will encourage more sales! We’ll discuss displays, later.)
Okay, this seems to be enough for a beginner to digest for now. Think about what kind of show seems right for you and what you are prepared to invest in doing your first show - both in expenses and time. My next segment in this series will tell you how to go about finding the right show for you.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
If a tree falls in the woods - or in the yard...
Today is the tomorrow I talked about yesterday. Confused?
Remember, you were all witnesses to my plan to definitely up my promotional efforts beginning today. Well, I did do some promoting on the Etsy forums today , and a bit on Twitter. I didn’t exactly knock myself out, though.
Okay, I’ll admit I got a little sidetracked. While on the Etsy forum, I found a new blog roll and, of course, had to stop and read. Yes, I added a few more to my list of blogs to follow. And then there was that posting about some new Twitter folks, so I had to go and look at their profiles and add a few of them, too.
I just felt a bit off all day. Early this morning, a tree fell in our yard. It has bee
n dead for awhile and was at the back of our yard on the edge of the woods. We’ve had plans to take it down for about a year but life got in the way and one thing ran into another and , well, it was still there. It’s actually been dead for a few years. We expected it to come down with the last hurricane that went through this end of the world but it was apparently a lot stronger than we thought.
**I took these pictures from my second story window today while it was raining.
When we first thought about it, the tree was probably 75 to 80 feet tall. I feared it would hit the house or our neighbor’s house if it fell. I figured it would surely take out the fence or the neighbor’s pool. As time went by, the upper branches and limbs simply crumbled and fell, one at a time, landing in the open yard. It had lost a bit of it’s height and The Big Guy assured me it wouldn’t reach the house. He also believed it would simply fall apart as it fell based on the crumbling branches.
Well, it made a fairly quiet exit this morning. It didn’t hit the house, the shed or even my lilac bush. The Big Guy thought he heard something just before he left for work, but didn’t look out there. I didn’t even hear it fall. (Bear in mind, we live very close to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds where the Army tests various weapons and bombs all day. We’re used to loud booms and rumblings that shake the house. Most of the time we simply ignore those noises.)
At some point this morning, I glanced out and saw it in the yard. (It did make quite a dent in the yard!) The smaller limbs did break off and a few did crumble. It seemed to have simply broken right at ground level. It was probably 45 to 50 foot tall at this point.
The Big Guy turned to and began breaking it up as soon as he got home from work this afternoon. He was able to clear up all the smaller branches and pieces that broke off, dragging them deep into the woods. He got out the chainsaw and worked on the trunk for several hours. Turns out the main part of the trunk was pretty sturdy still and a challenge to saw through. He got through about a third of the trunk before he ran out of steam and daylight.
As this was more than I could physically handle, I stayed inside and made him a special dinner. He had worked up quite an appetite with all that extra physical labor.
This was normally his nap time! Needless to say, he hit the sack fairly early this evening.
Once all the big stuff has been hauled out of the yard, I’ll set to work cleaning up all the little junk that would really jam the mower. Once we get that all out of the way, we’ll need a load of dirt to fill in the ditch the tree created in the ground when it hit.
It’s funny, I’ve never been real close friends with that tree but I feel like I miss it. (There are plenty more in the woods. I mean, it’s not like it was my only tree.) It’s like I’ve lost an old buddy. Since I worried about it so much over the last few years, I checked on it every time we had a storm or a heavy wind (which has been really frequently this year!)
Now, I’ll have to find something new to worry about out there!
Remember, you were all witnesses to my plan to definitely up my promotional efforts beginning today. Well, I did do some promoting on the Etsy forums today , and a bit on Twitter. I didn’t exactly knock myself out, though.
Okay, I’ll admit I got a little sidetracked. While on the Etsy forum, I found a new blog roll and, of course, had to stop and read. Yes, I added a few more to my list of blogs to follow. And then there was that posting about some new Twitter folks, so I had to go and look at their profiles and add a few of them, too.
