Looking for vans!

School is finally out! I passed my classes, (I am confident about that). Just casually, I have been looking for small RVs or vans to buy. But with the new year coming, I feel more of an urgency to get this job done. I plan on ultimately go full-time and live on the road. I realize if I am going to do this, I better get to it. The last few weeks have involved a lot of phone calls and some disappointments, but I am committed to the process.

To make this all smoother, I realized I needed to up my budget. I've seen a few vehicles already, they look waaaaay different from the photos or how the owner describes them over the phone. They were really rusty, or had bad upholstery, or the gears didn't shift! It was getting crazy. The vehicles weren't meeting my expectations. Then I realized, I have to reevaluate what I want from the vans. After that I decided, if I up budget I can get what I want.

So I got one more round of vans to go before Christmas. I hope I can find what I want before I go back to school in the spring.

Craft Fair Success!

So my first craft fair went very well! I had so much fun. My mom (that's her in at the table) set up my table. She had "It's a Wonderful Life" playing on the laptop, and displayed her Christmas card collection drew people to the table. She held down my station while I was at the printer getting business cards. Doing that took much longer than I thought, but once I got to the fair everything started rolling into place. I learned a few things about working this fair.

1. Having a partner helps a lot. If my mother wasn't there to help me with the table, I would have been more stressed than I needed to be.

2. I will have more variety of things on my table. I kept getting ideas of what else I could put out at the fair, so my inventory will be much larger.

3. Don't forget the men! A lot of my items were geared toward women, so I will keep that in mind when I am making my art.

4. Have business cards, flyers, etc ready before the event. Not during. I missed a good portion of the fair printing and cutting cards at my school's print shop. Now that I have a definite design for myself and a brand printing will be easier for me.

5. Talk to the other vendors. I had some great conversations with some of the vendors, and how they set up their wares. I thought of myself as a seller and a buyer, so talking with the others was easy. I didn't feel like I was competing because we are a community. I made some great connections and have potential clients.

6. Although I had took a long time to print my business cards, I was happy I took the time to do it properly. Quality over quantity, and that can be said for the other things I made too. All of my scarves, hats, and slippers were made by hand. At first I was worried I didn't have enough to sell, but I had just the right amount and they were carefully crafted. It wouldn't do me any good to have a ton of stuff that was not made well.

7. Other than the business cards, everything else was prepared in advance. That took a lot of stress off me.

8. So glad I took orders, so now I have other clients and more work which = more money

9. EAT! There was free food for the vendors, I was so into selling I missed the food. By the time the fair ended I realized how hungry I was.

10. Have fun! This was a positive experience for me. I will be gearing up for the next fair.

Here are some pics of my table below.

Count Down to the Fair!

I am almost done! I'm so close to being finished. I got one scarf, one hat, and one pair of slippers to finish before Saturday afternoon. I just have been staying up late to knit and crochet. There are still those last minute things to do too. Like...

Print business cards
Bring a Receipt Book
Print Banner
Knit Care Sheets
Cash Box
Table Cloth
And other little things (i.e. lunch)

I was able to get someone to share a table with me too, which is awesome. I was afraid of not having enough merchandise to fill the table. And I have some company! The fair is just a few hours and its my first one. I am glad its not an all day, all weekend event. It's just enough to get my feet wet.

After I graduate college, I need something to supplement my income. Craft shows seem like a good ticket. I have a job that already lets me work from home, but the shows could give me extra cushion (at least that's what I hope). I'm really excited to start something new, and could give me the type of lifestyle I want.

Lots of list making and checking to do tomorrow. Pictures of the merchandise coming soon!

One Week Before the Fair

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Finally got to post after getting ready for finals at school and cooking for dinner last night. It we had a fantastic dinner and great family time. My aunt and I made Peach cobbler, smoked turkey, ham, collard greens, mac and cheese, I could go on and on. After all that great eating, I knew it was time to go back to work.

Time is definitely running out. I have 3 out of 6 pairs of slippers done. Two out of three scarves are done. I need some holiday prints to include too. So I got one week to finish everything on top of school and my regular job.

The next few weeks should be hectic yet exciting. We shall see.

Craft Fair!

Guess what! My mom signed me up for a craft fair at her church without my permission hurrah! Truthfully, it was probably the boost I needed. I had been saying I wanted to start selling my art at craft shows for a while, but never got around to it (the usually excuses school,work, blah blah). Now that she got a table for it, I got to do it. Luckily, I got somethings started already to sell.

The merchandise is looking like crocheted slippers, scarves, and hats. I am making some prints to sell too. It will definitely get me some more exposure. My art has been seen by very few and that shouldn't be. I should be sharing it more. How else am I going to make a living? This craft fair is just what I need to step outside my comfort zone.

Here is a quick sample of the slippers I had been creating. They had been apart of a school assignment that I did in September about different types of color contrasts. I just have to make the mates and do two more pairs.

Semi-Nomad???

I travel to La Porte, IN every week for my internship. I'm a graphic designer, and for the most part I work at home. I realize I travel a long way from sweet home Chicago.

Every Monday, I wake up at 5:00 AM and get dressed for work. By 6:00 AM, I'm on the bus toward the loop. I get my Amtrak ticket from the "quick-trak" kiosk by 7:10 AM and get seated. I relax on the train and sleep until I arrive in New Buffalo, MI. New Buffalo, MI is a quaint town on the border of Michigan and Indiana. I haven't had a chance to explore it yet, because as soon as I arrive my ride comes and we ride 15 minutes to La Porte. About 4:45 PM I get on the Shore-Line back to Chicago.

I was sheltered as a child and had a year where I barely left my house with yellow awnings on the south side of the city. Traveling to work gives me a sense of boldness and adventure that I had been seeking for so many years. Working in LaPorte is beautiful, and I wonder how I got a chance to travel to such a beautiful place. La Porte is a small town with horses and farmland, even a vineyard! My job's main building is a big white barn. It's a sight to see for a city gal.

I know for sure, I gotta explore New Buffalo, MI and La Porte, IN more. Both are so cute! I'll rent a car with my mom for a quick get away. I'll do it before school starts again.