The Road More Traveled

So... I'm on my way to GA. Day one - the longest drive - is behind me and it's all still long ways each of the next, but not as and more winding... Plus they lead to friends at the end of the day ;}

Then... I get a day of rest and visitation and then a nice Red Eye to London... Yay! More friends (long time haven't seen them) and catch up with Swans for 4 dates of the UK tour. Really looking forward to that! I'd see every show Phil ever played - if I could.

Back on Halloween (I'll be wearing the mask of exhaustion) and then make, make make to get ready for the Peachtree City Jewelry Expo on the 6th and the Calico Arts & Crafts (Moultrie) on the 13th & 14th.

THEN, I get to jet up to PA (Macungie and Philly) for a couple of Jewelry Parties and then up to Minneapolis to visit my Dad; THEN back to Utah for more Jewelry Parties and another weekly Market. New one indoors on State Street.

Well. That last one is still tentative...

Anyway. I still have room for more Jewelry Parties on the way back. So... if you're on the way to Minnesota from Philly (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, or Minnesota anyone?), drop me a line and get yourself penciled in for November 21st or 22nd (depending on how far you are from Philly/close you are to Minneapolis) or 23rd or 24th if you're on the way from Minnesota to Utah (Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Far Northern Colorado).

So, if any of those places/dates describes you... and you want a nice little custom made hosting gift and a percentage of the party's earnings in free jewelry and a discount on everything else you want - like gifts for other people maybe - either leave me a message here, OR e-mail me.

I'll post again when I get back from London and just before Peachtree with some pictures for you to drool over (or come get, depending on your position in the states and inclination as a drooler;).

Have a great Halloween and see you here in November... if I don't see you somewheres else...

This Friday, I Have New Stuff to Show

Ok. Last Friday I had nothing to show because I was away all week and made nothing new.

Where was I? Incase you forgot; I was out watching Phil beat the hell outta some drums on stage with the Swans first couple nights of the new tour. Yes. It was amazing and I wanted to travel with them longer but...

I came back and then had bad internet connections and nowhere to work until Wed... But, I did get roasted on Saturday at the Downtown Market (cause it was like 90F) and went to a really nice birthday party Sunday and then it rained a lot all week. This morning, the humidity was 80%. Kinda like Oregon in the high mountain desert of Utah... Though, it was a bit too cold to start wire wrapping in the mornings so, I did only have a few hours of solid non-arthritis bothered wrapping each day this week. Yep. I am whining a little bit...

Finally supposed to be a clear, warmer, day tomorrow though. Just in time for the second to last Downtown Salt Lake Arts and Crafts Market in Pioneer Park. Where I will be from 8am to 1pm on the street side of 400 S next to the City Weekly tent. Like usual.

Didn't get to make a lot of new stuff since I spent most of my jewelry making time working on custom orders this week but, I did make these:

And a couple of these:

[These got made because I had a special request for a simple more square know like ring. Obviously, one of these didn't quite fit the bill, but the other one came out ok. However, it was too big so it goes out into the general ring box now...]

Next week is the last Saturday to come out to the Pioneer Park Market for the season, and I will have a lot more new stuff next week... then I'm taking it all to Jewelry Parties and a couple Craft Shows in GA; with a brief flyover to catch up with Phil on the tour again. I love being a groupie!

See you tomorrow... or next Saturday... or at a Jewelry Party... or in Georgia.

Boo Hoo Updates... That's a Show Cancellation FYI

Well, I just heard that the Augusta Craft Show - Crafts from the Heart - scheduled for April 24th, has been cancelled. So... Looks like I won't be going back down to GA this month. I am, however, planning to head back East and South this Fall, so look for me down there at the beginning of November...

In the meantime, looks like that's it for April shows. Unless I can get a last minute booking this coming weekend or next one... Let you know if I can and do.

However, that opens up a lot of spots for the North East Coast people who want to get their pre-Mother's Day Jewelry Party dates scheduled...

So... Get in touch and lets get you some free, custom made, jewelry for Mom's Day - and a bunch of free and discounted jewelry presents for Moms too!

Why You Should Be in Beacon This Weekend...

So, why should you spend your weekend in Beacon? Well, because I am! Oh, and it's going to be a lot of fun if you do...

Second Saturday is this weekend - when the galleries have most of their art openings, restaurants and bars have special entertainment and the Main Street businesses stay open late. And this 2nd Saturday is going be the last Hudson River Market I'll be at. Maybe the last one in it's current incarnation ever, actually. They're looking to make it a "European Style" Market for next year - which means the handmade arty stuff will be pretty much absent.

So.. this Second Saturday will be your last chance to get some one of a kind and handmade jewelry, clothing, bags and fine art from some of the Hudson Valleys local talent. Well, on the street on Main anyway...

