Working Tuesday: Selling your creations - Shows

Note: This is part 3 of a series called "Selling your creations." If you've missed parts 1 and 2, I'd encourage you to look back and catch up!

Another way to dip your toes into the marketplace is to sell your work through shows. This is where you physically go somewhere, set up a table - or sometimes an entire booth - and sell your wares directly to people.

A "show" can take many forms. Sometimes, your local mall or a regional festival will highlight artists in the community. Sometimes museums or local galleries hold shows. And sometimes there are shops that sponsor seasonal shows for artists associated with their shops. There are several street shows throughout the summer in the DC area if you search them out - you may have even been to one!

Some shows require that you go through a jurying process to check the quality of your work, and some don't. I'd suggest you stick to the juried shows because the quality is generally better overall and people come looking to spend a little more money at a higher quality show. I've taken my work to unjuried shows, set up my booth and watched while the person selling food down the way sells out while I work to sell one piece. Trust me on this. Juried is better.

It's also been my experience that any show worth doing will require a fee for you to rent a space. Although this takes from your bottom line, it generally means more money has gone into advertising and renting a good venue. And advertising and a good venue mean better customers for you. Because I don't have much in the under $10 range, I find that the more they charge to rent a space, the better the show for me.

Once you're in the "show circuit," ask other artists about other possible shows. You may have missed the deadline for this year's show, but you can ask the promoters to put you on the mailing list for next year's opportunity. Artists are generally happy to talk about what kinds of shows have been good for them and share experiences. Look for artists with products similar to yours in price and demand as that will help you get a better idea of whether your creations will sell in that type of venue.

And once you've booked a show, remember this is an opportunity to market your work in the future. Make sure you have a stack of business cards so that people who see your work can get back in touch with you. They may not have the money to buy today, but they might keep you in mind for Christmas or might want to tell friends about you. Put out a book to collect email addresses and start a mailing list. Let people who are interested in your work know where you'll be next or when you're having a sale. I've had customers come back to see me year after year just because they want to see what work I've developed from year to year - and to get something from this year's collection!

Next week, I'm hoping to talk to another artist about her experience with shows. Stay tuned for some real dirt on doing the show circuit!

New Music! Kate Havenevik

I'll get back to our normal Working Tuesday post later, but in the meantime there's some new music from a very interesting artist you might enjoy. Kate Havenevik is a Norwegian artist who has had a couple songs appear on Grey's Anatomy. You can hear more about the project by following this link and watching her video.

I first heard of her listening to Pandora - a website operated by the Music Genome Project that groups music by their structure and sound and creates a playlist based on your personal music preferences. (If you've not seen it, you should check it out!) She has also worked with Imogen Heap. I know. Shocking that I'd like someone who has worked with the Heap.

So if you want to be a part of bringing new music to life, here's your chance! It's not often we get the opportunity to be a part of the process and see the birth of new music!

DIY Monday: DIY Wedding Flowers

I guess as you get older, your friends get older too. Does that happen to you? Apparently with my friends, the older they've gotten, the more responsible they've become for covering their own wedding costs. Because of that, many of my friends have asked for help in creating largely DIY weddings on a budget. What? You too? Well maybe this will help you.

One such friend had a very tight budget for flowers and asked me for help doing flowers for her fall wedding. I wanted them to be fantastic, but I only had about $100 to do her arrangement, bridesmaid's bouquets, numerous corsages and boutonnieres as well as table decorations. I had to get creative.

This was the best kind of wedding in my opinion. A group of friends got together to create a fantastic wedding day at a local coffee shop's basement that doubles as an urban church on Saturday nights. A couple friends "catered" the food and took care of the table coverings. Another friend made the cake. Yet another did the photographs. And I worked on the flowers. It may not have been the Willard, but it was a beautiful, delicious day of celebration.

As for the flowers, I chose mums. It was fall, they were in abundance and the groom was Korean. I was lucky in that my mother had just brought a bunch of bittersweet she'd cut from her yard, so I had that in abundance to fill in the gaps. I knew I wouldn't be able to use hundreds of cut stems - the budget wouldn't allow it. Instead I reserved the cut stems mainly for the bridesmaid's bouquets, using grasses from my yard as greenery. I then used the leftover cut flowers to accent the rest of the arrangements. I found some lovely ribbon in vibrant green at Wal Mart to wrap the bouquets, which doubled as table decorations for the reception.

I used potted mums (on sale if I could find them) to make the corsages and boutonnieres. In order to create a more modern design and to make them "pop" a bit, I wrapped the finished stems in copper wire and left a spring of copper wire at the end. I splurged on larger potted mums for the table decorations, carving out a large pumpkin for the main arrangement and putting the pot directly in the pumpkin to hide the plastic pot. I then stuck some of the stems into the potted mum to break up the color and add texture. We sprinkled bittersweet and gourds along the tables and around the food for color. As for the cake topper, I hollowed out a miniature pumpkin and added stems cut from potted plants.

The bride's bouquet was special. She wanted roses and so we used old-fashioned spray roses that opened as the day progressed. I tied her arrangement with more wire-edged ribbon and her arrangement was used on the cake table as decoration after the ceremony.

The result was lovely. The bride was thrilled. And the best part? We stayed in the $100 budget and had some of the most gorgeous arrangements I've ever had the pleasure of doing. Perfect.

Weekend Wanderings: The Naval Academy in Annapolis

Another wonderful place to visit as you wander through Annapolis is the Naval Academy. Although the architecture reminds me a lot of Paris (apparently the architectural style got around), it's a place to feel the roots of America. From the row of Officer's housing bedecked with American, Naval and/or Marine flags to the rows of future Naval Officers marching through the Yard, it's a place to feel proud of your country and the women and men who serve to protect our freedom.

