Want to skip that mess?  Want something that can bring joy all year AND help out 26 artists?

The 2012 AGLF calendar

Give some consideration to the Artisan Glassworker Legal Fund calendar.   It’s 12 months of beautiful artwork and a useful calendar to boot.   All of the proceeds go straight to the legal fund currently being used to defend 26 artists (including yours truly) who are trying to protect free speech.

To order a calendar, visit the site directly at:  http://aglf.info/calendar.html . For information about the group in general, back on up to http://aglf.info.

And thank you!

The good news is that all of the packages I’ve sent out to customers have made it safely with everything intact including the replacement chess set I sent out.

The bad thing is that I still have a slew of pieces to make and get out in time for a Christmas arrival, plus a show this weekend.

Too much to do, no drive to do it AND there’s still the day job.

I was looking around the room and there was an odd mix of vendors.   I’ll mention now, this event is billed as a holiday shopping bazaar, not a craft fair, so not everything has to be handmade.    Also, this is more for the kids to buy stuff for their families, not necessarily their parents buying for them.  There was a lady with imported winter wear and jewelry next to me on one side, and on the other side a table that was selling cheap mass produced ornaments they’d write the kid’s name on.   There were a LOT of jewelry vendors, a couple of franchise vendors (Cutco, Tastfuly Simple, etc), and a few other random bits of weirdness.   On the upside, I was the only glass vendor in the room.

But anyway, after surveying the mix, I had already jotted a note in my sales log to cut this show from next year.

But here’s the odd thing…off all the shows this season, I made more at tonight’s than any of them.  I’d have to look, but it’s quite possible I made more tonight than all the other ones combined (factoring in table fees).

The weirdest part of my night though, was in the form of a young boy of maybe 9 or 10.  I remember him from past years, and he’s bought from me in the past.   He seems to like my work and is genuinely interested in how it’s made.  He wanted to buy one of my marbles, no problem.    So he dug out his wallet and the kid had a 50 in there.  Don’t get me wrong, a customer’s a customer, I don’t mind, but the kid had a 50 dollar bill.  Then he bought a 25.00 marble, mostly so he’d have the change.    He’s amusing if nothing else.

Also, I did have one bit of a nice deed for the evening.   There was a set of kids and their mother, and the younger of the two boys spent a good 10 minutes looking over my marbles, trying to decide if he wanted to spend his money on one.   With the adults who might have more money at their disposal, that’s slightly annoying, though I never mind if folks want to browse.   It’s all good, but after 5 minutes it gets weird.

But this young boy kept going back and forth between two marbles, and knowing kids have far more limited incomes, I’d rather he make darn sure he wants it than try to push him into spending.   Finally he decided on a 8.00 marble and as I wrapped it, I told him that I had rarely seen anyone that young take such and interest, and I let him pick a marble for free from my tray of eyeball goofs.   These were mostly priced at 10.00 per marble, so he got a nice little treat.

A little while later, his older brother came by and bought a marble, and I asked if that was his brother before (knowing what it’s like for the parent when one kid gets something and the other doesn’t), and I gave him the same deal.

That’s one of the nice benefits of making things yourself, you have the freedom to hand it over at your discretion, and I don’t do that often.

It was certainly nice to have a profitable night for a change, and I made two kid’s day in the bargain.

One show left for the season, then I’ll likely put the rest online in my ArtFire shop.

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Need a gift? Love handmade?  Have a look in my ArtFire shop and see if something there tickles your fancy.

No, I’m not announcing one of those crazy sales (though you will see some related postings in the coming weeks), but rather I’m just putting the holidays on your radar.

As I start to ramp up ornament, snowman, and other production for the 2010 winter holiday season, I’d like to encourage you to get orders in now if you’re thinking about giving a glassy gift to someone this year.

Order by August 1  and I’ll set you up with free shipping on your item, and make a reasonable guarantee* on it’s arrival before November 1st.   If you place an order by the deadline, don’t be shy about reminding me about the free shipping.  I’m not looking to slight anyone, I’m just aging and get distracted easily, so pipe up.

edit:  It might help if I included a contact link eh?

* I’ll have it shipped in time.  Whether or not the couriers can do their jobs is another story.

In these tough economic times, I know you want to buy domestically. I know you realize that supporting local artisans helps support your local economy.  I know you appreciate the quality that comes with artisan made products.

But I also know that the price of that quality can be tough to swallow right now.

With that in mind, Munkin Arts brings you…mini ornaments!

Mini Ornaments

My larger ornaments run $15-$20 per bulb, but these adorable little cuties are just $5 each.  To sweeten the deal, if you buy 5, you get a 6th one for free!  Unlike my 2-3″ larger bulbs, these are only 1-1.5″ wide.

If you’ve downsized the Christmas tree, these are perfectly proportioned for the smaller tree.

I’m offering these on my tables throughout the holiday craft show season, but if you’re interested in ordering one or more, feel free to let me know via my website.  I’ll get in touch with you regarding colors, payment, shipping, etc.

Two sweeten the deal…receive free standard USPS Priority Mail shipping* if you order a dozen of these handmade glass ornaments.  So that would be 12 ornaments for the price of 10 AND free shipping.

* US Shipping only.  International orders incur actual shipping charges.