Archive for the ‘Mrs M’s’ Tag
When your canopy is held together with duct tape, it’s time to get a new display.
After getting thrown on the pavement, the grass and the dirt, enduring wind gusts over 30mph and getting soaked in the rain on several occasions, our original Caravan steel canopy (commercial grade!) was done. It was the California Poppy Festival that finally did it in – the canopy seemed fine, but I felt it give in a wrong way when I set it up.
I knew it wasn’t right.
The canopy still did fine at the Poppy Festival, but when I took it out of the bag for the KHTS Home & Garden Show the next week, the canopy frame was in pieces. Too many pieces. Luckily, we were in Santa Clarita so I could go home, cut some hardwood to size, and splint the broken struts. Duct tape to the rescue.
That’s a good temporary fix, but we were in the middle of our Spring Fling. Events were happening every week, and we needed shade.
Our solution to date had been to have two 10′ x 10′ Caravan pop-up canopies, both of which we purchased in 2015. They served us well … but they were both definitely wearing out. There were small holes in each roof. Velcro was ripping off of the walls, which also had small holes. One canopy frame was now broken … what should we do?
I researched the cost of a straight replacement of the Caravan, and I looked at the available alternative high quality pop-up shade canopies. Pop-ups have an advantage in that they’re easy to put up … and a disadvantage in that they break. Also, they don’t have all of the advantages that better canopies offer.
Like the Trimline by Flourish. We first saw their mesh walls at our favorite event, Santa’s Art Shop, in 2014. I was knocked out by the possibilities offered by this unique feature. So, as I researched canopies and potential solutions for Mrs M’s Handmade, I kept going back to Flourish, which offered these significant upgrades:
- Zippered wall/roof connections protected by velcroed flaps, giving us tight weather proofing
- Heavy vinyl walls
- 7′ high walls (or 8′ or more), with a curved canopy roof above them for an open, airy feeling in the booth
- A skylight in the roof itself, offering improved filtered light on our products
- A full awning on 2 sides and the corner (!), allowing us to fully protect our products from direct sunlight
- Quality banner holder on the awning
- Mesh walls, offering additional filtered light on the sides and back, as well as the opportunity to hang signage and artwork – even cutting boards! – on the walls for display.
Flourish is based in Arkansas, and is a small business with 15 employees. They primarily work with 2 other local businesses to make the canopies and all of their hardware. I’m a fan of small business successes; I work for a couple of those myself.
Like me, they don’t have a “click to buy” website. They insist that you talk to one of their reps. Because everyone’s uses are just so unique, they feel all will benefit from the personal touch. I’m a fan of that philosophy as well.
After calling in to describe Mrs M’s Handmade, Bob walked me through the various decisions that I would need to make:
- 7′ walls
- Regular skylight in the canopy – more light than we’re used to, but not too much for Mrs M’s products
- 54″ awnings in the front, one side, and a corner. They have a smaller option, but you know us: go big or stay home
- Banner mount on top of the front awning for each of our banners
- Only 3 mesh walls, not 4 (we typically get a corner booth with my side wall open, so we don’t need the 4th wall that many would need if they don’t upgrade to corner spaces)
- No gear bags since we have a trailer. That’s a substantial savings, and Chris recommended we live with the canopy for a bit before we buy more bags. We bought vinyl bags to hold the canopy, walls & awnings. Flourish provides bungee ball cords to hold the poles together; that’s a new piece of hardware for us.
We made the commitment to buy a Trimline. The biggest downside is that the pieces come apart … with a pop-up canopy, you unfold it, pop it, and you’re done. With the Trimline, assembly is required. Every time.
Luckily, our trailer allows us to keep the structure partially assembled: the 10′ long pipes will stay assembled with all hardware already on them, so putting the canopy up will be much simpler than for those that start over 100%, every time. The videos show veterans putting a 10×10 canopy up in about 15 leisure minutes … and after putting the canopy up a couple of times, I can tell you my time is not approaching that. The 2nd assembly, with full unloading of all products & transport from the trailer 50 yards away, was 90 minutes. So, the canopy went up in perhaps 45 minutes. We will get better.
