Thanksgiving....A Time for Gratitude

..and the grand dames of the forest, the statuesque maples, donned their gowns of scarlet, crimson, and gold in preparations for the Great Autumn Ball....

It's my favourite time of year again! Fresh apples, squash and pears; and the gorgeously coloured leaves looking like they've been painted by the Old Masters. This weekend we celebrate Thanksgiving and it's a perfect time for me to look back over the past few months and give thanks for the wonderful experiences, opportunities and successes that have come my way.

In April I began a retail partnership with the Stratford Festival and have had great success selling my jewellery in their  Theatre Store. Krista Swetman and her staff are amazing and do an absolutely lovely job of displaying my pieces. I've been invited to continue selling my jewellery at their downtown Theatre Store, located next to the Avon Theatre on Downie Street, this upcoming Christmas season. I'm so excited to be able to extend my stay in Stratford and looking forward to creating many new pieces for gift giving or to treat yourself.

To celebrate my mother's birthday, I joined my sisters and Mom for a weekend trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake. This was a first for the four of us and we had a great time. Lots of shopping, laughter and great food--oh yeah, and a delicious bottle of Three Olives S'Mores Vodka (great with chocolate milk!) Here's hoping we have the opportunity to do it again....and again, and again!

Turning lemons into lemonade--unfortunately our truck broke down and started on fire while on our way to a huge outdoor show in Windsor in early June. Thankful that we weren't hurt and now have a new (to us) Hyundai Sante Fe....and a CAA membership!

The Home County Music and Art Festival took place in July, and this was one of my lifelong dreams accomplished. This turned out to be my first outdoor show and despite the "all day" showers on Saturday, I had a great weekend. I met so many fantastic people and had a chance to connect with old friends. The highlight of my weekend was being awarded with the 2014 Best Booth Design. Not bad for my first outdoor show!

I've also had the opportunity to spend the summer selling my romance&ruin creations at The Village Collective. It's a delightful shop in Sparta, ON set up as an artist's cooperative where we shared space, expenses and working in the shop. Thanks to Shelley McVittie and the other lovely artists. It was truly an opportunity to grow and expand my horizons!

This past weekend my husband and I travelled to the Bobcaygeon/Peterborough area (the foliage was spectacular) to attend the wedding of a dear friend. I was honoured to be asked to create the bride's birdcage veil and hand ornament, and it was a thrill to see her wearing my pieces-so lovely!! Congratulations Rebekah and Eric!

And last, but not least, we came home to find out that my daughter and her boyfriend got engaged over the weekend-congratulations and much love to you both, Jessica and Brent!

 Wishing you all a lovely Thanksgiving weekend, and hope that you all have many blessings to be thankful for. Surround yourself with loved ones and enjoy what promises to be a gorgeous weekend!

Take care.....Marian  xo     

Catching Up!

These past two weeks have been jam packed with so many things going on-birthdays, Halloween parties, job offers, and my first Christmas craft show. Lots of wonderful things to share with you in this post that I'll use to catch up.

First, my hubby's birthday...Happy Belated Birthday! I am blessed with a really great guy...my dearest friend and companion, and my number one supporter! I can't imagine life without him... Love you and wishing you many more!

Next on the calendar was my daughter's second annual Halloween party. This year's theme was "A Haunted Carnival". Great food, great costumes and lots of fun! Here are some pics of the Carnival's characters.

 

The Ventriloquist and his Dummy...Brent and Jess

 

Two deranged clowns...aka me and hubby.

 

 

The Gypsy and the Crazed Clown....Trish and Greg

 

 

Cotton Candy Fairy, Conjoined Twins, and the Demented Popcorn Vendor...Jeannette, Audrey, Olivia and John

 

And the Strong Man that stole the show....too cute!!

 

An illuminated Captain Spalding

 

*****

 

More thrilling news for the family this week when two long awaited job offers came through for Jess and Brent. Congrats and good luck to you both on your new careers!

 

And lastly my Christmas Show schedule started off with a bang this past weekend at the Rotary Christmas Show in Stratford. I had an absolutely WONDERFUL time. The Rotary Club organizers did a fantastic job and couldn't have been more supportive. The Rotary Complex is a lovely venue--bright, clean, easy to get in and out, and decorated beautifully. 

 

I had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people...patrons and vendors. In addition to fantastic sales, I was completely overwhelmed with the response from everyone...so much positive feedback and support. And as if this wasn't enough, I did some incredible networking that may lead to some awesome future opportunities to expand my business in directions that I could only dream of before. Thanks to everyone that stopped by my booth. It was lovely meeting you all and I look forward to returning next year.

 

Thanks also go out to my sister Jeannette for helping me on Saturday. You're a sweetheart and loved having the chance to spend the day with you! I also want to thank my hubby who spent the day with me on Sunday...couldn't do this without you! And thanks to Brent for help with setting up on Friday...yes it takes a village.

 

Here are some pics of my booth this past weekend:

 

 

 

I'm back to work on new creations for my next show which is Nov. 16'th right here in my hometown of Aylmer, ON. Diva's Christmas Day Out runs from 10 to 4 at the German Canadian Club-Saxonia Hall, and if you're in the area it promises to be a great show. Hope to see you there!

