Full Circle ~ Selling at Craft Fairs

Sunday was the annual Temescal Street Fair and it was a great success! I just want to thank everyone who came out and said hi and supported my small handmade business. Your support means the world to me and it's how I'm able to do what I love for a living. 

I got my start selling my handmade jewelry at craft fairs, trunk shows, and other forms of in-person selling events (which are often called "Pop-ups" nowadays) about 10 years ago. For all their hard work and challenges, I am still a HUGE proponent of them as a way to break into selling your handmade goods. There are so many advantages to them. You get direct feedback from customers (and potential customers) about your products, you get to experiment with how best to merchandise your products, and you get to become well-versed in how to talk about what you make (not as easy as some might imagine.)

The more I've participated in and sold at all variety of arts and crafts fairs and events, the more comfortable I've become with selling my work. That can be a hard thing for some makers/artists to work out in their heads, and as with most things it only gets easier the more you do it. I would encourage those out there who are curious about selling their own wares at craft fairs to give it a try! It can be kind of scary and intimidating at first, but there are great resources out there to help you prepare for your big day. I would also encourage makers out there who have tried fairs and feel like they were a big failure, to try again, but first scrutinize what it is you're doing and look for the holes. Could your merchandising be better? Could you offer a more diverse price range of products? Do you need to work on your salesmanship? Or maybe you need to try a different type of event? 

I make that last point about trying events again even if you've already tried and felt like it was a miserable failure because generally most of us makers who look like a "big success" have had countless events that were BIG TIME FAILURES. Myself included. When I said at the beginning of this post that I got started selling at fairs 10 years ago, that time span is what it is because I first got started, vended for a couple of years at events and then realized that I needed and wanted to pull back out of events until I figured a lot out about my brand. I took two years off from selling (but continued to sell on Etsy and on consignment at a limited number of shops) and then re-entered the world of fairs and events much more prepared. But even then it was still a very bumpy ride. 

I'm writing this post because after yesterday's Temescal Street Fair I'm feeling very buoyed up by all of the compliments and general love for Tangleweeds. And I've been meaning to write about vending at fairs for quite some time. I'm also considering putting together an e-course of sorts all about vending at fairs. Over the years I've been approached by many fellow makers seeking advice on this topic. As I mentioned earlier, I think there are some great resources out there already that cover this arena, but I think that many of these resources fall short of covering many common scenarios. Or I might turn it into a blog series. Not sure just yet, just something percolating in the background of my mind while I work on production for the Renegade Craft Fair. 

In the meantime, happy Monday everyone!

LWM ~ Biscuits

Listening-Wearing-Making is back! I'm trying out this whole new daily schedule thing in an attempt to stay more on top of some things I really like and want to do, but that seem to fall through the cracks, like blogging. This week I've been listening to a lot of Kacey Musgraves's newest album, Pageant Material. If you love your country clever and with a twist (and open/liberal minded) then you'll love her music!

Wearing - I wasn't sure what the theme was here for this week, and then I realized this week has been all about thrifted goodies! I few posts back I mentioned how I'm becoming more intentional about what I buy for my wardrobe, more stealthy and more planning, because yes, a girl can have too many printed skirts. It's also sort of lead me circuitously to re-discovering some goodies I already own, like these sandals I thrifted a couple of years ago and barely wore. 

Making ~ This week I've been really upping the production in preparation for Renegade. But because I know many of you are curious about how the new line is coming along, I thought I'd share a (messy) photo of some of the in-progress stuff from my fall collection. Which, by the way, is looking like I'll have released by the beginning of September! 

I hope everyone is having a grand week! It's been busy busy with Tangleweeds for me. I'm taking a few days off next week to hang with my nephew, take him swimming and to the Exploratorium. As a fellow small business owner once said to me, when you work for yourself and you take time off, you don't really end up working less, it just all sort of gets pushed to either side. You work a bit harder before and a bit harder afterwards and it all sort of equalizes. 

Here's to a happy holiday weekend everyone!

Full Circle ~ Gearing up for Renegade Craft

A quick little post this week as I'm gearing up for the Renegade Craft Fair for the next three weeks. Such a great event! If you've never come out for it, I highly recommend it, just come early as it does get crazy-crowded. Below, a few snippets from the last week, craft fairs and small moments. I hope everyone's having a wonderful week. I am thoroughly enjoying our summery weather and the summery dresses and floppy hats that it demands!

Full Circle ~ New Fairs and New Plans

Ahh, the summer. I love the summer. I love the warm weather and just the all-around feeling of "summer break." Except as an adult it's not really summer "break", is it?! 

