What Arts or Crafts Are You Into? (for sale, how much)

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by ProdigalLobster

Wow, MW, that's so cool!! How do you keep the soil from freezing... is it blocked off underneath, too?

The only heat comes from the sun. On a 30*, non-windy day the air temp at 2' is around 80*. The soil freezes about a foot along the edges when there's plenty of snow around the outside to serve as insulation. The baseboard is boards.

Originally Posted by CoastalMaine

Thank-you ladies!

MW... I am envious of that greenhouse!! Wow! How cool is that! How long have you been working with wintering veggies like that? I thought it was great stuff to get up everyday and play with art stuff, but playing in the soil is a second choice! Lucky you!!

I'd love to be lucky with this! When the Luck Fairy finds me I'd like to have half an acre under cover please! We've been growing vegetables year round for six or seven years. I used cold frames. I added conduit framed hoop houses three winters ago. The steel framed gh in the pic is just over a year old. If I buy a piece of land I want I'll have a half acre of gh's over time.

Originally Posted by dramamama6685

So I know who can help me build my greenhouse.

Absolutely! We've built six in varying sizes and shapes with pvc, conduit, lumber and steel. Seriously - when you're ready we'll be there.

Originally Posted by MEnME

MW...love to have a greenhouse on a smaller scale . I need to take lessons from you about how to grow and maintain a winter garden.

It's not hard. I can show everything you need to know in an afternoon. You'll be in a warmer USDA hardiness zone than me so you'll have a lot of choices in what to grow. It's really cool to walk into the greenhouse in February, turn over soil and find earthworms while the rest of the world around you is hibernating. I'd have at least one greenhouse for winter growing even if I didn't do this for a living.

[BacktoNE]

Coastal, WOW! You do beautiful work. Absolutely gorgeous

MW, great greenhouse. I would love to have a small one when we finally get settled again. Sounds like it might be do-able.

[CoastalMaine]

Thanks B2NE!

[Elcarim]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

It's personalized for me. This is my farm's logo, designed by Star. The name of my farm is Seasons Eatings. The top left corner is a seedling for spring. I start my own for the garden and sell seedlings in the spring. The top right a tomato for summer. Bottom right is a butternut squash for fall. It's much more orange than the flash makes it look. The bottom left corner is winter with a plant growing in a greenhouse. I grow greens in the winter.

These look terrible because it was morning and plants hadn't thawed yet. It's dark because the left side of the gh was covered in snow I still needed to clear. There are winter lettuces, beet greens, two kinds of turnip, spinach, bok choi, tatsoi, kale and leeks, not all shown here. I get paid to play in the dirt. How cool is that!

Now THAT'S what I need! That's a great greenhouse!

[Elcarim]

Gorgeous artwork, everyone! I want to learn to make things out of sea glass.

[starwalker]

Originally Posted by CoastalMaine

Hey Jj, I just went through your web link... really interesting. I've seen those signs around the Pa countryside etc., over the years, but never understood the significance to each one. Really neat concept to also do them up on muslin for inside the home. You've got a really nice number of them displayed for immediate sale too. Good marketing! Do you consign them anywhere in Maine as well?

No, I have not really looked for consignment opportunities. I did consignment years ago with my batik work and it was as much work riding herd on the stuff that was out (and getting PAID) as doing the art itself.

I am a member of several craft organizations here though and went through the jurying process for the Center for Maine Craft but the jury found my work was not good enough and not "Maine" enough for inclusion. However, as I applied to be juried, I am allowed to provide 100 of my brochure for display so I did a quick re-write and am having them printed.

I am having an open house Halloween afternoon "Must Be The Season Of the Hex" that I have sent out press releases on, but we will see what that brings.
Mostly I sell from the website -- they go all over the country!

[Eastport4me]

Quote:
Originally Posted by MEnME
MW...love to have a greenhouse on a smaller scale . I need to take lessons from you about how to grow and maintain a winter garden.

It's not hard. I can show everything you need to know in an afternoon. You'll be in a warmer USDA hardiness zone than me so you'll have a lot of choices in what to grow. It's really cool to walk into the greenhouse in February, turn over soil and find earthworms while the rest of the world around you is hibernating. I'd have at least one greenhouse for winter growing even if I didn't do this for a living.

Thanks MW.

[mollysmiles]

very nice everyone!

[CoastalMaine]

Jj, I wonder if you did the center designs with seaside things... lobster, lighthouse, buoy, and mussel shell and used the shore colors... multiple blues, red, white, and perhaps a soft yellow, if they'd find them 'Mainish' then.

Re consignment... I only consign in the highest end galleries or shops. It's much easier to track then.

It is good they allowed you to have the brochures put out, but I'd want (if I was you), what wasn't up to their standards? If it's the painting, the design, the materials, etc. Hard to improve if you don't have the information given to you. Just remember, success is failure turned inside out. Don't quit. Just dig your heels in and keep trying and applying!

I'm glad the website works out well for you!!

[Maineah]

I'm into a type of oragami where you fold dollar bills into straight lines and tuck them into dancers g- strings...its an art.