Midwest Craft Con 2016!

I just returned home from the Midwest Craft Con, which happened in Columbus this past weekend. It was great! It was a weekend packed with heavy hitters in the craft/art/maker business world including Abby Glassenberg, Tara Swiger, Mei Pak, Lisa Congdon and Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood (among others) with all of them offering up advice, guidance and support to do what I'm trying to do (grow my enamel jewelry hobby/business). It attracted about 150 other people (mostly women but there were some brave men too) who are also trying to make a go of it. It was full of positive energy and "can-do" attitudes -- which is always a good thing of which to partake! :)

Saturday morning's opening panel talking about The Future of Handmade.

 I have to admit, I didn't socialize too much. I know that sounds funny but it's what I needed to do. This was my first "Con" and being who I am, I needed to get the "lay of the land." So I basically kept to myself and observed. I drove down by myself, got a hotel room by myself and ate my meals by myself. Buuuut, I sucked it all in as much as I could possibly do! That's the thing with the quiet ones -- you never quite know what's going on and how crazy-busy it is inside their heads!

Tara Swiger from the Explore Your Enthusiasm podcast. 

So I took notes and watched and listened and registered things so I could learn and use it later (or sooner) -- and I'm ready to go. Ready to work on Blooming Enamels. I want to learn more about enameling and jewelry and business and putting it all together to do this thing I have called Blooming Enamels Jewelry. I feel so fortunate to have found torch-fired enameling as an outlet for my creative energy. If you would like to to know more about what I am up to I'm getting active on my Instagram account so you can go check things out over there. 

Wild Working Weekend

Last weekend I did all things enamel jewelry as I'm gearing up for the upcoming busy holiday shopping season and thought I'd share some of it with you. Sometimes I can become overwhelmed with the thought of the work I need to so but other times I get energized by it and I jump right in. I'm very happy to say that the latter is what happened last weekend. (And we hope it continues this weekend too!) And it's coming just in time because as of now I am set to participate in three craft shows and I'm also in stores and of course there is the Etsy shop to fill. Lots to do!

(At some point I want to do a proper post on my torch fire enamel jewelry making process but for right now I'll just show you the main points.)

Firing station with torch and exhaust fan. (Taking a break with Cooper).

All the fired pieces go here while they wait for finally assembly such as ear wires and chains for pendant necklaces.

Of course everything is organized! Half of the fun of making jewelry is the organizational system I need for it! :P

Cooper oversees the entire production and gets me back to work when I want to slack off. 

So it was a productive weekend getting lots of pieces underway and I'm hoping to continue it this weekend (and several more to come, of course). I hope you have a nice and productive weekend doing that which you do that you enjoy. :)

The Laurel Artisan Bazaar This Weekend!

It's that time of year again for the Laurel Artisan Bazaar! This will be my third time at the show with my jewelry (I did two years with my photography: Bloom Spirit) and I'm very much looking forward to it. It's a fun show with lots of fantastic creative items. I'm always so amazed at all the creativity I see at these shows. People making and doing such interesting things with their hands. It always makes me want to get back home and spread my enameling wings...

So, if you aren't busy and are around the east-side-of-Cleveland area then come on out and check out the show. Unfortunately it's a show with an entrance fee but I'd have to say, in this case, it's worth it.

Here are just a few of the new items I've been working on:

"Mod Drop" dangle earrings in Terra Firma color blend. 

Bloom Chandelier earrings in a a sky blue color with vintage bead dangles.  

Orbit Discs enameled in my unusual, "Funky Beat" color blend. 

Earring as Expression

I love working on my torch-fired enamel jewelry (which I have been doing a lot lately in spite of my lack of blogging about it!) because included with it being part craft, part art, part practical, part impractical, part fun and part work it is also *all* expression.

This bright bold beautiful bauble bead (no alliteration intended but I like it!) earring I made is full of colors that express just how I feel today: warm, welcoming, happy, hopeful, positive, eager and ready.