Shows & Things to Show!

Whew! It's been a while!

While I'd like to be able to say that my hiatus is due to an extended snorkleing trip in the Fijian islands, I'm even more happy to say that I've been crazy busy with lots of awesome paperwork! I'm not being sarcastic. How can paperwork be awesome? When it's working with paper to churn out some of these pieces:


Above is a massive 4-piece, segmented work depicting the water of and land surrounding Lake Attersee in northwestern Austria. Each piece is 12 x 12" and at the thickest portions, there are 14 layers of cardstock. I would love to see this after it's matted and framed!

I've done quite a few sets lately. Another genius idea was this set of four places that traces four key locations that the buyer and her husband visited or inhabited in their young lives so far, and includes (clockwise from top left): San Francisco, Baja California, Amsterdam, and the Sunderbans of India.


Someone else ordered something akin to a "family pack" with different colors of the same lake:


Other fun custom pieces include Prince of Wales Island at the bottom of Alaska's "tail":


Table Rock Lake in southern Missouri:


And New York's Long Island done up in rich, harvest golds:


I finally worked out my plan for plastic-free packaging for my card sets:


I still have to incorporate them into my listings, and they could endure some more refining, but I like them for their simplicity, practicality, and recycle-ability!

Last month marked my second gallery exhibit, this one as part of a super cool show fronted by the brilliant Mr. Curt Lund. Curt just wrapped up his artist-in-residence term at the charming Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts in Fridley and for his grand finale, invited four other artists to join him in creating Geographies: a multi-media investigation of place. As fun and thrilling as it is to be part of any show, Geographies is so near and dear to my heart and what I do every day, that it is and will always be extra awesome to me. Here are some shots from the show:

Three all-white pieces (from left to right or west to east, if you will): San Francisco Bay, Lake Minnetonka, Manhattan


A bright, extra-dimensional piece called "Buoyancy":


This piece, two 6 x 6" layered "halves" of the same stack, I titled, 'Touched."


I invite people to touch this piece in the hopes that over time, it will begin to show the dirt and grime of a thousand hands. In a way, this reflects how we both connect to and corrode the land around us.

The show is up through the end of April, so if you're in the Twin Cities area, do check it out! There are more of my pieces than what I've shown here, and lots of other amazing pieces by the other artists in the collection.

Last Saturday, I joined Curt again, as well as a dozen other artists as an elite group vending our work at the beautiful Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. It was a very simple set-up: we were each allotted a single, simply draped 6-foot table, set in a line along a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows. The Walker staff treated us to some morning goodies, a lovely lunch, assistance whenever needed, and a free and amazing selling venue in exchange for half of our earnings that day. The turn out and response far exceeded my expectations and I sold out of a few things. You can see how spotty my card display looked below when my hubby and the kids stopped by in the afternoon:

I didn't intend to take my zip-up hoodie off, or have my hair pulled up, but it was warm and I was busy! It was a great day! One of the personal highlights for me was when an older gentleman asked me if I was from Bemidji. When I told him I was, he said that he knew my Dad. I pressed him for more information and he said he saw my last name on my info card, had a hunch, and then saw my blue eyes and knew I was my father's daughter. I was so chuffed to think that my eyes were the giveaway clue to my identity. I called my Dad after the show to tell him and he thought it was pretty sweet too. :) It was wonderful, too, to hear all the very nice comments people shared about my work. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love what I do!

What's next? More custom pieces, each one different, each one with a story behind it. I am so lucky to be able to make pieces for people who find these so special. Who knew it would become so huge since my very first custom piece about two years ago?

Also, up next, is the very fun, very crazy, very awesome, St. Paul Craftstravaganza! This year's event is held in the same place as in recent years, the Fine Arts building of the MN State Fair Grounds. The event takes place one day only, on Saturday, April 30th, from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. I'll be in the same place I was last year as well, just off to the right side from the main entrance.

There will be loads of other handmade goodies there from all over the state and region, with some of the most unique and high-quality items you'll find in this area. Please stop by and say "hi!"

Until then, I'm busy, busy, busy prepping more fun stuff for the show, as well as crossing off pieces from my custom to-do list. New orders from my shop will be shipped beginning early May, and my turn-around time on all my work should shorten considerably soon thereafter.

Thanks for reading through this meaty update! I hope to see you soon!

Next up, Marvelous Minnesotans!

Tomorrow -- YIKES! TOMORROW ALREADY! -- is the first annual HandmadeMN Team Spring Market!


It's going to be awesome. Our very talented and productive Etsy team has been working very hard to make this one kick-ass craft show. There will be forty vendors selling all sorts of cool things as well as some hands-on demos and a fun contest to enter as well. See a list of all the vendors and read all about the event here, by clicking here, or on our poster!

Again, if you're in the area, please stop by -- it's going to be too cold for anything but shopping!

One down, one to go!

The St. Paul Craftstravaganza was a blast! It was my best show so far and everything went very well. There was a steady stream of shoppers all day, and for every sale I had, I received about 4 or 5 "Wow"s or "Beautiful"s or something sweet along those lines -- how cool!


See that little framed piece lying flat toward to the front of the table? This is a framed piece without the glass, and with a little note that says, "Touch Me!" My second favorite part of the day was watching the expression on people's faces when they read the note and followed the instructions. So many "Oh!"s and "Ooooo"s and smiles too! Too many people easily mistake my colorful work for two-dimensional prints, and it's important for me to show them that each piece is hand cut and layered. I think this small, framed piece does the trick pretty well.


I had other pieces framed (with glass) for sale and to show off how good they look when matted and framed nicely. The indoor show allowed me to hang these pieces without worrying about the wind blowing them around or other weather effects. My banner (hand stenciled and sewn from a window blind remnant) looked far less impressive and has since sparked all sorts of bigger and better ideas in my head for next year or perhaps later this summer. There were so many outstanding booths there this year -- many craft show veterans who really know what they're doing and how to put together a shopper-stopper display. They really put mine to shame, but I'm o.k. with that. I can only get better, right? I have to say that I love my little felt banner hung on the front of my table -- such a happy pop of color. It was made and given to me by the lovely Laura Brown who is an amazing artist here in Minneapolis. Thanks again, Laura!


My favorite part of the day is all about that little monkey standing next to my table in the photo above. My Leah Bear hung out with me for the entire day, keeping me company, entertaining me with stories from school or pointing out interesting photos from her animal encyclopedia she brought along. She refilled sold items before their spot got cold, and kept a steady supply of business cards displayed on the table. She never complained once and fared very well considering we hardly ate anything and it was a very long day. I think she was even more excited than me every time I had a sale. I couldn't imagine a better booth buddy. :)

Next Saturday, The HandmadeMN Spring Market! Yes!

When you say, "Craftstravaganza," you've said it all!

Last year, I took in my first St. Paul Craftstravaganza as a shopper, in awe of the awesomeness at every single booth (yes! None disappointed!), and taking mental notes for what I might do were I to tackle my own craft fair booth someday.
This year, with a couple of shows under my apron, I will be on the other side of the booth as a vendor, hoping to meet lots of cool folks, hug lots of new friends, and sell lots of my neat-o work! If any of you are in the area, please, please come and check it out. You will not leave empty handed. In addition to all the tempting goodies crafted and otherwise, there will be make & take demos, and I'm giving out free hugs! It's going to rock!

Take Two!

My second Uptown Market event (the final U.M. of the year), was even better than the first. The weather was absolutely gorgeous: no threat of rain, a light breeze, and a temp in the mid-seventies... Ahhhhh. The turn out was a little better, my display was more catchy, and my neighbors were awesome.



I put one table all the way to the front of the booth and squeezed in most of the topo pieces there. I staggered the second table a few feet back and placed the flower pieces and the 8 x 10" works on it. Only a few people ventured all the way back to the second table and it definitely helped when I invited people there or pointed it out.



One of my favorite parts of the day was watching people do double-takes when they passed my booth. They'd be cruising along, glance over at my display, look ahead again, then quickly turn back, stop in their tracks, and make a line for the table. Sweet! I'm sure some of them were just curious about what all those "colorful blobs" were, but some asked great questions, spent a few minutes browsing, and a few even bought something for themselves.



The best seller, hands-down, was the Chain of Lakes pieces. Local folks shopped locally and liked the piece that represented so much of what makes their neighborhood beautiful. Because of those pieces, I also received many inquiries about custom work of other lakes and areas.

To my left was the painter, Patrick Ginter and his colorful, eye-catching works. The only thing more colorful than his paintings was his personality and sense of humor. I enjoyed our little chats and random musings throughout the day.



On my right was a talented team of cousins who put together a sell-out spread of organic goodies made from local fruits and veggies. Mary Ann Knox, a bit of a local celebrity and compost queen, along with her cousin Linda were experts at luring folks in with delicious-looking treats and handling the entire event with professionalism and bright attitudes. I bought one of their outstanding pecan pies before they were gone. Divine!



A little further down the street, a sweet-smelling bath and body vendor had the genius idea to do a little sidewalk chalk promotion. I complimented their idea and they were kind enough to let me wear down a couple of their sticks for my own little walk-over ad. I'm not sure a ton of people noticed it, but it was a fun experiment.

I also met the delightful Miss Laura Brown who made a special point to find me, introduce herself, and declare her intent to be my friend. How could I resist? :) Later in the day, she ambushed my booth and dropped off an adorable, felt, mini-pennant banner that I immediately strung up on my front table. Super cute. Laura has a sweet little shop on Etsy too!

As usual, there were a few musicians busking here and there. Two spots down from me, a couple of dudes struck up a few tunes playing Avett Brothers songs and a few others. It made for a nice mood and some sing-along moments. Here's a little clip and a short panorama:



Before, during and after the market, I was MUCH less keyed up than I was for the first one. I knew pretty much everything I needed to know and felt confident about what I was doing. Matthew helped me set up and take down, and then spent most of the day with the girls. My mother-in-law stopped by for a while and brought my Leah Bear with her for a nice visit.

In all, the Uptown Market was an enjoyable opportunity for me to be introduced to the world of craft fairs. I felt successful and inspired. Boo-ya!

Uptown Market - August 16th

Wooo Hooooo! We did it!

It feels incredibly good to have my first craft fair over and done. It was a great experience and, like most newbies, I learned a lot, thankfully with few regrets. The weather ignored all the prognostications for heavy rain, and gave us pocketed sunshine throughout most of the day with only about five minutes of a very light sprinkle mid-day. Every minute that it didn't rain, my smile got bigger and my shoulders relaxed more.

The event was well run and we found our little corner of the market easily. The boundaries of our booth were chalked on the road and we could pull our vehicle right up to it on the other side of the street - how sweet! This made unloading a breeze. We unpacked all the gear and got to work on the tent. I was shaky-nervous and excited. Here's me working on a corner of the tent -- you can see how conveniently close the van was to this.



Once the tent was up, we moved on to the tables, the hanging wall doo-dads, and generally getting things up and show-ready. In this pic, you can see some of my essentials: coffee, duct tape, plastic totes, snacks, band-aids, and everything else.



The overall turn-out was fairly slim and not nearly the hordes of people I had seen in flickr pages for other fairs, but it was steady and polite. I gave away quite a few business cards and had many people stop in, ask questions, get closer looks, and offer compliments.



I felt prepared for questions about how I make my things, if I could do custom work, and how long I'd been doing this, but a couple of questions caught me off guard. The very first visitor to my booth asked, "What are these?" Ummm... Isn't it obvious? :) I resisted saying that and realized more throughout the day that it wasn't crystal clear that I was selling art and cards made from layered, colored paper. One person thought the Topo pieces looked like Rorschach ink blots, while another thought on first glance that they were watercolors. Another passerby simply asked, "What's Crafterall?" To which I answered, "That's me! And all the work do here."



