I cannot believe...

...that I actually made all of this in the last 2 days!! I will not be listing very much on my Etsy page until the end of summer. It's just too much to keep up with while doing craft shows and markets.

Decadent Chocolates Bracelet

Sweet Shoppe Magnets Sets
(more magnet sets coming soon!)

Tasty Treats Charm Necklaces

Felty Food Pins

In the meantime, check out my "Upcoming Events" post to see where you can purchase my designs in the month of July. (And see the "Where to Buy" section to the right for stores that carry Sweet Stella Designs year-round!).

Busy busy in the studio!

Have I mentioned yet that being off of work for the summer is awesome?? I have been keeping busy, though. Yesterday, I dragged all of my jewelry and crafts that I plan to sell out into the living room. I figured out some different possible set-ups for my table display. I also played around with different display levels and containers.

It was incredibly helpful to see all of my creations laid out. Now I can see where I may need to fill in and make some more pieces.


Next, I started working on a banner for Lori's and my booth at the Lynn & Pearl Markets. I picked up a giant canvas banner (already gessoed and grommeted...if those are even verbs...) at The Flower Factory for about $8.50. I used 2/3 of it for the Handmade Parade banner and will use the other third for a Sweet Stella Designs banner to hang at the North Market Food + Ohio Wine Festival. I hope to get more than one use out of my own banner, though!!

Check out my rockin' artistic skills. I knew that BFA was good for something!! Not only does it match our logo postcard, but it is all hand-painted by yours truly.


This is what my studio/craft room looks like. Usually every surface is covered with something. Below are a few pics on a good day. Haha.

Gettin' Around

I am going to be a busy lady in July! Here are some upcoming events:

**New start date:***
July 6th - August 17 (Tuesdays & Fridays): Handmade Parade
at the Lynn & Pearl Alley Markets, off of Gay St., Columbus
10:30 am - 2 pm

Friday, July 6: Mahan Gallery Bizarre Bazaar
1042 N. High St., Columbus
Opening: 7-9 pm
On view for one month (check it out during Gallery Hop night on July 7th!)

Sunday, July 15: North Market Ohio Food & Wine Festival .
59 Spruce St., Columbus
Visit the Sweet Stella Designs booth, and other local crafters, too!
12-6 pm

Friday, July 27: Art Fits group show.
At Junctionview Studios in Grandview (889 Williams Ave.)
6 pm - whenever!

Handmade Parade!

Our fun at the Lynn & Pearl Alley Markets starts on July 3rd! Come by and see us.

Until then, check us out online:
Sweet Stella Designs
Midusmmer Muse

Fun With Paper

The other day, I decided to make some blank notecards/greeting cards. I am amassing a nice collection of miscellaneous paper, from scrapbook to handmade to vintage, and it's fun to see what I can do with it.

Here are some blank notecards:

I also covered some little brown paper Moleskine notebooks with various kinds of paper. I think my favorite is the cowboy one!




These and other items will be on sale starting July 3rd at the Lynn & Pearl Alley Markets at the Handmade Parade booth! Please stop by and make a purchase. :)

Stella

So who is Stella? Stella is actually my boyfriend's cat! She is so adorable and I am very excited for her to come live with me this summer while my man is on his man-hike on the Colorado Trail.
Here is a typical day in the life of Stella:

Lounging...

Stalking...

More stalking (maybe a bird? maybe a squirrel?)

And more lounging!

I hope that she does not try and shred my various craft projects. I think I will be leaving the craft room door closed when I am not in the house...

School's Out!

My last day of teaching was on Friday. Now all I have to do is finish cleaning up the art room and then I am off until August 21! This is the first summer that I don't have to work every day; it's also the first summer EVER that I will not be in some way affiliated with a summer camp.

I will be teaching a week-long Teen Arts workshop at the Wexner Center for the Arts entitled "Graphic Stories", which is all about creating a graphic short story/comic book/narrative artwork.

Last week, I found out about some press that I (Sweet Stella Designs) had received from a little website called Restaurant Widow. It's really not as morbid as it might sound; Lisa explains the reasoning behind the title on her site. It's always gratifying to see that people are indeed noticing what I do.

More Mixed Media Necklaces

Feast your eyes on some more yarn-wrapped goodness!! Wrapping the beads takes forever, but it's worth it when I see the finished product!

Aqua+Purple and Watermelon Mania!

