OK, it wasn't really a vacation. It was most weekends and evenings since September:
Woodworking is really my second hobby, the first is the medieval group I socialize in. Every year they have a Christmas shopping event, and for the last several years I've been selling there. This year I started building stuff in September, and wound up with 36 pieces, including Dantesca chairs, folding stools, benches, 6 board chests, shelves, and music stands. I managed to sell 15 items and take orders for a couple more (additional carving or other minor changes), which was about 50% more than I've ever done before. My friend Bel sold machine embroidered towels, and we also brought her sewing machine along to sew seats if customers wanted a different color than what was already on the chair or stool. That bit of innovation was a real winner--three quarters of the chairs and folding stools either had new seat fabric or the old fabric was tightened or loosened.
My stuff is probably too expensive for a craft fair open to the public, but knowing my customers and what they want meant that I was able to sell 6 chairs for $280 each. I certainly couldn't do this full time, but it really pays the bills for both hobbies and lets me have a great shop without it being a drag on the finances.
Kirk