Kirkwood Spring Fling this Weekend

I am so excited to be participating for the first time in the Kirkwood Spring Fling.  It's a sweet community right in the heart of Atlanta. The show is THIS Saturday from 10-8PM. It's going to be a perfect show weekend weather-wise. Perfect.

I've boxed up lots of goodies, including a box of felted bird sculptures I found hiding in a vintage suitcase. Lawd...there is no telling what else I've been missing!

In addition, I've collected quite an assortment of art work and am offering deep discounts on some of my favorites. So if you've been wanting an original painting THIS weekend is the place to visit. I hope you'll come out, enjoy the live stage, the artisans and share the gorgeous spring weekend with me!  Woohooo art shows!

Sometimes I Like the Two Legged Kind

I just love the support I receive from my four legged fans, really I do.  But sometimes I like to have the support and comradeship of the two legged type. 

I met Jessica, Tiffin and Joyann at an art show last fall.....the one where it rained so hard it flooded Six Flags.  Any of you see that footage of Atlanta?  Well, let's just say that I am a firm believer that people are placed in your life for a reason, and that weekend these three ladies crossed my path for reasons much bigger than any little craft show could ever imagine.  We are a photographer, a jewelry artist, a vintage home goods creator (she's also the expert in graphic design), and a painter/jewelry maker.  On our own, we are three extremely confident women entrepreneurs with visions for our future.  Actually they are pretty lofty visions, and I love that!  We started meeting....not as regularly as we should we are also mothers, wives, and all work from home, but when we do meet it is always refreshing and informative.  The many angles we approach each subject give unique perspectives, with honest answers hitting the table well received.  

So I suggest if you are out there, feeling a little isolated, to reach out to some artists around you.  The next art show you participate, or even attend, ask where they are from.  Or do an etsy search by location and convo some of them.  And if it works out, set a once a month regularar meeting.  Tiffin is great about setting up the dates, times, and subjects for us.  That way we come to the meeting with all our questions for those topics and don't get too far off track.  I think if we put our heads together enough, we could write an AMAZING book on creative living.  We definitely cross the board on some many creative levels.  And aesthetically we are all very similar.  So girls....whatcha think about that idea?? 

Anyhoo.....I imagine we are all blogging tonight about today, so if you click on over to their sites you'll see we all are very excited about our little venture together.  Today we left with all trying to wrap our heads around participating in the Country Living Fair that's coming to Atlanta in October.  We all recognize it as an amazing opportunity for exposure, but the cost is more than a little intimidating!  We'll continue this discussion on at our next play date!  And maybe see you there........

May Day and Mailey

So here she is at "her first Art Show" (that's what it became once I said yep to her selling with me). When I got home from Wesleyan Saturday night we worked together on finishing up her little charms, adding sparkly beads, and placing them on the chains. And of course since it was going in my booth, it had to have a fabulous display stand. So we made a miniature version of my jewelry stands. Which worked great. She wanted them priced at $10 each and hoped to make $75.00. (math is not her strong suit)We got there early, I like to be first to this show, it gets you the best spot. After unloading and a yummy breakfast at the Blue Eyed Daisy, we set out to get our booth ready. And she was a trooper. The wind was knocking EVERYTHING down. I mean everything. It was terrible. Finally we had to literally tie everything down with rope. Even my mannequin had to be tied up to the tent. The wind was unbelievable all day. But it was a beautiful day, so we could handle the gusts of wind every once in awhile.

She made it until around 1pm, then called her Daddy to come get her. She was "bored". I wasn't of course. People to visit with, sales to make. And sales we had!! Mailey sold 8 necklaces (woohoo!) and I sold paintings and jewelry like crazy. In fact, this is a 4 hour event and our sales were about as good as the very slow 3 days at Wesleyan! People were in a spending mood! And I as happy to sell to them!

Here's my end booth. Love the end because you get them coming and going. Thousands of people came out for the day. It truly is a great event. Thanks you Serenbe!! And thanks to all of you who came out for the day.

