Community Day on Campus

 Is there any more picturesque campus in the world, than UAS Juneau? 

Community Day on Campus, last Saturday, was my first attempt at selling my homemade fairy wings, magic wands, and baked goods. It was both terrific fun, and terrific market research, which counts as a resounding success in my book. It was a spectacularly beautiful sunny day with temperatures near 80 degrees, and while my Mom may have wished for more direct sunlight, I was deeply grateful to be under a pavilion tent and on the shady side of the plaza. Even then, I wore my sunglasses and gulped copious amounts of water for much of the day.

Mom was amazing as my financial investor (supplies, tent rental, plus that pesky parking ticket she got picking up the tent), co-baker, creator of a series of gorgeous feathered hair clips, and assistant vendor.

 My amazing mom, who will be mortified that I've included this photo.

Too bad, Mom, the rest of us think you're beautiful! <3

Dale, meanwhile, knocked it out of the park by making display tables sturdy, building a stand-alone mirror, and building a wing display post while coming up with the most innovative use for a Christmas tree stand that I have ever seen. He also made set-up and break-down a breeze. There’s no way I would have been able to pull this event off without their help.

 I ADORE this wing display!

Here are the observations that Mom and I made while walking around the event, and manning our stall:

1-      After all this time, we are still introverts, and five hours of vending left us utterly spent…in a good a way.

2-      Folks will cross a parking lot to get to fairy wings, and they will crowd into a stall to get free samples of sweet baked goods.

3-      Teens and adults are NOT the most common admirers of fairy wings. Children, from toddlers on up, were utterly wonder-struck by the wings and were the most frequent people to take us up on trying on a set.

4-      Children don’t tend to have a lot of money and parents aren’t always eager to leap at a $40 price tag, which I quite understand. This was a lesson about target audience. I really think that if we’d had a selection of smaller, lower priced wings, we could have sold a bunch of them.

5-      Little boys seemed equally as entranced as little girls, by the wings, but a few male parents seemed especially quick to reinforce gender expectations about costuming in general and fairies, specifically. This was the only downer about the entire day, and led to some productive brainstorming (see action plan).

6-      We sold an equal, but small number of each type of baked good (Pucker-Up Lemon Bars, Dutch Butter Cake, and Spicy Surprise Brownies), but the brownies were the most frequently sampled. The surprise part of the brownie name intrigued folks and several people were quite hopeful that the surprise might be green and mind-altering. No, I’m not going into the pot business, but I predict that whoever does open up shop here, now that folks can get licenses, is going to make a pretty penny.

7-      Very few people ventured deep into our stall, stopping at the fairy wings at the entrance, and just inside for free samples.

8-      Even though the books were at the back of the stall, and not many folks ventured that far inside, I still sold more books than I did at the same event two years ago when I was selling only books.

So…here’s our action plan.

1-      Plan to vend at the “block party” held each Friday this summer (June 10 through August) at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center and continue to test the market and improve selling techniques.

2-      Consider Vending at the monthly Farmer’s Market

3-      Spend the big bucks to vend at the annual Public Market the weekend after Thanksgiving

4-      Make fairy wings in three price brackets by adding small two-wing sets for $15, small butterfly and small damselfly sets (four wings) for $25, and keep the large butterfly and damselfly sets at $40).

5-      Experiment with making dragon wings, which may seem more masculine, or perhaps more gender neutral, and which may be appealing to folks of any gender because dragons are every bit as cool as fairies, and less fraught with gender stereotypes.

6-      Don’t make lemon bars to sell because they are twice as much work as the other two recipes, and are sticky and messy to get out of the pan and into tiny cellophane bags!

7-      Don’t plan to make a profit from baked goods but continue to have them for sale and use those free samples to lure customers in. Low-down and sneaky, I know.

8-      Put another display of fairy wings, perhaps some of the smaller, less expensive ones, at the back of the stall to draw folks all the way in…and over to my books.

9-      Display Mom’s beautiful hair clips in a visible, nay, eye-catching fashion, instead of in a basket.

Whew! I think those are all the major highlights.

Since Saturday, I re-invested most of our profits and ordered more iridescent cellophane and a whole lotta glittery hot glue sticks in a variety of colors. The cellophane arrived yesterday and it is both thicker/sturdier than the previous kind I’d purchased locally, and also heat bonds under the iron almost instantaneously, which saves me about an hour of ironing for each set of wings!

Here’s the set I made yesterday after the cellophane arrived.

Dale named this set "Amelia" for Amelia Earhart

36"x18" Wing details in gold & silver with a subtle hint of teal

Circular brace wrapped in teal and gold

$40

And here’s the set I’m still working on today. This is my first set of small butterfly wings, and I’m excited with how they’re coming along.

