Some things weren't meant to be made or used... by me (SNS)

What a week! I have had so much going on! Unfortunately, not much of that resulted in photos for you to enjoy, but I will do my best to let you in on the insanity!

First of all, if you haven't yet entered my giveaway yet, you may do so here. Entries will be accepted until Monday, May 9th. The winner will be chosen at random from a hat (or something) by one of my violin students (who are thrilled to help, by the way!).

The week started out as most weeks do, teaching violin lessons by day and creating and networking by night. I started gathering materials needed to make my booth pretty. By the way, if you're ever needing to buy a bunch of photo mats, the place to get them is Art Unlimited Studios. You can get archival quality mats in bulk for a very low cost! They also have frames and do fine art photography printing and art reproduction. I have tried a few different companies, and this one has been by far the best!

Anyway, on Wednesday I went to a health consultation meeting to learn about how to be safe and healthy when I go to China. It wasn't anything new really, except for this:



Ack! Right now, these squatty potties are my biggest source of stress. I won't go into details as to why, but trust me, it's not a happy thought!

On Thursday, I finally started getting displays ready for my booth. I was using this pattern to make them. It looked fairly simple.

Well, my first try was a complete flop. I could not fold cardboard in a curvy line, and the thing tipped over at slight breezes. So I came up with a plan B: Take out all the curvy lines. After a lot of sweat, cursing, and several trips to Wal-Mart, I was able to produce a sturdyish (if not slightly lumpy) display:



And then I vowed to never make one again in my life. I'll spend the 10-25 dollars to buy them! Though I don't mean to turn you away from trying, as I have read lots of blogs who have used the same pattern with great success. It's just not in my skill set apparently!

I also wanted to make some display trays (as it turns out they cost an arm and a leg to buy, and I really only have a toe to spare) and was completely dreading cutting out more cardboard, when my dad (since I am an example of the twenty-something who has failed to launch) produced these:



His pack rat tendencies can be anywhere from amusing to irritating, but on this occasion I was thrilled! No more cardboard cutting! I can just cover these babies in some fabric and call it good. I realize that one day I am going to need to upgrade my displays, but when you're pinching pennies, you've got to be resourceful!

Now I have most of my jewelry and photos priced and ready to take on Monday. I have my fingers crossed that the mats get here this afternoon.

And now, I'm on to tackle the messy house, since my grandma is coming to stay (in my room) for an unspecified amount of time.

I look forward to Monday with excitement, and also a great amount of stress and nerves. Hopefully all goes well and I am able to get rid of some of my inventory!

Have a fabulous day (or evening as it were :))