Anthology

let the projects begin

Well, to be totally honest, I am mostly preoccupied with inventory and year-end business.  I need to spend some time with QuickBooks before the accountant comes.  NOT the most fun aspect of the job.  And then there's the matter of counting everything in the store which usually ends up going faster than I imagine and is perhaps more painful in anticipation than it is in reality.  Sachi and I have been going through the drawers and counting, sorting, reorganizing, restocking.  Today, (January 10th) we will close at 4 pm to begin counting the sales floor and we will reopen on Thursday (January 12th).  Yes, a day is missing in there - we'll be counting all day tomorrow so if you try to stop at the shop, I apologize, but you'll be locked out.  At least for these 9 hours, the accountant/taxman/insurance agent win out over the customer.

Other than inventory, this is a relatively quiet time of year.  There's a lull in new arrivals; we are waiting to see what we find on our San Francisco buying trip.  

In the meantime, as any good procrastinator will do, I've started an assortment of projects instead of concentrating solely on inventory.  First on the list is Blurb, which I believe I posted about earlier.  I have a few different notebooks that I am working on, as well as a commissioned recipe book.  Lucky for my sister, I can't run Blurb at the same time as the cash register so I can only work on that off hours.  Unfortunately for her, I can still look at Pinterest.

Which brings me to the other project I am working on. The art book guild that I belong to hosts a holiday party each year, at which we swap 2" x 2" books and I had an IOU left from our 2011 party.  Par for the course, I had something completely different in mind.  But a thought has been rumbling around in my head, thanks to Quince and Quire, via Pinterest, so I ended up going with that.

It's a 2" x 2" book of constellations, only about as precise as one can get from an internet search, a silver sharpie marker, and a mini hole punch.  Which is to say, not that precise.  Still, I love the idea.  Each page has a constellation from the zodiac, as well as traits of that astrological sign.

I've been playing around with handwriting recently.... Again, thanks to Pinterest, which had the idea of fake calligraphy - the pin for which I cannot find at the moment.  But the basic idea was to write the word with a single line and then go back and fill in the downstrokes to simulate the calligraphic line.  And also thanks to the amazing journal skills of Teesha Moore, whose use of text has always been inspiring to me.

I painted corrugated cardboard for the covers, drawing on techniques learned at Valley Ridge Art Studio workshops (registration for the 2012 season is opening this weekend!): Katie Kendrick and Michelle Ward.  And I got to use my constellation rubber stamps and black & white striped washi tape so that was fun.  Oh, and the paper for the pages was just lying around here at the shop; it must have been scraps from some project - isn't it rewarding when you actually get to use the things you don't throwaway because you might be able to use them someday?

I'm well on my way to completing an edition of four.. and will perhaps expand that, depending on what else comes along to distract me.  I finished working on my 2000 piece jigsaw puzzle and am relatively well stocked as far as items at the shop so I have a little lull in terms of what I will work on in my living room, where there is no inventorying to be done, nor Blurb work.  There is, of course, cleaning to be done, but that will have to wait until there's something else that I'm procrastinating over.  Like taxes.

market bounty

Madison is well known for its Dane Country Farmer's Market (on the Square)  supposedly the largest in the country.  In my early days of retail downtown, I would go every Saturday morning before work, get some flowers, some sugared donuts, some cheesecurds, and whatever else caught my fancy.  That was about 12 years ago.  I think I might have peaked too early.  I'll admit that while the idea of the farmer's market holds great appeal, after about 10 minutes of trying to shuffle along with everyone else, I usually duck out.  Grumpily.  This is partly because Saturday is the busiest retail day of the week, and knowing what lies ahead for my day seems to really bring out the introvert in me.  The market certainly has a social aspect -- you bring your out-of-town guests to stroll around the Square, drink coffee and enjoy a leisurely Saturday morning.  But since it is a day of work for me, the leisure of other people can just be irritating.

