Finally - A creatively productive day!!!

I spent the day painting both orders and some new holiday items for the shop. I have a bunch of stuff to photograph and list by next weekend when I believe (or at least fervently hope) folks will hit the computers with their credit cards handy and start buying - a lot!!

I did get some holiday potholders listed yesterday and I've already sold a few of those. I was also able to list a product that I've been selling off line for a while but had trouble working out a practical means of shipping until now. I haven't sold that one yet but it did get quite a few views yesterday when I first added it to the shop.

In between painting, I also did some major cooking and even caught a little interesting news along the way.

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Did you know, you could actually be arrested for refusing to tip a waitress?

It happened in Bethlehem, PA recently! A group of eight friends reportedly spent a little time at a pub and racked up a $73.00 bill. Service was awful. It took over an hour to get their order and one of the women needed to get up and get their own napkins and silverware. The place was busy but this was a bit unreasonable. They even had to go up to the bar themselves for a soda refill as the waitress "never came back."

When the bill arrived, there was an 18% ($16.00) gratuity tacked onto the bill since it was a large group (not an unusual practice). This was just too much to bear for one of the couples. They went to the bartender in charge and complained about the gratuity when service was pretty much non-existent. Supposedly, the bartender offered to comp the food but demanded the gratuity be paid. They refused to pay the tip but paid the bill for the food in full. The bartender called the police and the couple was actually arrested and charged with theft since the gratuity was officially a part of the bill.

They have a Court date scheduled for next month!

I know they felt it was a matter of principle, but wouldn't it have made more sense for the establishment to simply forgive the tip in the interest of customer service, OR, in the alternative, wouldn't the customers have made out better to pay the tip under protest but accept the comp on the food? To quote my b-i-l, "Let's pretend one of us wasn't stupid here..."

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On a sad note, the U.S.P.O. has discontinued Operation Santa. There's hope it will be resurrected. The Alaskan town that serves as North Pole Central is frantically working to resolve the issue. I'll tell you about this one in tomorrow's post.

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Okay, now for something a little lighter...

Let's look at some of my new stuff!!!!

Here's one of my handpainted tables that I've finally been able to list in my online shop.

I love painting these and they sell fairly well offline but I had been unable to find a practical means of shipping them. I could not locate boxes for packing them and could not afford to swallow the costs of having one of those shipping stores box it for me. (Boxing and packing is where those guys make their profits!)

Recently I read a thread in one of the Etsy forum posts about shipping framed artwork and it was suggested they use boxes available from the U-Haul Stores referred to as "mirror boxes." I checked this out and they do have an appropriate box at a reasonable cost. The actual shipping, once it was boxed, was not outrageous. Look for more of these tables in the shop in the future.

I was also able to get some holiday potholders listed yesterday and today.

Want more details, simply click on the pic for a link to the listing at Splashin (my online shop).

Santa and Frosty are all smiles. Wouldn't these be great Secret Santa items?

I'm sure Granny and Great Aunt Mable would love them in their kitchens, too!

Then there is Mr. and Mrs. Ginger, "the cookie couple." I listed these this morning just before lunch, ran out to the grocery store and came home to find they'd already sold! So, I listed a second batch of them.

These have proven to be the most popular in my offline sales, as well.

This is Ray the Reindeer, he's the lesser known cousin of Rudolph. He wasn't blessed with a glowing nose so he's been relegated to helping Mrs. Clause in the kitchen!

****There's a bonus Christmas Cookie recipe included with every potholder purchase.

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Oh yeah! I mentioned cooking today, too. Seems we bought some oversized produce this weekend. What can I say, I can't resist a bargain. Among our purchases were a bag load of bell peppers at 4 for $1 ( I cut these up for the freezer. We use an inordinate amount of peppers around here. They're as much a staple in my kitchen as flour and eggs!) and a giant head of broccoli for 75 cents! We do love broccoli, so we just cut that up and have steamed some every night this week. (I believe I will be ready for a different green veggie in the next few days. I like it, but enough is enough!) Then there was the large economy size head of cabbage, weighing in at close to 6 lbs!! This was the deal at only 50 cents!! I couldn't resist taking their picture ( the soda can is for size perspective) and sending it off to my b-i-l the "bargain king". He's so jealous!!

Today I shredded all that cabbage and I'll be cooking it tomorrow. I have a great recipe for a hot spicy slaw that tastes like a richly seasoned sauerkraut but is much more colorful. it really looks "harvesty." (Is that a word?)

Working the Shows Wednesday - Mid-Season Show Assessments

Normally holiday merchandise starts to move in mid-September but this year didn’t seem get rolling then. It looked to be a fairly poor season. Crafters made forecasts based on those sales and the general economy.

