Archive for the ‘Los Angeles’ Tag
One thing that’s freeing about running a small shop is that I get to do what I want.
And I wanted to make this new shape of board. I call them bread boards, but they might be cutting boards, charcuterie boards, or just a great serving board for a sub sandwich.
People will do with them as they will.
Me, I just get to have fun making them.
These somewhat mobile boards are intended for 2-sided use. They are a bit thicker than a typical sous chef board, so they are a bit more robust. They’re 8″ wide x 20″ long, so they are not a small board, but they are more narrow than my Mrs M prefers.
As she told me.
So I’m pretty sure that she won’t be taking one of these for her kitchen. Works for me: more for you!
Here are the 11 new bread boards, submitted for your perusal.
Bread Board 16 – 11. Hard Maple, Canarywood, Jatoba & Yellowheart. 8″ x 20″ x 7/8″.
Bread Board 16 – 01. Padauk, Yellowheart & Hard Maple. 8″ x 20″ x 7/8″.
Bread Board 16 – 02. Chaos Board. Black Walnut, Yellowheart, Padauk & Hard Maple. 8″ x 20″ x 7/8″.
Bread Board 16 – 04. Black Walnut, Canarywood & Yellowheart. 8″ x 20″ x 7/8″.
Bread Board 16 – 05. Cherry, Black Walnut & Hard Maple. 8″ x 20″ x 7/8″.
Bread Board 16 – 07. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Bubinga. 8″ x 20″ x 7/8″.
Bread Board 16 – 06. Hickory, Black Walnut & Yellowheart. 8″ x 20″ x 7/8″.
Bread Board 16 – 10. Black Walnut. 8″ x 20″ x 7/8″.
Bread Board 16 – 09. Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Canarywood & Yellowheart. 8″ x 20″ x 7/8″.
Bread Board 16 – 08. Jatoba, Cherry & Bubinga. 8″ x 20″ x 7/8″.
Bread Board 16 – 03. Black Walnut, Padauk, Cherry, Yellowheart & Hard Maple. 8″ x 20″ x 7/8″.
The rarest of air.
I only get to reach this summit of inventory creation occasionally … it’s only happened twice before. But, today, I’m pleased to announce that I have 200 boards in inventory.
However briefly.
Depending on how sales go at our weekend event, actually, I will probably be below 200 boards come Sunday. So, I must enjoy it while I can!
I was very busy in the shop in July, and finished over 100 boards during the month. Some of those left immediately as commissioned pieces, but I did successfully grow the inventory, especially for Cheese Boards & Magic Bottle Openers. I made very few cutting boards as I define them, but this board made it to the finish line. Two things make this board very unusual for me:
- It’s only Hard Maple. It’s the classic end grain cutting board, of course, but most people prefer the boards I make with an array of colorful exotic woods in them. I enjoy making the classic, but only get to make a few each year, so I have to make the most of each opportunity.
- This board, like the cheese boards featured yesterday, is also square. And I think that’s now out of my system. Back to my rectangular world.
Cutting Board 16 – End 039. Hard Maple. End Grain. 13″ x 13″ x 1-1/2″.
More
The 200th Cutting Board, 8 Months Later (April 9, 2016)
The 200th Cutting Board (September 18, 2015)
When I was a Cub Scout, I promised to be square.
Honest.
Here’s the Cub Scout Oath that I recited at every meeting:
“I (name), promise to do my best
to do my duty to God and my country,
to be square and to obey the Law of the Pack.”
Then … the ’60s happened, and being square was suddenly not such a cool thing (insert rim shot here). In any event, by the ’70s, the Cub Scout Oath changed to this:
“I (name), promise to do my best
to do my duty to God and my country,
to help other people,
and to obey the Law of the Pack.”
But since I was a Cub Scout beginning in 1964, I’m still trying to be square.
Here are the latest small boards, or perhaps cheese boards, from the shop. These are unusual for me, as they are also square.
Small Board 16 – 022. Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Bubinga. 10″ x 10″ x 7/8″.
Small Board 16 – 022. Hard Maple, Jatoba & Bubinga. 10″ x 10″ x 7/8″.
Small Board 16 – 022. Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Bubinga & Bloodwood. 10″ x 10″ x 7/8″.
Small Board 16 – 022. Black Walnut & Bloodwood. 10″ x 10″ x 7/8″.
Small Board 16 – 022. Bubinga, Black Walnut & Hard Maple. 10″ x 10″ x 7/8″.
