Once or twice a year I sell my jewelry at an event locally. This time it was the Charley Creek Arts Fest. If I did this every weekend the pictures would look differently. I’m positive! Starting with simpler furniture and displays. However, since I only do this once every blue moon, my sister and I […]

My neighbor, Elaine, is so creative so of course her daughter's birthday was absolutely adorable!! You can't have a birthday without a sweets buffet!! Elaine made Geovana's headband isn't it adorable!?! Geovana's HUGE (and super cute) cake matched her invites perfectly...I've been to weddings with smaller cakes! Her adorable invites were made by another neighbor, Sandy who designs some really, really amazing invitations, paper products, logos, etc... Striped and polka dot straws are so cute:) These glasses were perfect for guests to write their names on! Guests got to take a goody bag home! Geovana writing on a chalkboard hung just at her height! Have a great weekend!

The secret weapon in your DIY wedding toolkit: Lace Paper Doilies and ideas to make doily chandeliers, doily wrapping paper, doily garlands

Life is short. Live pretty.

Participating in craft shows or pop ups can be such a great way to grow your business and expand your network. I can personally say that being a market vendor has led me to some amazing opportunities, customers, and referrals that I may never have come across on my own. While I don't think being a market vendor is suited for every maker or personality, I think it's a great thing to at least try out if you're looking to grow your business and reach your community. Like me, you might be surprised

Today we are excited to feature a blog that features a topic near and dear to our hearts- doing henna at events! So, you have just booked your first BIG Henna gig- maybe it is a Festival, a Farmer…

It was a wonderful weekend! Good Friends and Great Customers...  Vintage Bottle Rack... Kim's Cart Thank You Kim! It was so nice to see you... Thank you so much Lori! Enjoy sitting under your umbrella... Looking forward to seeing all of you at " VIGNETTES" 18TH Anniversary Soiree September 28th, 2013 Thank you to everyone that came out to enjoy the weekend with us at The Vintage Marketplace . To my sister Evelyn...Get Well Soon! Hope you enjoy this post. xoxo Debbie x

I've been to at least a half dozen Renaissance festivals. Today, I finally took some pictures that are worth posting. For those who have never been to such a festival, here's what's in store for you when you finally do get to attend one. There's the Royal Procession with the king and queen. It's a parade. Here's the king and queen. There are lots of stages with various types of entertainment. Here are a couple of singers. And here are some dancers. The guys on either side of the belly dancer were from the audience. There's a lot of audience participation at these festivals. There are also jugglers, comedy acts and so forth. Lots to choose from. You can get a tattoo or a massage or have your fortune told. Here's a fortune teller at work. If you like to shop, there are so many options. Clothing stores are plentiful. Many offer renaissance type outfits and many of the patrons dress up for the fair. Most of the clothing shops are specialized. Here's one for aspiring belly dancers. Lots of crafts are sold here. I liked the stained glass. And the pewter chessboards. There are essential oils, incense, candles and other great smelling stuff. I like soap. In fact, I used to make my own soap a few years back, so I like checking out the wares in these shops. I also like bacon. I actually like bacon a lot. But bacon-scented soap?? Who wants to smell like bacon when they step out of the shower? There were some pretty nice walking sticks and they seemed reasonably priced for the workmanship, but too heavy for hiking, unfortunately. I'm not a big shopper, but I do like buying one thing in particular at such festivals: Food! And turkey legs are available at every renaissance festival I've been to. Sometimes they're good and sometimes they're just okay. These were juicy and not overcooked. Personally, I liked the overcooked, dried out ones with more of a smokey flavor, but that's just me. There's enough to see and do at the renaissance festival to last a few days and fill several pages on any blog. These pictures are more than I usually post, but just a small sample of what there is to see. If you've never been, you should check one out some time.