Plus, Sunday, Mount Beacon Fine Art Gallery is hosting a Jewelry Party - with jewelry by Andrea N. (that's me...) - from 2pm to 6pm. Refreshments will be served and I will have 4 tables of jewelry set up so there will be even more one of a kind to choose from than on Saturday. Plus, it's indoors, so I can bring stuff I wouldn't put outside... Though, if the weather is as nice as they say it's supposed to be (Fall Foliage anyone?), I'll probably sell quite a few one of a kind jewelry things on Saturday. So, if you want first dibs on anything I've got, you might want to come see me both days... If you can.

Oh, and I just dropped off some new necklaces at Raindance so you can run over to Beacon Friday if you want to be the first to get one of those. I just created a whole new unique-to-the-store design; all with a Vintage bead as the focus and gemstones on the chain. Since I've only made Sterling jewelry for Kathy's store up til now, and Fall is more of a Gold time of the year, I made 4 of the 7 new necklaces in Gold Fill. It went better with the Fall colors. So, if you're more of a gold person and you like one of these:

(the top four are the Gold Fill) you might want to get down there asap before someone else gets the one(s) you like...

Let's see, lots of art and activities plus special shopping opportunities... perfect weather and gorgeous mountain and river sides full of spectacular Fall color... um... the chance to hang out with great people and enjoy a wonderful weekend... um... um... nope, I think that about covers why Beacon NY is the place to be this second weekend in October.

See you there!

Squisharita Anyone?

So, I spent the day at the Arsenal in Brooklyn yesterday - at the inaugural Squish Art Market. It was slow. But it was a lot of fun! Met some Fabulous people, drank some wine, sold some rings, drank a Squisharita (you'll have to come to the next one to find out what that is!), chatted with fabulous people, and sold some more rings. At the end of the day, all my sales were rings. I almost sold a watch and a pair of earrings... but all I sold were rings. So, I guess I'll have to make some more rings.

Not too many customers, like I said but, it was a beautiful day out and there was an outdoor market nearby... would have been packed if the clouds hadn't parted. So most of the crowd came in at the end. Unfortunately, several of the vendors had already packed up and left by then. Oh well. Their loss!

I'm going to do it again in September, or October - whenever the next one is - so I'll let you know as soon as I know so you can all be sure to be there! The Arsenal wasn't that hard to find - but I did Google Street View it before I went. There does need to be a little better signage, but all in good time, I'm sure. It is on the 4th floor though... so it'll be good exercise! Oh and Thanks to Justine for thinking of it and to Bob for the hosting venue. Squish!

Among the fabulous people I met yesterday was another Andrea (who happens to run an Etsy Street Team of 700 people!!). She told me I could link Twitter to my Etsy store so that it would tweet every time I added a new item.

Now, you all know I'm one of those people that says: Twitter?! Bah Humbug! Why would I want to update people on the minutiae of my life when that would be really boring for everyone involved AND I already feel like I spend too much time online and not enough making and showing my jewelry anyway? Actually, most of the people I know don't even have a Twitter account. But, I know a lot of people do and, since I won't have to actually send the updates myself once it's set up, I thought: Why not?! I'll just add my pictures and listings and blog posts and let this twitter feed tweet them out to the masses - or the minuses or thin air as the case may be.

So, since I had the laptop and a good bit of down time yesterday waiting for people to come in and buy rings, I set up a Twitter account and linked it to my Etsy store, Flickr page and my Blog. So, if you're a Twitterer, you can get a tweet from me whenever I put up new pictures, add items to my store, and write something new (like right now). Or you can tell the people you know who Twitter to do it... Doo it. Doo it. Comon. Doo it. Follow my Tweets. ;]

Ok. Now, there is a little not rightness with the account name so you can't just look for Custom Adornments. For some reason, Twitter wouldn't let me add the last "S" for my name. Though, I didn't see anywhere that mentioned this character limitation. So, my Twitter address is @customadornment. I think. I haven't really spent much time on the site and I'm not following anyone... Phil has an account, so I guess I should follow his non-existent updates. Anyway, if you know how that works, then just don't add the 's' at the end when you look for my Twitter self.

Oh, and if you're up this way: this week I'll be finishing up some small word necklaces for Paper Presence (in Beacon) and the Pink Cloud Boutique (in Harriman). There'll be different designs at each store, because I like to have every store get exclusive designs. Which means you should be able to pop over to one or both stores and get a couple this weekend... ;] Also, I've been asked to man the posts at Raindance this weekend as well. So, I'll be at Mower's Market in Woodstock on Monday... if anyones going to be in the area...

Sorry. No pictures this week, but I'll try to add some to my next post - promise!

Saturdays in Beacon... And Then...

Well, it looks like you'll be able to find me in Beacon for the next 5 Saturdays... then skip the 4th of July... and I'll be there on July 11th too.

