Tis' the Season

The leaves have fallen, there's a chill in the air, the days are "shorter" and that means it's time for... CRAFT SHOWS! I am admittedly a craft show junkie. I can't make it through the Christmas season without attending a few. There was a time when I didn't flinch at spending $6.00 just to enter a craft show...times have changed! I am, as they say, on a "fixed income" now that I've retired. I have become a more discriminate craft show junkie. Actually I began to protest the admission fees soon after these large companies that run some of the craft shows in our area have the audacity to charge people just to walk in the door! Don't get me wrong - I don't mind a couple bucks here and there, but an $8.00 admission fee is just ridiculous in my opinion. I understand that crafters have to make money, but they are being charged exorbitant fees to rent space in these venues - some upwards of $125! Sadly, the entrance fees do not go into the purses of the crafters themselves, just into the grimy hands of the organizers. Paying $8.00 to SPEND money once I get through the doors seems a bit crazy if you ask me. Some venues also charge for parking, which means you are in the hole even more before they let you in to spend more money.

I can tell I am getting older and perused too many of these craft shows when I can cruise through one at warp speed - my craft show "vision" knows a good booth from a bad one. I feel almost robotic when I scan the aisles and make the decision to linger at a booth or breeze past it. I can spot a crocheted toilet paper holder from miles away these days and have trained my eyes to probe for something more creative. I have also found myself actually saying, WAY too many times, "I can make that myself!" knowing I probably COULD, but never actually WOULD. I have even snuck a photo or two, using my camera phone, so sure I could actually recreate some of the items I see. Tsk...tsk. I am my mother's child.