What's new? Cockatoo blue!

Just checked out my Etsy activity to find that my new teal apatite bracelet has been included in this awesome cockatoo blue treasury! Thanks to LanaBetty for including me – you should stop by and check out her cute little shop.

On another note, show season is just about upon us once more. I just received notification of acceptance into my first one this year, the Trillium Art Fair on June 10 at Glenwood Gardens. This will be my 4th year at this lovely annual art fair, and I'm really looking forward to it again this year! Stay tuned for more shows soon!

Third time's a charm.

This year marked the 3rd Annual Trillium Art Fair at Glenwood Gardens, which was also my third year as a participant. Once again we were blessed with a gorgeous sunny day, this time only around 80º – perfect for meandering around an outdoor event. This was very fortunate, as from what I was told, it had been in the 90ºs and very humid all week leading up to the fair.

If you caught my previous post, you know we were enjoying Hilton Head Island up until Saturday. When we arrived home Saturday evening, I unpacked the car from vacation and then packed up the car for the show the following morning. I thought it may have been the wrong decision to book a show for the day after arriving home, but I was actually well-rested and prepared. I actually had gotten a couple new pieces made during the long car ride, so I was A-okay.

People seem to come out to this show to actually spend. My sales were over $330 for the day, so I was very pleased. Volunteers and park employees were their normal helpful selves giving artists a hand with set up and tear down. This is just a wonderful show for artists as far as I'm concerned and I hope to be back again next year!

I had the same area as my previous two years and here are a couple views from my booth:

And here is my ever-evolving new set up. I finally broke down and bought a rotating earring display. I don't know what I was waiting for – I love it! It's so much easier than the frames I was using prior to this and is much easier to store, pack and transport. And, it enhances my booth, giving it a more professional look. Perhaps next will be a new necklace display.

Busy weekend with a very successful show!

Last week, my 4-day work week turned into 5 days. (Nope, didn't take long.) I really don't mind but I was hoping to get to the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens with my mom on Friday because it was supposed to be sunny and a mild 80º. Well, that didn't happen so I decided to see if she wanted to go on Saturday instead. We did go and it was awesome. I'll post more on that later though. After the zoo, my husband and I went to see The Hangover. We thought it was really funny and we enjoyed the gratuitous shots of Las Vegas. (Kinda goofy/stupid guy humor, I guess... I don't know who out there would appreciate it...)

Sunday had me at the first ever Trillium Art Fair in Glenwood Gardens. It's not too far from our house, so I didn't have to get up and head out terribly early. It started at 11 am and I managed to drag my husband there to help me set up my brand new tent. It went up in a snap, even without the directions which I didn't realize were tucked in the bag with the stakes. (Got a funny look from my husband when I found those. It's okay, I get that look from him a lot. lol) I might need to add a table next time I do an outdoor show. Looking at my display like this makes me feel it's on the small side.

I guess they publicized the event pretty well because all day long it was a steady stream of people, sometimes lots at a time. People were there before it opened and were already shopping. The weather held up nicely - not too hot and not a cloud in the sky. It was awesome! Lots of people had their dogs with them (many walk their dogs there daily on the trails, from what I learned), so next year if I get in again I'll have some doggie treats there for all my four-legged browsers. They had a really nice set-up and it's just an amazing park that I never even knew existed. Various local bands played throughout the day and I was set-up near the stage. Below is the first band, Jake Speed and the Freddies, who are awesome, by the way.

I thought I got really lucky when the first thing I sold was a necklace. From there it just never slowed down. I actually had to call my husband to bring me more $1's and $5's. I ended up with over $500 in sales, eight of them credit card transactions (thank you, Propay!), making it my most successful show so far. I never could have anticipated those kinds of numbers. Most times, I'm thrilled if I make $150 or so. They already have the date set for next year and I am definitely going to try to get in again.

Below is the view from my booth when the fair first opened at 11. There wasn't much time after that to take photos!