endings

well, the time for the ending of all wholesale shows for the year (for me) has come. i am sincerely grateful for all the 13 wonderful galleries that have chosen to purchase my work. really, this has been overwhelming, and i am super excited about everything that has occurred.

the 1st notable one is de novo gallery in palo alto, ca. holy moly, am i ever excited to be a part of this gallery! when the owner came into my booth, i recognized that her beautiful brooch was made by deborah krupenia, one of my favorite marriage of metal artists. the owner, charry, and i had a nice chat and i was so pleased that she actually took time to really look at my work. this is a big deal for me, as it is really affirming that i am on the right track and am getting confirmation from someone with good taste, who is knowledgable about all kinds of jewelry. yee haw!

also i am excited to be a part of the signature shop and gallery in atlanta ga. the owner was also very, very nice and she bought several large one of a kind pieces. this is the first year anyone has bought major one of a kinds outright from me, and it feels great! i am looking forward to working with this gallery as well.

furthermore, quirk gallery in richmond, va will be carrying my work. this gallery has 2 parts. the front shop carries work of many people i know and love and also others whom i admire, including amy tavern and sarah loertscher. the rear gallery is called "Quirk Represents" and they exhibit more unusual funky work of many different artists. i am excited that the front gallery bought some of my new prong rings and the rear gallery will be showing my moss necklace and several other funky pieces i have not had the opportunity to show. click here to find out more about this neat-o gallery. yee haw again!

there are more galleries i am thrilled about, those are just a few for now...

geoff and i are staying in fell's point here in baltimore, away from downtown and the convention center. it was an accident due to priceline, but now i am really glad. this area is really cute and quaint, and nice to be in vs. the convention center area. we had some delicious tapas last night and tonight we are thinking of maybe indian food or mexican food or really i don't care what as long as it is not pizzeria uno. i am pretty much over chain restaraunts.

tomorrow starts the retail portion of this show, and i am hoping to meet my overall financial goal by the end of the weekend. it doesn't seem impossible, so that is truly thrilling. but i must say that i have a SHIT TON of work to do between now and june 1st, with all kinds of other things going on in that time period as well. phew! i can't wait to get on it!

that's about it, my focus right now is pretty darn narrow. work work work.

i do miss my delightful husband, our beasts, and my friends, too. i really, really, look forward to getting home on monday. it will be a long 10 hour drive!

fermelenge
jo

show #1

well, this 1st show is going okay. not as gangbusters as i had of course hoped, but good enough. passable. i've gotten orders from 5 new galleries. i am excited to be in all of them, some i never heard of before.

one intriguing one is actually an indie-department store in nyc called arcadia. all handmade things in this store in chelsea, from soap to jewelry to candles to clothing. sounds pretty cool, and the owner was a real interesting person, very nice and down to earth.

the most exciting thing is that 2 galleries ordered my new little prong rings, featured to the right of this post! the 2nd gallery to order ordered them on spec, said they will take pretty much what i make! cool!! that makes me feel like i am on a good track with those rings, which are just waiting for me at home...waiting for me to make some more...

so i am hoping a few of the "be backs" will actually come back tomorrow and make an order. also i have a couple of people who said they are going to wait until baltimore to order from me. not sure why this is, but...i'll believe it when they order.

here is a pic of the booth...not bad if i say so, though it is not what i had hoped for either. i wanted a perfect, totally killer booth, and i feel i have my regular booth with a few changes. whatever. i am pretty much finished worrying about it for now.

i do like my new earring stands and display very much, however.


so, all day tomorrow and 10-3 on monday then i pack up and run off to baltimore for a 10am opening on tuesday. i am nervous/stressed about the move out from here, but i just have to do my best and be as fast as possible in order to avoid a $400 late arrival fee in baltimore. sounds like they are trying to rob us, doesn't it? yes, i believe so.

i had dinner tonight with natasha wozniak, a fellow jeweler whom i have featured on this blog before. we ate at penang, a restaraunt where jamie and i ate on our last trip to philly. i again had the shrimp and green beans in shrimp paste. we opened with a delightful squid and greens dish, covered in peanut gravy. YUMMY. the waiter told us not to get the squid, that he had never seen it, but it was worth it, in my opinion, as it was unusual and delicious!




i want to think for a minute on how blessed we all are. i have several friends going through super hard times with loved ones right now...way more than seems possible. so if you don't mind, let's have a moment to think good thoughts for those in trouble, and also be thankful for all the good we do have in our own lives.


