The Queen City Craft Bazaar

I'm in it. Yes!

According to the coordinator:

The spring edition will be held on Saturday May 9th from 10am-5pm at Union Station at 1 Main Street in Burlington...

The Queen City Craft Bazaar is a unique showcase of Vermont indie crafters, artists, and designers produced by Queen City Craft.

Come check it out. (And remember, Mother's Day is the following day, May 10th.)

Spring has Sprung

St Mtn 08
Originally uploaded by Jamilary

It's finally springtime in Burlington, Vermont. (I think.)

The warm weather has me thinking about getting outside for arts and crafts festivals here and in Atlanta. I've put in applications for both the Queen City Craft Bazaar here in VT and the Indie Craft Experience in Atlanta.

According to the Queen City Craft blog, the deadline for the QCCB has been extended (again) to Monday, March 30th. I really hope that there's a good turn out this year . I think the QCCB in 2007 was when I first realized that I might actually be able to make good money selling Jamilary. So, I was quite disappointed that it wasn't held last year. This one is an indoor market, which is fine by me because I don't have a canopy and outdoor market gear in VT.

Applications for the Indie Craft Experience are due on April 17th. Despite the fact that last summer's ICE was anti-ice (It was hot as hell!) I would be so honored to be a part of this year's two day show. Alright, I'm schmoozing a bit, I guess.

But seriously, indie crafters are feeling the brunt of the recession just like anyone else. I've been trying to think of creative ways to market Jamilary while thinking of creative ways to graduate from my program with my sanity. School has definitely been winning out during the past few months (not in the battle with my sanity but in the battle with Jamilary). Festivals and markets allow me to set aside time for my craft, though. And more importantly, they give me the opportunity to interact with potential customers. Etsy gives me some ideas about my most popular items, but seeing which items people gravitate towards in person informs me more. Plus, as my mom says, "You've got to touch the jewelry. You've got to hold it to appreciate it."

Do you know of other venues where people can touch and hold Jamilary? Which shows have you enjoyed participating in or attending?

Etcetera, etcetera

So, I'm starting my first full week without classes. On the one hand, I can't believe that I just completed my 2nd year of grad school, but on the other hand, I feel like I could describe every second. Long story short - grad school makes life hard, but the truth is, when I make myself think about it, I'm grateful to have the difficulties I do. I chose this path, and there are many people who wish they had this opportunity. So with classes out of the way, I can focus more on my research (i.e., mechanisms underlying substance use in kids with psychopathic traits..."psychopathic traits" is so not PC (and not 100% accurate), but it's probably means more to most people than "callous-unemotional traits") and my clients. I conduct individual and group psychotherapy in the community and at a women's correctional facility, and I love it. Being a therapist has made me become so aware of how common psychological problems are, and, at the same time, it has allowed me to see past my clients' problems. I sure would want someone else to do the same for me. Check this out, for example, for the forgotten moms in jail in Vermont.

I'm also on to ticking items off of my Jamilary to-do list. The 7th Indie Craft Experience (ICE) is in less than a month (June 7th), and I found out that I'm also in the 36th Annual Stone Mountain Village Arts and Crafts Festival the following weekend (June 14th and 15th). Coincididentally, I've just had 4 sales in my etsy shop in the last 24 hours, so I'm feeling quite encouraged. But, there's much to do, like buying a tent and sign for the shows, making a lot more jewelry, and deciding on items for the ICE swag bags. Yes, that's right, the first 500 shoppers receive swag bags filled with items/coupons/deals from the vendors.

And of course, regularly updating this blog is also on my eternal to-do list. I've made a decision to not apologize when I haven't posted in a while. I see other bloggers do it all the time. I don't want to turn this into a chore, though. When I have something to say (or more importantly, the time to say it), I'll write. I anticipate having both now that classes are out of the way, but I make no promises.

And while I'm on the subject, I just wanted to "speak" (a.k.a write) about my purpose in creating a blog. This is all for me. It's not some desperate attempt to be the center of (your) attention. It's a selfish move. I'm using this as a forum to promote my biz, and then I'm not. Occasionally, I'll write about other things like having MS or things that piss me off. Again, you can consider those posts to be selfish because they are my attempts to bring your attention to things that I'm thinking about. Thought you didn't know someone with MS? Don't really know what it is? Well, at least I got you thinking about it. Curiousity and interest are what lead to researchers finding a cure and funds being appropriated to the cause. Research and money lead to a cure; your sympathy does not (although support and consideration go a long way and are appreciated).

So, I'm off to take and upload more pics to the etsy shop. Here's a start: