Finding Myself

I'm always floored and thankful when I find my work mentioned by other people. My Google Reader found the following:

Carrie's Place: My Inspiration

What a way to start out my morning. I only hope the warm fuzzies can carry over - I fear I'm coming down with a killer cold. I had a migraine for most of the day yesterday, ended up in bed around 7:30 and was out before 8. I was a big dizzy this morning getting ready, but once I came downstairs & opened the gallery, the nausea has hit me like a freight train. I have a festival in Somerset this weekend, but if I feel like this, there's no way I'll be able to drive back & forth to do it. I think Mom's got it, as well, and that's why co-worker in my booth on Saturday. What a pair we'd make!

I'm going to tough it out for a bit and work on some ornaments, but I've a feeling I'll be in bed within the next few hours. Booooooo.

Another Treasury and Other Notes of Interest

The Jester is Flying High: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=18987

I've been busy (which is nothing new), but trying to take care of my list of things to do. I've finished making about two dozen pendants for the gift shop at Maker's Mark, but I still need to deliver them. Now, I'm working on netted, Victorian-style ornaments for my friend Lee's open house this weekend. I just hope I can get him at least a dozen. He's an extremely talented interior designer and his retail store is FAB-U-LOUS. I may end up pulling an all-nighter tonight in order to get them and some earrings made. It's been a while since I've worked like that, but I've got a festival this weekend on top of Lee's open house. Unfortunately, my throat is starting to get a little scratchy. I hope I'm not coming down with something, as I need to get to Somerset for the festival. I've got rent to pay!

New listings up on Etsy! Forgot to post them the other day.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16809096
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16809301
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16809468
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16809641
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16809851
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16810041

Weekend Wrap-Up

The weekend at St. James was wonderful. We had perfect weather for the art fair, even if we are suffering from a horrible economy. Sales were good, I met a lot of nice people, handed out almost every one of my postcards and even had The Harvest recognized by several readers of Bead&Button. The best part of my weekend came in the form of a lovely fellow beader on Friday. She recognized The Harvest and kept trying on another piece of mine that I called "Garden Necklace." (I wish I had a photo!) After several tries, she decided to purchase the piece. I knew it was going home with someone who would appreciate it, which made me really happy.

Sunday, she returned to tell me that she'd worn the piece to work the day before and had been chased around by her co-workers, wanting to know where she'd purchased it! That was a wonderful feeling.

Since coming back, I've restocked the gallery and realized that I'm quite behind on prepping for the Marion County Arts & Humanities Council's art auction. Oops! But, I've snagged the help of three lovely ladies to help contact artists & businesses. They'll be my saving grace!

Today has been repair day on several customers' vintage jewelry. I don't mind the repair work and I try to keep it fairly inexpensive!

Next projects are a quilt patch Christmas ornament that will hang in Frankfort, KY in the Thomas Clark museum and some netted, Victorian glass ornaments, once I get the bulbs from my sister.

Feature & St. James!!!!

The lovely and talented Zoya Gutina featured me in her September newsletter. Thank you SO much, Zoya.

St. James Court is this weekend and I've started to freak out even more. I told my friend Anne that I'm afraid they're going to tell me it was all a mistake when I get there & I actually didn't get juried in! There are around 750 juried artists & craftsmen from across the US at this show & it's repeatedly ranked in the top 10 shows for the US. It's scary & exciting!

I've also listed my challenge entry for the Etsy Beadweavers October Challenge "Animal Instincts." I actually finished this piece a few weeks ago for the challenge, but wasn't sure that I'd enter it and planned on doing another piece. With all of the festivals, etc. going on here, I didn't get a chance to finish my scarab piece, so the "Zebra of a Different Color" is my entry. Im pretty happy with it's funky dye job. Gives me ideas for my own head!

Please visit http://etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/ to vote on the October challenge from October 9th until the 15th and see the beadweaver team members amazing works of art!

Oink Oink - It's Ham Days

Every year, I say that I'm not keeping the gallery open all weekend during Ham Days here in Marion County, and every year I do it anyway. This year, I actually didn't setup in the arts & humanities booth, since we had so many other artists setup. I was a little worried that it would hurt my sales, but people are looking for bargains when they come here, not higher end jewelry designs, so I'm really not too worried about it. I did, however, decide last night after thinking about not sleeping and not seeing my daughter as much as I'd like, that I'd close up at 1:30 for the day and see her soccer game at 2, instead of having Mom watch the store during the game and then coming back. I've not had enough people in to stay open the extra time. Plus, I'm hosting a financial workshop Tuesday night in the gallery and leaving on Thursday for St. James... I gotta get some down time in! Not that I won't be beading on my sofa!

