Etsy pick: Lake

Yesterday I found this ring by Lake on the Etsy home page. This is a very playful industrial design called Rolling Ruby which was created in lightweight aluminum and strengthened with sterling rivets. I love the color choice for the stone though it looks a little more fucshia to me than the blood red I naturally associate with rubies. I think the contrast between the metals is beautiful-I like the shiny sterling bars and steel spring against the matte finish of the aluminum ring. I've never worked with aluminum, which is surprising because I find aluminum fascinating. Aluminum is very soft so I imagine this ring would get dings pretty easily, though, in a design like this, it would only add to its character.

New bag!

Here's another framed clutch I created for AVC that is currently housed at Niche.

The patterned fabric contains all of my favorite colors and even has a bit of sparkle! I got the fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics; it sold out in about 2 weeks! I bought two yards and have already cut out the pieces from it for my next project. I found out about the new fabric store on Pattern Review. Pattern Review is a great resource for anything having to do with sewing. I found Gorgeous Fabrics there (the shop was reviewed by a member of PR) and I found great reviews on a "how to sew knits" book I bought for $2.50 online (that I have yet to crack).

New stuff!

I made some new stuff for the Art vs Craft show that I completely forgot to post! ¡Ay, caramba! Here are a couple of the flex-frame clutches/wristlets that I adore so much. I got a lot of positive feedback on them at the show but nobody bought any...The blue floral clutch is on my Etsy page and the neutral clutch is at Niche.
Though neither of those are my favorite as far as print goes, they ended up being the most popular style I brought to the show. The bag on the right was made with vintage floral fabric that has splashes of neon pink, which I love.

I also made some of my sterling and vinyl pendants for the show.
I sold this one at the show. The other design I brought is currently
at Niche.

Simultaneous Inspiration?

I notice, sometimes, before things become trends, that a few people will become inspired around the same time to do similar things. For instance, I've been infatuated with gears for a very long time and have been designing some riveted gear jewelry over the past year or two but I just haven't had time to put the designs into production. Sometime earlier this year I stumbled across Katrinabird's shop where she is sells her gear inspired jewelry. My designs are a bit different than hers but one fact remains clear: it's basically the same idea. I also have designs drawn up for gear screen prints; weeks later I stumble across Moxiemadness' shop where she sells a neon pink gear shirt. Weird; she's doing it, too. Prior to seeing gear stuff being produced I truely don't recall seeing it done elsewhere. Granted, I'm probably wrong. Gears certainly aren't new and I'm sure they've been repurposed a hundred times. Maybe I never noticed those designs before since I wasn't looking out for them. Maybe they weren't there after all. I can't help but feel it's a case of simultaneous inspiration. Another example: a clothing designer friend of mine once saw a design in a fashion show nearly identical to something she had recently made. Neither of those designs had seen the light of day prior to the Fashion show. Neither of them ever accused the other of thieving the idea; they were simply in awe over the fact that they both were feeling the same stuff at the same time.

Kyo Hashimoto Jewelry

I have a weakness for acrylic, especially when paired with metal. It's a wonderful juxtaposition of materials that don't really belong together, especially in jewelry, yet they look brilliant when combined. The acrylic looks lace-like and delicate, with a translucent quality when worked properly- which is lovely considering it's simply plastic. These earrings are some examples of a few of my favorites out of Kyo Hashimoto's newest collection.

AVC craziness over. PHEW!

Wow. Not only is it by far the hottest and most humid weekend of the year but it was also one of the busiest (for me, at least). I'd say the Art vs Craft show was a minor success; our table did pretty well as a group and individually. The crowd was a little different than last year's Christmas crowd. Most of the things sold at our table are geared toward young adults and have a definite street vibe. I think our stuff was a bit too much geared toward that genre-which I feel is good-except when that genre doesn't show up to the fair. Regardless, we had an exhausting but good time; and I'll be applying for the next show, along with Niche and Flux, as well.

I think the most disappointing part of AVC is the venue. It is held in an empty school building
and is very institutional. The ceilings are low and have extremely bright florescent lighting so you end up feeling drained after an hour or two; a feeling that dissipates immediately upon leaving the building. The bathrooms are dark, dreary, smelly, and rarely clean. I feel the venue is a poor contrast to the work that is showcased within. However, it was very well promoted and there was a good turn out because of it. I don't find that level of dedication from Madison independent artist fairs. I can't decide if the lack of interest lies with the promoter or the artists...

New business cards!

Last week a designer friend of mine and I collaborated on a new business card design for me (I mostly picked out the colors and fonts then gave thumbs up or down on new additions.) The cards just arrived looking GREAT! I immediately shipped 200 off to a little store in Milwaukee called The Paper Boat Boutique and Gallery. They are involved with AVC and are adding items to swag bags to be given out to the first 200 people in the door at the show. Unfortunately I just didn't have the time to construct a fun freebie for the bags...though I did toss around the idea of magnets and pins, but, in the end, scrapped all ideas due to money/time constraints. Perhaps once my business is more lucrative I can invest in fun promotional items (I'm still a bit sad about not having pins). I'm also using it for the new hang tags that I'll be printing today. BEHOLD:

AVC

I am hereby giving the Art vs Craft show the sewcial suicide award. I am so busy and can't wait for the show to be over so my life can resume some semblance of normalcy. The show is this weekend. I didn't get as much done as I hoped to and for that I blame my inability to say "no" on Friday and/or Saturday nights. I did managed to fit in a 4th of July BBQ yesterday, which was awesome. The photos from my newest items should be ready in a week or so! Ok, back to work. *sigh*

Etsy pick: Ndeur

HOT. These shoes are so hot I believe I started drooling when I saw them. They may possibly be my newest obsession. I found Ndeur, the artist/designer, today on Etsy. Ndeur's designs are being sold on Etsy at The Rage's Etsy store. The Rage is a store out of Toronto, Canada that showcases Independent Designers and Ndeur is a Parisian artist living in Canada. There's a lot of great street oriented design coming out of Canada these days, if you haven't already picked up on it...

Overwhelmed. Just a little.

OH! I’ve been so busy! I haven't forgotten about my lovely little blog; on the contrary, I think about it frequently. Besides, the type of work I’ve been doing lately hasn't been extremely interesting. I've trashed more than a few entries for being too yawn-inducing. I’ve been preparing for the AVC show which is barreling toward me at a fast pace. I never realized all that goes into preparing oneself for a craft fair and creating a small business. I’m feeling more than a bit overwhelmed. I am currently working on a new business card design, new hang tags, display options, six clutches (simultaneously), my website, setting up a mailing list (which is proving to be a bit more involved than I was hoping), and planning/placing orders for supplies all while working a 9-5 and attempting to maintain some sort of social life. *Phew!*

Also, my metals class starts tomorrow. I almost didn’t make it in. I called the day after summer registration began to find the class had already filled up! At least I was quick enough to be the first one on the waiting list. Three agonizing weeks later I got word that I made it into the class! This isn't your typical class with instruction and assigned projects. This is open studio time, twice a week, for three hours each session. The class only lasts 6 weeks. If I'm not well prepared I will find myself twiddling my thumbs wondering what I should work on next and wasting all my precious studio time. I got really inspired last week and drew up some ideas for the first few classes. I also carry around a small notebook that is pretty full of random ideas I’ve gotten over the last few years that I can fall back on in a pinch. I can’t wait to be back in the studio with my hands covered in polishing compound, blisters, and cuts. Ahhh.