West Portal

I am leaving tomorrow afternoon for the San Francisco show that starts on Friday. The weather at this show can be brutal. It is most often cold and windy, but if there is any rain it is nasty. This weekend, it looks like it may rain a little on Friday, but hopefully not enough to call the show for the day. If it is really bad in the morning when we are supposed to set up, the promoter may cancel the show for the day, and all the artists will return on Saturday and try again. Saturday and Sunday look good, but a little cold. But I have noticed that San Franciscans will go out in the coldest weather with just a little wrap. One year, we had left home for the show, and there was about 5 feet of snow on the ground. But in the middle of the day in San Francisco, I was almost in tears because of the cold. And just then, a beautifully dressed red head walks by in her pumps and little silky throw, and I was completely impressed. Time to woman-up!

2011 Rings

Well here is the first ring I have sold this year. I did do rings several years ago, and I may do some of that style again, but I am really having fun playing with the silver. What a time to play with silver. The cost of silver has tripled in the past year or so. But, I feel like doing it, so what else can I do?? This is a large ring, as you can tell, with a glass cabacon. I entertained the thought of keeping it, since it is so unusual, but of course that thought went away. A long time customer bought this, and it fit her perfectly, so I guess I really made it for her!!

Belmont This Weekend

I just posted my update to my husband's blog. Oh my. What a way to start the year!
I'll be in Belmont this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Carlemont Shopping Center. This is a small show, but the quality of the artists is very good. We are all so happy to have a show to do in March!! We are under the eaves of the Shopping Center walkways, so the March wind and rain won't stop the show. Maybe March winds over 45mph may stop the show, but most likely we will be there. I've been doing this show for 9 years, and I am looking forward to the Mexican restaurant there, name unknown.
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Contemporary Crafts Market

I'll be showing my work in San Francisco this weekend at Fort Mason at the Contemporary Crafts Market.
The show is Saturday and Sunday from 10-5. For free tickets, go to their website and print them out. I will add a link to the right to the website.

Slow Pace Again

I have been sick since I returned from my trip back east. Not a good thing. Everyone around me this year has had epic colds, and I hope that this one of mine is just a short story.
I will be behind now for the San Francisco show next weekend. Holy Moly. I can't believe I am going to start the season behind.
I do have a lot of new things for this season. Let's just hope I can get some of them finished!

Going to Baltimore

I am leaving tomorrow to visit the American Craft Council show in Baltimore. There are 700 exhibiting artists from all over the country. The first three days are wholesale, and the last three days are retail. I can't remember when I have seen a wholesale CRAFT show. It will be interesting to see the difference between how the artists display for one or the other, and perhaps there will not be much change between the two types of sales. I will hope to see some inspiring booth designs. However, at this type of indoor show, I am sure that some of these artists will spend days building their booth. This "high design, high time" kind of booth can't be done at an outdoor show, at least not by me!
I am hoping to streamline my booth this year, but I say that every year. It is right up there with: " I will be more organized this year," and " I will be more relaxed this year," and I will remember to charge for shipping this year"...oops, I do have to charge for shipping this year!!!!
I hope I remember.

Going to Tucson

Here are two more rings I have made. You can't see the front of the ring in my hand...it is a pearl...but I wanted you to see the textured metal on the back of the ring. I really like it!! The ring on the stand is my glass bead cabochon set in silver.

I leave this week for my annual pilgrimage to the Tucson Gem Show. I have written about this before, but just in case, I will tell you again about how great a trip it is. I am buying stones, pearls and other "consumable" parts of my jewelry that I don't make myself.

There are a billion vendors at Tucson from all parts of the world. Half of China comes. Lots of people from India. It is very exciting. I shop for 8 hours a day, looking for the unusual, the extremely beautiful, and the great buy. This is why some of my work is so well priced....I am such a good shopper!!!

I learned a lesson in the 90's when I made my second trip to Tucson. I saw a strand of beautiful big round jasper beads; so big that they certainly weren't fashionable at the time, but the stone quality was absolutely amazing. They were a good price too, but I wasn't in the market for them . A few hours later, I saw the exact same strands in a different vendor's booth, for over three times the cost of the first!! They were so beautiful that the second vendor knew he could get a lot more money for them . I think I went back and bought them from the first vendor at that point!