Our Italy and Greece Adventures

Well here it is November already and I am wondering where September and October went to?  How could I have missed them?  I must have because I see that my last blog post was in August.  Hmmmm.....

So what's new with us?  Cheryl and I returned on September 19th from our amazing trip to Italy and Greece with so many stories to share... thrilling stories of adventure and excitement, danger and peril, pirate ships and police stations, train robberies and lost luggage, landing on the wrong island, angels and miracles, wonderful mistakes and strange secrets, gypsies and gyros, surprise trips through Venetian canals... you name it - it happened!  So I am in the process of writing a novel about our many adventures as they are just too fantastic to not be told.  I warned my husband and friends that they won't be seeing much of me in November as I will be typing my little fingers off.  I guess I should have worked harder in typing class in grade 10.  Oh well.  Wish me luck!  I will let everyone know when my novel is published.  Quit laughing... it could happen!

As for A2Sea Creations, we were delighted that the local shop on the Nanaimo harbour took so many of our creations this summer, right into the fall.  We're hoping it continues like this.  Also, a shop in Chemainus has expressed an interest in taking some of our Christmas decorations so we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Cheryl, my co-partner and quilter-extraordinaire, sold another one of her Tropical Fish Children's Quilts to a local gal in Qualicum Beach and has also created a lovely new Killer Whale Wall Hanging which is for sale on our site.  Be sure to check it out and consider it for a Christmas present for your nautical-loving friends and family members.  Christmas is only 52 days away you know!

I hope everyone has been enjoying our spectacular fall weather.  Happy November everyone!

Micki of A2Sea Creations and A2Sea Photography

A2Sea Is Now In Three Tourist Gift Shops!

OUR THIRD OUTLET

Cheryl and I are quite thrilled to report that our creations are now officially in three tourist shops! This one is the latest... a little gift shop in Brown's Bay Resort, just north of Campbell River.

The lady who owns the resort contacted us through our Etsy site to ask if she could sell our products in her shop. So I decided to go down there personally to meet her and bring basically one of everything we make. She decided to buy just that... one of almost everything - just to see how things sell. She also placed an order for a few more items so, all in all, I would say it was a pretty successful day.

I had arrived ridiculously early as I wasn't quite certain how long it would take me to get there and I haaaaaaaaaaaaate being late. So I walked down to their floating restaurant and had some lunch. You will never guess what I ate... not in a million years. I had sushi with yam fries in the middle! Crazy! I had to order it to try it out because I had never heard of it before. They were quite yummy, btw. I was impressed with the restaurant... the cook gave two free candy-covered ice cream cones to two little girls, which I thought was a really nice touch.

Here is one of the mirrors we sold to Brown's Bay Resort. This one is completely covered in sand: white and brown. We do not have this style on our site quite yet, but we have a similar one that is worth checking out. We will be posting one like this soon so be sure to check out our site from time to time.

So we better get back at it. Looks like we are going to be pretty busy for awhile!

Our Journey

MERMAID TREASURE BOTTLE - COBALT BLUE

Well it's been such an adventure for Cheryl and I ... when I think of how it all started and where we are now, I never would have imagined it. From selling a few Christmas ornaments at our local art gallery to opening our own online gift shop and now, having our creations selling in two tourist gift shops ('Newfoundland to Nanaimo' and 'The North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre'), boggles the mind. I think that what I have learned through our journey is to never say "never" because, if you love to do something and you believe in what you do, anything is possible. One foot in front of the other.

Here is one of our latest creations... the "Mermaid Treasure Bottle - Cobalt Blue". A customer loved the other one she bought so she ordered one in blue as well. So it was sold almost as soon as we made it. Hopefully, we will find a few more cobalt blue bottles as they are very striking.

Tomorrow, Cheryl and I will be getting together to create a new tile serving tray as our first one was sold at the Nanaimo store. Good news! They are rather time consuming but the finished product is very satisfying. It can be used either as a tray or as a seaside art piece for the wall.

Well, today is yet another indoor day due to the fact that it is raining YET AGAIN! So time to catch up on some marketing and blogging. I will be creating a couple of new seaside creations for our site today, too. Good idea for a crummy day! So check out our site soon to see our new treasures! Hope you are having less rain than we are...

