I'd rather be...

feel free to fill in the blank. For artists it is often "I'd rather be in the studio", which happens to be the title of a great book by Alyson B Stanfield .


The thing is that in most cases if you don't leave the studio, you don't make sales. So you have to venture out to craft shows and twitter. To networking events and facebook. To conversations with friends and flickr. To family events and blogs. To spiritual retreats and there and here.

As for us, Mosaic Woman and I have made an effort to venture out and it appears to be paying off. We have a list of commissions to work on from a college friend, a close relative, a craft show attendee, a flickr friend, a Dave, a blogging friend, a friend made at a retreat.

So now we need to be in our studios, because we told the world that We Are Nutmeg Designs.

But that means I have less time to blog and tweet and .... so, am I saying I would rather be out of the studio. Not really. We love what is happening here.

Thanks for all the support

Lady Wisdom Shineth

Sophia has been keeping me a bit under control since I mentioned working and not working on this project.

at night in the bathroom, 10 minutes after completion:

and this morning:

and up close in day light:

FOR SALE HERE

constructive criticism and success

I got juried (just by all that hair on my chinny chin chin) and I got some helpful words from a good friend about how to improve my craft, especially if I ever want to get juried into the state guild. It also showed I have an accurate idea on the strengths and weaknesses of my craft work.


and dig this... I got 16 flowers (not counting weeds) blooming in my yard. including the first Bachelor's Button for the year...

after the show

exhausted, but back at work I was gardening with the students. People ask how the show went... if they have the time they will hear this...

First off there were more friendly faces on Monday than Sunday (who would have guessed), and now it was faces I had seen before. The woman who taught the Lenten retreat which inspired a few of my designs came with her husband, a minister with Mondays off. On their heels were my parents. Then there was my friend with pancreatic cancer along with his wife. And finally a friend from church who drove twice to see us, on Saturday before the show began and then on Monday after reading my last post.

There was a woman whose boxes were in my way when I was groggy and feeling rushed early Sunday morning, but who I chatted with off and on through out the show and grew to like more and more. Thank God for time to dash first impressions.

There was the feeling that our display was much improved, and with ideas to make it better.

There was the feeling that we both had, that even though the sales did not meet our hopes, we were glad we went on the adventure.

Then there was the guy who when I asked if he needed a hand, said "feel free to applaud."

I may have given a wise response back to the man. Both of our spouses may have sighed.

Thus I met Barbara and Louis Booth, who came from Long Island, so had the extra expense of hotel rooms. Lou makes jewelry and though he does 50-70 shows a year, had never ventured into Pennsylvania before. He was filled with jokes, advice, stories, and angst about schools and teachers. That story made me sad for how some teachers treat their students and a desire that I continue to strive to treat my students as humans who deserve compassion and respect. I may have lost some points when I told him I was a teacher, but I gained many when I told him that I made bread with my students. He was a great neighbor to have for two days.

here is our new Honda Fit set to go home, to see some craft fair photos, click here

crafting as adventure

On August 29, I got a comment on my blog letting me know that I was not the only person in the world that carried their own mug to the Jesuit Retreat Center in Wernersville, PA.
Eight months later, that blogger showed up to meet me and to buy a mosaic she had eyed here on my blog. She was the first and only friend who showed up today at the Har Zion Craft Show. Thanks, it was great meeting you. Mosaic Woman in glad one of her favorites is in your house.

To quote the Beatles... I am so tired....

Started preparing for Har Zion immediately after work on Friday stopped Saturday night at 11:30 when I was truly grateful that the Honda Fit I ordered in December showed up in Lansdale this week. We sank into bed last night feeling as if we had been packing for a move. Up at 4:40 this morning, 3.5 hours to set up the booth, 8 hours of hope to sell, hope to see friends, hope to eat Indian food on the way home, hope to pray tonight, hope that I always get good folk as neighbors at craft shows, hope to get some sleep...

preparing for Har Zion #2

for me (mosaic woman would agree) the fun part of preparing for a craft show, is crafting...



A colleague of mine commissioned two 11x17 inch panels and I worked up three designs. She liked two, so I decided to do smaller versions for her to see in glass. She liked both but preferred the top and asked for two larger like that, and then bought the one below. First thought in my head was... "No, you can't buy it, I need it for the Har Zion craft show in Penn Valley this weekend." Some thoughts just need to float in and float and out.






Below is the third version of this design. No darkness here. I will try to sell this and the one I judged poorly at the craft show. Hopefully someone like this guy shows up and sees the beauty in it.





and then there is the design I came up with on retreat at Wernersville and then worked on the day and night I prepped for a my colonoscopy. Catching the blue greens by camera was quite difficult.