Up to Something

The Bridal Open House on Saturday was nice .. but nobody came.  I felt so bad for the gal who organized it -- she'd worked so hard!  But there were some good things that came from it.  I figured out an ordering policy and a plan for payment options.  I developed a couple little brochures that can be handed out -- still want to tweak them but have a really good base to start with now.

 Eventually, I'm going to need to do a catalog but until then, I put together a set of photo cards that should work until the catalog gets done.  There are 7 or 8 of them, each featuring different styles -- and they all look something like the picture on the left.

Thank you Photoshop!  They are actually photos that can be printed at any Walmart or drug store.  When I'm at a show, I can give them out to interested customers.  Sometimes at craft shows, I meet brides who are interested in a design but want to think about it -- they can take the card with their design on it and show it to their friends or family.

So, while the attendance of the show was disappointing, some good things came out of the preparations for it.

On a sadder note, please pardon me while I wallow in a little self-pity.  I found out this week that I don't belong to an Etsy group I thought I belonged to.  My life is a little unique -- we travel around the US and build churches for very small congregations, and usually only live in an area for 6-15 months.  We attend the church we're building for, but we aren't members there, so our involvement is limited -- and as gracious as they are about including us, it's not our church ... we don't really "belong".  We have a  "home church" but aren't really there either .. and don't really "belong".  Because I move so often, I don't really get involved in anything in the community -- it would be one more attachment that would hurt when it was time to leave.  I wanted to join this group on Etsy because it's from the area we call "home".  The places they are from and talk about are familiar.  My drivers license says I live there.  My business cards say I live there.  And actually, when we're done with our current project, we're planning to have some time at home -- so I really will live there.  But because I don't physically live there now, I can't be a member of the team.  I participate in forums and have made treasuries featuring team members -- which is more than most of their "local" members do.  I've lived in several towns the that area, and have even been able to point members to resources that I knew about (and they didn't).  I have felt like a productive member of the team.  But I wasn't.  I'm terribly hurt.  Not because I can't be part of some little Etsy team (well, maybe a little -- I had hoped they would be gracious and accept me), but because I really wanted to "belong".... SOMEWHERE.   I needed that link to "home".  When I do live in that area, I don't think I'll be asking to join the team ... what will they do with me when I move on .. because I will.  I'll have to keep looking for a place to belong -- there's got to be a place for me somewhere.  I'm not quite sure why, but I'm feeling my lack of roots more in this past year than I have in the previous 13 since we started doing this.  Maybe something I need to figure out?