I just felt a bit off all day. Early this morning, a tree fell in our yard. It has bee
n dead for awhile and was at the back of our yard on the edge of the woods. We’ve had plans to take it down for about a year but life got in the way and one thing ran into another and , well, it was still there. It’s actually been dead for a few years. We expected it to come down with the last hurricane that went through this end of the world but it was apparently a lot stronger than we thought.**I took these pictures from my second story window today while it was raining.
When we first thought about it, the tree was probably 75 to 80 feet tall. I feared it would hit the house or our neighbor’s house if it fell. I figured it would surely take out the fence or the neighbor’s pool. As time went by, the upper branches and limbs simply crumbled and fell, one at a time, landing in the open yard. It had lost a bit of it’s height and The Big Guy assured me it wouldn’t reach the house. He also believed it would simply fall apart as it fell based on the crumbling branches.
Well, it made a fairly quiet exit this morning. It didn’t hit the house, the shed or even my lilac bush. The Big Guy thought he heard something just before he left for work, but didn’t look out there. I didn’t even hear it fall. (Bear in mind, we live very close to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds where the Army tests various weapons and bombs all day. We’re used to loud booms and rumblings that shake the house. Most of the time we simply ignore those noises.)
At some point this morning, I glanced out and saw it in the yard. (It did make quite a dent in the yard!) The smaller limbs did break off and a few did crumble. It seemed to have simply broken right at ground level. It was probably 45 to 50 foot tall at this point.
The Big Guy turned to and began breaking it up as soon as he got home from work this afternoon. He was able to clear up all the smaller branches and pieces that broke off, dragging them deep into the woods. He got out the chainsaw and worked on the trunk for several hours. Turns out the main part of the trunk was pretty sturdy still and a challenge to saw through. He got through about a third of the trunk before he ran out of steam and daylight.
As this was more than I could physically handle, I stayed inside and made him a special dinner. He had worked up quite an appetite with all that extra physical labor.
This was normally his nap time! Needless to say, he hit the sack fairly early this evening.Once all the big stuff has been hauled out of the yard, I’ll set to work cleaning up all the little junk that would really jam the mower. Once we get that all out of the way, we’ll need a load of dirt to fill in the ditch the tree created in the ground when it hit.
It’s funny, I’ve never been real close friends with that tree but I feel like I miss it. (There are plenty more in the woods. I mean, it’s not like it was my only tree.) It’s like I’ve lost an old buddy. Since I worried about it so much over the last few years, I checked on it every time we had a storm or a heavy wind (which has been really frequently this year!)
Now, I’ll have to find something new to worry about out there!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
"Tomorrow is another day..."
Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans.
I had decided I would begin super-promoting my Etsy shop again beginning May 1st as I had allowed those efforts to drop off in April and my views had dropped accordingly. Like I said, it was a good plan. Today is the 5th and I really haven’t done a lot in that direction. I had good intentions but just didn’t act upon them. I seemed to get distracted very easily these last couple of days. Maybe I’ll blame it on the cool, gray and dreary weather.
So, I’m setting a new date to begin. I swear I will begin working at promoting again tomorrow. I feel like Scarlett O’Hara, “After all, tomorrow is another day.” Or maybe, I’ll just burst into song and do my imitation of Annie. (Don’t worry, I won’t risk shattering all the glass in my house by singing.)
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*** TRIVIA QUESTION***Quoting Scarlett tonight made me think of this question for you, dear readers, - do you know what other fairly common phrases came directly from Gone with the Wind? Think carefully. (You’ve got to be fairly familiar with the story.) **The answers are at the end of the post.
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Back on topic:
All was not wasted. I did work on some new designs today and I’m working on painting some new merchandise to list within the next few days. I also computerized my inventory list. I’ve been doing it on paper until now. It took me until this evening to figure just how to design a list that allowed me to add the promotional notes I have been adding on the handwritten list. It needed to provide flexible notation areas but still maintain an orderly, easy to view listing. It was like a light bulb suddenly went off and the form suddenly flowed easily. I guess that will be another month-long experiment to see how well this new form works for the long-term.
