PPLD Makes 2025 - Our Review/Observations

This year was our third time participating, and we had been excited to return ever since the previous one. I tried to prepare as early as I could… which ended up starting at the beginning of April.

We had taken on the responsibility of all the decor for our church’s VBS starting in March, and the space turned out to be much larger than expected, with more areas needing to be covered. We had to figure out the layout, what was being done in each area, what sizes we needed, what materials we already had, our budget, which items would go where, how they would be made, what additional materials needed to be purchased or collected, and detailed instructions for each project.

So, I had been a bit busy—juggling quite a lot. I managed to prepare about 80 business cards (for our Top Hat Tom) to hand out at the event during the first week… and then my health took me out for two weeks. We struggled to get back on track, and I chipped away at things here and there to make it manageable.

Fast forward to the day before the event: we worked from 9 AM to about 6 PM, almost nonstop, getting everything ready. Sure, there were a few things that didn’t turn out quite the way we had hoped, but it was okay—they could be improved for next time. This year, our focus was on reducing stress. We aimed to do what we could, make do with what we had, and plan to improve in the future.

We arrived about 30 minutes before the event started, even though we were up by 7 AM. I tend to fret and pace, just in case I forgot something—hoping to remember it before we left. But we did fine. We didn’t end up needing anything else.

When we got there, it felt like there weren’t as many tables as in previous years. I wasn’t able to see the upper level, but downstairs already felt a bit emptier. Judging by how long people stayed and the ratio of sellers to creators sharing and encouraging others to make things, there wasn’t a strong draw to keep visitors engaged. We did hear from a senior librarian that there were some issues that occurred and they weren't able to start when they planned. It showed, but they are planning to make adjustments for next year for a better event.

I think there’s an important message that PPLD Makes should emphasize more clearly: it’s not about selling things. It’s about creators sharing their work, and encouraging others to create alongside them. The goal is to connect with and interact with the community—to make your club, group, business, or hobby visible and known.

If you attend with the mindset of talking and interacting with people for networking and showcasing what you do, these events are fantastic. You’ll see your success grow each year you return.

But if any part of your mindset is focused on making money, you’ll likely be disappointed. It’s not that you can’t make money—it’s just not the point of this gathering. The library is a free space, so naturally, patrons and visitors don’t expect to spend money, especially those who just happen to wander in. We’ve observed a large presence of children, financially struggling teens and young adults, elderly attendees with very specific interests, and people needing medical assistance. In general, this audience either doesn't have much disposable income or isn't inclined to spend money at the library.

So in that context, interaction and connection are the real “financial gains.” It’s an intangible investment in your future. In business terms, this could be thought of as “customer acquisition.” Many well-known creators build followings not just because of what they sell, but because of who they are and what they share. These connections create loyal supporters—people who become long-term customers as they integrate your work and existence into their lives.

With that, we were excited to see some of the same vendors from last time. Some had even taken the advice we’d encouraged before—like creating business cards and websites! It’s important for people to share ways for others to follow and connect with them.

On that topic, John and I reflected a bit further: the emphasis on having a business card and website goes beyond simply showing what you currently make or do. It’s like a snapshot—and ideally, a timeline—of your interests and skills, the things you’ve chosen to pursue, how you’ve gone about them, where you hope to go, and the overall feel or “combination” of it all.

I often say that when you meet someone, they aren’t just who they are in that moment. They are a collection of experiences, choices, decisions, and memories—all summarized in a single presence. If others want to understand how to interact with you, when to interact, or where you’re headed—and maybe even join you—they need more than just a few minutes with you at a table. A card, a site, or a way to explore your story helps bridge that gap.

I have this analogy about how each person is uniquely reflected not just in what they do, but also in what they don’t do—both are expressions of priorities shaped by countless factors that all roll into you.

Say I ask you to explain how you like your nachos. What kind of chips would you choose? Would there be a specific amount? What toppings? Cheese is a given, right? So which kind? Or maybe you can’t have cheese—what would you substitute? What toppings do you always want on your nachos?

