Milford Pumpkin Festival 2011

Creepy Cute Mushrooms made special for the festival. 2011 TSB

Tonight I celebrate (figuratively speaking) the end of my first larger show. I've been looking forward to the Milford NH Pumpkin Festival since I signed up in July. And I often thought today as I spent my last day at my booth in the town hall how I would have never thought as I browsed there as a customer last year that I would be selling only a short year later. It was a blast.

My table! Awww. It was so tiny and cute amidst all the veteran vendors.

The Milford Pumpkin Festival celebrated (not so figuratively) its 22nd year off with a bang with an Atlas Fireworks display. If that wasn't enough to draw attention, the insanely warm weather really brought the people outdoors. I couldn't believe all the snow cones I saw this weekend! In October! Snow cones! It just boggles the mind.

My Saturday Helper Elf - without her imaginary roly poly pumpkin costume.

 It was a very good time - I met a lot of vendors I didn't know (you know... I hate that word. "Vendors". Makes us all sound like soda and snack machines. Henceforth, I shall call us merchants. That sounds more elegant, and that, perhaps, we have a fleet of ships in the Spice Islands.) a lot of really nice festival goers, and I learned a few new things about the merchanting portion of my "trade". (see? vending would have been a tacky word to use!). I also got to spend more time with my sisters K and J, saw my grandparents who I haven't seen in ages and miss dearly, and had a few good friends stop by which always makes me think "awww" and mean it. My favorite part was all the smiles my work evoked. Whether it was out of sheer joy, amazement or ridicule, they were all smiles and that's worth something in this sort of world. To see so many eyes light up and smiles sneak onto the closed and stoic faces that speed by the booth is worth more to me than making my table fee back at a show.

My Sunday helper elf, Janna, earned this little mushroom for all her help. :) I can be seriously bossy.

Hangin' with my gnomies

One thing I already knew, but the idea solidified with this show, is to never have consuming expectations. What went wrong, you ask? Nothing! I made my table fee and expenses back that I spent on the show which makes any event a good one (this is the most expensive show I will do and have done this year at $160 for an 8 foot space.) However, I put an almost scary amount of energy and work into making earrings. I was so convinced they would be my best sellers as they were in past markets and smaller events. I stayed up until 3 am some nights just to finish a pair or two so I could stock up this imaginary demand I wished to supply. If the torch ate at the wings, I remade them because I wanted them all to be perfect. Well! Over 3 months and110 pairs later, I sold 15 pairs total for both days. It sort of felt like all those faeries that naturally shed those wings were laughing at me. Very funny guys. This is because I put little Adelaide in a bell jar, isn't it? Hrmm. That aside, the whole matter made me a little... well okay, very... disappointed. I let a little preconceived notion take over my mind and was mad at myself when it didn't come to fruition. What a silly thing to do. I don't know where I picked that up and I'm hoping to unlearn it quickly. :)

Tara and the Toad along with Ebony's Prince were the stars of the booth. I let a little girl hold Tara on Sunday and she was so amazed and happy - as if Tara would speak to her right then and there -  that it made my weekend.

What else did I learn from my first large show? Bed risers do indeed rock. There were so many little tiny hands reaching for the gnomes and faery doors. Lots of candy apple covered hands. Next lesson. Reading is purely optional on the part of the viewer. My larger faery doors open to show you the realm of the fae. My tiny 3 inch ones only open for little faeries, not for humans. I just can't find hinges small enough and strong enough to function within my standards of work. There was a sign saying as such dead center of the mini door area. I can't tell you how many adults (the children didn't count here obviously) read aloud "mini faery doors", ignored the next line saying the doors do not open for human hands, and then tried actually prying at those tiny clay door knobs! Good thing I make my sculptures strong! I sounded like a broken record "Oh! The tiny ones only open for the faeries." I would say again and again. hehehe

All in all I'd say this was a great event and I'll probably go back next year if I'm still traveling along this path. Who knows? I certainly didn't know I'd be here last year. :)