My First Big Non-Fiber Craft Show -- Sugarloaf Craft Festival, Here I Come!

Zazzy Peacock "Feather" necklace, one of a new series
in which I'm felting several felted components together
to form larger sculptural pieces.  

After going to Sugarloaf Craft Festivals for over fifteen years, I am getting ready to do my very first one as a vendor.  It is literally a dream come true.  Even before I poked my first felting needle, I used to go to these shows and think -- I wish I could have a booth here someday.  Well, that day is only about a week away now!

From Friday, October 17 through Sunday October 19, Zazzy Peacock Studios will be at the Sugarloaf Craft Festival in Gaithersburg, MD.  The show is held at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds.  My indoor booth will be #79 in Building 6B (on the lower level).    (I am also doing two more Sugarloaf shows this fall -- November 21-23 in Gaithersburg and December 12-14 in Chantilly, Virginia.)

Zazzy Peacock Geometric Statement Necklace

Not only is this my first Sugarloaf show, but this is really my first big "general" craft show -- with one small exception, every show I've done so far has been a fiber or wool show.   There's a big difference.  For one thing, I'm expecting a whole lot more competition.  These Sugarloaf shows have lots of jewelry vendors, whereas fiber shows have very few.    On the other hand, I'm hoping more customers are there actually shopping for jewelry, whereas I'm used to customers looking for yarn -- or wool or supplies --who are often surprised to find themselves buying jewelry in my booth.  I guess, we'll see how it goes.

I'm also expecting that most people will have no idea what needle felting is.  At the fiber festivals, most customers have an appreciation for how time-consuming and detailed my work is.  In fact, the most rewarding sales I've made at the Sheep & Wool Festival are to the customers who are experienced needle-felters.  The fact that they appreciate my work enough to pay for it is especially encouraging.  For this upcoming show, I have a feeling that I'll be doing a lot of explaining about my needle felting and wet felting process. (Have I mentioned that I needle felt everything about one millimeter at a time, then I wet felt it, then I needle felt it again?)  I usually have a little felting demonstration going, but that will be more important than ever next weekend. And I'm hoping the intricacy of my designs and my unique color palettes will speak for themselves. In any case, I'm excited to see how my Zazzy Peacock felted jewelry is received by the craft-fair-going crowd.  

Zazzy Peacock felted Cascade Petal Necklace with matching earrings

I should be crazy busy getting ready, but by some miracle, I am feeling quite prepared.  I've got plenty of inventory, most of which is well-organized and ready to display.  And my booth design worked really well as the Sheep & Wool Festival, so I'm sticking with that.   I am way overdue to post about the evolution of my booth and what I've learned (a lot!) since my first show back in May 2013.  That's next on my to-do list...

In the meantime, you can check out more of my work on my website.  Or better yet, come visit me next weekend in Gaithersburg at my very first Sugarloaf Craft Festival.  Hopefully, it will be the first of many!

Fall Gathering of Artisans for Special One-Day Show

Amethyst Lamp from Crystal Luxe Lighting

This fall, a Home & Fashion Accessory Showcase will feature the work of six talented local artists.  The one-day show will be held at a private home in Bethesda, Maryland by invitation only on October 18 from 10 am to 4 pm.  

Bring a friend (but not the kids, please) and enjoy a glass of wine, hors d'oeuvres, and a relaxed atmosphere while you shop for unique hand-crafted items.  It's a great opportunity to get in some early holiday shopping or to treat yourself to a one-of-a-kind gift.    Here are some brief descriptions and photos of what these wonderful artists will be offering at the show.

Aldeane Josephs -- Elegant custom-made lamps from Crystal Luxe Lighting -- each made from a one-of-a-kind exotic crystal or semi-precious stone set on an acrylic base with nickel hardware and a custom silk shade. Crystal Luxe Lighting lamps were featured in the 2014 D.C. Design House. See more of these sophisticated lamps in the Crystal Luxe Etsy shop.

