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, Makers and More

Thank you to everyone who voted for me in The Mark of Great Art project. The results were posted yesterday - I didn't place, but it appears that all three winners were paintings. It's hard sometimes to compare different media, especially when some of the voting was done online and it's hard to get the full impact of mixed media via the Internet. I won't lie & say I wasn't bummed a bit, but I made it this far and my pieces will now travel to New York for indefinite display, along with my contact information. Huzzah!

I'm featured in another Etsy treasury! Thanks to everyone who's been featuring me. I really appreciate the exposure!

Tax!! Taxi! (Someone get me a cab(ochon))

One of my bracelets was also used in an article through the Bluegrass Etsy Street Team.

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.

NYC!

The list of the smaller exhibits for The Mark of Great Art project was mailed out to the participating artists yesterday. I found out that both of mine are going to New York City. I'm just giddy thinking about my pieces being in an opening in NYC. When I was younger, I dreamed of living in a loft apartment in Greenwich, working in a gallery. I finally made it to NYC last year and am completely enamored with the city.

I'm so excited! I'd love to make it to the opening, but I'm pretty sure there's no way I could afford it. The cheapest tix I saw yesterday were in the $350 range, not including possible hotel rooms. A girl can dream!

There's still three days to vote for your favorite pieces in the exhibit, as well!

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!

Featured again!

I just found out this morning that I'm the featured member this week on the Bluegrass Etsy Street Team's website. My Google alerts just happened to pick it up, so I was really surprised. Thanks so much to Robin & Corinne for the warm welcome and support. I'm so glad that I've gotten involved in Etsy and the teams. It feels good to be part of a group. If you don't belong to a street team and sell on Etsy, consider it. It's a good promotion tool for one, but if you find a good group, the people on there can be invaluable to you. I've found support through Etsy Beadweavers, Team Bluegrass and my Beadchat group at Yahoo. Thanks to all of you!

And don't forget to vote for the Mark of Great Art and the Etsy-Beadweavers September Challenge!

Featured!

The wonderful and fabulous Cyndi Lavin has featured me today in her blog, "Jewelry and Beading". I'm really excited about being featured among all of the other incredible artisans that Cyndi's already featured. Thanks so much, Cyndi!

There's a new article through my local paper about the Maker's Mark exhibit, as well.

And don't forget to vote for the Etsy-Beadweavers September Challenge!