Below are two designs inspired by the circus and carnivals:

Big Top and Ice Cream Dream

I probably should not talk about this because I don't want to jinx it...but tonight, I applied for Crafty Bastards in DC on September 30th. I am not getting my hopes up because there are only 100 spaces and I am sure a ton of people apply. We were only allowed to submit 3 photos, so I made 3 photo-collages: one with my chunky mixed-media jewelry; one with my vintage stamp collection items; and one with a "Pop Art" theme with polymer clay cuties and my citrus slice pendants.

I will be notified around the middle of July. Right now I can hardly contain myself, but I know in a day or so I will be back to being incredibly busy preparing for my Lynn & Pearl Alley Market adventure!

Sweet Treats

I have to admit, I'm not the best baker/cook/candy maker in the world. But I have grown quite adept at creating teeny little treats out of polymer clay.
This past week, I had my Sculpey out on the kitchen table so whenever I had a moment, I would make a new charm or bead. Here are some of the results:

Frozen Treats Charm Bracelet

Cookie Earring Studs & Watermelon Pin

Dangle Earrings: Breakfast, Pretzels, SnoCones, Watermelon

Baked Goods Charm Bracelet

"C" is for Cookie Bracelet

These are only a few of the collection I have created. Be on the lookout at Wholly Craft as well as on my Sweet Stella Designs Etsy page for more, including: pizza, fast food, cupcakes, ice cream cones, tacos, and lollipops!

Shout Out!

Mike Renner, who co-owns What The Rock!? had a little Q&A article in the Columbus Dispatch about the store. My jewelry got a shout-out in the article! Hooray!
So go to WTR this Saturday night for Gallery Hop, because there will be a whole new batch of Sweet Stella goodness there. Or go there any other time. Either way.

Help Me Decide!

As our July 3rd start date to sell handmade awesomeness at the Lynn & Pearl Alley Markets nears, I have found myself in a design quandary. I am making postcards to leave around Columbus, and I have 2 very similar designs that I cannot decide between!

I am looking to send my images to VistaPrint tomorrow, so any input between now and then would be greatly appreciated.

Let me know which one you like best by leaving me a comment! Thanks.

Design #1

Design #2

Best Thing Ever

Yet another creative use for stamps.
There will be many more of these, I can assure you (possibly with various patterned papers or even fabric). I know that at this very moment, someone's belt is absolutely begging for this excellent buckle.

Posta Romana

I have recently developed a love of postage stamps. My co-worker Eva gave me a whole box brimming with cancelled stamps from all over the world, dating back to the 50s. Her thoughtful donation came at just the right time, because I am currently creating a custom order for 20 of my glass stamp pendants for a store called White Balcony in Fort Collins, Co. Hooray!

Here is what the glass pendants look like before I add the silver bails. (Bails are the glue-on loops that enable you to turn a flatback stone or cabochon into a pendant)

Another way that I make postage-stamp jewelry is by using polymer clay. With the clay, I can choose a beckground color that enhances the appearance of the stamp.

Some of my favorite stamps are those from countries that no longer exist and ones commemorating events/people not from that particular country. i.e. a Rwanda stamp celebrating JFK! Ok, maybe I am too easily amused.

Remember When I Used To Make Paintings?

Yes, I did used to make paintings. And drawings. And prints. And many more other art objects. While I do enjoy making jewelry, I definitely miss painting.
I started thinking about this tonight, when I saw a posting on Craigslist about an art show being planned, with participants who haven't shown their work or made art in a while.
This was so exciting for me to read, because I certainly fall into this category.
The work above is the most recent painting I created; I think I started it in November 2006; it's not finished yet, and I'm not sure if it will ever be.
This pattern reflects the wallpaper my grandmother had in her downstairs powder room. She passed away in February 2006, and after we sold her house, I realized that the funky '60s and '70s decor would be replaced and updated and I would never get to see her over-the-top decorating style again.
So, I decided to celebrate the patterns of my grandmother's old house through painting. I didn't get very far, though!


My artwork in college (BFA at Ohio State) was heavily centered on ideas of relationships, memory, home, place, and travel.

Here is a free-flowing intuitive painting. I started painting in this style after my senior BFA show in 2003, when I got tired of creating representational art.











These are 2 abstract paintings inspired by city streets. They differ from the above painting in the sense that these have a reference, and were created specifically with that reference in mind.








During my senior year of college, I created a series of works where I painted old friends with whom I had lost touch or only saw once in a while.

This one is called "Day Off" (from being counselors at camp). Right now, it's hanging about my couch in my living room.




"Prom Sucks" was inspired by a photo that I have of a friend from New Jersey. She was so excited to go to prom as a sophomore, but later divulged that it "sucked" and that she and another friend spent most of the time outside smoking cigarettes.





