I may have kissed an item or two (or three) when opening everything up. She sent the package because I sent her one a while ago where we swapped ring blanks that we both use for our jewelry. My package to her was not nearly as awesome. Rosa’s daughter has learned to crochet and made some bath scrubbies and I wanted to buy one. When I opened up the package everything smelled so heavenly. It actually started giving me a complex, wondering what my packages smell like when I send them out. Then I realized her package smelled so great because of the bath scrubby. Now I want bath scrubbies to go in every package I send out so they can all smell so amazing. Her daughter then wrote thank you notes and heaven knows I love me some kid writing. I hold it right up there alongside kid’s drawings. Perfect.

In this package, Rosa included several items that she had made and shared on instagram. Pretty much everything Rosa makes is magic so you should follow her on instagram.

Top picture by Rosa, bottom picture on my finger

The biggest prize had to be this house ring. I think Rosa could make fortunes from these new rings. Not only is Rosa an amazing artist, she is also a skilled architect! When she combines her loves for art with her passion for buildings something magical happens and these rings are a perfect example. Another example is

This little house. I don’t know if she’s thought of it before, but this would be an amazing artomat piece.

Thank you so much for the wonderful package. I’ve listened to the mix CD many times now, and can’t wait to play with the rest of the treats.

Check out Rosa online

Rosa Murillo’s blog

Rosa’s flickr

Rosa’s Instagram

Rosa’s etsy – art

Rosa’s etsy – jewelry

I have better displays and built pegboard walls for my tent. Other than tightening up the space a bit more they worked out really well and gave the booth a more polished look.

I want to thank all the customers that came out to the event, for shopping and chatting. Since this was my second year it was really fun to see returning customers, and those that had taken the time to visit my blog and etsy store beforehand (via Anne Marie, or the giveaway). I want to thank Matt, Dacia and Alyssa for helping me set up. Having friends and family there that are creative, inspired and willing to help means so much to me. I want to thank my mom for assisting the second day. I want to thank my sister for helping prep, help build my tent walls, assist at the sale on Saturday, break down the booth, pack up, transport and unload everything. It’s a lot of hard work! AND it was her birthday weekend! Thanks goes to Ann and Courtney for the support leading up to the show, and for having new friends that have similar ideas of knowing what’s up and what’s what. And last but not least, I have to thank Anne Marie for hosting this event every year.

After having done a handful of shows where the majority of shoppers were other vendors, it is refreshing to do a show where shoppers line up to get in! This picture was taken on Friday, the first day where there were even threats of thunderstorms! Anne Marie opens up her family’s property to hundreds if not thousands of visitors every year for these events. The whole family is involved and I’m sure months of preparation is involved. It has become this amazing gem of an event, and as I stated in an earlier post, I love attending it whether as a buyer or a shopper. Not only are there guaranteed great vintage and handmade finds, but every single booth is so beautifully displayed. Walking into each shop is like walking into a little curated gallery.

I can’t tell you how many times my heart swelled while talking to customers. Whether it was from meeting new people and hearing personal tales (butter pat in a back pocket), having return customers showing up to the event wearing pieces of jewelry they bought last year, or telling me how much the item they bought in the past has meant to them, lets just say it was a good thing I was wearing sunglasses because I was getting teary.

A couple memorable things

A much commented on “vintage ladies” notebook was spotted by a customer to be from her very own university yearbook. She recognized some of the ladies as her own classmates! And the yearbook was something I picked up at a garage sale or estate sale, but not from any school nearby that I’d ever heard of. So, what are the chances?

I love bringing my button maker and the first evening I forgot it. I’d brought all the pricing stuff for it, but just forgot to pack it up. The second day I made sure to remember it and of course had such a fun time with customers, helping them make their very own pin back buttons. I love it so much that I could see doing events where that is all I do, sell buttons and help customers make their own. I bring paper for them to sort through, or paper and pens to draw something of their own. One group of girls made a set of buttons that I thought was so adorable and clever. One girl had the idea to make matching friendship buttons and they came up with the design above. Each girl talking on the phone, the girl in the middle talking to each of the other girls. So cute! I hope they hold onto those buttons and can remember this time of their lives forever.

Popular items at the sale this year were

My paper stratum jewelry pieces made from vintage books and papers.

Buttons! Random buttons I’ve made, people love sorting through them. And, the make your own buttons has me thinking I should list custom buttons in my shop where people can send me their own papers, drawings, etc., and I will make them into a pinback button of their very own. I kind of wish I were a kid again, but had this machine. I’d totally set up a “lemonade stand” type booth on the sidewalk in front of my house and make buttons for people. Hmmm, I’m getting an idea where I might be able to vicariously live out this dream, through my nephew and niece in a couple of years :D

And the surprise hit at NaDa Farm was my Today list magnetic notepad. I sold out of all of them and wish I had made more.

Now that the show is over, I need to do some major organizing in the studio. I also have plenty of new items I want to list in my shop and I will hopefully keep up the momentum leading up to the show and do that soon. And speaking of momentum… whenever I’m preparing for a show like this I’m always getting all sorts of new ideas for new products but don’t have the time to produce them, so I hope to get to work on some of those new ideas as well. The busier I stay the more inspiration stays with me, and so I just want to keep going, going, going!

Kara is the winner of the Na-Da Farm giveaway! Lucky number 13 even!

Congratulations Kara, I will send you an email shortly.

It’s a madhouse here while I do all the last minute prep work for the show, gathering all my items to sell, tent, tools, booth items, and I still need to price things as well. I woke up so sick feeling from anxiety and nerves, but now I’m just go-go-go mode. No time to be nervous. Now, if I can just get the weather to cooperate.