"Girl Power-Let's Run Ms. T," acrylic on canvas by Beverly Rogers © 2014

Beverly Rogers -- Beautiful original abstract paintings on canvas, pillows, placemats,  and unique totes.  Beverly's lively art and home decor focus on color, balance, and connection.  

Kathy Berbakos -- Hand-knitted scarves and "corsage" bracelets.

Betty Farrell -- Unique jewelry made from semi-precious beads and crystals.

Personalized Ballet Tutu Tote Bag from Nancy Marshall

Wenzell Carter -- Original photography, note cards and holiday cards made from original photographs taken by the artist all around the world.

Nancy Marshall -- Unique handcrafted gifts including silk and beaded purses, monogrammed ballet tutu bags and aprons, children's hair ribbons and accessories, super hero capes, and chalk placemats.  Visit her Etsy shop, Fancy by Nancy, to see more.

So, as you can see, there will be something for everyone at this Home & Fashion Accessory Showcase.  If you receive an invitation to this special one-day event, please go enjoy the show -- Saturday, October 18 from 10 am to 4 pm.  

Note:  I unexpectedly had to pull out of this show.  I apologize to my customers and especially to my fellow artists for any confusion or inconvenience I have caused.

Awesome Guitars! From Cool Centerpieces to Fundraisers for a Great Cause

Photo credit:  Josh Barry Photography ©2013

Wow, I have so much to catch up on, I'm just going to jump right in with what's going on  now...  Well, it's been a while since my son's bar mitzvah, but we are finally following through with his mitzvah project.  This weekend, we are donating five electric guitars to a wonderful organization, Guitars Not Guns.  In a few weeks, our family will be volunteering at two fundraisers for GNG, where they will be raffling and/or auctioning off those guitars.  (See more about events below.)

So how exactly, you may ask, do we have five extra guitars to donate?  Well, for my younger son's bar mitzvah, we had a guitar-themed party.  He's been playing guitar since he was seven years old, so this was a no-brainer.  But as I'm not a big fan of styrofoam centerpieces that just get tossed after the event, I decided we would collect used electric guitars to add to my boys' small collection of electric guitars and bass guitars.  We would use those real guitars as centerpieces and then donate them to charity after our event.  It worked out great!  The guitars, which are really works of art in themselves, looked awesome on the tables lit up on shimmering CDs scattered with custom picks.

Photo credit:  Josh Barry Photography ©2013

I can't tell you how excited I was when we found the DC chapter of Guitars Not Guns.  This was just the perfect organization for us to help.  With locations across the U.S., they provide free guitars and lessons to foster kids and at-risk youth. In their words, "Using music as a catalyst we encourage children and teens to use their creativity to foster personal development and to help divert them from self-destructive influences such as drugs, alcohol and gang-related activities. By providing free guitars and lessons we hope to engage their creative potential and help them achieve their dreams."  How awesome is that?  As if that's not enough, please watch this video about their amazing DC director, Gregg Hammond, and then go to their website and make a donation!

GNG's great work was inspiring and got me thinking -- what else can we do to help?  Someday, my son hopes to volunteer for GNG giving guitar lessons.  In the meantime, we had plenty of guitar-themed stuff from the bar mitzvah that we could sell to raise money.  Most fun of all for me, I made pick jewelry for party favors for the bar mitzvah, and I had plenty of leftover supplies.  So for these upcoming fundraisers, we will also be selling some unique pick jewelry, with all proceeds going to GNG.  We also have some cool guitar pens and inflatable guitars that I'm hoping will be a big hit at street festivals.

Assorted handmade (by me) pick jewelry with my custom Rainbow Rock design, along with resin guitar pens.  The black picks have my son's name on the back (also in a unique design) and were used for the party favors. I made sure to order extra picks (all from Pick World) for GNG fundraisers.  Designs © Jill Newman 2013.  