Small Board 16 – 022. Black Walnut, Jatoba, Yellowheart & Hard Maple. 10″ x 10″ x 7/8″.
Small Board 16 – 022. Black Walnut, Goncalo Alves, Yellowheart & Hard Maple. 10″ x 10″ x 7/8″.
Small Board 16 – 022. Yellowheart, Bloodwood, Goncalo Alves, Bubinga & Cherry. 10″ x 10″ x 7/8″.
I have a mission to bring more magic into everyone’s life.
Because who couldn’t use a little magic?
Here’s the Magic Bottle Opener at work in our home, bringing us magic, one bottle cap at a time:
Many people try to tell me that it’s not magic holding the bottle caps in place, but they’re wrong.
It’s magic. Rare earth magic.
After all, what else makes metal things hover in space, other than magic? The laws of gravity no longer apply. It’s magic!
The only problem I have, honestly, is keeping up with the demand for these Magic Bottle Openers (I call them MBOs). They quickly became my best-selling item, once I started making them in quantity. I made one, and sold only two special orders last year. This year, I made a selection … and people started selecting.
There are two basic options: single magic and double magic. The single magic version is made to wall mount, and the double magic version will stick on your attractive refrigerator – or could also be used as a wall mount, if you choose. I include the screws to mount your MBOs on the wall with every purchase (you just remove the small screws holding on the bottle opener and replace them with longer screws to do a wall mount).
For your perusal, here are 19 new MBOs. 10 are single magic, and 9 are double magic:
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 104. Single Magic. Padauk, Hard Maple, Purpleheart & Yellowheart. 5″ x 10″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 105. Single Magic. Purpleheart, Canarywood & Hard Maple.. 5″ x 10″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 108. Single Magic. Cherry, Black Walnut, Purpleheart & Hard Maple. 5″ x 10″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 109. Single Magic. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Purpleheart & Cherry. 5″ x 10″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 110. Single Magic. Padauk, Purpleheart & Cherry. 5″ x 10″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 107. Single Magic. Purpleheart, Black Walnut & Hard Maple. 5″ x 10″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 103. Single Magic. Cherry, Black Walnut, Purpleheart & Hard Maple. 5″ x 10″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 106. Single Magic. Padauk, Hard Maple, Purpleheart & Yellowheart. 5″ x 10″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 111. Double Magic. Jatoba, Cherry & Black Walnut. 5″ x 10″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 118. Double Magic. Black Walnut, Purpleheart, Canarywood & Yellowheart. 5″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 114. Double Magic. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Purpleheart & Cherry. 5″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 113. Double Magic. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Yellowheart. 5″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 11. Double Magic. Black Walnut, Purpleheart, Canarywood & Yellowheart. 5″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 115. Double Magic. Purpleheart, Padauk & Cherry. 5″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 117. Double Magic. Cherry, Purpleheart, Bloodwood & Hard Maple. 5″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 11. Double Magic. Padauk, Hard Maple, Yellowheart & Purpleheart. 5″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 112. Double Magic. Jatoba, Cherry & Black Walnut. 5″ x 10″ x 3/4″.
There’s a lot of cheese out there.
My job is to make sure that there’s a pretty way to serve it.
Cheese boards were the first thing I made for sale, and they continue to be a big seller. I know that I need a wide variety, however, because people are not all the same. And everybody wants a board that perfectly expresses that difference.
Who knew?
So, to make sure everyone gets what they want, I strive to make a very wide variety of cheese boards. I make laminated assemblies that are 24″ long, and then cut them in half to make 2 cheese boards in most of the wood designs. There are a few singletons, but I generally make these boards in pairs.
I was down to fewer than 20 different boards at my last event, so it was time to go to the shop. Luckily, I’ve had a month to make several different projects, which I’ll show you over the next few days.
First up: my newest batch of cheese boards. For your consideration today, there are 43 boards.
Don’t worry, I have more on the way!
Cheese Board 16 – 027. Bubinga, Cherry & Hard Maple. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 028. Bloodwood & Birds Eye Maple. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 029. Padauk, Hard Maple, Jatoba & Yellowheart. 10″ x 12″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 030. Chaos Board. Padauk, Cherry, Jatoba, Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Bloodwood, Yellowheart & Honey Locust. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 031. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Cherry. 9″ x 12″ x 7/8″.
