Hi friends! Guess who doesn’t have her act together this week? Yep, that would be me. It’s funny just how much time gets sucked up dealing with feet upon feet of snow. I feel like I have been behind all year (I blame snow, jury duty and taxes…boy, I’m really gonna have to start coming up with a better excuse than jury duty, then again I’m still blaming my extra 15 pounds on my twin pregnancy. They’re 10 now.) So today was spent driving in a nasty snowstorm (not bad enough to cancel school so I figured the roads were fine and I had all 3 kids yearly well visits scheduled so I hated to cancel) I allowed 45 minutes to drive a distance that would have taken 20 normally and I was still 2 minutes late! The roads were not any better coming back but I was home by noon with the kids safely deposited at school BUT THEN I got my darn car stuck in my own snow bank in my own driveway except for the tail end hanging out in the road. Did you ever see the move Fargo and the scene when William F Macy’s character is scraping ice off the windshield and then he just loses it? Yep, that is this winter in Maine. For a born and bred Mainer I am pretty useless with outdoor winter car problems, luckily my niece Sarah around and helped me try to dig out the van (it did not work) but then our friend Jim stopped by in his truck and he was able to pull my van out. After that I needed a nap. I was somewhat productive yesterday but could not get an AAC filmed and Monday I ended up grocery shopping and since I HAD to leave the house so I decided to bring some more handmade stuff to my shop and freshen up my booth while I was out. But hey, I got the booth tour video I have been promising since January 1st done, so that’s something! Check that of the to do list LOL!
The Schoolhouse Antiques Mall is located at 530 S Main St, Brewer, ME 04412 Phone: (207) 989-9777 if you are ever in the area and want to check it out:)
I have arranged with Kathy and Lorraine to film a fresh batch of Ask a Crafters on Monday so you won’t be high and dry next week. Thanks for understanding and til next time happy crafting!
The Frugal Crafter Blog 
Hang in there…
No matter how long the winter, Spring will have her turn.
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Nice booth! As for snow related problems, I sooooo understand!! I’m from Quebec, Canada so I know all about that! 🙂
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Nice booth Lindsay! Next time I’m in Maine I’ll try to make that far north. My husband and I are originally from Massachusetts and all of our family is still there so we make it back at least once a year. We are currently in southern California. We had a nice vacation trailer in Wells that’s still in the family. LOVE Maine (in the summer)!
You crack me up!
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Love the booth! As for the rest, it will be better! We can always count on the fact that things continually change!!
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Hugs from Prince Edward Island, where we have 16 foot snow banks alongside the roads in our small community. I feel your pain.
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Nice booth. They used to have one similar to that here but it closed. Sorry about your bad day. We are buried in snow here too….and bitter cold weather… but we are retired so we don’t have to go out when the weather is bad….but Joe is very tired of shoveling out the driveway – I think he’s up to 19 times so far….and so years it’s 3 or 4 times. We can only hope that we do get a spring!!!
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FUN MESSAGE TODAY! I hope you stayed away from I 95!
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Love your booth. Only been to Maine one time, we went to Bar Harbor and stayed at a bed and breakfast. It was my favorite vacation would love to visit Maine again sometime. Hope spring gets here soon, I don’t think I could deal with all that snow. Have a good rest of the week.
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Love your booth! I am in awe of your stamina…that winter stuff would wear me slam out. I just don’t know how you do what you do. I haven’t crafted in MONTHS but I watch and save all of your tutorials witth the hopes that I can have time to get my mojo back on. Loved seeing the hummingbird watercolor. That is one of my most favorites that I have done ‘with you’. I also saw a wildflower one that I painted wiith you and gave as a gift. Thank you, as always, for sharing your talents!
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I love your booth. Would love to give you a thumbs up, but it never comes up. I dont know what im doing wrong, but once again, great job:)
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Heh, I can relate to the cold weather and driving… Got stuck in the middle of no where a few weeks ago with my sis at midnight, we asked a stranger to help get us unstuck. Thankfully he wasn’t a serial killer lol. Then two weeks ago my husband for in a car accident but thankfully was ok. Then tonight after my baby just had open heart surgery, and we finally got a break to eat out n on the way home me my husband and two yr old got hit by some dumbell who want watching and turned while we had a green. Thankfully, we were all okay but or car is totaled… Just after we got it fixed too!
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All forgiven here. Must be a full moon this week. I am ready to throw in the towel today myself. Sure hope your week (and mine) gets better! Hugs
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It’s been a long time since I saw Fargo but had to watch it for Bill Macy since he was my senior high school class president.
