'Twas a wonderful Thanksgiving!  My daughter and family were with us as well as my sister.  The turkey, potatoes and gravy couldn't have been better.  We tried a salt rub on the turkey between the skin and the meat instead of brining.  The meat was tender and succulent. 

We went to see "Frozen", the new Disney movie.  The pre-movie short by Disney was fabulous and totally worth the price of the ticket by itself.  The use of technology was amazing as the characters moved back and forth through the old black and white shows and the new color animation.  I don't know if the kids appreciated the finesse that went into this creation, but the adults sure did.

The holiday bazaars are getting into full swing.  I will try to attend a few more between now and Christmas, looking for vendors who might be interested in our Seaview Manor Bazaar in Seaside next year and ideas for displays. 

Broccoli and Mashed Potatoes - Ugh!

I went to a few more arts and crafts shows this weekend.  I know when I walk in the door whether I'm going to be dazzled.  I am not dazzled by knitted dish cloths.  I am not dazzled by crocheted Christmas ornaments.  I am not dazzled by odd smells of broccoli and mashed potatoes accompanying me through the rooms.

On the other hand, I am dazzled by a nice display of  artistic laser cut wall hangings, a lovely display of frames, or a variety of photos available in different media so that I have choices.

 

 

 

 

Now when I come across some unusual and beautifully made pot holders, I am ready to buy.  The crafters have become artists too.

 

 

 

I found this lady who makes the most beautiful folded cards.  Can you see the folds?  I do hope I can talk her into joining us next year at our Seaview Manor Bazaar.  I am constantly scouting for the very best.  Maybe "juried" is the key word.

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 



A Good Laugh

I have to take a break today from talking about the bazaar. 

I'm a teacher.  I'm interested in what my grandchildren are learning in school.  I just spent a couple days with my daughter and family and went with her to pick the girls up from school.  The conversation on the way home went like this:

Grandma:  What did you learn in school today?

10-year-old granddaughter:  (Heavy pause)  Well, I know this sounds strange, but did you know that my bangs are long enough to stick up my nose?

Focus on Honey Perkel, Author

Seaside author, +Honey Perkel, joined us in 2013 as a vendor.  Her trilogy, A Thousand Summers, Secrets at the Cove and A Place Called Paradise, takes place in Seaside, Oregon.  Her newest book, Just Breathe: A Mother's Story details the life and death of Honey's son, Brian, and how, as a mother, she made sense of his struggle with mental illness. 

I read this last book; it's good.  I haven't read the trilogy, but she sold lots of them.  Maybe a reader of this blog will tell us what he/she thought.  Books make great gifts.  We hope Honey returns with a new book every year.

As a child, Honey spent her summer vacations in Seaside with her mother, grandmother, and uncle.  She always made sure she packed a writing pad to jot down story ideas. Those notes have been the inspiration for her stories.

Honey believes in things that go bump in the night, past lives, spirit guides, and angels, and those beliefs touch her writing.  "Seaside is my paradise," Honey says. “It’s the only place I want to write.”  She is at work on her fourth novel, The Faithful Daughter.

You can learn more about Honey at www.honeyperkel.com
                 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

+A Cash Register can be a Mysterious Beast

 
Our Thursday evening presale gives us practice with the cash register and credit card machine.  That's because our strong points are arts and crafts, not running a cash register. My daughter-in-law +Rikki Fernald came all the way from Bend to help and even started teaching her daughter Moriah how to ring up purchases. We use hand-written sales slips as a back-up.







+Carolyn Anderson, our financial wizard, manages to unravel the errors at the end of each day, often working 'til midnight so that our records are perfect, and we can get a fresh start the next day.  A glass of wine is just the ticket to get through those final hours. Adding a second cash register to handle only credit cards helped, but not enough.


2012 and 2013 the +Clatsop County Women's Resource Center sent wonderful volunteers who run the cash registers at their thrift shop.  These people know what they're doing, so we had many fewer errors and much less stress on  us!    I told you the Women's Resource Center was great!!

Key People

I'd like you to meet some of the key people who are so instrumental in making this bazaar go smoothly. 

My sister, +Billi Odegaard,  didn't even hesitate in giving her blessings when I brought up the idea of hosting a bazaar at our beach house.  She was director of the Multnomah County Health Department in Portland, OR, for many years, and is now retired.  She has been a faithful vendor since the second year, making the most fabulous macadamia nut shortbread cookies and selling out every year.