A woman on one side of me sold magnetic jewelry, and the woman on the other side of me sold quilted bags specifically made for four-legged walkers. Other vendors sold fresh, organic produce, screen prints, t-shirts, pottery, fresh-brewed coffee, bath and body products, photo prints, metal ornaments, and some of the tastiest looking pulled meat sandwiches that kept walking by in the hands of happy customers. There were also half a dozen street buskers including a guy on an apartment balcony throwin' out some def turntable spins. Along with a handful of non-profit organizations advertising their causes, the Uptown Market was an eclectic melange of things to see, touch, hear, and eat. Pretty darn cool.



There were so many highlights to my first craft fair. The weather, which became my biggest worry in the last few days before the show, was wonderfully mild. It was a little breezy, but everything in my booth stood its ground. My very first sale of the day could not have been better. The buyer was local, loved the "Chain o' Lakes" pieces I made, snapped one up for herself, and appreciated being able to pay with her credit card. She was enthusiastic and complimentary about everything in my booth -- such a redemptive and encouraging boost for me! I heard lots of other nice compliments throughout the day, and even had a patron say that she had seen my work on Etsy! Awesomeness! She picked up a "Retro Poppies" for herself too. A couple of folks talked with me about potential custom work, and I received confirmation this morning for one such request.



The biggest highlight of the entire process, hands down, was having the tireless and and cheerful assistance of my hubby with me through it all. His MacGyver-like knot-tying and problem-solving/preventing efforts were invaluable and helped to make me a much cooler cookie than I would have been without his help. We were able to chat about what seemed to be working this time, and what we could do differently next time. He also managed the booth while I perused the other booths, and he bought me a yummy lunch from a nearby African restaurant. Thanks, honey!



At the end of the day, my earnings were nothing to sing about, but I covered the cost of my booth fee and enough after that to make me eager to do this again in September. Yee-haw!

Basement Booth!

O.K., so here it is!



Leah, my number one fan, is modeling it, and hanging off the chair she's in is the apron I made for the event. Of course, there will be a canopy over the top and we'll most likely have the sides up with the 70% chance of rain (and thunderstorms - shhhhhh) prediction. I'm also going to hang a big, framed "Retro Poppies" papercut as well as a smaller, framed Topo piece for a little more vertical interest. But basically, this is how I think it will look. The Crafterall banner will be on the front of the tent once I figure out how to do so, and I'm still not sure where that little plant stand table will go.

Here is the table with the topography and art card pieces. There's a basket of one-of-a-kind items, and tiered displays of various cards that I will re-load as necessary. On the little easel, there's a single open card for some tactile interaction. At the recommendation of the some wonderful Etsy folks, this guy is out for folks to touch, open, and drool over. ;)



This is the "flower" side of things. I found the white memo-station thing for a quarter at a garage sale and re-fitted a ribbon board in the flat space. Got lucky with the three front pockets as they are the perfect size for the cards!



As an Uptown Market Exclusive, I'll be selling papercut topographies of the popular Minneapolis Chain of Lakes (Twin Lakes, Brownie Lake, Cedar Lake, Lake of the Isles, Lake Calhoun, unnamed swampy area, and Lake Harriet). I hope these will be a hit with the local crowd.



Behind the scenes, I've got my credit card imprinter with slips, a hole-y box (50 cents in the IKEA as is section) for pens, and plastic bags for purchases. I've got a load of business cards, logo-rific postcards, and hard candy to hand out too.



I'm still undecided about using the kraft paper over the white tablecloth. I like that it sets off the white of the cards, but worry that it cheapens the look, and I'm not sure it will hold up in the forecasted precipitation. What do you think?

The reality is solidifying and I have my booth number assigned! I'll be representin' in booth #45, just west of Bryant Avenue. If you're in the neighborhood, please stop by for a hug!