evolution of a farm booth

I was looking at some old photos and started to see a trend of bigger to smaller. More to Less. Lots of product to little... and vice versa as the year unfolds. It never stays the same.  It might be because of the sheer enormity of time and space constraints, on what it takes to get to a market to sell my wares with what is going on at the farm. births. deaths. kids. I really don't think people truly understand how much work it is to go mobile, set up shop, work it, have items, and then break it all down at the end of the day.  In the beginning, all I had were a few eggs, some milk, and soap. As the years continue I've added, honey, kefir, art bags, wreaths, feta in jars, milking demonstrations, kids, chicks, hens,  etc.

This is how it started and has progressed in the last 5 years.....
I started out with one table, no shade, and brought a goat to keep me company. Note: bring doe's not bucklings as they pee on people too much. Pierce here should have been in a pen but he behaved on leash.

Then of course the booth would get bigger. I would bring animals to show off. And goats to milk. and the trailer to haul them in. And pens to set them up in... And I would bring hens and roosters. And would do my darndest to make him crow. He never did. But he loved to make a mess.

I like to go to events where I can set up right where parked. That is awesome. They do that up North. Not so much down here. Then you just pack up and leave, rather then haul in haul out. need a cart. drag. carry. Back breaking. Leave the coolers in the truck and you're golden.

I would have 5-6 hours of market time. So, i can't just milk one goat. I would bring 3 or 4 so that I could milk them once an hour. Educate. And show people just how cool it is to get fresh milk.

Sometimes my tables are just filled with stuff to sell. Sometimes not even my own. Books for sale that the author sent me. Soaps from friends. Honey. Wax.  You name it, I'll try to help friends out and sell it.

At times even co-sharing a tent with a fellow friend and soap maker. It rained this particular day and made things interesting. The last thing needed is water when selling soap. And if goats in tow? oh wow.... Where to put them when a down pour starts. One year luckily they had a car port and i needed some help but we made it to the carport before the lightening started. I lost all product that day.

It's difficult to move the goats for the day. They need water (their water from home yes, prima donnas) feed, hay, then all the milking equipment, and pails, buckets, hand sanitizers and clean up material for when the day is over and goat pellets are everywhere. They need shade, or another tent. Which entails more set up and weights for when its windy. The pen below is hog panels cut up and just clips keeping it in place.

If really lucky my neighbors come help me. Patty (pictured below). She is a grandma now. Guess what she likes to do on weekends.

If feeling a bit radical, I'll have milk and cheese tastings. Add to the list plates and disposal items.. But to get all that to a market -- needs coolers. Lots of them.  Heavy, bulky, filled with ice well packed milk so it would stay cold.

If there is no milk to bring then selling art cards, note cards, wreaths, hand bags, soap, honey, eggs. Things that are not as perishable as milk and cheese.

This is when the booth is at its best. When fresh eggs, cheese, kefir, honey, and milk are in bounty. And rarely all at the same time. Things change as the season and lactation and weather changes. Timing is critical and you can't always know what mother nature has in mind. The chickens went on strike last year right at the height of milk production. What the heck?

Each time I go to an event the booth changes. Love that ! Its go with the flow of what is available. Yes, a business but not one that has same product each time.

And of course... when I can bring kids the products in booth gets smaller. kids are just like the full size does, they need lots of stuff to take them off the farm for the day. Bottles, nipples. extra milk. coolers. feed. hay. Bringing kids bring lots of people to the booth. But harder to sell when you're making sure the kids are happy. note to self: have a #delilahsdairy sign for picture taking and tagging you later. I love to see photos that people took when visiting the booth.

