Weekly update. . .May

It has been a busy week, some things got done but some didn't. 😏 That's life, I set goals and make lists and then struggle to get as much done as I can before time runs out. 😅 Normally I'd be all for the "there is always next week" approach but I'll be spending next week packing and event prepping not actually making and creating.  

It is literally a day at the park, so I have to take the tent and probably the walls, although it will be my first event using my new banner 😁 so that is exciting. I have made progress on the restocking, multiple bracelets finished, a new pendant, I need to tag the new trees, but I'll do that as I pack them up. I have also been working on some art that is not finished but will be pretty cool when it is finished. (I hope)

I do love my multi-medium pieces. I debated for over a week while painting this, if it should have wire tree(s) or ribbon embroidery, I am currently leaning towards trees as you can see. 😇 But I might go completely crazy before it's done and do both ya' never know.  I have not made any progress on selecting art and framing for the fall art show, well that's not entirely true I have a mental list of things I am fairly sure I want to frame, but no physical activity has occurred yet. 😅 I need clear bench space to frame things and the bench is more than a little occupied at the moment. 

The good news is that a lot of that will get packed for the show, all the rings will go in the tools & supplies tote (in case of adjustments) all the rubber bracelets will get packed for the display, along with the stacks of fidgets. So, by the end of the week, I'll have a clear bench for a possible photo shoot of art and next week I'll start off with a clear bench and can hopefully get some framing done. 😎

Weekly update. . .Next!

I'm feeling pretty good about this past week, I have accomplished several things. Ok, so technically I ordered the banner before this week, but it arrived this week.  I am thrilled with how it turned out and I think it looks great hanging up, even over the window when backlit it still looks cool and is readable. 😁 This is a huge yay! and was its' own important test because I have been thinking of all the ways I can use it and one of them was as a partial backwall in the tent, which means it may at times have sun shining through it. So, the fact that it is a good sunblock while looking virtually lit-up is pretty cool, I had not anticipated that but it's working for me. 😎 

There are only 2 weeks before my upcoming event, which will be outdoors at a park using the pop-up tent and my new banner. It is a local event and mostly unrestricted, so I can take all my stuff and my husband's 3-D printed stuff too. 😇 I have been working on making "stuff and things", including the new wire trees I made for the #goimagine maker challenge and some other stuff I am still not publishing, yet. I plan to have a full re-stock of the rubber bracelets and hopefully will be back to full pages in the "Book of  mini Trees".  

While I am glad this thing is finished, I have to admit I'm not really happy with it. I struggled making it, it was as if the wire was fighting me every inch. I'm not thrilled with the leaf placements, the nest is not where I wanted it, it is a disappointment to me. I'm sure other people will like it fine it's just not what I envisioned. 😏 I do love the blue butterfly version, although, I seriously doubt I have any chance in the maker challenge contest because, well crappy photos. 😒 

Part of me is just happy I managed to finish both in time to get them entered. 😅 It was a cloudy day when I shot the photos, I'm not sure when judging is happening, maybe I can shoot new photos and update the listings before then. Lucky for me the next maker challenge prompt is something I already had, so I have already submitted an entry for "Gradients & Grids" 

Weekly update. . .postponed

As much as I plan and plan, sometimes things just don't go according to the plan. 😏 I haven't been feeling 100% a couple of days this week, so the second wire tree for the #makerchallenge is still not finished. I know I'm not alone in this, everyone has issues sometimes that is why I got an email notifying me the June event has lost the date with the venue and is being moved, postponed.  😐 It's ok, the May event is still happening, and I'll just have to look for other options for June, July, August. Ideally, I'd like to have one event a month, but I'm not sure that is going to work out.  😅 

I am going to work on this today.  I really need to finish it so I can have that end of the bench cleared to set up and shoot the photos of both trees so I can create the listings and submit them. 

However, I am currently delayed from working on that tree because I had an order come thru one of the online shops last night, and of course they ordered a color that I don't have already made. 😅 I keep meaning to re-stock the rubber bracelets, but it seems no matter which colors I make they always order one I don't have ready.  It's ok, it is just a small rubber helms bracelet I can whip it up today and ship it out tomorrow, but that is a couple hours of not working on the wire tree. 😏 

 

The other box with the rest of the frames arrived the other day and looking at the dented and ripped box I was initially very concerned, but thanks to the foam and bubble wrap packaging inside the frames themselves are undamaged. 😌 

So now I get to go through the process of selecting which of the 150+ paintings actually get one of the 22 frames. 😶 But right now I have to go get busy on a bracelet. 😉

Weekly update. . .big plans

I have multiple events on the schedule now, nice and spaced out so far.  I ordered a Big fancy professional banner and it should be here before my next event next month. 😉 Technically, the next event is just under a month away, but it is a "hometown" event so no travel, low stress event, it is literally a day at the park.  😎

I am still working on the restocking. . . making more rubber bracelets, making more small trees, making more fidget blocks. 😅 Ok so my husband prints the fidget blocks and I'm kinda focused on my #makerchallenge entries first, but I have weeks to prepare. As long as the kitten isn't too distracting or destructive I should be able to get plenty of new stuff done, of course he is yowling his way around the house being rotten right now so. . . 😂 The good news is I have 1 of my 2 #makerchallenge entries finished already I just need to photograph and list it so I can officially submit it.

I know, not the best photo, they never really look good laying on the banged-up bench 😏 but trust me with 5 colors of wire, 3 sizes of Swarovski crystal beads and 8 butterflies it is very pretty 😇

The next one will be very different, not just birds instead of butterflies, not just green instead of blue wire, but with the bird's nest and dangly leaves a completely different look. Also, because I am crazy and easily distracted a whole new idea hijacked my brain yesterday and is in mid test on my bench. 😅 Probably not the best timing or wisest idea but if it works it will be amazing, no photos yet.  I am taking "work in progress" photos but I will not post about this until it is complete and then only if it turns out the way I want and looks super cool. 

