Tiny Canary Re-cap

This past weekend was Tiny Canary Indie Design Market at Junctionview Studios and (as usual) it was awesome! It was fun to meet new customers and hear their reactions to my jewelry. This was my third year as a vendor at TC and my booth on Sunday was right near Crafty Cotillion gals Olivera (Wholly Craft!), Emily (Umbrella Girl Productions), and Megan C. (Miss Megan Mac).

I debuted some new creations this weekend, including my winter coffee cup necklaces and my rainbow lollie pendant (below- which I am proud to say, found a happy home!)

And now - getting ready for the North Market event and the Junctionview Studios Open House in December! Don't forget that I create custom orders (I have quite a few of those from this weekend, actually), so don't be shy about sending me a message about a special request.

Tiny Canary is Coming Soon!

I am so excited to have been accepted as a vendor for Tiny Canary *Indie Design Market* for the third year! The event is on November 14 & 15, and just like in years past, I will be selling my work on Sunday, November 15 only. On Saturday, you'll be able to find Jen Adrion's colorful statistical graphics and prints.

Naturally, I will be very busy over the next few weeks making new items to sell. At Tiny Canary, I'll have some new sterling silver collage & resin pendants, more items from my Hard Candy Collection, and of course, the Tiny Treats that everyone loves!

The holidays are approaching and people are starting to think about what they're going to get their friends, family, and co-workers. The economy is struggling and the forecast shows that people are planning to spend less money on holiday gifts this year. Why not purchase something fabulous and handmade for the people you care about? You'll feel good about supporting a small business and the recipient of your gift will have a unique item made with care, love, and attention to detail.

One gift that's definitely unforgettable is a custom item from Sweet Stella Designs! Cake earrings for your co-worker who loves that cheesecake; a sushi pendant for your girlfriend who can't get enough California rolls; or a resin pendant with a photo of your mother's garden. Each item shows that special person on your life that you care about him or her. And with pieces in the $15 - $50 range, you won't have to worry about spending a fortune.

If you'd like to purchase a custom item from Sweet Stella Designs, please get your order in as early as possible! That way, I'll be sure to have enough time to create your custom piece.

2008 Wrap-Up

After a much-needed break from blogging & crafting, I feel re-charged and energized and ready for 2009! I have some great goals for Sweet Stella Designs for the upcoming year, but first, I wanted to reflect on the last part of 2008. 

November: 

Auto/Bio: An MA Thesis Exhibition 

I finally finished my giant MA project (17 pieces of artwork and a 180-page paper) and it was great to see my art on the walls and have my friends and family come out to celebrate. 

People mingle at my exhibition reception

Tiny Canary Indie Design Market

This event is always a blast! So many people came out to this two-day indie craft extravaganza and I split the table space with my friend (she took the space on Saturday; I had it on Sunday) Lori who makes perfumes and bath blends under the name Violette Market. 

Here I am at my Sweet Stella Designs booth

Anne shows off her new AmyD skirt 

December:

Holiday Hop Trunk Show @ What The Rock?!

The wintry weather was a bit of a deterrent for some people, but many others hopped on down to What The Rock to check out items from my holiday collection. 

Pink & sparkly with tiny lights: just the way I like it

In addition to my trunk show, I also had some small works displayed at Roy G. Biv Gallery's Member Small Works Exhibition and the Ohio Art League's annual Thumb Box Exhibition. 

C-Note Art Show 

Every piece of art was priced at $100 and despite the dreary economy, people came out to support local artists. I had an open studio on Saturday night and it was lots of fun to see all of the different types of art on the walls. 

Art viewers enjoy the work at C-Note 

Jen and Coreroc hang out in my open studio, #133

I am definitely looking forward to the rest of 2009. There are some great events happening at Junctionview Studios (including a spiffy re-designed website) and I am getting ready to start making some Valentines Day-themed jewelry. Looking ahead to April, I have an art show scheduled at Haiku Poetic Food & Art in the Short North. 