So, here's my secret.  I love my little Westside Community Market!  I realized last week that it makes me happy to go there, and I wondered why I missed it on some of those Saturday mornings.  I'll try to do better for the rest of the season and into next year.  I've been trying to shop smaller - locally and from the people who actually make/harvest the stuff they sell (doing what I hope other people do in choosing to shop at Anthology instead of whatever corporately-owned chain they were thinking of).  I know it is a little thing, but that is one of the little ways that I've been trying to act more in accord with my own values, and to comply less with the corporate machine.

Here's why I love it:

It is a manageable size and if I decide 5 minutes later that I do want those green peppers, I don't have to fight crowds and frowns by walking in the wrong direction and it doesn't strain my memory to figure out where the booth was where I saw those great raspberries. 

It has everything that I need.  The one exception is Farmer John's parmesan, but aside from flowers and produce, there are chocolate croissants, RP's pasta, Ethel Ann's yummies, Potters crackers, Gitto tortillas....  In fact, sometimes my haul is more like a Baker's Market basket than a Farmer's Market basket.

I also don't have to torture myself with wondering if the apples that I got were the best to choose from or if I should have waited two more blocks to make my selection.  Choice is good but sometimes I think we carry things too far and demand more choice than we can possibly cope with. 

I can park the car, walk through the market twice, make all my selections, and take some photographs, in less than 30 minutes, which is about the right amount of time that I can dedicate to the endeavor given that an 8-hour workday lies ahead.

It's on the West Side of town in the vicinity of my childhood neighborhood and I regularly run into people I know.  Now, given the aforementioned introverted qualities, that isn't always a good thing, but on the whole, I walk away from the encounters with a happy feeling.  Even when I run into people I know, there's still room for me to swing my arms (if I so choose, which cannot be said of the downtown market).

Also, I get a little bit of a feeling of being famous.  Usually someone recognizes me as Anthology; last week someone even reminded me that they'd saved a strawberry tablecloth from their garage sale just for me.

Of course, I do love Farmer's Markets in general - the colors and textures are very appealing and inspiring and I could spend hours just taking pictures, but for me, westside is best.
 

bittersweet, but mostly sweet

End of August already, how can that be?  I'll have to admit that I've been feeling a little smug the past couple weeks - back-to-school, whatever... I'M not going back to school anymore, I don't have children who are going back to school... in fact, the whole thing, the sales, the supply lists, all seemed rather far-removed.  I consoled myself with the thought that MY calendar is less tied to the school year, and, hey, if I want summer to go into September, I can do that!

And yet there's no denying some bittersweet quality to this time of year. Some sense of endings and new beginnings, some residual feeling from all those years of going back to school, the anticipation of seasons changing.

Then there's that generally bittersweet feeling of time going so quickly.  There has been hardly a lull between summer tourists and back-to-school students, which means soon enough Christmas will be here and then it will be February, and then it will be summer all over again.

Going to the beach with the adorable girl for the annual cookies-at-the-beach get-together with my dear friend I've known since kindergarten, her children, and, of course, cookies, the sense of summer ending was quite strong.  We've been camping there on Lake Michigan for ages, so there is that history of childhood summers, as well as the memory of bringing Lily there when she was just a newborn.  And now she's turning four.  Sigh. 

And even though I was feeling that summer could go for another month, there was no denying that the beach had that very quiet, end of summer feeling.

This might be exaccerbated by the fact that my 40th birthday is two days away.  Granted, I've been celebrating for most of the month, and will continue to celebrate well into October, but there's no denying a little tinge of wistfulness about time passing.