Cheese Board 16 – 032. Black Walnut, Yellowheart, Cherry, Hard Maple & Jatoba. 12″ x 10″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 033. Black Walnut. 9″ x 9″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 034. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Cherry. 12″ x 9″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 035. Black Walnut, Yellowheart, Hard Maple & Jatoba. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 036. Yellowheart, Bloodwood, Jatoba, Cherry, Goncalo Alves & Bubinga. 11″ x 11″ x 7/8″.
Cheese Board 16 – 037. Chaos Board. Black Walnut, Cherry, Bubinga, Bloodwood, Padauk, Hard Maple & Yellowheart. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 038. Jatoba, Cherry, Hard Maple, Yellowheart, Honey Locust, Padauk, Bloodwood & Black Walnut. 10″ x 10″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 039. Hard Maple & Black Walnut. 10″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 040. Black Walnut, Jatoba & Hard Maple. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 041. Black Walnut, Jatoba & Hard Maple. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 042. Padauk, Hard Maple & Cherry. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 043. Padauk, Black Walnut, Jatoba & Hard Maple. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 044. Cherry, Bloodwood, Birds Eye Maple & Black Walnut. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 045. Cherry, Hard Maple, Bloodwood & Black Walnut. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 046. Purpleheart, Birds Eye Maple, Goncalo Alves, Jatoba, Bloodwood & Yellowheart. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 047. Purpleheart, Bloodwood, Jatoba, Black Walnut & Caribbean Rosewood. 7″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 048. Purpleheart, Caribbean Rosewood, Jatoba & Black Walnut. 7″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 049. Purpleheart, Bubinga, Hard Maple & Caribbean Rosewood. 7″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
The Board Chronicles is an ongoing series of articles about the adventures of Mrs M’s Handmade as a vendor at community festivals & craft fairs. Mrs M’s subsidiary, Mr M’s Woodshop, has been approved to create this chronicle for the good of vendorkind.
We did this event last year, and were amazed at the constant flow of strollers decked out in red, white & blue rolling past our booth. We had a lot of fun. And, we got busy. Very busy.
We got ‘whelmed.
So, of course, we were all in for the 41st annual Fourth of July Street Fair in downtown Ventura.
And since this beach community had a forecast temperature of about 20* cooler than Santa Clarita on this day, it seemed like a good idea to participate in this event from just about every perspective!
New Ideas
- Mrs M joined in the patriotic fervor, and bought some red, white & blue decorations to liven up the booth a bit.
- Lots of new soap for this event … including ‘Merica, which is, of course, red, white & blue.
- I made a new dedicated crate to display the small & medium surfboards … so I now have 4 crate display pieces. Apparently, I have to building something to fill up the trailer.
- After discussing our experience with a 5:15am departure last year, we agreed that a 5am departure was better for this year … and then agreed that a little before 5am would be preferable. And we departed before 5am.
- Are you getting this? Velda was early and we left before 5am. I’m thinking that “New Ideas” is not an appropriate heading for this virtually unprecedented reality.
Shocker
- Velda was early for a 5am departure. Early. Velda.
Observations
- Expectations will kill you. Every time.
- My expectations were low, honest. I expected to do better than last year’s sales total of $1,526 … so I thought we would probably do $2,000. We had soap going for us. New display for Mrs M. 2nd year legacy at the event. And since our average per event is nearly $2,000 this year, the number seemed reasonable.
- “Reasonable.”
- We had our first walker this morning at 8:30am … and we were set up. This event has a 10am “official” start that has no meaning whatsoever.
- In spite of the early walker, our first sale wasn’t until 9:55am … still before the official start, but only barely.
- She said it to a stranger in her booth, who commented on our side-by-side booths: “We’re not friends. We’re husband & wife.”
- I had nothing to add to that. I mean, would you?
- My 2 most common words spoken today were “Thank you.” That’s what I said to every single person who said something like “Your boards are beautiful” … as they walked out of the booth with empty hands. Lots and lots of lookers today; not so many shoppers.
- An early shopper liked my work (and bought something!) and recommended I check out a woodworker/artist from New York named Ariel Alasko. She encouraged me to create art pieces for next year.
- “Art.”
- We had one good rush at about 12noon … 6 parties in our 2 booths, and people waiting to buy something. Good times. But … that never happened again.
- This event felt very odd today. We had about an hour around 1pm with loads of traffic, and not one sale. For an hour. That’s really unusual for midday during a (scheduled) 7 hour event.
- Most unusual episode today was when we met Reno, the loyal dog for a lady wearing a “Veteran” cap while riding on her scooter through the event. She’d cruised into the booth and bought a cheese board, and then introduced us to Reno. She put a dog treat in her mouth, and then told Reno to come get it. She assured us Reno didn’t bite her.
