I'll be delivering it on Sunday, so farewell my lovely...
copyright 2010 Shibori Girl
Showing posts with label shows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shows. Show all posts
Thursday, March 31, 2011
I'm In!
I just got word yesterday that "Jewels For Sheherazade" was accepted to the NC Museum of Art's silent auction.
I'll be delivering it on Sunday, so farewell my lovely...
copyright 2010 Shibori Girl
I'll be delivering it on Sunday, so farewell my lovely...
copyright 2010 Shibori Girl
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Final Preparations
When I wrote this post about my museum competition piece, I mentioned my plan to make a box for presentation. I've been mulling over different ways to do this.
My super-crafty best friend had a number of great ideas and loaned me a book titled, "Crafting Personal Shrines" by Carol Owen. Surprise, surprise: Carol is an old acquaintance from my association with a local craft co-op! All sorts of people are going to have a hand in this fabulous piece of mine. In this book, Carol demonstrates the best way to treat foamcore to prevent the warping that occurs over time.
My initial thought was to make a box, from scratch, using foamcore. But, the weight of the collar made me worry the box wouldn't be strong enough to hold up. I decided to start with a ready-made white cardboard mailing box from Staples, and embellished it with some gorgeous marbled rice paper from my local studio supply shop. I used a solid colored rice paper in a nice deep burgundy to line the inside of the box, as well as reinforcing the outside corners.
To showcase the piece inside the box, I used foamcore as a slanted surface, inserted a column of mat board where the neck area would lie, and draped the whole thing with kiwi green silk velvet.
Hazzah!
My jury photo and artist statement have been uploaded, and now it's in the hands of the powers-that-be. I'll find out around the end of the month whether I was accepted or not. Either way, I'm very proud of what I've done here.
copyright 2010 Shibori Girl
My super-crafty best friend had a number of great ideas and loaned me a book titled, "Crafting Personal Shrines" by Carol Owen. Surprise, surprise: Carol is an old acquaintance from my association with a local craft co-op! All sorts of people are going to have a hand in this fabulous piece of mine. In this book, Carol demonstrates the best way to treat foamcore to prevent the warping that occurs over time.
My initial thought was to make a box, from scratch, using foamcore. But, the weight of the collar made me worry the box wouldn't be strong enough to hold up. I decided to start with a ready-made white cardboard mailing box from Staples, and embellished it with some gorgeous marbled rice paper from my local studio supply shop. I used a solid colored rice paper in a nice deep burgundy to line the inside of the box, as well as reinforcing the outside corners.
To showcase the piece inside the box, I used foamcore as a slanted surface, inserted a column of mat board where the neck area would lie, and draped the whole thing with kiwi green silk velvet.
Hazzah!
My jury photo and artist statement have been uploaded, and now it's in the hands of the powers-that-be. I'll find out around the end of the month whether I was accepted or not. Either way, I'm very proud of what I've done here.
copyright 2010 Shibori Girl
Friday, January 14, 2011
Professional Photography
Last November, my friend and mentor-supreme, Lorin Fields, assisted in my booth during our local annual Alternative Gift Market. She wished I had a display print showing a comely lass wearing one of my pieces. During lulls she also worked on me to consider entering high-end craft shows, specifically the Piedmont Craftsmen Guild show in November.
Both of these issues require better photography skills than I've achieved so far. Lorin, in her mentor capacity, arranged for me to tag onto a photo shoot she already had scheduled for last Saturday at her church. The photographer, Seth Tice-Lewis, is well-known in our area and came highly recommended by Lorin, who has worked with him several times in the past year, as well as by other artists. The model, Angie, is a friend of Lorin's from church.
Keep in mind, each piece entered in a portfolio only gets seen for a few seconds and needs to make an instant impact on the jury. Lorin came by my house a few days before the shoot to help pick out 10 of my strongest pieces, and to figure out what Angie needed to wear to show them off.
The day of the shoot, I arrived at the church and tried to stay out of the way as Seth and Lorin got to work.
This group has wonderful energy. Before her first shoot with Lorin, Angie went online to research modeling poses. Then she practiced in front of a mirror until it came naturally. In this picture, she's goofing a little bit:
Here, we've set up the pose for one of my bracelets:
The result:
Angie wanted to try a more natural hand position for the next bracelet:
Wonderful!