THEN, I'll be skipping the state to head West.

Stopping in Arkansas for my exceptionally talented friend Bethany's wedding, maybe scooping up some diamonds the day afterward...

Then jetting over to Albuquerque to drop in on a friend or two before scooting on up to Utah to vend at a couple of Sundays at the Park Silly Market, set up at a few Jewelry Parties, and gear up for a couple selling days at a retreat.

If I can swing it before he flies off to Scotland, I might even bolt up to Montana to visit Bill, and take a side trip for some Garnets before going back down to Utah.

If it wasn't for the crazy heat of mid-Summer in the desert, I'd take a serious side trip to dig up some Opals too... leave that for an earlier - or later - time of the year I think.

Then, when I get back up here, probably be at the Hudson River Market on Saturdays through the last one in September or so.

Still waiting to hear back, but I might be in Georgia again mid-September... I'll let you know when I know.

And I might do a thing in Albany in October. Again, let you know...

Then, for almost for sure, I'll be at this year's Indiemade Craft Market in Allentown. Had such a great time last year, I wouldn't miss this year's!

So, if you're going to be near any of those markets or shows, please stop over and say: HI! Otherwise, if you want to have me stop at your place on the way anywhere in between shows for your very own Trunk Show/Jewelry Party, let me know. {You know that I'd rather attend your parties most of the year, anyway;}

And that's pretty much the rest of my year so far.

So...

To recap:

You can catch me every Saturday until July and then again on July 11th on Main Street in Beacon at the Hudson River Market.

I'll be at Park Silly in Park City, Utah the last Sunday in July and the 2nd Sunday in August.

Back to the Hudson River Market.

Might be at Shakerag in September.

Possibly in Albany in October.

Probably at Indiemade the first Saturday of December.

Hopefully, at a whole lot of people's parties in between all those, and preferably for most of October and November. If you want to be one of those peoples, you might want to start planning now. Time is starting to fly already;}

Oh yah, I just finished a bunch of necklaces for Raindance too. I'll be delivering them this Saturday if you want to head over and get yours before they're gone, here's a preview:

From Creative Living 101 (aka It's Art, Damnit!)

Some great Candisa beads from the early 50's (you really can't see how gorgeous they are until you see them in person), and some other gorgeous old Venetian beads on these as well. Plus some precious gemstones and higher end semiprecious (Emerald on one, Larimar, Turquoise, Lapis, & Sugilite on others). 7 new necklaces for this round - all with 40's or 50's Venetian beads - and I'll probably whip up some new necklaces and earrings to deliver to Raindance before I head off to Utah as well. [Remember; I'm only doing this necklace style for Raindance, so if you like what you see, you have to get yours there. It's an exclusive, dontcha know...]

Ok. So that's the news and up and comings. [Can you tell I plan to be a little too busy to type up more than one or two of these before I head out in July?]

Hope to run into a bunch of you in the coming months, one way or the other, and all the best to everyone til then!

This is Where I'll Be...

So, I got sick as soon as the store was all moved out. I had been holding it off because I didn't have time to get sick. So, it makes sense that once I did have time, that I would get sick. I'm better now. Even though there were snow flurries today. 

In sweat shop mode now that I'm feeling better. Making new jewelry for upcoming shows and what's it. Which are:

Stormville Fleamarket on April 26th. Look for me in the New Section just past the food vendors in Stall #T349. I have a new - regulation for most craft shows - white 10x10 tent so, look for one of those with my name on it and jewelry under it;}

Then, on May 3rd from noon to 3pm, I'll be making customized picture frame jewelry at Paper Presence in Beacon, NY. 

The next weekend (May 9th & 10th) I'll be in Griffin, Georgia for the Hatch Market. I'll be heading south on the 6th and heading back up the 11th. If you live in any of the areas along the route from NY to Atlanta, and would like to host a Jewelry Party, let me know and I'll schedule you in somewhere in one (or maybe even both;) of the directions. 

Hope I'll see some of you at one or more of the upcoming listed above and, that I'll get to do a whole lot more jewelry parties now that I have more free time. Hint, hint;}

Is Obama the Reincarnation of Honest Abe?

Following the same train route prior to the inauguration aside, it does seem that there are more than just a few similarities between President Obama and the 16th President. 

The "Honest Abe" aspect is very evident in the way that the new president has a tendency to answer questions without guile, and speak about things that others tend to hide. Of course the common trait of being tall and lanky doesn't really help to dispel comparison either. Then there's the matter of both being eloquent, convincing and popular orators. Lincoln certainly knew the constitution inside and out and Obama taught constitutional law. Which brings us to the point that they were both lawyers. Lincoln also represented Illinois in the House and Obama was an Illinois Senator. 

