Yes, you’re invited, and you, and you, and you!
Just in case you’re my mom (which you aren’t, because my parents have never been online. NEVER.) DO NOT call me and ask me if I’m lying dead in a ditch somewhere. A call which always came at 7 a.m. on Saturday mornings when I was in college, following a period where I had been incommunicado too long, and which always baffled me, because this was way, way before cell phones and so if I actually ANSWERED the phone, how could I be dead in a ditch somewhere??
I digress…. Because I HAVE been incommunicado. I have a good reason:
I’m getting ready for another open studio this weekend. And you’re invited!
In some ways, I’m on top of this one. The studio didn’t get too, too messy since my last one, there was a lot of publicity because it’s part of the NH Open Doors Tour, and I’m not driving myself crazy about preparations. For example, I’m not going to vacuum again unless the dog barfs. (Keeping my fingers crossed here….)
But in other ways, I’m behind–as always. I didn’t do any personal promotion–no postcards mailed out to my customers. (I’m kicking myself here.) I decided to redo all my signage. Even though there’s not a year’s mess in here, there’s still a mess.
And I’m adding my usual personal anxiety to the mix. I once had a party where only one person showed up. It was traumatic. She was a very nice person, and we did do damage to a bottle of tequila (which promptly did damage to me, which is why I never drink tequila anymore, but that’s a story for another day.) But I still enter each entertainment venture with a sinking feeling that says, “And what if nobody comes this time, either??”
So help me not support my therapist single-handedly. Come to my Open Studio this Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 7 & 8, from 10-5, or pass the word on to someone you think would enjoy it. Tell them what you want for Christmas (if I happen to make something you’d want for Christmas) and tell them it’s only available here. This weekend.
And we will be BFF. Especially if you are the only person who comes.
P.S. Full disclosure: To be fair, at the time of that party, I was living in a 10’x10′ room in a rooming house. I think everyone was afraid we were going to stay there.
P.P.S. And I kinda forgot to tell everybody til the last minute. Which is why I probably deserve to have slow open studios, since history is repeating itself here…..
Luann Udell 
I went to Communicado once but I thought it was too hot 🙂
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Davis, I knew I could count on you! :^)
Seriously, folks, check out his blog–funny, funny stuff. Especially the quote from Marcel Marceau, and the provisional government he hopes to found with a raccoon (if he doesn’t eat it first.)
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Good Morning Luann,
You are THE BEST THE BEST THE BEST!!` This is one of those moments where living on an island just kinda drives me a bit crazy. I would love to come to your Open Studio. But not only do I not live in your state but I can’t just jump in my car and go anytime. The ferry takes an hour and half to get to the mainland and its expensive. 😦 oh well , thank you thank you for ALWAYS brightening my day and I really hope (and I know) 😉 you all are going to have a very fun and successful day. It just follows you! You work so hard! and give it all away to us. May it all be returned to you.
Hugs,
Lynn McGinnis
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Yes, Lynn, my husband always says the one technology he really wants fro Star Trek is the transporter! (Me, I like that replicator thing that makes food….)
My mom always said don’t thank people for saying thank you, or it never ends, so though I am grateful for your appreciation, I will only say if you like what you read here, one way to support me is to spread the word about my blog.
There. A shameless plug! :^D
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Count me in w/ those who would LOVE to come, but live too far away.
Hope it goes great,
N
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You know, it was pretty slow sales-wise, but when I added up the numbers, it was enough to finance my next step. Just enough & no more. Isn’t that cool??
And of course, a lot of friends stopped by, and we did a wine and cheese thing “after hours” on Saturday night!
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Sorry to have missed it, but it really is a long drive for me – 7 hours I think! LOL
But I remember visiting your studio last April. Can you believe it has been that long?
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Oh, Mary, it is SOOOOOOO much cleaner now! :^D
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Don’t know where to put this, but…
From today’s NY Times:
Holiday Gifts With a Story to Tell
By PENELOPE GREEN
SHOPPERS, be advised: The human touch rules this year. Also anything even vaguely critter-like, be it mammalian, reptilian or insectival. Decay, as opposed to the merely antique, is also rampant, imbued with attitude or lush with metaphor.
Despite a punishing retail climate, or what David Alhadeff, the owner of the Future Perfect in Brooklyn, calls “the economic thing,” merchants and makers of the decorative arts reported that anything that hints of the hand — indie crafter, artisan, sculptor or even a member of a Dutch (or Brooklyn) design collective — is still selling.
“People respond much more to authentic, human-centric design now,” said Chee Pearlman, a design consultant. “As opposed to the extruded-plastic sort from China. It’s clearly a time for genuine connection to the objects in our lives.”
Or as Grace Bonney, creator of DesignSponge, the craft-centric design blog, put it: “Vintage has been massive this year. So has the artisanal look, anything that’s handmade or pretends to be handmade.”
(snip)
“There’s still a backlash going on against the austerity of modernism,” said Julie Lasky, editor of Design Observer, a Web site that covers design and culture. “It hasn’t gone as far as it could, and there are certain scary suggestions that flocked wallpaper or the whole cabinet of curiosities thing may not be over.”
That said, Ms. Lasky admitted to being “completely seduced by the craft movement. I find myself spending more and more time on Etsy, which has turned into this amazing marketplace. It’s a very impressive development in terms of design.”
While Etsy is still the spot to find crocheted apple cozies ($7.25 from Kris0376) and raw bacon magnets ($4.99 from Design Dude), it is more and more the place to buy compelling design pieces as well, like a carpenter’s clamp bookshelf made entirely of bone china ($500 from Ricochet Studio; above). In fact, Etsy is on track to record $180 million worth of sales this year, according to its chief executive officer and founder, Rob Kalin. That’s nearly double its sales a year ago, and almost seven times that of 2007, a stunning amount of growth in this climate.
“People are taking ‘buy local,’ one step further,” Mr. Kalin said of his four-and-a-half-year-old craft mall. “Knowing where your food comes from, or your clothes, is extending to wanting to know where your dining room table comes from. It really matters. And I think what makes gifts in particular special is knowing there’s a person who made it and a story behind it. I think people want to buy things that tell stories, especially in an age when so few store-bought items tell stories.”
Link to the full story:
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