End of shows for 2013

We had our last show of the season last Saturday.  It was at one of the local schools {we show every spring and fall}.  It was very busy, a great turnout.  I think it's one of the quickest days I ever had when doing a show. I can always count on my regulars that stop by every show.  This year, some of them even brought friends!  What a great compliment.

I work full time and while I love creating, I admit I don't spend a lot of time on promoting my side business.  Every year, I promise myself I will work harder to get my name out there.  Then, before you know it, the year rushes by.  I've decided {again!} to work on getting to more shows next year.  I plan to start looking after Christmas and coming up with a list of potential venues.  Then, we'll see.

I did two things with this last show, that I had not done before, and hope to see some results.  I developed a tri-fold pamphlet to hand out at shows.  It tells about my work, has some pictures and hopefully will encourage customers to contact me for custom pieces.  Secondly, I had a Holiday Special give away.  Anyone spending a designated amount was able to fill out a little card for a drawing after the show.  I made 2 beaded necklace and earring sets and I had them put which one they wanted if they won.  I randomly picked the winner tonight and sent an e-mail to her, plus sent a general thank you e-mail to all the others. Here's the picture of the two sets I made.

The winner was the only one that chose the red set.  Soooo, the blue one is still up for grabs!

Til next time, I hope everyone has a great week, stay safe, be happy and... if you celebrate have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Getting ready for the holidays

I really don't know where the time goes.  Less than two weeks until Thanksgiving, then the mad Christmas rush. 

We've been lucky with fair weather the last few weekends {until today - there is fog and drizzle!}.  In October, we did a weekend show at a local fairground.  Now, one would think that October would glide in with some cooler temps and the promise of color changes to come with wonderful fall scents and the desire to get outside.  Well, let me tell you....it was so hot, we were sweating just standing around!  The crowds were no where to be seen and sales were low.  Even the event planners were surprised that some vendors did not show up and traffic was slow.  But, I always look at it as an opportunity to meet other artisans, network and sometimes, get good ideas for my small side business.

Somehow, the fall decorations didn't feel right with 90+ temps!

One of the yearly shows I have been doing in November is no more.  The planner indicated she just wasn't doing it any longer.  Luckily, my daughter put together a fundraiser show for my grandson's boy scout troop.  We went yesterday.  As this was the first time she did anything like this, she only had six vendors and the turnout was low {even the troops parents didn't come!}  I was able to sell some items, as I was the only handmade crafter there.  She plans to try again in April and will work on getting more vendors and a lot more advertising.

Because the weather has been so nice, I have been going out with my neighbor the past few Saturday's.  We went to some local shows and took one day to drive around taking pictures of barns.  She wants to put together a series of pictures for one of her rooms.  Well, this has lead to us talking about taking a photography class.  I realized, though I have a pretty good digital camera, I really don't know how to use all of the functions.  I've spent some time researching aperture, shutter speed, etc, but I learn better by hands on work.  We'll see.

Now, we are getting ready for our last show of the year next Saturday.  This show is usually very busy and we do well.  Then I really need to get myself organized for the holidays!

Til next time....stay safe and be happy.

Time for a new oven

Had a partial disaster today with my convection oven I use to bake clay.  I've been on a roll, getting pins and buttons done for our show next week.  For some reason, the separate oven thermometer I use was reading 350-400 degrees when I was preheating it.  I turned the oven off a few times to let it cool, then tried heating it again before I baked some pins.  Well, dummy me, I thought maybe the thermometer was broken, so I put some pieces in anyway.  A few minutes later, I noticed smoke coming out of the oven.  Geez, I quickly unplugged the oven and took the clay and oven outside.  I also opened the windows and put the vent on.  Boy, you don't want to smell burnt polymer clay and you definitely don't want the fumes in the house.  My advice; if you think something is wrong with your oven, err on the side of caution and don't use it!!  I was lucky that I was in the kitchen, as I usually put the pieces in and go back to my studio to get the next batch ready for baking.  I guess it was worth the few lost pieces I had, vs the other, worse case scenario.

On a better note, I am pleased with the items I've been making.  I put together a few pumpkin pins.....