Now, I'm not sure if Obama has any patents pending or if Lincoln ever wrote a best selling novel or two but, aside from these two things, it would be hard not draw the parallels. 

Throw in the fact that Obama swore into office on Lincoln's bible and it's completely understandable to say: Hmmm...  Which is to say that it's a little easy to assume that Obama could be Lincoln reincarnate. If you believe in reincarnation that is. Which I do. Though, I'm not making a declaration; just throwing it out there;]

Ok. Enough metaphysical politic musing. I need to wrap this up quickly since the day is more than half over and I still have way too much to do. 

I'm applying for craft shows alllll over the place for the coming year and more than half of the applications are due in the next 4 weeks! So, I  have to get all the best pictures of a variety of my work (some of them are still waiting to be photographed while the other's still need editing) in all the corresponding correct formats and views, then put onto discs in all the right numbers and sizes - everyone seems to want something different. Then, I have to fill out the forms and get the money together for the application fees and show fees and get them all in the mail on time. Without double booking! 

Which is not that hard if you have nothing else going BUT, the store is finally done. Yes, the end of the year sales were only enough to pay the current month's bills and January is just as slow as it always is so there is no money for February. Absolutely none right now. 

So, March 31st will see the physical incarnation of pearldaddy over and out. Still going to sell off the remaining jewelry online, and take some of it around to the fleas when I do those. Plus, I'm going to do jewelry parties so the option of bringing pearl jewelry will come with that too. No more boutique and gallery after March though. So... I have to find people to buy all the furniture - since it's going on the street if no one buys it because I'm not moving it again! No room in my garage anyway. Plus, I have to redo the website, add more jewelry to the online store (gotta take all the pics and write the descriptions as well), clean things out and pack stuff up. 

Oh, and I'm going to be doing some jewelry making classes starting next month too. 

AND, we have to find another place to live by June as well. 

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. But, not unhappy. 

So, even though I haven't gotten nearly enough done today and still have pics to fix and laundry to do, I did feel like I should get a blog on about everything that's going down; even a short one. Since all that stuff about Obama and Lincoln was roaming my head like a wild beast, and since it's inauguration day, you can thank that for today's writing impetus. 

I'll post again when I have new pics of work to show and some dates and places for upcoming craft shows (the first one might be in Albany at the beginning of April, and then there are a possible two at the end of April and beginning of May in Atlanta). Keep you posted. 

All the best and hope the New Year and New President bring nothing but better days - for EVERYONE!!! 

Back in New York and Rarin' to Sleep

Wow. I have to do more of those parties! 

It actually started snowing as we were driving to the hostess's house - and didn't stop until we left! So, the turn out was a little lower than expected but, it was still pretty good. And it was a lot of fun - a lot of work, but still - a lot of fun. And it was great to see everyone. And I sold a few things and took a custom order. AND, got some requests to come back later in the year for another couple of parties. It was a good experience. 

I did wind up bringing a lot more than I sold... Though, there were a lot of positive comments on even the stuff that didn't sell, so that was encouraging. 

There Ain't No Party Like a Family and Friends Jewelry Party!

So, I'm doing a jewelry party a week from Tuesday. Excited, and stressed about it all at once. 

This is my first one so it's going to be the test and the big learning curve event for all parties to come. Plus, financially, I kind of need the party to go well. ie: I need to sell a bunch of jewelry. I have no idea how many people are coming to buy jewelry, so I don't know how much to bring. I need to bring enough for the people who are planning to buy, but I don't want to bring too much either since it's pretty far away. I don't really have a way of displaying anything except by loose display in the boxes they come in either, so I'm hoping that won't be a problem. That's the stress part. Which isn't really too bad as far as stress goes - except for the financial need part. 

It should be a pretty big party, but I know a lot of people (family actually) who are coming later, just for the party part and not buying anything. Though, I have had some requests for somewhat specific things people want, so hopefully, that's a good sign of success to come. I'm planning to take custom orders while I'm at it too, so that will hopefully help with the financial success part.

Been thinking about doing a craft show or two as well. Of course, I have to buy or make a lot of displays to do that. It also seems that most of the ones listed near me are all juried. I don't know that I have a good enough photo of anything, let alone several things, to be included in a juried show. Or that my jewelry is actually appropriate for a juried show. Though, to be fair, some of the photos in the lesser know "juried" shows' websites don't show anything that's really that daunting as far as getting into the show. The whole thing is a bit daunting though. I'd really like to find a small local one to get started with or someone to share a table with at a bigger show. Someone with craft show experience. 

I really need a vacation from the store. I really need the store to start being more successful in the new location too. And support from my "business partner". I'm mostly stressed about what's going on with that right now. Ah, the Happy Blahg;} Blahg. Ha. That's funny. I need a vacation.