A Fresh Start

Phew!  The Handmade Arcade is finally over.  I have to admit all that production sewing wasn't my bag.  Things went well- not awesome but well and I am happy to have the experience.  

Part of the reason I feel a little let down is that my focus is so different now than it was 16 months ago when I did this show before.  I like making patterns now and sewing for myself.   I loved seeing all the people looking and it was so fun to talk to people about my sewing.  It was so cool to see all the mothers and daughters, sisters and friends together.  I got a great feel for what people like to buy at these shows and I handed out almost all of my 250 postcards that I made.  People like the.... Crayon Folios!  Not a huge surprise on that one.  I made 15 and sold 15 but I could have made 30 and probably sold most of those too!  

My sister (pictured above!)came up from Atlanta to work the show with me.  It was a big help.  She owns part of a  store in Atlanta and was really helpful with display, organization, & talking up the products.  We want to do another show together and she will be in charge of merchandising, display, business cards, etc.  That would be HUGE for me since I get so focused on my sewing and creating that the organization is an after thought.   Accepting some help from my sister would be wonderful, especially since she is actually much more stylish than me in the first place! 

On Sunday we (the WHOLE family) took her to the airport.  On the way home we stopped at the Pittsburgh Incline.  It was so fun.  Sunday mornings are a great time to see your city tourist stops!  Almost no one was there and it was beautiful.  By some miracle, I remembered my camera.  But the only lens I had was the 50mm which I thought would be a mistake since you wouldn't be able to see the scenery but the pictures turned out great!  That 50mm lens is such a gem.

 WARNING!  HISTORY LESSON TO FOLLOW...  Sorry friends, I was a history major so you are going to get some info that I learned yesterday which I think is really interesting.

As some of you may know, Pittsburgh used to be a huge industrial city.  The big boom happened in the late 1800s and as so many people (mainly European Immigrants) moved to the city, housing became a big issue.  The city is situated in a valley and surrounded by 3 rivers.  The only place for the workers to live affordably was up above the steep hills surrounding the city- namely Mt. Washington.  They had to walk up and down the hills after exhausting long days of work in the factory.  The German immigrants suggested building an alpine incline like they had back home in the Alps to make the commute easier. 

 2 inclines were built here on Mt. Washington to help the workers get back and forth to work at the steel mills on the Monongahela River.  They are still used for people to commute to work who live up on Mt. Washington.  They are made on a pulley system-when one goes up, the other comes down so their own weight pulls them up and down the hill.  Genius!   

There are beautiful overlooks of the city on top of the hill.  The kids loved running around up there.  It seemed like the top of the world.

 

I kinda look like a bug in my movie star sunglasses, huh?

Here is a close up of my boy.  He loved looking at the city, the buses, the bridges, EVERYTHING!  Yesterday evening he used some kids craft scissors and cut those bands WAY back.  Happens to every family at least once, right?

On the way back down the incline, I took this pictures of the girls.  The lighting was so pretty & they are wearing some new headbands from a vendor I met at the Handmade Arcade.  Cute!

I can remember my Mom picking us up in the middle of the school day and taking us all to the Oakland Cemetery in downtown Atlanta.  It was such a treat to be tourists in our own town.  I had that same feeling yesterday.  I can't believe I have lived here 11 years and never done this fun outing before!   I'll have to be better about doing new things in the city AND bringing my camera along.

 

Comments

[Rhiannon maggiore]

Who is the vendor that made the headbands? Very cute!

[PostMuse]

It was so nice to see you in person at Handmade Arcade. And I was lucky enough to get one of your postcards, which will go to a penfriend in Boston this week :-) And I love that you enjoyed Pittsburgh as a tourist. I've lived here 6 years, and it still thrills me when I ride up that incline and see that view.

[Mary Jo]

Hi - I love all of your products. I just wanted to let you know that I did a blog post on the crayon folio that I made from your pattern. Thanks!!
http://craftersnotebook.blogspot.com/2011/04/crayon-folio.html

[Kelle]

Your table looked so yummy! Your products are so fun.

[Kristi]

I love the picture of all the kids and the city in the background. Really, really nice.

Did you make those cute little scalloped tags I see hanging from the owl bags?

[Cassandra]

Great pictures!!

I was that child who cut their own hair, but it was very drastic. More of a reverse mohawk. Shaved about two inches down the front middle, when I was 3. My mom didn't know how I did it since she never found scissors or hair.

[madebymum]

Your stand looks terrific. I am not suprised about the crayon wallets selling out how did the other items do?

[becky]

I almost went to that but we just got back from a road trip and Pitts is an hour away. 3 kids,2 hours in the car and then trying to keep an eye on them while trying to look at all the pretty things didn't sound fun. Now I am wishing I would have just gone. If you know about anymore in the area I would love to hear about them since I am new to the area. I love me a good indie craft fair!

[Lisa Q]

If I'd have been nearby, I'd have loved to stop and visit and check out all your great stuff. I used to do craft shows and I felt the same way you did...mass production is not something I enjoyed.

[Hughesamber]

I just found your site and your stuff is great. I wish I would have know about the homemade arcade. I'm sad I missed it.

[amy dunn]

Your table looked awesome!! Great pics of the kids and the city and you look fabulous!!!!