Sweet Painted Ladies

Great news! I am thrilled to announce that I will be participating in the London Arts and Crafts Spring Show and Sale in London, ON on Friday March 29, 2013. Yes, that's right...it's only six weeks away. I received confirmation this past week and have gone into hyper creative mode. Excited and terrified at the same time....there should be a word for that. Joyverwhelmed, how's that.

This will be my first show so I've got a booth to put together as well as make product. I spent this weekend planning, making lists, going through long forgotten materials and dreaming of fixtures and booth designs. A few weeks ago I started collecting some items that I knew I would need for my business, regardless of whether or not I would be participating in craft shows. As a creator of hats, having a mannequin is a must. I had a wishlist in a mannequin:  plastic, vintage look, minimal or no facial paint ( so that I could paint it myself), with a portion of upper torso and shoulder, as well as a full neck & head.

I looked long and hard, but could only find some options in the U.S. Unfortunately shipping charges were more than the mannequin so I continued shopping around. Two weeks ago I found a supplier in Toronto who had the cheapest price I had found yet, and only $10.00 to ship it. Here's a "BEFORE" shot followed by a group of "AFTER" shots. Have a look.... I'm very pleased with the results and think they'll do a great job modelling my hats and jewellery.

 

 

Before...

 

......and After-Meet the dark-haired beauty  Maggie....

 



 

....and the lovely brunette Madeleine.

 

By choosing to keep their clothing simple, it will make it easier to alter their appearance to suit a variety of displays.

 

Hats, scarves and jewellery....

 

...or some bridal pieces.

By wrapping different fabrics around the base, you can create any number of looks.

 

With one project crossed off my list, I'm feeling a little more joyous and a little less overwhelmed. On to my next project....thanks so much for stopping by!

 

Take care.....Marian  xo      

 

 

(Not So) Basic Black

 

When it comes to fashion accessories, I seem to be working in groups of colours. First it was reds and grays, which I think compliment each other quite nicely, and this time I decided to work in blacks. Black is my favourite colour and a staple in my wardrobe. It is such a classic, elegant colour and you can choose to leave it on its own, which always makes a statement, or you can add nearly any other colour.

 

This all black carpet bag was my first effort of the weekend. I finished it off with a vintage Victorian mourning cameo brooch, adding the chain and black faceted drop jewel to complete the look. 



 

I am obsessed with hats lately and decided to add two more to my collection. Rather than add any trimmings to this piece, I decided to use a black floral tapestry as the band section of the hat. I think it turned out nicely. I'm not always sure that designs I visualize will always work out, but this is exactly how I imagined it would look and I'm so pleased with the outcome.

 

 

My second hat was designed for warmth and beauty, and I used a black boucle which always has such a vintage look to it. It reminds me of the long opera coats from the 1920s/30s...so elegant. Well, here's the perfect hat that would match it perfectly. The brim is made using a soft black velveteen.

 

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Yes, I've been busy.....working non-stop for the past two weeks and here are the newest bracelets that I just finished up.



 

 

The first bracelet is a navy velvet band bracelet with a vintage rhinestone buckle. The nautical theme is a big trend this coming spring so I opted for the navy band...it's very similar to black and looks great partnered with nearly every colour. 

 

This next creation is a repurposed vintage French shoe clip that I transformed into a bracelet. Either side of the clip is set off by a vintage art deco buckle and finished off with a strand of crystal beads. So pretty...

 

 

Vintage shoe clips are the perfect piece to design bracelets around, and this repurposed Musi clip makes a gorgeous bracelet. The pretty floral design will make this a perfect piece for spring. I decided to go with velvet ties to make this a one piece fits all item, so you'll need a friend or partner to give you a hand fastening it.



 

 My last creation is this beautiful wrap bracelet. Wrap bracelets are very popular these days and this is my "vintage" take on them. With the help of memory wire they will always retain their coiled shape perfectly. So easy to wear, you simply wrap them around your wrist. This one is entirely made with vintage beads in navy and white pearls along with several types of crystal and silver beads that give it that sparkle. A small vintage art deco pendant completes the look.

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As you can see I've had a very productive two weeks and now I'll need to get busy listing my new creations in my Etsy shop this week. I couldn't wait to give you a sneak peek.

 

I'm so looking forward to this upcoming long weekend. We're celebrating Family Day on February 18'th in Canada and I'm looking forward to some family time. I feel the need to get out and enjoy time outside of my studio-time to"fill the well"....get out and see the world!

 

Take care.....Marian  xo    

Craft Show Applications

Filling out applications for craft shows presented a bit of a challenge for me recently. Some applications request photos of vendor's craft booths so that they can assure a professional appearance. These will be my first shows, and yes I could simply explain this in my application, but I don't want to be at a disadvantage when it comes to the selection process.

I decided to arrange a number of the items that I plan to incorporate into my booth, and take some photos so that the organizers will get a sense of what the booth will look like.

I think the elements that I've decided on are a good fit with my branding....vintage suitcases, wicker chairs, wire birdcages, mannequins and iron gates.

 

The iron gates make a perfect display for my necklaces and I can hang quite a few of them on each panel. The wire birdcages will make excellent earring displays.

I plan to attach hooks to the lids of the suitcases to display more necklaces and make a cushion for the bottoms to display my bracelets on. The big suitcase will be used for my carpet bags and hats. I'm having trouble finding mannequin heads that I can use, but will continue the hunt. I would prefer something that has a vintage look...nothing to modern.

 



The mirror will be perfect for customers when trying things on, and compliments the iron gate perfectly.

 

And of course, you can't sell vintage jewellery without a mannequin to display your necklaces. I covered and decorated this one myself. The other, a black wire dress form mannequin, was purchased from a home decor store.

 

 

I have a second folding screen that I plan to upholster with a vintage Paris dress shop motif fabric. With a foam backing it will make another excellent display for my jewellery items with the use of long jewellery pins. There are hundreds of ideas swimming through my head, but I think I'll start by making a diagram of how I'd like to set the booth up before I get carried away. I've got lots of work ahead of me....a table cover, a banner, some more jewellery, carpet bags and hats to sew, along with all of the other paraphernalia (lighting, bags, price tags, business cards). Oh and I didn't mention the ecourse I start tomorrow : Building a Better Creative Business http://buildabettercreativebusiness.com/ . It's a fantastic course created by Tim Adam (Handmadeology) http ://www.handmadeology.com/  and Lisa Jacobs (Market Your Creativity and The Energy Shop) http://www.marketyourcreativity.com/.  I'm sure I'll be raving about it in future blogs.

 

Applications go in the mail this week and I can't wait to hear back from the organizers with (hopefully) good news. I've already recruited my daughters for the tentative dates so my sales team will be a family affair.....to be continued!! 

Take care.....Marian  xo