Beads for Shows

I have been starting to MAKE BEADS for three bead shows I'm going to do this year. The first up is the Whole Bead Show in Lynnwood WA in early May. EEEK. I have been busting my wrists to twist that mandrel and keep those beads warm. This is what I have come up with for new sets. Yes they are on a paper plate (needed to put them somewhere).

I cleaned and strung these all up over the last two days. I do not recommend procrastinating cleaning beads. Just do a few at a time, so much easier. I think there are around 50 sets here.

My focals were pushed off the plate for the photo, but I thought I would start with sets. Really was into production mode here and I haven't done much of that before, but it was a way to make a lot of beads in a short time. I missed a few (like red with just the silver wire and green with the ivory stripe with silver wire). Purples are in the kiln now. I kept telling my mom I wasn't done and needed to make a set in dark teal or pink (to come) and she said "do you have to make the entire rainbow." Silly mom, of course! Can't skip one color.

Which color is your favorite? I think I like the white beads with Copper Green polka dots or the red with different sized polka dots.

NWBS Show Day one

Today was the first day of the Northwest Bead Society annual show. My friend Lori Bergmann and I shared an eight foot table. I realised I have way more than 4 feet of beads. Check out that photo below, all those blue beads! I have a lot of blue and purple beads!

Check out these great stands that my dad made for me. I have one horizontal and one vertical and plenty of beads to fill them up. I will say however, people don't touch those beads as much as the beads in the trays.

Kent Cornucopia Days

I did another three day show this weekend. Yes, I said I would not do another one, but signed up for this one already. I have some observances and thoughts.

First off: I don’t really understand the three-day show concept. I work at my art/craft, but I also work as a nurse. I can’t be the only person that works at an outside job and wants to do art shows, but I have to take a day off to do so. There are not a lot of shoppers around on Friday. Hoping to find some artistic locals shows that are 2 weekend days.


Things I learned and observed at Kent Cornucopia Days.
In no particular order.....

· Love having a booth partner. YAY for Lori. Someone to talk do is great.

· YAY for Lori’s husband Kraig and daughter Katie for helping take down the booth and haul my stuff to the car. They made two trips while I made one. My gratitude is huge and they deserve KUDOS

· Three days is a long show, but I was less pooped after this show than the last, thanks to having a booth mate.

· Compliments on my artwork are wonderful. Seeing someone understand that I MADE the beads and appreciating the time and patience it takes is great. We had one very boisterous lady that was fun to watch.

· Having a booth neighbor that spend the entire show hacking up phlegm only to slurp it down again was so gross and I’m a nurse. Get some nasal spray Rob!

· Kent Cornucopia Days was all commercial and resale! I heard from some co-workers today that were able to walk around that there were 2 Avon booths, 2 Scency booths, and multiple of colors. Really?!? YUCK

· Sitting outside of Starbucks is a good way to drink and eat your profit away. Why are Frappuchinos so good???

· Starbucks letting fair goers use their clean restroom is cool. Didn’t have to use the port o potty once.

· Having a patient buy your work is very special, especially when you know that patients does not make a lot of money.

· Not remembering patient names is very embarrassing, especially since they all know my name.

· “People watching“ is fun and entertaining when there are no sales.

· Dog watching is better.

· Chameleon watching is surprising.

· Marching bands are cool, I don't care if it is dorky, they are really neat!

What I did this weekend - Maple Valley Farmer's Market

Things I learned at this Farmer's Market this weekend.

In no particular order.....

- I did like a short day better than three day long show.
- It was great to have my booth partner, Lori Bergmann, back. YAY, someone to talk to.
- Rain sucks.
- Lori has the nicest husband, thanks for all the help setting up and taking down Kraig.
- Mist sucks.
- Farmer's Market food smell just as good as fair food and it is a little cheeper.
- Heavy mist sucks.
- Warm fair food goes cold very quickly.
- Setting up in the heavy mist/rain sucks.
- Tearing down in the heavy mist/rain really sucks.
- Being wet all day and looking like you just got out of the shower in your cloths sucks.
- Wet hair takes all day to dry.
- Really excited to hear a customer ask about Beads of Courage. Very cool! We told her about the concert in Seattle coming up.

- CUSTOMERS WILLING TO COME OUT IN THE DOWNPOUR ARE THE BEST. YAY!

What I did this weekend - Maple Valley Days

Things I learned at my three day local show: Maple Valley Days.

In no particular order.....

• Dad's are the best! Thanks for helping me set up and take down dad.


• Three days is a long show. I was so pooped after each day and didn't feel back to normal until mid day Monday. Why does sitting at a show all weekend make your tired (I'm guessing that it is being "on" all weekend.