I think I've got my display print in this one:
copyright 2011 Shibori Girl
Both of these issues require better photography skills than I've achieved so far. Lorin, in her mentor capacity, arranged for me to tag onto a photo shoot she already had scheduled for last Saturday at her church. The photographer, Seth Tice-Lewis, is well-known in our area and came highly recommended by Lorin, who has worked with him several times in the past year, as well as by other artists. The model, Angie, is a friend of Lorin's from church.
Keep in mind, each piece entered in a portfolio only gets seen for a few seconds and needs to make an instant impact on the jury. Lorin came by my house a few days before the shoot to help pick out 10 of my strongest pieces, and to figure out what Angie needed to wear to show them off.
The day of the shoot, I arrived at the church and tried to stay out of the way as Seth and Lorin got to work.
This group has wonderful energy. Before her first shoot with Lorin, Angie went online to research modeling poses. Then she practiced in front of a mirror until it came naturally. In this picture, she's goofing a little bit:
Here, we've set up the pose for one of my bracelets:
The result:
Angie wanted to try a more natural hand position for the next bracelet:
Wonderful!
I think I've got my display print in this one:
When choosing a photographer, ask for recommendations, and look at samples of their work. Keep in mind fees are handled very differently amongst them: some charge by the roll of film, others charge a large set-up fee, others charge by the shot. Choose what works for you and get the best you can afford. The better your work looks, the more likely people will want to buy.
copyright 2011 Shibori Girl
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Th-th-th-that's All Folks!
The craft show I've been preparing for madly is over and done. Turnout was light, as were sales. I think the problem was two-pronged: 1) the economy is still pretty shaky, and 2) I focused on having a high-end product at a low-end show. My clay work received a lot of attention and admiration, but I only sold three very small pieces. Most sales were earrings I'd marked down to bargain bin prices and small necklaces under $30. Lesson learned.
My booth helper on Sunday was friend and mentor, Lorin Fields. My association with her over the past 10 years has been an adventure. She was the person who taught me to dye fabric, and she was instrumental in gearing me up to work craft shows.
This weekend she talked me into applying to the Piedmont Craftsmen Show in Winston-Salem, NC for next year. It's only 80 miles from home, and it's 12 months away, which gives me LOTS of time to work out a full 10x10 foot booth setup and make up some more show pieces. Yes, I decided to put this beauty up for sale.
In the meantime, I've got lots of leftover stock to fill up my shop, so stay tuned for upcoming listings. Note: free shipping in the US and Canada until December 15! (shipping fees will be refunded through paypal after purchase).
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!
copyright 2010 Shibori Girl
My booth helper on Sunday was friend and mentor, Lorin Fields. My association with her over the past 10 years has been an adventure. She was the person who taught me to dye fabric, and she was instrumental in gearing me up to work craft shows.
This weekend she talked me into applying to the Piedmont Craftsmen Show in Winston-Salem, NC for next year. It's only 80 miles from home, and it's 12 months away, which gives me LOTS of time to work out a full 10x10 foot booth setup and make up some more show pieces. Yes, I decided to put this beauty up for sale.
In the meantime, I've got lots of leftover stock to fill up my shop, so stay tuned for upcoming listings. Note: free shipping in the US and Canada until December 15! (shipping fees will be refunded through paypal after purchase).
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!
copyright 2010 Shibori Girl
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Elegant Displays on a Zero Budget
Well, nearly zero. My booth design is finally ready for this weekend's show. I've tweaked and fussed, lost sleep, and worried, and now it's looking pretty good.
This was how it looked last year:
For the 2010 show, I've eliminated the grid cubes in the corner, and all the little picture frame displays for the smaller necklaces. They were ridiculously unstable and it was tricky to get the necklaces off them at the point of sale.
My conundrum this time was how do I display my new clay work? I've added brooches to my inventory, which I'd never had before. As well, I've got all these pretty little necklaces with chains that get tangled up with each other and knotted. I could lose sales while trying to sort that out.
I want displays that look elegant AND cost next to nothing to create. Always up for a challenge, I dusted off my mojo and got to work.
Take one ugly bulletin board from Staples ($20)
Sponge on some leftover paint ($0)
Fire up staple gun to tack down a velvet remnant from a friend's stash ($0)
Cover the staples with a ribbon ($0.75)
"Voila!" A boho-chic display board.
This board will go where those grid cubes were in the previous photo, leaning against the wall.