The instructions arrived written for each piece (10×20 canopy, mesh walls, 10×20 awning, 10×10 awning, etc). You have to be smart enough to understand you can’t follow the canopy instructions to their end without embracing where the awning instructions need to be followed instead.
After the first day at an event, I was still 100% certain that this canopy was a HUGE upgrade for us. My only real quibble was that we bought 7′ walls … but the awnings were about 6′ high when assembled. Had I known that, I might have opted for 8′ walls and a 7′ clearance for the awnings. Other than that quibble, I’m 100% satisfied with our purchase of the Trimline canopy.
7 boxes on the front step. UPS didn’t even ring the bell.
The important box, it seems.
Scary stuff.
Instructions for the 10×20 canopy … and the mesh walls. And the awnings. And the banner frames.
Hardware. Scared yet?
Lots o’parts.
Lots o’ poles.
Purple poles are for the roof.
Awning poles are labeled, too.
Roof pieces.
More scary packaging.
The beginning of the room outline.
10×20, with roof strut hardware in place.
The next box was for fabric … but I don’t need mesh walls at this point.
I don’t need the walls or awnings, either.
Lots of poles.
Roof with the uprights in place that hold hardware for the roof PVC struts, too.
Canopy in place.
This 10×20 canopy barely fits in our front yard, between the oak tree & the window planter.
Legs on one side.
7′ tall.
Sta-Bar Kits in place.
The skylight.
The gable window.
Awning framework going in place.
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The year began with an intense need: the dust had to go. As production had ramped up in the garage woodshop, the sawdust was now a real problem. In the air. On me. Importantly, in the house. We either had to embrace a more, uh, rustic lifestyle, or we needed to fix it.
So we did.
The biggest tool upgrade I’ve ever done was the result. We installed a new dust collection system to help corral the by-product of all of the cutting boards that I was creating. That story became the most read blog post of the year … and was, more importantly, a very real upgrade in our living conditions. I was no longer breathing as much dust, and Velda was no longer having to remove as much dust from our home every single day. Thankfully, I had help from the Building Inspector & the Engineer. See the pictures and read the story, here and here.
With the equipment in place, I got busy in the shop. I began to make Magic Bottle Openers in earnest, and they proved to be the runaway best-selling product for me in 2016: I sold over 200 of them! It seems that many people know a beer drinker that needs a little magic in their life.
While I was making magic in the shop, the Lady was busy with her own new idea. This was the year of soap.
Making soap is science. Caustic chemicals are involved, and exothermic reactions result. Velda became obsessed with soap early this year, and started stockpiling. That’s good, as when she makes her cold process soap, it has to sit on the shelf for 4 – 6 weeks to cure before it can be sold. That necessitated a soap drying rack in addition to the 6 molds (and counting) that I have made her.
The results speak for themselves!
All of our machinations in the Mrs M world were just a side show for this year’s main event: the arrival of Camdyn Grace on April 1. Payton got her little sister!
Alley holding Camdyn, Christopher & Payton
Velda got to spend some quality time as Grandmother with both granddaughters before returning to our out-of-control hobby, AKA Mrs M’s Handmade. Mrs M # 2 got a pass for this year, as she needed to attend to Camdyn. Velda & I hit the spring events with gusto, using her new purpose-built display to incorporate the introduction of soap. The business bought a trailer to haul the goods, and we ended up doing 10 events in the second quarter. Results far exceeded our expectations. And, as much as we enjoy doing Mrs M’s, it was great to relax a bit through the summer.
And by relaxing, I mean we made more product.
We finally got to keep an important appointment in July, and got photographs made of Payton sitting in our family’s little rocking chair – a chair first purchased by Payton’s Great Great Great Grandmother Boring as a Christmas present 121 years ago today. That story was told here, A Family Heirloom.
There were no big work changes in the family this year. Christopher continues helping to manage Castaic Lake & Pyramid Lake for the LA County Parks & Rec department. He supervises cashiers, boat inspectors, and a vast recreation area. Following Camdyn’s birth, Alley returned to her job with the city of Palmdale processing building permits & such.
