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happy treasure hunting,
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Treasury Time
My earrings were featured in a treasury today! (YAY!). Check it out. Made by the lovely AshJewels.
E
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Anatomy of a Craft Show Booth Part 1
I had a lot of fun designing my show booth, but I also had a difficult time trying to figure out where to buy things. So I thought it may be helpful to break down my booth and explain where I bought my display items. Hopefully, this will help others that are struggling to figure things out.
1. Tent
First the tent! I went with this one: http://www.elitedeals.com/caca10x10dit.html. There are many tents like this on the market and I chose this one simply because it had the best reviews in my price range (under $300). The rolling bag is nice, but not very stable. I've worn holes through it in just three shows. However, the tent has done wonderfully. It has weathered multiple thunderstorms and still looks new! Don't forget you will also need tent weights. Many people go this route: http://etsymetal.blogspot.com/2009/06/tent-weights-tutorial.html. This tutorial is really helpful and it was the route I was originally going to go until my husband went a little (and wonderfully) crazy. I'll tell a little more about my weights in a future post.
2. Tables
I use two 2x4 ft tables which I purchased from School Outfitters. I slid pvc pipes on to each of the legs to raise the height of the table to 36". Just find the pvc pipes with the snuggest diameter for the table legs and cut them to your desired length! Another option is using bed risers. (You can find tables at many stores. I went with this site becuase they had what I wanted at the best price.)
3. Table Cloths
I cannot sew for the life of me so I had a fellow etsian make these. They were made by the wonderful MartiniSQ. She made them exactly to my dimensions and my liking. This was the best option for me because I wanted a 2x8ft and a 2x4ft counter height, floor length, linen tablecloth. Try finding those! Yes, very picky, I know :) The tablecloth looks funny in this picture because I pinned the table cloth up a bit due to wet grass.
4. White Bunting and Felt Garland
I really wanted my booth to stand out and catch peoples' eyes. I purchased the white bunting from Heidi Adnum and the Felt Garland from Benzie Handmade. I love them both!
5. Chairs
Since my tables were counter height I went with two tall directors chairs from Casual Home. One for me and one for M!
6. Prints
I uploaded some of my etsy photos to Zazzle.com and had them printed in a 2x2 poster size. I then laminated them and mounted them on a thin sheet of MDF board (which you can find at any Home Depot). The only downside is the board warps in wet weather so I think I'll have to add a frame to them to make them more stable.
7. Sign
I had my lovely little sign made by Wilson Graphics. Such a pleasure to work with!
I hope this helps! More details to follow in Part 2.
E
1. Tent
First the tent! I went with this one: http://www.elitedeals.com/caca10x10dit.html. There are many tents like this on the market and I chose this one simply because it had the best reviews in my price range (under $300). The rolling bag is nice, but not very stable. I've worn holes through it in just three shows. However, the tent has done wonderfully. It has weathered multiple thunderstorms and still looks new! Don't forget you will also need tent weights. Many people go this route: http://etsymetal.blogspot.com/2009/06/tent-weights-tutorial.html. This tutorial is really helpful and it was the route I was originally going to go until my husband went a little (and wonderfully) crazy. I'll tell a little more about my weights in a future post.
2. Tables
I use two 2x4 ft tables which I purchased from School Outfitters. I slid pvc pipes on to each of the legs to raise the height of the table to 36". Just find the pvc pipes with the snuggest diameter for the table legs and cut them to your desired length! Another option is using bed risers. (You can find tables at many stores. I went with this site becuase they had what I wanted at the best price.)
3. Table Cloths
I cannot sew for the life of me so I had a fellow etsian make these. They were made by the wonderful MartiniSQ. She made them exactly to my dimensions and my liking. This was the best option for me because I wanted a 2x8ft and a 2x4ft counter height, floor length, linen tablecloth. Try finding those! Yes, very picky, I know :) The tablecloth looks funny in this picture because I pinned the table cloth up a bit due to wet grass.
4. White Bunting and Felt Garland
I really wanted my booth to stand out and catch peoples' eyes. I purchased the white bunting from Heidi Adnum and the Felt Garland from Benzie Handmade. I love them both!
5. Chairs
Since my tables were counter height I went with two tall directors chairs from Casual Home. One for me and one for M!
6. Prints
I uploaded some of my etsy photos to Zazzle.com and had them printed in a 2x2 poster size. I then laminated them and mounted them on a thin sheet of MDF board (which you can find at any Home Depot). The only downside is the board warps in wet weather so I think I'll have to add a frame to them to make them more stable.
7. Sign
I had my lovely little sign made by Wilson Graphics. Such a pleasure to work with!