Naturally, most of my New Years resolutions have to do with being more organized, so I hope I'm able to keep up with that!

Tiny Canary This Weekend!

Saturday and Sunday, November 15-16
10am - 6pm each day
at Junctionview Studios (889 Williams Ave. Columbus OH)

Let the countdown begin... Tiny Canary is this weekend!

For 2 days, Junctionview Studios in Grandview will be transformed into a temporary marketplace where you will have the opportunity to buy directly from local and regional artists and designers.

Skip the mall, buy handmade, and start your holiday shopping early! You are sure to find original, high quality handmade gifts for all those on your list!

Be one of the first 100 guests in the door each day and you will receive an organic cotton tote bag filled with samples, coupons and other goodies from our vendors and sponsors.Food and refreshments will be available from Rad Dog, Pattycake Bakery and Kevin's Espresso Cart. Admission and parking are FREE!

Visit the Tiny Canary website for directions and a preview of the participating vendors.

Inquiries? Contact thebird@tinycanary.com.

* Please note that Sweet Stella Designs will be a vendor on Sunday, November 16th only!*

My MA Thesis Show

My MA thesis project exhibition was tonight! It was so amazing to finally see all my hard work on the walls (and my massive 180-page paper in my advisor's hands!) I had a great time tonight at the reception, and thanks to everyone who came out to see my work.

I wound up selling a painting to my friend Olivia, but it was a painting from my studio that wasn't actually part of the show. I hope she finds the perfect place for it in her aqua living room!
Special thanks to Adam for helping me hang all my work (without him, it would have taken me 7 hours) and Tamalynn for baking such wonderful cupcakes and cookies! And Devon did a fabulous job of making the floors look and smell lovely.

My parents took lots of photos of the reception tonight, and I will try to post those as soon as my folks put them on to a disc for me.

Now, for a brief moment, I am wondering what to do with myself. Then, I remember that Tiny Canary is next weekend, after that is my thesis project defense, then OAL submissions and proposals are due, then is my Holiday Hop trunk show at What the Rock, my school's Scholarship Dinner, C-Note Art Show, and OSU graduation.

I will sleep after December 14th.

Website Milestone!

Since its launch in September, my website, sweetstelladesigns.com, has had 900 unique visitors and 1056 visits!!
Big thanks to tinycanary.com, the site where most of my referrals come from. And another big thanks to I Love Treefort, who designed my site.
This "milestone" is so exciting, especially since I just assume that no one is paying attention to my adventures on the inter-web. (haha, inter-web.)

Thanks to Google, if you type in "Sweet Stella" my site and my Etsy page comes up first!! I have triumphed over the sweet-stella.net...the porn site! (Notice how I did not make that last web address a link.)

Remember that the holiday gifting season is upon us. Chanukkah is next week and Christmas is...well...the 25th, just like it always is.

Have you taken the Handmade Pledge yet? If not, go to http://www.buyhandmade.org/ and add your name to the petition.











Since we're buying handmade, now would be a great time to mention that I have many excellent, unique gift ideas available at the Sweet Stella Designs Etsy shop, like this adorable Carrot Cake Gift Set.

Love to shop, or know someone who does? How about this cool Credit Card Necklace!

Or the smaller, pinker version!

Have something special in mind, but don't see it in my Etsy shop? Just send me a quick note and let me know what you're looking for; I love custom orders!
Happy buying (handmade)!

Excellent Sunday!

I could hardly sleep last night, I was so excited for Tiny Canary! I've never really been involved with a craft show that was slated to attract so many people, so I really had no idea what to expect. All I knew was that I was all ready to represent my designs and share my fun, colorful collection with holiday shoppers!

Aline and Anne, our awesome Tiny Canary organizers, were so amazing! Not only did they work their butts off to promote this event all over Columbus, but they were so sweet in providing the vendors with a yummy breakfast spread and giving us a very cute little book about crafting & business!

