An article about the personality traits of creative people was posted in one of the Artfire.com guilds I belong to.  The title intrigued me so I clicked on the link and read it.  And I read about me!  I've never thought of myself as particularly creative even though I crochet, knit, embroider, needlepoint, cross stitch, etc.  I haven't done much independent design and I certainly can't draw or paint or sculpt.  So I've always thought people who did those sorts of things were the creative ones, and I was just kind of crafty.  Not imaginative and creative like those people.  But after reading this article, I think maybe I am creative!  Check it out and see if you have some paradoxical personality traits.
http://www.fastcompany.com/3016689/leadership-now/10-paradoxical-traits-of-creative-people

New Etsy listings: 
http://www.etsy.com/listing/160732410/black-and-gold-knitted-ruffle-scarf?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/150396858/beige-ruffle-scarf-hand-knitted?

New Collectibles Shop on Bonanza.com

I've always liked collecting things and I have a particular weakness for dishes, glassware, and pottery.  I really like dishes.  My favorites are Fiestaware and all Homer Laughlin china, Fire King, Anchor Hocking, Pyrex, and milk glass.  It's all so very pretty.  But it also takes  up a lot of space.   And my house is getting really full.  So I've started a new store on Bonanza.com that includes my handmade items and some collectibles.  You can see it here:  http://www.bonanza.com/booths/brendasgeneralstore.  So far I've listed a really pretty 18" Revlon doll, a milk glass bowl and a couple of other things.

If you've never looked at Bonanza.com, I highly recommend it.  It's very similar to eBay.  You can find handmade items, vintage, collectibles, jewelry, and pretty much everything.  Some items are a fixed price, and others are auction style.  You'll have a lot of fun browsing.

Ladder Yarn Scarf

Summer is flying by.  It's hard to believe the 4th of July is over already! The weather in Minnesota has turned hot and humid so our big landscaping project is going to get put on hold until it cools off a little.  But it gives me more time to knit and crochet!

Here's my latest creation--a long white scarf made with ladder yarn with long fringe added.  I think it will make a really nice summer fashion accessory.  It's light as a feather, so it won't make you hot.  See it on my Artfire and Etsy stores.

This is the first scarf I've made out of ladder yarn.  I've made a lot of necklaces out of ladder yarn and I've always wanted to try a scarf but just hadn't gotten to it yet.  I didn't have a pattern, so I just made one up.  I used size 13 knitting needles and just did garter stitch for every row until I was almost out of yarn (I had to remember to save some for the fringe!).  I did 25 stitches and it came out to approximately 4" wide and 63" long.  The fringe is approximately 8" long.  You can do however many stitches you want to get the width you're looking for.  I think a wider scarf would also be pretty, but you'd need 2 balls of yarn.  A bigger needle size might also give it a nice look.

Scarves are pretty easy to make with  ladder yarn, but you do have to be careful that you get your needle in the stitch correctly and don't accidentally stick it in the middle of the ladder (easy to do if you're not paying attention or are getting sleepy!).

I think I'm going to try some more scarves and then maybe a shawl.  Or maybe some more necklaces in some different styles.

Ramblings

I didn't realize how long it has actually been since I posted anything.  It's amazing how fast time really goes and how much happens in a few short months.  I kept meaning to post, but just never got to it.  Minnesota's winter dragged on with cold, snow and slippery conditions.  It was still snowing at the beginning of May!  We bought an investment property, did a lot of painting and such and moved our college-aged son into it (a really big change and new phase of life).  He landed a summer job with the city (hallelujah!) after a long stretch of unemployment. All 3 vehicles needed repairs within the same 3 week period for a cost of a few thousand dollars.  The day job has been insanely busy and everything that could go wrong, did.  Usually I'm a pretty upbeat person and life has really been pretty good, but it really did seem like a long, tough winter. 

Instead of working on my Etsy and Artfire shops, I spent the winter knitting some custom ordered afghans.  I tried a couple new patterns/stitches, and they turned out really well even though they took a lot of time.  Although the actual stitches weren't hard, I was making these afghans larger than normal, so it took me awhile to figure out how many stitches to cast on to get the width I wanted (math was never my strong point).  So--there was a lot of trial and error but I learned a lot.

I also did a few items to put in my sister's consignment shop in Ft. Scott, KS called Little Luxuries.   If you live in that area, check it out.  She sells antiques and collectibles too.

I've been making some of the headbands and hats with flowers for babies and they sell quite well at craft shows.  I've listed them in a Bonanza.com shop http://www.bonanza.com/booths/BrendasCraftStore because I feel they're not totally handmade and Etsy and Artfire are supposed to be for handmade goods.  They're more like taking parts and reassembling them into something different.  Taking a skein of yarn and creating an afghan or a sweater is what I think of as handmade. I've been following a lot of forum conversations about how cheap mass produced items are starting to take over eBay and Etsy, and it seems to be true.  It seems like everything I look at on eBay is coming from China or Hong Kong. Whatever happened to the average person just trying to clean out their house and sell their stuff?  That's really what I want to buy--not some cheap crap from China.  And Etsy started out as a site for artists and crafters doing handmade goods to sell their wares.  Now there are tons of stores selling mass produced items and trying to pass them off as handmade.  I'd like to make a plea to everyone to support those who truly make their own items and ignore the cheap mass produced stuff.  You'll get a much better product in the end even if it costs a little more.

