End of the 2009 Craft Season

Christmas 2009 has come and gone, we had a great year this past year despite all that is happening around us. My wife and I completed 10 days of craft shows, a new record for us. We had a few great days and we had a few crappy days and we learned more and more from each show we have done.

The pictures posted here are from a patterns furnished by Steve's Scrollsaw Workshop Blog @ http://scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com/. The original design had hearts on it. I modified this and place some cut outs of Vermont and New york, I also designed a Christmas Tree cut out. We sold these at our last 2 shows and they did well enough to make sure we have them for next year. For those new to this blog my wife and I started doing craft show 3 seasons ago at an Aunts suggestion. We started doing the craft shows just to pay for our Christmas. Each year our Christmas has been growing and growing. We really enjoy doing the craft shows.

I learn something different at each show. Sometimes we learn something good, sometimes it not so good. next season we will be doing as many shows as this year but a few of the locations will be different. Most of our shows are done in Upstate NY and Vermont. All within an hour drive of the house on a good (no snow) day. Next year I believe we will expand our boundaries some and try to make it to some of the bigger cities and towns around here.

Today is Dec 30Th and I have already started cutting for next years Christmas season. We ran out of a lot of items this past year and I do not want to do that again. I spent a good deal of time in the basement yesterday, today I will not be so lucky, its approx 11 degrees below zero and my basement is not heated. Today will be a good day to just sit around and play some video games with the wife on the new WII Santa brought us for Christmas.

DUI Help Florida

I know what Mrs Santa is getting for Christmas

This week-end was a crazy week-end for us. We did back to back craft show this week-end. On Saturday we did a show in Vergennes, Vermont and did FANTASTIC. This was by far our best show ever, and today we did a show in Warrensburgh, New York at Echo Lake Lodge and wow... what a beautiful place. We have done both of these shows before and we did well at both this year.

About half the way through the show today this Gentleman came in with his wife. A tall man with Jeans and nice jacket and a long white beard. This gentleman was the spitting image of Santa Claus. He came to our table and bought his wife a nice gift. Since it is not Christmas yet I do not want to ruin his surprise, so I cannot say what he bought her, but I am sure she will like it.

One more craft show to do this year. We have have done 9 shows since the 1st weekend in November and I have to confess, I am ready for a break in craft shows. Its time to get back to my saw and get busy for next year. We have lots of new ideas to work on.

DUI Help Florida

Kangaroo Earrings are a big hit at the Outback Steakhouse.

I took my wife and 2 daughters and son in law to the Outback for a nice lunch yesterday and as usual we had a great time. As our waitress was taking our order I took out a pair of Kangaroo earrings that I had cut out and asked her is she had ever seen anything like this and she said no she had never seen anything like these and she lover them. I gave her a pair and we had great service the rest of the day. One other waitress came over and asked about the earrings so I gave her the last pair that I brought with us. She stated she would like to buy more but the outback we went to is about an hour away so we do not get a chance to go there to often.

I had to make a note to myself. the next time we go to Outback Steakhouse, bring about 10 pair or earrings, it might just pay for the dinner.

The kangaroo earrings pictured above are cut from cherry. I got the pattern for these out of Creative Woodwork's & Crafts Holiday 2008 issue. This pattern is from Dave Van Ess.

I have cut several Hundred of the earrings of different shapes and sizes. I now mostly use clip art to design my own our my daughters have come up with some great earring ideas as well. I am on vacation this week and plan on making a few earring holders to go with the earrings. DUI Help Florida

Middlebury Vermont Craft show 11-21-09

We are in the middle of our third year of Holiday Craft Shows. I took a second and compared some. Here is the picture of our very first Craft show. Notice the simplicity of it all.

Here are pictures of our last craft show. Notice the lack of simplicity. We have come a long way in just 2 years. The set up in the first picture took about 10 minutes. Now the set up takes about an hour and a half.

These are just a few of the things we do for "fun" around here. We have 5 more shows till we are done the holiday season. I am looking forward to it as I know my wife is also looking forward to the break. We get a few weeks off and we start getting ready for 2010 holiday season.

Thanksgiving is just a few days away. The turkey will come out of the freezer tonight and start its defrost. We have invited friends and family. We found out yesterday that our oldest daughter and our new son-in law will be able to join us. We just have to have dinner a little earlier. Mom is coming up so Frank and I will be down in the basement for a few hours making some sawdust of some kind or another. My Aunt and cousin will be over and the wife has invited a few friends over as well. Thanksgiving is the start of my favorite time of the year. I get to be a kid for a month or so. I do so love the holidays.

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.

Geno and family. DUI Help Florida

Bristol Vermont Craft Show

Here is where the hard work pays off. We Just finished up with a craft show in Bristol Vermont, for those of you who know Bristol Vermont, it has a population of about 1200 if you count the dogs and cats. We had a great time at the craft show which was done at the local high school. Todays show had a so-so showing, the weather was terrible, 45 degrees and raining and windy. We still picked up a fair amount, not the best show to date but a good show none the less.

This is our second year at this site and folks are already coming back and talking to us about last year and even better, next year. The economy here is hard hit like most small towns. We ran into alot of old friends and made a few new ones. I guess that is what I like about the craft shows. Its really a social event for me. Our big sellers were some parking signs I made for both Red Sox and Yankee fans alike. I think next year I will add some football and hockey teams as well.

Our Christmas ornaments went well as usual and I was surprised at how little our earrings did, but the truth be told, everyone was selling earrings there. It has been a long day and I have to get up and run to Lowes tomorrow and get some more wood so we can do this craft show thingy again next Saturday in Middlebury Vermont. DUI Help Florida