By the way, remember my statement about the wind???? You see the bird head sculptures above? Yep. They all tasted the pavement. I nearly lost my cool. But what's an artist to do? I mean the hours I put into making those.....I'll never get that back. Fix them? I can't even look at them yet. I just may cry. For now they are in a box in the storage unit. I've way too much to do this week to worry myself. The Dunwoody Show is this weekend, and with the success of the past few days, I've got to turn to and replenish some stock! So back to the painting I go. Yipee!

I Will Not Run in Circles....I Will Not Run in Circles...

So this week I've felt a little like this: A caged critter, who likes to run in circles, hoard yummy treats in my mouth, and then sleep really hard at all hours of the day. Well.... I don't have quite the luxury of sleeping anytime like Etsy above, but man with my head and body spinning all day getting ready for shows I have been getting some lovely slumber at night! Here's a peek at what is still to come for the first in my series of Holiday Shows starting this weekend. I finally have a vision for ornaments....using lots of glitter and little birds of course!

And then there are the yarn and felt projects that will have complimentary real fur. I can not seem to get her out of my project bins these days! I wonder what she'll do once all the projects are done and out of the baskets? So what's still yet to do you ask? Well, there is printing more coasters and packaging them, making new signage for everything (Christmasy for sure!), pendants need bails and packaging, all ornaments are still in pieces, 3 yarny wreaths to embellish, earrings to package, one angel to sand and paint, one Santa to hookup to his sleigh, and oh so much more. And last minute is not my way, off I go to get one last item done before hitting the hay! Have sweet slumber wherever you are!

I Love Show Weekends!!

So this now marks my first full year of road shows. And I love them. Really. The planning, preparing, setting up. Seriously, I love it. It's hard work I tell you, and I really have to depend on great friends and sweet family, but it is worth it! Here's a picture from the last show I participated in the spring: Yep. I am all about the "Whole look". And man have I gone bonkers with my "new look". So the unveiling will be.........

THIS WEEKEND!!! I hope you can find an hour or two to come by and say howdy. Because I want to see all those familiar faces. Here are the details:

WHAT: Shakerag Festival

WHERE: Peachtree City, GA

WHEN: Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 12-5

Can't wait. I won't sleep a wink. Oh, and tonight I'll be hanging with Valerie at The Vintage-Flea for Artwalk. So come there too!!

Where Have you Been this Week?

I just realized that my last blog posting was Monday. Tisk..tisk. I love to blog alot usually. SO... where have I been this week? OH YEAH, Art Walk is next Friday night, September 18th, in Downtown Newnan. I'll be one of the artists on display at the fabulous Vintage-Flea. So I've been painting a lot. But there's more, I temporarily lost my sanity and decided to do a two day show September 19th and 20th in Peactree City. It's called Shakerag Festival. A super fun little show. I'll give location to that next week. For now, I am trying to doggy paddle my way through the new paintings, and get all my printed products ready. So why are you rambling about all this you say? Well, it's just my way of saying I may be absent a bit from blogging......I just may be on an island for the next week. I am not a last minute or under pressure person. So off to rework the SMART goals. They will need to be less SMART and more get it done goals. Here's a sneaky peaky at my new look for you. I am working on more collage and acrylic on canvas. I also tried one today with collage, acrylic and texture. Ooooo...I am liking it. Hope you've all had a great week!

Greenery With Style

I love fresh greenery at Christmas. The smell.....ummmm.....Since we use a fake tree these days, using some live greenery around the house always brings me back to the real smell of Christmas. You know what I mean? What does Christmas smell like to you? If I could bottle it up, it'd be the tree smell. Yep. And right now, my car smells like that. Ahhhh....

So here are my cone baskets all decked out for the holidays. Perfect for door decorations, door knobs, or fence posts like I have here. They are sure to make the recipient smile. Each one is unique with embellishments and is brimming with tree clippings from a local tree farm and my first Christmas tree with Billy. You see, the first tree we had was real and in a pot standing about 5' tall. After the New Year we planted it. 13 years later it is ginormous! Seriously, ginormous (Mailey's favorite word to use). We've had to stake it to the ground to keep it from falling over. So hopefully a little bit of this tree from our loving home will bring you luck during the coming year.

Be sure to stop by and say "Hello" if you make it to Braelinn or Serenbe this weekend! I'm packed and ready to go right now!