- Thank goodness.
- Vindication is sweet. Sold 2 clipboards today. I need to make more. Honest. But then, I also need to make more cheese boards. And bears. And pigs. And wine bottle holders. And sous chef boards. And and and….
- This event allows people to begin set up at 4am … 6 hours before the official opening. In the evening, however, you are instructed to stay open until 5pm … and then be off the street by 6:30pm. Craziness!
- I went to get the trailer at about 5:30pm, when we were largely packed up (Trish, the city employee, had told me to go get my car at 5:10pm, when there were still many pedestrians on the street. That makes 2 events in a row where organizers told me to ignore the pedestrians, ignore the “get packed up first” rule and drive in. I mean, ignore the rules? That’s not me.
- When I came back, Velda had corralled two event “volunteers” to help us load out quickly, and we were on the road by 6:10pm. Amazing how fast you can be with good help that have strong backs!
- Requests today were for cribbage boards (2), chess pieces, name tags just like the one I was wearing, surfboard bottle openers (2), an American flag made out of wood that didn’t cost $400, and coasters. I could help none of them.
- In the end, we beat last year’s number, but just barely. It’s so amazing that last year’s event was our
Best. Day. Ever.
This year, doing slightly better was a true disappointment. It wasn’t close to our best day ever at this point! Doing better than last year isn’t good enough … yet we heard from other vendors that were down as much as 25% from prior year. We should be happy with incremental growth, don’chathink?
The Food
Monday Breakfast: JITB # 23 … but what alternatives are there for drive thru at 5am on a holiday?
Monday Lunch: A ham sandwich from home
Monday Snack: Bad chocolate chip cookies. Don’t blame me; I didn’t buy them.
Monday Dinner: Grand Panda for Walnut Shrimp & Chicken Asparagus. And egg rolls, of course. Yum.
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 104
- Booth cost: $385
- # of people we met during the event from the producer: 1
- Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: 2
- Total sales: $1,590
- # containers of product taken: all of them
- # boards available: 139
- Monday alarm: none needed
- # transactions: 45, down nominally from last year
- # soap & lotion vendors: at least 3 others. One was doing the natural thing; one was doing the melt & pour thing. Don’t know about anyone else, and we only saw about 1/2 of the vendors. Or less.
- # woodworking vendors: One toy maker was our very nice neighbor; not sure of anyone else.
- Edge grain vs. end grain: 19:2
- Returning next year? Maybe
Boards sold: 21
Cheese boards: 7
Magic Bottle Openers: 6
Clipboards: 2
Small board: 1
Cutting Board: 1
Large Cutting Board: 1
Large Cheese & Cracker Server AKA Surfboard: 1
Small Surfboard: 1
Medium Surfboard: 1
Clipboard 16 – 003. Black Walnut, White Oak & Cherry. Letter size. 1″ capacity clip.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 063. Double Magic. Purpleheart & Canarywood.
Cheese Board 16 – 024. Padauk, Hard Maple, Cherry & Black Walnut. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 064. Double Magic. Purpleheart & Canarywood.
Clipboard 16 – 015. Padauk, Red Oak, Yellowheart, Cherry & Canarywood. Legal size, 1″ clip.
Surfboard # 15 – 43. Black Walnut, Purpleheart & Curly Cherry. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
Small Surfboard 16 – 03. Cherry, Black Walnut & Birds Eye Maple.
Medium Surfboard 16 – 06. Canarywood, Jatoba & Hard Maple. 8″ x 20″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 026. Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Purpleheart & Jatoba. 8″ x 14″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 025. Bloodwood, Black Walnut, Jatoba & Caribbean Rosewood. 7″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 062. Double Magic. Purpleheart, Mahogany & Red Oak.
Cutting Board 16 – End 036. Black Walnut, End Grain. 14″ x 16″ x 1-1/8″. $150.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 038. Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Teak.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 027. Cherry, Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Yellowheart & Goncalo Alves.
Cheese Board 16 – 021. Jatoba & Hard Maple. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 013. Black Walnut, Bubinga & Birds Eye Maple. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″. First piece I’ve made using Bubinga.
Cheese Board 16 – 018. Hard Maple, Purpleheart, Jatoba & Bloodwood. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 094. Padauk, Hard Maple, Bubinga & Red Oak. Double Magic = Refrigerator or Wall Mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 088. Padauk, Hard Maple, Bubinga & Red Oak. Wall mount.