I hope this helps! More details to follow in Part 2.
happy crafting,
E
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Oh blog, I am sorry. I have neglected you. I am back now and slowly recovering from my summer mayhem. It's nice to actually have the time to start posting again. Hopefully, I'll be able to do it with some regularity (at least until the next show season).
One thing I learned this summer is that art shows are waaaayyy more work than I could have ever imagined. But, I feel like I'll be much more prepared for next summer. I've come along way.
Here is my booth in May:
Here is my booth last weekend:
One thing I learned this summer is that art shows are waaaayyy more work than I could have ever imagined. But, I feel like I'll be much more prepared for next summer. I've come along way.
Here is my booth in May:
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Here is my booth last weekend:
It's amazing how all the little things can add up to make a big difference. My goal is to do a couple posts breaking down the anatomy of the tent (what everything is and where I purchased it) including more about those weights. I actually sat down to start working on it, but honestly I'm still way too pooped. Plus, it's probably good just to get a post out of the way to get the blogging ball rolling again.
hope you had a great summer (i know i did!),
E
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Roasted Pepper Salad
The other day I stopped by my favorite food blog Smitten Kitchen and started drooling over this delicious looking recipe: Roasted Peppers with Capers and Mozzarella. Normally, I would save a recipe like this for when we have guests, but it looked too good to wait. Plus, it was Matt's first day of teaching so it was nice to have something special waiting for him when he got home. I quickly made my way to Trader Joe's to pick up some peppers and mozzarella. Despite it being 90+ degrees outside, this recipe was definitely worth the pain of warming up the house. Check it out:
I look forward to peppers coming into season because I would love to make this again. It would be perfect with some grilled steaks at a dinner party (yum yum!). The colors look so nice and summery and it would be a great alternative to a boring old side salad.
Anyway, this recipe is definitely a keeper. Although, next time I think I'm going to cube the mozzarella and toss everything together. I think it will be much easier to serve and eat :)
E
I look forward to peppers coming into season because I would love to make this again. It would be perfect with some grilled steaks at a dinner party (yum yum!). The colors look so nice and summery and it would be a great alternative to a boring old side salad.
One of my favorite things about making this salad was that I got to use some parsley from my herb garden. It's been growing like a weed and I've been anxiously waiting to find a good excuse to chop some of it down. It's delicious and I'm thankful that I've gotten so much from it already this summer, but it's been covering up my poor little basil plant! Crazy little bugger may have to be moved to its own pot. . .
Anyway, this recipe is definitely a keeper. Although, next time I think I'm going to cube the mozzarella and toss everything together. I think it will be much easier to serve and eat :)
happy eating,
E
Friday, June 17, 2011
Friday Favorites
Wow, it's been awhile since I did a Friday Favorites post. However, now that I don't have another show until August I'll have time to get back into the swing of things. Anyway, this Friday Favorites is a little special. I just turned the big two-six on the seventh and I'd thought I'd share the amazing handmade items I received. My parents always send me some b-day money and, as they taught me, I put half into savings and I spent the other half on some goodies I've been pining after :) Check 'em out:
Gold sparkly teardrop earrings by tinygalaxies
Butterfly Wing Necklace by BugUnderGlass
Square Doily Coasters by uncommon
I also received some awesome hairpins by Glassology (a great local artist) from my dear friend Tyia (the amazing lilwildflower)! Isn't she sweet?
And I know what your thinking. . . why did you get jewelry when you can make your own? Short answer: because they're amazing (and I have a strong appreciation for other jewelry artists)!
happy friday,
E
Monday, June 13, 2011
Treasury Time
I just received a lovely note from the amazing wildpaperflowers telling me that I was featured in her awesome treasury. Doesn't she have a fabulous eye? I'm honored that my earrings are part of this beautiful collection!
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happy day,
E
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
My First Art Show
I successfully made it through my first outdoor art show! It was a long, hot and humid weekend at Art on the Grand in Farmington, MI, but it was fun and well worth it. I didn't sell as much as I would have liked, but I met some really wonderful artists and craftspeople and was able to see my tent put together for the first time. I was extraordinarily happy with the way everything looked. Although we didn't have enough time to finish the weights or get signage, I think it's a fantastic start. Plus I'll have until my next show in August to take care of those two things.
The most difficult thing about preparing for the show was getting the tent and display together. Now that it's pretty much finished I can just worry about building inventory (a huge relief!) and tweaking things here and there. I just left everything packed up so that all I'll need to do for the next show is load the car and take off!
Here are some booth shots from the weekend (click to enlarge):
happy crafting,
E
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