 Still Unamed

27"x14"

$25

 

Folks have been asking me about whether I’ll set up an Etsy shop. I think it’s likely, but before I put my cart before my horse, I need to raise the horse and build the cart. ;) Even though it’s going to be a while, yet, before I get to the Etsy-shop-stage, if you’d like to special order a set of wings from me, please send me a message or e-mail. I’ve begun researching shipping methods and costs, and even have a line on affordable boxes of the appropriate sizes and shapes. I’m very excited about this new facet of Magic All Around, and I’d love to be able to make it a permanent fixture.

As always, thank you, all of you, for being so supportive. The feedback and responses from so many of you on Facebook, and elsewhere, have been tremendously encouraging, and I hope I can share a bit of magic with all of you.

Happy Friday!

Dazzled By My Own Handiwork

"Damsel"

 "Aurelia"

 "Whimsy" a.k.a. "Moose Rack"

 "Verdanette"

"Moonbeam"

I think I'm getting better with each new set and I'm really excited to sell these, so I can make more! Seriously, they have a way of filling up the house. 

I have two custom orders that I'll begin work on next week...but first, baking tomorrow, and Community Day on Campus from 11a.m. to 4p.m. on Saturday! Come visit us and check out the exotic feathered hair clips my mom has been making, try on a set of wings, sample the baked goods, ogle the books, and wave around a couple of the magic wands. I promise, there'll be Magic All Around!

Iridescent Fairy Dreams

 Ooops! Caught me with my eyes closed. 

Fairy dust makes me sleepy.

Slightly crooked wings and uninspired pose,

but authors don't usually do a lot of modeling.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have the distinct pleasure of introducing you to FWP3 (Fairy Wing Prototype 3)! This prototype is constructed with 14 gauge galvanized stainless steel wire, two kinds of tape, one kind of glue, two layers of iridescent cellophane, gold paint, ribbon, and the firm application of a hot iron. Oh, and fairy dust! 

It's been another rip-roarin' week, and I'm continuing to make magic wands and fairy wings in preparation for the Community Day on Campus on May 14th. Did I mention that I'll also be selling Dutch Buttercake, Whole Lemon Bars and my famous Curried Brownies? If you haven't tried curried brownies, you haven't tasted magic yet! If you're in Juneau, I hope you'll stop by. Every book or fairy wing purchase comes with a free dessert, and I've heard a rumor that my mom will even be there, fluttering around in her own set of wings! Now, if that doesn't sound like some fairy godmother magic, I don't know what does.

Not here in Juneau? No problem! I would be happy to create your dream fairy wings and/or magic wand! For the time being, wings will be in the $40 range, plus shipping. According to the listings on Etsy and Ebay, this is a steal of a deal, so get your iridescent Fairy Wings while I'm still a nervous amateur testing the market. ;-) 

Now, I have to excuse myself. I've been staying up melting cellophane into the wee hours, so now I'm going to flutter off to take a nap under a flower petal!

Next week at this time, I'll be in a baking frenzy. I'll post...but expect every word to be coated in flour dust and powdered curry!

Have a great weekend and a lovely week!

Magic Wands and Fairy Wings

Last week, I promised you a piece of flash fiction, and now I’ve totally flaked out on that promise. More than that, I completely forgot about writing the story. We were halfway through today (Thursday) before I remembered that I was supposed to write something and post it. I’ve been distracted this week…but let me go back and start at the beginning.

Last Saturday, My mom and I went to check out Juneau’s very first Mini Comic-Con. It was pretty darn cool. I met a few Alaskan artists, handed out some of my bookmarks, and gave away ten copies of my flyer. I also saw a group of very young Star Wars characters, two Jokers, Galadriel, Maleficent, a hobbit, two Wonder Women, a Lolita, and Elsa. It was delightful to see so many folks dressed up, and there was a terrific family atmosphere. I was happy to look around and see a bunch of folks who fall into my target audience. If the organizers make this an annual event, I’ll be waiting in line to be a vendor next year!

The whole scene got my mom so excited, she suggested we vend at Juneau’s annual Public Market this year. Wheee! It sounds fun, but there’s an expensive fee for vendors and I didn’t sell many books two winters ago when I tried that, so all of this set my brain in motion.

What can I do to increase my sales enough to merit spending that much money?

I don’t multi-task very well. Heck, I just don’t multi-task. And this question, ladies and gentlemen, is why I flaked out on writing today’s story. I got so caught up in trying to answer this question, that I didn’t think about anything else all week. The good news is, I have some preliminary goals.

