Working the Shows Wednesday - It's HOT! HOT! HOT!

So there you are, at an outdoor show in the middle of July or August and, Baby, it’s sweltering out there! Around my end of the world, the temps are probably hovering around 90 degrees (or more) and the humidity is usually in the 85%+ range. What do you do to manage sitting out there for two full days without dying of heat prostration?

No 1 Rule - Stay hydrated !!!! The best beverage to drink at such times is water but any cool, alcohol-free liquid will help. Caffeinated beverages should be a choice of last resort. (This does create a pottying problem for those of us trying to do shows alone, however.)

No. 2 Rule - Protect yourself from direct sun to the best of your ability. If you are not using a canopy or tent, find an umbrella, use a big hat, etc.

Get some air moving. If you have electricity, be sure to have a large fan with you. I find one placed under the table, blowing on my legs to be quite helpful. There are numerous battery run fans available. Look for them at your local Target or Walmart. When all else fails, pick up a personal-sized battery run fan from your dollar store. They are better than nothing!

Bear in mind, when using a canopy or tent, keeping three sides down will create shade and keep you out of direct sun, BUT, that will also block air flow and increase the temp under that cover. Be sure to determine the direction of any breeze (if there is one) and try to keep the appropriate sides open.

Using one of those “cooling neckties” available at most sporting goods stores and often sold at craft shows and festivals will definitely help and they are good for many hours. They are filled with water absorbing gel and you soak them in water for a specified time and then refrigerate overnight. Tie them around your neck in the morning and they do refresh for most of the day. Don’t have one of these? Using a roll of paper towels, make your own necktie by rolling them into a long tube and dipping it in cool water. Place it around your neck and secure with a large paperclip, pin, etc. Rewet as necessary. Dip a sponge in water (I find the melting ice in the cooler a great source for this.) and cool the back of your neck with it.

Most importantly, dress for such temperatures. We are constantly bombarded with advice to “look professional” at shows, however, there is nothing professional about being well-dressed on the paramedic’s stretcher or dripping with sweat because you are overdressed.. Wear loose fitting, natural fiber clothing that allows air to circulate. If you do a lot of these hot, outdoor shows, consider in investing in some of the tops sold for athletes that have an inner layer that wicks the sweat from the body.

Do not make the mistake of dressing too bare. (Bare does not necessarily equal “cooler.”) I once did a show on an asphalt parking lot in wide open sunshine (before the days of pop-ups) and thought wearing a fairly bare cotton sundress would keep me cool in the 100°+ temperatures that weekend. By mid-day on Saturday, I was extremely sunburned despite 30 SPF sunscreen. I generated heat at that point. I was unable to return on Sunday as I had sun-poisoning. I was barely able to do the mall show that started on Wednesday of that week as clothing was hardly tolerable and I experienced chills for a full week.

Sometimes, just as with rain, you simply need to admit defeat. I have now created my own rule. If the temperature tops 95° before 2 p.m., I go home. I am no longer hanging in there with triple digit temperatures. I’ve let them make me sick more than once and it simply isn’t worth it. Shoppers do not stroll a show when it is that hot. I’ll admit to not really paying much attention to the 40+ juried, high quality crafters at a music festival I attended last weekend. It was simply too hot to wander that area. I was more concerned with finding the next shady concert tent and a cold drink. Hopefully, the next 8 days weren’t as hot. (That was a 10-day event.)

Be sure to know the signs of heat exhaustion and heat prostration. It CAN be dangerous.

Be prepared if you are doing summer shows.

Stay cool, my friends.

Musikfest

On Saturday we trekked up to Bethlehem, PA for the 26th annual Musikfest, a 10-day, outdoor musical extravaganza featuring more than 500 performances on 14 stages throughout the downtown business district. All types of music can be heard from classical to hip hop to blues and Americana. Hard rock, pop and country, as well as Celtic, raggae, zydeco, soul and danceable tunes fill the air. Polka bands and their fans have their own tent for the duration.

Most venues at this event are free but there are a few paid stages which this year featured, among others, Pat Benatar, Blondie, George Thorogood, Jonny Lang, Crosby, Stills & Nash, The B-52s, Joan Jett, Third Eye blind, David Cook, the Commodores, Chris Isaak, YES, Simone, Leon Redbone, Al Stuart, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Gordon Lightfoot and Rufus Wainright.

Saturday's crowd was the largest I have ever seen at this event. It was mobbed! (The weather was fantastic which certainly gave attendance a boost.)