+Carol Allen has been co-chair and main sounding board since the bazaar began.  She has retired from her jobs in public health and lives in Beaverton, OR.  She loves her cats and most recently has provided a variety of cat and dog toys and supplies.  Customers love her reasonably priced items.  2013 was her last year as co-chair of this bazaar as she is now involved in her home owners' association as president, which is taking way more time than she had anticipated.  She says she will continue being a sounding board and will likely continue to participate.

 

 

+Carolyn Anderson, a talented artist and a wizard with finances, is taking on the duties of co-chair.  She has been keeping us on financial track since 2008, making sure we balance to the last penny.  Carolyn comes to us from Aberdeen, Washington, where she owns and operates an apartment building and spends many hours volunteering at Habitat for Humanity, among other charities.  Her beaded jewelry and sun catchers are very popular and are also sold in an art gallery in Gig Harbor, WA.  Carolyn donates the profits from her art work to Relay for Life, a community fund-raising event of the American Cancer Society.

 

Louise Hankenson, mother of four and former employee of Lewis and Clark College, loves to spend time with her family, travel, and help our bazaar.  That first year she walked up and down the prom in the rain trying to get people to come see the beautiful arts and crafts.  She has stepped in wherever she was needed since then, but keeping the kitchen going has been more to her liking.  She has worked tirelessly to keep us organized during the party and the lunches provided for the vendors.



Finding the Right Item to Sell

I'm an organizer, not an artist; I'm a casual crafter.  But I had been coercing my friends to participate, so I needed to do my part.

My family loves to spend Christmas at the beach, so I thought what fun it would be to decorate the tree with a beach theme.  However, finding "beachy" ornaments was not easy, so I thought I would make my own. That led to many happy hours combing the beach for perfect shells. My first attempt at making something to sell looked like this.  My friend +Beth Gilmore (who had some experience with selling said, "You need to have more than 20; make a hundred!") So I did. I only have 85 left.  I guess not a lot of people wanted shells as ornaments.

My next idea was to sharpen my sewing skills after many years. The person who made blankets had opted out of the next bazaar, so I thought I could probably make blankets. All I had to do was sew 4 sides on the wrong side and turn it inside out. Turns out you have to have lots of blankets for customers to choose from in order to select the one they want.  I had made 10; I only have 8 left.

Moving on...my great (!) friend Janice Graves graciously sent me a recipe for almond toffee that she said was exceptional. I tried it, then tried it again, then experimented with how to package it. After lots of searching for the right container, I felt like I had a winner. Janice was right; the toffee is exceptional, and after checking with the health department, I felt comfortable offering it for sale. I make about 35 pounds a year and sell out every year.  People love food!

More about attempts to find marketable items to come.

The Bazaar as a Social Activity...Just Plain Fun!

It is becoming more obvious that the Seaview Manor Bazaar is doing more than raising money for the Clatsop County Women's Resource Center; it's providing support for other charities, and it's providing a network for beginning artists who are trying to support themselves.  It's even providing opportunities for friendship. This has been playing on my mind for a couple years now, but I just reread my previous post on the Zimbabwe Artists Project and realize that this bazaar is unique,

One thing Carol and I want to do is provide opportunities for the vendors to interact with each other.  And, of course, we are still getting to know the people of the community.  So we have a party and presale the night before we open to the public.  All vendors are invited and each may invite up to three guests.

We also invite a few neighbors.  We have a great time and get practice with the cash registers and credit card machine.

Then we have soup and lunch stuff available upstairs on the two days of the bazaar so that vendors can take a break.  Everyone loves that, and gradually, we are getting to know each other.  Being around the artists and crafters is energizing, and I really look forward to this whole weekend.  I wonder what our vendors have to say about the social aspect of the bazaar.  Comments?

Focus on The Zimbabwe Artists Project (ZAP)

The Zimbabwe Artists Project (ZAP) has been one of our vendors for six years.  ZAP partners with Weya artists in strengthening self-sufficiency, cultural understanding, and education.  We love having ZAP be a part of the Seaview Manor Bazaar.  Customers love their artwork, and they have always sold well.  Each artist receives the proceeds from the sale of her piece, which I particularly like.  But the project does so much more.  I have taken the following description from their website.  You can learn more about the project and look at the many pieces of art available for purchase at http://zimbabweartistsproject.org/.  You can also find them on facebook.