Digging a van out of a snowbank is NO fun! I keep a bucket of ashes next to the drive just in case but hauling wood and building a fire are getting very old. I’m definitely ready for spring.
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Right now I’d swop you any day, I’m so sick of the heat
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Lindsay,
Your booth is beautiful! You and your husband are so talented. I love his cutting boards. If I am ever in Brewer, Maine, I’ll make sure to stop by and explore.
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Love your booth, it reminds me mine !!!! So glad that you and the kids are all well ! Take care.
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Hey Lindsay, your booth looks great (of course). Did you know Dick Blick has an affiliate program now? I personally have ordered tons of stuff from them due to your recommendation, and I think you could really benefit from this, if you’re interested. http://www.dickblick.com/affiliates/
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I applies a while ago but they do not accept affiliate from the state of Maine (yes, we have the snow and the poor business climate) because the state wants Blick and other large retailers to collect and send in sales tax when merchandise if purchased by Maine residents. They refused so the state said that if they have affiliates in Maine it would be the same as having a Maine location and they would have to pay. So the companies all got together (even ones with Maine locations) and said “no affiliates then.” It is really too bad because people really struggle in maine, not only do we have very high sales tax and income tax but we are restricted on how we can earn a living. I appreciate you thinking of me though. I would gladly accept Blick as a sponsor if they ever wished to advertise with me on my blog or youtube channel but I am afraid an affiliate relationship is out at this point.
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Wow, that’s a bummer. Sorry to hear it. Of course, I think of you all the time, you’re the main reason I got started with art and it’s changed my life. You get out so much good karma though, that it’s bound to come back to you. If not in this avenue, it will still come back in multiple other ways.
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That’s too bad about Blick since you promote all the time. Just curious, how are you restricted on how you can earn a living? Because of the high taxes, etc.? Only a month ’til spring. 🙂 Hang in there. Marguerite
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Well, being an amazon, blick, joanns affilate would probably add up to an additional 10-20k a year because of the size of my youtube channel and they way it works is if someone clicks a link to go to amazon to buy a tube of paint but buys a TV a week later I would get 10% of both, you get a % of the sales they make for 30 days, it is very lucrative and my media reach between my blog and youtube is about 1 million impressions a month so it can really add up. Some bloggers (I think Jennifer McGuire is one of them) make their living on affiliate sales. Maine want’s a cut of that money but retialers do not want to collect and sunbmit sales tax, it is a big p!$$*%g contest and bloggers lose. The high sales tax and restrictions on companies in Maine make business not want to set up shop here. Costs to do business is high too with oil and electricity and we do not have decent high speed internet. For instance, for business to get a high speed internet account in northern maine it is more than $1,000 a month where in vermont it is $30. I pay $60 a month just for internet with enough upload speed to upload a video a day and it is the highest I can get, 2 miles up the road and I would have to have satellite internet. Our electricity cost twice as much as other places because we have fewer people to spread the cost of the service over. Groceries are way more than even in New hampshire. The government imposes so many restrictions on how companies can build and run their business. Most businesses that are not huge chains are made by locals because no one from away would deal with the crazy regulations. Our best and brightest people leave because unless you are in healthcare you can’t make a living in this economy, it is sad. It is a drag but luckily I do not need to depend on my local economy. I do some custom framing but that is about it for local work other than a few art classes. Sorry about the rant, i get really worked up when I think of the way the government hinders business rather than helps.
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Gosh, thanks for the heads up about how to give you that %. I have been doing it mostly by going to a new tab, but now I’ll be sure when I purchase something you have promoted, I click the link on your channel. Rants are ok, you are the most gracious ranter I have seen, actually. Gracious and kind, as always. BTW you might mention in your vids that if we click the link you are awarded a % – I don’t think I knew that, and I definitely want to support you.
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Well clicking on the links will show my sponsors that you came from me and encourage them to sponsor a future video but because I am in Maine I can not be an affiliate with the major retailers. Luckily I have great sponsors!
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Wow! That’s really too bad Lindsay. Just a move across the border and you could really have a great way to make a living. I can see why so many of your people leave. Thanks for getting back to me. As for the rant. You have every right. Makes me mad just knowing about it. Marguerite
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I can so relate to the challenges of winter, I have all my life! It is kind of nice that others are getting just a taste of the challenges we face EVERY winter, maybe it will make them appreciate how hard we have to work! I liked seeing your booth, your items are lovely. Good luck with your booth and surviving winter.
