Spring Brings In The Crafty Fun!

Well, it's about that time of year when the weather is getting a bit warmer, and there is a fine blanket of yellow powder everywhere, otherwise known as pollen. The only good thing about pollen is that soon after we get our yearly dusting, we can see the whole world start to come alive with Spring Fever. And I LOVE Spring (My most favorite time of year!).

(Picture from techfilled.com)

I can't imagine living in some huge city like New York, where you kind of have to "miss" the joy of Spring each year. If you live in the country, during the Spring season, you can step outside early in the morning and hear the birds and creatures waking up with you. You can literally watch the flowers and trees bloom a little more each day, and slowly everything around you starts to come alive. It's bright. It's colorful. And best of all, it's completely nature at work. If you live in a big time city, when you walk out your front door, you just follow the concrete and asphalt to work, while all you hear is horns honking and brakes squealing. Same thing, day after day, no matter what season it is. You really do miss a lot living in the city.

I'm so so far away from the topic of this entry! (as usual)

Another welcome arrival with Spring and warm weather is... Craft Shows and Craft Fairs!

I. am. SO. EXCITED! I have two craft shows in April, on the 21st in Wetumpka, and the 28th in Auburn. I did my first show, sort of a CHRISTmas Holiday Market, in early December, and it was everything I wanted it to be. I get really excited when I have e-mails or compliments online about my designs, but there is something wonderful about having someone standing right in front of you, admiring something that you put your hard work and time into. And until you know what that feels like, it's hard to understand. After my first show, I knew that it wouldn't be my last.

I don't struggle with what to bring to my show. I don't struggle with trying to decide how to price things. I do, however, struggle with how to set up my booth. I don't want to be too boring, but I don't want to blind people with BRIGHT colors and take the focus away from my jewelry. I want to have a sophisticated flair, but I don't want to seem uptight. I want to cater to college age girls, as well as older women. It's just complicated to try to find a happy medium.

I did learn from my mistakes at my first show, and I'm trying to work on improving those rough areas.

I had to send in some photos of what kind of items I plan to sell, so I got to practice with some of my stands and props. It's a little difficult trying to find creative ways to display necklaces, and I'm still having a tough time with that. I'm sure I'll come up with a fun way to show all of them, but I have a lot more than I did for my last show. I'd love to hear your ideas!

Here's a peek of the type of things I plan to sell at my craft shows. I've already sold some of the pieces you will see in the pictures, but this will give you an idea of my "style"!

Auburn/Alabama Jewelry!

Charm Jewelry!

Make your own Charm Jewelry! 100's of charms to choose from! (I'm not sure if I'm going to have this at my booth this time. It might get a little hectic if I'm having to put together charm bracelets at the show. I'm might just make several finished charm pieces to sell at the show. Haven't quite decided yet...)

Earring Stand! (I still have to paint it white so the earrings will show up, and I'll probably have different styles than what's in this picture!)

Grab Bags! One for $6 or Two for $10 (Just a fun little basket to sift through!)

I just LOVE Turquoise Jewelry!

Necklaces, Necklaces, Necklaces!

Still have to make a few more lanyards!

I've got to figure out a fun way to hang these!

One of my risers... Just experimenting with color schemes!

Still haven't decided if I'm going to sell jewelry boxes or not...

Metal Stamped Jewelry! (I need more ideas!)

As for everything else, I have all of my earrings in a big storage bin right now. Next, I have to sift through them all and figure out which ones I want to sell at my shows. I don't want to bring too many, because sometimes too much is NOT a good thing. Too many choices to choose from and someone may not choose at all!

After I pick the ones to bring, I'll have to price them earrings. And I still have to price my necklaces. And my bracelets. Okay, I have a lot of pricing to do!

I have a few more pieces I want to make for both shows as well. I would LOVE to sell so much at my first show that I have to spend the next week making more for the next weekend, so we'll see! That would be wonderful! In the meantime, I'm going to be making more "Display" necklaces, cell phone charms, charm bracelets, and a few badge holder clips.

I went last week, and got some new beads and pendants. I still need to buy more pendants, but I'm good on beads for a while. I'm going to be a little busy for the next couple of weeks!