ZAP’s Origins
Zimbabwe Artists Project has its roots in Lewis and Clark College Overseas Programs. Dick Adams, a sociology professor, led students to Zimbabwe in 1994, 1997 and 1999, on programs focused on gender and social change. In 1997, artists from Weya, who were host mothers/sisters for the students, asked him to find a market for their art in the U.S. He founded Zimbabwe Artists Project in 1999 as a non-profit organization.

Our Relationship with the Artists
Zimbabwe Artists Project strives for a genuine partnership with the women of Weya. We believe that traditional donor-recipient relationships often foster self-satisfaction on one hand and dependency on the other. This can be damaging to both sides, deepening existing inequalities. Our approach is based on the belief that self-respect comes through people’s own accomplishments. Our goal is to foster self-respect and self-reliance through collaborative projects.

 

Accomplishments in Zimbabwe

We are involved in a number of important activities with the artists and in their community. We have helped Weya artists create their own cooperative association, assisting with constitution writing and fundamentals of bookkeeping. ZAP gives the artists continuing feedback on their art and has funded workshops to enhance artistic skills. We frequently transport artists and supplies on the 200-mile round-trip to Harare, the capital city, and pay for health care for all artists. Additionally, we assist with special projects for artists who have emergencies or compelling needs. In those cases, we request that the person in need create a piece of art about her situation. We then purchase the work at above the normal rate. Artists have used this income to rebuild fragile houses, meet major medical emergencies, care for AIDS orphans, and enter teacher-training college. ZAP has completed a clean water project in Weya and is engaged with the people of Weya in responding to the HIV/AIDS crisis.

What makes a good bazaar?

I went to some holiday craft shows the last couple weeks around Portland, OR, some good and some not so good.  So what makes the difference?  Because I want the Seaview Manor Bazaar to be known as one of the good ones! The following are some of things I noticed:

1.  A variety of vendors, enough to fill the space, but not too many.

2.  Creative displays that show off the art or craft with enough items to allow choices  wihout overcrowding.

3.  Whatever the art or craft is, it has to be well done, even beautifully done.

4.  Something unique, but can be envisioned on yourself, on that new granddaughter, or in your home.

5.  Reasonable pricing.  A few large ticket items, then many more that people think is a bargain.

6.  Color always helps.

Look at the detail on the Santa...all hand painted by +Lori Wagner, and the basket, built around a perfect piece of driftwood for the handle by +Deb Carnes.  And the colors show really well!

But maybe you have other things that you have loved about an art/craft show.  Let me know in your comments.  What are you looking for when you go to a bazaar?

Holiday Bazaar...or just a Bazaar?

How do the marketing gurus figure out what the public wants even before the public knows what it wants??  We were thinking holiday bazaar, so that means holiday décor, right?  Wrong.  Who could resist a tree filled with ornaments?  Or beautifully hand created Christmas décor?

 

Lots of people, evidently!  With all our great Christmas and holiday decorations, they didn't sell very well.  Instead, blankets and photo books did quite well.

 

 

And we sat around a lot.

 

 

 

 

Choosing a charity

Carol and I decided early on that we wanted the bazaar to benefit a charity, not ourselves.  We researched a number of local charities, focusing on their missions, goals and services. We also asked lots of questions of community residents. Since one of our goals was to get to know the community, this research was already helping.  County residents love this charity!  It has a great reputation.  The following information was taken from its website.  Good choice, right?

The +Clatsop County Women's Resource Center provides advocacy and support to survivors of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and stalking. Our services include 24 hour crisis response, case management, emergency and transitional housing, trauma informed support groups and individual advocacy. We also provide community education opportunities promoting the prevention of violence in our community.

Providing Support For Survivors Of Violence In Clatsop County Since 1976.
1361 Duane St, Astoria, OR 97103
http://www.ccwrc.net/
(503) 468-6705

First year doldrums!