I have one more brainstorming session to work on - I have a piece of merchandise that I would love to list but haven’t figured out the shipping angle on it yet. It is fairly large and I’m having trouble finding an appropriate packaging method. I hope to resolve this soon as I love creating that particular item. It sells well in live sales and I’d love to be able to put it online. It also has a fairly decent profit margin. I’m still working on this thought.
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***TRIVIA ANSWER: “Fiddle-dee-dee!” and “Great balls of fire!” Both were phrases also uttered by Scarlett.
FUN FACT: Not a common phrase these days, but probably the best known Scarlett quote is, “As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again!”
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Okay, y’all go out there and be creative today. Maybe make some great outfit from a heavy set of drapes or something.
I had decided I would begin super-promoting my Etsy shop again beginning May 1st as I had allowed those efforts to drop off in April and my views had dropped accordingly. Like I said, it was a good plan. Today is the 5th and I really haven’t done a lot in that direction. I had good intentions but just didn’t act upon them. I seemed to get distracted very easily these last couple of days. Maybe I’ll blame it on the cool, gray and dreary weather.
So, I’m setting a new date to begin. I swear I will begin working at promoting again tomorrow. I feel like Scarlett O’Hara, “After all, tomorrow is another day.” Or maybe, I’ll just burst into song and do my imitation of Annie. (Don’t worry, I won’t risk shattering all the glass in my house by singing.)
---------------*** TRIVIA QUESTION***Quoting Scarlett tonight made me think of this question for you, dear readers, - do you know what other fairly common phrases came directly from Gone with the Wind? Think carefully. (You’ve got to be fairly familiar with the story.) **The answers are at the end of the post.
-----------------
Back on topic:
All was not wasted. I did work on some new designs today and I’m working on painting some new merchandise to list within the next few days. I also computerized my inventory list. I’ve been doing it on paper until now. It took me until this evening to figure just how to design a list that allowed me to add the promotional notes I have been adding on the handwritten list. It needed to provide flexible notation areas but still maintain an orderly, easy to view listing. It was like a light bulb suddenly went off and the form suddenly flowed easily. I guess that will be another month-long experiment to see how well this new form works for the long-term.
I have one more brainstorming session to work on - I have a piece of merchandise that I would love to list but haven’t figured out the shipping angle on it yet. It is fairly large and I’m having trouble finding an appropriate packaging method. I hope to resolve this soon as I love creating that particular item. It sells well in live sales and I’d love to be able to put it online. It also has a fairly decent profit margin. I’m still working on this thought.
----------------
***TRIVIA ANSWER: “Fiddle-dee-dee!” and “Great balls of fire!” Both were phrases also uttered by Scarlett.
FUN FACT: Not a common phrase these days, but probably the best known Scarlett quote is, “As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again!”
---------------
Okay, y’all go out there and be creative today. Maybe make some great outfit from a heavy set of drapes or something.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Tough business decisions ...
Sometimes, in business, you need to make moves that you really hate doing but they are necessary if the business is to keep functioning.
Today, I went over my quarterly books and came to the conclusion that I really need to raise some prices or eliminate those products. As with so much in our lives today, costs of the clothing blanks and even my paints have risen considerably in the past year. I have not increased my prices in that time. On top of the material costs, the price of doing business has gone up in general. Craft shows cost more, consignment shops want a bigger chunk of the retail price, wholesalers want a better deal, promotional efforts cost more, etc. Even when gas hit $4 gallon, I did not raise my prices. My financial records prove I am not making the same profit margin I was on my merchandise. The hard fact is, those prices are not working for me anymore. If I want to keep my business alive, I need to bite the bullet and raqise prices.
Folks choose my products because they like the quality and the unique design concepts or because they can have just about anything personalized. For those advantages, they already have been paying "a little more." I am well aware they can go to Target, Babys R'Us, Sears or even Old Navy and find cute items for a lot less money. Many others do just that. I've spent this afternoon convincing myself that my dedicated customers and others who are truly looking for unique items that are well made will be willing to pay yet a little more. I have to believe that.