Brianna is in her 3rd year of teaching at Sierra Vista Junior High. She now has 2 choir classes (!) as well as English classes. She eagerly anticipates completing her Masters in Education in 2017, and being done with life as a student … at least for a while! Michael continues with Crane Aerospace & Electronics and continues to marvel at how truly large bureaucracies function.
Lauren is now the assistant manager at Sunshine Daycare, and continues to work closely with the kindergartners there. She loves the kids … here’s a story she shared just a few days ago:
Today I was asked if Santa was real by a first grade boy. In response, I asked him if he believed. He said yes, but that another boy doesn’t. I told him that some people believe and some people don’t and just because some people don’t, that doesn’t mean Santa isn’t real. If he believes, that’s all that matters. Then, I asked the boy who I was told doesn’t believe why he doesn’t believe. He looked at me stumped and explained that he just has no idea how Santa could possibly get to all the kids in one night. Before I could even speak, another boy butted in with “THATS WHAT CHRISTMAS MAGIC IS, ITS REAL!!”
I love working with kids.
Indeed!
Eric continues to manage the family business and decorate his house with Lauren’s help. Their latest addition is a new kitten, named Pivo – which means beer in Slovak – that they brought home just yesterday.
Velda has now been with Kaiser for 15 years, but has transitioned away from her nursing home responsibilities into more of a community-based primary care role. She runs clinics at several area assisted living facilities, and has more than 150 patients that she provides care for in their homes. Is she busy? You bet. She often explains to Mrs. M’s customers the reason she makes soap and lotions: “I have yet to give someone lotion and make them cry!” Not so in her “real job,” where many need to be led through their aging or end of life crisis, and tears are common.
I continue with Smarts Broadcast Systems as Director of Marketing; I’ve now been there 5 years. One of my favorite things to do with them is interview broadcasters; those interviews publish in the Small Market Radio Newsletter as well as on our website. You can read those interviews, here.
Today, we are blessed to be with all of our kids at Christopher & Alley’s house. It just doesn’t get much better than that.
Merry Christmas to you and your family. May the holiday spirit stay with you throughout a wonderful 2017!
More
2015: It’s A Wonderful Year
2014: It’s A Wonderful Year
2013: It’s A Wonderful Year
2012: It’s A Wonderful Year
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Prepared for a full day of fun in this shop.
This is the year that we pushed the envelope.
Who knew there was an envelope, much less one that we needed to push?
Last year, Mrs M’s did 23 different events. This year, our push resulted in doing 44 events on 65 days. We traveled north to Livermore, west to Goleta, east to San Dimas, and south … well, we didn’t go very far south. Maybe next year.
In order to feed the monster that Mrs M’s became, we had to make product. A lot of product. We learned to make things after work. The Mrs M’s learned to do quadruple batches. If we could do it more efficiently, we learned to do it.
It’s a hobby, you see.
We do it for fun. Honest, we’re having fun!
The fact that we’re so frequently asked to explain the why behind Mrs M’s must mean that we’ve taken a step into the unusual. Who in their right might would redecorate their family room with drop cloths and cutting boards? Who would get up at 5am just to go to an event on a Saturday? Sleeping in on weekends is only a distant memory at this point.
And we call it fun.
Meanwhile, the family continued to grow. Payton continued her dance classes, and learned a lot. As you can see, she’s now learned to mug for the camera!
Christopher had the big professional news this year. He still works for the LA County Parks department, but he moved parks, from the Placerita Natural Area, to Castaic Lake. He went from being in charge of animals and plants to supervising cashiers, boaters and lifeguards.
Alley continues with the city of Palmdale, but she had the big personal news of the year: Granddaughter # 2 is on the way, and is expected to arrive in late March. Or early April. She’ll let us know. Because that’s what babies do.
Michael continues with Crane Aerospace & Electronics, and Brianna continues in her 2nd year of teaching at Sierra Vista Junior High here in Santa Clarita. Brianna also began work on her Masters in Education, so she’s keeping up the in the race to be the most degreed person in their home.
Because it’s all about the bling.
Speaking of races, Michael & Brianna both completed 2 racing milestones this year. They completed their first full marathon (the Walt Disney World Marathon, of course) as well as the Disneyland Half Marathon. That completed Disney’s “Coast to Coast Challenge,” meaning they got another medal.