The cases of frames I ordered should start arriving this week, so be prepared for some A/B polls to help me decide which pieces to put in which color of frame. 😎 

I have distributed multiple versions of the beads & rings bracelet design for wear-testing, now is the boring waiting, for possibly months, for one of them to break. One of them I made with a matching keychain for my Momma's birthday. 😇 If they all make it past the 6 month wear mark without breaking, I might consider selling the design. 

 

Happy Birthday Mom! 💖😇

Weekly update. . . it's Spring

The weather is changing, the eclipse is coming and I'm scheduling events. I don't have a full calendar yet and I am focusing on local events so it may not be too many. 😎 Then again, events take a week to prepare & pack and a week after to unpack & recover so having them spaced out and not doing too many is a good thing for me. 😉

I think my next event will be Saturday May 11 for the Antique car rally, since I didn't get into the Rose Fest. However, in amazing news I did get accepted for the Elevate Artisan Market in October. 😲 Now I have to rethink my entire booth and display because Elevate is a step up and I am going as an "Artist" so no jewelry just art. I'm thinking less tables, use all 3 wire shelf units, maybe get the right feet and make them flat walls instead of corner shelves. I am looking at buying another batch of frames and some tabletop easels, I need it to look pretty and let's face it booth decoration is not my strongest area. 😏 It's 6 months away and I'm nervous already. 😅 

In the meantime, I have a lot to get done before the next show next month, so I'll have to think about Elevate later. 😇 I am still playing with and testing the beaded bracelet design, I still need to restock the rubber bracelets, I need to finish the crate painting, I need to clean off this messy bench and finish this month's maker challenge trees. 😏 Like I said I have a lot to get done, but in the months before Elevate I have an even longer list, paintings to seal, paintings to frame, large trees to make, I want to try to epoxy the blue and white series.  I feel like I am setting myself up for failure because I'm not sure I can get everything done, and that is before the insecurity and imposter syndrome starts kickin' in. 😕

I know I want to frame these, and I think I'm going to use matching frames for all 3 but then I'm torn on if they should sell as a pair with an optional coordinating 3rd or if it should just be a set of 3 all together. 😐 Maybe I'll price them out both ways.  Maybe I'll make myself completely crazy overthinking things. 😅

Weekly update. . .Happy Easter

I have recovered from my event last weekend, everything is unpacked, inventories have been adjusted, art has been re-hung. I have a list of things I need to make and a separate list of things I want to make. 😎 I need to finish my #makerchallenge submissions, I need to restock rubber bracelets and star earrings, but I want to continue to experiment with new things. Plus there are other things, like painting my crates that I've had for years and keep putting off. 

When I bought the crates to haul the art years ago, I had planned to fancy them up, but my original ideas didn't work the way I intended. 😏 So I settled on painting the name, but using the letters as stencils and getting the arch and spacing right was a total P.I.T.A. one of the farmer's markets I was vending at, at the time had a rule about having your location with your name, which was fine until we moved cross-country. So, 1 of the 2 that I had painted for display now has tape over the old Tipton, IN location and looks tacky and the second one looks messy because the paint pen kind of leaked and exploded on it. 😅 I have been planning to correct this by doing the other 2 crates better, so when on display they don't look so____ (messy, amateurish, ridiculous).  It has taken me 2 years to get around to it and I have decided that a straight line is fine this time. 😎

I have also now decided that I am crazy for my decision to paint it where it sits on the shelf, because after doing so yesterday my neck/shoulder is out and my arm feels like it may fall off. 😄

It still needs a second coat, plus there is still another one to go. 😐 However, I think I'm going to go ahead and empty and move the second one to the floor to paint it.  

Still experimenting with the leather, beads, ring design, in various size combinations. It does look cool but the knots and button/loop closure I'm not sure about, it's simple and I do have some awesome buttons, but I think it could be better with a proper crimp and clasp. 

Weekly update. . .I'm tired

So, it's the day after an event and I'm in recovery mode, from the getting up at 5am to going alone, these events are exhausting for me. There is a reason I don't do a lot of them, I could not do something like this every weekend the way some people do, but again I point to I go alone, most of the booths I watched set up yesterday had at least 3 people to set up and work them. 😏 Then there is me all by myself, although yesterday I was not the only one all by myself there was a dude with some really cool clothes that was all by himself, we chatted about the struggles of doing it alone. 

It wasn't a bad day for me, traffic was slower than expected, but I at least made more than my booth fee I'm not sure everyone can say the same. Actually, many people packed up and left early, I didn't but by the time 4pm hit and I was breaking down all the food trucks and booths outside were already gone. 😕 

In other news, I ordered some beads to make some more of this design so that I can get some people to "test" wear them for a while. I love the look, but I'm concerned about durability, since it was brought to my attention by someone with a broken one looking for a repair. Maybe it was just a weak spot in the leather cord, or a sharp edge on one of the metal beads that caused the breakage on the one I didn't make, maybe I'm overthinking and worrying about nothing. 😐 But I would be really upset if I sold one of these and the buyer came back in a short time with it broken, not like mad they broke it, more like disappointed that I sold something that didn't last. 😞 Not that I've never had someone bring back a broken piece, but usually there is a story of "my dog jumped up and his claw got caught" or something that happened to it, not just it wore out. 😉

This week, I need to unpack and make some stuff. I'm low on rubber bracelets and I need to make some more earrings to fill the empty slots in the displays. I also have to work on finishing my maker challenge submissions, so another busy week.  😇