...and I am finally filling up one of my peg board stands.  I also bought 4 small crate boxes from Michael's and spray painted them black to use for our set up next week.  I'm hoping to be able to get things together for the show during the week, so I am a little better organized with what I want to put out.

I hope to take a lot of pictures of our space and will post them when I have a chance.

Til next time, stay safe and be happy!

Buttons and more buttons

Been busy getting ready for our show in two weeks.  I'm making more buttons and football pins in different team colors.  My neighbor already has multiple people at work that want some, and I can't wait to see what the response is at the show.

Trying to come up with unique buttons can be a chore.  I don't want to make a standard button that can be bought in any retail store.  I'm trying to get a variety of colors in the time I have and am making different sizes and shapes.

I have to admit, I haven't searched too much for polymer clay buttons online, as I want to develop my own ideas.  There may be other artists out there that have used similar methods, and that's ok.  As they say..."Great minds think alike".  One technique I love with polymer clay is mica shift.  So...I thought, why not use that and make buttons.  So far, I have made two sets using mica shift.  {For those not familiar with mica shift - also known as ghost image - it's a technique that leaves the piece with a smooth 3D image in the clay.  I wrote out a tutorial a few years ago.  If you are interested, check out the link below.}
http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/blog_post/DreamWeaversDesigns/3662

Here's the first set of mica shift buttons I made.  I used antique gold and used a jump ring for the component that is sewed to the clothing. 

 Here is another set I made today.  I used bronze clay, a honeycomb stamp and a square cutter.  I've sanded all the buttons, but only buffed the bottom two.  You can really see the difference with the shine and the 3D effect.  I must add that anyone thinking about working with polymer clay, should invest in a dremel.  This one piece of equipment can save a lot of time finishing your project and the results are amazing.

I mentioned in my previous post that I made two hinged pegboard stands for holding my buttons and pins.  I am pretty happy with the way they turned out.

Obviously, I have a lot more to make to fill this one.  Not to mention the second one that's sitting empty in my studio!  You can see a few of my pins on the right side.  I plan to work on some additional leaf pins this week.  Then, maybe pumpkins, or ghosts, or......you get the idea.

Here's one of my leaf pins and some football pins {these aren't quite finished yet}

 

Til next time.... stay safe and be happy!

Fall is in the Air

Again, time has passed and I haven't had the opportunity to post.  The good news is the home repairs are almost done.  It seemed that the flood gates opened {no pun intended} when we had our flood in August.  Just a few more things to be done; hopefully in the next two weeks, then things will return to normal.  Anyone owning a home can understand the stress of dealing with multiple repairs while trying to maintain a normal work routine.  Luckily, I am able to work at home, so that has helped tremendously.

In between all the house issues, I have had a little time to work with my clay.  My neighbor is a football fan and a nurse and asked me if I could make her a football pin she could wear to work.  I did, and it turned out so cute, I am now making more for a fall craft weekend show we will be doing in three weeks.  I hope to get some more completed and photographed by the end of this week.  I'll post them when I get a chance.

I also made two hinged pegboard stands for hanging my buttons and pins.  I really need to get busy and make more variety, so I can fill the boards up!    

Till next time, stay safe and be happy.

Work, work, work......

I meant to get a lot of claying done this past week.  However, we had a flood downstairs and I have been dealing with clean-up, insurance, plumbers, etc.  Between my regular job and the mess, it left little time to create!

I'm slowly building up my stock on buttons.  I have a cricut and cut out some cards to attach the buttons to.  I initially used a larger stamp {the black and grey buttons on the right}, with initials of my company, then switched to smaller letters, which I think look better.  My goal is to get a stamp with my logo; just need to find out if I can incorporate the entire design on a stamp no wider than an inch.  I think that will make the card look a lot more professional.

I made a second pendant with my cameo mold.  I actually used leftover clay for the mold, thinking I would cover it with silver pearlex powder.  While lightly sanding the piece, the powder on the background came off and now you can see the "marbled" background.  I need to decide if I want to make the background a little darker to cover the clay now showing or for contrast.  I textured and brushed the black back piece with pearlex powder and applied small swarovsky crystals at the corners to add some subtle bling.

