Sunshine, art, and dogs

Just now getting an opportunity to post about the Festival of the Arts event that we attended in Turner Valley last weekend. It was my first time as a vendor at an outdoor event. Thankfully I’d already purchased one of those big tent canopies (ordered mine on the Costco website), so it was just all the other fifty details that needed to be taken care of. I think it came together alright in the end. Definitely need to play around some more with displaying the product using the tent. Hubby and I had only practiced setting the tent up once (it’s pretty darn simple), but I hadn’t really thought too much about how to utilize the tent space fully for display purposes. Just so used to focusing on table display ideas, rather than a booth-like space; details more than the bigger picture… story of my life.

Had the pleasure of meeting one fellow Etsy team member, Freya Maclean of Bug & Bird. In fact, we were just across from each other, so we could chat frequently throughout the day. Freya makes some lovely natural, handmade toys and kits for babies and kids. We even did a little trade for some things. Freya is now the first proud owner of a Rain Cloud Purse and I scored a cute reusable snack bag, an animal tracks memory matching game, and a sweet wooden teething ring.

The weather was incredibly beautiful and hot. Couldn’t have asked for better conditions! Thankfully, the tent provided plenty of shade and Freya lucked out with a spot right under a big, shady tree, so we were all saved from bad sun burns and overheating. It felt like a pretty good turn out. Lots of artists and good variety of vendors. Local musicians played in the park gazebo and provided enjoyable background music.

Besides this being my first outdoor event, it was also the first time I’ve done a bit of fundraising at my table. I started including my mom’s quilted bookmark and coffee cozie creations at my craft tables this spring and summer. This time around, however, I offered an incentive for purchasing these items and will continue to do so at coming events. $5 from each purchase is being donated to the Alberta Cancer Foundation. Many thanks to the couple of individuals who purchased these items in Turner Valley! Bubblegum Sass can now donate $10 to the Alberta Cancer Foundation. It might not seem like a lot, but you can be sure that every bit helps.

You might be curious why I’ve chosen to pursue this particular type of fundraising, cause let’s face it, it’s not uncommon for people and businesses to do charitable fundraising. Everyone has their own reasons and mine stems from my mother’s current battle with cancer. Haven’t written much about it here, but it weighs heavy on my heart and mind. She’s now into her second cycle (or fifth week) of weekly chemo treatment. There’s not much any of us can do but pray for her health and recovery. I suppose that’s why I started doing a bit of fundraising through Bubblegum Sass, just so I could feel like I was DOING something, however small.