Mistakes, craft fairs, and what not to say

 

Remember my first wreath I made?.....Somewhere between my 15th and 20th wreath, something clicked, and really got the hang of it. Maybe I'm a slow learner, or not as naturally crafty inclined as others, but around 20 wreaths and *wait for it* around $500 later, I finally found my groove in this whole wreath thing. I know, some of you still haven't picked your jaw up from the floor, but I told you I was stubborn! Anywho, just look, and tell me these don't look better than my first batch:

 How amazing is Mr. Man? I found out the day before the craft fair that there was a cancellation and that I had a spot! For under $30, Mr. Man fashioned this little display for me.

 These are just a few of my wreaths I took to my craft fair this weekend! In my life, the Lord keeps me humbled. I made all of these wreaths with nowhere to sell. I just think it's a blessing that with a days' notice, I was able to get these wreaths together and able to sell 9. Even though I'm still in the hole, I'm honoring my promise to the Lord, and setting aside $130.00 for my beloved Zimbabwe Missionary friends. Because, this money, isn't mine really, and I think it's easy to bargain with the Lord when we need Him, and forget our promises when we feel that we don't. I trust the Lord will work everything out, and am so excited that I can add to my "Zim Fund." (Mr. Man is happy that I'm all most out of the hole.)

Moving on, my Mom begged me not to post this last bit. Did I mention she's in town? Mom arrived last Sunday, and it's been so nice having her here. She's still perpetually nags me, rearranges my house, and tells me how ugly my couch is, but I love her. I told mom I always thought we were normal, but everywhere we go, people hear us going back and forth and laugh, so maybe we're not as normal as we think? Anywho, Mom's been a big help. We call her jokingly "Nanny Granny" when she watches the kids. Wednesday was Halloween, and before I took the boys out, I had to take *FAIL* another Chem exam. (great timing, right?) I locked myself in my room, and when I came out, this is what I found:

 Mom..is crazy. She smeared lipstick all over her lips, crazied her hair up, and put some of my bugs and cobwebs on her head. She answered the door looking like this all night. Actually, the glasses are kind of funny. 

Mom has gotten some of the worst hair cuts of anyone I have ever known. I don't know if it's her hair texture or just plain bad luck, but this latest one reminds me of that actress Linda Hunt OR Edna from the Incredibles.

Actually, I think Edna's looks better. I heard Mom talking to Liam about her hair. He was asking her why it looked so bad, and Mom was telling him that she felt sorry for a blind person, and gave them money to cut her hair. (It was really an Asian woman at Hair Cuttery who spoke minimal English. Mom said she asked for something that wouldn't accentuate her ears, and got the opposite. We think the message was lost in translation...)


Anywho, back to my tip of: "Things You Should Not Say to People at a Craft Fair": 

1. "Is it hard? How'd you do that?" Well, if I told you that, I probably would save you a lot of trouble, time, and money, and you wouldn't have to buy mine.
2. "Where'd you get all of your stuff from? Can I look and see how you constructed that?" Again, these are my babies, and I've spent hours upon hours researching, shopping, pricing out different stores, materials, qualities, and methods that make the best wreaths. It's like asking the Colonel for the secret ingredient. (Okay, that's a huge stretch, and I'm certainly not saying my wreaths are that good, but I thought it was a good comparison!)
3. "How much do these cost to make?" It depends on a LOT of factors! It's not a huge secret, but it's my little side business, so labor time is accounted for, but not by much. I have scanned Etsy, and lemme tell ya, the people that are getting $100-$200 for these babies are making it big! I promise you, I'm not. =)

Now, don't get me wrong! I love Southerns, and they just have a way of saying things that come to mind, but I'm not that money hungry type of girl. In fact, after my mom and I went through my product, costs, and time, my mom urged me to go higher on my prices. I like to go by the age old sayin' "Pigs get fatter, Hogs get Slaughtered." I know there's variations on that phrase, but that's what my family says. Basically, don't get greedy. If you set things at a reasonable prices, and deal fairly with others, you'll come of better than setting the prices too high. Anywho, complaints, and a little bit of hurt feelings aside, the Lord really blessed this weekend. I had so much fun, and can't wait to get into another craft fair. Oh, and just so I can totally make my plug, My ~*Neighborhood Envy*~ Store =)

 (Yes, I know, it's shameless!)