What To Expect...At Country Living!

I have been busy making jewelry for the Country Living Fair in Ohio. Just 2 weeks until I leave! Here are a few designs that will be making the trip with me!

Skull and Pearls Necklace/Bracelet

Hand soldered and stamped Inspiration bracelets

Hand soldered and wired Tree of Life necklaces

Recycled bullet necklaces (and earrings!)

The hand wired Clover necklaces with Chalcedony

Too many other designs to even post. A ton of one of a  kind pieces made with vintage finds, clover earrings, gypsy earrings, leather cuff bracelets! Oh my! Have to get back to it!

It Was in My Own Backyard the Whole Time....

Every year I promise myself I am going to be cool about Country Living. No worries, stick to a schedule, make a certain number of favorite designs and add in some new ones, stop making jewelry on a specified date a couple of days before the show to give myself some downtime.  And then I loose my shit and I start frantically making jewelry and freaking out about everything I have left to the last minute like cards, boxes etc... Then comes the self doubt. Will people like what I have? Do I have enough in different price points. Are my pieces something Country Living Magazine readers would like. Inevitably I start looking at everyone else's jewelry online and have massive design envy.  As I was hyper ventilating yesterday and trolling Pinterest for display ideas (never mind that I have awesome displays that were put together by a ridiculously talented designer) I came across...my own.

These wooden necklace displays were made by my husband and painted by me. My friend Tasha (who makes amazing pottery see:here) took some great pictures at the first Country Living Fair I did in Ohio. As I scrolled through the photos I saw how amazing the booth my friend Wendy Umanoff had designed looked. Sometimes what you are looking for has been there all along!

 

Earrings hanging from a Wendy Umanoff designed found door display

Necklace display

My booth in Atlanta last year (booth design by Deanna King of Strawberry Fields Flowers and Finds)

Pretty, Pretty Butterflies.....

I have been busy as a bee making as much as I can for September's Country Living Fair in Columbus, Ohio. I am SOOOOooooo exited to be doing both Ohio AND Atlanta this year and am trying not to get too overwhelmed by the amount of sparkly pieces I want to make. I try to give myself a deadline of a few days before leaving to I can clear up last minute details like pricing and packing but there is always just one more style of earring I want to make and I inevitably end up working until the last minute. Last week was the first of a couple of butterfly weeks. I hand soldered the bezels and then collage butterfly's, glitter, book pages etc. to create the focal pendants. If the chains on some look hand soldered...well that because they are. I learned that little trick from Stephanie Lee and you can too with her up coming online class!  That's all for now...back to the the messy studio!

I Wanna See You Sweat....

I did it! I went up into my attic space where I solder stuff. It was hot. 'Nam in the jungle hot. I think I sweat off 5 pounds and all the smoke from the solder probably wasn't super healthy, but I did it. I have about 8 handmade bezels ready for my collaging and butterflies waiting to be mounted. I had every intention of getting right back on the horse today but when I took the little white poodle out for her morning walk I was greeted by a steamy, swamp-like swelter at 7 am. If I can't get no satisfaction from the heat at 7am, it ain't gonna happen!

On a "stuff on my list that didn't get done" note, I didn't book my hotel for CL or finish the bird's nest. In my defense I was dehydrated and my husband offered to take me to dinner, soooooo.....! It's totally fine, I'll sleep in my rented mini van. I kid, it's on for today, after yoga. Ommmmmmmm......

Destination Procrastination...All Aboard!!!

With Country Living Ohio fast approaching I have left myself all of August to stock up for the Fair. Sounds like a lot of time...in theory. You see I am not one of those organized, tidy, go get em kind of girls. You'll find no "lists of things to do" tacked to my almost empty inspiration board, no clearly defined schedule to my days. I know a lot of very successful women business owners wake up at a certain time, get dressed, brush their teeth and get to work on specific projects for the day. I am more of the wake up, have coffee, throw on my yoga clothes (for an actual yoga class, although the chances they get changed before bed are slim) skim facebook and various blogs, take the dog for a walk and then get down to the business of making jewelry. I am just having a hard time getting inspired. It's almost August, it's hot as all get out here in Virginia and I feel as if I have ALL the time in the world to prepare for Country Living! (I have read a scandalous number of books) In reality, I'll keep on making jewelry every day at a snail's pace, realize CL is a week away and go into crazy, stressed out mode and make jewelry for 24 hours straight. That's  my jam! That's how I roll! So for today I am going to book my hotel, read my new Jewelry Affaire for inspiration and finished a bunch of bird's nest necklaces, solder and set butterfly collage necklaces. Maybe if I write it out, I'll actually do it. Stay tuned tomorrow for my progress report! What do you do to get organized? Any advice will help and I promise to at least try it.

Don't Be an A-hole at Art Shows (Bless Your Heart!)

The first art show I participated in was held in a small school gym. After crafting pieces of jewelry until my fingers cramped I put out a basic folding table display and was petrified that no one would like my stuff and hoped that at least they wouldn't point and make fun of me. I was lucky. I sold enough to encourage me to keep on making jewelry and no one stood by my table and loudly ridiculed my offerings to their friends.

There are tons of art fairs and festivals going on this summer and all year round. Chances are you will find yourself at one, either because you are interested in buying handmade and local or perhaps it's a festival in your small town where you are going to see and be seen. Whatever the case may be, not all the goods are going to be your little red wagon. Maybe you are not into aprons festooned with kittens and balls of yarn or prefer to buy your pottery mass produced at a chain home goods store. (Lord knows I love me some Restoration Hardware!)  All I ask is that you behave with an ounce of kindness, class and decency and show some respect for the hard work and courage it takes for each and every artist to participate in a show .  Keep your snotty comments quiet or to yourself, and for the love of everything that's good and holy, if you feel like you can make it yourself go home and do it. No need to announce it out loud in front of the person that already has.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

A Few Little Pieces....

I will be the first to admit that after our whirlwind of traveling this spring I am a little slow to get back into the swing of jewelry making things. I haven't been a complete slacker. Inspired by some "Gypsy Cowboy-esque" photos on Pinterest (research...it's RESEARCH!!!!)  and the possibility of some fabulous new Old Gringo boots that I may get myself for my September birthday I wanted to do an over the top turquoise necklace. The day I finished it one of my favorite blogs Couture Over Coffee published this post about turquoise! Great minds think alike! Here is the first draft of my turquoise necklace:

Pretty, but maybe a bit sparse? After seeing the picture I decided that if alot of turquoise is good...perhaps more would be better? I went back in to add big, fat turquoise teardrops:

I feel like the turquoise drops add more depth to the piece and it's a little more funky and trust fund hippie which was kinda what I was going for. 

(my wrist, actual bangles and the lovely watch my husband bought me!)

Like everyone else I have been loving stacked bangles lately and I have been making "Bangle Bundles". I am making them with vintage rhinestones, velvet, vintage buttons, beads and a random skull bead or two. I will have sets of them available at Irvington Farmer's Market this Saturday and on Etsy after that. Back to the jewelry making!