Mid-October shows were still rocky. There were a few bright spots among some dismal reports. While most were still doing some outdoor shows, the weather was definitely acting up and affecting some of those events.

November has brought a change in the markets. People have begun to buy and they have REALLY begun to buy. I’m getting a lot of nice reports from established crafters doing a number of established shows.
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One friend scrapped several shows due to weather issues. Extreme winds can do a lot of damage to both merchandise and display equipment. One of those she left early on the first day of a 2-day show had seemed to start off well but the winds picked up and ran at a steady 25-30 mph by early afternoon when she pulled the plug. At that point she had covered her expenses but was fighting a losing battle with the weather. Many of the exhibitors had already gone for the day. The weather did not let up and they did not even attempt to set up on the second day. So, basically that one was a wash.

Her product line is mostly fabric and includes both practical household items as well as stuffed toys and animals which are predominantly designed as “collectibles.” She makes a few toy items also. Some products are priced in the $5 range as “bread and butter” type sales but they do average more in the $20-$35 area.

Her next show is a long one, beginning the first of November and running through a 3-week span. (Still going at this posting.) Sales have been steady - not overwhelming but not bad, either. In her part of the country (extreme Southwest) this is still an outdoor event so weather still plays a factor. There will be some “closed” days due to weather so she won’t be able to assess the success of the show until next week. She‘s thinking this is the best she‘s done there in the three years she‘s been doing this show!

She snuck in an extra one day show amidst the long one and says sales were great! At that show, she mainly had a number of her smaller less expensive items and quite a few tree ornaments. Folks were definitely there to shop.

**Latest update from this friend - she is amazed at her sales this year. The best she’s seen in the six years she has been living and selling in that part of the country! She’s starting to run out of stock and is frantically working to stock her shelves! She’s asking, “What recession?”
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The same weekend as that first show, another pal in another part of the country (upper Midwest) did a 2--day show that was fantastic! This particular area of the country was one of the hardest hit by the recent economic crisis and recovery there will take years but folks were out and not just attending the show but buying in full force. She’s been doing shows for many years and declared this a very successful and profitable weekend.

This crafter does mostly painted wooden items ranging from tree ornaments, to household décor items, toys and a lot of seasonal pieces. Her prices range from $5 through about $45 for the most part.

Her next show, a smaller one was also a resounding success. She’s been very pleasantly surprised. Luckily, she and her husband/partner have worked steadily through the last few months and, although the house looks like a warehouse, they have had no trouble keeping stocked for these great sales. They can keep up by working at a reasonable pace between weekend shows.

They are currently gearing up for the “BIG” show they do over the Thanksgiving weekend. Hopefully the big sales will follow them through that event, too!
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Yet another acquaintance (this one in the Southeast) began showing at a weekly one-day market November 1st and will continue exhibiting there through the holiday season. The opening weekends for her have been very successful forcing her to frantically work to restock. She amazes me with her production pace! Her products are all fabric creations and range from $5 through $100 (some even higher). She has been more than pleasantly surprised by her success there.

She also has another craft show (not part of the weekly market) scheduled for this week and has been gearing up for what she anticipates to be higher sales. A recent transplant, this is her first selling season in that part of the country so she does not have an established following there.
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Rounding out this week’s reports is one from yet another friend in the New York City area. She’s completed several street type festivals and one boutique style show within the last few weeks. Her items are more high-end, ranging from $45-$250 (utilitarian fabric creations) and sales have been “satisfactory” but not overwhelming. She has, however, made many contacts and has received some follow-up orders. A true assessment can’t be made until the holidays are over as folks tend to go home and consider purchases of this size before making the actual transaction.
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Last week I told you about the big Autumn Festival in Omaha. I witnessed many sales being made at that event and they seemed evenly distributed among the various crafters. No one type of item gobbling up all the sales.
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This is not to say there have not been a number of duds among these gems. I’ve also heard from a number of folks reporting none or very dismal sales at more than one show. Quite a few of the older, established shows were canceled this year for whatever reasons. (I have to assume the economy has made a few blows.) This left many veteran artists and crafters searching for new venues.

Many of us are still waiting for the swarm to hit our online shops. I’m holding out judgment there until after the Thanksgiving weekend. Personally, I am trying to gear up for that anticipated surge. In the meantime, I am working my way through the sales coming from many of my repeat customers who have kindly started their Christmas shopping early.

Here’s wishing y’all a busy sales season starting now!!!

37 Days and Counting - Christmas is rushing this way!

And the count rolls on -- 37 days and counting (fast).