On top of my upcoming birthday, I've been thinking of the last decade in terms of a book project for the upcoming Wisconsin Book Festival.  The Bonefolders' Guild, of which I am a member, will be having an exhibit: "A Dog-Eared Decade," celebrating our ten-year anniversary.  I think I've hit upon a plan.  It started with the idea of a set of 10 mini altered books, one for each year, with a mix of ephemera and some writing.  Or maybe cyanotype pages.  I'll be reviewing my old Christmas letters but also incorporating some random scraps, which is to say that it won't be precisely autobiographical.  But I did haul out my daily planners and am suspiciously missing 2007.  That was the year that I am calling my mid-life crisis, though by Thanksgiving, things has resolved themselves into a plan to open this shop.  Still, there was quite a lot of stress going on that year and it seems rather interesting to me that I can't find the planner.  Guess my inclination not to relive it is probably accurate.

In thinking of how the series will attach to the wall and what it will be titled, I started thinking about the path I took to opening Anthology in the past 10 years and how, in hindsight, some parts of the journey were put in place long before I realized it.  SO, "hindsight is 20/20" comes to mind, as well as the idea of making the altered books from eyeglasses instead of mini books.. kind of a play on the idea of what/how we see, what we think we see, etc.  Now, off the thrift store to find a pair of glasses and see if the idea will even work.  I'll have to figure out a way to sew the pages onto the glasses.  Ah, nothing like new projects and new challenges to spark the mind.

Meanwhile, I keep circling back to a quotation that I found recently.  I first saw it on Pinterest, but it was shared today in church, and also on Facebook:

"Don't ask what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.  Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive." Howard Thurman

I remember, just after graduating from college, wrestling with that "what are you going to do to make the world a better place" question.  And then deciding sometime after grad school, that even though it seemed selfish, I needed to be mindful of what it was that made me happy.  I feel so grateful to be turning 40 and to have such a strong sense of what it is that brings me satisfaction on a soul-deep level, and to be able to pursue it through this career that I have created. 

So, yes, just a little bit of bitter, but mostly sweet.

 

June already?

Yesterday was a sunny and lovely day. It was tempting to call it May 1 and ask for a do-over for the month. But, fine, we'll go forward. Hopefully we can get some nice June weather this month. I think every single Saturday since April has been rainy or cold, or threat of rainy or cold. Since Saturday is our busiest day of the week, the weather forecasts have a substantial effect on the sales.  And so I find myself in the position of complaining that the month was slow, and also went fast.

It seems like a while since I've checked in. Sachi and I, and Anthology, are the featured artists on this blog: JoyCreation so I spent some time answering interview questions in May.  It was Sachi's turn to do the window and she installed the Father's Day window 1.0 yesterday. We've got some great cards to choose from (Father's Day is June 19th in case you were wondering).

The rest of the window will hopefully be filled in by our customers.  We're having a Father's Day photo drawing - bring in a photograph of your Dad and we'll post it in our window.  All the photos will then be entered in a random drawing; the winner gets their choice of one of our wonderful silk neckties (from among what we have in stock).

The store is starting to fill in with arrivals from our California buying trip, and even a few early arrivals from the New York show.  Those will be spaced out over the next couple months, which is always fun.  Recently I looked at earlier pictures of the shop - it certainly has filled in a lot.  Sometimes I dream about a bigger space, but a part of me likes the intimacy of the space and the complexity of the layers and the overflowing shelves.  After shopping in New York, it is clear that I'm just not a boutique kind of girl.  If you have to pause and take a little time to look over the shop, discover something interesting in a little nook, that's great.  I know, everyone's style is different, but I'm just not big on white space.

Some of our new arrivals include: more charming pottery from Milwaukee, more lovely Italian paper and stationery sets,

 

donut wrapping paper, paper pads for cardmaking/collage, psotcards featuring vintage Madison images, and also some protest postcards.

 

We did manage to catch a few spring days in the UW-Arboretum. Thank goodness for digital cameras, is all I have to say, because I manage to catch a good picture of a girl on the move, maybe every one of 20 pictures.