Now think about each answer. You can probably already think of someone who would answer differently. There are so many ways to prepare nachos! Even the side questions matter: What do you like to eat nachos out of? If the cheese was just poured on, how soon do you eat it? Do you use a utensil? Do you have to have napkins nearby before you start?

Every little decision you make in preparing your nachos reflects you. What you choose—or don’t choose—says something about your preferences, needs, and priorities. And even if your choices change next time, the pattern formed by all your past nacho experiences shows a kind of personal “signature.” Do you always get the same kind? Do you like to switch it up? Are you easygoing and just happy with whatever’s offered? Does eating them in a certain location make them taste better? Do you like enjoying them with someone, or while watching something fun, or with a favorite song playing?

I hope I’m explaining this well. But this is how we see things—every little choice counts. Because our time, energy, and awareness are limited, we have to choose something.

And those choices shape who we are.

Now, I’m not saying that every decision defines you or that mistakes are you. But every action moves us in a direction—toward something we want, or away from it. The question is: will you stay the course, or will you choose to change?

That’s what a website can offer—a sense of the path you’ve been on, and the path you hope to walk.

Take John, for example—he met an incredibly intelligent guy who spent three months soldering 70 Arduinos into an ultimate light-up cube that performs light shows and even plays games. And that three months was just the soldering—not even the coding! All he had with him was a simple paper listing his name, email address, and maybe a bit of general information (according to a photo my husband took).

Now, this is the kind of person we believe needs to be noticed and recognized—for their intelligence and for what they can accomplish with their skills.

But as people who don’t know him, our questions are: What’s your story? What brought you here and inspired you to make <insert what you’re showing off here>? What else have you created? Do you stick to similar projects, or are you involved in totally different things? What are you currently working on, or hoping to tackle next?

That way, people who are:

1. Interested in following your journey, either morally or financially,

2. Looking to purchase items you’ve made,

3. Hoping to commission custom work, or

4. Wanting to hire you for your skills,

...can find you and reach out.

Some people’s lives follow a predictable, consistent path—they do the same things year after year. Others mix things up because they’re involved in many different areas. And some experience drastic changes because of major life events.

So when someone meets you just once at an event like this, the opportunity to form a connection is very limited. A personal website or even a well-thought-out business card can help continue that connection beyond the brief encounter.

Which brings me to our next observation: business cards.

At this event, we noticed even more people recognized and loved our business cards. Some didn’t even know us, but still recognized our mascot! After over 20 years of trying to find a character design that others would enjoy—and that I would love—I think we’ve finally nailed it. People have told us they display the cards at home, at work, in their offices, or wherever they can see them, because they simply make them happy.

I’m honestly thrilled, especially since I handmake every single one.

And truthfully… I think the current 2024–2025 design is doing much better than the first version I created—out of the initial 600 I made and handed out in 2023.

Let me break down the design, based on what we’ve learned and who we are:

If you haven’t seen one of our cards yet, this is what they look like! If you see us—ASK FOR ONE!

Because we host and are known as the “Artist Trading Card” people here in Colorado Springs, our business cards are ATC-sized: 2.5” x 3.5”. The center of each card is made using two types of leftovers from other projects: the rectangle size and the coloring.

The rectangular pieces are offcuts from when I prepared Clear Tape ATC frames. After I finished pouring crayon shapes and had leftover melted crayon, I dipped these pieces in the wax to absorb the extra color. When it was time to switch colors, I had to clean the tools somehow—so I used that opportunity to create unique backgrounds. These pieces reflect our commitment to upcycling and recycling materials as much as possible in our work.

Then, of course, there’s Top Hat Tom, always front and center—his tilted, floating hat and derpy smile adds personality. He represents the fun, creative, and adventure-loving spirit behind everything we do.

On the back of the card (which still needs updating since we’ve been using up older sticker stock), there’s a short message, our website’s QR code, and the written-out URL for those who don’t trust QR codes. We also plan to update it with our email address and maybe our phone number. Cards with the phone number will be reserved for specific connections—like those we’d like to hire for a class or people we want to follow up with once their shop is open, and we’d like to place an order.