After the board project was finished, I still had a small piece of the velvet. I'd picked up a drawer organizer several years ago at a yard sale for $2.00. The gorgeous cherry wood is in new condition! I cut foamcore to fit the compartments and glued on the velvet. Wowzer! That's a display worthy of the bracelets I have ready to sell.
Now the only thing I need is customers. I have high hopes...
copyright 2010 Shibori Girl
This was how it looked last year:
For the 2010 show, I've eliminated the grid cubes in the corner, and all the little picture frame displays for the smaller necklaces. They were ridiculously unstable and it was tricky to get the necklaces off them at the point of sale.
My conundrum this time was how do I display my new clay work? I've added brooches to my inventory, which I'd never had before. As well, I've got all these pretty little necklaces with chains that get tangled up with each other and knotted. I could lose sales while trying to sort that out.
I want displays that look elegant AND cost next to nothing to create. Always up for a challenge, I dusted off my mojo and got to work.
Take one ugly bulletin board from Staples ($20)
Sponge on some leftover paint ($0)
Fire up staple gun to tack down a velvet remnant from a friend's stash ($0)
Cover the staples with a ribbon ($0.75)
"Voila!" A boho-chic display board.
This board will go where those grid cubes were in the previous photo, leaning against the wall.
After the board project was finished, I still had a small piece of the velvet. I'd picked up a drawer organizer several years ago at a yard sale for $2.00. The gorgeous cherry wood is in new condition! I cut foamcore to fit the compartments and glued on the velvet. Wowzer! That's a display worthy of the bracelets I have ready to sell.
Now the only thing I need is customers. I have high hopes...
copyright 2010 Shibori Girl
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Sparkles and Texture Galore
My time has been divided between beadweaving more sparkly goodness and tweaking my booth design for the show, which is less than TWO WEEKS AWAY!
My work modus operandi is to start a piece without a plan, then to run out of a specific bead. The piece takes up residence in the Closet of Abandonment, and I forget to order more of that-thing-I-ran-out-of. The result of this behavior: my project graveyard is full. Last week, I bit the bullet and placed a massive order with Fire Mountain Gems. The box arrived over the weekend and I knuckled down to finish some pieces.
I now have two very beautiful bracelets finished and listed for sale in my shop.
The rest of this week will be devoted to booth design. This is the first time I'll be showing my polymer clay pieces and they present some display issues. Like, what's the best way to display brooches?
copyright 2010 Shibori Girl
My work modus operandi is to start a piece without a plan, then to run out of a specific bead. The piece takes up residence in the Closet of Abandonment, and I forget to order more of that-thing-I-ran-out-of. The result of this behavior: my project graveyard is full. Last week, I bit the bullet and placed a massive order with Fire Mountain Gems. The box arrived over the weekend and I knuckled down to finish some pieces.
I now have two very beautiful bracelets finished and listed for sale in my shop.
The rest of this week will be devoted to booth design. This is the first time I'll be showing my polymer clay pieces and they present some display issues. Like, what's the best way to display brooches?
copyright 2010 Shibori Girl
Sunday, October 17, 2010
The Total Package
I'm slated to do the Alternative Christmas Market show again at the United Church of Chapel Hill. The dates are November 20-21. If you are in the Raleigh-Durham area, I'd love for you to stop in and say, "Hey!". This will be my third consecutive year of participation in this event, and each year I try to spiff up my image a bit.
This time, it's business cards and packaging. I researched online regarding business card design for jewelry artists. All the advice said it was imperative to have a color picture of your work somewhere on your card. Otherwise, the card is simply a waste of paper. People need to have a picture to remind them of why they took your card in the first place.
This weekend I ditched my black-and-white, text only, business card model and went whole hog. Did you know that your local Staples copy center can do a bang-up job of printing business cards? I went with a larger quantity to bring the cost-per-card down significantly, and I also uploaded an image of my own design. For a nominal extra charge I opted for their premium card stock, and I have to say, the final results pretty much knocked my socks off.
For years I've wanted to offer some form of gift packaging at shows. I found some reasonably priced pillow boxes in two sizes, and made up some pretty labels. I've got LOADS of wired ribbons left over from my ribbon flower-making period. I've precut them to fit the two sizes of boxes, and I think the final result is very appealing.
Now all I need is the customers! :)
If you have any other ideas for presentation, I'd love to hear them.
copyright 2010 Shibori Girl
This time, it's business cards and packaging. I researched online regarding business card design for jewelry artists. All the advice said it was imperative to have a color picture of your work somewhere on your card. Otherwise, the card is simply a waste of paper. People need to have a picture to remind them of why they took your card in the first place.
