So what has been keeping me so busy, you may wonder (I assume you do if you are reading this blog). I started a small business late last winter, or maybe it was early spring and also continued with getting my parents' property ready to sell. The small business - MLBurbidge Pix - started with my friend Lexie suggesting that I should sell some of my photos at the Alderney Farmer's market in Dartmouth (where Lex was selling t-shirts). The first week I made a few photos cards and shared table with her. I soon moved into framed photos and then a few baked goods to cover the cost of the table & gas, since photo sales were variable. I heard that a new farmer's market was starting in Middleton (the neighbouring town) in May, so got on board there and abandoned the Dartmouth market. I now sell matted and framed (mostly in recycled frames) photos of various sizes, photo cards (about 100 different photos), magnets and keychains. I also have baked goods, including diabetic and gluten-free (people just kept asking), jams, jellies and other preserves. I had intended to sell only a few baked goods and the extra jams and jellies that we had in our cupboard to cover the cost of the table each week until photo sales took off. However, Middleton is a rather conservative market and food is main thing people buy at a the farmer's market, so the baked goods took off and the photos sell slowly. Since August, I have been also selling at the Annapolis Royal Farmer's & Trader's market. Annapolis is a big tourist town, so I sell more photos there than in Middleton, though I mostly sell the same 2 photos repeatedly. At least I sell a variety of photos in Middleton.
My booth at the Middleton Farmer's Market, baked goods & preserves on the right and photo stuff straight ahead. I know, way too much stuff crammed into this little space.
My R2 (recycled, reusable) bags that I also sell at the market. Made from tank tops I bought at a rummage sale.
The two photos that I've sold numerous times at the Annapolis market (and a few times elsewhere)
Back at the house, I've been selling off all the 'junk' in the yard using one of those online bulletin boards. It's taken nearly nine months, but finally almost all of the sellable (is that a word?) items are gone. Gone are the 10 derelict vehicles, many pieces of farm equipment, in industrial snowblower, the 2 dozers (woohoo!) and almost 60 (metric) tonnes of scrap metal. Only 1/2 of an antique tractor, a lumber saw, a manure spreader and a set of camper jacks left to sell! And no more yard sales until the house goes up for sale in the spring or summer (two back to back giant ones this past June were enough to put me off them for a while). And that is how I've spent my time since my last post; hope I get to my next one in less than 8 months.
