Native

Gems + Gold

Yesterday, I went to the Gem Faire for a few hours and picked up some restock of some of the beads I use regularly.  I also got a few new things, like these African style beads that I'm currently really loving. The fellow selling them, Haji, was super nice too and I'll definitely visit his booth again next time.  I also picked up some crystals to use for display at the Mineral and Matter pop up in a few weeks.  I'll put up pictures of them once I can take some outside, my little photo tent isn't doing justice to the shimmering and sparkling of the gorgeous gems.  I've always loved collecting rocks (remember our anniversary rock hounding trip?)  and now, I think it's turning into a full on hobby.  I wanted to buy so many mineral specimens and even tried to haggle a guy down in price on one particular amethyst piece.  Plus, I hardly watch tv anymore but I did finish up the Bering Sea Gold series tonight (go Sluicey!) plus James and I are in talks of getting a metal detector with our little tax refund when it comes.  We also signed up for the Utah Gold Prospectors Club at the Gem Faire after talking to the VP of the club for awhile.  He even has his own diving dredge that he uses on rivers here locally.  I'm seriously excited to attend our first meeting next month!

Shop Update

I have updated my shop tonight with a bunch of jewelry and a few new colors of arrows.  I currently love wearing this simple, long, horn necklace with pretty much any tshirt and the peaches arrows are my new favorite.  I also have a sale going on right now on GroopDealz for the simple chevron necklace.  Take a peak here, it's 50% off for the next two days!

Sneak Peak

I've been working on a new collection of jewelry, all in ceramic and here's a sneak peak at it!  I originally wanted to make an arrowhead necklace out of an arrowhead that I found while on a camping trip in Montana with my grandparents.  I found it in the parking lot of these health mines that we were visiting and I still remember how proud my grandpa was when I found it.  He made me show it off to everyone we came across.   I saved it for the longest time in my keepsake box but I've searched everywhere for it and somehow between my last 5 moves, two of them being cross country, I seem to have lost it.  So, these arrowheads aren't the original, but the long one is from an antique store and the fat one is from a trading post here in SLC, made by a local Navajo gentlemen.  The rest of the collection is Southwest inspired and I'm really loving the colors so far.  Hopefully the first batch will be in the shop before the end of March!

Beehive Bazaar Recap

Beehive Bazaar was full of great work from all the local artists and it turned out to be my most successful show yet.  My booth is shown above with some new vintage shield and sunflower bobby pins and vintage glass earrings.  I also added the leather bracelets in more colors and had several brass vintage pieces that all sold quickly.  I'll definitely be collecting more vintage goods for the next show! 

I love the striped bows by Wendy and Peter but by the time I got around to doing my trading at the end, they were all gone!  Voila Press came up with some lovely new packaging and fashionable bowties that were certainly a big hit.  Beehive Babies has some well crafted cloth diapers in cute prints and my friend's little Veronica will be getting one from me later this week.  Paperclip Studio had some great jewelry and these super comfy jersey headbands.  I picked up one for me and one for my little sis. 

Annily Green had this beautiful quilted art work (and her blog has had several great quilt posts lately!)  Candy Clouds Company had yummy flavors like lime and coconut.  My family used to run a sno-shack with a cotton candy machine, so I'm all too familiar with the sugary treats!  I think it's a great idea to use them for a party this summer.  Next up is the colorful jewerly from Paperclip Studio, I took home the green braided leather piece on the end and a nice green and red necklace. Great color combinations!  This painted lion was from The Twisted Sistas and I loved the idea of growing your herbs in a windowsill garden zoo!

Lady Hue was the booth to my left and I loved her set up, vintage typewriter and all.  Voila Press was to my right and Colt's paper dolls are so, so darling!  Sycamore Street Press had all their prints and cards on sale so I hope you stocked up!  Potter Press had three prints that James and I loved but in the end, the kitty in the city got to come home with us, can't wait to get it up on the wall!

Thanks to everyone that came out to shop and an extra thanks to Noelle, Molly and Duane for putting it all together once again! 

Beehive Bazaar

 

I and many other talented vendors will be participating in the Beehive Bazaar this weekend.  Stop by for some shopping and Mother's Day gifts!  I'll try to put up some sneak peeks of my new stuff tomorrow.