This weekend I ditched my black-and-white, text only, business card model and went whole hog. Did you know that your local Staples copy center can do a bang-up job of printing business cards? I went with a larger quantity to bring the cost-per-card down significantly, and I also uploaded an image of my own design. For a nominal extra charge I opted for their premium card stock, and I have to say, the final results pretty much knocked my socks off.
~~~
For years I've wanted to offer some form of gift packaging at shows. I found some reasonably priced pillow boxes in two sizes, and made up some pretty labels. I've got LOADS of wired ribbons left over from my ribbon flower-making period. I've precut them to fit the two sizes of boxes, and I think the final result is very appealing.
Now all I need is the customers! :)
If you have any other ideas for presentation, I'd love to hear them.
copyright 2010 Shibori Girl
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Fall is in the Air
The days are getting shorter, the sun is lower in the sky, and squash is in season at the Farmer's Market.
I roasted a funky looking squash (can't remember the name... sorry) - the farmer told me it would be a good pumpkin-like flavor. It is. To mark the onset of Fall, I made pumpkin pancakes this morning.
What a fabulous recipe! You can find the recipe at my cooking blog.
copyright 2010 Shibori Girl
I roasted a funky looking squash (can't remember the name... sorry) - the farmer told me it would be a good pumpkin-like flavor. It is. To mark the onset of Fall, I made pumpkin pancakes this morning.
What a fabulous recipe! You can find the recipe at my cooking blog.
~~~
In other news, I'm slated to participate in our local church's Alternative Gift Market again this Thanksgiving (I'll be the one with all the jewelry! :) . I'm SO looking forward to this event. People come ready to buy, as the proceeds go to charity, and I really enjoy representing my work personally to the customers. I'll post more about it as we get closer. The dates are November 20-21, if you happen to be in the Chapel Hill-Durham-Raleigh area.copyright 2010 Shibori Girl
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Renewed Energy, New Work
After the church Art For a Cause show last month, I've been flying high on the success I enjoyed during the short seven hours the show took place. I spent the week before the show tweaking my booth design and I think it turned out pretty darned great.
Right after the show, Marble Man and I headed up North for Thanksgiving, and a buying spree at my favorite bead shop. This shop is down the road from my mother's house, and I had the proceeds from the craft show burning a hole in my pocket. I just HAD to go.
While Marble Man resisted the urge to ask, "Do you REALLY need those?", I wandered through the store, which displays finished pieces next to the bead bins, guaranteeing sales. I picked up tubes and tubes of tiny little seed beads in sumptuous colors, Czech crystals in colors I'd never seen anywhere else, as well as some patterns for new bead creations.
My favorite so far is "Encased Crystal Beads" - a new version of the beaded bead. As I forked over the cash for the instructions, the saleswoman warned me these beads are highly addictive, and boy was she right!
I started out following the directions to the letter, and while the results are stunning, I decided to play with bead shape, size, and composition.
I have several types of rondelles (flat, round beads) in crystal and stone. I used some of these as the core beads and found the resulting saucer-like shape quite pleasing. Varying the size of the core beads allowed for a larger central bead in the finished bead strand.
For sure, I'm addicted. These beaded beads are really fast to make, and that quick fix keeps me going bead after bead.
I've got three new necklaces listed for sale in my Esty shop:
They also only tell me that content has been copied, but not where it's winding up or how it's being used. So far, they tracked 20 images copied from my site, as well as one entire post! As a result, I've started adding a signature to my pictures, but I'm not happy about it. I could use some really honest feedback about how you like the signatures. Are they intrusive, or are you able to see past them? Do you have any alternate suggestions for what I can do?
Thanks!
copyright 2009 Shibori Girl
Right after the show, Marble Man and I headed up North for Thanksgiving, and a buying spree at my favorite bead shop. This shop is down the road from my mother's house, and I had the proceeds from the craft show burning a hole in my pocket. I just HAD to go.
While Marble Man resisted the urge to ask, "Do you REALLY need those?", I wandered through the store, which displays finished pieces next to the bead bins, guaranteeing sales. I picked up tubes and tubes of tiny little seed beads in sumptuous colors, Czech crystals in colors I'd never seen anywhere else, as well as some patterns for new bead creations.