Years ago, I was playing around with clay and made an owl.  It has been sitting, doing nothing since.  Well, now you see them everywhere; we even saw them all over the place when we went to Gatlinburg in July.  So, I am making more.  My goal is to make them in all shapes, sizes and colors.  Because football season is just around the corner, my first new piece is done in Raven's colors!  I wanted to make a pendant that could be used as a necklace, as well as a pin.  I made the bail from 20 gauge non tarnish silver colored copper wire and elevated the area for the pin to allow it to sit right.  The only thing left it to sand and polish with liquid wax.

Finally, last weekend, I bought some clear repositionable window decals, in the hopes of making one for my car.  What better way to advertise, right??  Well, as the windows are tinted, you couldn't see the first decal I made.  So, I decided to print a color copy and place that between two of the clear decals.  Not sure how well it will hold up, I may have cut the clear paper too small to keep closed.  It's lasted a week, with a lot of rain. 

I would love to find a large enough magnet sheet or white blank decal to use.  I may have to see what I can find online to order one.

Well, it's back to creating today.  At least for a few hours.

Til next time, be happy and stay safe.....

The cool days of August

It's only a few days into August and we are having beautiful weather.  All the windows are open and the breeze is blowing in.  It almost feels like the start of Fall...and I love it!

We had a show recently at a local fire hall flea market.  There were a lot of open spaces; we aren't sure why so many people didn't show, unless they were anticipating storms.  The week before was pretty wet.  Even the customers were few and far between.  There were vendors with flea market items as well as some crafters. 

Here's a shot of our set-up....

We decided to go light with our items, due to the possibility of a storm mixed with the projected heat and short show hours. 

I dedicated one table to my polymer and kumihimo...

The other table had a mix of beaded jewelry and polymer frames, bowls, buttons and a clock...

The day was slow but our neighbor vendor mentioned a Fall show coming up in October.  I hadn't heard of the show before, but, was able to speak to the coordinator of the show and learned it was a two day event at a large fairground. 

The application for the show is complete and now the rush is on to build up my inventory.  I'm hoping the location and size of this show brings in a lot of shoppers getting ready for Christmas.  Stay tuned to see what's been on my work table.

Til next time, be happy and stay safe...........   

The muse continues

I can't tell you what a difference it makes to have a dedicated space for my work.  I have been able to spend time, each evening, working on my inventory.

At a recent show, a man asked if I had any cameo pins, as he wanted to buy one for his mother.  This was the second request I had for a pin in the last two shows.  Well, that got me thinking that I may need to expand my stock.

I happened to have a cameo pendant, so I made a mold and started to work.  Here is the final result...

Now, the photo makes the pin look huge, but it's actually a little more than an inch and a half in diameter.  It has a lot of detail on the base, which I highlighted with copper gilders paste.  A simple twist of black finishes the edge.

Historically, cameos are actually carvings of a raised design in one color, on a background of a contrasting color.   When I think of them, I usually think vintage Victorian jewelry.  Truth is, they go wayyy back to ancient times, some dating back to the 3rd century B.C.  Initially hand carved, now-a-days, cameos can be carved by hand or with a machine.  Google cameos and you will find a multitude of photos.  I really admire the skill and artistry required to complete these beautiful pieces.

I have some more cameos I am working on, and decided to break from the traditional white on black.  I mixed up some faux jade {thank you Cindy Lietz for the great tutorial!} and finish them for the show we have Saturday.

Here's what I need to finish sanding, buffing and putting on the background....

I'm hoping that when these cameo pieces are nice and shiny, they pop!  Also pictured are a few extra faux jade pieces and some more buttons. 

Till next time, stay safe and be happy.
 
 

Been a while

Well, I know it's been a long time since I last posted.  Things have been busy around here; between work, shows, birthday parties, vacations, and, my daughter deciding to move to Florida {she took my 2 year old grandson. 8^( }  I must admit, I lost my muse for a while there.  