I'm going to try and spend the next few months making small items to list on Etsy and Artfire.  And I also promised my son I'd make him a tshirt quilt.  I've never done any quilting, so I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.  I'll try and post some directions or things I learn as I go along.  Wish me luck!

I'll leave you with a couple of thoughts about work and life.  Quite awhile ago I read a good article on what makes great employees.  My workplace has had a lot of personnel changes lately, and I thought some of the points in the article were very appropriate for all aspects of life, not just work.  The article stated that great employees ignore job descriptions and think on their feet, adapt quickly to shifting priorities and do whatever it takes to get the job done (no saying "That's not my job.")  It also stated that great employees follow processes, but remarkable employees find ways to make the processes better. 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Artfire Shop 10% Off Everything!

Merry Christmas! (Yes, I know it's politically incorrect, but I celebrate Christmas so that's what I wish you all.)  And Happy New Year!

It's hard to believe 2012 is almost over and we're going to start 2013.  2012 was a good year and flew by.  My November craft shows went very well and generated some orders as well.  Sales and custom orders from Etsy and Artfire have been good enough to keep me busy.  So I'm satisfied.  I still have a couple more orders to finish.  Plus a dinner party to host and a couple other events to attend.  And Christmas shopping and wrapping!

Then for the new year, I plan to try out some new stuff.  I want to make shawls, cowls, infinity scarves, and socks and slippers, and baby stuff and oh so many more things.  Sooooooo, to clear out inventory and start with the new, my Artfire shop (http://BrendasCraftStore.artfire.com) is having a sale!  10% off everything!  Please take a look.  I almost always ship items out the same day or the next day, so you'll get it quickly.  And the prices are really, really reasonable.

Here are a few things available:

Craft Show Survival

Two down--one more to go!  That's craft shows I"m talking about.  I've spent the past 2 Saturdays manning my table at local craft fairs.  I'll spend next Saturday doing the same thing and then I'm done.  And I'll be glad.

Don't get me wrong--I love doing craft shows.  It's fun to reconnect with fellow crafters you saw last year and fun to meet new ones.  It's also fun to see many of the same shoppers year after year.  And it's always interesting to talk to new shoppers.  The show I was at yesterday was at the high school my son attended and put on by the Band Boosters, an organization I was president of when my son attended school.  So I saw a lot of old friends and acquaintances which I thoroughly enjoyed.

And craft shows are a good learning experience.  You can watch people look at your product and see what interests them and what they think of things.  That will help guide you as you create more products.

But craft shows are exhausting and a bit humbling.  If you're like me, I spend the week before harriedly (is that a word?) making more items and trying to make the right items.  Then I lay out my products and try to arrange them in an attractive way.  Then I have to pack everything up and get out any display stands, racks, tables, etc.  Then I have to make sure I have change and all the other little essentials like tape, scissors, paper, pens, credit card reader, etc.  Then the car has to get loaded.  Then you unload at the show and set it all up.  And you worry that you won't be ready at 9 am when the show starts.  Then you look around at all the other wonderful items people are selling and the creative ways they're displaying their wares and you feel totally inadequate (at least I do for awhile).  Then you worry if people are going to come.  Then you worry if they're going to buy.  Then, if the fates allow, you're so busy selling to the hordes of customers that you're soon exhausted.  Or, if the fates are unkind, customer traffic is slow and the day gets very long as you and your fellow crafters wonder why there are no shoppers.  Either way, at the end of the day you have to pack up all your items, drive home, and then unload again and put everything away.  And then you start all over for the next show.

To sum it up:

Positives
People contact
Networking
Opportunity to see people's reactions to your product and discuss your product with them
Opportunity to see what other crafters are making, how they display their wares, pricing

Negatives
Lots of physical  labor in loading, unloading, set up
Stress
Worry

Tips for Success
     1.  If possible, get someone to help you load, unload, set up, load up again and unload at home.  It's also great to have someone with you at your table all day, but if that's not possible, if someone can relieve you at lunch so you can go to the restroom, eat, shop, etc. is great.  This year my son is helping me.  He helps me load up the car and set up my display.  Then he stays at the show with me for a little while so I can visit the restroom and take a quick look around the show.  Then he comes back around lunch and mans my table while I go eat, etc.  (He's been very good at selling items while I'm away!).  Then he comes back at the end of the afternoon to pack me up and get everything home.  If you have no helper at the show, usually your fellow crafter on either side of you will watch your table while you run to the bathroom, etc.

     2.  Talk to people--your neighbors, shoppers, etc.  You can learn some tips and tricks.  Plus, it just makes the day more fun.

     3.  Don't stress too much about whether you measure up to the other crafters.  I was taught modesty and not to brag growing up, so I always feel a little humbled by the creativeness of everyone else at the show.  But I know my work is good and I just tell myself to get over it.

     4.  Treat your customers well.  Good customer service skills are essential and not very hard to learn.  Basically, treat them as you'd like to be treated.

     5.  If you don't sell a lot, don't spend your time complaining about it or bad mouthing the organizers of the fair.  Take the time to calmly and rationally think about reasons why things didn't go well (weather, other events going on at the same time, location, lack of advertising, audience that doesn't fit your product, etc.) and then learn from the experience and decide whether this is a show that just isn't right for your products or it's worth tweaking your products and trying again next year.  Complaining and blaming are negative time wasters.  What's done is done.  Focus on what could be improved and move on.

     6.  Take a water bottle with you.  You'll get thirsty.

     7.  Most of all, enjoy and have fun!