I'm trying to finish some projects before next weekend. A lot of friends have started freaking me out a bit about St. James. They're concerned that I won't have enough stock and that I'll sell out. Not that it would be a bad thing! I don't have another show until the second weekend in November and I need to make some ornaments for Christmas.

I started on my entry for the October Etsy-Beadweavers Challenge. I need to do some more before I make an opinion about it. I may end up using the first piece I did, I don't know. Can't take pix right now, either, as my friend Kassy has the memory chip out of my camera. I'll probably not post any new listings until after St. James, anyway, since I have to deactivate my listings during the show.

Treasuries and Catching Up!

Things have been kind of crazy, wrapping up after Bourbon Fest and helping our local arts council prep for our setup this weekend. BUT:

I'm currently featured in two treasuries on Etsy:
B.E.S.T. of Fall! http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=26795

Here is what we do in Kentucky! http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=10656

I guess you can tell that the Bluegrass Etsy Street Team is getting out & active. I'm thrilled to be a part of such great teams with them & the Etsy-Beadweavers.

Back to Bourbon Fest - it was good, but like every other festival I've done this year, sales were down. It's to be expected with the economy, so I'm not letting it get me down. I did sell three of the items in my Etsy store, so I had to delete those, but I was happy to do it!

I'm prepping for the rosary-making class that I'm teaching tonight and for Ham Days this weekend. The gallery will be open all weekend and I'll be among the walking dead come Monday :) Then I get to do it all over again the following weekend!

I've started another cellini spriral, this time in black & white. I've also started working on another showpiece. I can't decide if it will be for the Fire Mountain contest or Bead Dreams for next year. I suppose it depends on the final piece and if I come up with something else I think will work for BD.

Prepping for Bourbon!

Bourbon Festival, that is! This weekend is the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. It's a long weekend, but it's one of my favorite festivals to do. It's a good crowd and I get to watch the folks drink during the day. Honestly, I get quite tickled at the husbands/boyfriends who've spent the majority of the day in the beer garden come into my booth, trying to find something for the wife/girlfriend to "make it up" for being inebriated! Gotta love 'em!

Monday & Tuesday, I spent the majority of the day making cell phone lanyards, labeling sales books, finishing pendants, etc. Now that those are done (48 lanyards!) and my Maker's Mark pendants are fired, polished and (some) dipped, I get to play! I bought some watch gears on etsy after I started getting more & more addicted to searching for Steampunk items. I've got a friend who's really into the movement and loved the first pair of earrings I made, so I'm looking forward to making more.

I also just got in an order from Dick Blick with molds, epoxy resin & decorative papers. I'm going to use the molds & resin to make some pendants with the watch parts encased and the papers are going to be used for paper beads. I'm a wee bit excited about trying new techniques. I'm such a dork about these things!

I haven't had time to photograph anything really, and with festival season upon me, I always get timid of listing anything online. And when I say festival season, it's Bourbon Fest this weekend, Ham Days the next (I just keep my store open all weekend) and St. James Court the next. Bourbon Fest is usually a good show for me and this is the first year I've gotten into St. James Court. I'm really excited about it, as the waiting list is a mile long. I've got a few weeks off after that & then the Sheltowee Art Fair in November. Luckily, that's my last one for the year!

I'm also trying to finish emailing images for Zoya with My Lovely Beads. I'm writing an article at her request and I always find it hard to write about myself, especially in the third person. But I'm not going to turn down an opportunity to be featured!

Woodland Art Fair

This weekend, I'll be at the Woodland Art Fair in Lexington, KY. I've been several times to this fair, but only as a shopper. It's a beautiful setting, in Woodland Park just off Woodland Ave, which is around Euclid and Main and in between Kentucky and Clay Avenues. I'm really excited, as I've heard nothing but good things about this show from other vendors. It's sponsored by the Lexington Art League, of which I'm a member, so I should know several of the other vendors. My friend Jamie Brumm and her husband Bill will be there and she makes some pretty neat jewelry herself out of anodized aluminum.

I'd like to get some jewelry made while I'm in the booth this weekend (working on pieces will sometimes garner more interest in the pieces that are already finished), but if I'm too busy selling and talking to get any jewelry made, I think I can live with that ;-) Festival sales this year have been down, thanks to a slow economy, but I'm hoping that it's coming to a close. Gas prices have started to drop and people are already thinking about the holidays. We'll see!