So if you're in the DC area, come out to one or more of the GNG fundraisers this fall.  On Saturday, October 11, 2014 at 7 pm, a benefit concert will be held at the Howard Theatre in Washington, DC.  Three bands will be performing, and we'll be there selling raffle tickets and pick jewelry and taking donations. Click for details.  On Sunday, October 12, 2014, we will be at the GNG booth at the Courthouse Arts & Craft Beer Festival, a music and beer fair in Clarendon, Virginia.  We can't wait!

For those considering a guitar-themed party, here are a few more photos to give you some ideas.  Feel free to ask for more details.   I had fun doing it and would be happy to share my experience. :-)

I got a few miniature replica guitars -- this is Joe Strummer's "Trash City" Telecaster--
to decorate the cocktail tables.  Photo credit:  Josh Barry Photography © 2013

I made this sign out of plywood, enlarged prints of my custom pick designs,
rope lights, and a styrofoam guitar.  Yes, I caved and bought a few foam guitars from www.guitarcenterpieces.com to decorate spaces where real guitars
wouldn't work (and because how many guitars could I buy?!).
Pick designs © Jill Newman 2013; Photo credit:  Josh Barry Photography © 2013

This was clearly overkill, but I got little prints of famous guitars (also from guitarcenterpieces.com) to decorate the favor bags. I'm quite sure the kids barely noticed!  And yes, those are paper coffee bags, which were the perfect size.  I got them from one of my gift wrapping suppliers, Nashville Wraps.

I painted a replica George Harrison "Rocky" guitar for
 my son.  But that's a whole other post for another day. ;-)
Photo credit:  Josh Barry Photography © 2013

Happy Halloween!

Zazzy Peacock felted rings even look good on this creepy witch hand  ;-)

This year, I will be missing my very favorite holiday -- Halloween, of course.  I'm a little sad that I won't get to dress up with my kids and greet trick-or-treaters, but I'm pretty sure being a vendor at Vogue Knitting Live in Chicago will be worth it.  

This will be the first time -- I think ever -- that I won't be dressing up for Halloween.  It's also the first time in many years that my house is not the most creepily decked-out for Halloween on our street.  Sure, I put out the life-size mummy on the porch and the giant eighty-foot tall witch at the edge of the driveway, but where are the ghosts, the gravestones, the skeletons, spider webs and rats?  Oh, and the bats!  I have a few giant bats I hang every year, and then there's the fifty or so little bats that I made out of pom poms, felt and pipe cleaners about fifteen years ago.  Oh yeah, and I managed to get a couple of nice pumpkins, but I didn't have time to carve them into Jack-o-lanterns.  How sad is that?  

Well, I will miss all that fun Halloween stuff, but there's always next year!  For now, I couldn't be more excited to be heading to Chicago to sell my Zazzy Peacock felted jewelry at Vogue Knitting Live.  Do you think I could at least wear some vampire fangs on the airplane?  Happy Halloween!  Here's a glimpse of some of my favorite Halloweens past:

Halloween 2002 in Fairfax, VA

Harry Potter Halloween 2005 in front of our house pre-remodel (see remodel post)

Halloween 2009 with our scary witch

Fall, Here I Come -- to Vogue Knitting Live in Chicago!

I am taking Zazzy Peacock Studios on the road this fall... to Vogue Knitting Live! in Chicago!  The show is November 1-3 at the Palmer House in downtown Chicago.  This is a very exciting (and admittedly, overwhelming) opportunity for me.  When I did the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival in May, a few customers told me about Vogue Knitting Live! (note that the exclamation point is part of the name)  and basically insisted that I look into it.  Well, I did!  And although my initial goal was to do the January VKL! show in New York, somehow I'm pushing myself out of my comfort zone all the way to Chicago.  

I'm not a knitter, but I come from a family of knitters.  When my boys were babies, they had more adorable hand-knit sweaters than they could possibly wear before they outgrew them.  :-)  I crocheted quite a bit in college, but I could never quite get the knack for knitting.  At the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, I admired many hand knit sweaters worn by my customers.  I can't wait to see the knitwear at VKL!  