Today, I did go into my online shop and raised a few prices on some of my sets, particularly those that involve blue jeans. For some reason, denim items seem to have jumped disproportionately than other clothing items. I only altered about six prices at this time and tried to limit those price changes to betwen $2 and $5 per item. i believe doing just a few at a time will at least make it easier for me to accept the changes. I feel so guilty in doing this. I wonder if the Walton family members feel this way when Walmart needs to raise a price. Do you think Mr. Macy agonized over such decisions?
I did not raise the price of single onesies at this time but I will be hiking them by several dollars on July 1st. I will be letting my customers know that these items will be going up and give them the opportunity to stock up at the current price. These are my bread and butter items that folks buy for baby shower gifts - they may want to stock pile a few.
If you know anyone in the market for these items, please tell them now is the time to pick them up before the prices rise.
Here are just some of the onesies you can find in my shop, http://www.splashin.etsy.com/, at this time. At the moment, they are each just $15.
Today, I went over my quarterly books and came to the conclusion that I really need to raise some prices or eliminate those products. As with so much in our lives today, costs of the clothing blanks and even my paints have risen considerably in the past year. I have not increased my prices in that time. On top of the material costs, the price of doing business has gone up in general. Craft shows cost more, consignment shops want a bigger chunk of the retail price, wholesalers want a better deal, promotional efforts cost more, etc. Even when gas hit $4 gallon, I did not raise my prices. My financial records prove I am not making the same profit margin I was on my merchandise. The hard fact is, those prices are not working for me anymore. If I want to keep my business alive, I need to bite the bullet and raqise prices.
Folks choose my products because they like the quality and the unique design concepts or because they can have just about anything personalized. For those advantages, they already have been paying "a little more." I am well aware they can go to Target, Babys R'Us, Sears or even Old Navy and find cute items for a lot less money. Many others do just that. I've spent this afternoon convincing myself that my dedicated customers and others who are truly looking for unique items that are well made will be willing to pay yet a little more. I have to believe that.
Today, I did go into my online shop and raised a few prices on some of my sets, particularly those that involve blue jeans. For some reason, denim items seem to have jumped disproportionately than other clothing items. I only altered about six prices at this time and tried to limit those price changes to betwen $2 and $5 per item. i believe doing just a few at a time will at least make it easier for me to accept the changes. I feel so guilty in doing this. I wonder if the Walton family members feel this way when Walmart needs to raise a price. Do you think Mr. Macy agonized over such decisions?
I did not raise the price of single onesies at this time but I will be hiking them by several dollars on July 1st. I will be letting my customers know that these items will be going up and give them the opportunity to stock up at the current price. These are my bread and butter items that folks buy for baby shower gifts - they may want to stock pile a few.
If you know anyone in the market for these items, please tell them now is the time to pick them up before the prices rise.
Here are just some of the onesies you can find in my shop, http://www.splashin.etsy.com/, at this time. At the moment, they are each just $15.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
A busy and very wet weekend...
Well, the festival and street fair season in this end of the world got off to a fairly damp start this weekend. (I guess we’re paying for the last two weekends that were absolutely gorgeous.) We still managed to enjoy most of it though we did change our plans with the weather in mind.
Friday evening, we headed out to a First Friday event in the beautiful waterfront busin
ess district of Havre de Grace, MD. The street activities were scheduled to take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Unfortunately, we had a pretty heavy downpour about 4 p.m. and, although the sun was out when we got there at about 6 p.m., it pretty much closed down the outside displays and events. We did see one balloon artist entertaining some folks and one pub had some speakers set up to pipe some music out onto the street but that was about it. We were disappointed but made due with some ice cream and headed on home to watch the ballgame on T.V. Maybe June will be clear and dry.
Saturday dawned rainy and the forecast was for on again, off again showers throughout the day.