If you've never been, I'd suggest trying to catch one of the public walking tours, which can be arranged through the Visitor's Center. A schedule of tours can be found here about halfway down the page. The tour takes a little over an hour, but it gives substantial history of the architecture and history of the Academy. Of course, there are special tours for members or former members of the armed services available as well.

If you don't have time or the inclination to take the tour, it's lovely to just walk through the campus. You'll have to show ID to get on the grounds, but once through security you can walk at will during the day - we had no trouble as we wandered.

The Naval Academy Chapel is at the heart of the campus and the dome of the Chapel can be seen across historic Annapolis. The chapel has incredible stained glass windows and the John Paul Jones - one of America's first Naval heroes - crypt lies inside. You can visit the Chapel from 9-4 Monday through Saturday and then Sunday afternoon except when services, weddings or other special events are being held.

There are many other structures and monuments to explore - including the oldest American military monument, the Tripoli monument. The architecture is a photographer's dream. And during the school year, there's a sea of white uniforms worn by a new generation of Americans committed to our future. "Oh beautiful, for Patriot dream, that sees beyond the years..."

Foodie Friday: Squash Zucchini with herbs

It's the end of summer and those of you with gardens might have just a little bit of zucchini and squash these days. Here's a little something that might help you take care of the extras. You'll need:

1/2 cup olive oil
3 yellow squash
3 zucchini
1 red pepper
1/4 cup chopped basil and cilantro (or parsley)

First cut your squash and zucchini into larger chunks and set them aside. Cut up your red pepper into larger chunks and add them to your bowl of squash.

Next pull out your basil and cilantro and thoroughly wash both. I usually use 6 - 7 basil leaves and a handful of cilantro - though you can use parsley if you prefer the flavor. After you've washed your herbs, you want to cut them up into little bits - called mincing. There's even a sweet little tool called a mincer to help you in the task! Put your minced herbs into a small bowl and set them aside as well.

In a large pot, pour in your olive oil and allow it to begin to heat up on medium heat. Add your squash to the olive oil and gently toss it so that all of your squash has a bit of olive oil on it. Allow that to heat until the squash starts to turn a little translucent. Then add your herbs and stir them into the mix. Continue to heat the mixture until the herbs start to wilt and then remove your pot from the heat. You don't want to over cook the mix - your squash should not be rubbery, but still a little crunchy.

Pour your mixture into a serving bowl and garnish with a sprig of cilantro. Voila! End of summer goodness!

Inspiration Thursday! Walls

We're heading into Labor Day weekend and school is starting again and as students revel in the heady joy of new school supplies and a new school wardrobe their rooms may start to feel a little dull. For those of us without a student in our lives, fall can also be a time where we start concentrating on our homes a bit more - memories of winter storms that cooped us up to stare at our own four walls come to mind. Is it time for a change?

A couple weeks ago a friend sent me a New York Times article on inexpensive and easy ways to change your living space without major renovation. Sometimes it's as simple as changing the pictures on your walls. They offered several interesting suggestions.

One of the things that caught my eye was the idea of a wall decal - easy to apply, easy to remove and a splash of color to an otherwise boring space! I would have KILLED for something this cool in my otherwise boring dorm room and how wonderful are they for apartments that restrict the number of nail holes in the walls?

Occasionally, I've come across packs of inexpensive decals at TJ Maxx and Kohls, but there are also several online options. Dezign with a z has interesting contemporary designs for pretty reasonable prices - and their selection is pretty extensive. Their designs are more graphic in nature and they even have glow in the dark and writable decals that are worth checking out.

Another exciting option is Dali decals. They too are very contemporary and graphic in nature. I love the idea of putting a large tree decal on the wall beside a crib. I also love the selection of wedding quotes that can be added to the wall of a newlywed's home. You can even put your name in lights by choosing a nameplate or monogram in a variety of colors.

If, however, you are like me and like MORE of everything, you might enjoy Blik. Don't have a headboard for your bed? Child of the 80s who misses Pong? Need a red chandelier on the fly? Blik has you covered.

If you're ready for a change, do a Google image search of "wall decals" and explore for yourself. Given the variety of options, I'm sure you'll find something to inspire you.

* Photos property of Dezign with a z, Dali Decals and Blik. Click on photos to get their links!

Vintage Wednesday: London's Covent Garden Market

Apparently I have Europe on the brain this week because I'm gravitating toward writing about things I saw and found while visiting! This little certificate came from London's Covent Garden Market. London has several famous markets to visit and I've only scratched the surface of the lovelies available. I have, however, enjoyed the market at Covent Garden.

Covent Garden was the first public square in England - a result of first experiments in town planning. Anyone who's seen My Fair Lady will remember the flower and produce sellers hawking their wares in Covent Garden. And it's still a place to fuel your imagination - probably cleaner, but still contains some of the stalls built in the last century. You'll still find a flower seller or two!

The former vegetable market is now covered (though still open air) and contains some lovely shops and eateries. At the Jubilee Market, you can find antiques, arts & crafts or just a general flea market depending on the day you visit. As you pass through the stalls, you'll find a wide variety of colorful collectibles.

And that's how I found this sweet little drawing certificate from the turn of the last century. I found a stall full of ephemera and perusing through the boxes of stock, the design struck my eye. In typical Edwardian style, this certificate was presented to some lucky young lady upon completion of her drawing course. What a lovely keepsake for her and what a wonderful reminder of Covent Garden for me 100 years and an ocean away.