It's a hot one here on the street, but everyone still comes out to the
Ann Arbor art fairs. If you haven't stopped by, come see my new
collections in booth #405 on Maynard Street. I've expanded my
Riverstones collection and have new Black Gold pyramids... and of course
I have lots of popular favorites as well. -- Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®
Last week at this time Dan and I were shopping at Pike Place Market in
Seattle as the grand finale of our vacation. We love food, so in some
ways it was torture to not be able to travel with it all. We contented
ourselves with scones, capuccino, and a walk along the ocean front.
I've been back at work for a week now playing the catch-up game in the
studio. There's lots of big news that I'll write about in the next
couple of weeks.
Yesterday I drove to Ann Arbor... today is day 1 of the State Street Art
Fair (you can find me in booth 405 on Maynard). Last night I enjoyed a
great meal at Zimmerman's Deli (amazing!!!) with friends. If you love
pork, you should know it's Bacon Month there. They have Jamon Iberico
available (very rarely imported to the U.S.), which takes me back to
Spain where I fell in love with it.
I'm feeling pretty lucky to have one of those jobs where I get to
travel, drive on a beautiful day with the windows down and music
blaring, and spend many days outside, which means vacation worked to get
me refreshed again. -- Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®
Right now I'm on a ferry heading over to Vancouver Island where I'll be
getting some much needed R&R for the next week.
The big realization on this trip has been about my studio
infrastructure... right now my cell phone IS my studio phone, which
means I have to stay connected a little each day. My new priority upon
my return? Setting up an in-studio phone. There are bigger changes afoot
for my return as well, including a studio move (it has been interesting
to negotiate a lease from afar). Hence my need to rest-up now... July &
August have some new adventures in store for me as a business owner. -- Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®
After a long grueling week of taking inventory for the first time
followed by the Highland Park Festival of Fine Craft over the weekend --
a tough show considering the stormy weather -- I can now relish in being
on vacation before my next round of summer shows.
Today my biggest concern has been how far can I skip a stone, and is 3
glasses of sun tea too much? -- Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®
Okay, yes, it has dawned on my that it's officially summer now. I'm convinced that my studio is in some sort of time warp (although it has been warm lately... a clear indicator that summer is taking hold). That will not keep me from having a Spring Cleaning Studio Sale, though... read on.
Next week we (that's the studio "we" not the royal we) are taking inventory, which we've never done before. We are going to measure wire, weigh stones to get a count, and assess chains, findings and parts. And that's just step 1... to be followed by taking inventory of the jewelry itself. It's a big task, but we will work our way through it and hopefully feel more organized by next year (I fully expect a 6-month grace period of confusion).
In preparation of figuring out what to count, I looked around and realized I have stores of seed beads, vintage glass, lampworked art beads, Bali sterling supplies.... all sorts of things that I used to experiment with squirreled away around the studio. If those things stay in the studio, they also need to be counted. With that realization, I have decided to open an etsy shop dedicated just to selling off these supplies until they are gone. Check out kathysyardsale... each week Katie will photograph more supplies and post them, so keep checking back. I found quite a pile since I used to work at a bead shop and collected vintage glass. There will be great beads for experimenting with some of the designs in my book or for any avid beaders out there, all at great prices.
My hammered leaf hook earring design is so simple. It's one of those earrings that is a nice complement to a more complex necklace. They are still interesting because of the dramatic line, and the pearl dangle adds a nice detail. These earrings are some people's grab and go earrings because they are so easy to wear. Well, if you own these earrings you should know that I'm starting to offer different types of dangles for them. These earrings are not soldered, so they can be worn without the pearl for a simple, sculptural statement, and now you can switch out dangles to work with different outfits. The dangles are available on my kathyfrey etsy shop.
If you don't own these earrings, you should know that they are available in 2 sizes. Shown above is the large size; the small size is above half that size. They also come in oxidized (shown) or shiny sterling silver finishes. The earrings are available on my kathyfrey etsy shop, and I try to always have some with me at shows.
Last week was a tough one because I arrived back at the studio on Monday from the Columbus Arts Festival and had a lot to accomplish before setting up for the Old Town Art Fair on Saturday morning, luckily a home-town show for me (which also meant I'd have assistance from my husband Dan and Kate from my studio... what a treat!).
Here's how my desk looks typically when I arrive home from a show (or, really, on any given day).
The bins on the left contain anything with a deadline (bills, applications, etc.) arranged in date order. On my desk are imperatives... orders taken at the show, custom pieces I have in process, calls to make, etc. It's a good day when all those papers get cleared so I can work on some jewelry. This desk serves as my work bench as well as my office space... something I'm hoping to change pending a studio move in the future (ooh, I can't wait to get more space!).
Today is a tough day. Last year on this day I received the call from my brother that his wife had lost her battle with cancer. It's hard for us all to not be thinking about it, so we are getting together as a family to hang out and enjoy the company of the boys (2 who are so young, only 4 and 6!). We are all moving on in our own ways. I have decided to run the Chicago Marathon as a Charity Runner with the American Cancer Society. I will run in Julie's honor for the strength she showed in her fight, but also for my many other friends who are currently battling. If you'd like to make a donation towards my fund-raising efforts, please do so here. I'll post periodic updates as to my training progress... so far I've had to fight off a huge toe blister and am trying to understand the pain in my right hip. I'm a mess! Luckily the marathon is 4 months away. If you have any pointers, please share them.
Vanessa almost stumbled into the studio today, back from a very full weekend at Bead and Button. It was supposed to be just a short excursion, but it turned into a longer stint because she was helping Rebeca Mojica of Blue Buddha Boutique... apparently she was the only chainmaille supplier at the show. Yay! This meant she was swamped, so Vanessa stayed on to help out in the booth. If you were there -- and I have yet to go myself -- Vanessa was the one wearing the fabulous chainmaille shrug. Check out this image here and visit her online at Gianessa Designs.
That's a comment from my friend Alley Maranto (about me)... I'm pretty sure it was in reference to the time I visited her suburban home and got worried about parking so decided to park on the street a few houses
down. We laughed! And then she made me move my car into her driveway... right.
Today I'm on my way to Columbus, OH for the arts festival there (starts tomorrow! Come visit me on Long Street, booth L95). It was quite an exciting moment to get beyond the Chicago city limits and find gas for
under $4 a gallon... $3.92!! Haven't see a price like that near home in months. -- Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®
