Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.

I love this quote by Robert Lewis Stevenson. It is a quote I have used when giving advice to others, as a parent, and it even inspired a product of graduation-themed cupcake toppers: http://paperandpulp.blogspot.com/2015/01/dont-judge-each-day-by-harvest.html

But it is also one of those meaningful bits of wisdom that sometimes I need to remember and apply to my own life. This week has been a reminder that I often plant seeds and then forget about them, and I am always bemused when they grow into something and give me a nudge to keep on planting new seeds.

A year or so ago, I had been talking to the owner of a local garden nursery. She surprised me by knowing who I was because she knows my neighbor and recognized me. We got to talking and I learned that during the off-season she makes and sells her own pottery. As artists do, we compared notes on where to sell and what works best. She mentioned that she has an artisans showcase every year on the first weekend in December where she sells her work as well as the work of a select group of hand-picked artists that complement the design work that she does. It has grown into a substantial event with food, booze and an intimate shopping experience with a targeted market of people who like unique, handmade items and are looking for a more meaningful way to shop for the holidays. I told her if she ever has any extra space that I would love to participate. Then it completely left my brain. This week, almost a year later, she contacted me and asked me if I would like to be one of the artists. I was so tickled and said yes immediately, especially because her flower market is the perfect venue for a new design of gift tags that I made this week, on a total whim: tiny little folded cards with real pressed flowers on them.

If you aren't local, you can get a set in my Etsy shop here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/66484640

If you are local to Saratoga County in upstate New York, come, bring a friend, an empty belly and socialize. You never know who you might meet and what seeds you might plant that will sprout in a year or so!

https://www.etsy.com/local/event/35560915298/7th-annual-holiday-artisans-show-december-6