• The four hour farmer's market is looking really good right now (see above).


• Compliments on my artwork is like food for my soul.


• Having great booth neighbors makes the days so much better. Thanks to Mama Rizzos and Chelane's Jams for being great neighbors.


• I missed having my booth mate Lori, it is great to have someone to talk to (and watch your stuff when you have to pee or eat).


• Maple Valley Days has lots of commercial booths and I like arts/crafts festivals better.


• Teenagers like to hang out a Maple Valley Days. Of course I was between the food and the carnival rides, so the teens were there too.


• Teen girls REALLY like tight jeans. Just a tip, if I can see your buttocks crease through your jeans, they are too tight.


• Preteen boys think melting glass is really cool and give the nicest complements "handmade is so cool, everything is being made in China these days." YAY, future cosumer of my beads.


• I should have made my long banner white (see above). DUH, I have a black table cloth.


• I like my new banners.


• Sitting on a slight slope is annyoing and hurts one's ankles.


• Sitting near the restrooms is not a bad thing.


• Skateboards look really different than when I was in highschool (makes me feel old).


• Fair food smells so good, but costs so much.

New Beads, Great Show, Exciting News

I have been making new beads and have some great new ones to show. The one with the Peace Sign is made with the super awesome glass: Fire Lotus from TAG. It changes all these rainbow colors and can strike further red/pink/purple in the kiln. The second bead is Clio over Opal Yellow and transparent Topaz with goldstone stringer and cased in clear. Gotta love that Double Helix glass, it is my favorite.
Great day today for two reasons.

First, super big deal and so exciting. The ISGB Perspectives exhibition, which I have the bead above in, is currently showing at the Kobe Lampwork Glass Museum in Kobe, Japan (my second bead to be in the museum). They are going to feature the exhibit in the January 2011 issue of their magazine, LAMMAGA (I have no idea what that stands for, if anyone knows, let me know). Each of the exhibition pieces will be shown in a quarter page photograph, I can't wait to see my bead in print. I'm so honored.

Second: I had a great show at work. Show at work you ask? My work puts on an holiday crafts show so that it's employees can sell arts, crafts, commercial items (not exactly in the theme of craft show, but I'm not the organizer). I had an awesome show, my best ever. Many thanks to my co-workers for buying my jewelry and beads (and a couple patients too). I'm just so thankful.

YAY, good day for me.

Maple Valley Farmer's Market

This summer I am doing 7 weekends at my local Farmer's Market. Three of the Saturday's are this month and then 2 for the next two months. My friend Lori Bergmann, and I are sharing a table again this year. I have been busily making jewelry (necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings) as well as functional items (cell phone charms, key chains and ceiling fan pulls). I've got around 170 items ready to go. Whew, it was a lot of hard work. We had our first weekend last weekend, here is hoping this weekend is better than last. We are expecting warm dry weather, woo hoo.

Check us out at Rock Creek Elementary from 9-1 on Saturday.

ART FAIR SEASON

Katie in a funny hat.

I just love going to arts and crafts fairs. Here in the Seattle area there are so many different ones to choose from. I have my favorites for different reasons. This weekend was the University District Street Fair. I like this one mainly because it is the first one in the summer season. It has some nice stuff, but also some more crafty stuff. In this case that is good. You can see some artists that are just starting out selling and that is fun to see. This street fair is celebrating their 40th anniversery this year. Their website said that it is the oldest in the nation (not sure on that). This year I went with my mom and friends Katie and Tara.

I bought this cool barret from Ellen Kay another lampworker and she also fuses. What is so cool about this fused glass is that she first made twisties with a vitrigraph (vitrograph) then fused them into the barrett. Very cool. I have a top for work that this will match really well.

Another fun thing about art fairs is the people watching. This is Seattle Bag Man, a guy dressed in plastic bags to promote not using them.

Shows are fun!

I go to a lot of arts and crafts show. Here in the Seattle area we have a lot, especially during the summer. We also have one of the best (Bellevue Arts Museum ArtsFair) on the West Coast, at least I think so.

I'm usually on the shopping/viewing side and do shows rarely. This August I did the bead show in conjunction with the ISGB convention in Oakland California. That was a bead show mainly for bead makers and was a lot of fun. This was a great show because people would come up and say that recognized my beads from seeing pictures on line. It was fun to be recognized.

In the last two weeks I have shows locally, one at my work and one at the Maple Valley Creative Arts Center. This is my city's local arts council.

It was a lot of fun. I like to explain how I make the beads and show how they are used in jewelry. I think a lot of the fun is also getting compliments on my work. I sell mostly on line and don't hear the feedback.

I would encourage everyone to do a few shows a year, IT'S FUN!