We only spent about 7 hours there, wandering among the free venues. That only gave us time to truly enjoy 4 of the stages. We heard some blues and indie rock from the Bronze Radio Return out of Hartford, CT and some soul and more blues by Lili Anel (Philadelphia). Down the hill, we sat in on some zydeco by Li'l Anne & Hot Cayenne who traveled down from Ithica, NY.

We caught a little Grammy-winning polka by Denny Polesky & the Maestro's Men, another CT group. This part of the country takes their polka seriously. The polka tent is one of the largest festival tents I've ever seen and it is full to standing room only. The humongous dance floor stays continually full of dancers of all ages. Bear in mind, it is always hot here in August so you have a bunch of "older" folks polka-ing their hearts out in 90 degree heat for hours! It's a wonder they survive it all. I did take a pic of the "littlest pole dancer" I've come across performing in public while we were there. (One wouldn't think pole dancing would work to a polka beat but she made it look easy!!) Yes, that is a diaper sticking out at her waistband! She was about 2 1/2.

If you know anything about Bethlehem, you know it is hilly! One park leads right into the next stage area and then into the next and so -on. By the time you've hiked from one end to the other, you've gone about a mile and half on a steep hill downward. The walking is rough on brick sidewalks, grassy (lumpy) paths, old stone walkways and ancient uneven stone steps, many without railings. It's not an easy trek!!

We started up on the level of the top walkway in this picture and worked our way down to the ground level through a series of winding pathways.

Remember, I said it was hot. Did I mention humid? It was a bout 90 degrees and the humidity was at about 95% all day!! The Big Guy was so hot and sweaty that he tried a new way of cooling himself down. Yep! That's a cooler jell pack on his head! He said it felt "Wonderful!"

There is a great craft fair portion to this festival featuring quality juried handmade work. The jurying process does limit the duplication of crafts and maintains a fantastic level of workmanship. These sellers tend to be little more high end. (They need to be able to handle a 10-day outdoor event which tends to weed out the hobbyists.) It was simply too crowded and too hot for me to do any kind of display analysis or interviews with the crafters themselves.


The lower level of the festival is set along the banks of the Monocacy Creek in the heart of Bethlehem's 18th century historic district. History abounds with tours of various historic buildings.

Food at this event is beyond description. You can try any conceivable festival or carnival delight, old world bakery creations, ethnic dishes of many nationalities and great American BBQ.

Large plastic beer mugs (almost a jug) are sold as souvenirs by the festival committee throughout the fair. Each year the mug features different artwork. There is a discount price throughout the entire festival area for filling those mugs with beer and you can use a mug from any year for that deal. All the little bars and taverns in the area also honor that deal throughout the festival dates. It's fascinating to see how many mug designs are sitting around you at any given time.

Thankfully, there is a shuttle that takes you back up the hill. One year we tried walking it but thought we would die on the trip up. It was so steep and miserably hot that year and we'd been walking around for about 10 hours that day. The shuttle is worth every dime!! (There's a low all-day pass available.)

I think the best music of the day was the Chino Nunez & Friends Orchestra, a Grammy winning 12-piece salsa ensemble out of NYC, who got the crowd on their feet and dancing their hearts out! A conga line danced in and around the tent. It was a party I hated to leave but The Big Guy had important plans.

As a steelworker, and a former Bethlehem Steel employee at that, he wanted to check out the Sands Casino they've opened in the old Bethlehem Steel plant there. So we drove over and made a donation. The casino has maintained the look of the mill with its decor. I must say, it is the first casino I've seen with an industrial design!

It was after midnight by the time we pulled in the driveway but we'd had a great day. We spent Sunday recovering. After all, we had no money left!

If you've got a little time on your hands and live within a few hours of Bethlehem, PA (Allentown area), the festival runs through Sunday and is well worth the trip. Check out the details here.

Back from "The Good Life in Nebraska"

You've heard of jet lag - well, I think I've had "road lag." We spent 24 hours on the highway between Wednesday and Thursday and then, another 6 on Saturday. Thank goodness for a comfy vehicle!



Our trip to Omaha was relatively uneventful. We spent lots of time with family "just hanging out." The Big Guy and I stayed with his Mom while his sister and brother-in-law got away for a few days. As the 24/7 caretakers, they need an occasional break so we encourage them to get away when we're around. It also gives us some one-on-one time with Mom.



We did get her out a bit to lunches, a couple of community concerts and even a few trips to the casino! She seemed tired but happy with her outings.