Because it’s all about the bling.
In addition, the Disneyland Half they completed was their 10th annual; they’ve completed each of those races. Lauren has run many of them, as well, and it all started with those 3, joined by Velda and I, running the first Disneyland Half sponsored by Kaiser, Velda’s employer. Ten years have just flown by….
Lauren & Eric celebrated their 8th anniversary this year: all three of our kids began dating their sweethearts when they were 16.
Speaking of family, we were ecstatic to learn that our cousin Claire had been accepted to UCLA, and would be living in Westwood for the next 4 years. She’s having fun as a Bruin, as any college freshman would, and stretching her horizons at the same time.
Her family visiting regularly is a great bonus, too!
Claire wanted a break from studying one weekend, so she came to play vendor with Little Girl & I at a Mrs M’s event. Claire became the Intern and she even sold stuff, so I know she’s got skills.
This blog is now 3-1/2 years old, and I’ve been a daily blogger for a couple of years now. Lots of thoughts have been shared, and the number of readers continues to grow. A new blog series launched this year, The Board Chronicles, which traces our experiences at each of the vendor events we do. Non-vendors are now reading them to see what craziness we’re up to, which is both rewarding and totally unexpected.
I’m glad you enjoy watching our family from afar, and hope that you have a very Merry Christmas.
Here’s to a GREAT 2016 as well!
More
2014: It’s A Wonderful Year
2013: It’s A Wonderful Year
2012: It’s A Wonderful Year
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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.
This event is the closest to a repeated event our company has done so far: we also did a holiday boutique with this Elks Lodge last year. Many (but not all) of the people were different, though, with several out-of-towners coming for the car show. Unfortunately, they didn’t overwhelm with their spending.
I like doing community events with friendly vendors. It doesn’t have the profit potential of the big events we did in the spring …. but that’s OK. At this event, people smiled, and just about all of them were happy to be a part of this event at the Elks Lodge.
Oh, and the bar was open at 10am. Like I said, people were happy.
New Ideas
- We had 2x 6′ tables, which I set up solo. Wait, that’s not a new idea. Sorry.
- Velda came by and gave me lunch relief. She went and got my hot dog, too.
Observations
- When the crew of 12 in matching shirts, visiting from the Ridgecrest Elks Lodge, entered the Lodge hall for lunch, one of them announced, “They’ve got a swap meet going on in here!” I didn’t throw anything at him, and felt good about my self control.
- The load-in wasn’t bad … I had to carry about 150 pounds of cutting boards about 100′. Not bad. On the other hand, the load-out was great. I could park right outside of the door located next to my booth, and I had to carry about 148 pounds of cutting boards about 15′.
- About that: it’s an odd day when 80% of the boards I sold are custom orders. Nothing wrong with that, but it is a bit frustrating to carry 46 boards into a venue and then carry 45 of them back out. And in spite of that, it was a good event.
The Food
Saturday Lunch: A hot dog and Sun Chips.
Saturday Snack: No real opportunity. They sold out of the hot food, and there wasn’t a snack option. I didn’t want a bagel at 3 in the afternoon.
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 20
- Booth cost: $60
- # of people we met during the event from the producer: Uhhhh … all of them?
- Total sales: $501
- # containers of product taken: 12
- # boards available: 46
- Saturday alarm: 7am
- # transactions: 15. 12 for lotion, 4 for boards
- # soap & lotion vendors: Just Mrs. M
- # woodworking vendors: Just me
- Edge grain vs. end grain: 4:1
Boards sold: 5
Engraved boards: 4
Small board: 1
Small Board # 15 – 035. Cherry, Yellowheart, Hard Maple, Jatoba, Purpleheart, Padauk and Honey Locust End Grain. 13″ x 11″ x 1-1/4″.
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Mrs. M and Mrs. M, before they opened on their first day. Smiles on faces, and that is a very good thing!
This was a year of new beginnings.
