Art, Running and Tornadoes

Art-A-Whirl turned out to be a success for me, even though it didn't start out that way.  I had no sales on Friday, causing me to question whether my jewelry was any good.  I sold two necklaces on Saturday and went home knowing that the weekend wasn't a complete bust.  Sunday was my best day (five bracelets, two necklaces, three pairs of earrings, and a bracelet/earrings set went to happy homes).  Overall, I had $141 in jewelry sales.

Here are a few pictures, courtesy of my friend Kim:

Scarves and ties really dress up a table

Hanging jewelry on a branch was future hubs' idea

A bunch of bracelets

The artist and her table

Things I learned:
1. The items I thought would sell didn't and those I didn't think would sell did.  Never underestimate what someone wants in a piece of jewelry.
2. Set up a lamp either on the table or next to it.  Like flies to a zapper, the warm glow will draw the patrons in.  At least that's what happened with the other woman that was selling jewelry near me in the Waterbury building.
3. I need better business cards... something more artistic... maybe with a photo in the background.
4. Similar to the business card thing, I need better price tags.  Mine look way too homemade.

Rainy weather this weekend caused a significant drop in Art-A-Whirl attendance this year.  Hopefully the weather next year will be nicer.

Speaking of the weather, the sky unleashed a fury of severe storms and tornadoes this weekend in the Midwest.  Three tornadoes hit the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, with the most damage occurring to neighborhoods in north Minneapolis.  One of my best friends lives in north Minneapolis with his girlfriend.  Fortunately, they were not hurt and their house is okay.  Reading about the devastation in the paper and online and seeing the pictures is heart-wrenching.  Please keep those affected by the major storms throughout the country in your thoughts and prayers.

For the second year in a row, I'm running Ragnar Relay (Great River).  Some of the members have changed this year, but we've got a good core of veterans returning for more hot weather/stinky vans/sleep deprivation fun.  We had our first team meeting on Sunday night, although it was mostly van-specific (future hubs and I are in van 2).  We've got a great crew on board this year.

The course has changed this year in several places, and I discovered that I (runner #7) will be running a total of 16.9 miles this year instead of 13.2.  My longest leg of the relay will be my last one (6.5 miles), and not my first one (5.9 miles), although the first one will still have that nasty hill.  Knowing about the changes will affect my training and the races I decide to run this summer, but I'm debating on how much.  I will post an entry later this week asking for your advice.  Stay tuned!

If you wear jewelry, describe your favorite piece(s) of jewelry.
Future hubs gave me a beautiful sapphire ring in 2009 that I wear all the time on my right middle finger.

Have you ever experienced severe weather like a tornado (or hurricane, typhoon, flooding, etc.)?
When I was in high school, my mom picked me up from school and a storm was rolling in as we were heading home.  We looked out the front window and saw a cloud slowly rotating above our car.

Have you participated in a Ragnar Relay or other relay event?
I did Ragnar and a duathlon relay last year.