Taking The Plunge

Between a vacation to Florida, a stack of orders thanks to that print feature, another show to get ready for this weekend, and a class to prepare for, I am swamped. I kinda feel like the little one on the front of this log ride. Not even trying to hide the sheer terror of it all--teeth clenched, but going for it with my eyes wide open. Perhaps instead, I should shout out my battle cry, like "A" did. But then again, I could always just close my eyes and grasp on for dear life waiting for whatever happens to happen, like my other girl did. I don't know.

Whichever way I decide to handle it, I just wanted to say I'll be absent from this space, and from making the blog rounds, for about a week, as I take the plunge and catch up on my current roller coaster ride.

Why I Had An Art Attack

My booth at SoWa

Something didn't feel right. Fidgeting in my bed, I tossed and turned. My breathing was rapid, my toes were twitching, and my belly was churning. I had just returned home from the most successful weekend ever of selling my jewelry. Shoppers showed up in droves, I got to meet lots of sweet customers in person, and hear many kind words about my work. So why did I have such an uneasy feeling?

I finally got out of bed and, without making a conscious decision, grabbed my sketchbook and started drawing. Ideas poured out of me—some were influenced by all the beautiful things I had seen over the weekend, others were my own concepts, born from the renewed motivation I had just gained. In essence, I was having some sort of art attack. A physical reaction to my stirred soul. An actual burst of artistic energy.

I was a vendor at the 7th annual SoWa Holiday Market this weekend. Eighty artists and independent designers, including a good handful of jewelers—every one of them talented, friendly, supportive, and creative. Neither shoppers nor makers could roam the aisles without being tempted and stimulated.

Being counted among so much talent and energy made me humble. I left bursting—with the ideas that swirled madly in my head, with gratitude for the extra income earned, and with a sense of connection to a community of people I can learn so much from.

Here's a shout out to some of my amazing SoWa neighbors:
Gorgeous neck pieces made from vintage ties at Lillian Asterfeld
Adorable felt items and hand spun yarns at Migration Goods
Bold jewelry from Amy Casher
Ceramic and wood creations by Firewood Furniture
Sewn goodness from Fisherman's Daughter

Craft Show Hangover

Whew. Another show over and done with. I did the fabulous hand-made artisan show, Craftopia, yesterday and oh, how I love these events. It's like going to a party, that lasts from early in the morning until dinner time, where I see old friends that I only see at these shows. We catch up, share experiences, and commiserate about all things craft.

Look what I saw:

That shirt says, "I went to a craft show and all I got was this lousy, hand dyed, organic, independently designed, hand silk screened t-shirt." Does it get any more clever than that? (awesomeness by HeatherJeanie)

And look what I got:

This delightful stained-glass bunting by Dasken Designs. The best part? We did a trade. Uh, huh that's right.

(The cloudy sky is not doing it justice, but in the sunshine it is spectacular.)

Look what I drooled over:

The whimsical illustrations of SepiaLepus

And look who was my neighbor:

I got to adore the little shirts and plushies by Hilary all day long.

I leave the shows feeling equally inspired and tired. Sometimes I'm frustrated, other times there's a spring in my step. With each show I cross off the list, I breathe a little easier and feel a little lighter—but only until I set my sights to the next one. At this time of year, there's no lag between obligations until mid-December, so it's on to the next one I go!

The Damage

I spent yesterday at an arts market that is typically a great event for me, sales-wise, and a source of income I have grown to depend on. Six hours of chatting with potential customers and a delightful neighboring card maker, I loaded out of the show with exactly $42 in my pocket. 

Result: A long, frustrating day that was made bearable only through good conversation and new friends made

Hourly wage for the day, including set up and break down: $4.60

I pulled out my sewing machine determined to get an early start on holiday gifts, only to find the machine has some serious problems and needed to go to the shop.
Result: In the shop
Price for repair: $50

I finished a good handful of new pieces, set them up for a photo shoot, so I could share these new designs with the world, and get them listed in my shop. But when I tried to take the pictures? "err 99," camera completely out of commission.
Result: In the shop
Price for repair: $210

I have a shipment of materials arriving this afternoon, a white board with a list of enough orders to keep me busy this week, and a two-day arts festival to get ready for next weekend.
Result: In the shop
Spending my days working with my own two hands, making my own hours, and having the flexibility to be there when my kids need me: Priceless.


Until the camera returns, all shiny and like-new, I will be including old photos in my posts, or none at all. Bear with me...

Moss Platter Tutorial

It's hard to be completely original when it comes to craft show booth design. Seems like it's all been done, or is beyond my resources. I've been wanting to add new features to my display tables, including a new way to display my rings, so when I came across instructions for a moss garden, a switch was flicked. I had an idea.

Here's how to do it:

Use a shallow pan, platter, or tray and fill it with soil. I found a good reason to use the silver platters that once belonged to my mother's cousin. You do not want your container to have holes in the bottom.

Next, moisten the soil but don't get it completely wet—no puddles.

Now you need some moss. You can find it on the ground or growing on rocks in damp, shady areas. Place your moss on top of the soil, and gently press it down.

Spray the top of the moss with water. You'll want to keep it moist by misting it every other day. If you can collect rain water for this purpose, that's best, but tap water will work fine as well. The moss will continue to thrive as long as it is kept damp and out of direct sunlight.

My moss platter ring displays drew a slew of compliments and I found myself giving this tutorial verbally many times throughout the weekend. The dishes of emerald greenery have now found a new home on our table. They are gorgeous as is, but I am pondering the addition of flowers, pretty rocks, and whatever else the girls can dream up to add (think: tiny horses). There is so much potential here...