Cutting Board 16 – End 035. Hard Maple & Jatoba. End Grain, Juice Groove. 16″ x 21-1/2″ x 1-1/2″. $275.
Cheese Board 15 – 058. Hard Maple, Yellowheart & Cherry. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
When you live in Los Angeles, it might seem that there’s not much west except ocean … but then, LA’s a big place. And I don’t really live in LA, for that matter.
I live in Santa Clarita, AKA Valencia, and the trailer got loaded yesterday for our 5am departure for downtown Ventura, about an hour due west. What’s there? The 41st annual 4th of July Street Fair … which has hundreds of vendors offering a wide array of goodies for the holiday celebrants that make this big city-sponsored event an annual tradition.
Mrs M’s Handmade was there last year, and it was one of the first events that we got ‘whelmed at. Are we going back? You bet.
After our Spring Fling, my inventory had shrunk perilously low, so I finished 28 boards this week to make sure I had the goods for this year’s event.
Here are 22 Magic Bottle Openers and 6 Sous Chef boards that should ensure I have plenty of both for the teeming masses that await in Ventura.
Oh, and I have 4 clipboards still in inventory, just in case those 2 ladies come back looking for clipboards again this year! I am so hoping that happens, just so I can look at Velda and tell her that I need to make more clipboards. Maybe then she’ll start to believe that I need to make more.
Velda, beginning to believe me about something she disagrees with? You can tell I’m an eternal optimist, right?
Sous Chef 16 – 016. Purpleheart, Goncalo Alves & Padauk. 11″ x 22″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef 16 – 020. Caribbean Rosewood, Bubinga & Bloodwood. 16″ x 9″ x 3/4″. Gorgeous wood in this one!
Sous Chef 16 – 017. Birdseye Maple, Canarywood & Purpleheart. 16″ x 9″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef 16 – 019. Bubinga, Canarywood, Purpleheart & Bloodwood. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef 16 – 018. Padauk, Yellowheart, Black Walnut & Hard Maple. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef 16 – 015. Birdseye Maple, Purpleheart & Bloodwood. 11″ x 22″ x 3/4″. Please excuse the smudges of beeswax that didn’t get wiped off in time for the photo!
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 083. Black Walnut, Bloodwood, Teak & Hard Maple. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 084. Purpleheart, Yellowheart, Canarywood, Padauk & Black Walnut. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 085. Hard Maple, Yellowheart & Cherry. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 086. Black Walnut, Yellowheart, Padauk & Hard Maple. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 087. Purpleheart, Yellowheart & Hard Maple. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 088. Padauk, Hard Maple, Bubinga & Red Oak. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 089. Black Walnut, Bubinga & Yellowheart. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 090. Black Walnut, Bloodwood, Teak & Hard Maple. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 091. Hard Maple, Padauk, Bloodwood, Bubinga & Cherry. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 092. Padauk, Yellowheart, Hard Maple & Bubinga. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 093. Black Walnut, Jatoba & Caribbean Rosewood. Wall mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 094. Padauk, Hard Maple, Bubinga & Red Oak. Double Magic = Refrigerator or Wall Mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 095. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Bibinga & Cherry. Double Magic = Refrigerator or Wall Mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 096. Jatoba, Black Walnut & Cherry. Double Magic = Refrigerator or Wall Mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 097. Black Walnut, Yellowheart, Padauk & Hard Maple. Double Magic = Refrigerator or Wall Mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 098. Black Walnut, Bubinga & Yellowheart. Double Magic = Refrigerator or Wall Mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 099. Purpleheart, Yellowheart, Canarywood, Padauk & Black Walnut. Double Magic = Refrigerator or Wall Mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 100. Purpleheart, Hard Maple & Yellowheart. Double Magic = Refrigerator or Wall Mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 102. Black Walnut, Jatoba & Caribbean Rosewood. Double Magic = Refrigerator or Wall Mount.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 101. Padauk, Hard Maple, Bubinga & Red Oak. Double Magic = Refrigerator or Wall Mount.
The Board Chronicles is an ongoing series of articles about the adventures of Mrs M’s Handmade as a vendor at community festivals & craft fairs. Mrs M’s subsidiary, Mr M’s Woodshop, has been approved to create this chronicle for the good of vendorkind.
We don’t do many summer events, but I thought this would be a good one for us. Missed it last year … managed to book it this year.
Average June temperatures in Lompoc peak in the low 70s. With our thermometer consistently going over 100* lately, it seemed like my timing here was fabulous.