 

 



Take care.....Marian  xo    



 

 

Fall and Winter Collection

We're enjoying a glorious Fall and I took advantage of the weather to get out and do some gardening today. I'd like to think if I can get some more weeding done now it might make my spring clean up a little easier. Besides, it's a great excuse to get outside for a few hours. Not that I need an excuse, but with four weeks until my first show, I'm feeling a little guilty for taking time away from business these days.

I've been busy making lots of new jewellery and fashion accessories that I'll be adding to my Etsy shop and selling at my four upcoming Christmas shows. For a full list of shows check out my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/RomanceRuin. I'll be adding discount coupons for admission over the next few weeks and if you're in the area, be sure to stop by and say hello.

I've been scoping out some new fabric stores and found some delicious new fabrics, along with some fantastic deals. I love the rich colours and textures of cool weather fabrics, and as usual, purchased far more than I'll ever have time to use. I'm like a kid in a candy store when it comes to fabric shops, and could spend hours wandering around touching all of the gorgeous fabrics and getting all sorts of ideas. I'm always so inspired after a shopping trip and can hardly wait to get behind the sewing machine. Lots of hats, scarves and bags are waiting to be made and I promise to share my newest creations with you when they're done.

Right now I've been focusing on jewellery and here are a few pics of my newest creations:

 

 

With the introduction of my new Fall and Winter collection and Halloween around the corner, I thought it would be a perfect time to have a sale. My "Bewitching Sale" offers 10% off everything in my shop until October 21, 2013. Just use Coupon Code BEWITCH 2013 at checkout to get your discount. Lots of vintage and antique styles if you're dressing up in a period costume--or if you just feel like treating yourself or someone you love! Click on the link to take you there: www.etsy.com/shop/RomanceandRuin.



 

 

Thanks for stopping by today!

 

Take care.....Marian  xo    



Tasseled Necklaces

Tasseled necklaces are my absolute favourite. Their long length gives them such elegance, and their sexy sway when the wearer moves makes them so appealing. Most of the originals were created with a necklace made of glass beads that ended in a tassel. Originally these necklaces were called sautoirs, but they became known as "flapper necklaces" in the 1920's when they became the craze with the "bright young things" of the Art Deco period. Tassels also started appearing in earring designs. They were perfectly matched with the latest style of bobbed hair, dangling below the flirty new cut. Tasseled shimmy dresses were also a fashion trend during the same period. The flying beads and tasseled ends created a lively sense of movement when the flappers participated in the latest dance crazes like the Charleston and the Shimmy.

With the release of the Great Gatsby all of the jewellery of the era has become popular again. Lucky me! I've had a great time designing lots of new tasseled necklaces. Below are some pics of my newest creations. For a look at my entire collection, you can visit my Etsy shop by using the link on the right.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and hope you'll come back to visit again!

 

Take care.....Marian  xo    

The Craft Show

Wow...I can't believe it's been over two months since my last post. Every time I had plans to sit down and update my blog, life had other plans. I kept hearing this GPS-like voice whispering "recalculating" each time my plans to write went astray. Along with everything else, we've been dealing with a sick pet, Gracie our ten-year old Pomeranian, who lost her sight in a matter of days while battling both diabetes and Cushing's disease. We seem to have things under control, and she's regained a lot of her spark despite her lost sight. Going for walks is still a bit of a struggle, but I'm hoping she'll become familiar with the path we use and get back to enjoying her daily jaunts.

On March 29'th, I participated in my first craft show in London, ON. I was so nervous getting my booth set up, wondering what sort of response I would get at my first show. All sorts of fears and doubts kept creeping in. My husband and daughters were absolutely wonderful and kept assuring me that things would be fine, and as usual they were right.

I had a fantastic time...great sales, terrific feedback, meeting lots of wonderful customers and fellow artists. Everything worked out wonderfully and I was so pleased with how my booth looked, especially for a first show. Here are some pics:

 

 

I was so thrilled with the results and on a high for the balance of the weekend. But, after celebrating Easter with my family I slipped into a bit of a slump-a sort of "post-show" blues. I can't seem to explain why, but think it was likely because I had worked such long hours and dedicated every spare second to preparing for the show; now that everything was over I felt a little bit lost. I'm sure part of it was likely due to being completely exhausted. I realized that having a show on the horizon gives me a purpose, which seems to ignite everything....creativity, energy, ideas. So I decided the best thing to do was to sign up for another show. I started my search and aimed high. I decided I had nothing to lose and applied to one of the city's longest running festivals.

 

I'm so excited to share with you that I've been invited to participate in London's 2013 Home County Music and Art Festival which runs from July 19-21, 2013. This is one of the city's longest running festivals with attendance that runs 125,000-150,000. A huge, fantastic outdoor festival that I'm absolutely thrilled to be a part of. Three days of wonderful music, beautiful art, and delicious food.

 

So with a little less than seven weeks to go, the creativity and energy are soaring. I can hardly keep up with myself. Lots of ideas on how to improve my booth, new design ideas, looking for new fabrics, hunting for new vintage pieces to repurpose.....I love it!!!

 

Over the next few weeks I'd love to share all of my plans and preparations with you, and promise to be back next week with updates on how things are progressing. Until then..........

 

Take care.....Marian  xo