I'm not ready. I keep fighting the urge to hit the "panic button" already. (There'll be plenty of time for that later.) Maybe someone could come up with an "Easy" button like that big office supply box store offers. That way we could avoid the panic and just sit back and enjoy the season.

The week before Thanksgiving is significant because it's my week to prepare for the holiday prep rush. Would that be more accurately referred to as Pre-Preparing?

I give a lot of homemade candy and baked goods as gifts so my kitchen needs to be ready for production line candy making and baking. I need the proper supplies and need to be able to locate all the dishes, pans, utensils, etc. quickly and easily. I spent today organizing my cabinets for smoother operation. A long as I was at it, I changed the shelf paper, too. I began my shopping list for candy supplies. Tomorrow, I need to inventory the baking supplies and review the recipes so I can round out that grocery list. I need to organize the refrigerator so I have at least two open shelves with enough room to cool candy.

Also, in preparation for the holiday rush and confusion, I try to stockpile some quick dinners that can simply be whipped out and thrown in the oven. Normally, I have some containers of jambalaya, gumbo, crab soup, pulled pork and stuffed shells on hand in the freezer. But stock of these is a little low at the moment. This, I need to work on this week. I also need to lay in supplies of the ingredients for some quick dips and other finger foods as we often have small impromptu get-togethers with our friends or get invited out at the last minute. I hate to go to someone's home empty-handed. Looks like I'll be spending some time in the grocery stores in the next few days.

I have some heavy-duty cleaning to do before I start decorating the house. I usually wash all my drapes before hanging my garlands, wreaths and such. I really wanted to whip up some new curtains for my living room but, realistically, it doesn't look like a good move. (This has been on my "To Do" list since this time last year.)

Every year, I swear I'll get those Christmas cards addressed "early" and get them in the mail before the last possible day. (Yes, I HAVE mailed some on Christmas Eve. Heck, I've even thrown some in the box on the 26th! ) Growing up, I wanted to be just like one of my aunts. She always spent the Thanksgiving holiday addressing her cards and mailed them the following Monday. To do that, I need to dig out at least one box of Christmas stuff to determine how many cards I have left from last year and what I need to pick up. (I already have my doubts about accomplishing this before then!)

I did hope to be almost overwhelmed with sales by now. That just isn't happening. I'm getting a nice flow of sales - mostly offline, but nothing overwhelming. I don't know whether to worry that they'll all come at the same time and definitely cause panic or if I should just accept this leisurely pace and just be grateful to have the opportunity to get our personal holiday needs taken care. (I do lean toward wanting the sales, though!)

The biggest problem with pre-Christmas planning is the fact that our lives don't stand still in the meantime to let us do all those things. We still have things like birthdays, appointments, Fall yard work, church and business obligations and other pulls on our daily schedules. Many of us travel or entertain through the Thanksgiving weekend. We simply squeeze Christmas preps in around these.

Like tomorrow, I plan to get outside and rake (again) and, hopefully, clean up the last of the flower beds. Then, I'll come in and throw some fresh paint on my yard reindeer. You know the kind - they're cut from plywood and pack up flat for storage. Mine are simply painted white but their paint has gotten a bit weather worn over the last few seasons. They definitely need some sprucing up. I also need to find them some spiffy new bows. I like the large red plastic ones usually available in the Dollar Store.

Hope your pre-holiday prep plans are going smoothly. (FYI - 37 days = only 5 weekends!)

Fun Eats in Ohio

As we are both Certified BBQ Judges with the Kansas City BBQ Society, we hate to miss an opportunity to check out interesting BBQ restaurants. So we were eager to try Jed's BBQ & Brew located directly across the street from our motel in Maumee, Ohio (just outside of Toledo) last week.

The parking lot was practically overflowing so The Big Guy had me jump out to check on how long a wait we'd have. Turns out the joint is much larger inside than it looks so I was seated immediately. While waiting for him to find somewhere to park, I began skimming the menu. Surprisingly, the only "BBQ" on the menu was a pulled pork sandwich hidden among other sandwich selections. (The waitress says they do have ribs on Tuesdays.) Surprised but not disappointed, we were fascinated by some of the interesting offerings. Basically a sports bar, Jed's offers a "pub style" selection but with some quirky twists!

Their signature item is "Fire Balls." The original Fire Ball is a boneless, skinless chicken chunk (larger than a nugget) that's been lightly breaded, flash fried and then dunked in a sauce of your choice. Among the 15 sauces offered are the usual flavors as well as names like "Superfly", "Hot Honey", "Sweet Jalapeno", "Sweet Baby Jane's", "Jed's Secret Sauce" and "Mike's Louisiana Licker". We tried the Mike's. It was sweet with a kick.