On the other hand, the Sherpa fire broke out in Santa Barbara County last week, and was within 15 miles of Lompoc. Over a couple of mountain ranges, not that close … but in the neighborhood. Freeways were definitely being impacted. By the time of the show, though, that fire’s impact was zero.
So, what’s ahead of us? A 2+ hour drive each way, a getaway weekend to a never-visited community on the Central Coast, and an event with our new trailer (yes!). What awaits us? The great unknown that is the 64th annual Lompoc Flower Festival!
New Ideas
- Mrs M was inspired to do several lotions with flower scents, so you know she was excited to be doing this event. She’s not exactly a flowery kind of girl.
- The trailer! We bought a 6×10 trailer, so no more U-Haul for me. Thank goodness.
- First getaway weekend in a while, so we have high costs with hotel, gas, food, booth fee … we had about $1,000 in expenses before we started selling.
- Took the new trailer off-roading … to unload in the park, and then to park the trailer in the outfield. Both drives were ever so bumpy due to the gopher damage that was pervasive in this park. It was very difficult to drive on the turf, much less walk on it without breaking an ankle!
- This is actually a 5-day event, but the arts & crafts vendors (like us!) don’t show up until Friday. So, we’re missing Wednesday & Thursday, for what that’s worth.
Observations
- We decided late, and our application was late, so I called the office to see if it was possible to register a month in advance of the event. It took a bit of patience, but when I finally got the organizer on the phone (she had been out sick), Inga was truly a delight on the phone, helping me pick the perfect location, advising me on how to set up, etc.
- I booked a cheap hotel. Not the cheapest; it was well reviewed. Relatively. And it was cheap ($146 for a Saturday night on an event weekend. “Cheap.”). I couldn’t remember the name of the hotel; I told Velda I thought it was “Motel One.” “What,” she replied. “We couldn’t afford Motel Six?”
- Nope.
- Friday was a killer. We arrived early to set up, and were done well ahead of the gate opening at 12noon. The day was a real snooze with sales of only $235, spread across 9 transactions in 6 hours. (sigh)
- I read a book. The day was not a total loss. And when I say I read a book, I read it all. At the event.
- Saturday again started out very S L O W L Y due to the parade which started at 10am: the same time that the gates opened and we had to man the booth. Our business was simply inconsequential until after the parade. This parade had more pregnant pauses in it than is healthy for civic pageantry. In my opinion.
- This is a big party – for 5 days – in a little town (Lompoc’s population is about 43,000). Live music. Beer garden. Carnival. Community. High school reunions (for both the 20th & 30th years) were coordinated to coincide with the event, and shade structures were erected to comfort those in a spot of shade while they were contemplating their wasted youth. Or whatever they were contemplating.
- Saturday was packed once people started hitting the gates shortly after noon. Big sales day, with 3 big cutting boards sold. This was a good day. We made our informal goal for this event entirely on Saturday. It ended up being about 65% of total sales.
- Quite a parade of humanity went by the booth. I was surprised by the transvestite cyclist wearing fishnet hose and a platinum bob, though. I mean, wouldn’t you be?
- Sunday was again a slow day, with limited sales in the morning and few sales at the end of the day, as well. We did do well in a short amount of time, though, with Sunday sales equaling about 25% of the total.
- Our neighbor has done this event for 19 years … and said this was a good year for her. Above average, she said. Other local crafters (a candle maker & a nut coater) agreed that this was a good year. Both sold out on Saturday.
- Ashley came by on Sunday and placed a large special order with Velda. Ashley discussed her upcoming nuptials with us when we met her at Sissy’s on Saturday night … and I gave her my business card. She read it as “Mr Handsome.”
- Ashley is a wise and wonderful friend.
- Velda sold a few of her flower scents, but not a huge number. Maybe next week’s event will be wanting the flower scents. After all, now she’s got something for the gardenia lovers out there. Pity she didn’t have an answer for the person that wanted a verbena-scented lotion. It’s a big world out there….
- Great event for us, and the first event we’ve had for sales to finish in 4 digits with a 3 in front. And that’s a great number! This ended up as our 3rd best sales event ever.
- As we were loading out, a gopher stuck his head out of his hole about 3′ from where I was standing. He did it just to taunt me, of course. It worked. I kicked dirt in his hole, just to show him.
- If you’ve ever fought gophers, you know that Bill Murray had the only right solution in Caddyshack. Just sayin’.
- Requests included cribbage boards (still NO), backgammon boards (always NO) and the most requests were for chess pieces, of course (still NO).
