wow.

That just about sums up the last week for me.

Tuesday I taught etching to an exuberant crowd of a dozen Bead Q employees, the largest class I’ve taught so far. I got some really nice feedback, and my students did some really cool work, too. I also learned that a dozen is far too many for this class, and from this point forward I’m limiting etching to six students at a time. I heard over the weekend that one of my August etching classes is fully booked, and the other is getting close. If you’re thinking about signing up, now is the time, unless you want to wait for September or October (no dates scheduled yet, but I assume we will).

I spent most of last week preparing for the Avon Lake Summer Market, which again this year lived up to its history as a really good show for me. Saturday was pretty much nonstop until early afternoon, then settled down to a thinner crowd but still a steady pace.

Avon Lake Summer Market, before the crowds hit

It was great to see so many of my regular customers and friends, and to meet some new people as well. I was next to Jen of Seat of My Pants, who makes adorable bags and braved out the day despite looking like she was going to burst any second. I had some really wonderful praise for the new work I’ve put so much of my heart and soul and energy into over the past few months, and I was asked to bring some work to BAYarts for inclusion in the gallery shop there, which I will be doing later this week.

We got some great preshow publicity this year, including a short piece in the Plain Dealer’s Friday Magazine, and I had my picture taken with a customer for the Avon Lake Press, which may be included in Wednesday’s paper.

I went most of the day thinking it was a good day but not a record breaker, yet when I got home and counted up I found that I had done even better than last year, my best show ever. It made the exhaustion worth it.

After eleven solid hours of sleep and a little nap here and there yesterday, I’m feeling almost back to normal, just in time to teach the Chunky Chime necklace at Grand River Beads on Thursday and get ready for the North Olmsted show on August 10.

Then today I got an e-mail from the gallery coordinator at the Avon Lake Public Library, who wants me to do a show there for the month of December. That was just the push I need to get it together with some of the bigger, showier pieces I’ve had swirling in my head for a while now.