We’re not great with phone-based communication (due to health reasons), so we’re trying to reserve our phone number for strictly business-oriented interactions.

Lastly, because the card is decorated with melted crayon, it has the potential to scrape, chip, mark things, or otherwise get damaged. And since not everyone has a good place to store a unique card—especially when collecting a bunch of items at an event—we slip ours into a little plastic baggie.

Yes, this might seem like a high cost per card. But we’re handing out handmade art—each one carries value and a direct connection to us. That makes people more likely to take care of it, want to keep it visible, and increases the chances they’ll visit our website—or even pass it along to someone who asks about it. That little bit of protection helps ensure the card survives longer and remains useful.

This got me thinking about all the beautifully designed business cards I’ve encountered and even collected during my life. Do I ever go back to look at them? Only when they randomly fall out of something I’m cleaning. I can remember how some of them looked and even the weight and feel of the card—but do I remember the words on them? Where I got them? What they were connected to? Usually not. Even after multiple viewings over the years, unless I had a strong personal connection, those details just disappear.

There are people who can recall more than I can and who deeply appreciate good design—but I don’t believe most people retain that memory without a meaningful interaction with the person handing them the card.

Now, I imagine a card design that people would love to have, play with, remember the creator of, and even show off to others. Here’s the video I’d include to demonstrate just how much impact a memorable card like that could have—for years to come. It’s like an ongoing advertisement, both from the card and the person who received it, for as long as that card exists.

https://youtu.be/zHVrY_xLM3c?si=gJLdx6-h2T1tBGcN

Also, to add a fun rarity factor, every once in a while we include a special Top Hat Tom card—with a monocle.

Simple, yet effective.

Each of these current cards takes me about 5–8 minutes to make. Most of that time is spent peeling off plastic to stick elements down—that part is the most tedious. But this time investment is really paying off. I get to hear how much people love seeing our card!

Now, moving on to the setup of our table...

We have a lot of items. We didn’t even bring half of what we had for sale—let alone everything we’ve made. Even so, it was still too much. Our table was full of various items at different price points.

We still didn't have enough space. But we think you can get a pretty good grasp of what we do from our variety of crayons, stickers, photos, perlers, ceramics, papers, junk journals and more!

This year, the most eye-catching items were the re-melted crayons. Kids loved them, and adults were delighted by them too. Many people just enjoyed walking by and seeing what we had—there was so much to look at. I think some people even missed the posters hanging in the front. We didn’t have the time or funds to purchase the proper fixtures to display the posters well, so those were more of a test run this time. We’ll be better prepared next time.

I forgot that this event is primarily about making connections, and I brought way too much inventory to sell. I only needed to bring a few samples of each item—but instead, I brought the whole stock. OOF. So next year (or at whatever similar event we attend later this year), we’ll adjust. We’ll focus more on directing people to our website if they want to see the full range of what we have for sale. We’re also considering having a slideshow to showcase all the items and projects we've made/done. Since we do so much—and have made (and will continue to make) so many things—we need a way to display more than what we can physically bring or fit on our table or talk about.

A big part of our mission is to share everything we’ve made, created, or done since we’ve been together. That’s about 8 years of work—covering thousands of photos of our creations and projects. Having a slideshow might also encourage people to linger a bit longer, which gives them a chance to overhear conversations we're having with others and learn more about what we do.

We have so many ideas to simplify and condense everything we do, because we each bring a wide range of talents, stories, skills, and interests. There’s really no simple way to summarize who we are or what we do.

Creative? Absolutely—but “creative” can mean different things: photography, recycling and upcycling, handmade items, learning new media, and so much more. Also how we build things from what we find and make do with what we got,

Interesting? Definitely. Our lives have been full of wild stories that influence everything we make. From trauma shaping how we view and experience the world, to our hyper-sensitivities making us aware of things most people miss—we often see the world in ways others don’t. And we’re able to articulate that in our work because of how we grew up and what we’ve been through.

