Twisted Tree Spoon pendant

Part of a new line of soup spoons. I'm trying different colors for the backgrounds, the leaves, the wire, etc. Having lots of fun with the wire and haven't had any serious injuries yet.

Not much to report for the new year. Preparing to apply to shows. Have been invited into one show, Dunwoody Arts Festival, excited about that (even though it is 4 long months away). Was debating applying to the Columbus Arts Fest, but I am thinking no after seeing the previous jewelry vendors. They seem to be primarily high end metalsmiths. My price point is very low compared to previous vendors. Seems like my chances of getting in would be kind of slim and so I need to find a different show that I would be a better fit for/have a better chance of getting into with my $35 application fee! Will probably apply to the Decatur Arts Festival again - it is a local show so that's a plus and it looks fun. Maybe this will be the year of Gorilla Dust.

They don't sell Count Chocula cereal at the grocery store anymore. That has nothing to do with anything, but I think it's worth noting. No Frankenberry either! I tried Cocoa Krispies instead, but deep down I knew it was just not the same.

Last post of 2012

The year has flown by - lots of shows and a very successful 2011. Looking forward to next year!

Festival on Ponce 2011 - Shopper's Review

Show: Festival on Ponce
Dates: 7/23-7/24/11
Location: Olmsted Linear Park along Ponce de Leon Avenue in the historic Druid Hills neighborhood
Website: Festival on Ponce

This was the first year for the show and was organized by AFFPS. They do several Atlanta shows including Buckhead Arts and Crafts Show (which I participated in 2010). I had applied for this show, but was rejected. Actually turned out to be a good thing because I am realizing outdoor shows in July in Atlanta (or really anywhere) are not going to draw a good crowd. It was 98+ degrees both days and humid. Being outside for more than 30 seconds was exhausting so the thought of being inside a tent for two full days is less than appealing. I had a show earlier this month in SC outdoors and it was miserable. Sales at that show were probably the lowest of any show I have ever done too.

I visited the show on Saturday afternoon around 3:00 p.m. That was probably the hottest part of the day, I should probably plan these things out better. Anyhow there were not a lot of people shopping, the flow of traffic was very minimal. According to vendors, this was the norm for the day thus far.

The booths were very, very close together with a narrow paved walkway separating them. It was impossible to walk through with an umbrella (for shade) without hitting a tent on one side or a person on the another. The tents were set up in a long walkway on either side of the paved path. Basically one of those shows where you have to walk all the way to one end and then come all the way back to the other. Had it been a busy show, it would have bottlenecked very quickly - no more than one person each direction could fit through. Unfortunately with these long and straight show set ups, people usually only walk halfway before turning around. Circular or semi-circle patterns seem to encourage the shopper to follow all the way through. Sorry to say I was one of those people who only went halfway. It's not that I wasn't enjoying looking at the wares - it was just too freakin' hot!!!

Too bad - I hoped that if they had to swelter all day at least they would have made some sales.

Parking was street parking and difficult to come by. There was no centralized parking lot. Traffic on Ponce de Leon was very heavy (but those cars did not seem to be going to the show). I normally don't mind parking far away and walking several blocks, but like I said, being outside made me feel like I was going to burst into flames so closer would have been better.

Did I say it was hot???

So again this is just my review as a shopper through the show. I can't say too much more than that really. I was there about 45 minutes total. I meant to take some pictures, but left the camera in the car. Oops.

Not that too many people read this blog, but if you were a vendor, what did you think of the show?

Flower Power

I sold this soup spoon pendant over the weekend at a show in SC. I love these metallic flowers, but unfortunately have not been able to find a large supply of them. I am giving it a go at creating my own flowers for new spoon pendants, will see how that goes. The center of the flower was a rhinestone, but the second the resin touches it, it flattens. I mean the exact second one drop of resin touches the rhinestone it melts (or dissolves? - whatever, it turns into a liquidy pool of color). Weird. I have tried coating the rhinestone in multiple coats of clear nail polish before pouring the resin, but makes no difference. Oh well the effect is kind of unique. I also tried wire wrapping on the handle of the spoon and am very pleased with how it came out.

Have not shared a picture of Prada the Wonderdog for a while so here she is. I like how all her feet are up under her chin. She is sporting her summer in Atlanta shaved chihuahua look. I think she wears it well.