Mrs. M’s Handmade, which began last year, really got going early in 2014. Alley filled out the paperwork and got a California reseller’s permit, and the business officially began on 2/1/14. Our first event was the Santa Clarita Street Fair in March (read about that here) … and total sales for that weekend were $420. Expenses we won’t talk about, but, believe me, no profit was made! Humble beginnings, indeed.
In the midst of preparing for that launch, we had an all-too-rare visit from any member of our Midwest family … Aunt Sis was in the house!
In April, we entered a new phase of life: the empty nest. Little Girl escaped to her own apartment, and hasn’t looked back. It seems increasingly difficult to get the whole family together for dinner … and we all live within a few miles of each other! In any event, Little Girl has left the nest and is doing wonderful on her own.
Ventura Beach, July 2014
Which is exactly right.
July found us on Ventura Beach, enjoying the Pacific and Miss P. Great times … and for a family living in SoCal, only Lauren really takes advantage of the beach being an hour away!
Christopher and Alley completed their transition out of their condo and into their wonderful new home in July. They now live about 40 miles from us, in Lancaster, CA.
Speaking of new homes, Eric also purchased a home this year, in Castaic, CA (where Michael and Brianna also live). He’s currently doing extensive renovations and anticipates moving into his home … well, when the renovations are done. This year, right, Eric?
October brought us another all-too-rare visit from family, with Tony and Claire Hubert visiting on Claire’s west coast college tour. We’re all holding our breath until she confirms that she’s going to be a UCLA Bruin. No pressure, Claire!
Here’s the Mrs. M’s at our first double booth at the big craft fair at Saugus High, where all 3 kids graduated. Quite a different look from their first booth, yes?
Mrs. M’s Handmade had a great first year (the website is here, and the Facebook page is here). From our humble beginnings in March, we ended up being a part of 23 different craft fairs (!) over the 10 months we were active. Sales for both Mrs M’s lotion products and Mr M’s cutting boards and cheese boards exceeded our expectations … so we’re committed to continuing into 2015. As a wise man once told me, “Be careful what you wish for!”
Here’s the family’s professional round-up:
I started the year with 2 clients, but the relationship with the second ended just in time for my sanity to endure. I continue on as the DOM for Smarts Broadcast Systems. I interview broadcasters for their blog (here), and have become proficient in social media for them.
Not that the children would ever agree with that assessment, of course.
I did an unusually small amount of travel this year, going to 2 radio industry conventions. I was in Las Vegas in April for the NAB, and then in Oregon in September for their broadcaster convention.
Velda continues with Kaiser Continuing Care. She’s begun a new program with regular visits to her patients in assisted living facilities, in anticipation of transitioning entirely out of her skilled nursing facility position by next April.
Christopher continues at Placerita Nature Center, a part of the LA County park system. Alley continues her position with the city of Palmdale.
Mrs. Mowry at the podium
Michael continues with Crane Aerospace & Electronics in Burbank. He and Brianna are in the midst of training for their first full marathon (that’s 26.2 miles), which will happen at Disneyworld in January. Why are they doing it? For the flashy medals, of course!
Brianna had the big job news, winning a full time position at Sierra Vista Junior High in Canyon Country. She teaches English, English for English Language Learners, and one Choir class. She directed her first junior high concert in December; my favorite photo from that event is to the right.
Lauren is now in charge of kindergarteners at her Sunshine Daycare; she also won a full time position this year.
Eric is currently juggling his real job with the other real job of supervising contractors working on his house. It never ends, Eric!
And the best photo of the year is, again, of Payton (as if there’s any doubt!). The backstory to this photo: Payton was not yet 2, and had a complete terrible 2 meltdown. Alley took her outside to calm down, and she came back inside with flowers in her hair and an angelic smile.
Merry Christmas, everyone. It’s been a wonderful year, and here’s to an even better 2015 for you and yours.
Payton, March 2014.
More
2013: It’s A Wonderful Year
2012: It’s A Wonderful Year
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Here’s the Graham Street Fair, circa 1958. I’m the one relaxing on the counter of the booth. Relaxing is something I did at the Street Fair. Don’t you love my cowboy shirt? When I went to the Street Fair, I was styling. The three ladies were running a game booth … a ball toss … as a fund raiser for the Good Luck Club. They are, from left, my Grandmother, Juanita Boring Mowry, Blanche Holaday Miller, and finally Thelma Wade Rowlett – now over 100 years old – who lives today in Savannah, MO. The little lady on the right is my sister, Mary Elizabeth Mowry. The boy on the bike is unidentified.
