What Are Your Best Tips for Staying Cool, Eating Healthy and Making Money at Summer Shows?

compiled by Kirsten Coughlin


WHAT'S YOUR OPINION?

Each month, The Crafts Report invites readers to respond to the Public Opinion question. Responses are published in the magazine.

The question for the November 1999 issue is:

What are your tips for securing commissioned work?

Please respond by Sept. 1, 1999.

Send responses to:

For traveling to the show and unloading, fill several plastic bottles almost full with water and place them in the freezer to freeze them solid. During the trip and while unloading, the ice will slowly melt, and the water will stay cold longer. Alternatively, while unloading, if you start to really heat up, take a cloth or small sponge, saturate it with the cold water and squeeze it over your head and face. Cooling the head helps to cool the rest of the body.

The frozen container idea also helps to keep food in your cooler cold without having to purchase dry ice. Any dry ice I have bought has always leaked eventually. With the water, if there are leaks, nothing is damaged -- as long as you didn't have it sitting on your silks!

Eating light in the summer heat is always a good idea. Rather than the usual sandwich, try sliced cucumbers with Swiss cheese and lettuce on bread or in a pita with sprouts. To avoid the concern with using mayonnaise in the heat, spread just enough Italian dressing on the bread to add flavor!

Add some carrot sticks and grapes to your lunch and purchase a milk or fruit shake and you have a light, healthy, satisfying lunch. Then eat dinner in an air conditioned restaurant! Carrot sticks, grapes and bottled fruit drinks or tea are good snacks, and my indulgence is Peppermint Patties (preferably frozen) that "take me to the Arctic tundra where cold breezes ..."

You can usually bring ice from your hotel, or if you are buying something from the show concession stands, always ask for ice for drinks and for keeping food in your cooler cool.

When exhibiting outdoors or in a space without air conditioning, bring a small oscillating fan. Not only will you appreciate the cool breeze but so will your customers. This is a must if you are selling clothing on a hot day.

Whether setting up or breaking down, be sure and have plenty of drinks on hand. Also running wrists under cold water in the restrooms will bring body temperature down as well -- the veins there run close to the surface of the skin.

Paula Chaffee Scardamalia
Fiber artist
Berne, New York

Bring your own food to shows! Concession food is usually awful, or consists of fried, fatty foods (which I need to stay away from). I like to bring vegetables like carrots, celery and broccoli, and fruits like grapes or sliced apples. I store them in my cooler, which is tucked away behind a curtain or under a table. Whatever I bring is small, bite-sized food. Sometimes I'll bring a dip or peanut butter to spread on my food, but that can get a little messy. The objective is to stay as clean as possible so you don't have to worry about greeting customers with large food stains on your shirt!

Janet Highfield
potter
Columbus, Ohio

Kirsten Coughlin is editorial assistant of The Crafts Report.

SEPTEMBER 1999:

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