The Food
Thursday Dinner: We were limited because the Jeep had the trailer on the hitch, so I wanted to walk to dinner. No problem, the hotel manager said, there are 9 restaurants within 2 blocks. What’s the best? Floriano’s, he said. So we went … and Velda had what she called her worst restaurant meal ever. Not. Good.
Friday Breakfast: McDonald’s # 4. Hello, old friend.
Friday Lunch: Fair food … I got a tri tip sandwich from the Lompoc Kiwanis that was OK, but far too much bread to eat. Messy.
Friday Snack: Frozen Yogurt. Chocolate, of course.
Friday Dinner: La Botte … with the best Bruschetta EVER. Highly recommended.
Saturday Breakfast: Burger King something. Not my favorite, but the parade route was already blocked off, so we had to make due with what we could drive to. And then thru.
Saturday Lunch: Fair food … today was taquitos from some local organization (a church? don’t know), and the sauce dribbled over our tablecloth because the taquitos were served on a single hot dog paper “coffee filter” thingy. Decidedly not OK.
Saturday Snack: Ben & Jerry’s chocolate chocolate goodness. Velda said the frozen yogurt lady was on a break, so she had to get Ben & Jerry’s. Ya gotta love fair food.
Saturday Dinner: Sissy’s Uptown Cafe, with an absolutely delectable menu. And we met the incredible Ashley here, so this was a great meal from every perspective.
Sunday Breakfast: American Host, with a classic breakfast because we had the time for it. Highly recommended.
Sunday Lunch: Fair food from 2 other local organizations … French bread pizza (served on a plate!) & 2 egg rolls (served in a styrofoam cup). Because I could.
Sunday Snack: Back to frozen yogurt.
Sunday Dinner: A quick burger before we hit the road for the long drive home.
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 278
- Booth cost: $375
- # of people we met during the event from the producer: 2
- Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: many
- Total sales: $3,088
- # containers of product taken: All of them
- # boards available: 141
- Friday alarm: none needed
- Saturday alarm: 7am
- Sunday alarm: 7am
- # transactions: 85
- # soap & lotion vendors: one other lotion vendor, offering a “10 minute face lift.” There was also a beginning, local vendor there selling “organic bath bombs.” Mrs M was not impressed, but as she said, we were there not long ago. Our first event was just 2 years and 3 months ago.
- # woodworking vendors: three. One made toys & also did some scroll saw work … the second made routed signs. And then there was me.
- Edge grain vs. end grain: 26:4
- Returning next year? Absolutely.
Boards sold: 30
Magic Bottle Openers: 10
Cheese Boards: 7
Small Boards: 3
Large Cutting Boards: 2
Lazy Susans: 2
Large Surfboard 1
Medium Surfboards: 1
Small Surfboard: 1
Large Sous Chef Board: 1
Small Sous Chef Board: 1
Special Order: 1
Cheese Board # 15 – 045. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Cherry & Yellowheart. Edge Grain. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Lazy Susan 16 – 013. Padauk, Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Yellowheart. 17″ diameter x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 033. Cherry, Black Walnut & Jatoba.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 028. Cherry.
End Grain 16 – End 030. Purpleheart, Hard Maple & Jatoba. End Grain, Juice Groove. 14″ x 20″ x 1-1/2″. $250.
Cutting Board 16 – End 013. Hard Maple, Padauk, Jatoba, Purpleheart & Yellowheart. End Grain. 10″ x 12″ x 1-1/4″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 032. Cherry, Padauk, Yellowheart, Bubinga, Bloodwood, Canarywood & Purpleheart. End Grain. 14″ x 18″ x 1-1/4″. $225.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 014. Wall mount. Padauk, Hard Maple, Red Oak & Black Walnut, Approximately 5″ x 10″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 007. Edge Grain. Hard Maple, Cherry, Padauk & Purpleheart. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 012. Jatoba, Padauk, Bloodwood & Black Walnut. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 38. Black Walnut, Yellowheart, Teak and Birdseye Maple. 10″ x 18″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 58. Yellowheart & Black Walnut. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 026. Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Purpleheart & Jatoba. 8″ x 14″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 076. Purpleheart, Canarywood & Hard Maple. Double magic, so it will mount to your attractive refrigerator. Approximately 5″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 016. Wall mount. Cherry, Black Walnut, Bloodwood & Hard Maple. Approximately 5″ x 10″ x 3/4″.
