A Gift Idea For Your Fitness-Minded Friends

Yup, you heard it here, folks. Two days before Thanksgiving, and I'm half way through my Christmas gift-giving list. Of course I'm not going to pat myself on the back yet. In the past when I have had a good jump on things, I lose the urgency, thinking I have all this time to find the few remaining presents I need to purchase. Next thing you know, I'm out on Christmas eve, jostled by the maddening crowd, looking for that elusive, perfect bauble that was in plentiful supply just three weeks earlier. Then there's the two-day (or god forbid) overnight shipping costs which brings online shopping down a peg or two. But it won't happen this year. I promise with only one set of fingers crossed. Following is a gift idea to help you along with your own situation.

Yoga is one of the fastest growing fitness regimes in this country. Statistic Brain suggests in a July 2012 study that 15 million Americans practice yoga. Studios are all over the place.  Do you have a yogi on your holiday shopping list? At an average, annual growth rate of 20% , I'll bet you do. Why not purchase one of my handcrafted yoga mat bags? I have a good selection in my Etsy store, along with some nifty Dupioni silk eye pillows that would make nifty stocking stuffers for your fitness-minded friends and paramours. Shop here http://www.etsy.com/shop/sleepingvirginia?section_id=12444721 or come see me at Craft Fix on Sunday November 25th 11-5pm 2 Government Street in Kittery Maine.

Here are some pics of some of the bags available. The birch branch rack is brand new and crafted by the very talented Tom Keating of South Berwick, Maine.

Busiest times of the year!

Thrown into the mix with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas is the bundle of craft shows I participate in at this time of the year. Okay, don't feel sorry for me - yet. I love doing these fairs. For one thing, it's nice to have people browse and purchase the items you've worked so hard on for months. A validation of sorts. But the preparation for these outlets contains a fair amount of stress. Do you have enough product? Will people like your stuff? What if the crowd is less than, um - crowd-ish? And after carefully preparing and setting up your display, your table looks like crap? Hmmm, so many things to think about.

Anyone who has worked retail realizes that packaging is key to selling a product. At a craft fair, presentation is equally important. I regard it as a skill in itself. I want my table to be pleasing to the eye, so I have to make sure I have attractive signage, baskets and bins to place my wares, and somehow try to make the whole dang thing cohesive. There are artisans out there who are really, really good at this. I've seen their setups and they create a "wow" reaction. I hope to get that good someday,

So this year I am doing a fair that requires tables to be covered to the floor on at least three sides. All of a sudden my makeshift tablecloths will not do. That's when I booked it to Marden's. My favorite go-to place for great fabric at really reasonable prices. What follows is my adventure putting together a table top that reaches the floor, constructed from 4 yards of sweet, neutral colored cloth that draped quite nicely.

 After I sewed the side pieces on, it was time to add the skirt. I slipped on the table cover and measured the length of skirt, being sure it would hit the floor. I mean, that was the whole reason for this project in the first place, right?

I actually had fun doing this. Of course, I'm a geek and get a crazy high doing this kind of thing. Here's what I came up with... and come see me and the rest of our crafty bunch at The Craft Fix, Buoy Gallery 2 Government St. Kittery Maine. Sunday, November 25th!