Garden Winds Canopy - White Replacement Top for First Up

Thought I would create this post for anyone with the Wal-Mart First Up brand canopy tent. Currently they are selling these in the store and online for $97. They are very sturdy, easy to put up (you can do it alone, but easier with someone), and most importantly have wind vents in the top. The wind vents are incredibly important as most tents do not have these - although why I don't know. In heavy rains, you may have a few drops leak in around the vents (middle of the tent), but it's not much. Throw a small tarp or plastic on the center of your display if needed during a storm. The drips will only come with heavy, sustained rain.

Anyhow, Wal-Mart no longer carries the white top for this tent. Unfortunately many art shows require white topped tents only. Perhaps they think that makes them look more arty? I can see maybe not wanting the name branded tents (think college names or beer names emblazoned on the top), but solid colors don't seem like a bad thing. I mean does it really matter what color your canopy is if you have a great product and well layed out booth? Anyhow I prefer the eclectic craft shows with multi-colored canopies. Besides I don't get in to too many of the white-topped shows (I think my product is too crafty and not arty enough), but every now and then I will find myself at a white canopy only show. So I searched everywhere for a white top online for the First Up frame and could find nothing. Finally I called the manufacturer and they informed they had discontinued the white tops, but referred me to a company that might still carry them. Garden Winds is the name of the company and the website is here. The replacement white canopy at $79 is almost as much as the frame/canopy itself. The good news is that Garden Winds ships very quickly and allows returns for up to 60 days. The bad news is that this tent does not fit the First Up frame tightly. It's pretty loose at the top (the frame is not tall enough). Also while there are velcro strips to secure the tent to the bars, there is not velcro in the corners to secure the canopy to the corner frame. I guess you could sew in some velcro if you are up for that kind of excitement.

Overall I would not recommend the Garden Winds replacement canopy for the First Up Frame. The replacement canopy itself is good quality, but is just not a good fit to the frame. Unless you are willing to make quite a few adjustments (we're talking some sewing and adding velcro and who knows what else), it's just not going to look that great. Just my thoughts. Apologies if you came here looking for a white First Up replacement canopy - but if you ever find one or have one you want to sell, leave me a comment!

Chatty Crafty - Summer Version

The summer show was held in a park on the river. Great location. Here is my tent - this is all the merchandise I could create in two weeks after selling everything in Pittsburgh. Luckily this was a much smaller scale show so I was fine.

Pretty view on Saturday:

Clouds rolled in Sunday morning:

Rained for about 20-30 minutes and cleared up by noon:

Then around 4:00 another storm was headed through. The organizers came around and told us to close up, they were shutting down the show early at 4:30 for the storm. Well I can only pack up so fast by myself and that storm hit about 5 minutes after the warning. It was insane like a giant wall of water just descended upon us. I have never been so wet in my life. Seriously, I had to stop at a Wal-Mart on the way home to by dry clothes (and underpants!). Luckily was able to throw my jewelry in a box and under a tarp, but everything else was soaked. The two hour drive home with wet cardboard boxes, tarps, tent walls and tablecloths was fun. My car smells like monkey butt now, but everything has dried out nicely. Unfortunately a few tents got trashed (you can see the remains of one by the trash can). Everything was completely soaked. It was kind of refreshing once I just gave up and enjoyed the shower. Oh well, I was probably too dry earlier anyhow. It would have been nice to have a little help packing up once the rains stopped, but the volunteers were nowhere to be seen. No worries, eventually got loaded up and headed home.

Three Rivers Arts Festival

Ok, enough rejection, here is a show that I actually got into. The Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh, PA. It was amazing! I did the three-day session in the park. It was busy all three days, most times there was a line outside of my tent. I originally wanted to do the five-day session in the plaza, but since I sold out of everything by the end of day three, it's probably best I did not! The weather was hot, but luckily no rain. There were bands playing in the park during the show, but I never felt the sound was overwhelming. I made enough money be happy for quite a while - more than I have every made at any three day show. My brother lives in a condo adjacent to the park which was awesome because it meant port-a-potties could be avoided. Oh how I hate port-a-potties. Luckily I brought a friend to assist at the show as I would have been overwhelmed in the first hour. I promised her 10% of the profits - never suspecting I would sell everything I owned. Needless to say, my assistant was incrediby well-compensated for her three days of work. My brother and his wife even got put to work for a few hours. Definitely the most successful show I have ever had!

This was one of the slower times:

Every single watch sold by Sunday night!

View from the 23rd floor of my brother's condo:

The tan short tent is mine. Well nowhere on the website or show materials did it say a white tent, it said a tent with wind vents. My tan tent had wind vents. However I was the only non-white tent in a sea of white. I looked like a freckle. Oh well, I was easy to find - just look for the brown tent:

Friday morning before the show officially started: