Thursday, October 26, 2006

Crafts

I've committed myself to selling silk flower arrangements at a craft show coming up in November. First time I've made a real effort to sell my flowers. Up till now I've given my stuff away as gifts, since people tend not to want to spend any real money on flowers. The ladies at our organizational meeting struck me as being much more interested in clothing and jewelry, and candy, than on my flowers. Perhaps it's easier to justify money for essentials like clothing and food, and items that adorn yourself (or otherwise make a statement about oneself) than it is to pay money to adorn one's home. I don't even have my flowers around my own home.

This morning I made a fall arrangement. Oranges and rusty colors aren't my favorites, but I have to admit, the basket was wonderful, chock full of roses and greenery, colors from white to gold to orange to rose. If I paid full price for supplies, they would have totaled $45. In reality I paid some discounted price that I haven't kept track of. Who knows what I should charge for it, if I tried to sell it. I ended up giving the arrrangement to the boss lady that writes my checks. She was quite delighted; her smile was heartening.

I suppose silk flower arrangements are expensive not only because the supplies can be steep, but also because folks don't need to replace them very often. Of course if that line of reasoning made sense, then fresh flower arrangements would be free! But still, the silk flowers tend to compliment and be a part of someone's home decor, which, presumably, one doesn't change all that often. So people aren't going to invest in the flowers more than they need to.

Well, we'll see if anything sells at the craft show. Don't think I'll give up my day job just now. Even if I combined my flowers with giving back rubs (which seem to be two stand-out skills that I have), I would have to work ten times more hours to make the same money I do as a doctor. And if the flowers do sell - you might see me in January when Michael's advertises 80% off their Christmas supplies. Those arrangements might just be affordable.

2 Comments:

Blogger normanack said...

I was a tad less than thrilled at the meeting, too. After much soul- searching, I've decided not to join the sale. The worth of my stuff is that *I* made it, and this matters only to people who know me. So I'll be gifting my crafts.

Yours are truly gorgeous. I truly think everyone was impressed.

But was there a teeny bit of subtle snarkiness going on? Or is that just me being paranoid again?

October 27, 2006 12:25 PM  
Blogger Lysnekate said...

Your flower arrangements are beautiful and people I talked to were impressed. If there was snarkiness, I didn't see it, but I was also involved with the M-monster, so I couldn't give anything the respect or time it deserved.

I'm sorry you both had such a negative impression. Neither one of you give yourselves or your work enough credit.

October 27, 2006 9:56 PM  

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