Holiday shows coming up!

Likely my last two shows of the year--this weekend, both Saturday and Sunday. I've been playing around with holiday themed pieces and small items that would make nice gifts--magnets, ornaments and small stone plaques.

I'm also going to have a few new lamps, two very different from any others I've made. The one shown here is made of stones from the Taconic Mountains in Copake, NY. The top stone has a lot of iron in it; in fact, in the late 19th century, Copake was home to Copake Iron Works, the country's main supply of iron products. Between the iron and colorful quartz swirls, these stones make for some very interesting pieces.

So, Saturday I'll be at the Durham Craft Market Holiday Show and Sunday at the Big Barn in the Daniel Boone shopping center. It should be a great end to a fun, creative and productive year.

Fountains and lamps

I have 3 fountains and 3 lamps ready for this weekend's show at Hillsborough Elementary School. I will be sad to part with them, but will have fun making more.

Fountains!

I went to Market Imports near the Farmers Market yesterday and found a beautiful copper bowl. As soon as I saw it my mind said "Fountain"! So here is what I came up with. One with river rocks and the other with slate. I love the sound they make.

Posting a photos of some of my new items that I'll have at this weekend's craft show (Durham Armory on Stadium Drive). The last batch of slate I used has lots of orange and gold--a nice complement to fall decor and fall flowers. I also had fun making the river rock vase with the copper wire wrap. I used my grinder to make a groove for the wire to sit in. Very pretty with fall mums.

Last weekend, I went to a bead show and found some really cool accent pieces for my necklaces. Here are a few photos. They will be available at the Kiefer Landscaping Fruity Fall Festival this weekend. My favorite is the beach glass--what a great way to reuse and recycle!

Looking forward to this weekend's events--Hillsborough Last Friday and the Creative Hearts Marketplace. I've been working a lot with slate and have many vases, candle holders and business card holders. I have also made some photo holders made out of river and beach stone. Come one, come all!!!!!

An idea I've had brewing for some time came to fruition today: business card holders. I think these will make great unique gifts for colleagues, friends and family. Last week I made my first lamp, which, along with the business card holders, I hope to sell at my next show.

This entire experience (making stone crafts) has really made me think about the concepts of both potential and possibility, especially those we don't expect. More thoughts on this another day, as I need to put my son to bed.

Next Friday

I'm getting ready for this month's Last Friday event. We just returned from a trip up north and I brought home several hundred pounds of stones, so I have lots to inspire me. Check out this vase and necklace, both made from river stone. Also working on more necklaces, some with sterling silver.

A new theme?

Insects...I'm loving the pretty charms I am finding. Here's a clock with a butterfly.

Slate

Found some beautiful slate tile and made this candleholder. Also adding a new necklace that I made this morning.

Dragonflies

Found this beautiful dragonfly charm to add to a vase...with a rhinestone trail.

More necklaces

The bit I use to make vases is about worn out, so I haven't been able to make any more this week. However, I've been able to make plenty of necklaces.

So much fun!

A few new pieces

I'm having fun making jewelry and more fun wearing them. I spent 2 hours at the craft store yesterday and came home inspired to make all sorts of things. Photos I'm posting today are of 2 necklaces I made yesterday, both made with shale stone from upstate New York. I'm also posting photos of 2 clocks I'm working on, an idea I got from my dad. Enjoy.

Jewelry...why not!

It was inevitable. I am making jewelry. It took me a while to figure out if I could realistically make jewelry from stones, but I did it! When you drill the hole for vases and candle holders, you take out the core (yes, that is why they call the drill bit a core bit). Until now, I've saved the cores and used some to support the tea light candle and make it flush with the top of the candle holder. I noticed, however, that the cores you get from the shale stone break up and look like coins. Thin, flat and shiny, my son has actually put some in his toy cash register. Another great use for them is to make pendants for necklaces. Very carefully, you can drill a small hole for the chain and you have a beautiful pendant. Of course, I've had to add some personal touches and make them "even more beautiful". I've also used the core from the drilled shells. The result is an amazing collection of necklaces. I am so excited about these and can't wait to add them to my display table at this month's Last Fridays event. Check out the photos.

Coastal inspiration!

I am so excited about the new items I have made. The first group is a result of my recent vacation on Hatteras Island (Outer Banks). I brought my tools with me, just in case. I thought that it might be fun to experiment with any materials I might find, and I was right. Only a few days in, I discovered a gift shop named Old Gray House. It is an original Hatteras Island cottage turned gift shop. Well, it is a gift shop, but not like any other I've ever been to. You could spend hours there exploring the rooms filled with crafts, shells and anything else you can imagine that is associated with the beach and/or ocean. Then there is the path that you can wander through and read tidbits of information about life on the island. It is truly a gem, and a must for anyone visiting that part of the Outer Banks.



So, I visited a few times early on in the week and picked up some shells that I thought might lend themselves well to my crafts. Pretty soon, I came up with two that I loved. On my next visit to Old Gray House, I spoke with the owners and showed them what I had made. They were so kind and receptive, and since they hadn't seen anything like them, they agreed to sell my crafts on consignment. Wow! I was very excited. So, I went to work, and before week's end, I had delivered 14 shells and candleholders made of shells.

I'm updating this post to add a link to the Old Gray House website AND their blurb on me and my crafts: http://www.outerbanksshells.com/MeetMyCrafters.html . Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page.

Just wanted to share a few photos. Enjoy!

Feedback

I received the nicest email from a friend's mom who bought a vase from me last month. It reads:
"I wanted to let you know how much we have enjoyed our natural stone creation. The flowers you gave us the day we bought it lasted a long time and were so beautiful. Then I received several flower bouquets from my students the last days of school. I put a few in the stone creations and the rest in vases. As the bouquets diminished, I would save a few nice blooms to put in the stone. Each group of flowers in the stone lasted quite awhile. We just threw the last ones out today. It makes it so easy for me to create a beautiful arrangement. I really like it.

Thank you and good luck with future sales."

I am so glad she liked it and love to see others get as much joy out of displaying their flowers in my vases as I do!

Today I am preparing for tonight's Last Friday event. I have made some small flower arrangements to give with the vases so that folks can begin to enjoy their piece right away. So much fun!

My first sale and a new item--plantholders!

How exciting it was. My neighbor, who is a great entrepreneur, bought a candle holder! The next day, I sold two to another neighbor and then seven at the Hillsborough Last Fridays! I think that is a spectacular start, for sure.

The Last Friday's event was lots of fun. I was nervous, of course, but once I got in the swing of it, I relaxed and enjoyed talking with people. I was pretty happy with my display. I 'm so glad I thought of putting the electric candle holders out because around 9, it really started getting dark and I was not near a street light. The candles added a nice glow to the table and made it stand out. I don't think I'm going to put as many stones on my display next time, since I think it was a bit overwhelming for some. I have signed up for the next 4 Last Friday events, so am looking forward to them.

This week I started making plant holders. I am using a slightly bigger bit and thus making a larger hole, and planting a small plant--ivy, herbs, etc. in the saucer. I love them and hope others will too.

Another windchime

I made this windchime last night. Still working on getting it to hang straight.

Noah and I went for a walk along the Eno River the other day and found some nice stones, so I will work on them next.