Intelligent? Yeah, kind of. We’ve learned to stretch ourselves across so many areas—academically and through lived experience. Our stories have put us in difficult situations that required us to learn and adapt quickly to survive. We’ve both lived in poverty, toxic homes, dealt with abusive exes, were unwanted by our parents, and we both live with Autism and ADHD—which added even more complexity. We were intelligent to begin with, but our parents treated us as extensions of themselves and stifled our growth. We weren’t allowed to ask for help, and when we did, we were mocked—so we had to learn to take care of ourselves (and our siblings).

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. As you can imagine, it’s incredibly difficult to summarize all of that in just a few pictures or a short paragraph that people can take in while walking past our table.

Either that, or I really do have a deficit when it comes to creating a quick and satisfactory summary. (Which is entirely possible.)

We still have a lot to improve on. But isn’t that part of the fun of the journey? Knowing you’ll eventually hit those “ah-ha!” moments where a process clicks, or you reach a stage you’re proud of—knowing you worked to get there.

If you have any observations or suggestions that might help us improve our business, we’d love to hear them.

Highly recommend looking into this book if you're trying to grow your business or increase your income. Traditional 9-to-5 jobs no longer offer the broad opportunities they once did—whether it’s moving up in rank or saving for major purchases. If you want to get ahead, even just a little, starting your own business is key.

Even if it’s just a few gigs each month for people in your neighborhood, that alone can build a strong foundation for reliable income to build off of. This is the book (and course) we've been working through to improve our business by shifting how we understand the playing field:

We took the class with Al McCausland, the brother of the author of this book—and wow, do they know their stuff. Just take a look at their accomplishments and experience, which truly put them in a position to offer solid advice. I highly recommend purchasing this book and keeping it on your shelf as a reference for the next few years. (Yes, when building a business, expect 7–10 years of struggle before things really take off!) But trust me—it’ll be so worth it!

---

The day after the event, we had originally planned to rest. We'd been considering holding an ATC event on the last Sunday of the month, but with Erissa being out, we would’ve had to scramble to find a new location. Reflecting on last year, when we did two back-to-back social events and paid the price physically—we knew that was too much. So we decided to merge the event into the PPLD Makes Day instead, saving us some energy and time.

I had planned to play a game I bought earlier that month, the day after the event, but we were so burnt out that even staring at a wall gave us a headache. That meant: no reading, no music, no TV shows or movies, and no working on crafts or projects at home. Just sitting there, doing nothing, until hunger, thirst, or bathroom needs finally pulled us out of that fog.

Our bodies and minds needed serious recalibration, which unfortunately means a whole day spent in discomfort and strain—not resting, but also not able to function.

That also meant no sleep.

We’re usually in such a state of strain that sleep becomes impossible, even though it’s the thing we need most. It’s such a strange state—to have your body screaming for sleep while your mind is so overstimulated that you can't relax enough to lose consciousness.

So our designated rest day was lost.

The day after that, we tried to get back on track. But when your brain has been fried like that, you lose connection with everything you had in mind—what you were working on or what still needed doing. I had to spend time just walking around, cleaning up, and pulling together old notes and lists so I could rewrite a new plan.

I think that day I focused on reorganizing my workspace to prepare for upcoming projects. Physical movement helps me process what needs to get done. As I figure things out, I jot them down. Then, once I’m too tired to keep moving, I sit down and review what I wrote—sometimes rewriting everything again or needing to look over it several times during the day or days to figure out what order things need to happen in.

Now that we’re in May, it’s all about VBS (Vacation Bible School). The whole month will be focused on prepping for the rollout of everything we’ve been working on, happening the first week of June. We’ll be making and designing a ton of decorative items to display around the church. It’s our first time doing this, so we’re going all out and learning as much as we can along the way. But there should be tons of pictures to share during next month's blog if you don't happen to stop by during the June 8th Church service's last showing!

As for planning for next year’s PPLD Makes event, we’re holding off until mid-June to regroup and plan properly. Maybe get started than the month of for next year!

Hope you’ll join PPLD Makes next year—or come visit us at our table!