Somewhere I heard it said

"keep doing it til it hurts, then stop or until you get good at it".    I guess that is my approach to  venturing  into the world of vending at quilt shows since I am back from being a vendor for the third time in a month.

 So far I am not in pain, but I can't say I've gotten good at it either, at least not yet.

Last Thursday accompanied by my oldest grandson Josh, I drove three hours to Punta Garda; one of my favorite places in Florida. to be a vendor at the Peace River Quilter's Guild bi-annual quilt show..
 Being a vendor at their show was a very last minute decision on my part (three days before set up day I called to see if they still had a booth available).  Boy was I glad that they remembered me from a little over two years ago when I was there teaching for them.

I arrived to a warm welcome.  This was a well staged and managed show held in the convention center and a very good experience.  Here is a picture of my booth space.  I was in a great spot. At the end of a row facing the center aisle with a row of quilts in front of me.  I talked to a gobs of people and  I was so happy to see so many familiar faces.  I was too busy on both days that a lunch break was out of the question.  Good thing I had a "big" apple in my purse on day one. 

I took  Josh and I about two hours to get the booth set up, far less than some of the other vendors who where there working when we arrived and there working when we left.  It took us less than 30 minutes at the end of the show to break it down, and pack the car. 

My accessment of being a vendor remains they same as the opinion I held after the first vendor experience three weeks ago.  Being a vendor without help would be hard and having Lyn or Josh makes it so  much easier.
On Josh's part having him is a plus, he has  guy muscles and he is  young  and two and best of all his brain does math like a computer.  I know a card reader isn't  all that hard to manage and it does do math when one has either a smart phone or an I-pad , but it is hard to be the money taker and the talker at the same time. So he was the taker and I was the talker.  We made a good team.

THE HOUSE-townhouse REPORT
     All is going well with the purchase.  Inspection---done.  Appraisal---done.  Had a tile guy in to give me a quote on cleaning the grout and restoring the tile.  Not costly.  Have a plumber lined up to install a utility sink in the garage that is already plumbed for this kind of installation, but would prefer a restaurant style, stainless steel one in the garage if I can fnd a reasonably priced used one and I have an electrician who will come change out the chandelier in the dining area to something more serviceable since  no dinning will be done in that space, only creating. 

So if all continues to go as scheduled, I will be closing on either March 14 (not me personally because I am schedule to teach out of town) so Lyn with my power of attorney will do that for me or the closing can put it off until March 18 when I am back.

     Today it is suppose to rain.  A rare happening this time of the year.  So I am going to have a feet up, butt down, book reading kind of day or a movie.  I haven't decide which or I just might do both.

Quilt show, teaching and house hunt

Since I last was here to report on the happening in my part of the world I've had some adventures that I will fill you in on.  The first was the guild quilt show that was held last weekend.  Friday was a good and busy day but I am not sure where the people were on Saturday.  What I decided from the four days of my life that went into getting the show up and down was, I am getting too old for this.
I was in charge of getting the floor planned, the quilt hung and taken down and returned to their owners.  Getting the show up ment a really long one day (Wednesday) walking and on my feet so the judging could be done on Thursday before the show opened on Friday. 
Oh yeah, I did win lst and 2nd place in the Small Art category. 

 Here is a view of our booth, I have to say our as oppose to my since I would not have done it if
my daughter Lyn hadn't convinced me to be a vendor at the show.  Her reasoning was  I was going to be hanging around anyway.  I talked to a lot of people and yes I sold some product and two quilts.  Not anywhere close to my record sale of the nine pieces  I sold at the same show two years ago.  Would I be a vendor again.  Yes if Lyn helps.   She knows what I do well enough to talk to people when they drop by the booth.   I have decided every selling artist needs a manager/promoter, which is what Lyn calls herself.
A day after the show was down, I was off to Sebring, Fl to teach for two days to the Art Quilt Unlimited a group from the Gulf side of the state. 
What a great group.  Small world.  At the quilt show I ran into a lady who was in Louisville Nimble Thimbles back in the late 80's when I first joined that group.  We remembered each other  and we had a few pleasant minutes remembering the "good old days" of hand quilting and when winning a blue ribbon at the Kentucky State Fair was having arrived.
Then in Sebring at the AQU Retreat , there was a quilter from Lexington, KY that I have known for many years. 

Grand staircase where ghost are said to be seen.

The AQU retreat was held in an hotel built in 1816. The view from the porch overlooks a large lake.   Really charming place with many resident winter guest who were having their own Super Bowl party in the lobby on Sunday.  I taught two classes in one of the two ballrooms and had a really great time. 
I am always pleased when one of my students takes my designs and pushes beyond what I am teaching.  I like the look of the flowers pictured below.  I asked if anyone was in witness protection before taking this picture.  None were but Pat Jennings is the only ones name I can recall and that is because I have known her for years.

 

And now for the house report.  Remember I said I had narrowed my house choices  down to three and finally down to two.  Well in my head I was getting the lay out of house three confused with house two.   So to my surprise when I went for the house inspection today on house two, it was not laid out like I thought it was.  The jetted tub was the only thing I remembered correctly. 

 

Now mind you I like this house and I am pleased that it isn't the third house.  The garage is just steps away from the laundry room although room is a little misleading,  more like a large closet.  The light is as great as I remember it to be,  even though I was imagining it as in the third house.  It is more compact, but that is okay with me since I will be there 90% of the time by myself with an occasional visit from friends and family from out of state.  I guess I will have to get a bed for one of the two extra bedrooms since the closet in the master is big enough to share with my rolled quilts and still have room to spare.

And yes to my friend Kathy A and my grand-daughter who loves water, the pool is a only a few steps away.  If the bank likes the appraisal , it looks like my closing date is March 18.  Taking some time to paint before moving, it it looks like the move date will be on the 22nd  or 23rd.

The back of the townhouse backs up to a wooded area

The pool next door

 

 The little room on the roof is decorative and not functional.

  You enter the house from the side but on most occasions I will be going and coming through the garage.

Will keep you abreast of house and how the move in goes.

I'll be working on making a class sample next week and then I am off to the Atlantic side of the state in the Space coast area to speak at a quilt show and be a vendor for one day.  Yes Lyn my manager/promoter is coming along.