Tuesday Postcards

Time for another update. Friends of Kelly have sent her a lovely postcard from Vancouver, Canada. And a better picture of the whole wall. It is getting so big next time I’ll have to do it in sections I think.

Til next week, happy and safe travels 🙂
Jennifer

I think I need to clean…

My creative space is always a work in progress and until I find just the right work tables that will fit my space easily then it will just keep on doing the shuffle…

the bag of grapes I ate whilst tidying up - that and many coffee's

Ok, so I was bored and took pictures of the grapes…

My problems:
– the bay window.  I love the window for the light it lets in and the view but it has made those little weird little corners where nothing will fit.
– there is only a couple of feet before the corner of the house so that creates another corner that makes it awkward to fit furniture in.
– it is through way!  There is a door on one side to the kitchen/dining and just half a wall on the other backing onto the lounge (this wall is partly the chimney).
– then the french doors (right between said corner of house and walkway into lounge.
– on the back side of the chimney someone has ever so kindly put up floating shelves (at stupid heights) so I am limited with what goes underneath…

But am I complaining… well, just a little bit.  I have my tall boy (large chest of drawers, not tall children, although two are taller than me…) under these shelves with a cd rack one side and filing cabinet with jewellery storage on the other.  Works fine.
Against the back wall facing the kitchen is my mega set of shelves (I was so happy when we found these, they are the perfect fit for all my beady boxes).  Next to this was a space that was a pain.  There is a double power point here which means certain boxes or containers cannot fit or have to look messy sitting at an angle.

before - a mess.

I was in a second-hand shop close by the other day and spotted the perfect set of shelves – I measured, ran home (drove), measure my space then went back and paid for them.  They would be the Perfect Fit! And they are.

after - in progress

I just need to find a space for my market boxes when they’re not in use… hmmm.  That is 3 large plastic containers & a suitcase, then two others with odd props and the like in them.  A lot of space required.

My desk, as always was stupidly messy.

new shelves, and an email stating I needed to take my trestles to market this week (guess what I use as a beading table??) meant I had to get to work.

My plan was to put all things from the tall boy into the new shelves and utilse the tall boy for all my materials and sewing bits… ah, yeah… that was a good thought…

will all this fit into the tall boy..?

‘Business’ things fit into some funky baskets on the shelves, then comes the fun part getting all my glass, resin, clay, and light tent to fit in the space so it is easy and I know where everything is…
Well, I got started, and by the time I went to bed was pretty pleased with myself… not for long.  I woke this morning to another stupidly messy desk…. now I could have taken the easy way out and just stuffed everything into boxes and been done with it. But I didn’t. Put everything where it belongs so I don’t have to back track later.

I was meant to tidy the table... I thought so. This is clean compared to the night before.

Now to get all the material to fit in the drawers… like that’s gonna happen!

ooh, look, more little jars to put beads in....

neat, semi sorted beads and findings

a clean and tidy table….

and the piece de resistance….

full, finished and looking soo much better 🙂

I was going to do some more sewing tonight and get some new bags ready for the market – well one is nearly done.  Just a little hand sewing of beady fringelets to do.  the others… nowhere near ready to sew even…

Now the table has sewing all over it, but that will be easy to move later on. Now, I best get back to it if I’m going to get at least one more done..

keep smiling 🙂
Jennifer

Annual Fair comes alive…!

This weekend has been a busy and rather tiring one for me.
The Annual Middleton fair was on yesterday and today was one of my regular markets.
The Fair had been booked and paid for months ago and as the date approached I was getting nervous, a little apprehensive, not knowing what it was going to be like.

Click here to read more about the Fair and see images from last years Scarecrow competition.

The last time I was in Tassie at Fair time, 8 yrs ago, I was Very pregnant and hadn’t even picked up a pair of pliers, let alone started stringing beads together.  Fast forward 8 yrs to today and it is the biggest fair I have attended to date.  Of course nerves are good, I believe that if you aren’t a little bit nervous there’s a problem.  Once the gazebo was erected and I began emptying boxes, arranging bags, busts and beads it all flowed and I was set up in near record time.  Not that I have a record to bust or anything…

The crowd was good and steady throughout the day until about 3pm, although other stall holders said it was down on last years attendance.
I’m not a fan of country music but on location it sounds alright and it was quiet enough, or is that loud enough, to not get in the way and be annoying.  I saw someone walking their goats, a horse, sorry, a dog that wanted to sniff at everything including my headless friend and the best comment I heard all day was from a young child, say around 7 or 8 stating to his mother “…but we’re sposed to have fun at the fair, you said it would be fun…”  as they walked past.  Mum and I just looked at each other and laughed.  Not really sure what he was expecting – maybe more ‘rides’.  A Country Fair here is not like a show, we have animal pens and pony rides, a mini magic show and the like.  Seriously, I think some people have never travelled the 40 mins out of town before. 🙂   (Town = Hobart)

When we first arrived here and I started markets again, I was disappointed that I made little or no sales.  I quickly figured out the demographic and spending power here is alot different to Mt Isa.  Aside from the obvious income one, people here like things that are different to what I make, and I am still struggling to find my niche.
I now take each market as it comes and have no expectations on what is going to happen.  Each event is a PR exercise and used for putting my face, name and beads out there.  It’s a pity though and hard to make conversation when people don’t respond to a smile or ‘good morning’ though.   Sales are a bonus and it’s great to help customers with their choices.

