Everything I know I learned from a 5 year old

Everyone knows that we learn a lot from our children, but here is just a quick list of some of the things I've learned from my son over the holidays:

1. "The presents will still be here later mommy." He told me when I tried to rush him into opening more presents instead of playing with them along the way. WHY RUSH THE GOOD THINGS

2. "Kids need food more than toys." He said when we were picking which charity to help this year, but most amazingly is his logic, compassion and conviction. FOCUS ON THE BASICS

3. If the reward is good enough, it's worth the wait. Nothing quotable here, but my son didn't need a single video, game or activity between Kingston and London for this trip. He just talked with us the whole way and was excited to get there.

4. "Can I start doing my checklist again mommy?" Everyone likes some sort of routine (even though I fight it) and after a chaotic holiday it's good to get back to some structure GOOD TIME TO SET UP BUSINESS ROUTINES

5. "You can't feel older mommy, that's impossible." This will serve me well I'm sure. My son said this on the eve of his birthday when I asked him if he felt 6. I hope I experience the same thing on my next birthday! AGE IS JUST A NUMBER, IT'S NOT A FEELING

Don't wait for the postman...

Not yet anyways.

You see I haven't mailed out my holiday cards yet (so if you're waiting for the postman, you may be waiting a while). At first I felt guilty, then I felt defensive, then just resolved to that's how it was going to be. Then I was excited when the idea hit me...

I'm going to send my holiday cards out at the end of January. You know, just when the winter blahs set in. When the excitement of the holidays is long gone and nothing but bills is arriving in the mail. I'm sure I'm not the first to think of this idea, but I think it's brilliant (if I do say so myself).

If nothing else, it let's me off the hook for the next few weeks.

Running Your Event

It's the time of year that most artists are ogranizing some type of an art event - open house, studio tour, show, etc. Whether you're 'running' it or simply 'walking' it, here are some things you should be thinking about:

1. What is the purpose?
a. Show & sell vs.
b. Show & tell
2. Who is the target market?
3. What are the details?
a. Date
b. Time
c. Refreshments
d. Location
i. Does it need to be altered?
ii. Signage
e. Budget
4. Who’s participating?
a. Invite only
b. Jury
5. Task list & Responsibilities
a. Staff / volunteers
b. Media
c. Security
d. Advertising
e. Cash handling
f. Cleaning
6. Timeline
7. Goals
8. Event Day Plan
9. Contingency Plans
10. Follow Up
a. From participants
b. From attendees
c. Your impressions

One of a Kind

Storage that is! I got to go to the One of a Kind show this week in Toronto. I had never been before. It was pretty cool. I was most impressed with the creativity vendors had when it came to storage solutions. For an 11 day show, they really need it! Some of the booths were only 3" x 3" so imagine trying to fit storage space into that!

Any show I've participated in I spend a lot of time planning my displays, but have never really considered storage. You know places to put your lunch, your magazines, your coats, extra product for when you sell out (hehe), and all your boxes. One of the vendors even had a futon behind their little curtain! I can see now that I should really think about this.

At the Gift Giving Show at the Fort we lucked out with storage. Last year some of us used double stacked beds left behind in the rooms. They worked great as table tops, but they also worked great for storage, because the top of the bottom bed became a shelf! With a little cloth, you could hide it from the public and had the floor and shelf to store you personal items (and take a nap if you had helper to relieve you!).

Well, I'm off to pack for the Gift Giving Show this year - starts tomorrow at Fort Henry and goes all weekend. I might just use that bed after all (and not for storage!)

Thanks Toronto City Guide for the picture!