2007 - We thought we would be deluged with requests to be a vendor after we had distributed an ad for participants.  We even got a post office box to handle all the mail we were going to get!  After getting absolutely no mail and pleading with our friends and relatives to be a part of our bazaar, we resorted to visiting craft shows.  We discovered it was harder to get good vendors than we had ever thought, but we were determined to keep our standards high, accepting only those people who were really good at their art or craft.  I'm forever grateful to our first vendors for making us look good!  Aren't these things fabulous?

 

Teddy bears in the German tradition by +Anita Kelsey (Astoria Sunday Market), Seaside, OR

 

 

Lampwork beaded jewelry by +Vicki Perkins (Carol's friend), Portland, OR

 

 

 

Stuffed turkeys by +Lori Wagner (my daughter's high school friend), Temecula, CA

 

 

Crocheted baby clothes by +Kathy Magee (my friend), Boulder City, NV

 

We finally ended up with 23 vendors, and had about 100 customers, though we didn't start keeping track (real data) until the next year.  We brought in a little over $6800 (we did keep track of this), but the vendors kept 90%, so that meant we only had $680 to cover expenses and provide a decent donation to the Clatsop County Women's Resource Center in Astoria, Oregon.  Carol and I covered most of the expenses ourselves and managed to give the Women's Resource Center $300.

I Can Do This!!

When I visited The Carriage House Bazaar, an event at a private home in Beaverton, OR, in November 2006, I thought, "I can do this!"  My friend, +Carol Allen, dove right in to help, and we visited with the owners and directors of The Carriage House.  After picking their brains for all the details, we decided we were ready.  No money, no vendors, no customers, no display items...boy, were we naïve!  We each put up $150; we coerced friends and strangers to participate as vendors; we combed our address books for a mailing list; we shopped in resale stores for display racks.  My daughter-in-law, +Rikki Fernald, made a pen and ink drawing from a photo of the house for our logo, and we were off!

Photos of Items for Sale

 

Ocean-themed pottery wall tiles by +Haley Espelund, Gearhart, OR

Table runners and placemats by +Jean Furchner, Tolovana Park, OR



 

 

 

Polymer clay jewelry by +Rebecca Mizell, Gearhart, OR

 

Knitted hats by +Jan Espelund, Astoria, OR

 

Original photos printed on tiles by +Mickie Skinner, Camas, WA

 

 

Original watercolor prints by +Suzanne Alberts, Milwaukee, OR

 

Lampwork beaded jewelry by +Vicki Perkins, Beaverton, OR

 

 

Macadamia nut shortbread cookies by +Billi Odegaard, Beaverton, OR

Almond toffee by Leanne Fernald, Portland, OR

Peanut brittle by +Shannon Hennrich, Portland, OR

 

Original fabric and board paintings by artists of Zimbabwe, Africa

 

Refurbished furniture and décor by +Alison Winchester, Seaside, OR

 

Polyester resin jewelry by Alan Seidenfeld, Portland, OR

 

Grace Body Essentials by +Natalie Myers, Seaside, OR

 

 

Girls' apparel, tutus and accessories by +Mary Schlunegger, Warrenton, OR

 

 

Beaded jewelry by +Libby Pattison, Cannon Beach, OR

 

Watercolors and drawings by +Brianna Lichnovsky, Ilwaco, WA

 

Encaustic paintings by +Vicki Moser, Portland, OR

 

Beadwork jewelry, suncatchers and ornaments by +Carolyn Anderson, Aberdeen, WA

 

Photo frames by +Denise White, Portland, OR

 

Glass craft by +Kathy Page and +Lynn Wiley, Aurora, OR

 

Fleece blankets, recycled denim pillows by Leanne Fernald, Portland, OR

 

Books authored by +Honey Perkel, Warrenton, OR

 

 

Glasswork by Susan and +Val Munoz, Long Beach, WA

 

Shopping bags and other textiles by +Becca Morse, Seabeck, WA

 

 

Textiles, sewn items by +Dawn Kuske, Silverdale, WA

 

Shawls, knitted hats, gloves by +Jennifer McSheridan, Sumner, WA

 

Framed laser cut paper by +Judy Gould, Beaverton, OR

Catnip toys, dog bones by +Carol Allen, Beaverton, OR 

 

Potholders, cards, embroidered items by +Joyce Cutler, Beaverton, OR

 

Wooden watches, stretch bracelets by +Alan Seidenfeld, Portland, OR

 

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Recycled denim little girls' skirts by +Leanne Fernald, Portland, OR