Thursday, August 21, 2008

Disciples of Etsy invade Dallas

So-I'm back from Dallas and the Show Pony Show.  It was soooo much fun!  It was my first show and I think I did pretty good.  Even if I wouldn't have made the money I made, the weekend was so fun it would have more than made up for it.

I was off Friday and keeping busy getting ready for it.  That evening I went to my folks house for dinner with some family in from out of town and stayed later than I had expected so getting home later put me in bed later than anticipated.  After about 5 hours of sleep, I was up and at 'em again packing up the car and heading out to get Claudia.  We got her packed up and were off to Taraneh's house.  We stopped at Starbucks and off we went.  We were running early so we sat outside Taraneh's and visited for awhile waiting for JD to show up.  Once she got there, Taraneh came out, we packed up and were soon Southbound.  

We arrived in Dallas and headed straight for Make in the Bishop Arts District.  This was the coolest place I've seen.  It's a handmade boutique up front and room for classes in the back.  I'm jealous-we need a place like that in OKC.
We then grabbed some lunch at a great little Mexican joint and left for the House of Dang.  On the way there we took a detour to Dolly Python's.  This was the most eclectic place I have ever been.  It was insanely wonderful.  I found at least 100 things that I wanted but didn't purchase anything.  I was having a hard time justifying spending money when I had gone there to make money.

Finally we were off to House of Dang.  Now this joint is fabulous and Claudiasburningink sells her stuff there, so it was so cool to see someone's stuff for sale that you know.  We met one of the owners,  Andrew Bayer, who is so super cool, he should have a cape.

We then arrived at the hotel.  We stayed at Hotel Indigo and it was great.  I think I might want to live there, actually in the room that we stayed in.  With a bit of re-arranging and the addition of a stove, it would be perfect!  Anyway, we unwound, found somewhere to buy some good ole Texas beer and chilled for a little while.  We then got ready for the evening and headed out for a quick bite then off to the DoubleWide.  This was quite the bar.  They had rum and diet coke so it could have been a van that drove around the city and I wouldn't have cared.  We started on the patio then headed in when it started to rain.  My friend Mike met us there and we had some smart cocktails and caught up while the other gals went next door to listen to the bands.  I hear they were quite entertaining.  It was another late evening for me as I got to sleep around 4am.

Needless to say, 7am came very early.  JD was up and made me some coffee (Thanks JD, it hit the spot!), we all got around, checked out, piled into the cars and made our way to the Continential Lofts where the show was.  I knew I had to keep it together long enough to get set up then I could sit down.  I succeeded!  My table was organized and I got to sit for a little bit.  I ate my bagel and drank some water and I felt much better.

The show opened at 11am sharp and a steady stream of people started making their way up and down the hall.  Once I made my first sale, the rest came fairly steady.  Being my first show, I didn't really know what to expect so any sales were great in my opinion.  Some of my cards are of questionable taste so I didn't know how they would go over.  It was so fun to sit and watch people reactions as they read them.  Most laughed and laughed then had to read every one of them.  Others, well, let's just say they weren't amused.  Oh well, I was just happy some most people "got 'em".  It made me feel like I'm working towards a cause.

Lunch time arrived and after that I was completely back on my game.  I perused everyone's wares and visited with the vendors.  We met the Dallas Craft Mafia girls and they were soooo friendly.  I never once felt anything but welcome.  I was truly honored to be a part of the show as I know Claudia, JD and Taraneh did as well.  Thanks girls!!!

The show was closed at 7 and we were packed up and on the road back home by 7.30.  We made it to Denton, ate some dinner and high-tailed it North to OKC.  Claudia rode with me and we were full-on delirious by the time we made it to her house.  I have never been so happy to get my butt in my own bed in my life.  

The show was a great experience and I can't wait to be a part of the next one that those great girls get together.  I owe a HUGE thanks to everyone that made it happen, the crowd, the venue and the DCM girls were fantastic!  And a special thanks goes out to Claudia for bugging me enough to get me to go.  I wouldn't have missed it for anything!!!
If you want to see the photos, click on my Flickr badge to the right or click here.  There are also pics from JD HERE!

Now, fingers crossed I get into Indie Emporium!

-Paste out my loves
kate

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Show Pony Show...

Come see me, Claudiasburningink, JDStar and TaranehsBazaar!

News!

So-I got a new job. It's official today as I finally got my badge. It's a good picture so I figure it's kismet.
I am now employed by Hobby Lobby at their corporate compound in the Creative Department as a crafter. Yes people, you read that right, I'm a professional crafter. I get to spend the day making things with my hands, playing with glitter, glue, paint and scissors. I still have a hard time believing that this is a real job, but after one paycheck thus far, I guess it is, at least according to FICA.
I actually wake up and can't wait to get to work. I haven't ever known what it's like to make a living doing something you love until now. I hope it continues to be as exciting as the past two weeks have been.
I was leery about telling my boss I had defected because, well, because I sort of felt like I was a deserter. I knew they'd make it without me, heck, they did fine before I got there, nevertheless, I was nervous. The news came out and I felt a load rise off my shoulders as my boss smiled and said that she was happy for me and I think she really was.
On another note, I, along with fellow etsians Claudiasburningink, JD Star and TaranehsBazaar (check their links to the right) are heading to the big D, or Dallas as some call it for the Show Pony Show (See the flyerto the right or check them out at www.showponyshow.blogspot.com) on Sunday the 17th. If you're in the Dallas area or feel like a roadtrip, come see us! There's even going to be a real pony there from noon-2pm. Yeehaw!

Paste out
-kate