1   1-      I need to diversify. Right now, I have all of my eggs in one basket (a basket made out of books!) and that’s just not bringing in any grocery money.

2   2-      I need to put my eggs in baskets that complement my book basket. I need to see if I can make and sell additional products that A- sell better than my books, and B- fit into my current brand and have the potential to funnel people towards my books.

3   3-      I need to learn more about the market for any products I decide to make and sell LONG before going to Public Market. Hugs and thanks to my wonderful friends on Facebook who have already provided a lot of terrific input and information about this step!

The plan, then, is to try several different products, and vend at a variety of spring and summer craft fairs and events in order to test the market for those products. I have a slew of ideas, but right now, my focus is on hand crafted magic wands, fairy wings, and baked goods. With a side of maybe some tie-dyes. 

Here’s a picture of the wands I’ve made so far. Each one is made with fallen sticks or driftwood, and includes real crystals and rocks, as well as colored sculpting clay, and various beads and charms.

Doesn't everyone need a magic wand? Seriously, though, if you're interested in purchasing one of these , let me know. I'd also be happy to create the custom wand of your dreams!

And here is an iridescent fairy wing prototype that I’m working on. It’s incomplete, but I'm getting there. The wingspan is, as you can see, over a yard.

Instead of promising you a story for next week, I’m going to promise you a photo. Next week, expect a photo of me in a set of completed fairy wings! the bonus is that you'll get to see the green, blue, and purple hair that I've been sporting since March. ;) Considering my current level of distraction (obsession?) with this project, the flake-out odds are very, very low.

At craft fairs, farmer’s markets, and other similar events, I've observed that highly processed carbohydrates sell very well. So…though I feel like I’ve gone over to the dark side, I’ll be selling three of my most delicious high-carb desserts at our May 14^th Community Day on Campus. Even if I say so myself, my Curried Brownies, Dutch Butter Cake, and Whole Lemon Bars are spectacularly delicious, so…my questions for you are,

   1-Shall I sell them in 2x2 inch servings, 3x3 inch servings, or a combination?

   2-How much would you pay for something like this at a craft fair?

   3- If the baked good was prettily wrapped in wax paper and had decorative raffia, ribbon, or twine tied around it, would you pay more than if it was wrapped in plastic wrap, or would the cost/fussiness be a turn-off?

Happy Friday, and I hope you have a fantastic week!

P.S. Never fear, flash fiction will return. And, yes, Magic Together (aka Book Three) is still in the works.

P.P.S. This blog just rolled over 18,000 views for its total life span!!! I am so very grateful to everyone who comes here to read my short stories, my ramblings, and the series of interviews I did a few years ago. I'm also grateful to everyone who has purchased my books, and to all of you who keep coming back, and keep clamoring for another book. I may be fussing about my writing not earning grocery money, but money isn't the reason I write. YOU are the reason I write. Thank you for reading my words.

A Near Miss

We had a scare this week. Day before yesterday, I looked across the house and saw smoke curling up towards the ceiling! As you can see from this photo, the crystal ball served as a nice big magnifying glass, and left a trail of scorch marks across the window sill. I was spooked, and, being the rain country girl that I am, my mind was blown. The moral of the story is, don't place clear glass containers, mirrors, or even crystal balls in windows (or outdoor locations) that ever get direct sunlight.

I have a partially written story for you, inspired by our crystal ball debacle, but I've had something come up at the last minute and won't be able to finish the story in time for this Friday. This afternoon, I learned that Juneau is having a mini comic convention this Saturday. Unfortunately, the vender slots have already been filled, (I'm very late to the ball, so to speak)

 but if someone cancels, the organizers said they'd contact me. Meanwhile, I'm going to take myself downtown to this event, along with a box of books, a bunch of bookmarks, and printed copies of one of my short stories (does anyone remember Accident-Prone about the djinn who "accidentally" started the fire at Alexandria, as well as the Great Fire of London?) on a flyer-sort-of-thing. I'm hoping to just wander around and see if I can find people who'll take bookmarks and flyers. Who knows, maybe a couple people will even follow me back to my car to buy a book or two! At any rate, all of my creative energy for the evening is going into this flyer.

My genuine apologies for delaying this story, and I hope you'll bear with me until next week!  

Meanwhile, if any of you have ever been to a comic-con (I haven't) and have any tips or advice about how an indie author aught to conduct herself at such an event, your input would be tremendously welcome. I'm winging it, at this point, and am seriously considering wearing a set of homemade wings to illustrate that! ;-)

Happy Friday!

