I've been ABVND for a little while due to (1) having a con in Des Moines last weekend, and (2) having my first major (well, for me!) crafts fair show next weekend. Things have been a tad frantic around here, and newsgroups dropped off the priority list. But wish me luck, guys; this is going to be a smallish show WAY out in West Texas -- Canyon, to be exact -- and although my partner is going along with the bumper sticker and T-shirts, this will be the first time
*I've* been the "lead merchant" for an event we were attending. I've been madly putting stuff together, trying to expand my inventory enough to cover two tables instead of my normal one, and one of those is going to be an 8' table! Plus we're making a nicer overhead rack for my silver pendant display (a bit more professional-looking than PVC pipe), and adding some laser-engraved jewelry bozes that have to be finished. And I'm re-pricing about half of my existing inventory, having concluded that my original prices were unrealistically low.
If I do well, the promoter who runs this show also runs a whole line of other shows in West Texas and up into NM, and I may sign up for a few more of his events.
Things have been so hectic that I nearly forgot my own birthday -- today (at least for another 25 minutes ). Only 2 more years until I can be a Red Hat!
Oh, and Karen -- the beads arrived, and they're gorgeous! I've already got the Evergreen Teardrop made up into a necklace; as I thought, it works beautifully with tree agate and lapis. I'll try to talk the Photo Expert into taking a shot of it before I put it into inventory, so you can see how it came out. The red heart is on hold until after I get back from the show, since it's for a friend's special event in June.
Celine