jules and juniper

The show has come and gone and I’m not quite sure how I feel about the whole thing yet. The weather was particularly yucky so the turnout was much less than expected. That said, I did pretty well and was tickled (as my grandmother would say) over how well the display worked out. I hadn’t done a dry run of it so it was quite overwhelming (in a good way) to see all of my work on one table with the lovely vintage luggage and linens I have been collecting over the past couple months. One thing is for sure, I’m officially CRAFTY!

A little blurry but you get the idea…

Workin’ the show…

Advertising for Dunkin Donuts…

I love how the vintage luggage turned out…

If only I could do another craft show – like now…! :-)

Okay, so it’s a holiday bazaar… at a church… in my hometown of Woodbridge, VA – but it still counts, right? I feel like in many ways I’ve been preparing for this for almost 6 months. Some of the jewelry that will be offered are my very first pieces. Wow, that’s a lot of firsts for one day. I’ll also have my first business cards, assuming they arrive in the mail tomorrow – boy am I cutting it close.

I’m super excited and don’t really have much in the way of expectations. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to show my work in person and to get feedback from all of the holiday shoppers that will attend. My lovely and dear friend Tini will be there for emotional support and some manual labor. I am truly grateful for her and all of my other friends who have helped me reach this milestone in my jewelry career. It means that much more to me to know that they have all been a part of this process, helping me and encouraging me along the way!

See you at the bazaar!

So, I happen to like inspirational music, not necessarily religious… But music with a positive message just gets to me for some reason. I’ve been told that I live my life with ‘hope’, and I like to think that’s a good thing. Even when everything about a situation tells you not to hope, there are always those people who still do. I’m one of them… :-)

Cat and I made a trip to Heyser Farms in Colesville, Maryland for a little fall tradition – hot cider and fresh donuts! Alas, the cider was not hot and the donut machine (although present and functioning just fine) was not in service. So, we amused ourselves with photography instead. It’s a hobby we share although we have different ways of doing it. I’m one of those people who just likes taking photos and I shoot everything a million times and don’t know much about setting up a shot. Cat is really into her awesome camera, taking interesting shots and editing on her mac. Here’s a set fresh off her camera and then a set of mine. We both had fun with the photos even though the cider mill was a tad disappointing…

The apple sorting machine…

The resident dog was friendly… and kinda needed a bath.

How cool is this one? I was wondering why she kept taking photos of the tractor wind thingy…

Cool sun washout….

Me and the hay are one!

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And now for my photos!

The apple sorter…

Fall colors…

Really big leaves…

A cat in the green beans!

A Cat holding a tiny apple like it’s the world…

It was our Sunday Funday. :-)

So the packaging for my second order ever(!) is a little different. Laura doesn’t really like gold but it was all I had so I tried to play it up with some green ribbon and leather cord. I also added a vintage gift tag for that extra special touch. She can use it on a Christmas gift later…. I hope you like it Laura! 

I just love vintage paper goods. :-)

Which background do we like best? Hmmmm….

And another one….

Hmmm, how’s about this angle? Ok, that’s it… I think that’s enough pictures of just one package.

So, I was having a bit of a crappy day. I’ve been sick all week fighting off some sort of sinusy yucky thing and I’ve been falling completely behind in my preparation for the craft show. Basically, I was feeling pretty low, both physically and mentally – and wondering where I was going to get the energy to push through the next week and a half before my big debut at the holiday bazaar on the 15th… Then, out of nowhere….

A NEW SALE ON ETSY!!!!

Just what I needed and just in the nick of time. A special thank you to my dear friend Laura who purchased two pairs of earrings that she’s had her eye on for some time now. I don’t think this feeling will ever get old, you know, the “I can’t believe someone just paid money for something I made” feeling. If you don’t know what I’m talking about you should try it some time. I’m convinced it’s even better than crushes (the boys are getting on my nerves lately but that’s for another post…).

Thank you also to everyone who has supported me through everything up until today. Thanks John for bringing me soup at work and being my personal DJ on the internet jukebox. Thanks to Mike, TIni and Uyen for their constant encouragement and support. Thanks to Laura for being such an inspiration because she follows her dreams. Thanks to Cat for making me laugh and smile and for making my workday ever so much more tolerable. Thank you world! Mwah!

Pictures of the packaging coming soon…!