Poster Perfect

Etsy sponsored a contest for users to design a poster that showcased a curated collection of items listed for sale on Etsy. One of the 60 winning designs features my Teal Bow Earrings--what a thrill! And what a gorgeous poster by Lunalove.



Etsy says "We are going to be giving these posters away at fairs and festivals. They will be used to promote the featured artisans, the artistic eye of our curators, and a hint of the beauty to be found at Etsy." See the full archive of winning-poster-gorgeousity here.

Crime Scene Photos

So, I just went up into the attic of the garage to start collecting craft show stuff. And what do I find, hiding under a tarp, but a horrifying crime scene.

(Note to self: try to remember to remove food items from boxes after you move and *before* you store them in the garage and forget about them for three years)


Not only did the little buggers (raccoons? porcupines? opossum?) get at my Good Cocoa (MarieBelle, yuuuuummmmm.....I can't believe I forgot about it), BUT THEY PRANCED ALL AROUND WITH THEIR COCOA-COVERED PAWS. Seriously, that's just rude.

Gearing Up

As the summer days dwindle in length and number (and I think "where the HELL did the summer go?!"), my focus turns to fall.....and with it, the annual Craft Show Parade.

This year, I'm aiming to do three craft shows, which is two more than last year. Yipes! I'd better start ramping up the production now if I hope to have enough inventory.

I also need to make some modifications to my show set-up.


Here's the lovely booth I had last year at the Ashfield Fall Festival (a must-go for anyone in Southern/Western New England--it's the cutest small-town fair ever). I was really, really pleased with the way the grid turned out for the earring display. But I was underwhelmed by the effect of the big board of necklaces.


My uncle John (who does displays for the Winterthur Museum Store) came up with a couple of great suggestions that I've been playing around with. But if anyone else has any brilliant ideas on how to better display the necklaces and bracelets, I'd love to hear 'em.

Times I'm Glad I Don't Live in NYC Anymore

There's a lot to miss about my old life living in Brooklyn and working in Manhattan.

But frequent subway flooding is not one of them.

The first time the subway flooded when I was there, I had to walk from 34th and 9th to 51st and 3rd (that's a bit of a hike). About halfway thru my slog, soaked up to the knees by the rain and puddles, a homeless man came running at me and tried to knock me down. Luckily, I parried and was able to keep my balance when he rammed into my shoulder.

Ahhhh, good times.

Dear Mr. Spider Living Outside My Bedroom Window,

you are one giant mo-fo. Please don't eat me in my sleep. Thank you.

So THAT'S why my iPod has a mirrored back.

Picture yourself on a walk down a country road on a late summer afternoon. The crickets are making that "it's so HOT!" noise and and the goldenrod is starting to paint the fields yellow. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a large bug does a kamakaze divebomb straight into your eyeball. In mortal terror, it burrows straight into the depths of your eye socket—and suddenly, all you can think about is getting that f**ker out.


You desperately jam your fingers in there, hoping that introducing another foreign body will somehow cancel out the terrible sensation of bug-death-throws-in-my-eyeball. You wonder if the neighbors will think you're strange when you run up and beg them for a mirror so you can get the damn thing out.

And then, you remember your iPod. Steve Jobs, you're a genius.