NY NOW! NOW!

Sometimes you have to go way WAY outside your comfort zone. Sometimes you have to leave your town, leave Vermont and go into the heart... of the heart... of the heart... Sometimes you gotta be a really small fish in a really big (EPIC!) pond, pull a seat up to the grown up table and try to have a good poker face. I wouldn't be able to do this without so many wonderful people who believe in me and who love and support my work. I thank you all for having my back in so many ways. I'm really proud of my booth, I worked with my restrictions of "booth on a budget" and "what will fit in my car" while trying to still look professional and convey my "me-ness". I'm going to do the best I can do here and really give it my all. After 6 months of planning I can just hope the next 4 days go well. This all feels pretty crazy but kinda right. xoxo

Checking out NY NOW

This past weekend, Nicole (of Nicole's Threads) and I headed to the big city to check out the Mothership of all wholesale trade shows: NY NOW. The first step of deciding whether you want to exhibit at a show or not is by doing a walk through to scope it out. We got to be buyers for Nicole's mom who has a lovely shop (she carries my work!) in Dallas, PA called Earth and Wears (thanks Lyn!). Still we felt totally out of our element and like we didn't belong there. Talk about being a tiny minnow in a vast sea. Everything about this seemed overwhelming. It didn't help that we flew there on the 6am flight and had to get up at 4am, setting the tone for the trip as a bit of weary one. 

Blurry eyed and heading to the airtrain at 7:30 am

It was cold and dreary but exciting to be in the city.

Our room at Yotel was like living in an Ipad. Very funky and futuristic. 

Ready to hit the show!

This awesome erector set thing is the Yobot and it will store your stuff for you at Yotel. So cool.

We enjoyed this little cafe on the way...

This is one corner of one floor of the show. The aisles go on forever and each floor of the Javits center is GIANT. Sensory overload to max.

Found my friend Tabbatha (Tabbatha Henry Designs) in the Handmade section. So cool to see her all set up there and killin' it.

Also finally got to meet and hang with Christine of Chocolate and Steel who was also killin' it. So great to spend time with her later and pick her brain. Had fun meeting up with friends Rachel and Nicolette from Sweet Lady Jane and Trinket for drinks and getting more advice from the buyer's perspective. Now Sweet lady Jane is going to be carrying Christine's work - yay for networking! 

Our plane got cancelled due to weather so we had an extra night and got to spend time chatting with friends and folks at the bar. We met Fran and Jim from Rich Frog in Winooski - small world!

Now just trying to process it all and then the decision of whether to apply to the show...

Our flight was rescheduled for an entire day later and we needed to get back so we rented a car and headed home but we did make one small (big) stop at IKEA to buy desks! I finally bought the standing/sitting desk I've been looking at and I can't wait to put it together.  Check it out:

Gonna be doing some rearranging to replace my desk and make it fit in my studio... so much to do and so much to think about! 

Playing with Displaying

It's always important to freshen things up... I just got a new banner that I love. I thought -Why not have big images so folks can see my work from a distance and find me easily? I've also realized that I can pivot my framed earring displays out which opens up my booth and looks so much better, sometimes it's those little things that can make such a difference.

T. Karn Imports is using a lovely wood frame to display the earrings I just sent them. Tesha chose such a great combination of pieces. 

She's displaying these necklaces on some rustic dark wood, I love the contrast.

I wanted to revamp my necklace displays so I got crafty and bought some bamboo cutting boards and nailed leather (scraps from a jacket) to them. I dig the combo of the leather and the wood and the badassness of the nails. These displays feel edgier and show the necklaces off better than the displays I was using.

Right now, aside from working on store orders, I'm busy sending catalogs out and trying to get into some new shops. I'll be in Santa Fe in a few weeks and NYC and Rhode Island in August. Let me know if you have any suggestions for great shops in those areas!

2011 Commemorative NYE NYC MSG Token

~A Collectible Token, or A Wearable Pendant

Let the collection begin, with my 2nd token. This year there are many fish and they play a more active role in the design - poised to take a bite out of the big apple. Not only does it commemorate the New Year's Run with all 4 dates etched along the edge, but it is a true sign of the times with the letters "OCCUPY MSG" subtly spelled out among the fish. We might be small but our numbers are strong. From a distance the image resembles a flower... we come in peace.

Token is the size of a quarter. Makes a great holiday gift for your favorite fan! This is a limited edition of 100 tokens, numbers are engraved on the back. My signature can be found on the bottom edge.

Available in Sterling silver:
as a Pendant on cord for $38
or as a Token $25
or Pendant on sterling chain $48

and NEW THIS YEAR - BRASS

as a Token $15
or as a Magnet $20

Once again, I'm donating 10% of every sale to the Mockingbird Foundation.

Item comes nicely packaged and ships Priority Mail. Shipping is a flat $5.00 for as many items as will fit in the box :)

These were on Pre-order but as of 12/9 they are ready to ship! (Priority mail takes 2-3 days).

Just click on any of the above Token links and you will be connected to purchase them through my Etsy shop!

2010 token was featured on: ~ Phish.net ~ PhanArt ~ OnlinePhishTour ~ Coventry Music Blog ~ Glide Magazine's Hidden Track

Commemorative NYE, NYC, MSG Token

Ever since I attended my first Phish show, I was taken with the community, the art and most of all, the music. As a maker of little things, I love the merit badge concept and it inspired me to create a token. Since I work in metal and I'm excited for the New Years Run in NYC, a token, reminiscent of subway tokens, was an appealing idea. It's made of pure silver and is the size of a quarter. Each one is hand made by me. A great gift for your favorite Phish head! It comes in an archival coin display holder for $25, HERE

It's also available as a pendant HERE and comes on black waxed cotton cord (16" or 18") with sterling ends and a sterling lobster clasp. Or on a sterling chain for $45 - just check my shop.
In addition to the commemorative fish and apple, and "NYE, NYC, MSG", all three show dates are inscribed among the lines on the edge. A limited edition of only 100 tokens will be made to order. Definitely a collector’s item, and maybe the start of a new token series?

I'm donating a portion of every sale to the Mockingbird Foundation because as important art is to me, I couldn't live without the music and I want that to be true for future generations.

Check it out, the token is featured on CashorTrade.org!

Holiday Show Schedule

The Artist Market season has came to a close. Now I have just over a month to create lots of lovely pieces for my holiday shows, can't believe it's that time again! Below is my holiday show schedule. Doin' my usual, wonderful VT shows and this year, just to make things interesting, I'm throwin' in a weekend at the Artist and Fleas in Brooklyn. Woot Woot!
Women's Festival of Crafts - Friday, Nov 26th 5-9pm
Saturday, Nov 27th 10-6pm
Sunday, Nov 28th 10-5pm
City Hall, Burlington, VT

Artist and Fleas Sat Dec 4th and Sun Dec 5th
12-8pm both days
Brooklyn (Willaimsburg) NY

Sweet Lady Jane Trunk Show Sat Dec 11th 10-5pm
40 Church St, Burlington, VT

Holiday Artist Market Fri Dec 17th 12-8pm
Sat Dec 18th 10-6pm
City Hall, Burlington, VT

Find my work everyday at Trinket 32 1/2 Church St, Burlington, VT
And online in my Etsy shop.