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Wednesday, December 9, 2015

#OOAKX15 = DONE! Let's recap.........

Hey friends - both new and old!!!
First......I wanted to say thanks so much to all my peeps who made it out to see my new work at The One of a Kind Christmas Show! I also want to say WELCOME to all my new peeps!
(Hopefully this is the last time I use the word peeps :-)
I am about to take you on a strange journey......a travelogue of my experience at OOAK15 (sorry.....but you gotta get onboard with this acronym NOW!).......

DAY 1 and 2: The set up:
Loading my rental vehicle with my entire life's work from the last 2 months!!

Packed with care.....in hopes that the huge crowds, soon will be there!

After a few vehicle cues....you park and unload....

I was early. (the usual)
 NOW - let me tell you - from my booth to the car - was crazy....I'm not complaining......I just wanted to YOU to note  how many steps I took that day travelling from my booth to the van......




I am TOTALLY not joking - it was a huge trek.........I needed a sled dog.....

This was my booth.
MAN did it seem small.........note to self - lose 50 lbs before next years show!
 :-)

Like a butch dude, I was screwing like crazy!

...or as butch as you can be - when teal is your signature colour......

It was nice and quiet.
SO QUIET!!!!
Here I am looking like little Robbie Fixit guy!
Or one of Charlie's Angels!!!
It took HOURS to get this set up ready!!!
and....in that time.....I put a screw through my finger!!
OUCH!
That'll teach me to do the Charlie's Angels pose with power tool!
um......then I got this paper cut.......
and got blood on my brand new white curtains....
#firstworldproblems

Pano on day 1

The best way to sooth the soul.....and the multiple cuts and abrasions.....
IS WITH GREASE!!!!!!!!!
NOM NOM NOM!

It was a lot of little pieces to hang for this show.
There were 33 little 6" x 6" ers alone!

Outside of the booth


ON DAY TWO -- I nearly died again!!
Death by banana peal on floor - I mean, come one!!
(It is is a fitting death for a clown like me, I know it!)
DAY3: Show opening

I sent this photo to my husband.
I made a funny comment about how everyone on the GO train looked like a cast member for the Walking Dead!


At 8:30am.....THERE WAS A LINE-UP ALREADY!!!!

SAY WHHAAAAAAAAT?????

The final booth- all ready to open!

It looked pretty decent I thought! 
Here is 10 minutes AFTER doors open.
It was quickly WALL TO WALL PEOPLE!
Later that night I celebrated my first 11 hour day with red wine and chips.
LIKE A CLASSY LADY, thank you very much!

DAY 2: SHOCK and AWWWWWWWW.
I may have had a breakdown on set-up day about how terrible my booth looked.....a
...and my husband may have had to talk me off the edge of a breakdown about it.
Husband: "Rob, I am sure that the booth looks great, go take a break!"
BUT THEN......

BAM!
I got an award for being the 3rd best booth!!
OUT OF 800!!!!
I was so thrilled!!!!
(Although I hated to admit my husband was RIGHT...and that I am a freak!!!)
Day two was crazy busy too!!!!!
Inside the hall - so FESTIVE!!!!!!!!!!

NICE BALLS!
DAY 2-5: were great and exhausting. 11 hour days are LOOOONG, even when there are THOUSANDS of people to fill the day!
My dogs were barking by day 3!!

By day 5, I was taking power naps on the GO!
YES....I now see the irony - given how much fun I made of the poor suckers going to work each morning!!! 
This guy made a real splash!!!
I feel like I could have done 50 of these and sold them!!!
BUT OHHHHH NO..... I have to have "artistic integrity" and have all ORIGINAL pieces!

Oh...did I mention that I was in the program too??
I felt a little "rock-star-y"!
I guess every 12 years or so, you get a nice bit of recognition!!!

yup...by day 8 I was falling asleep with all manner of chocolate and cookies on me!!
#hardlife #eggnogginitup

X marks the spot!!!
Let me talk about two of my talented neighbours........both were an absolute delight to spend 11 days with!!! Honestly, it could have been a nightmare.....but they were WONDERFUL!!!!!!


Gio was a right next door - so kind and helpful - and FUNNY!
His eco-friendly sculptures were wonderful!!!!!
I would put a link to his website.....but there ain't one!
EMOTIONAL LABORATORY
YOU MUST check him out next year!!!!

Dahlia Milon - who made STUNNING textile wonders!!!
She was also so kind and lovely and funny to be neighbours with!!!
Check her out at:
https://www.facebook.com/Dahlia-Milon-textile
and
http://dahliamilon.blogspot.ca
and on Etsy:
https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/DahliaMilontextile


This was a spooky night - leaving to catch the GO train at 9:30pm!


I really want to paint this! Right????
 DAY 6: I bought a bowtie of wood!
From BÖ by Mansouri
http://getyourbo.com
 DAY 6: STILL FILLED WITH PEOPLE!!!!!!
There were VERY FEW times that I wasn't busy.
Which was a bit miraculous!

Claire and Steven from http://www.studiovine.ca
ALSO a delight!!
Alexia Bilyk --  super talented and super nice!!!!!! 

By day 7, I had taken to drinking on the job!

...and randomly passing out on benches!!!!
DAY 8: The big fire!!!


Okay....not a big fire......but we did need to evacuate the building!!!
DAY 9: replacing the sold works....

Was so happy to get "Strangers on a Train" on a wall!
She is still available on my website (and prints too!!!)

Here husband is doing ALLLLLLLLL the work.
;-)
PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!!!!!

Add caption
DAY TEN......

Started drinking "Mountain Dew: Kickstart" which is basically like free-basing caffeine!!!!!!!! 

Which may have worked for a few hours.........

...and then.......
FINAL DAY!

Eating at the food trucks.....because my homemade salads just aren't cutting it at this point!

There were people there shopping un tim the last minute.....
and then......

WHAMO - the making up and exiting tornado hits!!!

It took us 3 hours to get packed and get home!!!

WE left NOTHING in our booth.......but clearly we were the few that were tidy  as we left!
I MADE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So there you go.......months of work.......2 days of set up.......11 days of sell sell selling (aka 90 hours of talking to people).........several days of unpacking.....and decompressing and BAM you've done it!
I am starting to get life back to normal!
It was an incredible experience!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had lots of sales, and so many new connections made.
New friends.....old friends........
One of the most exhausting and exhilarating times ev-VAH!
I wanted to thank my hubby for taking such good care of me, and for working for me for the whole show!!! 
I also wanted to thank the organizers at OOAK.
YOU GUYS DO AN INCREDIBLE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So that's all folks!!
See you next year for OOAKX16!!!!!
WOOT WOOT!







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