Booth shots

Some booth photos from Spring Treasures!

The Start of A New Year

You might be thinking I loaded the wrong photo to the blog or that I meant to be loading this photo of the hearth-side cooking to I did in December to a different blog. Nope. It is right where I wanted it.

I have a lot of pot going at anyone time, as most of us do, I am using this photo here today to illustrate that and to talk about the start of the new year. Which for me is like the preparations for a big meal right after a different feast. I have lots of clean up to do from last year, my studio is in such a state you might run screaming! I have new pots to put on the fire - or to eliminate the metaphor - new projects and ideas to get rolling on, new show applications to get filled out, new locations to check out, new ideas to grow and expand into! I am bursting with enthusiasm! But - to return to the metaphor- not a lot ready to show you, the outside of the dutch oven is not particularly exciting no matter how tasty the contents are.

It is time to roll up my sleeves, dig out the studio, fill out the forms, check out the... you get the idea... I am off to work.
~Julia

The to-do list before the Show

I have a terrible habit of starting projects and then getting called away. When I come back is were the terrible part comes in, I don't always finish the project I was working on, sometimes I do, sometimes I start a different thing. Then I get called away... Are you noticing a pattern?

So before this weekend's show, I need to clean house of partially done projects. I have embroidery kits, crochet hook cases, knitting needle cases, and project bags. I also have to print out the instructions for the felting kits (more in this post) and add them to the kits.

I have some beautiful new skeins and weaving to inventory and tag. (This sounds quick but it actually takes quite a bit longer than I ever give it and I really don't want to put it off until Friday or worse Friday night!)

I have to either finish making the new tablecloths, they are a bright blue knit and are giving me some trouble, or buy Holiday tablecloths.

I want to pick up a small tree - we have some beautiful wooden and beaded ornaments to offer this time! - to show these off.

I want to do some dyeing in larger lots and maybe do some more embroidery skeins.

I also need to make a few more fascinators and vessels.

Okay, well looking at that, I really need to get off the computer and get to work.

Julia

The business of Business

Takes time and often feels in the way. This morning was spent in paperwork, bills, commission payouts, and ordering new shiny Brochures.

I know that I need to spend more time on the business end of the business, making postings on Etsy and Square, marketing and the like. I enjoy the blog work and the social media stuff, but everything I need to do takes time from the designing and creating I want to do. Sigh. I must simply buckle down and do it, I want to share my art with you, to see your art, to help both grow, which is why I stepped out of my studio to begin with.

I have been doing a poor job of letting you into my studio, my apologies, please grab a cup - coffee or tea your choice and a chair and let us craft together. I have coffee in mine this morning.

Here is the lovely brochure designed for me by Arian.

I am going to be improving my wet felting kits and will post on that tomorrow!

~Julia

Updating

I am working on updating the Etsy and Square sites and hope to have new listing live soon.

I also am working on some ideas I am really excited about and I will share more on those soon!

Behind the scenes

Often I get asked how I can get everything done. Usually, I joking respond I don't sleep. Which is true to a certain extent, it is rare for me to get to bed while it is still the day before a show date especially, and setting up a booth on two hours sleep is less than fun! Sometimes if I see that the person is looking for a better answer than that, I might talk about priorities. I rarely sit still, I always have a project (or three) going. The day - or more likely the Monday after a weekend show - I will sort through everything and make a list. Things may stay on the list for a while depending on how annoying not having them done is. For example, tablecloths have been on my list for a while now. I plan on making nice drop over ones with pleated skirts that come to the floor and look really sharp. However  nice having them to sell off of will be making them keeps getting put to a low priority.

Here is this week's recover list:

On-going

Spin more skeins

Make fascinators

Make embroidery hanks

Weave

Before Next Show

Table clothes

Postings to Etsy, Square, & Ravelry

Order brochures

Develop subscription boxes

Develop Embroidery Kits

Create felting example

Update felting instructions

Finish felting kits.

Create display for Fascinators.

Structural:

Clean and reorganize main studio (we do not want to take over the kitchen again)

Arrange dye studio better

Washing machine

Informational:

Talk to ecceltica bead about Core spun Bracelets and wire.

Harbor Market - June 2

It rained! All day! But people came and enjoyed themselves despite that. Here is some photos from the prep work and then from drying of day (Thank you mister rain!)

Hi there

I have been a slacker on here for a while now. I have been selling and creating but not posting. Bad Julia. A lot of my craft making time near the holidays goes towards making beautiful things for my family but I also made a few scarves and skeins. One of my big projects has been working with a friend to re-create my business card and we are working on a brochure. I think she did a wonderful job.

Thanks to Arian these are off at the printers.

I am also looking at setting my show season for the year, hopefully I will have a post about that soon.

~Julia

Pleasant surprises

I pulled this off the loom on Sunday night. A loose weave scarf I have been working on. I was excited to both get it done and to see what it looked like after washing. You may not know this but the weaving process is not done - really - until after the item is washed. The washing set the weave structure and reveals any lace patterns you may have played with. This is done in plain weave, so no lace to reveal, but because it is a loose weave the strands shrink and move in that first washing to it's final location. What you see while weaving is not exactly what you get. 

So this is the Scarf after washing, it lost about an inch and a half in width and is in general a tighter structure that it seemed on the loom. The process is interesting - to me anyway. This fabric that I have been calling a scarf is however not destined to be a scarf. I will be making three (hopefully) day purses from it. So on the the surprise purse line here at MoonBound ArtisanShip. They will be lined with a cross-body strap and maybe some leather detailing.

I have spent a lot of time - at least it seems so to my inner artisan who wants to be making something at all times and sometimes thinks eating is overrated - on paperwork issues this month. Typesetting a stamp for labeling and billing at shows, show applications, and web stuff. All of this is a necessary part of running a crafts business, some parts of which  are more fun than others. A dear friend helped me out with some photos for my storefront and I hope to soon be able to boost her signal for her Photography and other craftiness.

Some changes

Washed Cotswold wool

... and comes out the other side much cleaner and opened up.

Then I card it up.

Fluffy batt waiting to be spun.

The wool enters the picker...

I've been trying to decide what the right direction is for me as an artist, a businesswoman, and a Mom.  Hopefully the changes I am making will bring me closer to my goals. Check out the new market site. I'll be posting more show date as soon as they are confirmed.

display items

I just finished some display items I thought I would share with you... It was a lot of fun and Mom got into the act with me.

 I bought this a thrift store and her neck broke on the way home.  I tried gluing it and that held, until I brought her to my parents for a photo shoot. She broke again. Dad tried a variety of strange substances from his garage of holding (think Mary Poppins' carpetbag but a whole garage like that) her neck ended up a long and Mom made her a collar and shrug to visually break that up a bit. She is ready to hold some jewelry now though.

I broke out the mod podge and fabric scraps to fix up these thrift store frames and made a peg hanger to match.  The inserts are velvet boards sold to pin jewelry or such like to. I plan to hand skeins of yarn from the other.

In other news, I heard back from Brookfield Market & More and it is official,  I will be showing there all 6 weekends! See you there!~ Julia

Errands and such

This morning I ran errands, some for my kids - the girls had to have pompoms to cheer on their big brother (track starts on Monday) - and some for my crafts.  I am finishing up my lunch as I write this, a yummy yellow split pea soup.

 I have been looking for the perfect clasp for a cardigan I am working on and I think this is it.

 Sweater and lace. Coming soon...

This is a bit brighter red in person and soon it will be a cuddly friend of two...

Also on today agenda was paperwork for an event or two I plan to sell at.  More info on that when I get accepted.  Thanks for joining me for lunch I am off to craft now! ~ Julia