Sunday, May 2, 2010

Surprises around every corner...

(I wrote this 3 weeks ago, but forgot to publish!)


What a week!

I spent most of my time this week planning and preparing for a surprise party for a dear friend... and when the week began I thought party-planning would be my primary focus. The first surprise of the week, however, was that I was accepted as a vendor into the INDIEana Handicraft Exchange! If you are unfamiliar, the IHE is a craft fair in the spirit of the Renegade Craft Fairs held nationwide. It's the perfect marriage of traditional techniques with contemporary themes. I'm SO excited to be invited to participate, and the opportunity immediately got my creative juices flowing. I think I will be featuring belt bags for children, and maybe some matching outfits, in addition to my regular wares. I will, of course, post photos as soon as I get a set completed.

This past Friday I participated in a fundraiser for the March of Dimes at St. Vincent's Hospital. Given the unsuccessful outcomes of 2 out of 3 craft fairs this year, I didn't have very high expectations, although I certainly had high hopes. It turned out to be a successful venture after all, and I met very interesting people. Not to mention the fact that I got to contribute a donation, albeit a small one, to the March of Dimes March for Babies. It was a pleasant surprise.

Finally, this morning I awoke to my husband making coffee and the paper splayed out all over the table. Atop this heap was the entertainment section, opened to the style page, and in it was a little write-up on my belt bags! It was so cool to see something I made get recognized. Although it wasn't a surprise that I would be in the paper this Sunday, it was truly surprising to see it in black and white. This week had much more in store for me than I was prepared for, and I am now prepared to receive whatever's next!