lichen rings

as promised, i've made some new sterling silver rings. these are two that i was working on for the Queen West Art Crawl. each one is unique, because i really enjoy the hand drawing process. i'd say they're really more one of a kind because i don't have access to a scanner in the studio, so i basically draw them, glue it to the silver, and saw it out with the original drawing lost in the process.

this was right after soldering and before polishing. and for some reason i decided to paint my nails that week, which was foolish - the polish doesn't last an hour in the studio with all the filing, sanding, sawing, and polishing going on. at OCAD we used to dream about manicures...and never have the time to get them.

i sold one of the thinner rings to the mother of one of the artists in my row of exhibitors. she was so sweet. she tried it on and fell in love with it right away.

it's always great to see the reaction of the people who buy my jewellery, it's something you miss when you just get an invoice saying you sold something at one of the shops that carry your work.

i think i'll make a few more of these to put in The Devil's Workshop soon. i also really want to update my etsy shop. hopefully i'll find the time in between everything i'm juggling at the moment. 

prepping for a craft show

things you have to think about 
(but don't really have time for) when prepping for a craft show

01. gift bags and boxes

02. how you're going to lug all your stuff down there

03. do i have enough business cards?

04. do i have enough helpers?

05. how can i display my jewellery better?

06. do i still have time to make new work?

07. did i make enough work?

08. is all my work clean and ready to be worn?

09. how can i package all my pieces so they don't get damaged on my trip?

10. inventory lists and pricing

this isn't all hypothetical. lol. if you can you should try to visit me next weekend at Trinity Bellwoods Park for the Queen West Art Crawl. i'll be there on the 17th and 18th from 11-6 at booth B18. this may be the last show i do for a while so it's a good chance to see some new and old wearable goodies from me :)

hope to see you there readers!

preparing

i've been slowly but surely trying to prepare for the Queen West Art Crawl show in September. like a lot of artists i know, i work better under pressure...in a way i think i've been given too much time, and that makes me work slower than i'd like to. i guess you could say that i like to move frantically with purpose. when i did the Toronto Outdoor Show last year i had six weeks to create dozens of new designs and pieces of jewellery. to say i was stressed out is an understatement.

for some reason, ideas for necklaces always come first to me. i always have way more of them than any other style of jewellery. i kind of struggle with designs for rings and earrings since there are always issues of weight and size.

isn't it weird how different things can look just by changing their orientation?

fan necklaces in progress

hi everyone! hope you're all finding fun things to do inside on this rainy weekend in Toronto. 

lately i've been in the mood to restock and make some new jewellery pieces, but after i sprained my thumb, i also managed to suffer from multiple spells of vertigo - leaving me light headed and weak. it was not a fun time. nor was sitting in waiting rooms for hours on end.

anyway, i couldn't decide for a long time, but in the end i sent in my application to the Queen West Art Crawl show set for the third weekend in september. i hope to have a whole bunch of new, colourful work by then for everyone to see.

this table is one of my favourite places to work - it's in my room, and it opens out to three times its original size. i love when it's clear and i can spread out all my materials.

these are some process shots of my fan necklaces. i spent a day last week trying some new colours and fabrics. i made new ones in a wine red, forest green and grape purple that got picked up by The Devil's Workshop right away. for some reason i thought that the stiffer fabrics were no good for these pieces, but it turns out they work much better. time to buy more fabric!

i've also decided to antique the taco looking bits on the fan necklaces from now on since it's fairly difficult to clean the tarnish off the silver when there's fabric attached. i think it's a nice and practical change.

enjoy your sunday readers!