UPDATE: Do you recall the Remembery Capsule I made that got lost in the mail? Well I forgot to tell you it was finally delivered, in perfect condition! Where it had been, nobody knows. The woman who had ordered it even stopped by to say hello at the show this weekend. How wonderful it was to meet the person behind that special memorial.

Fostering Love

Last fall, my sister and her husband decided to become foster parents. After a long application process, I am happy to tell you they've been approved! This is so exciting—for them, and our whole family. More kids to have fun with, more kids to make things for, and more kids to love.

They have agreed to take up to three children, so that siblings may stay together (isn't the thought of siblings being split up heartbreaking?). Two bedrooms in their home have been reworked to fit beds, dressers and lots of toys. My crochet hooks are at the ready...just waiting for some news, so I know who I am making for and what to make.

But I have to admit that all this anticipation is met with a bit of hesitation, too, as my sister and brother-in-law begin a journey into parenthood that could be, at times, heartbreaking and unfair. We hope for the best and offer our full support.

Lately, different aspects of my life have had a way of weaving themselves together in interesting ways. A friend of mine contacted me to see if I'd be interested in being a vendor at a fund raising event for, what else?...foster care! The artisan show will benefit the Friends of Foster Care, an organization that provides assistance to foster children and their families. How could I say no?

If you're in the Boston area, come shop for a good cause!
The Spring Fling shopping event is this Thursday, April 8th. Over 30 local vendors and artisans will be selling their goods. The event takes place at the Neighborhood Club (27 Glendale Road, Quincy,MA) from 7 - 10 PM.

A Lesson and a Prize

I did my last Design Hive of the year yesterday. It was a pretty busy show, with much better attendance than previous shows this fall. Folks must be getting into the holiday purchasing mindset. I mean after all, some of the big stores have had holiday gear out since Labor Day (I promise not to rant about this right now...).

If I hadn't shot myself in the foot, I'd be doing the December Design Hive as well, and most likely making a killing there. But no. I decided not to sign up for it because I was applying to a couple bigger handmade shows and hoped to sell even more pieces. Only thing is, I got denied from both of them, leaving me show-less for the busiest time of the year. Please learn this lesson from me, and not on your own. I am a professional at learning the hard way.

All that behind me, there were some amazing artisans at the show. As usual, I left with a little prize for myself.

This excellent set of blank cards from Weehah! were much too tempting for me. As you may already know, I gravitate towards all things chicken nowadays.

In addition to those cards, I left with a couple of custom orders in my folder. I am super excited about these special necklaces and will be sharing them with you once they're done.

Happy November!

Good Neighbors

It's been a while, I know. We are back online, after a complete computer meltdown, all thanks to my sister who loaned us her old CPU. Whew! It's a crazy feeling, being shut off from the world like that (chuckle chuckle). But I have to give a shout out to my kind neighbors who, as soon as I mentioned our computer died, called and emailed to say that not only did they have an extra computer we could use, but also let me know I could go on over and use theirs whenever I need to. Seriously, neighbors don't get much better than that.

Speaking of good neighbors, I had the pleasure of being assigned the booth next to Little Garlic Press at last Sunday's Design Hive Market in Cambridge, MA.

Little Garlic Press is a Portland, ME based operation featuring clothing made from re-purposed vintage fabrics, cotton t-shirts bearing antique botanical illustrations, and beautiful paper products. The creative force behind the shop is Nikaline who, aside from her 4 (four!) other jobs, finds time to design gorgeous scarves, skirts, dresses and shirts from vintage clothing and fabric she cleverly sources.


She has gotten her hands on so much vintage fabric over the years that she sells that, too. I couldn't resist this piece of mushroom print polyester fabric she was selling, so I scooped it up before anyone else could buy it. I can only imagine what was originally done with this fabric in the 70's ( think: women's pantsuits and men's shirts a la Travolta). What will I do with it? I have no idea. I just know needed it. Polyester mushroom print fabric doesn't come along every day, folks.

You can find Little Garlic Press at Material Objects in Portland, at Design Hive during the holidays, or at her Etsy shop (her shop is currently empty, but check back soon as she'll be adding new items).

CraftBoston

This weekend, I was excited to attend CraftBoston (presented by The Society of Arts and Crafts), a show of contemporary art, craft, and design.

I go to CraftBoston each year for design inspiration, to interact with other artisans, and to check out the various booth designs and layouts. I encountered artisans from around the US and had the pleasure of chatting with some local artists whose work I have admired from afar.

As I bounced from booth to booth I found my heart beating faster and my mind spinning with ideas awakened.

The number of talented and imaginative artists was endless, but I found a few that really lit a fire in me.

Kimberly Morris, fabricates silver and copper jewelry then adds colored pencil to embellish each piece. The result is a line of jewelry that has unexpected depth, interesting details and bold colors.

zpots is a pottery studio run by a husband-and-wife team in Vermont. I admired their Classic Large Mugs that were comfortable to hold, and their thoughtful Home Bowl, which would be a delight to put out at a family gathering.

Donna Veverka, of Donna Veverka Jewelry, handcrafts jewelry inspired by architecture and ornament. I was excited to try on some of her structural rings that, while substantial, weren't overly heavy or uncomfortable to wear. Check out her website to view some of her one-of-a-kind pieces. Unique and fantastic.

I left CraftBoston with a stack of postcards/business cards in my hand, and a catalog if inspirations and ideas in my head.