No Excuses

Well this meandering year has almost come to a close and I think I am pretty sure my craft show days are behind me except of course for the Albany Shaker Museum which is the best craft show experience I have ever and I do mean ever had. I want to spend my time creating work that I love and blogging. Both of which it has been a struggle to maintain considering how many inexpensive doodads one needs to create to even attempt to do the craft show market. And then when those inexpensive doodads don't sell it's even worse. So I will be opening an Etsy shop up soon(and I do mean soon, I have promised my husband I will organize my office before I undertake a virtual opportunity) and I will be posting pictures of my work which soon will be located in the Albany Shaker Museum and The Katbird Shop, New Leaf Gallery and Artcetera.

I am having soooooooo much fun creating things, I love it in fact. I love to embroider, I love to knit and I love to crochet. I am loving taking more risks with my work and trying different ideas which challenge me. I am receiving more compliments about my work then ever before so I know that it is reaching some people but maybe they are people without the money to purchase it or who simply cannot spend a big chunk on one item at a craft show when they intended to buy dozens of gifts for their family with that money. At least in a store or on Etsy people are there to buy(or look but at least the rejection isn't so personal).

From now on I will be writing more about myself, my work and my sales outlets(but hopefully not to the point of obnoxiousness, I despise selling myself and things that come from me) and my bloggy friends, their accomplishments, places and people that interest me on the blogosphere and right here in Upstate NY. I have always wanted to be a writer and this may be my only shot.

OK I am usually very politically opinionated and have spared people from my opinions because like pimples everybody has them, but I have been disgusted lately by several of the commercials on my television and somehow they fit the topic of my blog. I have finally reached my limit with Walmart. I guess because the economy is so bad it is impossible to watch television for more then an hour and not see several Walmart commercials. They tell us we can save money if we don't go to our local coffee shop and buy coffee and breakfast, they tell us we can save money if we don't go to our local pizzeria and buy their pizza, We can even watch football games with our family for less if we go to Walmart and don't go to our local grocer or deli and buy chips from there. They sell everything in Walmart but what they don't tell you is that everytime you buy an item from them and not your local salesperson you are helping to close a business, maybe one that has been open for weeks maybe one that has been serving their community for decades(not to mention what a Walmart mentality has done to the art and craft community). I'm just a little fish in a big sea and I know times are tough and we all need to save but just do one little thing for me. If you go to Walmart 3 weeks out of 4 please go see your local sales outlets too. We have fabulous small farms right here in my neck of the woods where you can buy delicious apples and apple cider donuts. We have a fabulous yarn shop just a little jaunt away in Saratoga on Broadway, you will never find anything close to their yarn in any of those big box stores no matter how cheap it is. We have restaurants and galleries and little mom and pop stores where people talk to you and remember you. I am thrilled every Friday when I go to my local pizza shop and the woman who is the Mama in Mama Rosa's says hi Deb. Can't beat it and worth an extra dollar to be thought of as a person.

So I'm off my high horse and I intend to regale you with tales of local businesses or beautiful hand crafted lovelies from all over the web and my local neighborhood and maybe even my own work too. I used to joke that my only job opportunity beyond my own little craft business was getting a job in Walmart, but unfortunately the way the economy is looking we are all going to be working for Walmart someday. See you tomorrow and keep stitching.