Apple Blossom Time

It’s apple blossom time and the petals are just beginning to fall.

apple tree in blossom

full bloom

With only one tree, we still might get a fair harvest, depending on what the deer and bugs decide to leave alone:)

closeup of apple tree

petals are beginning to fall

And I am enjoying the fragrance and beauty of lilacs that a friend gave me yesterday 🙂 Put your nose close to your computer screen and take a deep breath! Can you smell them?

lilac blooms

beautiful lilacs

Have a great Memorial Day weekend as we remember and thank all who have sacrificed for our country.

Advertisement

Last Weekend’s Show

Last weekend’s show was a morel (mushroom) festival.We set up Fri morning for the three days. Friday it was somewhat cold, but it is May in Michigan, so we prepared with our winter coats. (Problem; my finger-less gloves kept getting caught in the wool I was demonstrating spinning with.) At almost closing time the brave souls who had ventured out had slowed to a frozen trickle, so I took my wheel back to the car and we prepared to close.

An outdoor event meant my husband’s paintings needed to be packed safely away for the night, maybe a plastic over my yarn, table skirts raised to keep them from wicking ground moisture up to the displays, and finally we finished by dropping and zipping down the sides.

It started a cold rain as we finished up, so son and I sat with the car heater running to warm up. Luckily I had spoken to one of the food vendors and he was staying open past closing time. We chose a delicious smoked turkey sandwich (hot) and retreated to our warm “dining car.” (Husband had left before the rain started for his part-time job, and then home !) Son and I were “camping” in the car (actually a suburban) and the utility trailer- (I have a mattress in it!) We were “parked in” for the duration, so driving to a local restaurant wasn’t possible and we didn’t want to get wetter walking! Especially when the weather is iffy I prefer being closer to our set-up for night-time security.

Saturday I put on flannel lined pants and as many jackets as I could, happy to have brought my felted hat! High temperatures were in the 30’s (F). Whitecaps were blowing in from as far out as we could see, and by closing time we had decided to break down and lose vending for Sunday! We weren’t the only ones, as many tents were close to blowing away. (In case of weather show organizers will normally agree with that decision 🙂

Sales seemed slow, but after adding things up, better than I’d thought! Sunday we awoke to SNOW!

snow in May

Those white specks are falling snow!

I did return to the town to discuss a custom order that had been initiated in a conversation on Sat. (glad she took my number to call) and I have started work on it.

3-ply linen

3-ply, two shades of blue+one white, linen.

Sorry I didn’t take any pictures of the show, but didn’t want to freeze my camera! It took a day for us to thaw out 🙂

Here are some of my FO’s (finished objects). I have also been making prints and more magnet prints of husband’s art for the up-coming shows.

 

skewed small shawl.

multi-color shawlette, plied with black. Shawl pin by Cliff.

third skewed shalette

almost finished, wild-berry with variegated burgundy edge

It’s a never-ending process when re-stocking inventory means making instead of ordering, but we wouldn’t have it any other way 🙂

tree fungus

fungi from a friend, waiting to be wood-burned and varnished!

garden

and a garden that needs planting.

Are you making things? Buying more local? Buying more hand made things?

 

Blogging Branding

I signed up for blogging branding through WordPress U . Without a posted start date, it started immediately. Checking out the tag bloggingbranding in the reader I realized why they no longer have a private commons for members of this course as they had in Blogging 101. Everyone is starting this 10-day course on their own schedule!

Now that I am three days into the course, I still haven’t done the assignment for day one; “Set three goals for your blog.” Their resource page seems to be recommending goals with a 2-3 month time-line. If you have been following my blog, you will realize that we do craft shows and that this blog is mainly to communicate with anyone interested in learning more about our retirement business of crafting. But some of our other interests will also appear from time to time.

This is the beginning of our busy summer season (as you may have gathered from my lack of posts.) Therefore I have decided that although I do need to learn more about consistent blogging/branding, my priority now needs to be ensuring everything is set properly for the craft shows, to continue growing our local business.

So as an official start to this course here are my summer blog goals;

  1. to continue posting at least twice a month (more if I can make/find time)
  2. collect and read all the information from the class and start to utilize it this fall.
  3. Increase followers by 50% by the end of the year.

A heartfelt thanks to all who have made the choice to follow our blog. Keep in touch, enjoy the summer, and watch for eventual improvements.Any suggestions are welcome in comments.

Meanwhile, here is a quick look at some things started a couple of weeks ago. More editing and  there will be FO’s for next time 🙂

hand dyed wools

Hand dyed wool & nylon yarn, wool, mohair, & nylon yarn, and merino wool top.

hand dyed

Another colorway, the top has now become yarn!

pastel purple merino wool

On my wheel

knitting

a shawlette on my needles

 

Craft Show Success

What makes a craft show a success? At yesterday’s show it took us the full three hours before the show to unload and set  up! Throughout the day we saw familiar faces as well as new ones, talked to many people who gladly accepted our show schedule for the year and made some sales.

Kalkaska Craft Show

ready to sketch

#2 Kalkaska Craft Show

some of Edwin’s art, including black light

#3 Kalkaska Craft Show

more of Edwin’s art

#4 Kalkaska Craft Show

the rest of Edwin’s booth

Trying a new set up with new additions to our display equipment took a little longer to set up, but we liked the results (and of course have plans to tweak it more for our outdoor shows that are coming up 🙂

#5 Kalkaska Craft Show

Bev’s Woodburning

#6 Kalkaska Craft Show

Some of Bev’s Hats and Yarn

#7 Kalkaska Craft Show

a closer view

#8 Kalkaska Craft Show

Bev’s Soy Candles

#9 Kalkaska Craft Show

Back side of Soy Candles and more wood burning as well as packing space and corner of spinning wheel.

#10 Kalkaska Craft Show

Cliff finishing his 5′ table

#11 Kalkaska Craft Show

Ready for viewing!

Customers were great and interest was shown in some potential custom orders.

At the end of the day we were tired but happy! Now we are rested and it’s time to make a few more things before our next shows. And we will have to readjust the trailer to hold the tents and weights that we will need for next time 🙂