On the Road - Spring Crafts in Chelsea

Start with one terrific public school: PS 11. Stir in a generous helping of the Etsy New York Team. Gently fold in amazing artists & makers, live music, and one gorgeous day and what do you get? Spring Crafts in Chelsea! This was my first outdoor show of the season and I couldn't have picked better weather for the event. Grace Napoleon of Folk Couture and I loaded up her car and drove in together on Saturday. We set up nice and early and our tents book ended our friend Liz Rodriguez of Liz Rodriguez Ceramics. There's nothing better than being near friends at a show!

PS 11

singin' on the steps of the school

Spring Crafts in Chelsea

all smiles for a sunny day

Twitch and Whiskers

Liz offered new, cheerful house shaped trivets/wall hangings and her whole line of mugs, planters, platters, vases, and jars. I got up close and personal with Liz's brightly hued ceramics and learned about her process of working in the studio. One of her favorite steps is doing her wax relief designs. She hand paints her whimsical leaf patterns to achieve two unique ceramic finishes. I will get to see Liz again next week at the opening of the Greenway Open Market in Boston. If you can't catch her there, you can follow Liz Rodriguez Ceramics on FB, on her blog, or visit her shop on Etsy. 

Liz Rodriguez Ceramics

dressed to impress

 Grace has been busy finding amazing once-loved pieces of clothes to make her hand sewn Folk Couture apparel. Her racks were lined with lovely new dresses and tunics. Grace was recently the proud recipient of an overflowing bag of ball trim that I had found while treasure hunting. It was exciting to see touches of the fringe along skirt hems! Our friend Karen Seiger of Markets of New York and her husband James came by to spread some market cheer. Karen found THE PERFECT dress for herself - an C3PO dress with swaying polka dot skirt. Grace too will be at Greenway Open Market next week. Find her on FB for more upcoming shows and newly posted pics.

Folk Couture

The Force is with her

As a teacher, I love doing shows to benefit local schools. I got to meet many of the enthusiastic students and families from PS 11. One of the best parts of doing school benefits is sending my jewelry home with kids. They wear it so well! This crowd definitely appreciated the REcap bracelets made from upcycled Crayola marker caps. Folks also enjoyed the jewelry that incorporated vintage game pieces, like my rings and the perfect sunny day necklace called "I Scream. You Scream." A nice selection of my Thimblism necklaces, one of a kind assemblages, and tin/compact locket necklaces also went home with market shoppers including one of my favorite new compact necklaces called "Photo Finish." I also had a chance to show my new Lucite necklaces made from vintage beads and components.

Remarkable in REcaps

Lookin' sweet in I Scream, You Scream

Fabulous in Photo Finish

new necklaces: Barbarella II, Dewdrops, and Ebb

After a day of traveling, heavy lifting, meeting, greeting, and selling, it's always refreshing to end the day with a delicious meal. Once everything was packed up and the last tent weight was heaved into the car, Grace and I walked around the corner to find a bite to eat. We came upon Tipsy Parson and when we saw "Belly-Filling Goodness " written on their window, we knew we found our place. We thoroughly enjoyed every bite of our meals. Grace had succulent lamb with herbed dumplings and I savored every forkful of my shrimp, grits, and fried green tomatoes. But oh, it got even better. Dessert of coconut cake and brandy soaked almond cake with fresh berries and custard were the perfect finale to our weekend adventures. 

I did want to kiss my grits.

more please

This was certainly a great way to launch my outdoor show season, and there are many more outdoor shows ahead! See you at the opening of the Greenway Open Market in Boston next week. Click here for a full spring/summer schedule. Take advantage of my May promo. "hooraymay" gets you 15% off anything in my Etsy shop.