The interesting twist to the Balls is the list of "Specialty Balls" with names like "Hangover Balls", "Thunder Balls", "Freak Balls", "Fungus Balls", "Garbage Balls" and "Bette Balls". Basically, these are dishes of Fire Balls with toppings (like a nacho platter). "Hangover Balls" are topped with shredded cheese, tater tots, green pepper, onions, bacon and two fried eggs! "Garbage Balls" offer bacon, sauteed mushrooms, fries, black olives, Bleu cheese crumbles and cheese. So what are "Bette Balls"? A lot of the menu items bear names so I guess this was Bette's personal concoction - chopped hard boiled eggs, bacon and cucumbers, all tossed in Bette dressing and then served on a bed of spinach.

Another specialty is "Spudsters," deep fried mashed potatoes offered with a choice of sauces, sour cream, ranch dressing or butter. These are NOT your Mama's pan-fried potato patties. These are balls of mashed potatoes which have been battered and then deep fat fried. We didn't try these but they did look good as they passed by our table!

They also offered some unique pizza combinations, fries with various toppings, some really creative burgers, salads and fried pickles.

It took us a while just to read the menu and even longer to make up our minds, We only regret we couldn't try more of the unique items. Maybe next trip. (We usually seem to stop at this point, often staying in the same motel.)

Jed's also has locations in Toledo proper, Perryburg, Bowling Green and is soon opening in Sylvania, Ohio, too.

We're actually planning to serve our own version of Fire Balls at a get-together we have coming up. Seems easy enough to execute and is something different from the run-of-the-mill nibbles this time of year.

Why not give it a try yourself? Go ahead, get creative with them.

My husband is a WHAT?!?!?

Do y'all remember those little single frame "Love is ... " cartoons?

They were originally based on little love notes from Kim Grove Casali to her future husband, Roberto Casali. As time went by, they morphed into one of the longest running syndicated comic strips around. Kim passed away in 1997 but her son, Stefano Casali, maintains the comic strip and continues to sign them "Kim."


Over the years, I think Kim must have hit on every possible expression of love but I wasn't able to find one that said what I was thinking today:


LOVE IS ...

Supporting your mate's interests!! (while wearing a smile)


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For years, I've silently carried a heavy secret burden. This has gone on for far too many years. I now feel I need to come clean and today's the day. If you think any less of me after hearing the facts, so be it. I'm hoping as friends (and I consider ALL of you my friends), you can simply accept my situation and not hold it against me in the future.


Here goes: I married a numismatist ! What's worse? He's also a philatelist! (Oh, the shame!!)


Neither affliction was obvious when we met. I mean, he didn't have a scarlet "N" or "P" on his forehead. Those facts came out slowly, over time, as our relationship developed. By the time I realized these things, we were madly, hopelessly, in love. Things could be worse. Remember the movies Married to the Mob and I Married an Axe Murderer? (Then again, he started both as a child. Does that mean I married the class "geek" or "nerd"?)


There were little clues along the way. He never dropped a handful of change in his pocket without carefully studying each coin. Before taking out the recycle bin, he always checked the old envelopes for interesting stamps and postmarks. But the most obvious indicator was he knew really obscure answers while watching Jeopardy. Always explaining the knowledge by noting there was a stamp or coin commemorating the event or person!


The stamp collecting seemed to have reached a dead-end before we got together. Three large, scrapbook-like albums, hidden away in a closet, are the only evidence of that part of his past. (We all have secret stashes, don't we?) However, back in the early days, he dragged me to few coin shows where I actually "faked it." (Yep, that happens in a lot of relationships.) I "oohed" and "ahhed" and tried to seem impressed.


The Big Guy seemed to put the coin collecting on the back burner while he pursued other interests. He did keep subscribing to Coin World (a weekly numismatic publication) and kept himself up-to-date on coin news. Occasionally, he'd quietly add something to his collection. He threw me for a loop on Friday though, when he came home and announced he wanted to attend the big coin show in Baltimore this weekend!


What could I say? I tried to seem enthusiastic and supportive. I wore comfortable shoes and tried to psyche myself up about strolling aisle after aisle of glass cases full of coins that, after the second aisle, really do all look alike to the layman (or "woman" as the case may be.) Some are gold, some are silver. Some are large, some are small. Yadda, yadda, yadda...


The Big Guy's eyes glowed as he studied the various displays. He talked animatedly with the vendors. They all spoke in English but using terms I could not follow well. I felt like an alien in their world. I finally excused myself and found a seat and cold drink in the concession area. (Okay, I admit it. I did plan ahead and took a book in my purse.)


