Craft Fair Season

It's that time of year in New England, USA
leaves are changing colors
days are getting frightfully short
pumpkins are popping up everywhere
and it's craft fair season!
It seems every weekend in many small towns there is a church fair, civic art show, flea market etc.
I will be jumping in with both feet this year. My inventory is up, as are my bills, so off to market I go.
This weekend I will be in Berlin, CT at a Harvest Fair. Weather predicted is heavy rain so it will probably turn out to be a lovely day. The fair info, if interested is:

Harvest Fair
American Legion Post 68
154 Porter's Pass
Berlin, CT

Hope to see some of you there.
Linda
Crafts from the heart

My blog is being ignored.

I have been very rude to my blog, I must admit. Now that face book and twitter have grown so large, I have been using them to save time. Today I have decided it is time to catch up on my first means of communication online.

I have purchased an embroidery machine. The salesperson could sell ice to eskimos. I bought a used Husqvarna Designer SE for about $2000, I guess they retail for $5000. Well the learning curve has been pretty huge for me but each day I make progress. I know I need to go for lessons to learn about digitizing and more complex features, but for now I am enjoying downloading designs from the net and making cute items from them.

You can see some in my etsy shops
http://www.craftsfromtheart.etsy.com
http://www.mustlovehomedecor.etsy.com

What I did not anticipate was the amount of time it takes for one design to be created. Designs with lots of stitches can easily take over an hour. That would be fine if I could walk away and get other stuff done in the meantime, but you really have to stay close in case the bobbin runs out, it's time to change colors, needle breakage, etc.

I love the look of the finished products and I hope it all pays off in the end but for know it is all about learning, learning, learning :)

Linda

Not much to say except $1 cards for sale

I'm clearing out part of my online shop at etsy, so, I am selling individual handmade cards for a buck each. Can't beat that. Sets are only $3.00. Come help me clear out and achieve a goal of 100 sales. Thanks.

sew I am cranky, you would be too

It is hot an muggy where I live, there is no air conditioning in my craft room which is in the second floor of my cape home (attic). Do you see why I may be on the cranky side? Money is tight in the summer because I am a substitute teacher and do not get paid for summer vacation. I was hoping to fill in some income by selling my handmade treasures online but considering summer is a slow time for retail, this plan has not been one of my best. I do have the time to create things for the busier season which is good but getting through the summer when tax bills are do can sometimes make for some nail biters.
I guess we will be eating spaghetti a bit more often until the buyers come back. In the meantime I will be up in my craftroom with my cranky self.

Low Pay for substitute teachers

My blog today will be a rant. I am sorry for this rant but I need to vent and this will be the place for that today. I am a substitute teacher in Connecticut. In order for one to be a sub in Connecticut, one must have a college degree. For the achievement of receiving a college degree I am paid $70 a day. I work an average of 7 hours a day with a 25 minute lunch. That makes my pay $10 an hour. If I had not gone to college but I were a cashier or waitress I would make more than that in Connecticut. Why demand a substitute teacher have a college degree if you do not intend on paying him or her for education and experience.
I agree with the fact that substitute teachers should be college educated but I also believe they should be paid the wage of a college educated professional. I would think a parent would not accept any less. The sub pay should start at $20 and hour and go up from there. There are no other benefits involved so the school systems are paying us babysitter wages. Please let your boards of eds. know that you think sub pay should be increased and that you demand a high level of professionalism from the substitutes not just someone looking to fill their days with something to do.

Site speeds

Site speeds on hibidder.com and etsy.com have increased greatly. Hibidder.com is an alternative to ebay. The customer base is much smaller but with the great new speed it will grow. I sell my bargains that I find when shopping there. Community is very welcoming and helpful.
Etsy has a tendency to get slow during peak times but admin. is on top of it and keeps increasing the data base to accomodate all the traffic. There are so many great deals on handmade items there that buyers and sellers find it hard to resist. The fees are very low so sellers can pass along the savings to their customers.

Happy Shopping! I hope everyone visits these sites today and takes a look. I bet you buy something. Leave a comment if you do!
craftsfromtheheart.etsy.com
hibidder.com - craftlinda