I dragged The Big Guy along to Half Price Books for a shopping spree. He hit the CD aisles while I gathered books. I was in my element!! (Love those dollar racks!) We don't have one of these stores near us so I stock pile when I get there. They're all around the country so if you see one, be sure to check it out.

There were family card games, dinners and chats with all the kids. All in all, we had a great time.






We did see something we had never seen there before - CORN in Iowa and Nebraska !!! (Imagine that!!!) Past visits have always been in early Spring or late Fall after the harvest. Now it's obvious why the Big Red are called Cornhuskers! It's EVERYWHERE !!

We came home to a big hole in the front yard. Those who were holding the fort down thought it'd be a nice surprise if they dug out a stump in the front yard. The stump got the last laugh and it's an ongoing project as of today! (Forty year old trees have had lots of time to grow DEEP roots!) We were definitely surprised!! No worries though, that work crew won't rest until they win the battle.

I found my scheduled blog posts had run but not necessarily in the format I'd planned. They did not date correctly and therefore didn't display correctly. Hopefully, you found them all and had a good read each day as I had some great Guest Bloggers help out. I have since gone back and corrected the formatting and dating issues. If you missed them, please duck back and have a good read.

"Onesiegate" struck over at Etsy while I was away! I only had one targeted listing suspended and, ironically, it is an actual Gerber-made product. The trademarked baby's head was clearly visible but the correct wording wasn't there. I have also addressed this issue since arriving home. (More on this later in the week!)

All in all, it was a relatively smooth homecoming. This is the first-time we've left someone here at home while we were gone and it did make a difference. I am, however, still having trouble getting back in the groove. I'm blaming the fact that we again hit the road on Saturday to attend Musikfest in Bethlehem, PA. I'll tell you about that great event tomorrow. It continues through next Sunday if you are in the area.

Now it's Monday and I still haven't unpacked!! Better get on that right now.

You KNEW I had to throw in an Iowa sunrise didn't you?

Pics from top to bottom: Crossing the Nebraska state line, Mom and me at a concert, b-i-l & "the learner's permit kid" entertaining themselves while waiting for lunch at a classy restaurant, our littlest Nebraskan, The Big Guy with his sister with that "soon-to-be" driver;

Okay, so I got in tonight after 11 hours on the road (following the 13 on the road yesterday) and found problems with my scheduled posts here on the blog!

Everything posted as planned but did not reflect the actual posting date. Instead, they appeared under their draft dates which means some dates had 5 posts under it and they did not appear in the order I had planned. I feel so bad for all those guest bloggers whose items did not show up under the correct date that I had promised!! I'm sure many of you missed some of those fantastic pieces. I went back and fixed the dating problem tonight and they now appear in the correct order but I need to get you all to glance though and read some of those you missed.

There was a really excellent article about protecting yourself and your work written by Woolly Boo and appearing on July 20th. If you are selling your work out there, you really need to read this item. It's carries a lot of vital information. Another really informative piece ran on the 24th about balancing your business and personal craft lives. On the 19th, Fred discussed the benefits of checking out your local thrift shop. There were lots more interesting and amusing pieces that you may have missed due to the date problems, so if you've got a little spare time, please go back and read through these items. I had a great group of friends and family help out and I'd like you to get the chance to appreciate them, too.

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On another note, I came home to find Etsy had deactivated a number of my items as they are labeled "Onesies," a trade-marked name owned by Gerber. The ironic thing is, my items are painted on Gerber onesies! I guess I need to go back and list them as one-piece rompers or body suits ("made by Gerber") before I can publish them again. As I had stated in my announcement paragraph on the shop that I was on vacation, it was not a huge problem to have these items be inactive during that time. I will fix the problem and get them back out there tomorrow.

In the meantime, I'm glad to be home and ready to hit the sack! Talk at you in the morning!!

Toddlers don't roll cookie dough into balls and other facts of cooking.

One thing I’ve learned about all of you, Dear Readers, is - You LOVE good recipes. So, while I was baking a batch of homemade cookies to pack as “car nibbles” for our road trip this week, I thought I’d share the recipe with you and tell you a cute tale about cookie baking from back in my really naïve days!

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Obviously, this isn't one of the nephews. She is, however, one of the nieces and she IS baking. What can I say? It's the closest I could come for illustration purposes using my picture files.

