Monday, December 17, 2007

Wrap it up!

I have to confess that I am a gift wrapping junkie. I get it honestly from my Mom. She is famous for her handmade bows that include pinecones, ornaments, bells, and fabric ribbon. My Dad even promised to get her a holster for the hot glue gun she uses to attach the bows to the gift-wrapped boxes. I know, its not as bad as it sounds. They are quite gorgeous and tasteful (they are just hard to describe). We loved those fancy ribbons so much that after opening presents we would scavenge the torn wrappings to rescue the bows and save them for the next year. So now that I am grown up and live a few provinces away, I have to do my wrapping holsterless. I spent last night wrapping my gifts up carefully and packing them in my luggage, sandwiching them between my undies and woolly sweaters. Tonight, I am working on filling one more box with handmade bows and plan to attach them to the gifts once I get back to my mom's house. Maybe she will let me use her glue gun to stick them on the boxes!

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Let it snow, etc. etc.

Whew. It snowed all night and all day today and I love it. It reminds me of my childhood on the prairies. The light fluffy flakes would stack up on the fence posts and the air was so still it would sit there for days until my pet cat would playfully push some of it off. I love how time stands still during a snowstorm and everyone has to stay indoors. No rushing off to go shopping or to the post office. I get to spend the whole day at home enjoying it.

The ceramic sale went better than I expected and I sold every single mug with my new Dark Olive glaze. There are going to be quite a few happy people out there receiving my dotted olive trays for Christmas. Here are the only tumblers left so I listed them on Etsy this morning. I have quite a bit of work to do in the new year to replenish my shop but for now I am going to grab my favorite mug and enjoy watching the huge flakes fall for a while. Cheers!

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Craft Sale Kudos

I had so much fun on Saturday at the Tranzac Club. I arrived early to set up and was pretty busy all day so the time just flew. I was surrounded by some interesting gals who kept me giggling and full of caffeine. My hottest seller was of course my olive trays because the dots look so cute that everyone just wants to touch them. The day was sunny so traffic was steady. My hubby even brought me a snack in the middle of the day to keep me going. Online selling is great but it sure is nice to talk about my art in person. I had one lovely lady who bought one of my biggest bowls and said she was moving to Vancouver tomorrow. I gave her advice of how to pack it safely and was amazed that she felt the urge to purchase one of my pieces just before the long trek. (She was driving with her two young sons all the way across Canada. In winter.)I have a bit of work to do to get everything restocked but am looking forward to next Saturday. Same time, Same place! This is my last big sale and then I get to take a much needed rest to visit my family over the holidays. If you are still looking for gifts or just need a little treat for yourself, check out the Tranzac Club Sat. 12-6. There is a great variety of sellers and I know I will be shopping while I am there!

Friday, December 7, 2007

Free Shipping

I am almost set for the holidays and just need to wrap all of the fabulous gifts I have made for my friends and family. Even though I value handmade and original gifts, there are a few that I had to break down and buy. In my search for the perfect gift, I found a great site to help everyone save some money while you are at it. Check out freeshipping.org . It has links to all stores that have free shipping online. So, before you buy, check to see if this site has a coupon code to get your purchase to you for free! Happy shopping!

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Holiday Gift Sale

So here I am, Saturday afternoon, waiting to open my kiln and furiously refill it again to try and squeeze as much ware into it as possible. I am less than a week away from participating in the Annual Artisans Gift Fair. I will be at 292 Brunswich Ave in Toronto on both Sat 8th and Sat 15th. I always enjoy chatting with the other artists and purchasing a few handmade goodies for holiday gifts too. If you are in town, check it out. It is well worth the stop!