 

I've also been working on some Madison photo snippets.  On Monday I cut background paper for 12 to fit in our square frames.  Typical move to get carried away with a batch.  Naturally, there was that annoying point of regretting that I had so many to work on, and one long night watching a movie on the office computer while I stuck all those little squares down.  But now I have a dozen new collages; it's a nice feeling to have some backstock.  In the process, I was reminded of several views that I don't have yet. I'm also thinking of making a big photo snippet collage of Madison and having prints made to sell.

I spent an enjoyable afternoon yesterday filling in some gaps and visiting my old grad school stomping grounds. It was so strange to walk up the steps of Science Hall, something I did every day for certain years, and then not at all for the last 10+ years.  What a lovely building that is, though. It made me want to start a series of UW detail photographs. 

 
 
And, yes, we're still making protest buttons.
     

 

 

I can't take credit for "OMG GOP WTF" - a customer came in and requested it.  They must have seen it on a sign.  I'm not saying that the Dems are perfect, far from it, (and, no, I'm sorry I didn't save the link, but I read recently about a study which showed that both Democrats and Republicans in office pretty much just listen to their big-bucks donors and lobbyists, which sure leaves a lot of us out in the cold), but doesn't it seem like some of the GOP actions don't even suit the founding principles of their party? 
 
 
 
 

our bags are packed

Well, a few of them.  There's still a little ways to go.  In a few days, we will be departing for Minnesota for The Creative Connection Event.  It's our first ever non-Craftacular, out of town, vending occasion so there's a steep learning curve.  It's a little nerve-wracking - did we pack enough? should I make more necklaces?  where are the bags and tissue?  Still, it will be nice to get away.  I have lots of friends in the Twin Cities area so I'm looking forward to some visiting, some shopping.  The reason we opened Anthology was because a life on the road traveling to shows didn't hold much appeal, but it will still be nice to explore this avenue, make some new connections.

I should have known better though...  Since the last two Septembers have been quiet - students going back to school, summer tourists going back to work, I went ahead and overbooked us for this September.  Naturally, the month started busier than ever: tourists are still coming, many students managed to find us and incorporate Anthology papers into their dorm & apartment decor.  This weekend is Ironman in Wisconsin and Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago.  The store has been busy with out of towners who should be making me feel like taking up some strenuous exercise but instead all that I can think about is carbo loading.  I just like the phrase. 

Yesterday, two generations of Komai girls went to Chicago to check out Renegade.  Walking the crowded street with a three-year old perhaps wasn't the best decision... I was feeling a little hot and crabby by the end of the day.  We were happy to pick up goodies for the store from Emily Kircher and Sofia Masri, as well as do some personal shopping.  Well, looking, anyway.  As always, I was inspired but all the clever work going on, great reusing and recylcing including some clever pleated tie "scarves."  We are all battling colds so we are dragging just a little bit, or a lot, and feeling tired from the packing, making and selling of the start of this month.

It's not a vacation, exactly, but it will be nice to have a change of pace.  Tomorrow I will pack the car and then, if there is any more room to spare, pack some more.  Wish us luck!

well, that went fast

Technically, I consider September part of summer - that's the luxury that I have since I'm not in school anymore.  Still, there are enough friends on Facebook with bitter/sweet sentiments of sending children off to their first days of school, a slight tinge of orange to the leaves, a little bit of chill in the wee hours of the morning that is making me start to think of summer as something past... and boy, did it go fast.  

Of course, we did get to spend some time relaxing...

But the last week has also felt really full.  September usually starts quietly here at the shop, but this year, the students seem to have found us right away.  Sales on September first were double what they were last year, which is a good thing.  Mentally, however, I was preparing myself for a quiet month, and thus went ahead and overbooked myself.  The month includes a shopping (personal and store) excursion to Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago, a vending (and shopping, if we're being honest) excursion to The Creative Connection Event in Minnesota, a art and family getaway to Michigan, and a wedding (which might seem like a small thing, but there is a gigantic quilt that needs to be bound.  I might have to use the old "you have a year after the wedding to deliver the gift" excuse).

We finished up a big bracelet-making commission, made about 200 buttons for one wedding, hosted a craft party for another wedding (making buttons and origami cranes). 