Czech fire-polished crystals and faux pearls
My favorite so far is "Encased Crystal Beads" - a new version of the beaded bead. As I forked over the cash for the instructions, the saleswoman warned me these beads are highly addictive, and boy was she right!
Czech fire-polished crystals
I started out following the directions to the letter, and while the results are stunning, I decided to play with bead shape, size, and composition.
cherry quartz and rose quartz rondelles
I have several types of rondelles (flat, round beads) in crystal and stone. I used some of these as the core beads and found the resulting saucer-like shape quite pleasing. Varying the size of the core beads allowed for a larger central bead in the finished bead strand.
Two sizes of agate rondelles give the beads a smooth earthy look; crystals added to the sides lend sparkle.
For sure, I'm addicted. These beaded beads are really fast to make, and that quick fix keeps me going bead after bead.
I've got three new necklaces listed for sale in my Esty shop:
Click the above pictures to see individual listings.
~~~
And now a question for those of you who've had pictures lifted from your blog posts. A while ago I signed up for Tynt Insight, which is a blog service to track when blog content is copied. In many cases, they are able to insert a credit and a link back to the original blog in the place my content is copied to, but sometimes they can't.They also only tell me that content has been copied, but not where it's winding up or how it's being used. So far, they tracked 20 images copied from my site, as well as one entire post! As a result, I've started adding a signature to my pictures, but I'm not happy about it. I could use some really honest feedback about how you like the signatures. Are they intrusive, or are you able to see past them? Do you have any alternate suggestions for what I can do?
Thanks!
copyright 2009 Shibori Girl
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Testing, Testing: One, Two... Three
I just couldn't help it. I had to practice setting up my booth and tweaking last year's design. I've been negotiating with this year's coordinator for more space than just the 30" x 72" table they will provide. It's been tough to do without sounding greedy.
This year, I have a second, 4-foot, table to form an "L" which will help a LOT. And they've generously let me claim a corner space so I have two walls I can use. Sweet!
Set-up is this Friday and sales begin Saturday, bright and early, at 9 AM. Stop by if you're in the area!
United Church of Chapel Hill
1321 Martin Luther King, Jr Blvd
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
919-942-3540
www.unitedchurch.org
copyright 2009 Shibori Girl
This year, I have a second, 4-foot, table to form an "L" which will help a LOT. And they've generously let me claim a corner space so I have two walls I can use. Sweet!
Set-up is this Friday and sales begin Saturday, bright and early, at 9 AM. Stop by if you're in the area!
Art For A Cause
UCCH Alternative Gift Market
November 21, 2009 (9am-1pm)
November 22, 2009 (10am-1pm)
UCCH Alternative Gift Market
November 21, 2009 (9am-1pm)
November 22, 2009 (10am-1pm)
United Church of Chapel Hill
1321 Martin Luther King, Jr Blvd
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
919-942-3540
www.unitedchurch.org
copyright 2009 Shibori Girl
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Materials That Inspire
Last year, I discovered some beautiful acrylic flower beads that several shops sell on Etsy.com.
They lend a sense of fun and romance to any design and, until last week, I've used them exclusively in earrings. I listed several new pairs last week which garnered rave revues.
A friend mentioned that she doesn't have pierced ears, but she really liked the flower earrings. I worked up a design for a necklace featuring these lovely beads.
These are so much fun to make...
I really enjoy wire wrapping - it puts me in a zen-like mood, and the results are delicate and airy.
This month I stocked up on some new brass findings for experimenting. I like using the filigree stampings,
but these simple circles have lots of potential.
I'm well stocked for the upcoming show in two weeks. I'm not usually this well prepared for a show this early and I had an attack of nerves last night: lying awake until 3 AM, my brain churning away, and feeling like I've forgotten something important. I sure do hope I figure it out soon!
copyright 2009 Shibori Girl
They lend a sense of fun and romance to any design and, until last week, I've used them exclusively in earrings. I listed several new pairs last week which garnered rave revues.
A friend mentioned that she doesn't have pierced ears, but she really liked the flower earrings. I worked up a design for a necklace featuring these lovely beads.
These are so much fun to make...
I really enjoy wire wrapping - it puts me in a zen-like mood, and the results are delicate and airy.
This month I stocked up on some new brass findings for experimenting. I like using the filigree stampings,
but these simple circles have lots of potential.
copyright 2009 Shibori Girl
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