The past weekend was Mrs. M’s Handmade’s first retail event … a parking lot pop-up in Santa Clarita called the Street Fair.
I grew up in rural northwestern Missouri, near Graham, MO. Graham had an annual event called the Street Fair, and I thought that was the height of entertainment in the early 60’s. There was a parade with the high school marching band (the best band EVER). There were contests for the best quilt. A greased pig contest. A cake walk.
The Graham Street Fair didn’t take over a parking lot … it took over Main Street.
When I was a baby, I won for being the kid with the reddest hair. Well, actually, I would say that Mom won (HA). But she gave me the ribbon.
The Street Fair was a wonderful thing.
Flash forward, uh, 50ish years, and I went to a whole different kind of Street Fair last weekend.
This time, I didn’t win any prizes. And I definitely didn’t have the reddest hair at this Fair. It was the inaugural retail event for Mrs. Mr’s Handmade, though, and I did learn a few things:
1. In Santa Clarita, there are no marching bands at the Street Fair.
2. Food is not served by the nice ladies that are your neighbors. Rather, it’s served from gourmet food trucks.
3. In LA, “gourmet food truck” is not considered an oxymoron. The trucks have websites. They have fans. They have Truffle Mac & Cheese (yum).
4. You won’t see all of your neighbors at the Santa Clarita Street Fair. We only saw two people from our neighborhood. It’s a big world out there.
5. People don’t dress up to go to the Santa Clarita Street Fair. I didn’t see one cowboy shirt, and I didn’t see one kid laying down on a counter. Come to think of it, I didn’t see a counter, either.
6. No bicycles. I did see 3 skate boards … Penny boards, actually.
7. Mrs. M’s wasn’t the only store there offering handmade products, but we were on the more uncommon side. The sweet young ladies running the booth next to us sold unique handmade jewelry that they make for ankles & feet. They were good neighbors, and Little Girl even approves. Check out their website, here.
8. The lady across the way started her business because she was tired of buying cat clothing for her dogs. Doggie Custom Couture was born. I’m pretty sure that back in Graham, I never heard a complaint about not having suitable clothing available for dogs. Or cats, for that matter. Maybe that’s a Missouri benefit that I never knew: pets are properly (un)clothed in Missouri. Always. It’s only in California that there’s a problem (insert rim shot or snappy comeback of your choice, here).
9. Is this a good thing to hear when someone tries a lotion? “I might want to gnaw off my arm that smells so good.” When people start talking about eating body parts, I’m not on board. Self-cannibalism was never an issue at the Graham Street Fair.
10. The Santa Clarita Street Fair required each shade canopy to be weighted down with 100 pounds. Note the Graham booth in the picture, above: all wood construction, and no extra weights on board. (On board. HA. I kill me.) The result of our new fangled shade structures in Santa Clarita: an unweighted shade structure took flight. It was pretty, in the wind. I didn’t see it land; that would not have been pretty.
11. Our south side neighbor was a little odd on Sunday. Best dialogue we heard: “Are these dresses for little girls?” “No, they’re towels.” Remember, we’re in Southern California, 5 years ahead of fashion in the midwest. Just sayin’.
12. Heard from a vendor: “We’ve been doing this Fair for so long together, she’s going on vacation next month and I’m going to man her booth.” Now, that’s neighborly, and that’s a kind thing … in Santa Clarita.
13. Almost everyone walked by my cheese boards, and said “Ooo, pretty!” They touched them … and then they walked away. And so I learned, it’s not fun being the prettiest one at the dance if no one wants to take you for a spin.
At the end of the day, we had patrons ask if some people had gone home early. They expected more, you see. I guess this Street Fair was not the height of entertainment for them.
Mrs. M and Mrs. M, before they opened on their first day. Smiles on faces, and that is a very good thing!
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Mrs. M’s Handmade Products
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