This  of course is my favorite set up. Everything fits in one trunk. No milk or cheese to bring. Set up in 10 minutes. break down easy. and we're off. Of course, its also my favorite since its only 3 hours, at another farm, with good food and drink. #swanktable events. ( check them out www.swankspecialtyproduce.com)

Going to market is exhausting. Truly. Back breaking. It does take a full day to get the farm back in order. Me to recover.  Animals thrive on routine. Take them out of their element, and all sorts of things can happen. Milk production gets thrown off when you milk them middle of the day. Boy, can they get cranky, they are always milked at 8 am. Plus, the 2 or 3 days before an event,  you're washing and cleaning, trimming hooves, shaving udders,  so that people see the best representation of your animals. If they are sick you can't bring them, too thin? etc.  I sit there the morning of event, look over all and see who is happy, mad, looks awful, looks off, looks great, loving, not interested, cranky, then choose based on who gets along with whom, not all goats get along and in tight quarters? omygosh.

Yeah! this last photo is my favorite. :)

buy a mug. feed a goat.

 

Mug by jojomilano
Put your favorite photo on a mug.

Handbag Art Design

Every year I try something new to create some kind of 'value' added income. This year I stumbled on these burlap bags by mistake. And an idea was born. It starts out with a freehand black marker. and some colored markers. And I just start doodling.

Then It's just a matter of picking the colors that strike the mood. 

Usually its complementary colors. Though love the Pink / Greens next to each.

The bags are bright, fun, colorful and useful. It's art on the go.

A Close up of a pattern on the Burlap.

These bags are pretty sturdy and big. This is the bottom of the bag.

Inside lining and details.

 Left size 22 inches. Right size 20 inches.

 They take between 6-9 hours to complete depending on how intricate.

Each bag design is different / unique. I sign each one.

There are some repeating themes - love the sun and heart shapes. And the free flow of it all.

It's turned into an evening calming effect, after a full day of farm work.

The quality of the bag itself is pretty nice its cotton lined on the inside.

Next up is photographing all and putting up on Etsy.

And see how they do there.

 3 different size bags are available.

Link to my Etsy shop.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/milandesign?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Good Riddance August!

August, (well the entire summer) has been difficult. As, Im trying to muddle through we had a few things happen. Setbacks. Progress. Heat. Life..... Yes... As you might have known by coming to visit, my house is a barn.

 

Linny became hypocalcemic. I didn't know at first what was wrong, just that she was tying up ( horse term) legs stiff, wobbly, her sugar and calcium levels obviously dropping deadly fast. I do think that catching it in time save her. I kept her in the house for over 8 days. Everyone said to save her, dry her off. I was able to save and keep her milking. Not easy. And the easier route I'm sure was to dry her off. So this took up almost half the month in nursing care for her. When one goat gets sick the others suffer too. :( all is well though! And September is looking up!

Especially the weather! I can feel fall in the air! woot!

 Meet Desire :) She has the prettiest face. But not so much the milker i was hoping for. I can already tell she'll be just like her mum.

The good news is that we received our DNA typing for the 4 doelings - Noble did it again. All four doelings are out of Noble. As a part of my "airheadedness" due to circumstances, I will blame on life issues, I couldn't ascertain who bred who when? I was almost 2 months off on birth dates. SO.... we had to DNA test the boys and the kids.

Here are the other three. Now I do have higher hopes for Delilah's two on the right. Their names will be (left/right) Desdemona, Sable, Fern. I think that Sable is showing signs of being quite nice. Desdemona has some serious potential, but she was the runt that lived in the house for 3 weeks, her two littermates died at birth or in utero. She had extra help. But only time will tell on the conformation dept...Delilah's kids heads always more refined then Latte's line. Desdemona is latte's. And obvious that they are just more milky and just like their mum. I'm keeping them all till freshening. At least.

 

The "Pekin 3" need to be congratulated  job well done. One of them bred to my Malley (Muscovey mix) and we have 3 little ducklings now running around. What fun! I do think if the three ducklings are girls they are end game ducks. They can breed and lay eggs but will be duds. I'm not sure about this though.

  

My pullets are just starting to lay!!! Time for them to go into the coop. That will make 6 in the coop.  And hoping for more consistent eggs. As they grow I put them in the coop so they will lay and not want to brood. I've created monster chickens that free range and do everything in their power to NOT let me find their eggs. Well, that and trying to find them before the dogs. I'm hoping to quell this by pulling the pullets and cooping them. 

