Show Report: Wells Street Art Festival

This past weekend, June 13-14, was the Wells Street Art Festival, just north of downtown Chicago, and put on by Special Events Management.  This was my first time at Wells Street, and my second show with these promoters.  Like the nearby Old Town Art Fair, held on the same weekend, Wells Street has an admission fee ($7-$10), which is supposed to be a "donation", but I don't think you can get in without paying.

Saturday was a very long day for the artists, as booth set-up could only occur in the morning.  I got up at 5 AM to drive into town for my 6:45 time slot.  In theory you can drive right up to your booth to unload, but once inside the street barriers, all traffic came to a complete stop.  I sat for 25 minutes before deciding to dolly my stuff the 40 feet (didn't realize I was that close!!) to my booth.  Twice I had to move my truck up as the line moved (I drove about 30 feet each time, seriously!), but overall the unloading was rather painless.  When I was accepted to this show I had the option of spending $60 for a spot in a reserved parking lot, which I did, and that turned out to be an excellent decision.  First of all, I did not have to spend any time or mental anguish trying to find a parking spot where you can leave your vehicle for 12 hours.  Secondly, the parking lot was only one long block from my booth, which meant that at the end of the weekend, I could dolly my stuff to the truck rather than waiting for the street to open up to traffic.  

Saturday also became a long day because of the weather.  The morning was rainy and cold, and I know several people, including me, got wet shoes in the morning, which meant that by the end of the day (8PM) we were quite chilled.  Thank goodness I thought to bring a fleece hat and gloves!  I have made a note to myself that in similar situations in the future that I need to pack at least a spare pair of dry socks, if not a complete change of shoes.

So, other than the cold rain for the first half of Saturday, how was the show?  From my perspective, it was a good show.  Other than a few booths which should NOT have been juried in, the caliber of artist was quite high.  I had pretty good sales, considering the weather and the economy.  I had mentally prepared myself for an arduous set-up and tear-down, but both went more smoothly than I anticipated.  I will definitely apply to this show again.

Viking knit bracelets

Well, it certainly has been a while, hasn't it?!?  I began making these bracelets over a month ago and have only just now gotten around to posting them!  They are basically miniature versions of the necklaces I made earlier this year.  They look rigid and triangular, but actually sit comfortably on the wrist.  The Viking knit portion stays on top of your arm and the other segments are strung on flexible Accuflex wire that curves around the wrist.  They are easy to put on by yourself and stay put once on.   I am having a hard time deciding which one I want for myself!

Spring Mix of Pearls

I made this set last weekend and find, again, that I adore these pieces!  This is the first time I have done a nearly random mix of stones (three colors of freshwater pearls, in this case) in the Viking knit section.  I wish that I also had different sizes of each color so that I could have the piece larger in the center than at the sides.  I find it immensely difficult, however, to find pearls that are of the same dye lot that are in different sizes, and more specifically, in smaller sizes.  I need pearls that range from 2 mm to 5 mm.  I can find white pearls more easily so I am considering the possibility of dying my own pearls.  Has anyone done this?

The other new thing about this necklace is the hook and eye.  Well, the eye portion, really.  I needed to make sure the eye was truly secure, so I soldered it closed.  Nothing earth-shattering, to be sure, but a new addition for me!

I already know what the next two (TWO!) necklaces will be; I have had the pearls for months and now know that I was waiting for this design to emerge.  I also think I shall make matching bracelets.

More Heart Pins

I love my new photo studio so much I want to take new pictures of everything! Here are some wire heart pins, made with 16 and 20 gauge Argentium silver wire. One has been oxidized. The first pin I made like this was back in December. I feel like there are too many spirals, so I am going to try something new for the next one. I will post a photo, of course!

Viking Knit Set, Gold with Amber and Pearl

Here is the last of the photos I took recently of older work (last fall) with my new tabletop photo studio.  I particularly like the contrast between the jewelry and the background, and that the black background does not have any hot-spots.  I am still amazed at how much my photographs have improved!

These pieces were hand-woven using 26 gauge 14 karat gold-fill wire.  I love the combination of amber and pearls!  Both the necklace and earrings are listed for sale on my website.

Amethyst Necklace and Earring Set

This Viking knit chain is four stitches, with the amethyst chips added during the weaving. I have recently begun making my chains bulkier (5 to 8 stitches), so this represents an example of "early" work. The tops of the earrings are finished in the same manner used to finish the necklace chain. I only started finishing the earrings this way last summer, and I like the clean look very much, so much so that I took all the earrings of this style that I had and added this end treatment. I also removed all the manufactured earwires and added ones that I made. I can truly say that my work is 100% handmade!

This necklace is available on my website!

TeamMN on etsy.com

I'm posting a quick note here. I just finished attending an online meeting of the Minnesota Street Team, a group of (mostly) Minnesotans with shops on etsy.com. It was a bit slow to get going, but once it did, was quite interesting. We talked about some new guidelines for team participation in order to get more people involved in promoting the Team and the shops of its members. It was kind of fun to sit at my table, work on some earrings, and follow the online chat. Plus, I got to listen to "Wait, wait, don't tell me!" on MPR! Talk about multi-tasking! The end result is that I am enthusiastic about the Street Team again, and will continue to maintain my shop on etsy.