A Lurker wrote:

So now the question .... do I have idiots for friends and family
Yes. (although I wasn't aware that you and I are closely related until
just now)

or do
people say things like this to you also?
And yes.

To your list of questions I also get "Can you make up a 6 piece set of
these all alike? My friend is giving a baby shower next week."

To which I answer, in deadpan earnest, something along the lines of
"Probably can't get them completed by then, but for a 50% deposit I'll
drop everything else and give it the old college try."

"How much would that be?"

(Without blinking, flinching or hesitating any longer than it takes to
multiply $150 by 2 (it's a rush order) and then $300 by 6 and divide
that by 2) "$900.00"

If anybody at any time is willing to give me $1,800 for 6 small bowls to
fill with salsa, I'll certainly try to have them ready sometime next week.

But I need to see the cash, all of it, before delivery.


"Is it microwaveable?"
"Is it dish washer safe?"
"Can I wash it in hot soapy water?"
"Will (various foods) hurt it?"
(all comments by different recipients)

Do I have all practical utilitarian friends and family who don't see any
artistic display value (these were really nice bowl forms with nice finish
...REALLY ) or do you get comments like these also? The only other bowls
I've given out, were to people who gave me the wood and got some of their
tree back in return. They seemd to view them as a display item.

Jerry

I have begun applying price stickers to everything as soon as it is
completed. FAT price stickers. All but the pens and dinkiest bowls have
3 significant digits. I explain that I was getting them ready for sale
(true) ... but I'd like them to have them instead. That seems to have
ended the 'can you turn six more of these by Wednesday?' sort of
questions. At the same time, it also seems to have raised the awareness
level regarding the value of the gift. It's tacky, tacky, tacky. But
it's not as if they are expected to pay for it, just be aware that they
have been given something of considerable value that did NOT come from
the dumpster behind eBay.

My friends and relatives are not, generally speaking, art collectors
(unless you count baseball cards, bumper stickers, printed tee-shirts
and Elvis on Velvet as art) so that price sticker serves as an education
for them.

As a hint, I also tend to give mine out filled with wrapped hard candy
or M&M's.

And, if they ask, I tell them that they can do all the things you
listed, but that if they treat my gift like that, I'm not going to
replace it for free.


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