Late Bloomers

Here's some pictures of my booth from the Tulip Festival this past weekend.  The event was a bust, but you have to try it to know I guess.  Only about 30% of the tulips were in bloom and I think that kept many people away waiting for next weekend.  Then there was the weather.  It was so cold!  Not gloves and hats cold, but too cold to stand outside in a shaded tent all day, that's for sure.  Luckily, I was able to work on jewelry while sitting there so it wasn't completely wasted time and I may end up with a wholesale account.  Plus, I had a fantastic booth neighbor, Amy of Hayden J bags.  I do wish I had purchased a Stroopwaffel or two and gotten a picture of that cute little wooden windmill, but the cold numbed my brain and I forgot all about them until I was on the way home in my heated car.  Next time, I'll go as a patron of the flowers and a devourer of Dutch sweets and thoroughly enjoy myself!  

White Elephant

 
The always lovely boutique, White Elephant, recently received some of my arrows and they just put up pictures of them out on the shop floor!  I hope to visit it is person sometime, but for now, will continue to content myself with Hollie and Jane's blog, Love it A Lot and their new collaboration, Beehive Craft Collective.  Look around and enjoy yourself, and if you are near Toronto, make the short drive to Hamilton and browse through their well curated vintage wares and handmade goods!

Bijou Market Favorites

Clockwise from top left: green ombre bag by Freshly Picked (can't wait to pack mine full of summer necessities,) amazing dolls by Annily Green (the detailing - cuffed jeans with back pockets!)(photo from Freshly Picked*,)  headband by Wendy and Peter, patent leather wallet by Annily Green,  moccassins by Freshly Picked (my Cherokee roots are begging for a baby to put those on!)  houndstooth earrings by Made by Jewls (so nice to meet you, Julianne!) Rope Necklace by Jos B. Designs, vintage school lunch trays by Blue Door (my man was so excited when I came home with a set of these.) hand painted butter dishes by Vintage Oddity (love the one with blue and gray triangles! photo from Ardor*.)

My momentary reappearance and subsequent disappearance can in part be attributed to the Bijou Market that I just finished up with this weekend.  In the midst of three busy weeks at the daily job, packing, moving and trying to find things (not yet to the unpacking stage) I also made several new things for the show, had them covered in an inch of insulation (had I only known how messy that can be, I would have moved all my stuff before the installers came) and had to find time to dust them all off before trekking it down to Provo for the market.  

I love selling at shows, it's so worth it to be spending time with other artisans and seeing all the people shopping who appreciate and enjoy something that you made.  It's also nice to hear some critiques and compliments from fellow artisans and to be impressed by other people's creativity.   Bijou was so well organized and lovely things were everywhere!  A special thanks to Rashelle, Nicole and Emily for putting it on and to all the wonderful people that came by to shop!  I'm looking forward to Dutch Days in two weeks and Beehive Bazaar two weeks after that, there will be no end to making things for quite awhile!  Check back for peeks of some new stuff from me...just as soon as I finish clearing the dust and insulation from the photo area. 

*two highly important things I must not forget next time:  my business cards and my camera. 

Cephalopods, Mockingbirds and Cats

 
Front page of Etsy, thanks Paperdollaccessories!

Weekend projects

I made these little stamped note pads earlier this summer and have been giving them out with purchases.  I just ran out of them, so now I need to make some more.  I love how they look, but it's hard to get a good cover of color with the two methods I've been using.  However, I picked up a copy of Christine's book (the lovely designer behind Yellow Owl Workshop - cute cards, great necklaces!) Print Workshop, and after browsing through it, I can already tell that there are going to be some tips that I put to use right away!

I also spent part of tonight finally putting together a banner made from the scraps of wood left over when I make arrows.  This is still just a prototype, I can see a few changes that need to be made (like not breaking my needle threader and proceeding to spend 20 minutes trying to get 6 strands of thread through way too small of a needle hole.  Or like sticking to one color of thread instead of spending almost an hour peeling apart three different skeins of embroidery thread.  Or like drilling the holes bigger in the first place to avoid both of the above problems.  But I tend to do things the long way around, at least the first time.  Some might say I prefer the scenic route.) I think the banner is going in the right direction though, what do you think?