Surfboard # 15 – 35. Cherry, Purpleheart & Hard Maple. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 074. Padauk, Hard Maple, Red Oak & Black Walnut. Double magic, so it will mount to your attractive refrigerator. Approximately 5″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 017. Bubinga, African Teak & Black Walnut. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Small Surfboard 16 – 08. Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Padauk & Yellowheart.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 071. Black Walnut.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 027. Cherry, Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Yellowheart & Goncalo Alves.
Cheese Board 16 – 024. Padauk, Hard Maple, Cherry & Black Walnut. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Lazy Susan 16 – 009. Jatoba, Mahogany & Black Walnut. 18″ diameter x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 062. Double Magic. Purpleheart, Mahogany & Red Oak.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 057. Bloodwood & Black Walnut. Double Magic for refrigerator mount.
Small Board 16 – 017. Hard Maple & Jatoba. 7″ x 12″ x 1-1/4″.
Medium Surfboard 16 – 05. Black Walnut, Jatoba & Hard Maple. 8″ x 20″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 016. Purpleheart & Hard Maple. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 019. Jatoba, Purpleheart & Black Walnut. 7″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
They’re Magic.
I demonstrate this to people at every show. I open a bottle, and show that the bottle cap is magically caught by the wood after the bottle is opened.
It’s Magic.
Some people ask if it’s a magnet. I say no. It’s Magic.
Some people say, “Oh. It’s a magnet.” I say no. It’s Magic.
I can be difficult at times. Ask Mrs M.
I further explain that some of these are doubly magic: they will stick to your receptive refrigerator. That’s a key concept, that the refrigerator must be receptive. Otherwise, the magic just … isn’t.
But with a receptive appliance, there’s no doubt that these are magic. I’ve been told that many beer drinkers will believe they’re magic no matter what, as long as they open beer bottles.
Which they do. Got to keep the drinkers happy, after all!
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 068. Double Magic. Jatoba, Canarywood, Padauk & Bloodwood. 5″ x 9″ x 3/4″.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 067. Double Magic. Purpleheart, Mahogany & Black Walnut.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 066. Double Magic. Jatoba, Bloodwood, Padauk & Canarywood.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 065. Double Magic. Padauk, Red Oak & Yellowheart.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 064. Double Magic. Purpleheart & Canarywood.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 063. Double Magic. Purpleheart & Canarywood.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 039. Black Walnut.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 040. Goncalo Alves & Hard Maple.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 041. Jatoba, Black Walnut & Canarywood.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 042. Quilted Black Walnut.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 043. Goncalo Alves & Hard Maple.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 043. Black Walnut, Red Oak & Goncalo Alves.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 045. Quilted Black Walnut.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 046. Red Oak & Jatoba.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 047. Goncalo Alves & Hard Maple.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 048. Black Walnut.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 049. Padauk, Yellowheart & Red Oak.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 050. Red Oak & Jatoba.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 069. Black Walnut, Red Oak & Goncalo Alves.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 070. Double Magic. Jatoba, Black Walnut & Canarywood.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 071. Black Walnut.
Magic Bottle Opener 16 – 062. Double Magic. Purpleheart, Mahogany & Red Oak.
More
It’s About The Wood
It’s About Color Temperature
Yesterday, I talked about the wood being important in the pieces … and the cowbell for my good health. Or something like that.
More cowbell.
I’m loving the new photo array that I’m using to shoot the new offerings for both Mrs M and myself these days. I bought a 30″ photo cube that’s a folding bit of white nylon – sort of like a folding windshield cover on steroids. Open it the wrong way, and it might take an eye out.
But spring that cube open, and you’ve got a great light diffuser to photograph shiny objects … like newly finished boards. I pair the cube with the 4 table top lights purchased to make the photographs perfect. The lamps all have a “daylight color temperature,” which means the light is the same collection of frequencies as daylight. The result of that is the most consistent & realistic photos I’ve been able to make of the boards, soaps & lotions that we’re obsessed with right now.
I love the realistic colors. I hope you do, too!
Cheese Board 16 – 011. Yellowheart, Padauk, Bloodwood, Hard Maple & Black Walnut. 11″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 012. Jatoba, Padauk, Bloodwood & Black Walnut. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 013. Black Walnut, Bubinga & Birds Eye Maple. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″. First piece I’ve made using Bubinga.
Cheese Board 16 – 014. Cherry, Padauk, Hard Maple & Black Walnut. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 015. Purpleheart, Hard Maple, Padauk & Black Walnut. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
More
It’s About The Wood
One thing that’s freeing about running a small shop is that I get to do what I want.