Truly an odd couple. Here we have my silkie (black gal) with my mutt roo. They can be found always together. Its such a funny little coupling. I've tried to coop her. Not!!! She escapes all the time. So I gave up.

Goodness Gracious sooo glad we are out of August!

September has always been a resurgent month for me. Since the time I was a kid and school started, the weather was changing, and always the end of summer vacation. It's to me a back to work month.

And back we are! Delilah's Dairy is now in two stores. We sell the milk to Heritage Hen/Lay'ed in Delray as well as the soaps. And in Lake Worth we are selling our soaps and artwork at Hennevelt's Gallery.  (both are also on Facebook). Goood! Zazzle is still doing well with goat designs selling more and more. As well, I'm back up on Etsy in case anyone wants soaps.

My newest endeavor is taking my "doodles" and creating fine art prints and some notecards soon to come. So like I said earlier, Good Riddance August, so happy September is here. 

Being sick has its benefits

First I draw. Then I scan. Then I colorize.

shoes were started in the ER clinic. Took about 6 hours.

Then I go to Zazzle.com and create items for sale.

Tshirts. hats. postcards. posters. all sorts of fun things.

Being stuck in the house there is only so much you can do. I don't really have TV anymore. Not the click the remote kind. Laying in bed is not an option. So I've been catching up on drawing. This has always been a way to clear my head. :) and I'm having some fun with it. Draw. Scan. Illustrator trace. Colorize. Save. Put up on Zazzle. And possibly make some money. Saving my butt. I would be pulling out my hair right about now trying to stay in the house and not exert myself. Interestingly, the meds are making my hands shake. I kind of like the line it creates. So there are benefits of being sick. You just have to look for them.

flamingo took me about 3 hours

Goat tshirts

I love Zazzle. :)
And i was inspired this morning to create some fun new tshirts. Like?

The Tshirt material is pretty nice. I just ordered a version to see. Though i would order a size or 2 larger than you normally wear.

If you have an idea you'd like me to try for you let me know.

Click Here to see more designs.

Art relieves stress. This i know! droodling.

Over the years in advertising and corporate America it's pretty safe to say I was overly stressed. As an escape from it, I noticed that droodling (drawing doodles) would be my panacea. Over the years, during client meetings, or times of extreme workload, stopping and drawing one of these droodles would help me. It was like taking all the confusion in my brain, and wrapping it around the pen and just letting it release. The more stress, the more intricate the drawings.

They started out as just blobs of lines and amorphous shapes.
The longer the meeting, the more intricate the droodle.

Then they took a turn towards mythical creatures.

Then one day recognizable things started to emerge.

I have hundreds of them. Lots of client meetings.
Last year i started to scan a few of them in and experiment with them in illustrator.
And Now they've got color.

This week I got my first commission to do 4 of them. I was working on a logo for a client and wondered if this style would work as a logo. They loved it and are now using it. On a whim I sent them a few droodles and they asked me to create a few "water" related animals. I'm very excited.

This truly has been what's saved me in extreme times of stress. One pen and paper.
Cheap hobby. Now fun. Maybe something will come of it. Maybe not.
:)

ARE YOU THE NEXT JACKSON POLLACK?

To answer the question? doubtful on my end but, How cool is this? GO HERE to this site and start moving that mouse around. I now have my de-stresser tool i need when i'm all wound up. I played for about an hour on this. Good use of lunchtime me thinks.

Oh every time you click the mouse the color changes.

For Women. About Women.

Don't even bother to read my post just go to this site.
http://www.whodoesshethinksheis.net/

And learn about some fabulous women artists.

As i was watching the videos on this site. Maura Reilly of the Brooklyn Museum said something that in the back of my head i knew as an art student and lover of art history, but never thought much about on a personal level. It was what it was. But, its sad commentary how the History of Art rarely includes, rather takes seriously, women artists. This film, movement, group of artists are trying to change it. And its important. To you. To me. To all women.