For the past few years, I have been a vendor at a friend's house in
Arlington, Virginia for an open house she holds to raise money for a cause near and dear to her heart -
Borromeo Housing, Inc. (BHI). BHI serves homeless mothers, ages 16-23, who are pregnant with their first child or have one child. They provide a safe and loving home environment and the opportunity for full-time scholastic endeavor for young mothers who are interested in striving for a brighter, self-sufficient future. My friend, Dani, selflessly opens her beautiful home to many vendors and offers a comfortable, holiday-themed environment to kick off THE Shopping Season. In addition to the myriad vendors, her sister Cathy provides some of the most awesome food throughout the entire day (that is reason enough to attend!) Fortunately (or unfortunately for me!), my table is situated right smack dab next to the kitchen....score!!
On Saturday - 2 days later - I am attending for the second year the
St. Timothy's Catholic Church Fall Craft Fair, in Chantilly, Virginia. The majority of the over 100 artisans attending this event feature handmade goodies- I hope I have time to shop!!!
I am hoping and praying that I did not over-extend my self! Luckily, my sister has volunteered her time for Saturday (thank you Lori!)! Anyhoo, I have been busy trying to make enough stock! First up, last week,
Jeannie Dukic posted a picture on FB of one of her stunning polymer clay pendants and matching charms. I no longer make Christmas-themed jewelry 'cause I don't wear it! But, this is winter themed! I pounced on them and ripped the package open on Saturday morning!
I just LOVE the Ice Blue color - winter sky blue! In my head, the pendant did not need any other beads, so I made a chain with one of
Cindy Wimmer's links from
The Missing Link. Simple links between the tri-wrapped link work perfectly with this design.
I kept the earrings super simple - I did not want them to compete with the necklace.
I have found myself playing with hoop designs, too.
Donna Millard had a slam dunk when she chose this particular shade of green for these beads - they have a black base, and are so, so pretty in person!
Lovely porcelain from
Jenny Davies Reazor, paired with faux sea glass.
I bought these tiny little charms at artBliss from Diana of
Suburban Girl Studio. They are so sweet and tiny, I wanted to keep it simple.
The pattern and color on these charms instantly reminded me of Pfaltzgraff - Yorktowne pattern...anybody else grow up with these dishes????
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| Source: www.replacements.com |
I am putting my
Etsy shop on vacation today to prep, and will reopen it sometime on Sunday. I cannot believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner...and you know what that means? Black Friday...ugh! I will not be anywhere near a big box store - or any store - starting November 29th through the Christmas Holiday! The wonderful folks over at
Love My Art Jewelry have been writing some awesome posts lately, specifically related to Handmade. If you are a handmade artist or jewelry-related designer and have not done so yet, scroll through the posts this month - there are some awesome tips for artists selling their wares this season. So, I leave you with this image:
Thank you so much for stopping by - have a wonderful week!
xo
Patti
