Its Not Always Sunny in Sterling

"Windy Pods" by Annie of DwellinStyle on Etsy

May weather in the Midwest is unpredictable to say the least. Snow is not uncommon......Either is an 85 degree turn on the A/C kind of day.

I spent most of last week in flip-flops, enjoying the warmth of the spring days and dreaming of my soon to come summer vacation. But, Mother Nature does not like Midwesterners to get too complacent or too comfortable, so by the weekend, things turned downright nasty.......Just in time for my outdoor show!

I was awakened on Saturday morning by the howling of the wind. I looked out the window to see drizzle and gloomy, gray skies. Awesome! Despite the awful weather and frigid temps, Matt and I made the hour long trek down to Sterling to set up for May Fest.

Nothing about setting up my booth went smoothly. Even though the I had zip-tied sand bags to each leg of the EZ-UP tent, the gale-force winds were knocking it around. I put up the tent sides to block the wind, which did seem to help for a time. Every time I got part of a table set up, a gust of wind would push against the tent side and knock it all down. I was frustrated, but determined, so I would try again. Eventually I just tried setting things up on the side of the tent opposite the direction of the wind. The last straw was the overturning of an entire table, busting 2 frames and denting several others!!!

My booth neighbor Rebecca, of Rebeccabags on Etsy was nice enough to help me pick up the pieces of what once was my booth. (She's got adorable floral themed wristlets and bags in her shop. Check her out!) I didn't foresee the weather getting any better or having much of a crowd showing up, so without as much as one customer, the day was over for me! Matt and I repacked and were on the road just minutes after the show was supposed to start.

I was pretty disappointed, but have to admit, it was a learning experience. I will be wary about signing up to do an early May event again, unless its in Arizona or somewhere else warm. For my next show, (Art on the Lawn, June 13th) I will have everything securely hung up on some sort of wall and not deal with easels. I also know that I have to find a heavy-duty method to weight down my tent. Any veteran outdoor vendors have any tried and true suggestions?

Have a good week friends!

First Art Show of the Season

On Saturday, I will be peddling my wares at May Fest in Sterling, Illinois. Main Street May Fest is a celebration of spring flowers, the garden and Mother's day. There will be flowers, garden art, food, music, and family activities. I will be selling original works, giclee prints and handmade cards.

Last Sunday, I did at test run of setting up my booth. This is the first time I've done an outdoor show, so I wanted practice my set up before the event. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and I think I'm ready for Saturday.

One of the only things I purchased for the tent was the cute little banner, made by fellow Etsyian Amanda of Funkyshique. She made me the most adorable custom pennant bunting with my name. (I'll have to take a better picture of the bunting at the show.) Amanda was nothing but a pleasure to work with. The sharp burlap banner was made, sent and on my door step in just about one weeks time! Patronize her fab shop!!!

May Fest happens from 10 AM to 2PM on Saturday, May 8th at 4th and Light Streets, in the heart of downtown Sterling. Check out the map below for further directions. Hope to see you there!

Ciao! Ciao!


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Meet The Funky Florals

I've been busy putting together card sets for my upcoming appearance at Sterling May Fest. (More info on that soon.) Meet the Funky Floral Collection. I've taken 6 of my square formatted floral themed works and printed them on matte paper. Several of these have never been available as cards.

I'm working on one more set of floral cards, but need to come up with a catchy name for this bunch. I love the alliteration of "Funky Floral" and "Comfy Chair Collection." Can you help me come up with another fun collection name?

The Funky Floral Collection is available in my Etsy shop.

Renewed and Relaxed

This week, I am thankful to be a teacher. Though my job is a struggle and a stress, I am afforded time off to renew, recharge and relax.

Spring Break couldn't have come at a better time this year. One of my teaching partners had to have emergency surgery and was out most of the last month. I had to take over one of her classes, which meant that I lost my plan time. It was definitely wearing on me.

I'm only a few days into my spring break, but decompression is already happening. My art "mojo" has returned. (I was having a hard time making anything for a while.) My head is clear and I'm motivated!

I just finished "My Dear Acquaintance" yesterday and have started two more pieces this morning. I used more of my vintage stamps in this piece. Frank Lloyd Wright, Grace Kelly, George Washington and Paul Dudley White MD all make an appearance in this piece.

I'm going to be cranking out this floral/tree themed pieces for a while as I will be peddling my wares at a spring flower themed show on May 8th in Sterling, Illinois. There isn't a web page for this event, but I did manage to find a Facebook event page. I also found out that I got accepted to the Art on the Lawn show at Rockford College on June 13th. I'll be busy, but motivated to make some money for my upcoming trip to Italia!

"My Dear Acquaintance" is available for sale on Etsy.

Have a great week. Hopefully I will have more work to show off later this week.