Art Gallery demo/new display colours

 

Sun Oct 3 I did a wire crochet demo at the art gallery. And got to test the new colour scheme for my display. In mini display form. I like the way that the colour turned out, everything stands out better than the black.

There weren't many people who came to look, but I sold earrings and a ring. and a well known local artist was interested in one of my older sets that I have always wondered why hadn't sold. However she didn't have her wallet along, sigh.

 At the time I was demoing there was a stained glass class happening, and the instructor ordered a set of tree ornaments based on a pendant I had crocheted. which lead to Laurie (education director) to suggest I join a few other artists in Nov to teach various ornament making. 5 people who came indicated that I should teach wire crochet. So, I am going to try to teach a class in 2011 sometime. EEK!! So much new stuff to try and do, and all of it at the same time, why can't new happen slowly? I don't like too much change... Taurus I suppose. Anyway it was a rather interesting day.

craft sales

On the 20th Elaine and I did a craft sale in the small community of Herbert, half an hours drive from Swift Current. It was a very well planned and advertised event, however there were too many things going on, and VERY few people showed up for it:(
I booked 2 tables and didn't make enough to cover even one table fee, which was cheap.


Then this past weekend (27th and 28th) we did the local Gun and Hobby show.Yeah it doesn't sound too good a place for crafters, but it's usually a really good show for me, lots of hunters wives and lady gun enthusiasts go. Day one was busier than i have ever seen this show! Tons of people. Didn't do the best I ever have but did well enough. Elizabeth from my Tuesday crafters group also had a table with her bags and antiques. actually all but 1 person from the group came to look about. A lot of the people I know came at some point. Day 2 not so much, still a lot of people came after the worlds womens curling closed ceremony, but not many shoppers. But I did hand out a lot of cards and there was one interested in hosting a home show. And funny enough even though I do this show and the fall one every year and have for the last 4 years there were peoiple who had never seen crocheted wire. Elaine had a wonderful show and got several people interested in taking her polymer clay class in April at the art gallery.



No other shows on the radar this spring, so I can chill and fill purse orders. I like doing shows/sales, but it's nice when they are over too. It does go by faster with a friend in the next booth though!

The Demo

Yesterday we did the usual go to church, and I sold a strawberry shortcake to a family who gets me to bake cakes for them at least once a month. Got a message this morning apparently their cousins who were at the party the cake was for wanted them to pass on their compliments. How nice is that? Makes a good start to the day I tell ya!
So after church we had a quick lunch and off I went to the art gallery to set up for my display and demo of wire crochet for a couple hours. It went really well, I had quite a few people come to look and ooh and ahh. Always flattering, even had a request for teaching a class! There was a pottery class in the next room, one of the students came out to get something saw my diplay and was quite impressed, a few minutes later the rest of the class all came out at her insistance to see the crocheted wire jewelry. The one lady wanted to buy a set but didn't have $ with her so I gave her a card and told her I'd be at the gun and hobby show the 27th and 28th. Laurie the amazing gallery education co-ordinator bought a set too, it suits her really well. She's the lady in the wine coloured shirt with the purple and green fluorite set.

And a set of ladies came in and bought some of my rings. I really wasn't thinking sales, so all this was an unexpected bonus, plus I get $50 for the demo. Elaine was there for a while and took a few pictures for me. She rocks, and her demo is next Sun so I'll have to return the favour and shoot a few pics. Crafty friends are the best aren't they?

zombie blog

I keep forgetting to post every day or week, and months later I am sitting here going "well lets revive this puppy" My poor dead blog must be a zombie all the times it's died.
So I have had a lot of interest in my work recently.
I am being featured in a blog on the 22nd and doing a give away from there:
http://naturemanipulated.blogspot.com/
There is a local shop called Eden's Apple and the owner saw me out with my pop tab purse and wants to make a whole sale purchase for her shop. I LOVE this shop it's full of funky cool stuff.
There is now a local crochet and knitters club in town, yay!!
the local art gallery is having me do a wire crochet demo this Sunday! Totally pumped there!
There is a local crafters club starting tomorrow and I volunteered to do a demo for the members once we get established enoguh to do them.
I have 2 craft sales this month as well.
Whew all of a sudden there's a lot on my creative plate!

Kaylen my 8 yr old went on air with her school for a major provincial fundraiser, so yesterday every TV station in the province showed the telethon. They even got to sing with original Sesame Streets Bob. Too bad none of the kids had a clue how cool all of us parents thought that was LOL.
I was so proud of her! She is NOT happy being on stage at all and this was a huge event. She did tell me that she will never perform again but wants to sing with the choir for practices only. This is odd to me as she is normally the wild and crazy extrovert. But maybe it's different at home... which is a good thing, wild and crazy at school can cause problems.
Anyway This should count as a revival, ad I am off to make biscuits to go with the ham and lentil with wildrice soup for supper.

