Feelin' the Love

I checked out two other co-op gift shops on Sunday. They, along with Celebration Gifts, all have their pros and cons. I'm going to stay at Celebration Gifts and renew my lease in May for another 6 months. That's my thinking today.

However . . .

I found the most spectacular store today, on the advice of two of the CG vendors I spoke with in the last couple of days. The store is brand new, opened in January, so they don't have a website yet or I'd link to them. It's a new gift store, on Route 96 in Victor, called The Wine Trek. It's a brand new log cabin I've been watching them build for months. The inside is even better looking than the outside. And it is filled with (mostly) hand-crafted items. Paintings, painted glass, jewelry, leather - I can't even name it all. They actually do offer some handmade greeting cards but not really like I make. I spoke with the employee (manager?) at length and gave her my card. The owner came in just as I was leaving so I was able to meet her too. They offer consignment only - no working at the store, no rent - and this place is filled with ART. It made my heart sing, I swear to God. I was beginning to think the world was boiling down to everything made of resin, in China.

I'm mailing them this thank you card tomorrow morning, then I'll call later in the week and see if I can stop in with some samples of my work. (I have Friday off so that would be a good day but I'll be a busy little crafter in the meantime!) A portfolio - I'll have a portfolio! Obviously the cards look much better in person than on a monitor. I told them even if we don't do business - I'm a shopper there. The prices weren't outrageously high either - for handcrafted, no two pieces alike - very reasonable.

I know I've completely oversold this place to you - but seriously, if you want to visit a "gallery" of local art, stop in and look around.

So yeah, I'm feelin' the love again - excited about making cards. Whether or not this place works out for me, it feels just right to me, now. I even registered this morning for the National Stationery Show in May. You'll recall that Gretchen and I decided weeks ago that we'd go. Sometimes when you drag your feet about something (registering to attend), there's a reason that you just don't see yet. I decided that was not the case here - it was just me being scared of taking that step - of committing to going. So I says to myself, "Self? Cut that out and get moving!" And so I did.

Then look what happened? The opportunity at The Wine Trek opened. I received an email from a former co-worker who had found my Pine Tree Designs website through my Plaxo card (electronic business card) and asked how to place an order. Then today, I received a (small) unexpected check in the mail.

One more thing happened, at work today, but I'll tell you about it when I know how it turns out.

Sounds like The Unmistakable Touch of Grace to me! (I'm number 9 on the hold list at the library.)

Life is good.