2009 Holiday Marketplace

Yesterday concluded the four day craft show that I, greavesdesign, participated in.

It was held at a very interesting arts building/former warehouse that now houses 4 floors of artist studios and other creative businesses.

There is an inherent warmth to this building that seems to be generated by the talent of so many creative people as well as the natural materials all around such as the vintage wood floors and brick walls.

The participants in this annual show are always a delight to be around for this 4 day event. This year I was not disappointed in this regard and made some new friends as well as catching up with old ones.

Here is a photo of my overall display. I like to change things up a bit each season and was quite happy with this year's version. I added my photographic cards to the mix as well and they complemented the textile work as well as provided an under $10. purchase.

The photo to the left includes a couple of my most recent cuffs made from some fabulous red and white broad striped linen. A jacket had caught my eye at a thrift store with this bold stripe and low and behold the label inside read 'Christian Dior'! There was a bleach stain on the collar so I did not feel too bad in cutting it up... So far I have produced 3 cuffs. One was purchased at the show by Sheila, a super talented hat maker.

Sheila is modeling her cuff as you will see and I think it looks stunning on her. She will soon be opening an Etsy shop and I will introduce her on my blog as soon as her store is stocked up.

My next introduction is Sigrid, who makes her own line of wildcrafted skin cream products. They are incredible. My whole family has been using them and we all love them. Sigrid is also getting ready to open on Etsy and I will let you know when she is in business!

She also happens to be very beautiful and posed in some of my pieces for me. I couldn't be happier with the results... she really wears them well.

Even though sales were down for me this year at the show I have no regrets. I think of it as a rather relaxing long weekend spent with friends and a real change of pace from my normal hectic days. I have been very focused on my FoundVintageStyle shop this year. I get a lot of satisfaction from finding and selling vintage decor. Now I have to figure out how to bring balance back and continue to evolve my art as well...