Saturday, April 09, 2016

Taking Stock

It's often said that "timing is everything".  This is certainly true for me these days as I juggle Show Prep with waking up my yard and garden after the winter.

Yesterday was relatively calm, cloudy and not too hot, so I spent most of the day raking my front lawn, applying a "Turf Builder" to fertilize and -- I can only hope -- dissuade the dew worms and dandelions this year.  According to the instructions on the bag, this process had to be done before weed germination.  This is nigh on impossible around here; in my experience, we seem to go from snow-cover to dandelions in less than 24 hours.  Not seeing any of their cute but pesky faces as of yesterday, I began.

And there they were.  Well, not full-blown dandelions but a few sprouts -- three or four -- but I dug 'em out and kept going.  The lawn is now raked, the "Turf Builder" broadcast over it, and all finished by watering (something I've never "officially" done in the 7 1/2 years I've lived here).

Today?  There's the timing!  Overnight a terrific north wind blew up and continues even as I write.  The sun rolls in and out of greying cumulus clouds, and it's brisk out there.  Not ideal for yard work, but perfect for Show Prep.

Blue Bench: Winter Walk (2016)

Having finished all the minis I've time for before the show -- which begins Friday -- I've now updated my Inventory and created a special spreadsheet just for this show.

I'm pausing in the process of checking the packaging and prices for each piece to write this post.  I've completed that for the minis, for a series of postcards, and a few other small pieces; after this post, I'll move on to the larger pieces.

Run for It! (C) 2016

And still...I have a facing to stitch and a sleeve to attach...and business cards to organize, a couple of dowels to finish with eye-hooks...and counting S-hooks to be sure I have enough...

Later this weekend, I will be rewarded with one of my favourite tasks: re-organizing my fabric.  I'm not being sarcastic here -- I rather enjoy this.  :-)

In between these annual shows, I lose track of exactly what I have available for my landscapes.  The base of my fabric storage unit is what I use for my booth display; this means that I have to remove the fabric-laden baskets in order to get to the base.  As I remove the baskets, I'll take time to tidy their contents, sort and fold and replace them, mainly according to colour (sky, fields, trees, soil, buildings, accents).  This is a lovely, meditative process...a treat after all the other "admin" involved in Show Prep.

If you're in the area, I do hope you'll drop by the Lacombe Memorial Centre (5214 - 50 Avenue, Lacombe, Alberta) sometime on Friday, April 15 (1 p.m. - 5 p.m. for the show/sale, and/or 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. for the Gala) or Saturday, April 16 (11 a.m. - 5 p.m.)...There'll be lots to see, and I'll be delighted to see you!

Meanwhile, I'm linking up with Nina Marie's Off the Wall Friday, and getting back to work...

Have a great weekend!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Sounds lovely, Margaret. Somehow, when I try to organize my fabric I get discouraged quickly; so many fabrics! so many decisions! I hope the show goes well.

Susan H

Jo Vandermey said...

It is somewhat meditative to organize your fabric. My family makes fun of me for this but it is one of my favorite things I do. I hope you sale goes well!

Anonymous said...

I find organizing my stash as meditative, as well. Good luck with the show.