om shanti

ॐ शान्ति शान्ति शान्ति

take care everyone
jo

back in philly

ah, i'm here! it's been a rainy day, but a pretty good day. i'm almost all set up at the show, but will go in tomorrow around 1 to finish up. the preview opens at 4pm.

i had a busy day doing things here. unloading, settling in the hotel, setting up, running over to ikea...then back to the show, then back to the hotel. on my way back to the hotel i stopped and picked up a philly cheesesteak. man, they are so good. and they are so good, you know they are so BAD for you! but i had one, and that's enough.


but while i was eating my sandwich, i got a call from the front desk saying they had a flower delivery for me!! they brought up this beautiful arrangement, and it smells really good! i think i might bring it on up to the booth so i can see it more, and so other people can enjoy it too. jamie is so thoughtful, and makes me feel so loved.


i walked around some and drove around, too, on my way to ikea. i am staying one block from the betsy ross house. the lady who made the flag, you know. i wonder if perhaps we all think of her as some sweet rosy cheeked old lady and she could have been some nagging old biddy. her house is real cute, right here in the heart of the old city in philly. and right near it is a large bust of ben franklin, real large, and kind of weird. please notice the small angel/adult-child in the pink dress in this picture. ??? kind of like a female adult-baby jesus.


i am also near the US mint. since i don't have to go in early tomorrow, i am very tempted to go on the mint tour. i am going to let myself sleep in, and then see how i feel. sounds like it could be really interesting though!!


tomorrow i am gong to bring my camera with me so i can get some pics for you guys. i want to show you how immense this show is. unbelievable. pretty wonderful, too, to see so many people making their living from making things. pretty daunting, hough, when one considers all the competition!

i was pleased to find that i am right next to danielle miller, a jeweler friend who lives in greeneville, sc. i've known danielle for about 7 years now, as we discovered today, and she is great. when i met her 1st son, i have to say i thought he was one of the most precious little boys i have ever seen! her work is great; very well made and dynamic!


that's it for now...hope you guys are all doing well...
sleep tight!

joppa

well, here i am, stuck in a best western in joppa, md. could be worse. i could still be out on I-95 in a shitty ice storm. instead i am paying for 2 hotel rooms tonight, since i couldn't make it up to philly. i just got worn out and scared of having an accident on the icy road. when i pulled over i discovered my car was covered in ice! i thought it was just wet. (this pic is an exaggeration...it is not the storm that happened here tonight, though it might as well be!)

oh well, i hope i still have time tomorrow to go to ikea and look for another display table and also get to the convention center in time to unload at my unloading time. though i guess i can call and delay it.

fong choo will be showing his work at ACC Baltimore. Fong is quite the accomplished ceramicist, making miniature teapots. he prices his work in an amusing way, such as $456.38 or $223.67. he also attended warren wilson college, but before me. i've met fong, but he wouldn't remember me. it's mostly the jewelers that i end up making buddies with.

well, ttfn. i'm off to re-adjust the heat in this room...AGAIN. damn stinky, hot hotel rooms!!

by and now

i enjoyed my teaching in tucson. the class went well...the students did great on their married metal projects and we had a good time! i got excellent reviews, which made me feel good. the trip home was a bit trying..i was supposed to get home at 5:30pm, and did not arrive until 2:30 am.

here are some pics of tucson and some cacti i saw there. it was really weird being out west in the different flora and fauna. not sure i like it, but i appreciate it. i am an easterner by heart.



check out Umbra. i especially like these bookshelves! I want some!


i finished my wholesale catalog today. i'm really happy to have it finished. here is a pair of ball earrings which excite me greatly. they were part of the last group of work i had to photograph and get in the catalog. i hope galleries order alot of my new work. i really hope!



i leave tuesday morning and will not return until the night of feb 25th. long time to be away from my home and sweet husband. i sincerely have my fingers crossed that all this time and energy i've put into these wholesale shows pays off. ya'll be thinking good thoughts for me! i noticed that ACC put up all the artists in the baltimore show on their site finally. check it out!

lastly, here is a pic of debra adelson's work. debra is super nice, has always been really friendly to me and very sharing. she always offers her home to me as a place to stay if i need it, and she shares her info about suppliers and such too. her work is colorful and fun.


i hope to be able to post some while i am away, but i am never sure of the internet connection at these hotels. sometimes i can make it work, but sometimes not. we'll see. i do hope to post some pics of my new booth, though. it seriously kicks ass. if you want to check in with me though, you can always email me at jlgjewelry @ mindspring.com

fermelenge!