When two of my nephews (We’ll just call them “Li’l Kid” and “Toddler“) were little (and I was somewhat inexperienced at cooking with kids), I was watching them one day when I decided to bake some peanut butter cookies with them. It seemed like a good idea at the time ! In, literally, hundreds of hours of babysitting in my youth, I guess I’d never tried to bake cookies with any of the toddlers along the way.

The first thing I learned that day was that children under two years of age definitely have trouble with the concept of rolling a ball of dough between their hands. After squashing that ball of dough between his palms like a vice, “Toddler” then made fists, causing the dough to ooze between his fingers. (He was actually enjoying this.) His next move was to attempt to wipe the dough off - in his hair, his clothes, on the furniture, the rug, etc. After squirting him down, that little munchkin went down for a nap! I decided “Li’l Kid” and I would continue without him.

At the ripe old age of four, “Li’l Kid” had rolling these balls down to an art in no time. I did, however, learn four-year-olds don’t comprehend gently pressing the fork into the cookie to create the criss-cross design. His efforts resembled a stab or a jab or, actually, were more like a steamroller. Those were some ugly and lop-sided cookies !!

At the end of the day, they were proud to show Mommy and Daddy the cookies they made regardless of how unappetizing they looked!

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RICH & CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Assuming you all have accomplished rolling dough to form balls and can gently press with a fork, you should have no trouble at all making these.

The thicker the cookie, the softer the cookies will be.

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 cup peanut butter, smooth or chunky
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda, in Tbsp. boiling water
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour

Cream sugar and butter. Add vanilla, peanut butter and eggs, blending well. Stir in baking soda. Mix dry ingredients and add gradually, mixing well. Scoop out by teaspoonful and shape into ball. Place on cookie sheet and flatten in criss-cross pattern with tines of a fork dipped repeatedly in granulated sugar. Bake 8-10 minutes at 350°.

Makes 4 dozen.

Store in tightly covered container. Can be frozen up to 3 months. (But I seriously doubt they’ll even make it into the freezer!)

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Well, I hope y'all enjoy your cookies as much as I'm enjoying my vacation!

Working the Shows Wednesday - Do you know how close Christmas REALLY is?

Christmas is coming and it will be here before you know it. There are only 21 weekends left till the big day. Do you have all your Fall and Holiday shows lined up? If not, now is the time. In fact, it’s a little late to register for the really popular annual events. Better get moving.

Next question - How much holiday merchandise do you have ready right this moment? (You only get half credit for those left-overs from last Christmas that didn’t sell and didn’t work for anyone on your personal gift list.) You can’t sell it if you don’t have it to show. Set up a production schedule now and get cracking.

If you are on Etsy, you may have noticed those Sellers who are participating in the Christmas in July promotion. At this point, I can safely say, they have a leg up on me. I have begun producing Christmas items but I haven’t started marketing them yet for 2009.

To get your full listing price value (4 months of exposure) on Etsy, you need to get your items listed by early August. Check with the Post Office and find out the “Ship by dates” and note that in your shop announcement. This will be especially important to those who need to ship overseas. If your items are custom-made and take some time to produce be sure to set realistic cut-off dates for holiday orders. At least two of the big commercial gift shows attended by retailers occurred this past week. Store buyers are lining up their Christmas product line now. Have you talked with any brick and mortar shops you deal with about what they might be interested in this holiday season?

Me, personally? I’m working on gingerbread men this week. How about you?

So, while you’re stretched out there on the beach house, sketching out your Christmas designs or at least thinking about them, drinking a HUGE margarita (or such), why not wear a Santa hat? It’ll put you in the mood and confuse your neighbors!

Great Home Remedies

I thought you’d enjoy some helpful tips while I‘m wandering the highways and byways. (Disclaimer: I accept no responsibility for irresponsible use of any tips listed below. You‘re on your own! )

1. If you’re choking on an ice cube, simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat. Presto! The blockage will instantly remove itself.

2. Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold the vegetables while you chop.

3. Avoid arguments with the females about lifting the toilet seat by using the sink.

4. For high blood pressure sufferers - simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure on your veins. Remember to use a timer.

5. A mouse trap placed on top of your alarm clock will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.

6. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives then you’ll be afraid to cough.

7. You only need two tools in life - WD-40 and duct tape. If it doesn’t move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn’t move and does, use the duct tape.

8. Remember - everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

9. If you can’t fix it with a hammer, you’ve got an electrical problem.

Well, hopefully, these tidbits have solved one or two of your problems.

***Remember, I accept no responsibility for unaccepted results from the use of any of these tips.