Hooray — our publisher has finally confirmed a handful of upcoming dates you’ve been asking about, and even added a few more tour stops. We’ll share those at the end of this post. But first, here’s our biweekly recap of the most recent events — the last ones of 2012 before the tour resumes in January.
After our whirlwind trip in mid-November, we took Thanksgiving week off and then returned for two stops in Washington, DC and one in our hometown of Richmond. The first signing was at the FLOR store in Georgetown. The shop’s small footprint meant that many people waited outside in the cold, and we’re so grateful they did. The FLOR team generously provided popcorn, wine, hot chocolate, and some of the best cookies I’ve ever tasted. (Full disclosure: two early arrivals who slipped in before the doors opened were our cousin Cat and my little sister Carrie — family line-cutting privileges in action.)
Quick clarification for anyone who thought I was doing strange little vanishing acts during the line: that wasn’t me. It was Patrick, who helped organize the event and apparently got mistaken for me several times that night. He was good-natured about it — he even had his daughter ask later why “daddy was standing with that lady” after seeing our photo.
Also, if you noticed Burger photobombing photos from the event, that was just a paper Burger on a stick that Nickie and her friend brought along. Believe it or not, we still have it around the house.
One of the highlights of the night was meeting Miss District of Columbia — and she even let me wear her crown. Cross that experience off the bucket list!
Georgetown Cupcakes was right across the street, so we were treated to lots of sweet goodness. Emily, Melanie, and Danielle brought a dozen cupcakes, some personalized with our initials — extra-sweet when a baker actually works at the shop.
We met people with fun backgrounds, too. Jeannette used to work as a production assistant on True Blood, so Sherry showed off her best “vampire face” for the photo. In hindsight, she may have been the only one making vampire expressions, but we enjoyed the moment anyway.
Being near Richmond meant seeing familiar faces. Jenny, who went to my high school, surprised me with a Cat’s Meow wooden keepsake of our school. I didn’t expect they still made one, so that was a fun and nostalgic gift.
We also helped pull off a surprise for Katie. Her husband Bob emailed ahead asking us to congratulate her on her recent wedding. He secretly wrote “Bob” on the bottom of a ceramic owl she planned to bring, and the surprise went off without a hitch. Katie was delighted, Bob earned major points, and we accidentally ran into Katie earlier that evening while walking to the event — talk about serendipity. (Nice Burger photobomb, by the way.)
We’re always happy to see men at these events. Jimmy came on his own and had us sign a toy wrench for his son. Nearby, a little fan showed off a homemade “I Heart YHL” onesie with a look that said, “Who put this shirt on me and why is that man pointing a camera?”
We also took some delightfully odd photos by request. One asked us to react to “something scary in the corner,” and my expression captured exactly that — like I couldn’t bear to look. Sherry collected photos with people she considered her “twins” — anyone wearing a blazer or similar shirt — and those turned out great.
The FLOR event ran late, and our drive home to Richmond didn’t end until after 1:00 a.m., so two days later we were understandably tired about making the drive back to DC. But arriving at the LivingSocial space at 918 F Street perked us up — they had decorated their windows with ornaments inspired by a craft from our book, which was such a thoughtful touch.
LivingSocial’s headquarters is set up for classes, events, and all sorts of activities, and the space was fantastic. We led two crafting classes based on projects from our book: paint-swirl ornaments, painted hurricanes for centerpieces, and painted wooden candlesticks for holiday table settings. Each 90-minute session hosted 50 people, and yes — there were even a few guys in the afternoon class.
We were a little nervous since it was our first time teaching a crafting class and we hadn’t rehearsed our script — we wanted to be natural rather than robotic. In the end it went smoothly. The timing worked out so participants could complete all three crafts in 90 minutes and let things dry before taking projects home. Most projects only needed a touch-up later at home, and the results were fantastic — craft ninjas indeed.
Sherry joined in on the crafting and produced festive striped candlesticks that got one more coat before heading out as a surprise gift. Our painted ornaments now live on our mini tree at home. The crafting sessions were really about hanging out, meeting people, and having fun — so it was a bonus that projects turned out so well. Amanda sent a photo of her three finished items and we loved seeing folks mix metallic paint across projects — it looked great with the raw wood.
After the two crafting-and-signing sessions, a couple hundred more people came just for book signings. It was a long day (we left Richmond at 7:00 a.m. and returned around 9:00 p.m.), but everyone was so kind and the LivingSocial team was terrific. Sherry even signed two spray paint cans, and later used hot pink lipstick to sign a mirror at Jenny’s request — a memorable first for her.
I had the chance to sign a middle school yearbook thanks to Jackie, who knew me from elementary and middle school — a delightfully embarrassing blast from the past. Later we posed for playful photos with fans, reenacting Funland amusement park rides and inventing poses inspired by a childhood drawing called the “bionworks” — a hybrid creature from my 10-year-old imagination.
Our final event of the year was a short drive from home at Mongrel, one of our favorite shops in Richmond. The store is packed with cards, books, gifts, and quirky treasures — and it was an honor they chose to host a signing, since they don’t typically do them. They even came prepared with a “bouncer” for fun, though his services weren’t needed. Guests brought treats and thoughtful gifts: Anna baked red and blue cookies, and Rachel, a professional stylist, gifted Sherry a set of hair-cutting supplies to upgrade my DIY haircuts. I’m looking forward to sporting an official cape next time.
At Mongrel I signed a shirt and Sherry drew a backdrop for Robyn’s weekly photo project featuring her son Sawyer’s 41-week photo. I added the “Week 41” lettering — because, yes, I’m a bit of a type geek — and the photo turned out adorable.
That wraps up our 2012 tour stops. It’s been an amazing few weeks, and while we’re excited to start up again in January, we’re enjoying a month at home with the bean and the Burgs and catching up on rest. So far we’ve logged about 41 hours signing books — not including crafting sessions, presentations, setup, or travel — and every minute has been worth it for the chance to meet so many of you. We truly appreciate you all.
Now, about those upcoming dates: our tour continues in January and spills into February. We’ll be visiting the Bay Area after stops in Tacoma and Portland, and when we head to Charlotte we’ll also stop in Atlanta. Unfortunately a planned Grand Cayman stop had to be canceled due to scheduling conflicts.
For full details, times, and RSVP information, check our Book Tour page. If you already RSVP’d for the NYC event in November, your name is already included for the new January date, so there’s no need to RSVP again. We hope to see many of you at our next nine stops that begin in a few weeks. Happy weekend — and to all a good night!