Change your reality with your attitude

A profile of an inspiring artist whom I recently met at an art show. Contact: Drew Jason Mounce www.YoungMounceStudios.com

Acceptance into the Powderhorn Art Fair for me was as if I had qualified for the Olympics. When I started this Pure Serendipity adventure three years ago, I had such little confidence in my ability as an artist that I couldn't imagine I would ever be a juried participant in an art fair, let alone the Powderhorn. But creativity and prodding from my supporters has given me the confidence to keep at it ... and there is no clear end vision - yes, it's just pure serendipity!
From time to time I like to profile an artist that I have met along this journey. Drew Mounce was my neighbor at Powderhorn. He is a story teller, and his paintings, besides hitting you with powerful color, will take you deeper into your own political point of view and even your attitude about life.

See you at Powderhorn!

I have visited the Powderhorn Art Fair over the years, but now I have the privilege of being a participant in the fair set for this weekend. SOOOOO excited.

You can find Molly, aka The Happy Hooker, and her mother at booth 100, sort of on the south side of the lake, not too far from the area where the May Day pageant occurs. Hope to see you there. By the way, if you're interested in creating your own fabric-wrapped bowl etc., I have posted a short video created by Bernina. It can be found below.

Are you interested in creating your own rope basket? I'll warn you now, the process is addicting. Bernina just posted the instructions. You can find it by clicking on this link.

Broken threads, breaking threads - oh the pain of it all

There is a big difference in threads, and because I go through miles and miles of it, I am learning that some are better for my sewing machine than others. Years ago Coats and Clarks was the sewing standard, but now the choices of fiber and count are overwhelming. When I started this fiber coiling journey, I upped my choice to Guterman. The color selection is great and JoAnn Fabrics stocks it and you know that means ---- COUPONS APPLY! But, going through thread like I do, even with coupons, it is a costly supply. So on to ordering from Connecting Threads- while the color selection can't be beat, I'm not happy with the LINT and I have had spools with broken thread. What should I do????? Help. If you have some thread suggestions for me, let me know. Also do any of you use compressed air to clean your bobbin area (the stuff in a can you use to blow grime from a keyboard)? Just to let you know, this past weekend's Art at St. Kate's show was wonderful - great weather, friendly people and lots of creative fiber artists. I got word that I will be participating in the Chaska River Town Days art fair on July 30. It is one day only,

July - a little of this and a lot of that

Three art shows in June and the calendar has turned another page - I met a lot of great people and learned the hard lesson that no matter how prepared you think you are, the weather can really cause problems. Oh well, on to July, and that means restocking my hat brim inventory. I made 14 since my last show, and my fingers are feeling every twist and turn around the cord. (I hope this isn't arthritis setting in.) However, I'm taking it a little lighter this month with two new shows for my schedule - Art at St. Kate's on July 9 and Chaska River City Days on July 30. I hope to spend the middle of July up at our spot at Breezy Point, and also spend some time with my wonderful Duluth grand kids who just returned from a great trip to Norway with their Grandma Deb Sorenson. No, Molly won't be with me this Saturday at St. Kate's, but Karen Minge has offered to pitch in. Stop by if you can. Pure Serendipity is booth #69.

Taking the wind out of my 'sales'

Another lesson learned: The wind can create so much havoc for your tent and display that it literally takes the "wind out of your sales" Saturday was my first experience with just how difficult it is for vendors at art sales when there is a high wind. Yes, it affects the numbers attending the sale as well as inventory placement and racks. The Eagan Art Festival was situated in an open field, and there was nothing to block a gale. As afternoon came and the gusts increased, Molly and I stood, hanging on to the tent frame, trying desperately to keep it from flying away. Our neighbor, John, began to secure our tent down with strapping and screw-in-the-ground stakes (besides just being nice, I think this was an effort to keep our stuff from flying into his wonderful wine racks that also held glasses.) Things seemed to hold, but I knew I'd need more strapping. I made a quick trip to Home Depot; however, other vendors had cleaned out the safety gear. As I stood there, trying to think of what to do, another artisan came down the aisle, assessed the situation and said he'd head off to a different store and asked if I wanted him to pick up a supply of the tie-downs. YES, PLEASE. Saved by the vendors. The festival staff called a halt to the show early on Saturday as we all prepared for the wind and a possible overnight storm. Molly and I joined the group that had decided to tear down their tents and bring home the inventory. The artists, for the most part, came away from the weather event unscathed. We had to reset everything on Sunday, but it was a much better day, sale-wise, too. So what's next for Pure Serendipity? We hope to see you at Art at St. Kate's on July 9.

How to survive the heat and humidity in a 10 x 10 tent

Oh my. I just looked at the weather forecast for this weekend for the south metro: “Hot and humid with strong afternoon thunderstorms.” Well that could be a challenge during my participation at the Eagan Art Festival.

Weather can make or break you – and I’m not just referring to sales. Sitting in a tent on a hot steamy day, is, yes, like being in a sauna. I’m not joking when I say we vendors measure the day by how much water we consume without having to go to the bathroom. Here’s how we make it bearable:

Pray that you are situated so that your tent opening is NOT facing south or west; Put the side walls up so that any breeze can blow through: Get a personal battery operated fan and a big portable fan (be sure to bring batteries, just in case) Water- lots of water- forget the bottles- bring a jug fill it with ice and cucumber slices; Encourage your friends who plan to visit the show to “BRING YOU WATER.” If you have ideas on how to stay cool, please let me know.