Bring Your Dollar(s) to the Craft Fair!



Mary Ching's Lauhala Hat Kitchen Towels are 3-D!

It's not a good thing when a craft fair is only four hours long and yet I have time to make a few bracelets plus take a tour of the fair photographing crafts.  Yes, it was a somewhat slow morning for me at the King Kaumualii  craft fair last Saturday, but as we vendors often say, "Better than staying at home!" (As long as, of course, you make enough to cover your table fee and the materials you used.)  Of course I actually love staying home playing Bejeweled or watching YouTube, but yeh, can't make money doing that.

Carolyn Ogata's Cupcake Potholders

The Ogatas' Geta Table Accessories

Despite selling my handcrafted clothing for almost 20 years, I often come across people on Kauai who have never seen my work. Craft fairs have been popular for even longer than my 19 years in the business, but obviously not everyone attends craft fairs. We should be urging attendance not just to "keep it local," but because there are many creative and quality products being produced in a diningroom or spare room near you! There are hundreds of other very unique products, but pictured here are just a few.

If you haven't been to a craft fair in recent years, try attending one again.  They're not as crowded as they used to be--which is sad for us crafters, but good news for you shoppers!  At Hawaii craft fairs--and I'm sure the same can be said for craft fairs throughout the U.S.--you are purchasing quality products that are made by your neighbors rather than supporting foreign products, often of lesser quality.  Ask for a business card or receipt so if in case of a problem you can contact the crafter.  Return/exchange policies differ with each vendor, but many are very accommodating. 

Crocheted Potholder Gift Pack



Charlene Adric's Platter Gift Pack

Many vendors make gift-giving a cinch by preparing gift packs for you.  I loved Charlene Adric's very creative idea of writing, printing, and assembling her own mini-cookbooks and including one in each of her colorful and attractive kitchen gift sets.   (Reminder:  Click on any image to see a larger version.)



Pam Coyamin's Potluck Must-Have's

 A couple of my favorite items were what I call "potluck must-haves" made by Pam Coyamin.   The first is a 9 x 13 pan cover.  No more messing with foil that won't stay on, no more having a lift up the cover to peek at the contents, and no more condensation problems.  I can't wait to use mine!  Next to it on the table were soda box covers.  OMG!!  The aluminum foil business is in serious trouble here!!  You will be the hit of the potluck with these items no matter how bad a cook you are! *LOL*

Miss Hillary Handbags is much more than handcrafted bags!

 If there was an Eye Candy award for this fair,  I would give it to Hillary Akau. She has a very eye-catching "boutique" of a table that would catch any girly girl's fancy.  You want to just eat her creations, but you have to wear them instead.  Visit her Etsy store at http://www.misshillary.etsy.com/ . 



Pink and green is a combination I find irresistible!



One Size black iris dress

 As I'm writing this I'm wondering why I'm showing you everyone else's craftwork and not my own? Am I beyond shameless self-promotion? Heck no! At the fair while I was selflessly photographing the other crafters' creations to feature here, it never occurred to me to photograph my own....so I ran just now to take some photos (notice the closet door backdrop)! [Again, click on any photo for a larger version.]

Black tank "3 Cards" design

Men's Texas Orange Palm Pocket

If you've been following the local news, we micro business people--much smaller than small business--are now under scrutiny because apparently the State suspects we're making billions in cash that we're not reporting.  That's pretty sad, but understandable giving the shortfall of funds that the government is experiencing.  Craft vendors have been doing less and less business each year from what I hear from my "co-workers" and in my own experience.  I've had my GET license for the 19 years I've been in business so it doesn't affect me much, but it's a tad annoying that Walmart can make billions using cheap Chinese labor and those of us here at home trying to compete with that are being "nickeled and dimed." 

So take your dollah to a craft fair please! Speaking of which, Russell Peters will be at the Blaisdell this Saturday! Check him out here: my "You Save Fifty Cents Here" blogpost.

Quick Post--Cooked in One Minute

Just letting my 3 readers know that I'm still alive and sewing. I'll be posting here sometime next week because my last craft fair of the year will be on the 12th at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School. Hurray!

By the way, I haven't gone blind and hopefully won't in the near future. More on that next week. My minute is almost up--I'm a slow typist!

Meanwhile, check out this link if you want to see if your beauty products are toxic. The name of the website is Skin Deep. I'm considering switching to henna and bought some henna cream, only to find that it has the same rating as semi-permanent hair dyes such as Loving Care by Clairol. (Henna POWDER is healthier, but from what I've read, a lot messier and difficult to work with, plus the results aren't as good).

Please leave me comments if you have any experience with henna. Mahalo!

Did Sugar-Overload Cause Blindness in Kauai Woman In 2 Hours?

Despite extremely bad weather today, I had a good day at the annual St. Michael's craft fair. I think the bake sale and the generous and delicious laulau plate lunch had something to do with that, but the St. Michael's volunteers and customers--made up in large part by their congregation--are especially gracious. I also always enjoy my fellow vendors. It was very convenient to be able to earring-shop during the lulls because Sue Okada was on the next table. I'd say her earrings are recession-proof because they're beautifully creative and yet very reasonably priced. I was also able to get Donna's Edibles caramel apple--my favorite coconut/mac nut-- just two tables away, yay! Yep, Jimmy Choo shoes or a Gucci handbag would not thrill me more than the booty I got today.

Just a few hours ago, however, following the craft fair, I began having these disturbing symptoms: a curved line of "lights" that flash in my right eye when I moved my eyes. I recalled reading that flashing lights in your eyes are bad news. Sure enough, my internet research scared me because they recommend seeing a doctor within 24 hours because a detached retina could result in blindness! As much as I hated bothering Dr. Lee at his home, I decided blindness trumps embarrassment so I phoned him. He assured me that Monday would be soon enough, and related the exact symptoms I'm experiencing because he'd had it himself recently. Well, if I can still see after Monday, I'll let you all know!