This painting was also inspired by a photo I snapped as a 16-year-old at a party when I lived in NJ. I think it was at the good-bye party my friends threw me when I was moving to Ohio.
As you can see, I had some pretty interesting friends. But don't let the shirt fool you. This kid was a total sweetheart.


Hope you enjoyed the retrospective. Hopefully, I will be involved with this new art show and finally make some paintings. Although I'm thinking mixed-media. (Donuts + sculpey??) I know my ideas from creating jewelry will work themselves in to my new artwork.

Jewelry Displays

On Friday, I had an epiphany regaring displaying my jewelry. I bought a cheap wooden crate at the craft supply store, turned it on its side and presto! Earring displays. I figured this would be a great solution because it's easy to set up, cheap, and fairly unique. I am planning a trip to the hardware store to see if I can procure some more conventional materials and turn them in to funky displays.

Because Lori and I start selling Lynn & Pearl Alley Markets the first week in July! I am working on some sweet promo materials, so expect to see those plastered all over Columbus.

And remember, you can still purchase items by Sweet Stella Designs at Wholly Craft, What The Rock, or through Etsy.com. Or, you can set up a little meeting with me and you can buy directly from my mini store at home.

Important News! Sweet Stella Designs will now be charging sales tax for sales in the state of Ohio. Not too exciting, I know...but this is what comes with being an official vendor.

New Shopping!

Last weekend, I went Gallery Hopping in the Short North and had quite the positive retail experience! My new favorite store is Tigertree which is at 17 E. Brickel St.

They have all kinds of cute clothing and accessories. I bought I very adorable business card holder (really a subway card holder...but alas, no subways in Columbus) and a funky plastic ring by TigerLilly. Niki and Josh, who own the store, are very friendly. You might even see them out on High Street flyering the town! So stop by and support local small businesses. And buy something adorable.

Aside from buying massive amounts of jewelry supplies this week, I also purchased a bicycle!! Yaay! My buddy Michelle sold it to me on Friday and I took it for a ride downtown that evening. It's a metallic pea-green Trek road bike (but without the giganitc TREK logo everywhere) with white handlebar tape. Pics to come!

OHIO luv

I recently had some very excellent buttons assembled by the fabulous Paperzombie. One of my designs was this cute Ohio theme. (Notice how Columbus is a heart!). Yeah, I know you may gripe about living in Ohio, but admit it...YOU LOVE IT. That's why you can never leave.

Ok, perhaps I am exaggerating a bit. Regardless, you NEED one of these buttons. They're 1" and available on my Etsy site.

Last night was another Columbus Craft Collective (Crafty Cotillion?) mixer at Surly Girl. I am so glad it's a monthly event now. I do need to get out of the house more often.

In other news, I finally got my photography up to par. I have decided that Columbus sunlight is notoriously unreliable for photographs and I do not appreciate having a 15-minute window once a week in which I can photograph my jewelry.

So, back to the homemade light box and the photo flood. This time I am using a light gridded paper and no flash. The results really do speak for themselves.

BEFORE

AFTER

It's Official!

I am now an official vendor in the state of Ohio. I have my handy-dandy vendor's license now, and I must admit I do feel quite special. I will also feel special when I have to start charging sales tax for Ohio sales and filling out sales tax forms twice a year.
This is mostly in preparation for my summer adventure, where my friend (and fellow teacher) Lori & I will be vendors at the Lynn & Pearl Alley Markets in downtown Columbus!



Now, all the paperwork is not finalized; but it should be within the next few weeks. The market will be open starting in June, and we will be there in July and August until school starts again.

Read more about the Lynn & Pearl Alley Markets here!

Mixed Media

I have been working on several versions of the yarn-wrapped necklace. Some of them are definitely more "mixed media" than others. This particular one, which I titled Creamsicle, is made from yarn-wrapped wooden beads, crocheted beads, vintage lucite, and glass.

You can purchase it online at my Sweet Stella Designs' etsy shop!

Other motifs of mixed-media jewelry in the works: Watermelon Mania!, My Bedroom, Purple Is A Fruit, and Lollipop.

I am very excited for Monday night (April 30th), as it is the monthly gathering of the Columbus Craft Collective at Surly Girl Saloon. Last month was a blast!!

New Layout

I decided to go for it and redo my colors, fonts, and banners to go with my brand new business cards and display tags. I moved away from the saccharine-sweet (although it was super-cute!) and came up with a more modern motif.
I don't know if I did something great or stupid! I like the orange and blue, but I can't help but think that there's some sports team that has those colors...the CAVS? Who knows...
On the plus side, I am overjoyed about my business cards. They are fantabulous and I will be leaving them everywhere.