A short while later, he emerged from the exhibition hall, smiling and happy. He was in a good mood. That made me feel good for him. We went out for a nice dinner afterward.


All in all, it was a GOOD DAY!

More Memories

Yesterday was my big brother’s birthday. Or, at least it would have been had he still been with us. He passed away, suddenly, on December 13, 2007 at the age of 57. That was a very rough time for us as the family experienced two deaths within 24 hours that week.
I wasn’t going to write about the occasion at all, but I felt like I needed to mention it, if only to soothe my own mind. There are still times when I hear news of an old friend or a family event that I think I’ll have to call and tell him about it - and then, I remember I can‘t do that.

When he came to mind throughout the day yesterday, I tried to think of all the good things he got to experience and how much he managed to enjoy his time here with us. He was married to the love of his life for 35 years and together they had two wonderful children. He was able to be there for both his son’s and daughter’s college graduations and weddings and welcomed his first grandchild in August, 2007.

A Harley man, he loved to mount his bike and head off down the highway with his riding buddies. His wife took a long time to come around to the joys of riding and had only begun riding with him in the last few years and had even (finally) gotten her own motorcycle operator’s license. (She drove along behind him in her car for many of his adventures!) He rarely missed a Bike Week in Daytona and had finally made the long ride from the East Coast to Sturgis in 2006. (My S-I-L flew out there!)
In the last decade or so, they had purchased a condo at the beach and had enjoyed many a weekend walking the boardwalk and stretching out in the sun on the sand. He was a laid back kind of guy, much more comfortable in a pair of bib overalls than in a suit. (I’m not even sure he owned the latter!)

As kids, we were close. He was my protector and my co-conspirator when we ganged up on our older sister. While I was single, he helped keep my vehicles running and provided other “male” support when necessary. Like most of our family, he was a bit of a night owl. The best, most involved phone conversations happened after 10 at night - the later, the longer the call. For the last 12 to 15 years, he’d worked the night shift and enjoyed it!

After my mom had become disabled by several strokes and was unable to live on her own, he and his family completely rearranged their lives and home to accommodate her and he made the best nursemaid and companion for her one can imagine. No amount of money could have bought better care for her in those last few years.

As always, we regret the things we never said. I hope he knew how grateful I was to him for all he’d done for me over the years. I’m sure I didn’t thank him enough. I know we didn’t talk as frequently as we should have in those last few years as we each pursued life with our individual families.

I’m not quite sure how to end this statement, except to say, I miss him. We all do.

Santa's in Court ?!?!?

Santa was in court today! The People’s Court that is. Seems he sent his best red suit out to the cleaner’s and the fur came back pink!!!! It was new for this past holiday season and cost him $800. It was ruined!

That particular cleaner claimed to have experience cleaning Santa suits (They say they do about 10 a year.) and were concerned that his suit did not contain a care label. The receptionist claims to have warned him the color may bleed. When he went back to pick it up, all of the fur was bright pink!! The cleaner said he’d fix it. After a run around of several weeks, Santa returned to get his “fixed” suit and found it in pieces. The red parts in one pile, the fur in another. The cleaner had tried to bleach the fur. That didn’t work.

The cleaner tried to claim this was a manufacturer’s defect. He claimed the back of the receipt denies liability for color loss. BUT, don’t mess with Santa. Santa pointed out the suit didn’t lose color but, instead, gained color!! (He had a point there!) Santa believed the bleached fur had lost its luster and just wouldn’t do. And paid $500 to have all of the fur replaced with new fur.

Judge Milian listened patiently to both parties. She agreed the cleaner had not truly stated they might not be able to satisfactorily do the job in light of the garment not having any specific care instructions and should have had Santa sign some sort of waiver. They didn’t. She felt the cleaner could have done more to make the claim right when the problem occurred.

On the other hand, she also felt Santa went overboard. The bleached fur was bright white but may well have lost some of its glow but she questioned whether that glow would have faded anyway with a cleaning even if it had stayed white. She believed the fur would have been just fine if reattached in its bleached state. In her opinion, Santa should have taken the bleached fur pieces to his seamstress and allowed her to reattach them to the suit to his satisfaction. Such action would have cost considerably less as he would have only paid for the labor not for all new fur.

Santa won his case but only to the tune of $150!!! So, if the pile under the tree is just a little smaller this year, blame the cleaner. If Santa had gotten a larger award maybe he could have spent a little more on you!

As for the cleaner, he shouldn’t expect too much. Santa’s definitely assigned him to the naughty list.

Moral: Don’t mess with Santa!