And now for this week's "Health Things That Make You Go Hmmm":

I must preface the following with a reminder that I'm no expert and I just like to pass on information of what others have experienced. We can't know everything on our own after all and even at my advanced age I often find myself saying, "Whaaat? Really? Nah!?"

The other day a friend told me that her dad had been experiencing a health issue for several months. It began with severe stomach pains that woke him at night and progressed to him having hallucinations and memory issues. Because of his advanced age--90--and because tests showed nothing conclusive, it was assumed that his "mental fog" was due to his age and his family worried that they'd have to put him in a care facility soon. Luckily one of the doctors, a gastroenterologist, suggested changing his diet because he'd been eating a lot of raw vegetables. Lo and behold, his stomach pains ceased and he was able to sleep comfortably. Most importantly, because he was now getting proper sleep, his mental clarity sharpened back to "normal" (pre-stomach problem).

Remember my blog a couple of months ago regarding my mother's bad reaction to "Bactrim"? During the worst period, my mom, a very mentally-sharp 80-year-old, was also not "herself" mentally, alarming my sister. Mom is pretty much "back to normal", but still has blurred vision in one eye from the Bactrim. I received emails from a few people who read my post saying they were similarly affected and one woman is still unable to work SIX MONTHS after taking Bactrim! [Again, I recommend going to AskaPatient.com to inquire about any medication you are considering.]

My point is, we shouldn't assume that a senior citizen who seems to be mentally hazy is simply experiencing "normal" age-related memory issues. Instead, it may be a symptom caused by something other than aging, such as medication, sleep deprivation, etc., so be sure the doctors explore all possibilities.

In closing, here's an unusual tip I got online for anyone experiencing frequent leg cramps at night: Put a new bar of soap under your bottom sheet (so mine is between the fitted sheet and the mattress cover). If you check Snopes.com, this is not disputed--it actually works for a lot of people! You may have to change the soap every few months. Some people even claim it helps Restless Legs Syndrome also. Sounds crazy, but wouldn't hurt to try. Please let me know by commenting if you find that this helps.

Craft Fair Kauai Sis

One of my three readers reminded me that I'm due for a posting...that was two weeks ago.

I was busy sewing for craft fairs despite the fact that last year I told everyone I was quitting. I was serious about quitting for three reasons: my health, my business, and my brain. I'd had a horrific Back Attack in 2007 that I learned was primarily caused by being constantly hunched over a sewing machine. Anyone in the craft business will tell you that it's getting more challenging to turn a good profit with cost increases everywhere you turn (fair fees--Kauai Museum now charges $200 for one day--materials, airfare, freight) plus craft fair attendance has been decreasing. I was true to my intentions because I didn't purchase any raw materials for my crafts this year, just used what I'd accumulated.

Oh and about the brain issue. At this midlife age we're supposed to learn new skills to keep our brains functioning well and happily, I'm now taking care of that. True, we did buy a Wii system, but since February 2008 I've been working at a new job online that forces me to learn different software and internet programs and to write. After being on the internet for over 12 years, I'm finally getting paid to sit in front of the computer!

Interestingly, now that I have another job and have sold off a third of my clothing inventory, I realize that I don't have to give up my craft business. I now have another source of income, so I don't have to do every fair, and have less inventory to lug around. I'm enjoying the business again!

The moral of the story is that when you get tired of your work/business, it helps to step back, downsize, find another job, or just leave it for a while if you're able to. It's amazing how a shift in gears can ultimately lead you out of a rut. Last year when I decided to quit, I found myself discovering new ways of doing what I'd been doing for 16 years. Not just one or two discoveries, but at least a half dozen. I felt stupid for not thinking of these improvements much earlier, but now I'm convinced that I probably discovered these new "paths" only because I had changed my "map." In other words, rather than go about business as usual, I had changed my mindset, thinking I was going to close my business. Possibly it enabled me to see things from a different perspective, consequently seeing where improvements could be made.

Either that or some guardian angel put the ideas in my head just to show me how inefficient I'd been all those years before!! *LOL*

Brett Favre and tshirts

I participated in the Koloa Plantations Days craft fair on Saturday, my first fair in six months. I had decided in 2007 to quit my handcrafted clothing business after 16 years. I still enjoy designing the shirts, receiving compliments, and meeting both new customers and loyal returning customers. I no longer enjoy the "back breaking" parts of the business: hours hunched over the sewing machine and the heavy lifting involved in setting up and breaking down craft fair booths.

In my excitement of making this life-altering decision I prematurely announced to everyone at my 2007 craft fairs my plans to quit. I did say at the time that I'll continue to do fairs to sell out my stock, but you know how people are, we tend to hear just the main part of an announcement. Unless you're a husband, of course...then you usually don't even hear the main part. Hehehe...

Annnnyway, everyone's reaction to seeing me at Koloa Days was "What?! You're here? I thought you said...." I was happy to see my fellow "crafters" (I'm not sure why , but I hate that term) and I suggested that I might be the Brett Favre of craft fairs. Well the reality is I have over 200 shirts in stock to sell and judging from the slow sales on Saturday, I'll be around for many more fairs. The lower tourist numbers and bad economical conditions impacted all of the vendors I spoke to at Saturday's fair.

We are certainly going through a transitional period no matter how you look at it. Our planet, our country, Hawaii, Kauai, my neighborhood, my household, and my own life are all experiencing major changes this year. It's a lit-tle scary, as though something "up there" has lined up. We can only hope that it's all 7's.