I'm going to try to squeeze in some more time to finish some jewelry boxes and wooden organizers that I've been working on. I have them all primed, and some are half painted. It's a long process, so I'll leave out all of the details, but I'll tell you a few. Next, I have to completely paint all of my pieces, drawer by drawer, side by side. After full painting,  I distress the edges of EVERYTHING and decoupage the decorative papers to each piece. I cut out most of the pieces last week, but I still have a few more to do. And then I continue the rest of the process, and FINALLY I'll be able to list them in my Etsy Shop.

More to come soon!

Lonely Night Rambles!

I'm writing this post out of sheer boredom... not boredom due to the fact that I have nothing to do. No, the kind of boredom that breeds from not wanting to do the things you need to do. Or in this case, the many things I need to do... pack is number one, reply to e-mails, finish organizing my jewelry inventory, pack, paint some things, pack, edit about 20 new jewelry pictures, did I mention that I need to PACK?

UGH... I have boxes. Check. Packing Tape? Check. Things needing to be packed? Check. Motivation to pick up those items and put them in a box? Um... no.

I look around my house and all I see is craft clutter. I see that, because that's really what is all around my house right now. But, I can't blame it on just not wanting to pack. I also don't want to go put away the laundry, wash the dishes, unload the dishwasher, wash/dry clothes, fold the clothes, etc. Honestly, I wish I didn't have anything to do right now but sit in front of a HUGE canvas and paint anything that comes to mind while I sit right by my best friends and they do the same. I wish that Scott and the kids could be playing and painting around with us too!

We're moving in 20 days, and I am very nervous, almost like starting a new school. What if my new city doesn't like me? I'm not the same person I used to be... and I may not fit in quite as well. On a good note, I've decided that I need more people interaction on a regular basis, someone other than my chihuahua, so I may be getting a booth at the local flea market either in Valley, AL or Opelika, AL... not sure which one yet. Plus, that will give me a place to sell some of my items that I make or redo, or "upcycle" instead of selling solely online in etsy, that was I actually have to talk to real people and interact with them... that will be a good reason to get out of the house, and I'm finding myself anticipating setting up my booth.

All in all... boredom wins tonight, but I think I just may go pack one more box, just to feel a little less lazy and a little more productive. Tonight, I miss my friends and my family... If you're reading this.. you're one of those people! I love you all!

Chel

Jewelry Boxes and Inspiration!

Hello! Lately, I've been working really hard to narrow down what I will offer in my little shop. I have mingled with quite a few different types of crafts, but I'm sad to say that some crafts were more than a burden to create than a pleasure. And I'm not looking for a burden... I'm looking for something that I will definitely enjoy creating over and over and doing custom orders for.

One thing I LOVE to create are boxes, any kind, any style, any size, any theme. My absolute favorite thing to do is "upcycle" a jewelry box that has been discarded. I should add that I do love taking a plain brand new wooden box and creating a beautiful treasure sometimes too, though.

Obviously, I'm going to be creating jewelry and accessories. With wedding season and Valentines Day rapidly approaching, I'm PRAYING that my jewelry sales increase quickly! In addition to designing jewelry, I'm going to also focus on creating one of a kind unique jewelry and keepsake boxes. I've already made a few, but unfortunately I do not have before and after pictures. I'm going to start doing that for you to see the creation process as well.

I've already done a few custom orders for personalized keepsake boxes, so I think that will be an avenue I'll be traveling down quite often. I LOVE special boxes to keep special items, because I'm a tiny special keepsake hoarder... and I have quite a few boxes of my own as well.

If you're interested in making your own custom order, please contact me via facebook, and I'll work with you to create the perfect special box for you. The link to my facebook shop is:

https://www.facebook.com/makeupandmudboutique

In the meantime... Here are a few I have already created! Take a peek!



Sold



SOLD

SOLD

The following pictures are of one side of my craft booth a few weeks ago. The other side had jewelry on it. While I do not currently have some of these boxes still available, if you see one you like just ask me, and I'll let you know if  I still have it. Most of my oval boxes are SOLD, but the ceramic jewelry/trinket boxes and wooden trays are still here! This will just give you an idea of what I can make!!