I’m calling this one a success.  I’m tired, sore, and sunburned, but I made some new friends, met some new shoppers, and earned a decent wad of cash.  Saturday was cold and overcast, and set-up was clunky due to a co-vendor not showing up with her tent, but once we got that ironed out, things were pretty good.  Traffic seemed slow and we all agreed that if we weren’t doing the show, we’d be at our homes being cozy and quiet.  The pace of the day did allow for looking at the art inside Flatfork Studios and Smith Road Studios, where we were located, and I was never at a loss for company and good conversation.  Sunday was warm and bright and full of smiling art lovers looking for handmade goodness.  We reorganized our tent and table set-up to be more open, allowing for folks to really browse, and it was the last day of the tour so it seemed like people were in a buy-it-when-you-see-it mode.  We handed out tons of postcards for the EtsyAustin Street Team and our upcoming Craft Riot! as well.

One important thing learned from this show is that I really never know what people are going to take home.  I make earrings sometimes as experiments in styles or colors and when they don’t work for me, I just put them with the other strange ones and move on.  At least half of what was purchased from me this weekend were those one-offs.  I love when any of my items finds their owner, but I was genuinely surprised that so many of my funky loners were taken.  I’ll never stop experimenting, of course, but E.A.S.T. solidified that there’s someone for each of my “mistakes” and I can keep trying without any real failure.

Another thing learned–if I can park my car nearby, there’s really no reason not to throw in extra stuff like gloves, scarves, and sunscreen, no matter what the weatherman says.