Rain in the forecast

The weather forecast around here is calling for cold and steady rain Saturday morning. I will not be at the South of the James market on Saturday October 26. I am also not at market day on Saturday November 1.

My next market day will be Saturday, November 8th, in time for Christmas shopping to start! Look for Christmas goodies....snowmen and snowwomen pendants and earrings, Christmas trees, mittens, and all kinds of winter and holiday items!

I am working on a line of other beaded products, like napkin rings and wine bottle stoppers, so hopefully I will have some of those, too, on the 8th.

As always, let me know if there is anything you would like before my next market day. I am taking limited custom orders before Christmas. My Etsy shop should be updated by the end of the weekend, too!

Update!

I know I've been slack about updating this blog....I've been busy making beads! Well, more or less. I did write a post for Watch Me Create, which is online here for the next little while, so go check that out if you haven't already.

It's difficult for me to start thinking about Christmas, what with Halloween and Thanksgiving not even over and done with yet, but such is the way of things in retail sales. I've been slooooowly starting in on Christmas stuff....random candy canes here, Christmas trees there, stuff like that. I still can't wrap my head around it yet, so it's been slow going. I'll get holiday goodies done in plenty of time for Santa's visit, though, so no worries.

My market schedule is getting firmed up for the next couple of months, though. Not getting into a holiday show bummed me out in a major way, but another jewelrymaker who has gorgeous stuff didn't get in either, so now I don't feel so bad about it. Here are my plans for those who want to know...

South of the James Market (Saturdays 8am to noon, Forest Hill Park)
October 11 (this date is tentative as of today), 18, 25
November 8 and 22
December 6

ArtWorks Gallery
Day After Thanksgiving Art Affair
November 28, 10am to 10pm

After all that, I'm planning on taking a break through at least February! Seriously, though, my work will be available through my Etsy shop pretty much from now til forever.

ANyway, that's the update from my end. Hope to see you out at the markets soon!

Rejected

Ok, so I won't be doing the Handmade Holiday show in Richmond this year. I guess there were 50 applicants for 23 spots, and 28 of the 50 were from jewelry people. Jewelry is tough -- it's competitive, as a lot of people make jewelry, and it's hard to stand out in a crowd. I'm sure my pictures were not that great, either, so that didn't help. It's hard to represent yourself in only three photographs. I'm sad that my lampwork was considered but not desired, but maybe some other opportunity will open up. I still have the South of the James market until at least the beginning of December, so that's something. I also could put a lot more time into the Etsy shop, so I guess that's what I'll do.

At the torch the other night, I made some more Halloween goodies....some dotty earrings, some bones, a cauldron bubbling with potion...and I also made some leaf beads which I may turn into a necklace, or I may just sell individually as pendants. I can't decide.

Barring terrible weather, I will be at the market this upcoming Saturday, so look for me and all my fun stuff this weekend!

Scheduling and shows

Hi everyone....just wanted to post quickly and let everyone know I won't be at the South of the James market this Saturday, 9/20. I'm planning a "studio day" to get more jewelry and beads made, and also going to check out a couple of art and craft shows this weekend. On Saturday, at Rockwood Park in Chesterfield county there is the Rainbow of Arts Festival, which looks like it will be a lot of fun. Sunday, I'm thinking I'll go over the the Arts Around the Lake show at the University of Richmond. I've heard that's a really nice show, too, so I'm going to check it out. You should, too!

Speaking of checking things out....look at this bracelet! It's going up on Etsy this morning, and there is only ONE of them, so if you love it, hop over to my Etsy shop!

Holy Hurricane!

Well, it looks like we might get at least the remnants of a hurricane this weekend. I probably will not be making it out to the market on Saturday, given the forecast for extremely heavy rain. It's just not that fun to shop outside for jewelry and glass when it's pouring down rain. I will, however, be at the market the next weekend, Saturday the 13th, and I will have a bunch of new beads and jewelry ready then. On tap for the market on the 13th....

A candy corn charm bracelet
a monster charm bracelet
glow in the dark ghost pendants and earrings
hollow vessel pendants -- perfect for a bit of cologne or essential oil
plenty of Halloween pendants -- pumpkins, bats, witch hats, other fun stuff
copper wire bracelets

As always, let me know if there is anything you'd like to see me try to make. I do take limited custom commissions, and I'm always willing to talk with you about your ideas.

Have a safe weekend, don't get too wet, and I will see you all next Saturday!

The weekly wrap-up

Another fantastic day at the South of the James market! Cupcakes were particularly popular today -- all of my earrings and pendants all found new homes! I got to chat with a lot of wonderful people today, explaining the process of lampworking and how the beads are made. Unfortunately, I neglected to bring my extra canister of torch fuel, so I wasn't able to do any demonstration. Next week, I'll remember to stick the spare canister in the car!

Lots of you had special requests and ideas for beads you'd like to see. I'll be working on those this week....some owls, turtles, more sweets, more rings, some mushrooms, and some other cool stuff I have in mind. Every week will bring more new glass goodies, so keep the ideas and suggestions coming!

In other news, I have submitted a piece of work to a local gallery that has monthly all-media art shows. This month's show is themed -- Cats and Dogs -- and I submitted a necklace "Pawprints On My Heart", shown at the top of this post. I'll find out Monday if it was accepted into the show, and then I'll let you all know where you can see it, if you like.

More later.

Market Reflections

First, thank you to all my new friends and clients from this past Saturday at the South of the James Market! It was fantastic to meet you all, and I was glad to see some repeat clients from the previous week! Yay for glass goodness and new fun things to wear!

My sweet husband surprised me by bringing our little kids to the market AND my camera, and he took some nice pictures for me. Here's a shot of the market booth. Yeah, that's me calling him to ask him to bring my vise grip pliers.


I sold a good number of pendants this week, so I will be making more in the workshop! In fact, I've got some in the kiln right now! Plus, I will be working on more food-themed beads for earrings and pendants....more sweets (sundaes, cupcakes, a wedding cake, some sushi), some more veggies (especially peas! So many of you loved my necklace that I will make more!), and some more animals (turtles, owls, penguins, a manatee).

In the works for the coming weeks will be more finished jewelry -- especially bracelets and rings -- and the start of the holiday-themed glass....Halloween isn't that far off, and neither is Christmas.

Several people asked about lampworking classes.....yes! I do teach! I don't have a dedicated teaching studio (yet!), but we can work something out as far as location. I prefer one-on-one lessons, but will teach a maximum of three at one time. The basic beginner's introduction to lampworking class runs about three to four hours, and I supply all tools and equipment. Contact me for more information and to set up your class!

As always, there's more to come in the weeks ahead. You'll want to stay tuned for the updates!