Holiday Orders and Holiday Markets

I can't believe it's almost December already. Since War Eagle Fair was over, I have been busy filling orders and preparing for TWO holiday markets that I am going to be participating in this year. These are all new opportunities for me, since moving to Northwest Arkansas.

The first event is next weekend!

Community Creative Center

Holiday Bazaar

(Facebook page)

December 6th at the Community Creative Center in downtown Fayetteville.  It is the same day as The Little Craft Fair at the Fayetteville Town Center, I think both will be great events. I hope that both Holiday markets will be on your shopping schedule!  Hope to see you there!

In my next post, I will share where I will be selling December 17th - 21st! Watch this blog!  I'll give you a hint...Bentonville! 
**Edit: The Bentonville Market was held from December 10th - December 19th. Blog post to come! 

I just thought I would share a few photos of the things that I have been working on.

I have made a lot of Believe Trees! Here are a few.

And I've been making some textured bowls. 

And a few plates: 

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving! 

Beth♥

War Eagle Fair 2014

I survived my first year selling at War Eagle Fair!  Part I

And I had a great time! I am exhausted! And I plan to do it again next year. Glutton for punishment, yes, I guess I am!  It was a lot of work getting ready for this show.  Most of the vendors have done this show for many years and they prepare all year for this show.  I started preparing in June! Yes, I already had some of my little houses made, but I knew that I needed much more inventory. So I created as much as I physically could. I do have to have some sleep.  So now that it is over, I have to plan for next year's show.

But I will do some things differently.  Since it was my first time, ever, to even go to War Eagle, I really didn't know what to expect.  I knew that the show had good crowd attendance.  But I had no idea what kinds of things sell to this type of crowd, at this type of show. I learned a lot.

What I learned:

1.  War Eagle has a dedicated crowd of customers. They return every year. They come to buy. I was pleased that so many of them decided to buy some of my creations, even though I was the newbie!

2.  A four day show requires A LOT of product to sell. If you don't have much to sell, you will not have much to offer the customers.

3.  Have a variety of items with a variety of price points for everyone.  From $4.00 magnets to $150 paintings...or higher! You never know what someone is looking for! Many of the attendees are shopping for Christmas gifts or decorations.

4.  Talk to other vendors and ask lots of questions! Many are very helpful and willing to offer tips and advice!  It is great to make new friends with similar interests too.

5.  Price to sell, but do not undersell. I would not feel good about my work if I marked it so low that I didn't make money! The reason for doing a show like this, is to make money.  Why would I work my tail off all year and not make money?  Another good reason for #3.  Have something to sell that can be priced low and make some money. $10 - $50 is a good price range for many people. Have a lot of stock in that range.

6. Have a booth that draws the customer in. Next week I will blog about my booth and how we set up.
Update: Part 2 More About My Booth Display

War Eagle Mill is a beautiful place. I took many pictures of the scenery around the mill. I plan to go back soon for fall foliage photos. The leaves are looking very pretty this week. Shown in the photos is the War Eagle Mill and the one lane bridge over the river, the week of the Fair.  Isn't it beautiful?

Beth♥

Trip to Crystal Bridges

Now that I am in Northwest Arkansas, I am within a 20 minute drive of the new Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. Before moving here, I had visited the museum twice before.  But since moving here 3 months ago, I had not been there. Thursday I finally took the afternoon to go for a visit.  I met up with some hometown classmates to have lunch there, so that was the perfect time to take in the current exhibit.

I love the scenery around the museum as much as I enjoy seeing the exhibits. Here are a few of the scenes from my walk around the museum.

From the Silver Tree outside the museum to the gold heart hanging over the restaurant in the museum.


I did take some photos of the art on exhibit, but I will leave that for another post. It was a beautiful day for a stroll through the exhibit and the grounds.

For more information on this destination, click on here:
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Edit: For more photos of the actual exhibit click here:
William S. Paley Collection at Crystal Bridges

Beth♥

Enjoying Northwest Arkansas

Since we moved, we have been busy unpacking and taking care of moving details that take so much time. But last weekend we were able to get out and enjoy some activities.  We moved from a small town, so there are many opportunities for different types of entertainment and dining in this part of the state.  I am trying to take in and experience a variety of things.

The weather was beautiful this past weekend, so it was a good weekend to be outside.  Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, we were able to enjoy great seats at the Razorback baseball games in Fayetteville at Baum Stadium.  The Razorbacks won both of the games we attended.   In the photo above, the Razorbacks were celebrating a homerun.

Saturday, my daughter and I had some shopping to do, but we wanted to enjoy lunch on a patio before we did that. We decided to head to downtown Fayetteville to have a sandwich on the patio at Common Grounds.  I decided to order their Almond Chicken Salad on a Croissant and I was not disappointed! It was very good! And because we were on the patio, I got a good dose of Vitamin D...which I could use more of, after being indoors so much over the past several months.

After lunch, we wandered down Dickson Street to see what the Fayetteville SpringFest was all about. We found a live band playing on the stage, and belly dancers performing in front of the Walton Arts Center! I wasn't expecting that! Both the band and the dancers were talented and interesting to watch.

After our walk down Dickson, we went on to finish our shopping so we could get home to cook dinner and watch a movie.

Sunday, we went back to Baum Stadium for the last ball game of the weekend. The Razorbacks won 2 out of 3 games for the weekend. In the photo below, you can see the teams congratulating each other in the end of game series ritual.

I enjoyed getting out of the house and taking in a few of the sights and activities of Fayetteville. Although we've been living here for a month, I still feel like I'm here to visit.  Hopefully that feeling will go away as I learn more about places to go eat, shop, and get involved in activities.

 Until next time...

Beth♥

Latest from the studio...

 I've been finishing up several projects. I go back to work next week, so I need to get as much done as I can. Here are some of the finished houses that I posted earlier before they were fired.

This summer has gone by so fast! Of course it did start a week later than it should have, but since then its been a big blur.  This is already my last full week of time off.  I won't call it a vacation because I certainly haven't laid around all summer. I've been working non-stop on art projects...and that is great! But that also makes the time go by so quickly! I do feel like I've been very productive and that is a great feeling!   I am getting ready for some art shows this fall, so I need to be productive!

This week I've tried to get caught up on several more projects.  Last weekend,  I made the drive over to the other corner of the state to visit my daughter. After the weekend of eating out, pedicures, shopping, and just enjoying some time together, I came home ready to get busy in the studio.  It was nice to spend time away from home and the studio for a few days, but I have lots to do before school starts. 

Last week I spent some time in my class room cleaning out closets and throwing away 'stuff'' .  If you are an art teacher, you know how that 'stuff' can pile up quickly!  Art teachers are always looking for projects that make use of the 'stuff''!  But after being in the same class room for 23 years, it needed a good purging.

Thanks for looking! ~Beth