The other day I sat down to plan out my working schedule for the rest of June and all of July and I couldn't believe how chock-a-block full it is! While I'm feeling pretty good about Tangleweeds' trajectory this year, the feeling of overwhelm does creep in sometimes. But this summer, I'm attempting to take the reigns on my time a bit more, hence the scheduling for the next month and a half. The goal: work my booty off through July and then lay low (or lowish) for the month of August. I feel like it'll be good timing too 'cause it'll allow me to re-charge my batteries before the lead-up to the holidays really gets into full swing. 

Above, components for earrings. All hand-forged!

And, below, a booth shot from a couple weekends back at the Fairfax Festival. That was my first time taking Tangleweeds to that event, and it was a great one! The second photo down shows a woman using my River Rock Lariat design as a sunglasses holder. I really like her ingenuity with this design. It's also a fun little pre-cursor to some future eyeglass lanyard designs that will be coming out in the fall for Tangleweeds!

Above, some gorgeous calendula flowers I picked up at the farmer's market near my studio. 

As you can imagine, I've been spending quite a lot of time at my studio lately: whether it be working on new designs for fall (see last photo) or catching up on paperwork, or creating multiples of the popular Tangleweeds designs, there's always so much to do. I've put quite a bit of effort into making my studio feel like a second home this year, and it's paid off. While it's not a huge space, it is a space that I am excited to arrive at every morning and a bit wistful to leave at the end of every day. The two photos directly below shows different sections of my studio.

Well, it's back to the workbench for me! Any local folks looking to grab a great deal on OOAK and discontinued Tangleweeds pieces should head on out to the Treasure Island Flea this weekend. I'm going to have lots of theses pieces discounted up to 50% off! Hope to see some friendly faces =)

LWM ~ Old Favorites

Listening ~ This week I've been getting re-aquainted with some old favorites, like Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter. This album of her's is really great. I couldn't find the song I wanted to share, but this one is a goodie too: twisty, moody and resplendent with her haunting vocals. 

Wearing ~ My current favorite piece of Tangleweeds jewelry: the Double Moon Lariat with a Susan Eastman hand-dyed silk blouse. If you're a local to Oakland, Susan sells at the Lake Merritt farmer's market fairly regularly during the spring and summer. 

Making ~ Grace earrings. These have proven to be one of my most popular styles of earrings this year. They're friendly on the pocket book too! This is a progress shot, of many different color-ways. (And actually put together by my assistant!) 

This weekend I've got the Fairfax Festival keeping me busy. Hope to see some of you there!

Full Circle ~ Women's Herbal Symposium

Two weekends ago my friend (and Tangleweeds assistant, Alice) and I went to the Women's Herbal Symposium in northern California. 

It was a wonderful experience: we met other lovely ladies, took classes on everything from the endocrine system to moon cycles to the manzanita bush to herb walks. For me it was a time of slowing down and coming back into touch with all things about good self-care.

Along the way, driving out there, we stopped in downtown Cloverdale for coffee and a bit of a stretch break. This coffee shop had the best honey-iced-lattes. And the most adorable gas station that looked like a little house, all decorated with wind chimes. 

I had plans to put this post up last week, but life seemed to dictate otherwise. Every time I sat down to work on it I either had internet connectivity issues or Squarespace was acting buggy. In a way it was a relief, 'cause after being back from the Symposium I had so much to catch up on, it was good to sort of just say "okay, somethings can wait". . . 

Which was sort of my biggest take away from the Symposium: more than simply a slowing down and not running about with miles long to-do lists everyday, but leaving space for things to happen as they need to. I know that can sound sort of woo-woo to some people's ears, but I have to say, I've had a lot of things just sort themselves out since getting home. I think I'm allowing myself to hold that space open in life for more unplanned possibilities. 

A little bit more of un-planned-ness: I had the privilege of meeting Milla of The Woman Who Married a Bear and her two friends Ann and Missa. I've been reading her bog for at least ten years now and am continually inspired by her. I picked up a pair of her hand-painted leather earrings at the Marketplace on Sunday. 

It's June now! I can't believe it in a way. Craft fair season is definitely in full swing! With that said, I know how busy I get during the spring/summer fair season. I'm going to try to pop in here on the weekly, but if you find yourself missing me, you can always find me on Instagram too!

Have a lovely week everyone =)

LWM ~ New Emmylou

Listening ~ The new album by Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell. So good and obviously a reflection on two lifetimes that have been full of all of the usual stuff of human existence: pain, joy, disappointment, sorrow, moments of peace, and more. 