DIY jewelry displays

I know I know it's been a very very long time since I last posted!

We are finally started on the addition for the house. We are adding a dining room and a small studio for me up stairs and 3 bedrooms to the basement. so the kids do not have a backyard this summer.

In some fabulous news.... I have 2 shops who want to carry my jewelry on consignment! I did have some in a small shop in Eastend, but the shop is closing this month, it was only open seasonally, and during odd hours. But a new place in Eastend is going to start this month, and I get a large portion of a room to display as i like. It's a antique and gift shop one one side and a snadwich shop on the other, so she gets both local folk and tourists, open year round. MUCH better!

The other spot is in a small community called Manitou Beach. My Daughter goes there every summer fot diabetes camp, and this time we went and looked into some of the local gift shops after dropping her off. well the woman running Blueskys and Dragonflies has a hand made gift shop, and her jewelry person is done this year and off to college. So she was looking for someone and wanted unique. I think my crocheted stuff fits unique :) She is only open 5 months of the year, May to Sept, BUT I get a 4 foot by 4 foot spot, and she charges $25 rent, and then 7% commission... hello doesn't get much better. So I have several months to get stocked for her.

Now with 2 shops and a whack load of craft shows comming up soon I need displays,( and a ton of stock) so i went to the local 2nd hand shops and the garage to get supplies to DIY it:

I might use these small shed antlers for rings. cost was a hike done previously, and serious washing. Oh and the rings shown were all done yesterday, that's right, I the silly, made 65 rings in a day. But at shows they sell faster than anything esp to little girls with a $5 bill to spend.

This is actually a coaster holder, but it works perfectly for cell phone charm display! ( good idea Elaine!) and so costly.... .25 cents

And this old CD rack is perfect as an earring rack, with 3 sides it can hold over 40 pair.I also bought a spice rack and used the spinner on the bottom of the earring rack. the spice rack was $1 and the CD rack $2. Now I just need to make earring cards..... later.

And this Earring rack is/was a lovely wire mesh garbage can I got at the dollar store for a dollar. I used a lazy susan I bought for $2 and sewed a burgundy liner to the top (bottom) so the earrings aren't lost in the mesh pattern.

And the rest of the spice rack? yeah well I took the uprights off, glued 2 together, and screwed them into the top of the old spice rack, then I cut a mop handle to size, and used more wood glue and 2 screws to secure them in the spice holes. Voila' bracelet rack. I am still looking for a base for the other 2 spice rack bits to attach to. I also picked up a half circle spoon rack that will make a lovely necklace rack and 2 vineish candelabra, the spoon rack was .50 cents and the candelabra were 10 cents each. I will need a can of spray paint to finish them. yup big spender I am! all this for under $10.
Tomorrow I MIGHT get the paint. And now for the dishes I neglected while assembling all this...

Moose Jaw

Yet another craft show has come and gone. And once again I take a loss, the other repeat vendors of this show say it's the worst they've ever seen it, attendance is low. Lotta people very interested in my craft and comments od "oh, really? Wow I've never heard of crocheting wire. I can barely crochet yarn, wow!" and then they look/ inspect half the table, call friends over to look, ooh and aahs and then they walk off. All of this is not making me confidant that i can make a go of a big show in Calgary coming up.
So, spendmore money I don't earn to buy another table, lighting, and such and plan to get fabric and props to up the ooh and aah value of my displays... am I crazed? likely. How long will Icontinue to pour money I don't have into this? can't say for sure. R says to keep trying next year as well. we shall see. I'm too stubborn to to just quit. plus what else am I gonna do with all this wire and beads?
But I did manage to do some great trades for Christmas gifts, including an autographed print from Glen Scrimshaw. It was a very warm and happy atmosphere, just no-one is feeling Christmasy yet coupled with the economy doesn't lend to a great selling show I guess.

So the next 2 weeks will be busy making stuff to fill the new tables and refiningmy displays!

Saskatoon Craft Show

Well I am back from the weekend show. I took a loss, which is sad, my first big show and all. However I am told by the other sellers who have done it before that this year had the worst attendance they've ever seen. I am told that usually it's so busy you don't get to sit down. I got to make a few things. I got great comments from the people who did come, pretty much no-one had ever heard of crocheting wire. A lot of, "hey whomever, you gotta come see this, this woman crochetes WIRE!" If i hadn't needed the sitter and travel expense, I would have barely made my expenses. But I only brought in enough to cover the booth fee and sitter. oh well let's hope the other shows work out better for me. I did have an interesting visitor, a very drunken woman who knocked my scarves over, grabbed at my bracelet display and generally scared me. She then went to the booth behind me and my neighbor and nearly fell through the curtain upsetting said neighbors display. Where was security? The other intersting note was that the other neighbors were from my home town, and her little brother was a rather nice boy I crushed on a little. You never know who you'll meet at these sales!
Got a few pics of my display here, note that I crocheted my sign too!