Goodbye 2024, Hello 2025
What a year!!!!
With all of the end of the year craziness I haven’t kept up with updating around here as much as I’d intended. Not to make excuses, but summer vendor season led straight into back-to-school season, then wedding prep, then birthdays, then my wedding, then holiday vending season, then Christmas, along with the overlap of that entire time period ALSO being the busiest time of year at my day job….it was a LOT. A lot in the best of ways, I really did have a lot of great things going on in my life, but enough to keep me from keeping up with everything.
So let’s recap the year!!!
January
After YEARS of having an outdated and badly broken website and just posting everything on social media, megandowntherabbithole website got a fresh new update!
Several pieces of my work were accepted to sell at Sideshow Galley in Chicago
February /March
After taking a break from vending for several years, I dipped my toes back in the water by participating at the monthly Smittytown Market at Temperance Brewing in Evanston
Displayed work at Side Street Studio Arts in Elgin for their Year 11 Show
April /May
After just missing one of their events at a local brewery last year I looked up Streetz Artz Alliance on Facebook and started following for future vending opportunities. In April I did my first show with the Alliance at Elmhurst Brewing company and despite getting a wicked sunburn and some serious raccoon eyes from wearing sunglasses all day, had some great sales, met a ton of other great vendors, and resolved to try and find even more shows with them
Participated in Temperance Brewing’s Smittytown Market - outdoors this time!
June/July
After working together since 2021, I was thrilled to get an invite to the release part for Meggan Emily’s “Sacred Sound Sacred Sight” deck. See my previous blog post for more details about that!
I participated in the “100 Under $100” show at The Empty Corner in Arlington Heights
Had a booth at the East Dundee Depot Market
Hosted a tiki-themed painting party at Pau Hana Lounge in Wood Dale
August
One of my most anticipated events of the year was the “Area 22” fine arts, crafts and oddities fair, put on by Side Street Studio Arts in downtown Elgin. We have have been melting in the heat, but what a fantastic event! Not only were event volunteers constantly circulating to see if the artists needed breaks for food, bathroom, etc (a MAJOR plus when you’re running the tent by yourself like I usually am) but they had a cooling room set up for participants where you could get a needed AC break, snacks, they even provided lunch for us! It was the festivals first year, but I’m really hoping that they’ll continue it again in 2025
Participated at The Night Market at The Empty Corner in Arlington Heights
Vended at MoRE Brewing End of Summer event, organized by Streetz Artz Alliance
September/October
Instructed an Oktoberfest themed painting party and also a Halloween Pumpkin Painting party at Mikerphone Brewing in Elk Grove Village
Had a booth at MoRE Brewings Oktoberfest event
Participated at a few more events at East Dundee Depot Market
Participated in “Merchants of the Macabre” Market at Wolfden Brewing Company in Bloomingdate, and Elmhurst Crafts and Drafts Market, both organized by Streetz Artz Alliance
Displayed “Slither” at Side Street’s “Something Wicked” exhibit
November/December
I got married!!! After 15 years together Mike and I made things Officially Official at Hawk Valley Retreat in Galena IL. We had a small ceremony of less than thirty people, I had a gorgeous teal dress, beautiful weather, incredible food, and the weekend could not have been more perfect.
Participated in The MoRE the Merrier Holiday Market at MoRE Brewing in Villa Park. It was an outdoor event intended to feel like the Christkindlmarket downtown, but unfortunately we were hit with unseasonably cold temperatures hovering around 19 degrees. Despite the conditions, the organizers did a great job of prepping everyone with tips for staying warm at outdoor show, and I had surprisingly good sales and chatted about some really exciting future opportunities with some customers. The thing about Chicagoland weather right after Thanksgiving is that it can be 20 degrees or it could be sixty degrees - you just never know! If I have the opportunity to try this same event next year I definitely will
Last market of the year was the Holiday Makers Market at Church Street Brewing in Itasca - nice to have an event only 5 minutes from home!
Overall I participated in 26 different events, saw a project that begun over four years ago get published, completed 8 new works, started a HUGE commission piece, a couple business logos, and upgraded my vendor booth. I feel a little disappointed that I didn’t complete more new work, but the pieces I did finish had a lot of depth and detail, so I’m trying to look at is as “quality not quantity.”
Big plans are in the works for 2025 - be sure to check back here to see what’s next!!!
