It's starting to take shape....

Last summer myself and a few friends came up with an idea to start an open air market for artists and craftsmen. In the beginning it was something we had no clue would ever be more than just talk around a table between friends. With each day we see that it's taking shape and it will soon come to life. March 21,2015. We wanted to create a once a month event for artists, craftsmen, growers and makers. We promote handcrafted and American made products. So we are looking for the artisans in the community as well as those that grow their own produce, flowers, potted plants, seedlings and during the holiday season we would want someone to sell Christmas trees. Makers would include soap makers, candy makers and bakers and more.
The venue we are using is just perfect, it's located on a two acre park adjacent to the Port of Leonardtown Winery, it has easy access and free parking. The Port of Leonardtown Winery is a popular weekend destination that is open all year. It's perfect for those who love good wine, friendly people and live entertainment on the patio each Saturday evening from 5:00 to 8:00 during the spring, summer and fall months.

 We have decided that we will not allow manufactured items to be sold, so we have asked everyone to send us pictures of their work and work space. This assures that everything sold will be handcrafted. We have gotten some wonderful pictures from some very talented people and several people have signed up for the months they plan to be with us.
For a small fee  we offer to showcase our vendors on our website and Facebook page  and here on this blog. We plan to do this once the market is up and running so we can get good pictures or video's to share with the public so they will have an idea of what the market has to offer and give them a reason to want to out come out and shop with us.
As each month has gone by we have gone through all the necessary things that have been needed to start a business such as this and we have gotten quite the education a long the the way. I hope we continue learning new things from the artists, craftsmen, growers and makers each month as more and more people find their way to the Coastal Arts Market.

A place for everything

At the start of a new year it's always nice to take the time to sort ,clean and organize your home as well as your craft area, after all it's too stinking cold to do much of anything else. I've been working on my studio for a week. No my workroom is not that big and I don't have that much stuff....LOL

What I've done is switch rooms, I moved my studio from a little tiny room to a larger room so I'll have room to move. I see these folks that make their work area in a closet, I don't know how I'd ever get anything made working out of a closet size area. Of course I read the blogs and see pictures like the one below that looks like some showroom  and think to myself if my work space was this perfect I'd never paint or bead again...LOL it's too perfect.

I find that the thing that works best for me is having a place for everything and trying to keep everything in it's place. 

I like lots of plastic containers with lids for most everything and then there's a shelving unit in a closet for all those containers. I work in three different mediums so there's a place for my paints on those revolving racks,which I haven't set up yet,  next I work with glass and all my glass is in plastic containers for the most part, need to make a trip out when it warms up to pick up a few more containers. And then there's the bead work and I have all of that separated in containers by color and other containers for findings and such.  

So are you organizing? And do you have any good ideas for making the most out of the space that you have.

I'll show you mine if you show me yours, all though I don't find mind very interesting...LOL. Please share the method to your madness.

Will you listen......