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I can almost see you in the snowbank…. next time take a picture …. especially of the wonderful friends helping you get out! Good neighbors are such a blessing! Also, I love your husband’s work… he may need to have his own you tube channel! If I had one of his cutting boards, I would not be able to use it… they are so beautiful! Sending w{{warm}} hugs.
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It really does knock the stuffing out of you to deal with this weather!! Till just the last week or so we were doing unusually well, here in the mid-west, but then we got a bit of a hit. The children are all upset because the ‘snoice’ came over the weekend, so no school missed 😉 Warm hugs and no worries, we are all so grateful for all the time you take teaching us, you surely deserve some mental health days!!!!!!
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Ooh, I’ve been looking forward to your booth tour! Beautiful items and display.
I’m a little confused about how a booth like this works. If you only stop by every once in a while, how do you make sales? Who mans the booths, and how do people make payments? (Sorry if you’ve already explained this elsewhere, I must have missed it if you did.)
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The school house antiques mall has a cashier and employees so they help the customers and take payments. All renters have vendor numbers that we put on our tags so sales get credited to the correct person. We get paid for the sales we made on the start of the next month. Nobody has to stay at their booths!
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Oh, that makes sense! I’ve heard you mention the vendor numbers and tags before, but somehow wasn’t processing how that worked. Sounds like a nice arrangement, thank you so much for the reply. All the best with your booth, Lindsay!
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Thank you for the booth tour! I’m with you on this February, which is dragging on and on and on for the shortest month! Of course, not the snow that you have had, but cold and blowy since Halloween. You still manage to fit more into your days that I can even imagine! Thank you for all you do. And certainly if my Maine-iac spouse and I come North this year, we’ll stop by the booth.
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Oh Lindsay, you are such a great talent. I truly enjoyed watching your tour and wish with all my heart I could be there to browse. Do you attend your booth every day, or does the shop owner supervise it for you? There is so much beautiful work here, I found myself wishing I could pick up and buy lots of things =)
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I just pop in the shop a couple times a month to freshen it up with new products. The owners and their employees supervise all the booths:) It is the only way I would do retail:)
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Good Morning Frugalcrafter,I enjoyed your blurb you posted two days ago about the snow, getting stuck etc. We were stationed up at Loring Air Force Base in the 80’s. In fact, our youngest (now 33) was born in Caribou, Maine. The five years we spent there we encountered the year that snowed for 9 months and another year that had 222 inches of snow (it was said it was a record breaking snow that year). I had 4 children and a van, lol, at that time. They ranged in ages of 11 (which was only there for 2 years, spent every other year with her Father who was in Georgia at that time), 4, 1 and newborn in 1981. You brought back some fond memories when you mentioned getting stuck in the snow bank. My husband on was on alert at the base (pilots, which my husband was, and their crews stayed on base for a week at a time in the barracks and were not allowed to come home) so I put the two little ones in our maxi van, (I was 8 1/2 months pregnant with the last one) which was parked in a carport and proceeded to back out when I heard a crunch. I got out to see what happened and I did not know, my 4 year old had opened the top window on the van. So I rolled it down, went in the house, got the duck tape and climbed on top of the carport and then onto the top of the van to tape the window up (it was shattered). Boy, did I hear it from the neighbor for climbing up on top of a dilapidated building (which had been condemned by the Air Force) and onto a slippery van. I had to laugh, for I was and still am a person that does things herself without bothering others, majority of military wives are like that, at least back then they were. After that incident, we had purchased a VW Rabbit and another time after the baby was born, I bundled up the three little ones and was heading to the alert barracks to see my husband when we went hit black ice and went off into a snow bank. So I got out and began pushing on the car, then I tried to pull us out, when someone came along and pulled us out. I loved every minute up there. A lot of wives could not tolerate Maine, however, I thought it was so beautiful. I loved the people, and I especially loved to hear the ones with the heavy Maine accents talk. There was an auction house, Dick Ward’s Auctions, that we use to go to every time they had an auction and bought some beautiful antiques. I wanted to Thank You for sharing your wonderful stories! Many Blessings to you and your lovely family! Have a Blessed DayLinda Crawford
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Thank you for sharing you story as well, who’d a thought that a story about being stuck in a snowbank would bring back good memories LOL! Maine is wonderful but come March we have had enough of he winter,that’s for sure!
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Loved the tour of your booth. Gave me some ideas. I’ve painted all your cards along with you & sold every one. Thanks. Spoiled this weekend with temps near 30, now it’s snowing again. I’m sure we will get a big one yet because they call that that farmers fertilizer. Well Mother Nature is going to burn the crops with all this fertilizer. Haha. Will have to make it to Brewer this summer.
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