A2Sea Creations Goes to the Nanaimo Waterfront Plaza

Newfoundland to Nanaimo Gift Shop

Cheryl and I are both quite excited about this next step in our A2Sea journey. I am very proud of my dear friend and partner as she bravely approached the gift shops at the Nanaimo Waterfront, photo album in hand with pictures of our seaside creations, and single-handedly landed a contract with an excellent store on the Nanaimo waterfront. I cannot think of a more ideal place to sell our treasures, especially with the cruise ships coming in at the end of April. This is a wonderful break for us. Now we have much work to do seeing as the shop owner ordered a ton of handmade items from us. I am happy to say that our treasures should be on display by April 27th. And to think this all began with a few nautical Christmas ornaments that I made for the Christmas table for the Nanaimo Arts Council Gallery two Christmases ago. It just proves that you never know how life will surprise you and what turn it will take.

Cheryl and I began with selling our handcrafts online. Then we had our items in a little store in Coombs. Next we went to a few local fairs but we found that they were very hard on our poor old backs. But it was good we tried them because they gave us something to work towards, helped us work out kinks and network with others. Each step of our journey has taught us so much and has brought us so much closer to our goals. I know I have learned so much through all of this. And I could not have done it without my friend Cheryl. It has been such a joy working and creating with her and I hope to do it for a long time. We make an excellent team.

A Unique Souvenir from Vancouver Island, BC

Last Saturday was an amazing day... almost like summer. My hubby David had a great idea to go for a drive along our gorgeous coastline up to Courtenay and have brunch by the sea. We saw hundreds and hundreds of sea gulls because they always come in droves during herring season.

So after our yummy brunch, we walked along the seashore and we saw several seagull feathers along the beach so I decided to collect a bunch of them and do something fun with them. So this is what we, at A2Sea, put together... a 'Seagull Feather in a Bottle Souvenir'. I don't know about you but I am pretty bored with the usual souvenirs, namely spoons and mugs. So here is something completely different with a seaside twist!

I can't say I am very thrilled with snow visiting our island (what is that about?) but I am sure glad we got to enjoy that one, lovely summer-like day!

AN OCEAN VIEW

PREVIEW OF 'AN OCEAN VIEW'

A 32 Page Coffee Table Book by Vancouver Island Photographer, Micki Findlay

What a great journey this has all been for me. I had certain goals I wanted to achieve this year and having a book out was one of them. So to my surprise and amazement, I actually stayed focused long enough to stick to it and get it done. Now comes the time-consuming task of getting the word out wherever I can. Over the past few years, I have picked up all kinds of tips on how to do just that and I find I am on a constant learning curve. But I so enjoy the challenge and the great feeling of accomplishment I receive at the end of the day when I have attacked yet another goal, gotten over a hurdle and landed on the other side.

Everyone's 'Bucket List' is unique. But it is my opinion that everyone needs one. I think sometimes we get caught up in the mundane chores of everyday life and forget to dream. Sometimes we are simply too tired to go there. But I believe that no matter how hectic our lives are, if we have a dream, we need to find a way to inch towards it. I know what you're probably thinking... right... it's easy for her... she doesn't have a nine to five she has to go to every day. Her children are all grown up and she has the luxury of being able to stay home. You are so right. There is not a day goes by that I do not count my many blessings. I do manage to keep myself quite busy between Cheryl and my online gift shop, volunteering at the gallery and my singing telegrams. However, I do the bulk of the work from home. Anyhow, I digress. The point I am trying to make is, even if you do have a nine to fiver, a family and various responsibilities that tend to take up all your time and energy, (been there) don't lose sight of your dream in the midst of it all. Perhaps your goal list will need to be written in smaller increments over a longer duration of time. Or perhaps you need to find ways to be creative in fitting in your personal goals. You either have to suck the life out of life or it will suck the life out of you.

I read somewhere of a young man whose dream was to be a dancer. His nine to fiver was a parking lot toll booth operator. But he would not let his job deter him from his ultimate goal. So in-between cars, he would play music and practice his dance moves in his tiny cubicle! He had found a creative way to keep his dream alive. I do not know the end of that story but, irregardless of whether he went on to be a dancer, think of how much more fun work must have been for him because he dared to dream and not 'settle' for what he 'had to do' opposed to what he 'dreamed' of doing! Plus he would have had the wonderful feeling of accomplishment whenever he stepped foot on a dance floor.

I want to say thanks to all my family and friends who continue to support, encourage and believe in me. It is easy to soar when you have wings of love .

I am looking forward to another book on the horizon. It will be quite different from this one and... well... I won't let the cat out of the bag just yet. Have a great day everyone and don't forget to dream!

(Special thanks goes to my hubby David for his immense patience and belief in me, and also to my son Matt at Inerseshen Creative Media for all of the awesome things he has designed for me!)