Here are some shots of my Sweet Stella Designs booth:

Here's Megan from Moogan Creations peeking out from her sea of plush! She also had totes and 2-D artworks for sale. I wanted to get a closer look at some of her lovable new characters, but I hardly had any time to escape from my booth. It was so busy!

AmyD and Olivia goofing around after our extensive conversation about boogers.

I got to sit next to Patrice and watch her make all kinds of funky jewelry throughout the day. My favorite part was exploring her recycled bead box. Mmm..vintage lucite flowers! Patrice was wearing a beautiful necklace with a reclaimed metal dogwood flower from an old candelabra. One customer loved it so much she bought it right off her neck!

At the end of my successful selling day, I raced around buying myself a few lovelies:
* Lip Balm from Disquieting Designs (I forgot my lip gloss and desperately needed some; I was very impressed with the quality and the subtle lemon/lime flavor)
* Little painting by OrangeWillow: it reminds me of San Francisco and will fit in nicely with my wall of original artworks, hung gallery-style.
* Hair band by Gazzu: too adorable! I need more of these!
* Porcelain squirrel pendant by Lusterbunny: I have been coveting one of these for so long.

And now, how I feel can only be summed up in one photo:

Busy.

My favorite person in the world moved to San Francisco on Monday. We cooked some yummy dinner on Sunday night (amazing garlic pan-fried asparagus!!) and just enjoyed each other's company.

It's a good thing I am ridiculously busy, or else I would just mope around all day.
Upcoming projects include:
1) Finishing work for Tiny Canary *indie design market* and getting last-minute supplies for my table.
Here is a preview of some of the new goodies that will be for sale at the Sweet Stella Designs table at Tiny Canary (On Sunday, November 18th only!).



2) Labeling my December/January contributions for The Sampler and mailing those out
3) Working on my thesis
4) Helping with centerpieces for my school's Scholarship Dinner
5) Keeping up with my Etsy site

Here's a project that I am very excited about:
I will be collaborating with Lori of Midsummer Muse to make some adorable gift sets for the holidays. Pictured is the first set: Golden Autumn perfume oil and vintage Lucite and Swarovski crystal earrings.
We will be debuting the gift sets this Sunday at Tiny Canary in Columbus, Ohio!

Bead Bounty

This past Sunday, I went to a bead show. It was on the small side (about 10-15 vendors) but still overwhelming enough that I had to walk around several times before I could decide what I wanted.

In addition to the bounty above left, I picked up some yummy furnace glass by David Christensen, honey-colored resin beads, cranberry quartz, and two funky coral beads that look like apples.
My bead orders from Etsy have slowly been arriving and last week I squealed when I got my green Lucite jellybean beads as well as an assortment of glass, metal, plastic, and wood that are great for fall.
Within the next week or so, I should be getting some great vintage Lucite cabochons and beads, as well as the doming resin I ordered to make new pendants.
Look for photos of my new work soon!

I'll be working hard over the next few weeks for Tiny Canary: don't forget to stop by on Sunday, November 18th! There will be lots of new items as well as old favorites. And also be on the lookout for a special collaboration (Holiday gift sets!!) between Sweet Stella Designs and Midsummer Muse.

The Bird Has Landed

This week, I received my acceptance email to Tiny Canary Indie Design Market! It's over the weekend of November 17-18 at Junctionview Studios in Grandview, OH. I will be there on Sunday the 18th and my booth-sharing partner, Adrienne of Crafty Beavers, we have the space on Saturday the 17th.

I am very excited to be a part of this (especially after being rejected from Crafty Bastards in DC) and I can't wait until the full vendor list comes out! *squeal!!*

p.s. My Trunk Show at Wholly Craft is THIS SUNDAY! Please stop by to say hi, check out my new work, and hopefully make a purchase that will have you dancing with excitement for the rest of the evening.