(on an aside, why do people not give feedback, I’ve sent two items interstate and have not heard if they’ve been received yet)

I only made a few sales and then one lady came back for a second time!

my gazebo - complete with headless friend 🙂

one table of goodies 🙂

the other table - I should have put the other side of the mesh wall up, but oh well, it didn't stop the lookers. 🙂

bags hanging on the side...

Today at Woodbridge was a really slow day.  Not sure why, but not many crafty people made sales – food always sells well though. 🙂

Last night I was exhausted. On my feet most of the day and then having to empty bags and boxes, while thinking about what to take for a smaller scale table.  I did sleep well, and was not happy with the alarm at 6.30 this morning.  I had to finish packing one box before I left.

So Sunday afternoon, 5pm, coffee in hand, boxes ready to unpack (jewellery in my office drawers storage….) I am really feeling it.

Today's table(s) at Woodbridge

Tomorrow morning has been pre booked for a sleep in. (5.30 pm.  I’ve just received a call organising Mr 7’s social life, so it’s off to meet his friend and seeing as it’s at the gym I may aswell get a workout in at the same time..)

I will hunt down some pictures and show you some bizarre interpretations of the humble scarecrow another day.  I do have one here… my favourite of the ones I’ve seen.

self explanatory

Keep smiling,  you never know who might be watching 🙂
Jennifer

mini road trip… destination: Deloraine Craft Fair

After a busy market day on Sunday mum and I quickly emptied the car and then headed north 3 hrs.  Out destination? Launceston for the night and then a short 45 min drive west to Deloraine for the annual Craft Fair on Monday morning.  We arrived for the last day,  which was perfect as there were not so many crowds and made it much more enjoyable to wander at our leisure… I scooted about and when I rang mum about meeting for lunch, she was still at the first venue… easy for mum to do as she knows so many people and kept running into them…  Once you had paid entry – at which ever venue you chose to start at – this gave you entry to each venue plus there were free shuttle buses on two routes between the venues.  Made for a very easy day to get around.

The weather was perfect so I walked between the 5 or 6 venues I visited.  There were 16 in total, but as we were limited on time, I planned my trip.  While walking along the beautiful river I noticed several interesting sculptures and the bridge was adorned with lots of woolly scarves….

Balls in the Park.

Four men on a head sculpture.

Scarves on the Deloraine Bridge.

What did I find…. so many wonderful artists and creators… many from interstate which is a pity as this is a Tasmanian Event. And I know there are so many talented Tasmanians out there that would benefit from attending a fair like this, over 4 days.  Maybe it’s the price, or the application process and what they decide to allow…

I have to look into it and see what you get for your dollar, as I am thinking of applying next year and trying my luck.  As is the way with me, my mind is always 100 miles ahead of things and I am already planning my booth layout…(this should keep and work well for the Middleton Fair on in Feb next year).

This year seemed to be the year of textiles, wooden art/furniture and  (dichroic) glass products.  Every second stall seemed to be selling glass pendants or plates and bowls from slumped glass.  The textiles stall were fabulous, so many colours and textures… lots of trade sales here.   As for jewellery… let’s see.  A lot of the top end Sterling silver with semi precious stones, the very simple classical style of jewellery and at the other end of the spectrum… many stalls with the little kiddie hair clips and bands.  Nothing at all like what I am making.

I did find one stall (I am sorry, I cannot remember who she is or if I got a card from her…) who made jewellery more like what I like.  Very chunky, mainly shorter styles, in all sorts of semi precious, chains and displayed on her own busts – chicken wire shaped and then covered with black cloth.  My picture does not do her display justice, but she was a lovely lady and makes amazing jewellery.

My pick of the jewellery from the fair.

I went to the Craft Fair to see what was happening and what else is in Tassie, but found myself looking at the displays and how they set up, making use of their space and how I could do it.
I have my idea of creating a fun, feminine boudoir style booth where you feel like you’ve walked into your bedroom, with jewellery overflowing from beauty cases, and swaths of material on the walls… it’s all my head now, but can I recreate it so it looks right?

I bought a few wooden letters that I will be painting and decoupaging for my own stall, aswell as cookie cutters for clay and smaller wood pieces for stamping maybe.

my mini stash - display letters and new 'tools'

This gives me something to look forward to… next year will be busy.

February: annual Fair at Middleton – big stuff.

Aug/Sept: the Art Trail.  Local artists open their studios for a weekend.  I will be with mum in her shed as a joint production.

November: Deloraine Craft Fair!
and then there’s Christmas looming… oh fun and joy.

keep smiling 🙂

Jennifer

decoupage part 3…

and I promise this is the last one.

While adding the finishing touches (sounds good, but they’re not the right words..)
More precisely, getting my act together and sorting out what I am taking to the market this weekend I set up the new box to see how it would work…items in the bottom overflowing like a jewellery box at home, fine. Items draped over the top, not so fine.   After trying a few things like pins and elastic – bzzzt, Fail, I troop off to see mum and is she had any ideas.  Of course she had ideas.  A trim, a strip of velcro and there you go.
I’ll let the picture show you, and for the record I had just enough ribbon, with 1cm left over…

trim with velcro base

velcro top with trim sewn on

necklace held in place - sturdy but still easy to access.

So we shall see how it all works on Sunday… I may even post some pics from the market.

Keep smiling 🙂
Jennifer