Made in the Shade Weekend

tags for the sale

Now that it has been a whole week since the sale, I should really get this post up! It seems my computer is on the mend so I can finally show you these photos of the sale.

Tarnish and Gold's building reminds me of a home in California. They converted the space from a raw, garage space into a mixed use, studio and exhibition space. The artisan fair shared the gallery with a Chairman Bob show that was already hanging on the walls.

Jessy and Paul in Jessy's space with a bit of my table and a glimpse of Missy

Jessy, Missy and I had our spaces by each other so we could hang out together when things were slow. I would say two of the major elements that made the sale so fun was being table neighbors with these ladies and being paid visits by lots of friends and family.

It was slow enough that I got plenty of knitting and chatting done, but busy enough that it was worth being there. I sold statement necklaces, earrings and lots of resin necklaces (no takers for the stitch marker necklaces!). Missy and Jessy had successful sales, too. Maybe there will be another fair in our futures.

In addition to the Made in the Shade sale, last weekend I also attended the Etsy Craft (Birthday) Party at Crafty Planet. There were lots of crafty people, lots of sweets and a little bit of crafting.

After a full weekend of socializing, I was pooped! It was totally worth it, though.

Made in the Shade: Sneak Peak

This coming Friday and Saturday (ETA - Oops! It is Saturday and Sunday!) I will be participating in a local artisan fair. Tarnish and Gold, a new non-profit gallery in NE Minneapolis is hosting the event. I know I will be in good company as my sister Jessy and my friend Missy will also be vendors there. I have been very busy making things for the fair and have come up with a stock of jewelry I am really excited about. Here is a little sneak peak for you.

There will be a wide assortment of stitch marker necklaces

A fun variety of earrings including stones, pearls, glass and metal charms

A few select statement necklaces like these two with carved rosewood and stone

Resin pendant necklaces with vintage sewing notions, fabric, buttons, lace and much more

As I mentioned, my sister Jessy will also have a booth. She will be there with her mixed media wall art made from found materials. She includes lots of awesome rusty bits and you know how I love rusty bits! Her resourcefulness amazes me and the end results are both beautiful and gritty.

I don't have any pictures to show you, but Missy will also be there with handmade handbags, clutches, wallets and other assorted sewn beauties to hold your things.

If you would like to visit us at the fair, here is the info:

Made in the Shade
Tarnish and Gold Gallery
Saturday June 19 and Sunday June 20
10am-6pm
1511 Marshall St. NE, Minneapolis

If you aren't able to make it to the fair, please stay tuned! I will be posting a lot of new stuff to my Etsy store in the next few weeks.

TrinKnitty on Etsy is born!

Well, folks. I finally did it! I have an Etsy store. Here is a link.

Paul says my banner looks like steak. It was actually cropped from the photo above, but now that he said that, I can see steak, too. What do you think: steak or wood?

I am really excited to finally have an Etsy store. This has been a long time coming. Creating things for money has always been an odd thing for me, but I've finally found the right venue at the right time. I love that I can make things as inspiration and time allow. So, please, head over and take a look. As promised, there are stitch marker necklaces, resin necklaces and assorted wrapped and strung necklaces. I have a lot more up my sleeve, including earrings. I'll post here to let you know when the next big shop update happens.

And, a huge thank you to my sister Jessy for modeling my jewelry! You can see many, many pictures of her neck in my shop.

Etsy Incubator

For the past few months I have been hard at work laying the groundwork for opening at Etsy store. I am in the last phases of it and should have my store up and running soon. For now, here is a little preview of some of the things I will be selling in my shop.

I am really excited about these stitch marker necklaces. They will be available in many different color combinations.

As part of the preparations, I have been testing prototypes to make sure they are durable, comfortable to wear and functional. I can attest that the stitch marker necklaces work great as fun, fluid necklaces and perform their double duty as stitch markers quite nicely. All of the accent beads are wire-wrapped, so they won't snag on your yarn.

I am also excited about these resin necklaces. After a few false starts with some sub-par materials, these are now up to my standards and ready to go. I am really enjoying playing with the materials to create these pendants. I am using a variety of materials including photos I have taken, reclaimed fabrics, vintage buttons, stamps and shrinky dinks. Because of the materials I am using, each of these pendants has its own unique history and its own story to tell. There will be a lot more of these pendants as time goes on and I come across more fun images and materials to incorporate.

One of the jewelry techniques I am most fond of is wire-wrapping. It is a tidy and secure technique. I have recently taken to combining wire wrapping with sections of strung beads to create asymmetrical necklaces. The asymmetry thing has totally got me in its grips right now!

Also asymmetrical, but without the wire, I have been making necklaces that combine different materials such as this bamboo and glass necklace.

One of the most challenging parts of this process has been the photographs. I am definitely pushing my little point and shoot camera to its limits. I know the quality would be so much better if I had an SLR camera, but for now, I am working with what I've got. And, luckily, my lovely sister Jessy has agreed to model for me, so I can convey a sense of scale with pictures of her wearing the jewelry.

As soon as my shop is up and running, I will surely let you know.