We’re back from camping at the lake, and boy do I have a lot of work to catch up on. Mt. Gretna is this weekend, and my inventory is woefully low. Plus I decided this was a good week to update the photography in my Etsy shop. So expect some shop updates this week as well.

Joe and I are leaving tomorrow for our annual camping trip at the lake. No internet or tv, just 5 days of sun, boating, reading, and sketching. I’ll be back in a week with new shop updates and announcements. See you then!

Even though I have a lot of studio work to do, I took the day off to give my house some much needed TLC. I cleaned, I hung pictures (in my studio), I sewed (curtains – not this bag), I cooked (from scratch), I baked (from scratch) – it was quite the unusual day for me.

And I’m now on Trunkt. Just another way for me to get my work out onto the web. You can view my lookbook here.

*note the subtle sarcasm in the post title…

I spent today photographing new work for some upcoming show deadlines. Usually, I don’t have a problem photographing my own work, but today it was giving me fits. Stupid things like forgetting to turn the macro on, endless calls to Adrienne, resisting the urge to bang my head against the wall. But in the end, things turned out alright. (Or perhaps not, I can’t really think or see clearly anymore.) You can view the results of my labor here.

Sadly, the above photo won’t make it into show applications. (ACC tends to shy away from props.) But it will turn up in my Etsy shop soon… the flower pot is from a recent trip to IKEA. The necklace is all steel and 36″ long, with an S-hook clasp so it could be worn long or doubled.

I’m happy to announce that I’ll be participating in the second storie} indie market on September 7 & 8 in Rochester, NY! Can’t wait!

Today was my third 10-hour studio day in a row – and there’s still so much to do. Photographing work for upcoming deadlines, still trying to frantically re-stock inventory for Mt. Gretna, getting ready for vacation next week, and (as much as I’ve been trying to avoid it) starting to think about the classes I’m teaching this fall.

I’ve still got quite a long week ahead of me…

Where did the week go? Between recovering from craft shows, trying to re-stock my inventory, and creating new work, this week has flown by. That’s right – new work. I’ve been working on some new necklaces. Its been a while since I’ve made a necklace, but I’m suddenly feeling inspired. Perhaps its the upcoming deadline for the ACC shows. Perhaps its that I’ve been wearing more necklaces myself lately. Either way, I’m excited about all the possibilities.

And speaking of ACC, I have a big announcement. I’ve been chosen as a Searchlight Artist for the ACC Baltimore retail show! Myself and 13 other emerging artists will be highlighted in a special section of the show. This is a great opportunity for me to present my sculptural work to buyers, gallery owners, and collectors.

Even though Joe and I have been in our house for almost a year, there’s still a lot of work to be done. (In our defense, it was a bank foreclosure, so there’s been tons of work to do.) To motivate myself to work on the house, I’ve been trying to buy more art. Here are a few of my recent purchases:

This beautiful painting by Mark Traughber, that I picked up at Cain Park.

A copper bowl by Corey Ackelmire. I’ll be getting a second one in a trade, so I’ll have a beautiful pair.

And finally these two prints from swallowfield‘s etsy shop.

I’m giving myself permission to work on the house a little bit everyday, so I’ll be sure to post pictures as things come together.

From now until August 3rd, I’m offering free shipping on my fine silver on steel bracelets. (For anyone who couldn’t pick up a set at my summer craft shows.) Available in my Etsy shop.

I’m back from my craft show marathon, and have lots of catching up to do.

Cain Park was great! Hands down it has the most helpful and friendly staff of any show I’ve done. People who bought last year came back to say hello, and I sold more than I have at any other show. I even sold a pillow!!! (Of course, I hadn’t photographed it before hand, so I will probably be making another one in the near future.)

Ann Arbor wasn’t bad. I actually managed to do ok, despite being on the corner of “Middle of Nowhere” and “Sketchville.” (See pictures below.) Mostly, I just feel happy to have survived my first Ann Arbor. (Four days is a very long craft show.)

While I was in Ann Arbor, I found out that my 2-person exhibition at the Rosewood Gallery has been moved to September/October of 2008. This is a big relief, because it previously coincided with my 2-person exhibition at MWPAI.

I’ll be spending the next week or so restocking my inventory. I actually sold out of quite a few things, including size small fine silver on steel bracelets. (Stay tuned for a special shop announcement about the bracelets tomorrow.) Hopefully, I’ll also find time to play with a few new necklace ideas I have.

Ann Arbor (and the sketchy corner market) in the rain on Thursday.

The typical crowd across the street from my booth at Ann Arbor.

The typical crowd on the street my booth was on at Ann Arbor.