I haven't been posting much, because I've been busy (again - I know I say this so often).
This time I've been spending my weekends at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival (MRF). A friend of mine got a booth out there an discovered that she and her husband just can't run the booth by themselves. So they've "hired" me and Sweetie for the price of admition, money for food, and a ride down there every day to come out and help them sell their stuff. The added bennefit is that I'm working up connections and experience for when I get enough time to build enough jewelry to start selling out there. It will also be an almost guarenteed booth for me to start in when I do get my line jurried into the festival.
Festival has been going well. We haven't been selling much, but the first three weeks are usually a bit slow and we are currently competing with the State Fair. We have been selling enough to keep our hopes up, and we have firm plans to be back next year. I've also been building a relationship with one of the other chainmail venders at the festival. I stop into their booth at least once each weekend and just chat with the folks there. They know that I also make chain jewelry, but our styles are different enough that they are more interested in trading ideas than worried about additional competition. The other chain vender out there glares at me whenever I even walk past their booth. I get the feeling that they fear competition more than the idea of being able to trade ideas with another artist in their field. Which is too bad.
In other news: School starts next week, work is going well, and Sweetie has taken up baking our bread (which is great).
Hope all of you are keeping busy and happy.
I did it. I just entered my 50th critique on the OWW. This may not sound like much, but it means that I now have one little bee next to my name. It also means that I have gained the wisdom from doing so many critiques. Now I suppose I really should get around to posting some of my own work for others to learn from.
As many of you know, I just celebrated my 25th Birthday (again) on Saturday. Since I was camping at the time, I didn't have access to the web so I couldn't post this then.
Yes, we went camping for my birthday, and it was a great idea. The gods even cooperated by giving us wonderful weather. It was warm at night, it didn't get too hot and even when it did, they provided just enough breeze to keep the bugs at bay and us from over heating.
We shared resources and ate like kings around our campfire. It is absolutely amazing what kinds of food we can come up with. We had Roast beef, a potato dish (with bacon, sasuage, onions and collard greens), baked potatoes, and corn on the cob - and that was just one meal. Breakfasts included pancakes, eggs, sausage, and bacon. Lunches were simple fair of cold sandwhiches. I think we ate better from our campfire than we normally eat at home with our ultra modern stove (and this may be a good thing - if we ate like that at home my diet would be shot).
Saturday evening (my birthday) was also our ritual group's Lughnasa ritual - so we were a little late, oh well. We didn't have much of a plan, so we agreed upon a theme and then sort of flew by the seat of our collective pants. It worked wonderfully. We decided to look at what we plan to harvest from the work we have done this year and gave thanks for those things with which we were blessed. Sweetie mixed up a flat bread off the top of his head which we baked in the reflector oven set in the fire ring. Then, while still in circle, they brought out the birthday cake (yes mom - I had a cake with chocolate icing for my birthday). We lit one real candle and (approximately) 24 imaginary candles. The cake was passed around and everyone blessed it. There is just something about a birthday cake eaten with in a ritual circle that just can't be described - but I'm not sure that I've ever tasted a better cake.
After the ritual was wrapped up, out came the S'mores (with Ghirideli chocolates). It was a fun evening of conversation and laughter.
So now I start another year of life, blessed and happy. Maybe this is the year I will get published.