We’re busy getting ready for a trip to Brasstown next weekend.  This is my first large-scale craft show, and I’m both excited and a little nervous.  Since it’s four hours away, we have to be REALLY sure we don’t forget anything critical in the packing.   It’s a wonderful festival, with music, dancers, pony rides, craft demonstrators, and other activities as well as both juried and non-juried craft exhibitors.   Find ColorTwirl Marbling in the “Marketplace” Booth #19.   Saturday and Sunday, October 3rd and 4th, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.   I’ll be demonstrating at my booth.

Brasstown is four hours from Hickory, about two and half  hours from Asheville, and under three hours from Atlanta.  All the scoop can be found here:  Folk School Fall Festival.

Photo: Felicity Garland Dancers performing in the Festival Barn (courtesy of the Folk School.)

In spite of my sloth at updating this blog, I did have a busy summer.  The Art on the Park, back in May, was lots of fun and a success for both me and my stained-glass producing husband.   Vacation was in two parts.  First,  a short trip to Atlanta for a 10th year celebration of the opening of East Lake Commons Cohousing Community, where I lived for six years.  On the way home I made my first visit to “The Mountain,”  enjoying solitude and nature at this wonderful mountian-top camp/retreat center run by Uniterarian Universalists. In July, David and I returned to SUUSI (UU summer camp at Radford University) for our second year.  We sold a good deal of stock in the Artisans Bazaar, and enjoyed working there.  I also took my long-awaited first course in bookmaking from my friend Anne Murray.  Learned a lot, and will do more, though I haven’t yet.  Photos will follow.

photo courtesy of Hickory Museum of Art

Sponsored by the
Hickory Museum of Art!

Saturday May 2  10 am – 3 pm

FREE Family Festival

On the SALT Block Lawn

(between Arts & Science Center and Hickory Public Library)

I’ll be there with marbled work to sell, and doing marbling demonstrations throughout the day.   Stained glass as well, from the other half of the family.   Lots of activities for kids.  Stop by!

My blog productivity seems to have an inverse relationtionship to my other online activity.  I have been spending more time on Facebook lately, and especially a lot of time on Etsy.   But here I am.   My husband works in stained glass, so a few weeks ago we went out to the Glass Craft and Bead Expo in Las Vegas.  I had to do something to amuse myself so I took a couple of classes – introductions to flameworked beads and to cast and fused dichroic glass for jewelry.  Terrific fun, but I have to control myself and not get distracted from the main event.

first crop of beads

Fused and cast pieces from the workshop

As someone who is slightly allergic about six months of the year, I gave up tissues and began using handkerchiefs a few years ago.  (Not recommended when you have the flu, though.)   I’m really happy with these 11″ square habotai silk scarves.   I got out a plastic painter’s palette that was my very first marbling tray – and it was the perfect size for these. 

I spent last weekend marbling on fabric (for the second time.)   Worked on small silk handkerchiefs and square silk chiffon scarbes.  It was wicked fun.  Since this was an experiment, I bought the scarves that would fit in a big square tray I had, and didn’t make any special tools for it.  As a result I had to work mainly with a stylus, eye-dropper, and whisk.  It made me try a lot free-form designs which I usually don’t print.  I’m really happy with the results.  Have now ordered some more conventional oblong scarves, and will have to make a tray for it.

Asheville Bookworks once again hosted a terrific workshop with Steve Pittelkow.  I attended mainly for the box-making component, and I was not disappointed!  

One of my goals for 2009 was to set up an online shop on Etsy.  If you haven’t haven’t heard, Etsy is a large virtual community dedicated to the buying, selling and general promotion of hand-make arts and crafts.  (They also handle vintage goods.)   It’s a wonderful place!  The shop was just established yesterday and I am still learning the ins and outs.  Only a few items for sale yet, but will get more up there soon.  If you like my work, you can mark me as a “favorite” in Etsy. 

box by Steve Pittelkow

I’m looking forward to next weekend, when Asheville Bookworks brings back Steve Pittelkow for a three day class in marbling and box-making.  We will allegedly make one of these three-tiered boxes, like Steve’s shown here.  I will be a happy woman if I can make anything remotely resembling this.

It’s not too late to enroll:  http://www.ashevillebookworks.com/workshops-schedule.html

Perhaps another victim of the slow economy, Heart in  Hand Gallery has had to close its doors.  I collected my unsold consigned items last Friday.  The good Dr. Montes is going to remodel and open the space as a weight loss clinic.  Good luck, Anita!