How About a Reverse Grinch This Season?

I spent this moning dropping off a few hats to a Women's Centre, for them to sell in their retail store as a fundraiser, in Duncan, the neighboring town where I sell at the Farmer's Market on Saturdays..
This was, for all intents and purposes, my Christmas presents to be given this year..
I thought I'd share my own Christmas experience for 2010 with my readers, since all of the blogs I read are full of wonderful decorations in the home, ideas about Christmas crafts, recipes, stories about kids, grandkids and families, etc. etc...In other words, the usual..
But I'm different..a single, childless early retiree sneaking up on what is referred to as her senior years, but frankly, psychologically kicking and scratching all the way, like a wet cat in a wringer, and I have to say that it gets to be a bit daunting for those of us who have no families or even friends in their new home towns to share the holiday season with..
Do not think that I am complaining, or giving anyone a hard time for their traditional Christmas feasting and partying..I'm not..the choices I had to make to live here were conscious ones, and I don't regret moving here for a second, but remember the name of my blog...
All I'm trying to say is, for those of you who have insanely busy lives, crowded with people that you love or at least like (or are related to, and have to pretend a fondness you don't feel) that there are many of us out here in the world who don't, by choice or chance, have the same experience of the holidays..
If you could find it in your heart to cut these folks some slack (and I'm betting you all know at least one) it would be a lovely gesture to include them, that is, if they aren't like me and generally turn down such offers, but I'm a tough old nut at Christmas..I know that many people would love the chance to feel part of something..it would add little or no cost to your celebration, but would be a wonderful present to someone who might otherwise be sitting in front of the tube with a beer and a microwave burrito..think about it.
And to all of you who read this blog, whether it's a turkey, ham, tamales or whatever your own 'feast' and party entails (or not) I would like to wish you all the very best of the Season, and an even better New Year to come!

The Party's Over...

Although the news isn't great, I still had an interesting time at my three day craft fair..and have some pics to share, although their quality is less than desirable....the first is of my table..I brought way too much and it showed..have to come up with a better plan..but then I was actually planning on selling lots,and that didn't hapen due to the extremely low attendance at this fair..location, location, location is not just a boring ol' cliche..it's unfortunately too true..as we painfully learned..
The second picture is from our oldest crafter's table..he is 84 and still does this beautiful glasswork..he sat on a sofa next to his table with his partner, Lenae, and they held hands and whispered to each other, so very sweet...she and I had a great conversation about being ex-Yanks, and since she grew up on a farm in Kanasas I teased her and called her Dorothy...
The next picture is my pal Amanda's table, and she's wearing one of my cloches..she's going to become my first (and only) live model..love her "look" in my hats..
The last picture is what I thought was the absolute best item for a small child at the fair..a stuffed furry bunny rabbit with it's own Cowichan sweater..Cowichan sweaters are knit in patterns that the First Nations people of this area have been famous for for many decades..I live in the Cowichan Valley, so we are all intrinsically tied together..
I am going to do a blog on this subject soon, because the Cowichan people have wonderful visual arts to share with the world..they deserve a wider audience.
Next blog I'll feature what I bought at the fair..little enough, since I didn't have much disposable income with very little business..but that's something that craft fair attendees have to deal with occaisionally..

No More Facebook Tabs!

The only way I could deal with promoting on Facebook was with the tabs at the top of my page..where a reader could look or not, as they chose..
I tried having a strictly promotional page, but it drove me crazy-nothing but hype, hype, hype all day long, and it certainly didn't drive any traffic my way (to my shops online).
Now Artfire has informed sellers that as of Nov. 3rd, no more tabs..so that you will have to eliminate your "personal" page and open what is referred to as a 'business' page, where all your friends are expected to come and "like" you to re-sign up on your page...I cannot imagine anything more dreadful...I won't do it..
Most of my friends are just that, my friends...who wants to continuously spam their friends?
*Sigh* So that's the end of Facebook as an online tool..and the real downer is that it's 'illegal' for you to have more than one page..if they catch you, they flame you...
So much for the social network as a 'tool' for selling your work..right up there with Etsy for effectiveness....