One of the biggest local street fairs takes place this weekend every year and attracts many thousands of spectators (20,000-35,000/day). Even in rain, the crowds are too big and tight to make using an umbrella practical. There are NO indoor venues associated with the event. In the event of a sudden downpour, you simply get wet. There is no such thing as rushing back to any of the garages which are located on far corners of the event. We’re getting too old to run anyway! We reluctantly voted this one down. We held out hope that Sunday would be better. (It wasn’t.)
We chose to go to one of our local wineries for their Spring Car Cruise and Arts and Crafts show instead. Parking is much more convenient at this small venue and there are indoor facilities in case of heavy rain. It rained hard during our 35- minute ride to the vineyard but miraculously rolled back to a drizzle upon our arrival and within minutes stopped all together. They did believe (or hoped) the rain was going to stop and the crafters had gone ahead and set up their EZ-Ups outside on the lawn. The car club had the cars set up and opened for display, too.
The sun never came out and there were numerous threatening clouds throughout the
day, but it did stay dry. We spent a great afternoon seated at a table on the lawn, enjoying some great wine, food and easy listening live music. The surprise this time was how sunburned we got on such a cloudy day!!
Oh yeah, did I mention Elvis even showed up at this event?
We came home, rested up a bit and then joined friends at a local pub where she likes to sing karaoke. (They PAY me NOT to sing!! LOL)
This morning, the rain was very steady and the radar on the forecast didn’t look promising. We never left the house. It did stop raining by late afternoon but by then it was too late to get going. It’s now raining again.
We’re hoping for sun next weekend as there is an other full schedule of events.
Friday evening, we headed out to a First Friday event in the beautiful waterfront busin
ess district of Havre de Grace, MD. The street activities were scheduled to take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Unfortunately, we had a pretty heavy downpour about 4 p.m. and, although the sun was out when we got there at about 6 p.m., it pretty much closed down the outside displays and events. We did see one balloon artist entertaining some folks and one pub had some speakers set up to pipe some music out onto the street but that was about it. We were disappointed but made due with some ice cream and headed on home to watch the ballgame on T.V. Maybe June will be clear and dry.Saturday dawned rainy and the forecast was for on again, off again showers throughout the day.
One of the biggest local street fairs takes place this weekend every year and attracts many thousands of spectators (20,000-35,000/day). Even in rain, the crowds are too big and tight to make using an umbrella practical. There are NO indoor venues associated with the event. In the event of a sudden downpour, you simply get wet. There is no such thing as rushing back to any of the garages which are located on far corners of the event. We’re getting too old to run anyway! We reluctantly voted this one down. We held out hope that Sunday would be better. (It wasn’t.)
We chose to go to one of our local wineries for their Spring Car Cruise and Arts and Crafts show instead. Parking is much more convenient at this small venue and there are indoor facilities in case of heavy rain. It rained hard during our 35- minute ride to the vineyard but miraculously rolled back to a drizzle upon our arrival and within minutes stopped all together. They did believe (or hoped) the rain was going to stop and the crafters had gone ahead and set up their EZ-Ups outside on the lawn. The car club had the cars set up and opened for display, too.
The sun never came out and there were numerous threatening clouds throughout the
day, but it did stay dry. We spent a great afternoon seated at a table on the lawn, enjoying some great wine, food and easy listening live music. The surprise this time was how sunburned we got on such a cloudy day!!Oh yeah, did I mention Elvis even showed up at this event?
We came home, rested up a bit and then joined friends at a local pub where she likes to sing karaoke. (They PAY me NOT to sing!! LOL)
This morning, the rain was very steady and the radar on the forecast didn’t look promising. We never left the house. It did stop raining by late afternoon but by then it was too late to get going. It’s now raining again.
We’re hoping for sun next weekend as there is an other full schedule of events.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Clever Suggestions from the Crappy Crafters...
I needed a couple of last minute birthday cards and ran into Walmart yesterday. I found this fantastic new line by Hallmark - The Crappy Crafter's line! I LOVE it - bought two! Each card has a clever and crafty gift or project suggestion and instructions - okay, so they are sort of "crappy" ideas but they're cute!