Wearing ~ cozy sweaters. The way the weather's been in the bay area lately, my studio starts out chilly in the morning and fairly warm in the afternoon. Cozy cardigan sweaters are the perfect option. 

Making ~ Lots of pieces from my Leaf-Petal collection. Sometimes when I design new pieces I know in my heart that I love them, but there is an uncertainty as to whether or not my customers/collectors will like them. Well, you guys have shown that you love these, especially the lariats! 

Tomorrow I leave for the Women's Herbal Symposium with my good friend (and Tangleweeds assistant) Alice. I'll be back on the blog next week, hopefully with a photo filled post from that event. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Full Circle ~ Pretty flowers, good books, orange tabbies

A little bit from this last week. I'm busy this week getting ready to go to the Women's Herbal Symposium on Friday. A four day weekend of herbalism classes awaits me; I couldn't be more excited! 

If anyone who reads this blog will be there, let me know in the comments. The event has a small marketplace on Sunday, where I will be selling Tangleweeds. Keep an eye out for me if you're looking to adorn yourself with some magical jewelry while you go on nature hikes, make baskets and learn about plants and all of the medicine they hold!

Here's to a wonderful Monday!

A Return to Handmade Love

This week I just got a bee in my bonnet and had to post about all of the great handmade jewelry that I've been drooling over on Etsy. Then, I decided to look back over my old Handmade Love posts and saw that it was nearly exactly a year ago that I posted ones of these round-ups. About time! I decided to simply focus on jewelry in general this time, because, well, I'm obsessed (naturally).

 Bones and Things ~ Real Lavender Bloom Necklace

Ahh, flowers captured in a necklace. Pretty much perfection when you're as obsessed with flowers as I am. I LOVE this lady's work and actually have two of her art prints. I had a difficult time choosing just one piece to feature, but lavender is a favorite of mine, so I went with this one. What I love about her floral and plant pieces is the organic, natural shape to the resin that she traps them in. 

 Vintajia Adornments ~ Trinity earrings 

I love how the overly oxidized metal plays against the brightness of the yellow enamel on these. They're very rustic-boho-chic. This lovely maker is out of Australia. 

LJB Jewelry ~ Mixed Metal Bangle

In my humble opinion this bangle is pretty much mixed-metal perfection. This artist is based on the east coast and participates in many arts and crafts fairs out there. I wish I lived closer, cause it would be lovely to see her creations in person!

Willow Studio Jewelry ~ Spirit Shield Earrings

The enamel on these! The rusty, old look to them! Grittiness perfected! I love jewelry that has an old, rustic feel to it, and these perfectly fit the bill. They're more colorful than I usually go in for, but I think the artist has done a good job of balancing out all of the color with plenty of "grit."

Fail Jewelry ~ Mica Earrings

And, last but not least, more mixed metal, this time in earrings. This lovely lady usually does the San Francisco Renegade too, so you local folk are in luck. What I've gotta say (and this is gonna sound a little jewelry-maker-geeky) is: way to rock the cold connections! (meaning no torch work). I'm seriously impressed by the ingenuity of the design, and how effortlessly it blends into such an elegant, wearable pair of earrings. 

I hope everyone enjoyed looking at some non-Tangleweeds jewelry for a minute! I'll be back with these posts, most likely on a monthly basis, as more lovely, handmade goodness pops up in my life. Also, if you or someone you know makes really awesome goods, and you'd like to be part of my Handmade Love series, send me a message at tangleweedsjewelry@gmail.com and we'll talk!

Full Circle ~ Things Evolving

This past week seemed to have the theme of "things evolving." From refining my display for craft fairs, to starting down the path to some new designs for Tangleweeds (to come out in the fall), to doing a complete closet overhaul. I think this year has been a period in my life where I've had a desire to refine the things already present, rather than seeking out lots of "newness." This is in part coming out of a place of satisfaction and happiness with much of what I'm doing with myself these days. But it's good to acknowledge when things need to evolve.

The above photos are from the last week, as usual. The couch was simply a couch left on the street in the Piedmont neighborhood of Oakland. I have an affinity for couches left on the street. In my magic-minded self I often wish they could become communal stomping grounds for our neighborhoods. 

And that last photo is my sewing corner at home. I don't sew nearly as much as I used to, but every now and then I do make time for one repair or alteration project or another. There's a dress in that pile that has this awesome cat and bird print that I want to shorten in an attempt to make it a little less marm-ish. Maybe my next project?

I'll be updating my events on the website later today. Most of my events for the rest of the summer will be going up along with the early fall ones. I always love seeing my customers in real life =)

I hope everyone's week is off to a great start!