One of my concerns in going to the Maryland show was that the talented wool-savvy crowd would admire my work but try to make it themselves rather than buy.  The opposite was true:  So many customers told me they tried needle-felting and that they knew how difficult and time-consuming it was to do what I do.  Actually, many asked me how I am able to get my felt so tight and smooth.  I was more than happy to share my techniques and tips.  (So fun!)   I'm hoping that the sophisticated knitting crowd at Vogue Knitting Live! will also have some familiarity with needle-felting.  Most people still say, "What's that?"  when I say that I needle felt.  

Needless to say, in preparation for this big show, I've been felting a lot.  I mean, A LOT.  And I've built up quite an inventory of one-of-a-kind needle-felted jewelry.  I've had a great time creating new designs and color schemes.  At first, it was hard to focus on fall and winter colors in the middle of summer, but it has me more ready than ever to welcome cooler days and the warm colors of the changing foliage this autumn.  

So, here's a sneak peak at my latest felted jewelry and accessories in rich, vibrant color schemes for fall and winter:

Even from one color scheme, the possibilities for one-of-a-kind needle-felted jewelry designs are endless. This is one of my favorite color schemes -  great for fall, but also year-round.  My latest designs include Art Deco-inspired geometric and shell motifs.

This autumn color combination includes shades of gold, orange and brown, with a deep, rich raspberry pink. (Ugh, the raspberry color is not showing well!  See, this is why I do better at live shows!)  

My "shell" motif in various color schemes for fall and winter.   While I call this my "shell" design, I've had customers tell me it reminds them of flower petals, feathers, and even a hot air balloon.  That all sounds good to me!  What do you see?

This Art Deco geometric design with the bold two-part felted pendant is probably my personal favorite. 

Thanks for looking!  

All Zazzy Peacock Studios designs and images are © Jill Newman 2013. All rights are reserved.

Sneak Peek at My Booth!

Well, the 2013 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival is only a few days away!  I have a little more packing to do, and I'm making a last-minute necklace and earring set for myself to wear to the show.  I keep  telling myself to stop felting, but I don't seem to listen.  Over the weekend, I made several more new items.  Anyway, here's a sneak peek at my booth for my first big craft show.  

If you're in the area, the Sheep & Wool Festival is free and filled with fun stuff to do -- like sheep dog trials, yarn spinning and fiber arts demonstrations, a fine art competition, live music, and of course, great shopping for wool and unique hand-crafted items.  This festival is huge and attracts people from all over the country and the world.  

The Festival is Saturday, May 4 (9am - 6pm) and Sunday, May 5 (9am - 5 pm) at the Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, Maryland.  Visit the website for directions and more information:  http://www.sheepandwool.org.  I will be in the Farm and Garden Building in booth #4.    If you come, please find me there!

Upcycled Bamboo Jewelry Displays -- Part 2 of Crafting with Bamboo

Zazzy Peacock felt and crystal bracelets
on a handmade bamboo bracelet rack

I have been very busy preparing for the upcoming 2013 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, which will take place on May 4 and 5 at the Howard County Fairgrounds.  I wanted to have some beautiful and unusual jewelry displays and have made a few out of bamboo -- including bracelet racks, necklace and earring displays (upcycled from bamboo floor mats), and a larger version of the bamboo vase from my last post (Crafting with Backyard Bamboo, Part 1).

I made two bracelet racks -- a single and a triple!  I am really happy with how the bracelet racks turned out, but I must say they were a challenge!  I decided to construct them by inserting vertical piece of bamboo into the horizontal bar, both for looks and strength.  Well, I've gotten the hang of cutting pieces of bamboo on my miter saw, but drilling a one inch diameter hole into the middle of the bamboo was a whole new experience.  Using a crazy-looking drill bit, I split quite a few pieces and never really got a clean circle cut out.  I had to use a file to get the jagged holes big enough to fit the vertical rods.  

