I spent this past weekend at the Marquette Waterfront Festival, tucked into a booth with a table full of Nerdlings, Worry Worts, earrings, Venuses of Bittendorf, and Whimsy Pots. Two days outside, talking to people who picked up a tiny clay creature, turned it over, and grinned.
My favorite part is watching someone find the one. They pick it up, turn it around, and, without fail, laugh when they notice it has a little backside. That moment gets me every time.
A few people from the weekend I am still thinking about. Someone named their Whimsy Pot “Bekee,” after me, because it was orange with its hair swept over to one side. A couple on their first date bought a Lucky Pocket Starfish and a Pocket Pebble, on purpose, because they were making memories and wanted something to remember the day by. I am not sure I have ever heard anything cuter. One person was bringing a piece to her sister’s wedding in India next month. Another was buying beads to make gifts for her bridesmaids. Another was headed to Amsterdam and wanted a present for the friend she was visiting. And one person found me because they saw my Instagram ad, walked up, and bought a Nerdling, which is its own kind of thrill.
I will be honest, I got a little teary more than once. People were so happy to be outside and running around, and almost everyone who stopped told me the work was cute and that they loved it. It made me happy to watch other people be that happy, in a world that has felt like a lot lately.
The Itty Bitty Pocket Mystery Machine sold out BOTH DAYS! I also sold around fifteen pairs of earrings, which is far more than I have ever sold at a show. Someone asked for a retractable badge holder, which I had never heard of before and probably cannot make (it is plastic, and I cannot bake plastic), but I loved the idea.
A few honest notes from behind the table. The weather was windy, and pieces got knocked over, so the Nerdlings did better on the second day once I had my walls up and could leave them standing. Saturday ran hot. My phone hotspot was not helpful, so I retired the Square terminal and switched back to the card reader, which works just fine (I am going to try to sell the terminal on Facebook). My booth neighbors were wonderful, and everyone was just happy.
I do not have a next show date yet, so stay tuned to the home page. In the meantime I am already back at the clay, working on more Lucky Pocket Starfish, because I handed out a lot of them this weekend.