Bed Socks and Broomsticks

Hi folks! A quick reminder that I’m currently welcoming guest authors of short-short fiction. I am still seeking guests, so please read this if you’d like to submit one or more of your flash fiction stories and be my next guest!

Today, please welcome Val Portelli A.K.A. as Voinks, with a story of fun and mischief!

A few years ago a freak accident left me housebound and stir-crazy after leading an active life. Reviving my writing, which I’d always loved but never had time for, saved my sanity.
I remember the euphoria of that first response ‘We want to see more,’ and the icing on the cake was when my first book Changes was published.
A second book followed with another publisher, then a steep learning curve for Facebook, blogs, marketing, book signings and the myriad of other things involved in my new career.

I’m currently regularly writing short stories in between proof reading my latest and longest novel, tentatively entitled A Murder of Changes.    

Inspiration comes from all sorts of everyday things. This story came about after a discussion on how one sock always goes missing. Then a friend posted some photos of her day trip to a National Trust property. It seemed natural to put the two together.

Well, I am an author so weirdness should be forgiven. 

Thanks to Marcy for inviting me onto her blog, and featuring one of my short stories.

I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you, Val, for being my guest and…I’m a huge fan of weirdness!

Folks, if you’d like to read more by Val check out her novels Changes and ABC Destiny, follow her blog, or Follow her on Facebook. You can also reach Val by email at ValPortelli@outlook.com or Voinks@hotmail.co.uk.

Photos by Paula Harmon

Bed Socks and Broomsticks

 By Val Portelli

Lacey was excited. Grandma had gone away for the day and left her second best broomstick unattended. Although the girl had been forbidden to touch it, she was finding it hard to resist.

Surely it wouldn’t hurt to just go for a quick spin around the yard. No one would know, and after all she was sixteen and would be finishing her witching apprenticeship soon. How was she to learn the practicalities if she wasn’t allowed to try?

Tentatively Lacey edged towards the broomstick and stretched out one hand. As her fingers lightly touched the handle she jumped back in alarm. It felt slimy as if hundreds of snails had crawled along its surface; not only that, it would be slippery to ride and she could fall off.

She should have realised that the old witch would have left some sort of spell on it. Not to be defeated she browsed her textbooks to find some way to overcome the problem. Nothing there.
In a huff she wandered into the kitchen to make a cup of tea when suddenly the hanging clothes rack caught her eye.  

If magic wouldn’t help perhaps plain inventiveness would? She managed to pull down one of the black and white socks and wrapped it firmly round the handle. Perfect. It seemed the stripes had confused the spell. Returning to fetch the matching sock she hit another barrier. It kept jumping out of her reach and just the one on its own was not enough. Snatching at the pink sock she managed to hold onto it, and soon had that too wrapped round the broomstick handle.

Climbing aboard she made herself comfortable, adopted the correct position, took a deep breath and whispered the starting words. Whoosh! The broom took off like a rocket and for a while she struggled to keep her balance. She hadn’t expected it to be quite so fast, but soon got the hang of things and even tried some gentle drops, lifts and turns.  This was fun.

As her confidence grew she decided to make the most of the opportunity, and pulling back hard flew over the garden gate and into the open fields beyond.  Swooping and weaving she forgot the time until in the distance she noticed Grandma returning. 

In a panic she steered for home but had forgotten the words to stop.  Nearly crashing into the garden fence she just managed to haul up high enough to avoid it, although one of the socks snagged on a protruding nail. As she flew back into the space of the fields it began to unravel, and before long there were streamers of black, white and pink trailing behind her.

Why hadn’t she done as she was told? Maybe if she’d asked Granny properly she wouldn’t be in this fix now, slipping and sliding on the gooey mess of the now naked broomstick handle. Just as she managed to turn back into the kitchen she fell off and landed with a bump, bruising her knees on the rough stone floor.   

At least the broom had stopped and returned to its usual place in the corner. With a bit of luck Grandma wouldn’t even notice and she could get away with it. Just as she got to her feet the door opened and the old witch entered.

‘Everything been OK?’ she asked. ‘Be a good girl and make me a cup of tea. All that flying this afternoon has plumb worn me out.  What on earth have you done to your knees?’

‘Fine Grandma. Oh that, I slipped and grazed them on some rough stones when I was walking through the woods. I’ll go and put the kettle on.’

Phew. She had got away with it. Maybe she would even have another go next time the old witch went out for the day.

‘Lacey. When you come in could you bring my black socks from the kitchen?  They should be dry by now and my feet are cold.’

Perhaps she wasn’t in the clear after all. She couldn’t even blame losing the odd socks on the washing machine. It hadn't been invented yet.