Gratefully Vintage – Your Guide to thrifting, vintage, and antique home decor

I would love to extend a heartfelt Thank You to everyone who stopped by my booth at the Berea Craft Festival this past weekend in Berea, Kentucky. This is one of my favorite weekends of the year! I…

Fall. The crisp air, apples, leaves in warm hues... and fall festival season. I was headed to my last outdoor show of the year earlier this month, and I decided to document the whole procedure. AJE postcards and mailing list book front and center, naturally! I do at least 9 shows a year, sometimes 12... and they run the whole gamut. Outdoor arts festivals, indoor gallery type shows, weekend themed events/conventions, and even a bead show thrown in there for good measure! I do the most shows among my AJE teammates. I asked them: most do bead shows, a few do a sampling of craft shows as well. I make ceramic pendants. And tiles. And architectural sculptural shrines. I am at heart a mixed media artist. I make and sell quite a bit of mixed media jewelry, using my pendants and artisan beads. Its the mixed media uniqueness that I feel is my "niche" when doing an arts festival - undoubtedly populated by many jewelry artists. My pendants and tiles are unified by content and design; I have developed these original designs in parallel. There are shows that put me in the "ceramics " category, others call me "mixed media", some specifically "jewelry". The vagaries of the jury process is surely a tale for another day. I have been doing this for ten years! Sure, there are people with fancier set ups than mine. You can haunt Pinterest for amazing displays - but I am here to tell you - they aren't always practical. If you are traveling, you can't make three trips and bring fancy props and a dress makers dummy. There is no space in the car and no time! You can sign up for online seminars telling you how to sell jewelry at a craft show. That's great - but until you try it, that person's experience is just talk. Find your own balance... Here are my thoughts on layers. Packing in layers. The layers of constructing a fast, friendly, functional display... and living to tell the tale. 1. Tent and side walls. 4' table. 6' table. Shelving boards. Tall directors chair, weights. 2. Tiles and shrines packed in medium sized flat totes - for stacking and b/c clay gets heavy... One tote with display items, one with bags, tissue, wrapping paper... 3. Blue IKEA bags: plexi risers for building levels, fabric for skirts and drapes, large sculpture, table leg risers, bungees... Crate of frames for jewelry display. Small tote - "office" box. Knucklebuster (b/c you never know...) cards, notebook, all paper stuff. 4. Shutters, jewelry totes, banner. And the final view pictured below. Hanging panels on top, secured with bungees so I am not decapitated in traffic... And I still have room to see! ( Overnight bag, cooler in front seat. ) My Scooby. A normal car, not a tank. It does the trick! Art on the Avenue in Alexandria, VA is a one day arts festival. Its immense, over 10 blocks long. Set up from 7:30 on. Show runs 10-6. Its a 14 hour day door to door - and thats a local friend's door! When you arrive: squeeze your car in amidst your neighbors, find your 10' spot... vomit the goods onto the sidewalk... sneak car out to park it... ( good luck. Street parking!) Set up tent, tables, weights, art... Vend from 10-6 rain or shine. Pack it, stack it, fold up tent. (Tear down in one hour MAX! Because the police are there to reopen the street to traffic. ) Hike to car, maneuver car to your spot amidst sheer chaos of fellow vendors... Load car, drive away. Drink wine. The first layer: the infrastructure. Coffee. Tables. Skirts to hide all your junk. Drapes over the top. Hanging panels. Levels. Shutters for earrings. Hiding from camera (unsuccessfully). Hair clip for set up hair. Display items in place: frames for pinning necklaces, cigar boxes... Curtain sheers behind hanging panels were the best $20 I ever spent! Crinkle fabric easy to pack, but provides a neutral backdrop behind my work. Tent sides are too heavy, and don't allow air flow. Done. From drive in to ready in 2 hours. No, I don't do a rug when I am an pavement. No room in my car! Cardboard boxes on left: neighbor. He wasn't done yet. After many different layouts, I currently like this L shape. Open enough to encourage people to come in, and ample room behind tables for me to make sales. Did I mention that the spaces at this show are like 10' 2"? Yes - we all have 10' tents. HA. It's that tight. I plan my flow to allow me room to work, a path out to front, but not an opening large enough to invite unwanted "cut through". You would be amazed... Panorama shot for fun. The office area. Writing up receipts, making sales, wrapping work, hiding food, back stock trays of jewelry... and the best gadget ever: a power bank for recharging phone! ( Told you to pack your Knucklebuster in case...) I could go on, and on... and I may in future posts. Neighbors - good and bad. Booth buddies and booth babes - a precious commodity. Pet peeves, horror stories... but for now this top layer is enough. It can be a great fun, rewarding day. It can be exhausting. But I like it...