One tells how to make an easy rum cake for the birthday gal in 3 quick steps: 1) Buy a cake; 2) Add a bottle of rum (Literally stand it in the center of the cake!); 3) Throw in some shot glasses. If you're short on time, eliminate step 1 ! The other gives suggestions for creating clothing from your recycled stick on gift bows.
I can't wait to take time to check out the entire line!
Friday, May 1, 2009
It's festival season !
Last summer, The Big Guy and I met a new couple when we shared a table one evening at a concert at our local winery. We had a lot in common - similar ages, incomes and backgrounds. Through the course of the evening we found we liked many of the same restaurants and enjoyed the same types of music.
Turned out they had only recently moved to the Mid-Atlantic area from Northwestern Canada. They had done a fair amount of exploring in the months they’d been here but were still looking for things to do.
When they asked what activities we enjoyed on the weekends, The Big Guy came up with describing us as “event people.” He went on to explain we enjoyed attending all-day festivals, street fairs and events of various kinds. Often attending several such events in the course of a weekend.
When I thought about it, that was an excellent description of our lifestyle. Both of our cars are constantly equipped with sun hats, folding chairs and a folding “bag table.” There’s a bottle of sunscreen in each car - “just in case.” I mean, you never know when you’ll stumble upon an event you just need to drop into and enjoy.
We rarely leave home on a weekend, even just to run errands, without packing a small cooler with water bottles, ice teas and some sodas. You definitely, never know when you’ll head back home.
This time of year, I keep a tote bag, referred to as my “black bag,” packed with event necessities. Those items include several pocket packs of cleansing wipes, tissues, a bag with a few plastic utensils like knives and forks and zip-lock bags, paper towels, a small sunscreen, an extra pair of sunglasses (I MUST have my shades and don’t take any chances!), a sodoku book for The Big Guy (and pencils) and a paper back for me. You can get a lot of reading done at an all-day music festival. There’s a lot of down time while one band breaks down and another sets up.
Like the cooler, my black bag normally runs with us whenever we leave the house on the weekend. We’ve been known to just stop by a park on a beautiful day and enjoy the sights. (My camera is almost always in my purse, anyway.)
This weekend marks the start of festival season in these parts, so I spent the day getting my black bag together. I am prepared for just about anything this weekend. Are you?
Enjoy your weekend
Turned out they had only recently moved to the Mid-Atlantic area from Northwestern Canada. They had done a fair amount of exploring in the months they’d been here but were still looking for things to do.
When they asked what activities we enjoyed on the weekends, The Big Guy came up with describing us as “event people.” He went on to explain we enjoyed attending all-day festivals, street fairs and events of various kinds. Often attending several such events in the course of a weekend.
When I thought about it, that was an excellent description of our lifestyle. Both of our cars are constantly equipped with sun hats, folding chairs and a folding “bag table.” There’s a bottle of sunscreen in each car - “just in case.” I mean, you never know when you’ll stumble upon an event you just need to drop into and enjoy.
We rarely leave home on a weekend, even just to run errands, without packing a small cooler with water bottles, ice teas and some sodas. You definitely, never know when you’ll head back home.
This time of year, I keep a tote bag, referred to as my “black bag,” packed with event necessities. Those items include several pocket packs of cleansing wipes, tissues, a bag with a few plastic utensils like knives and forks and zip-lock bags, paper towels, a small sunscreen, an extra pair of sunglasses (I MUST have my shades and don’t take any chances!), a sodoku book for The Big Guy (and pencils) and a paper back for me. You can get a lot of reading done at an all-day music festival. There’s a lot of down time while one band breaks down and another sets up.
Like the cooler, my black bag normally runs with us whenever we leave the house on the weekend. We’ve been known to just stop by a park on a beautiful day and enjoy the sights. (My camera is almost always in my purse, anyway.)
This weekend marks the start of festival season in these parts, so I spent the day getting my black bag together. I am prepared for just about anything this weekend. Are you?
Enjoy your weekend
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