Had a break and went to Gatlinburg, TN, for a week, then to Kingsport, TN, for a family reunion.  I may have posted in the past about the Great Smoky Mountains, but, I need to once again say how beautiful they are.  There is something about that area that really relaxes me. 

This is the view of Gatlinburg from the top of the Sky Lift. 

We took a day and drove over the Smokies to Cherokee NC.  The morning drive was pretty foggy and you couldn't really see the views from the overlooks.  Going back was clear and the mountain views were breath taking!  If you ever have the opportunity to visit this area of the country, you won't be dissappointed.  What a place to relax, unwind and reconnect.

Gatlinburg has an eight mile stretch of craft shops with all sorts of artisans.  You can find anything from scented candles, to wood working, handmade lamp shades, and jewelry, to name a few.  Going through them, I finally got my muse back. 

Once home, I got to work on setting up my craft room.  Since my daughter moved, I now had a room to delegate to my crafts.  The first thing I had to do was make some tables.  I have been thinking, for weeks, on what I wanted and already had the room organized in my head.  It took two days, but with help from my 15 year old {and several trips to Home Depot!}, the tables were finally done.  With plans to have my grand daughter down for a few days, I wanted to be able to use the room {I'm teaching her to clay.}  I didn't have time to paint the tables, and actually can't decide if I want to paint them or stain them.

They may not look like much, but, I am very pleased and proud with the results.  I even put mitered corner trim along the edges!  As you can see, the tables are already loaded.  I have space for my Dream Machine {the larger pasta machine on the left corner of the front table}, and set up one of my old Amaco's for my grand daughter {on the right}.  The table against the wall holds my Cricut and laptop, along with other supplies.  I still need some shelves and a little better organization so I don't have to rummage through drawers, but, that will come.  You can just see a futon on the lower right corner, but, I plan to make another table for my sewing machines when I can figure out where to put the futon.  Another plus, now that I have a separate designated craft space, my kitchen has finally been de-junked.

I've spent the last two days working on new items and am planning on adding buttons, mosaics, and am going to attempt polymer stained glass look for small glass vessels to use with tea lights.  Below are the first buttons I finished, and another mod cane just made.

 All in all, it's been a very pleasant two weeks and I look forward to using my new space for many creative endeavors.

Til next time, stay safe and be happy.

What I've been up to

Well, besides work at my regular job, that is....  I've sent off applications for four craft shows coming up in the next few months.  We are doing our first county Ag center show in June.  I have never done this one and am looking forward to it.  I'm also hoping that the crowds are out and looking to buy!

A few months ago, I posted about torn water color beads I was making, as well as one of the necklace/earring sets I completed. 

I made several sheets in different colors to use and made many beads one weekend.  I finally got around to stringing the red and purple beads this weekend, and made additional beads in a light green.

Here is the red set.

I've been wanting to add ribbon to my necklaces for a while.  Since I recently found a local shop that carried the flat end crimps, I was able to stock up and put a set to use here.  I just love the color; the ribbon and swarovski crystals matched perfectly.

This is the purple set.

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with adding white glass beads to most pieces, and I try to add swarovski crystals, if I'm lucky enough to have matching or complimenting colors. 

I made another bowl and a ring thing to add to my stock.  I'm hoping they will be popular with the crowds, as I am seeing a lot of polymer bowls on pinterest and when browsing tutorials.

Here is my first attempt at polka dots!

And last, but not least, I wanted to use a new set of Wilton's Blossom cookie cutters I just bought, but also wanted a funky look.  Here's what I came up with.

I used two different sized heart cutters on the blossoms and used one of the smaller cutters to make the bottom piece.  I used the same clay sheet and baked it on a glass ornament to make the curved shape.  Then, I flipped it over and used liquid clay to attach the pieces and baked one last time.  My 14 year-old thinks it looks "neat", so I may want to make some more for the younger crowd!

Well, have to get back to my drawing pad and see what other ideas I can come up with.  I'll post the items above on my website later today.  If you're interested, just go to DreamWeaversDesigns.net.  Remember, I can also make custom bowls and ring things if you don't see something that suits your needs.  Feel free to send me a message!

Til next time, stay safe and be happy.