It was a hot and steamy morn...

So it's not quite as catchy as "It was a dark and stormy night..." but it in fact was a hot and steamy morning yesterday at the historic Merwinsville Hotel. Something close to 100% humidity...there was rain on my drive to the show location. Luckily the rain had stopped falling by set up time at 9am.


Here's what I learned:


1) EZ Up tents ROCK!

My birthday present was a very practical, and totally awesome EZ Up tent.


2) You need a buddy for outside shows.

While the EZ Up tent is awesome, it still takes two people to get it out of the carying case and up and ready to go. Not to mention the extra volume of EVERYTHING one brings to decorate a 10x10 space is a lot to load and unload. The flaw in this is that all the stuff leaves no room for your buddy in the car. At least not if you expect to see out of any window while you're driving.


3) The CT Etsy Team Rocks!

This one I already knew, but Sunday reinforced our strengths as a team. Every vendor was super friendly and helped each other unload, figure out where to set up on the lawn and helped each other get tents up and secure.


4) Be sure to set up your tent so you can take advantage of the shade it provides.

We started out the day wondering if we were going to see any sun, but by lunchtime the sun was out in full force. I set my table up too far in the back of the tent, so my chair was outside the canopy of the tent. Which meant I had nowhere to hide when the sun started to burn my pale shoulders.


5) I'd do it all again.

Despite the chaos, being buddyless and the crazy weather, I'd do it all again.

Isn't the tent awesome?