Apple Valley Bookstore

Thanks to my Kickstarter project, I was contacted by Eric of Apple Valley Books in Winthrop, Maine.  He expressed an interest in having some of my items there on consignment, and of course, I jumped on that opportunity!!  :)  Took me a little while but I got some items sent down to Winthrop (which is roughly 5 hours from where I live in Wallagrass) and they have it put up on display.

Taken from their Facebook page: 

We're an independent bookshop on Main Street in Winthrop selling new (upstairs) and used (downstairs) books. We want to be your personal booksellers!

 

We are happy to special order books for you! Give us a call or stop on by!
We offer 20% discount on most books and can often find out-of-print books, as well. Please support your local bookseller...:)
"We vote with our wallets. And if you care about the unique character of your community, if you believe in rewarding the rugged independence of small businesses, then your local independent bookstore deserves your support, now more than ever. This is an admittedly counter-cultural effort—but that is part of its appeal and sense of purpose.

Bookstores are different than other stores—they reflect the soul of a community. They are a place for meeting, browsing and reflecting. You bump into friends and neighbors, and see a book on the shelf you might have never crossed paths with before. They offer time for contemplation and conversation."

- John Avlon of Book Beast


You can find them on Facebook HERE. 

They're website is:  www.applevalleybooks.com/

Patience is a Virtue

Did you ever hear that from your parents growing up??  "Patience is a virtue"??  Lord knows I DID!!!  Well let me tell you what, having to wait for my extruder (which is coming via TA Metalworks) to come in is TORTURE!!!  And they didn't have the pugmill in stock, so that hasn't even shipped yet!!  OMG!  I want to get my hands on my new toys so I can start playing!!!!! There are so many things I can make with the extruder... vases, cups, sculpture bases..

Anyway... while I have been waiting for my new toys to come (that are only possible thanks to my Kickstarter backers)... the creative bug has bitten me.  I have been working on hand built hummingbird feeders.  I am working on two different versions; one that will hang with the help of wrapped wire.  The second feeder will be a garden stake type...hopefully.  These are all prototypes as I've never made them before.  But I am looking forward to process.  Inspiration has definitely found its way into my hands.  As I sit here typing this, I am wishing I was in the studio creating.  Lucky for you all... my legs have other ideas and are hurting; so I'm sitting in my chair with my feet up.  To see the sneak peak photos of the hummingbird feeders, you can see the album I have on Facebook.      

Here are a few sneak peaks if you can't access the hummingbird album!!
HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS

Speaking of my chair..its new!  Well, old new.  My honey and I hit up a couple of garage sales today that were still happening despite the rain.  Found some REALLY GREAT stuff.  We got a wooden rocking chair, a green upholstered rocking chair that swivels (of which I'm sitting in now), a big jack for Justin to be able to raise up his truck in order to work on it, a nice tall dresser for Caden... and there's a bunch more little stuff, but those were the big items.  And we got everything for amazing prices!  So overall...it was a really good day! :)

Time to Kick Start My Biz!

As of Wednesday night, I had officially raised $5,120 with my Kickstarter campaign!  THANK YOU to all who have helped support me and this campaign!  It really means a lot!  This allows me to get the pugmill that I need to help streamline my creating process.  And crazily enough...there is still 10 days left for the campaign!  Which means I can continue to raise funds!  If you check out my Kickstarter campaign, you can see that I have already thought of stretch goals in mind.  The additional equipment will .... well....  it will just be awesome and make creating sooo much easier.  You can see the campaign and the stretch goals explained HERE.

This week has been one CRAZY week!  SOOO  much has gone on!  I was accepted into Maine Made.  A really beautiful article was written in the Bangor Daily News!  I have been asked to put my items for sale on consignment at 3 different places!!! And I have been contacted by soo many wonderful people!!  There IS beauty and kindness in this dark world...Brings hope and happiness to my heart!

Well, sorry this is so short, but I need to get creating those backer rewards for the Kickstarter Campaign!!!  Please remember to check out all the links within this little blog though!

Patriot's Day

Good day to you all and thank you for stopping by!  Today is Patriot's Day, the day we commemorate the battles of Lexington and Concord which were fought near Boston in 1775.  Anyone remember the Paul Rivere poem?  Patriot's Day is typically held on the third Monday of April and is a state holiday for Massachusetts and Maine.  Though many people do make the mistake since the names are so close, Patriot's Day should NOT be confused with Patriot Day, which marks the anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the USA on September 11, 2001.   In the areas of Lexington and Concord, there are numerous reenactments for the public to see.  Anyone in Massachusetts planning on going to one?  I've never been to one and would love a first hand account and/or pictures of what it is!

(Information found on Timeanddate.com)

How are you celebrating Patriot's Day?  Why not take the time to support a disabled veteran in her pursuit to gain as much independence as possible, regardless of her disabilities?  Who might this person be, you ask?  Why ME of course!  Last week, Monday, I launched a Kickstarter project to raise funds in order to acquire equipment for my pottery studio to make the processes of creation more ME friendly...if successfully funded, it will give me near complete independence when it comes to my pottery, and I won't have to ask my fiance to help!  When you have to rely on someone on a daily basis to get around because I can't drive, for help getting into bed on my bad leg pain days...gaining any form of independence is a true blessing.  Please help me reach my goal.  You can find my Kickstarter project HERE.

Time for a little Kickstart..

I've been busy working on a little project the last several days.  Though I do my best in my little home pottery studio, there are still tasks that need to be done that are very difficult for me to accomplish with the equipment I have available.  I LOVE what I do.  I infuse my emotions into each and every piece I make.  My heart and soul goes into my work.  Clay absorbs the sorrow, the pain and hurt, the joy of accomplishing a new level in a task... It heals all wounds...for me.  With all this in mind, there are various pieces of equipment that will greatly help me as I continue this endeavor.  SO, I created a Kickstarter project.  For those of you that have linked up with through Facebook, you may have already seen the link.  For those of you that haven't, here is the little blurb I have been sharing. :)

"The last week, I have been quietly working on a project, reaching out to a few people for guidance and advice. Well, today, it goes public! I have started a Kickstarter project to help achieve some goals with expansion for my business. This will help make creating pottery so much easier. Please check out the page, spread the word, and help me achieve this new milestone!
Freedom Through Clay - Kickstarter Project "

Many of the pledge rewards are NEW items, not yet released to the public.  My Kickstarter backers will be the first ones to receive these new creations in my new line of ware...inspired by dragonflies! 

If you have a moment, please look through the project and considering lending a helping hand.  If you can't pledge anything, no worries!  The key is to get the word spread out through the digital web.  Sharing is caring, right?  :)  So share away and help me accomplish this goal!!

Coming soon:
Feature on Spruce Cottage Knits!!