Buy Handmade this Holiday

I'm sure by now many of you have already started picking out those perfect gifts for family, friends and co-workers. Have you taken the Handmade Pledge? This is a way to avoid the crowded malls and parking lots, avoid killing yourself trying to find that one hot holiday item that is selling for ridiculously inflated prices now on Ebay and will be everywhere sitting on shelves in January, and most of all, really let your friends and family know how much you care by giving that extra special, one of a kind gift. http://www.etsy.com/ is full of these beautiful handmade creations. They have shops that make everything from scrumptious edible delights, scentous bath and body products, clothing, stationary, jewelry, items for the home, toys, and don't forget the wildly bazaar items that will surely get a laugh, just to name a few. Another great bonus is that many of these shops have really great prices and run sales on top of their great prices, too. Forget about shopping in those crazy zoo department stores again!

Save your sanity, and some money, shop from your home in your pjs even, check out the many great shops of Etsy and buy handmade this holiday season!

Take the handmade pledge: http://www.buyhandmade.org/

Ramping up for the holidays

It was a pleasure meeting so many of you in Auburndale. I always love getting to meet you all face to face and to get feedback on my work.

With the show out of way, now it's time to build up my shop for the holiday rush. I have lots of great new ceramic pendant and bead designs that are already posted to my Etsy shop and I have many more that I just need to photograph and get listed. I have many more necklaces in a variety of price ranges and designs that I have started posting, too.

In process, I have some experimental pendants constructed of porcelain and stoneware that I'm working on, which I plan on melting some glass into. They have one firing left to go.

I also got some great dicroic glass scrap that I plan to make some beautiful pendants and earrings out of, maybe even some pins that look so wonderful on those sweaters and coats in the cooler weather. I have both the clear and black dicroic, so I have quite a lot of variations I can do with it. I'll have to see what strikes me when I sit down to make them.

I've added a link to the Etsy Mud Team Blog ring on my page. It should be active very shortly. Check this out to see some really wonderful clay artists. Yes, their work is wonderful, too! :o)

Loving this cooler weather we are finally getting here in Florida! Makes it a little easier to work around the kilns.

Getting Ready for Auburndale

On Saturday, October 27th, I will be exibiting at the Auburndale Crafts in the Park Art Festival in Downtown Auburndale, Florida, located just minutes off I-4 between Tampa and Orlando. Admission and parking are free and the festival will be running from 9 AM to 4 PM. Besides a wide variety of handmade arts and crafts, there will be live music, entertainment and great food. A fun time for the whole family!

This is the second year I will be exibiting at the Crafts in the Park Festival. I recently got a merchant account, so I will now also be able to accept credit and debit cards! Yeah!! I know many of you were disappointed last year when I couldn't, so now I'm ready for you. I'm also working on redesigning my booth, so I can fit in a lot more inventory and not be blown away if it gets a bit windy like last year.

Come on out for a great day! I'd love to meet you in person! :o)

For more information on the event check out http://www.auburndalefl.com/calendar.asp?CalID=17&EventID=8295&ViewType=5&CategoryIDs=0&OccDate=10-27-2007