Bamboo pieces pre-assembly

Gluing these bamboo pieces together was also difficult.  I needed to use a glue that would hold the pieces in place (perpendicular) quickly and provide a strong lasting bond.  There was a lot of trial and error involved, but eventually I decided the thing to do is use a dab of hot glue to hold the parts in place and then add a lot of wood glue.  (In my experience, hot glue does not hold up on wood over time.)  When the wood glue was dry, I used wood filler to fill in the many unsightly gaps.  Once I applied sealant, both the bamboo and the wood filler took on a nice golden color.

My homemade triple tier bamboo bracelet rack displays
Zazzy Peacock needle felted bracelets available now in
my Etsy shop and soon at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

For the bases, I used scraps of bamboo flooring left over from our remodel.  I drilled out one-inch holes only part way through the base to hold the vertical rods. I tried to finish the edges with strips from an old bamboo floor mat, but the corners came out so bad that I decided to add pretty french gimp trim.  I also added the trim across the length of the bars because I thought it would help the larger felt pieces to stay up on top of the bars instead of slipping upside down.  I think it worked, and I love that my bracelet displays are unique.

To display necklaces and earrings, I made a few boards out of an old bamboo floor mat.  (This should have been trash, but I tend to hoard stuff that I know deep down was meant to be upcycled.)  The bamboo mat was great to work with because I was able to cut it with a mat knife.  Well, I scored the wood with the knife, and then snapped it apart and sanded the edges.  At least I didn't have to use my power tools for this project!  Then, I sanded the bamboo down and applied a sealant to clean it up and restore the golden color.  

Upcycled bamboo mat displays
Zazzy Peacock felted jewelry

To create hooks to hold the jewelry, I used t-pins from the craft store.  I inserted them in between the strips of bamboo, through the rubber binding on the back.  I bent the pins into position with my jewelry pliers, but I probably should have used something more heavy duty. Those t-pins are SO strong.  For necklaces, I wanted the pins horizontal and fairly tight to the mat.  For the earrings, I opened up the ends slightly (not easy!) and bent them so that they were in a vertical position and about 3/8"  off the mat.  I found this worked well for holding both post earrings and wire hook earrings.  Once I got the pins where I wanted them, I used duct tape to secure the pins to the back, then I covered the whole back with contact paper.  Simple, huh?  I love how they look -- I just hope they hold up!   (In person, the jewelry actually looks great set off against the bamboo, but it's hard to see that in the photo.)

I used my backyard bamboo for two more projects.  First, I took one of the bamboo vases from my oldest son's bar mitzvah and expanded it from just three pieces to twelve.  This made it more interesting and a lot more stable.  I will be using it to hold peacock feathers and a couple of manzanita branches (you know the ones that look like little trees), as well some other dried floral elements.  I hope to dangle some bracelets and/or hair accessories from the branches.

Lastly, I cut a couple of very long, thick stalks of bamboo to use as poles to hold up the banner for my booth.  I added eye hooks to the tops so that I could tie the banner.  I needed to pre-drill little holes to get the eye hooks in (normally, on a softer wood, I can just use an awl).  So far, I attached the bamboo poles to my gridwall using duct tape (boy, that stuff comes in handy!), but I think I will have to come up with a better solution before the show.  For now, I was just so happy to see my six-foot banner actually hanging above my gridwall.  Yay!  My booth is really starting to come together.  Hopefully I will post some photos of the whole set-up in the next couple of weeks, before the festival. If I get too crazy, I'll be sure to post them afterwards.  :-)

Related posts:  Crafting with Backyard Bamboo, Part 1

My handmade bamboo vase displays Zazzy Peacock felted hair accessories hung on manzanita branches

Yay!  My Zazzy Peacock banner is hung on tall bamboo poles attached to a gridwall.