Goal 88-- Attend a Conference

I owe a nice long post re: the SUMMIT OF AWESOME.

For now let's just say it lived up to its name.

Also, I attended one hands-on workshop just to learn something new which I could count towards goal 062., however I still want to take an actual class so that'll wait.

The birds we made in the needle felting workshop, Mine is the all turquoise one toward the middle. Thanks Katherine for the photo!

I'm currently on a craft supply buying moratorium, otherwise I would have hopped over to Gossamer and bought all sorts of needlefelting supplies. 

A star named Rachel

Maybe it from looking up all those old books I've read, or maybe it's parts of my memory coming back. . . I just remembered there is a star named after me out there!

Stored away somewhere I even have a certificate and a map! A college boyfriend bought me star for a birthday or some little month anniversary or something. It was quite a romantic thing looking back on it. Thanks M!

Date Night

We're going on a date! First to see a movie with passes I got last christmastime and a complementary dinner from one of our vendors at the bike shop! We picked Iron Man 2 and Meriwether's.

Updated! Goal 101-- 6/12 COOK A NEW DISH EVERY MONTH

The coleslaw turned out delicious! It is sweet and crisp with a very nice ginger flavor (fresh grated from a frozen nugget). 

The tacos are layered from bottom to top: savory sweet ground beef and chorizo mix, fresh cilantro, Asian coleslaw. That chorizo was spicy, goodness!  My tongue is still tingly and Ian says he didn't even add any spicy spices.  

Tomorrow night is Asparagus Risotto and endives. Or is it Zuchinni Risotto and endives? Risotto and endives either way.  
 

The orginal post continues below:

I love the color of this cabbage! It's been salted and is currently draining under the weight of a small plate and two bags of flour. Evidently if you salt the cabbage, it'll help it keep its crispiness once it's been slawed. For full details you ought to go to the source Joy of Cooking page 223.

I'm off to make the vinegar mixture, grate a carrot, mix it all together and let it fridgerate until dinner (tacos and coleslaw). I even cleaned up the whole kitchen so Ian would have a nice clean workspace when he got home to cook the ground beef.

I've never made coleslaw before, I guess this is the first official June entry for my Goal 101-- Cook a new dish every month.

Goals 60 y 67-- find balance with possessions, learn calligraphy

I tend to do my best creative work when I have tons of supplies at hand and can make a big mess and let my subconscious fit things together. This, in combination with my small tendency to hoard, is a big enabler when I'm staring down some pretty paper at the craft store.

"I don't really need this paper for anything in particular, but something will come up...I'm sure of it!"

Two years later, I have stacks and stacks of paper, and scrap-booking paper and glues, and punches and eyelets and paper cutters and pens and markers and everything your little non-electronic crafting heart could desire.

Time for some projects to materialize so this pile can go down and I will come one step closer to finding balance with my possessions. Reeling on the insights of Three Signs of a Miserable Job I made the conscious decision to do everything in my power to make my job a loveable and loved job. How do these topics fit together? Read on after the break.

Bike Cozy New Colorways

Three new colorways for my Bike Cozy tool roll.  

Grey with a chance of neon. Available here.

Carrot Tooth coming to BikeCozy.etsy.com soon.

Purple Awesome coming to BikeCozy.etsy.com soon.

The final step between conception and posting for sale is coming up with a clever name for the color combination. The Purple Awesome reminds me of my little pony growing up...I'm sure there was a purple pony with pink mane and tail. Naming the tool rolls can be the most creative portion of the process. The possibilities are endless. It can be the most challenging for this same reason. I tend to blank out with all roads open. I think its also the reason I'm taking so long finding what I want to do in the world. I could be anything!? How can I possibly choose?

Goal 88-- Attend a Conference

My friend Barb (Ciao Birdie) encouraged me to register for the Summit of Awesome. It was in Washington DC last year and I recognized and swooned at some of the names of the speakers they had so I knew this year would be totally awesome too.

"The Summit of Awesome is three days of business and technical education seminars as well as hands-on workshops produced by the non-profit Hello Craft. Taking place in the Alberta Arts District of Portland, OR, from June 16 to 18, this year’s Summit is co-produced by Hello Craft’s event partners and PDX craft superstars, Crafty Wonderland and DIY Lounge. Summit seminar topics range from how to organize craft fairs and develop successful product lines to teaching crafters how to prepare taxes and form LLC’s. At the 2nd annual Summit, Craftnote speakers are crafty renaissance man Mark Montano and BuyOlympia founders Pat Castaldo and Aaron Tuller. Full speaker list can be found here. A special addition to this year’s event is the “Show of Awesome,” a 40-vendor craft show on Saturday, June 19, at Doug Fir Lounge."

The only qualm I have now is which sessions to choose to attend... help me pick! The list of seminars is here.

I might even treat myself to a new special notebook! Or maybe a new special pen, I have lots of notebooks skampering around my house. Or maybe just put together a back-to-school pile of awesome with stuff I already have and just add some flourishes so they seem like new!

If you're a crafter in Portland looking to get some serious information about the business side of things, I think this conference will be a killer resource. Maybe I'll find my new bag at the craft fair on Saturday!

Cheers. R