Deliveries have continued their march into the store.  The good thing is that it IS like Christmas every day, with something new to unpack and ooh and ahh over.  The bad thing is that there's something new to unpack everyday.  In theory, anyway.  I'm a little behind on all the receiving that needs to be done.  I love having a computer inventory system, but it means that everything has to be entered into the computer before it can go out on the sales floor. 

Meanwhile, there is also shopping for fabric to be done.  I do love the skirts that I've been making for myself and even though they are an exercise in using up fabric that I already own, naturally I have to check the stores for a few new pieces.  Lily especially loves the fuzzy fabric.

And the end of August marks the middle of my birth celebrations.  Since my birthday is at the end of August, I tend to celebrate for the entire month of August (my legitimate birth month) and for the month after my birthday. Celebrations on the actual day included successful shopping of the Anthropologie sale racks and a pink cupcake.

 

waiting Wednesday

And, yes, given the heat and humidity of this week, a little part of me is waiting for autumn.  That said, I wasn't quite ready for this sight, which I happened across on a walk in Crestwood, my old childhood neighborhood.

But in truth, the days have been more like this:

A combination of leisure and slow, heat-induced, movement, idling in the shade, feeling crabby because of overnight humidity (I sleep with my windows open and usually it cools down enough to make for comfortable summertime slumber though not the last couple days).  Summertime visitors, indulging in ice cream, spinning on the carousel, making my way through a pile of books (waiting just a bit to start The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest - I don't want it to end just yet).

New arrivals to the store include postcards with vintage Madison images, new patterns of scrapbook paper packs, flower and bumblebee wrapping paper, the entertaining map wrapping paper with the New Yorker's view of the US, and more Vintaj brass (which prompted a new necklace project).

There are several things ahead to look forward to, which I am not so patiently awaiting.  The Craftacular is on Sunday, and the Creative Connection Event is just around the corner after that.  At this precise moment, I am mostly waiting for tomorrow, when Mom and I head out to Valley Ridge for a workshop.  I'm feeling oddly prepared and yet not at all ready.  For some reason, it seems like this particular workshop is requiring fewer supplies.  My little box of transparencies and textures hardly seems like enough for two days!  And yet, somehow, the short supply list has left me scrambling.  Usually I have everything gathered well in advance and yet I am heading to the art store tonight to get some paper, and I sent Dad to the hardware store this afternoon to get some spring clamps.  It's that strange busyness that happens before you go away; soon there will be no choice but to just be in the moment, but in the meantime, my mind is feeling over-caffeinated and I haven't had a Coke since yesterday.

I'll be away from the computer for the next couple days, but then will be back to share the inspiration from Valley Ridge.

July weekends

Hope everyone had a Happy Fourth of July weekend!  We lucked out because Mom offered to work on Sunday so I didn't have to work for the 7th day in a row, and I got two days in a row off.  Ah, amazing what you can be happy with.  

On Saturday night, we picked blackberries and went to the slides and swings.

We might have started a new 4th of July tradition - after a day of sewing and otherwise puttering, everyone came over to my place for a picnic and dip in the pool.  I can't take credit for the idea for this cake - I copied it from a friend, and I can't even take credit for the making of the cake since it came from a box in the freezer section.  I know it seems uncouth, but I do like Pepperidge Farm cakes.  We had a delicious picnic and a relaxing evening.  

Monday was filled with various side jobs, studio cleaning and other organizing, as well as work on the skirts that I've been making for myself.  I got carried away sorting through all my fabric and ended up washing fabric for a total of five skirts, three of which are almost the exact same color combination.  I'm still in that fun stage of putting different fabrics together and feeling proud of myself for using up fabric from my collection (hardly made a dent).  There is still the unfun stage of double-hemming all five skirts (instead of a lined skirt, I just made an underskirt of two to three different fabrics and an overskirt of four to eight different fabrics pieced together.  That's a lot to hem).  Ah well. 

