The past few months have been a flurry of activity, when I could drag myself off of the couch, that is. I slow down every year once colder temps hit, and recent health problems have sidelined me much of the time; however, I managed to take part in a few art/craft shows. Go me!
The Cooper-Young Festival on Sept. 17 was a fantastic success. My friend Mara Loeb (Ravenworks Jewelry in Monroe, Louisiana) and I shared a booth right at the beginning of the festival on Cooper near Elzey, where we both sold a ton of jewelry and had a great time meeting new people. The only downside was that after the show I did not have enough inventory to participate in the next week’s Trolley Night. Here are some pics from Cooper-Young.
The Cha Cha booth at Cooper-Young
The setup is quite simple, keeping the focus on the jewelry. I am looking for any suggestions for spicing it up, though, so comment away!
At the end of October, I participated in the River Arts Fest in downtown Memphis.
The Booth Before the Storm
I was actually part of a local artists’ market produced by J&B Childress Portrait Art and Beignet Cafe. Because we were situated a little off of the beaten track, the traffic was quite slow the first day, and then the next day the weather pummeled the tent, causing us to close up early. I found the whole situation particularly frustrating because my parents had driven up from Louisiana to bring me some of my mother’s paintings to include in the show. In the downpour nothing was damaged, though. Whew!
Well, I simply was not satisfied that enough people had been exposed to Mom’s lovely art, especially since she no longer paints. In Oct. 2008, she was diagnosed with brain cancer and suffered a stroke that left her paralyzed on her left side. As a result, she has met numerous obstacles with grace, perseverance, and fortitude. I would not be surprised if she didn’t restore her talent to its former glory in days to come. We are all hoping that she will.
After talking to a couple of friends–one a jewelry designer (Margie Hart) and the other an artist (Chere Doiron)–I decided to host a “Holiday Shopping Open House.” From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, we opened the Young Avenue house to invited friends. Chere, who hails from South Louisiana, brought a huge pot of turkey gumbo, and we all sold a little and laughed a lot.
Really, it was a treat to see some of the people come by–so much so, that we decided to have another one on Saturday, December 11. Same time, same place. Make sure to sign up for the mailing list if you would like an invite.