If you are attending, stop by and say hi :)

On a whim (and isn’t that the best way ideas play out, as opposed to thinking about it forever before you have a chance to act) I just made a mess, and painted randomly with watercolors, gouache and inks and then came back in with pencil and pen and drew in details. Some of those papers are shown above. Then, even though I was slightly in love with the color and mess, I cut the papers up into strips to use in my Paper Stratum jewelry.

I am absolutely in love with the resulting pieces. Here is a quick sneak peek.

These, as well as a handful more (rings and necklaces) will be available at the show on Friday. Leftovers will be added to my etsy shop, but even if I were to sell out (haha, fingers crossed) I know I will be making more of these. I kind of only want to make more and more of these at this point.

Don’t forget, there’s still time to enter the giveaway on the post from last Friday. You can win a piece of jewelry (of your choosing) as well tickets into the show AND cupcakes!

If you are local, I’d like to invite to the Na-Da Farm sale. There will be plenty of booths with vintage treasures, flea market finds, creative handmade products and yummy baked goods. Of course I will be there with my own booth too, so I thought I’d invite you out to this fun event.

It’s a super fun event. The first time I went I was amazed that this sale was so beautifully assembled with treasures in every nook and cranny on a farm, in a barn in the middle of the countryside. Naturally, I wanted to be part of the event myself and now I am returning as a vendor for the second year. It will be a memorable occasion and I guarantee you will want to come back again year after year.

It’s on Friday May 17th (5-8 p.m.) and Saturday May 18th (9-3 p.m.) and costs $5 at the door (part of that will go to a local charity). It’s between DeKalb and Rochelle/Rockford in Edmond, off of Rt. 38.

I’ll be located outside of the barn on the grass. Above is a photo of my booth from last year.

I’ll be right next to friend Ann from A Beautiful Party  who, I’m sure, will be selling her party in a jar pieces, as well as many more awesome items, ahem, house shaped shadow boxes (which I will be trying to snap my own up immediately). Enter Ann’s giveaway here.

And another friend Courtney from Larking will be there selling her book inspired pieces. She will actually be located inside the barn. I have yet to encourage her to create me a Peter Pan inspired piece, (not so subtle) hint, hint, hint, Courtney ;) Enter Courtney’s giveaway here.

Now, if you’ve read this far I’d like to offer those attending the sale a chance at winning a single piece of jewelry from my booth. You can pick the piece out, at your own choosing, at the event. ALSO, Anne Marie of Na-Da Farm has been so kind to also offer 2 free tickets into the event to this winner, as well as a voucher for 2 free cupcakes! Just leave a comment below letting me know you will be attending. Leave a comment on/before Wednesday 15th, and on Thursday morning I will use a random number generator to pick the lucky winner and contact them via email, so don’t forget to leave that info.

Good luck and hope to see ya there!

I used them to make my paper spiral stratum jewelry pieces. Some rings and some pendants that will be turned into necklaces. I made a variety so I will be able to add some to my etsy shop soon.

I made some using manilla envelopes as a contrasting color.

Fun eh? They would be fun for anyone, just to explain that the paper is actually the inside of security envelopes, but I kind of like to picture that book-keepers, accountants, and postal workers would really love them.

I hope to be back with another post in a day or two. Hopefully more about some of the other projects I’ve got going on for the sale. I have all these posts in the works, but just no time to actually publish them. It’s that pesky 9-5 job that always gets in the way. Right now I’m off to a hopefully productive work session with Courtney and Ann.

For the life of me I can not remember what led me to Atlanta artist Michelle Armas’ work. It was just the other day, but yeah, poof, it’s already gone. I think maybe on pinterest? Anyway, I first saw a piece of her artwork which led me to her bigcartel site, and there I found a little bio where she shared a link to her blog and WHOOSH, I fell down the inspirational rabbit hole.

Remember the other day when I said I needed to loosen up? Yeah, well, this is the kind of thing I’m talking about. I’m enamored with Michelle’s work. I want all my walls covered in her work. It’s all about the looseness and the colors for me. In my own artwork I have a certain confidence in regard to composition, but in regard to color I just don’t feel in control. I know when I see good color (combinations), but I feel like I can’t pull them out of my own head. I have this habit of finding great color here and there and then using that as inspiration for my own work. Example, I loved this design piece by andrea daquino and used it as color inspiration for the necklace on the right I made. My hang ups on color might stem from a lack of confidence and jealousy somehow. As I was saying when other people use certain colors I see this magic happen, but if I had created something using those same colors previously I wouldn’t give me the same feeling. Is that weird? It’s kind of like perfume. I could smell a scent on someone and LOVE it, but if I had that same perfume and wore it, it wouldn’t have the same magic.

Well, just looking through her blog I came upon this post. First, she shares a picture with a color chart underneath and says she is painting that color story. Then she posts about a room she is in love with and when I click the link it takes me to her pinterest and more specifically a board called “Color inspiration”. Weeeee, I’m not the only one who needs to outsource her color inspiration.

Michelle Armas blog
Michelle Armas Etsy
 facebook

Today I had an idea to use security envelope patterns for a project. I have a love/hate relationship with ideas like these. The kind of ideas where I think “how have I not thought of this earlier?” I love that the idea came to me, but hate that it wasn’t so obvious to me sooner.

I’m in the thick of production on product inventory for the Na-Da Farm sale next month. I also just received another order from The Book Shack in Australia.

Check back in a couple days and I’ll show you what I’ve been working on, using these envelopes. I’ll also be having a giveaway for those attending the sale.

I was so excited to see that Katie Licht’s creative mini zine IDEAS was out and had to snap one up right away. I’ve been dying to get my mitts on one ever since she first mentioned working on a zine.

and then look at the mess her zine caused.

You can get your very own IDEAS zine in her etsy shop along with some fabulous paper packs.