Meanwhile, back at the shop, I can't believe it is July already!  The Art Fairs On and Off The Square are this coming weekend and I am looking forward to checking out the various artists.  It's always a hot and lively time downtown. 

The following weekend is Maxwell Street Days, which is the big sidewalk sale here on State Street.  Lots of stores will have merchandise for sale out on the street.  We will have selected merchandise marked down and on sale at our back table; out on the street, we are hosting our first ever studio garage sale.  We have partnered with Absolutely Art, who puts on the amazing Re-Art Swap, and are gathering odds n' ends from our studios, from artists and from customers.  I have personally filled about five 30-quart containers with fabric in various sizes from scraps too small to sew (but useful for decoupage or cloth buttons, perhaps) to bigger yardage.  Throughout the year, we also get donations from customers, including 1950s magazines, upholstery swatches, little ceramic tiles and so on.  You can buy a bag for $3 to $10, and fill it with all sorts of goodies.  Anthology and Absolutely Art are donating our time and other resources, 100% of the sales from the outside tables will be donated to local youth arts organizations: the Art Cart, the Monroe Street Fine Arts Center, the Lussier Center, and Shirts that Supply.

We hope to see you sometime this month! 

 

let's see, where was I?

Now the days are completely turned around.  Sachi & Co. are on a little vacation so I was on my own for a few days... Well, as much as one can be alone considering that Pamela and Mom are keeping me company, as are many customers.  I was off on Sunday (my usual day to work) and then worked on Monday afternoon to close (my usual day off).

I did get a "real" weekend day on Sunday though so that was lovely.  Usually Mondays are filled with errands and other things.  On Sunday, Dad and I went to the Spring Green Art Fair, ate lunch out in Mazomanie and then in the evening I went on a bike ride and then ate Chinese for dinner.  It was such a nice day.  Although there was a lot of art at the art fair that wasn't too interesting to me, there were just enough things to inspire me, and even one possible new artist for the shop. 

Now it's Wednesday.  Sachi is coming back.  What is normally my second day of work is now my third, potentially of 7.  We still haven't decided about being open on the 4th of July.  It's tricky.  We are such a new business still (relatively) that I feel like being closed misses opportunities to introduce ourselves to people. Then again, being open all the time is a little tiring.  What to do, what to do.

Without Sachi around, yesterday was kind of a long day.  Usually I get to hide in the office for part of the day.  Luckily, things brightened up in the afternoon.  In the morning, there was lots of enthusiasm but not a lot of purchasing.  Now, I honestly don't expect everyone who walks through the door to like the store, let alone make a purchase, but as a wise woman I know said, "If compliments could pay bills small shop owners would be loaded but alas it does not."  Thankfully, before I could wallow too long in the lack of purchasing, several friends arrived for visiting, I got to show off pictures of the adorable girl,I had some enthusiastic purchasers, and I started making paper packs.  Cutting up paper to sort and put into packs is one of my favorite fall-back tasks.

I also started looking at the computer for the list of everything that I have sold since we've been open - an exercise which is both comforting and panic-inducing.  I spent about 10 years making things with the expectation that I would have a store to sell them in... now many of those things are gone in 2 years.  Yeah, not a bad problem to have. And, of course, I don't have to make 2 years worth of product just this minute, but there are certain items that I really do need to focus on.  Perhaps if I write it enough times, it will become truth?  One can only hope.  Magnet picture frames are the tippy top of the list.  I've sold 401 to date and sales always diminish when I let the supply dwindle (as it is now) so I really really need to get to work on those.

What have I been doing instead?  Working on an altered book, thinking about stocking our booth at the Creative Connection Event in Minnesota (in September), ironing skirt fabric, gathering collage materials for my Valley Ridge workshop, taking photographs, organizing the fabric studio, sorting fabric scraps, reading. 

