Photo taken by Nic @yardagedesign
My goodies! Test Pattern bib by Curly Pops, La de dah Kids crochet fox rattle (a gift to baby from Kylie), Deadwood creative recycled skateboard bangles (one for myself and one for Fiona for Christmas), Rabbit and the Duck washi tape (mustaches and spots!), doily stamp from The Spring Shop, glass beakers from Kara Rosenlund's darling caravan, and the gorgeous hydrangea was a lovely surprise from Sarah.
If not for the Big Hearted Business morning tea, where Clare Bowditch filled me full of inspiration and challenged me to write down my business plan, I would never have found myself chatting to Nic, Kylie and Jennie afterwards about my dream of 'one day' having a stall at the Finders Keepers market. That 'one day' seemed so far off though. Maybe when the kids were in school and I had more time. Maybe when I had more money. (Maybe when I had more confidence.) Nic asked me why not now? She told me I was ready, and she, Kylie and Jennie all encouraged me to take the plunge. And they continued to encourage and support me each step of the journey from the entrance of Metro Arts to the verandah of The Old Museum three months later.
I hardly slept at all Friday night. I woke up with butterflies in my tummy, which didn't go away until the first customers started chatting and buying. My fears that no one would buy my jewellery were unfounded - we all think things like this in the middle of the night though, don't we? But I felt so welcomed and received such positive feed back about my work. It's so easy too, when you are a stay at home Mum working from home, to feel cut off and loose perspective on your work. It was so rewarding to hear what worked, what people like about my designs and my colourful, vintage-y stall. The bowl of beads to design your own necklace was especially successful and I so enjoyed seeing the amazing combinations that people came up with. And it was really satisfying to see so many pieces find new, loving homes.
I met so many fantastic people too. It sounds like such a cliche, but it's so true. Complete strangers came up to me to tell me that they read my blog and they admire my work (hello!), instagramers introduced themselves and tagged me in their photos, friends and family visited too. I was blessed to have fantastic stall neighbours, Workshop 8_5. Sophie and Johnno were so friendly and supportive. I was especially fortunate to have my dearest twin sister, Fiona, working at the stall with me all weekend. She was the perfect assistant. Not sure how I am going to cope when she moves to Canberra next year...
So thank you once again to everyone that came to visit, brought my jewellery, or sent words of encouragement and support!
It really does pay to follow your dreams.
