Online Shopping and Holiday Gifts

I saw a report on the news this week that more and more people are shopping online. For someone like me, this is a good thing. Think about the doors the internet has opened. If you're not close to one of the shows I'm doing, or if you are but can't get there, now you can view and/or purchase my functional garden art. Through the magic of the internet, I can learn of your order, package it, arrange online for it to be shipped, and you receive it - and we never meet. Wow. It truly is amazing. And speaking of that, I hope you will stop by my Etsy store. We have several nice pieces that would make terrific gifts for the people on your list :-)

The Metro Arts Two Rivers Expo in Des Moines was a fun show to do. There were fewer people attending than I had anticipated, but those who came out in the cold and spitting snow liked my items. The organizers were very good to the artists, too, and that always adds to the experience. We hope to do more shows in that area.

It's been a sad week here. Our yellow tabby cat, George, suddenly got sick. He failed to respond to any of the medications and just kept getting worse. We lost him on Thursday. George was more like a little dog - he'd follow us from room to room, sleep on the bed, jump up on the chair and talk to us. We rescued him from the animal shelter and we are very appreciative of the time we had with him. We miss the little guy. Our black cat, Ozzie, also feels the loss.

Hummingbird fact for today: It is not necessary for a hummingbird feeder to be red. A new feeder or a feeder in a new location can be accented with a red bow or red ribbons to attract the birds. Once they have located the feeder, the red can be removed as it is no longer necessary.

The Holiday Show Season is Getting Started

We head off this week to a new area for us. We were juried into the Metro Arts Two Rivers Expo in Des Moines, IA. This will be our first Iowa show and we're excited! This will kick off the holiday shows. Handmade gifts are always welcome because of the quality of the items. Handcrafted quality lives on long after the price is forgotten! So take your holiday shopping list to arts and crafts shows in your area. You can be certain that your gift recipient will NOT have anything else exactly like what you find for them.

I had a birthday this week. I'm not sure how I feel about it either. On the bright side, it's better than the alternative. I just never thought I'd ever be this old...................... Birthdays are a chance to pause and take stock of our lives, decide if we should be doing anything differently. And after doing that, I've got to say that I'm absolutely delighted with my art and the fun we are having.

Hummingbird fact for today: If you should find a baby hummer, the best advice is to leave it alone. The mother will either get it back to the nest or Nature will take its course. Hand-raising a baby hummingbird is very, very difficult even for professionals and is best left to those who know what they are doing AND keeping the bird is probably illegal.