Our Maxwell Street Days studio garage sale will be here in a few weeks so I've been sorting through fabric and other pieces in my own studio and gathering things to put outside.  It's always hard, as an artist, you think, "oh, but maybe I could use that!"  - that is a quality of most artists that I know, the ability to see potential in the most mundane of items.  But when you have several lifetimes worth of supplies, it's time to set some of it free, at least that's how I've been feeling.

I can hear that the UPS truck just pulled up outside so hopefully I will have some pictures for you soon, but for now I'll leave you with my fallback, the adorable girl...  Here she is in her purple dress that I made earlier this spring.  After a flurry of dresses for the girl, I am now working on several skirts for myself.  If I had a serger to finish the edges, and if I could get the production time down, I could make some for the store, but the reality is that they will probably be just for me.  Each skirt is an assortment of fabrics and quite lovely, if I do say so myself, but at four yards of fabric each, it's getting kind of pricey, and that's just the supplies, not including my time.  I'm reminded of what I don't like about sewing clothes. Still, it will be nice to have some new skirts and it does feel good to use up some fabric (even though it barely makes a dent in the supply).  I didn't get too carried away.  Well, I did, in that there is fabric for five skirts waiting, but there is not an exact match to any of the girl's  dresses - so no matching Auntie/Lily outfits, though there are some close coordinates, truth be told.  Then again, I'd have to actually catch her still for a photo shoot and that is proving more and more difficult.

Friday night at the store

Well, it's a thrilling life, what can I say?  Instead of the usual Friday night activities -- visiting book stores, eating Chinese (for one), Fridays are now my nights to work.  We're open until 7 so it isn't that late.  The sun is still shining and the street is pretty lively.  There is graduation this weekend and a performance across the street.  It's a little quiet at the moment, but after a week of projects: making more button bracelets, making magnet picture frames, making magnets, sewing a quilt sleeve, taking Capitol pictures, making photo snippets (I call them Capitol Squares... ha ha), making Capitol photo blocks... well, I think that's about all I have in me.  After I get home tonight (around 8 with the bus schedule), I HAVE to pack and clean, put away clothes.  I mean it.  Don't let me procrastinate. 

The button bracelets have been selling fabulously -- Sachi, Naomi and I all have different styles but we have a fun assortment.  Sachi's are pictured here. Other good sellers: Naomi's tile coasters and button picture frames, sweet Story Pictures, Sachi's Madison snippets and drawings, luminarte twinkling H20s, and buttons, buttons, buttons.  People have really enjoyed making their own buttons -- it has been a really fun activity that we didn't even plan on initially.  This week we got in some more Japanese papers including some packs of smaller pieces that remind me so much of shopping in Japan, the cute Japanese folders, also some more Story Pictures.  We keep selling out, not a bad problem.  And I think we've fixed the problems with epoxy necklaces so we can make custom photo necklaces now, which I think will be very popular.

Saturday we meet with the accountant in the morning and then it's the usual Saturday crowd; hopefully the weather will cooperate.  Sunday I have laundry, church, then on to the store at noon, with a stop at Bagels Forever for my breakfast, and then maybe a little more packing and cleaning after work.  Then Monday morning bright and early we are off to NY!  I'm so excited!  Plus, nervous, because I don't know what it will be like traveling with Lily.  But the show is smaller than the gift show so I think we will be able to get all our work done and take breaks for napping/screaming.  I'm especially nervous about the plane.  Eek.  Ah well, I'm willing to pay the price.  It has been so long since I first wished that Sachi and I could go to the Stationery Show.  And now here we are.  We always talked about going when we had our own store.  I know it is a little decadent to go on a buying trip so soon into this new business, but we are so lucky that Pamela can run the store for the three days we are gone.  Oh my! I can hardly wait.  Someone at my Bone Folders' Guild meeting told me we should start on the right where all the international vendors are -- international?!  Maybe we can finally find the Italian paper we want, and maybe some more Japanese papers.  And who knows what else? Yippee!