Here we are , in last few days of the year. I find that usually the last days of the year are when I reflect back over the year and ask myself some important questions.
Such as, what have I accomplished?
Am I better off now then I was at the beginning of the year?
Did I do my best?
What have I given of myself ?
Was my time well spent?
Am I satisfied with the results of what I have done or attempted to do?
There are no right or wrong answers to my list of questions, the answers only matter to me and no one else. I will tell you I feel as though I have a better incite on what is important in life. I've been in the background observing others and I see how they have handled  terminal illness, heart ache,
fear, worry and sudden life altering changes. I've watched as one of my best friends has stood by her husband through the fight of his life to stay alive for his family in spite of a cancerous tumor in his spine. They have done everything possible to make it from one day to the next and all the rest of us can do for them is pray. Is God listening? I think so, I think he gives them the strength and determination to make it to the next day and we are all grateful for every day they have together.
A few days ago I spoke with another person I've known a long time, longer then either of us care to count back too, must mean we're getting old...LOL. Maybe only old in years, but not in mind or spirit. This friend is someone who I have admired for many years not only for his amazing artistic talent but his way of dealing with people, making everyone feel like they matter at that moment. I wonder if he even knows he has that ability, probably not. After making a life altering decision in early 2014 to change professions he went to another part of the country, leaving his home to take on a job that is in the coldest part of the country. And after some time he transitioned into the regular routine with everything going well, until one day his heart had had enough stress and gave him a serious wake up call. This landed him in the hospital and his sweet wife traveled to be with him, when he was released they traveled back home, only to have a second attack that was worse then the first. Of course the news traveled though the grapevine and what could any of us do? We prayed, and God listened and our friend is still with us and doing well. He said this was a clear eye opener and it made him see what he had been holding onto far longer than he should, he needed to set aside and go on with his life and take care of what is most important to him.
So now I'll tell you my story, it's no where near as dire or complicated as the last two. I spent the last few years trying to make a go at something that just doesn't seem at this point will ever be what I or others want it to be. I've worried and walked the floor at night trying to come up with a solution to make a small business thrive on very little money, and I don't have the answers that will make everyone involved happy.
Over time I had a dry patch of skin on my face that would not go away no mater what I used, then one day it started to bleed and I knew what it was, cancer. No Dr. was needed to diagnose this for me. It took a while but I finally acquired some health insurance and off to the Dr. I went. After a full routine checkup which included a mammogram the nurse said the Dr. wants to see you down the hall she has something on the monitor you need to see. One month later I was at another hospital having a biopsy, and what else could I do but pray. A week later, the longest week of my life I might add, I got the call, they said it's benign, for now.  And God listened.
Now my blood pressure spikes for no physical reason the Dr. can find other than stress. The stress over things that I can't control, and the stress over the fact that I've been holding on to something that is no longer good for me. It hasn't advanced me financially, I've given of my time and energy and I'm no better off now then I was this time last year. To be truthful I'm far worse off now than I was a year ago, so no, I'm not at all satisfied. What should I do? I know, maybe I should do what God does, just listen.
As we enter into a new year I hope you will take the time to listen, God has plans for us and He will show us what is important through the lives of those around us. And maybe we can make it easier on ourselves if we just listen.              
      

Tis the time of year for ornaments...

I've been up to my ears in ornaments, I got a late start painting this year but I'm gaining ground. I have one more show this weekend and our shop open house in another week I think I'll have enough.
I finished my my forth batch of the snowball ornaments last night.

 I'm starting on more of the winter wonderland ornaments this morning, I'll be at the Kris Kringle Market this weekend in Charles County Maryland. And this year for the first time I've opened a shop on our Nature's Treasure Cove page ( please like our page ), there are a few snowballs listed for sale and once the show is over I'll be making more jewelry to list for sale, just look for the shopping cart on the left side of the screen or click on shop. I've listed a couple ornaments on eBay this year, I'll be adding more things from my partners in crime as soon as I get the pictures and things settle down.
I hope your getting a good start on decorating and getting some shopping done. So far I have a tree up and lights on it but I've been busy painting ornaments instead of getting them on my tree, I'll get them on there soon. Have a great day and make it a wonderful weekend I'm off to the paint table.  

If you do craft shows surely you can relate to some of this......

Do you do craft shows? If you do then you'll appreciate where this story goes. I haven't had to do many shows over the last 20 years just because I was working a normal job and there was no time to prepare for more then two fall shows in a year. The past two weekends I worked shows, the first one I did just to participate in a town event and represent our shop. This past weekend I set up my jewelry at the annual crab festival. You know thirty years ago I could do this setting up and breaking down my display with one toe tied behind my back, but now this is like work if you know what I mean.

I have to admit it I love doing shows, I equate it to the thrill of the hunt or the catch. Ladies it's just like your husbands who get up at 3:00 am to go deer hunting or fishing. They will start preparing months before the fishing trip and crafters are no different, good grief we find a show and decide that we are going to fill out the contract and do that show. Then we will work on our craft every day getting a little done here and a little done there. Then all of a sudden you look at the calendar and OMG the show is three days away, you panic and rush to take stock of what you have made so far. Well shucks, that's not enough to fill up a table and make a descent looking display. So now this usually means a trip to the nearest craft store, and your off.

Once you've stocked your supplies and bought half of the craft store, yes just like the guys that go to the nearest tackle store to buy more fishing line, reels, gear and whatever else they need to go fishing. Now you settle in to work on making enough product to sell at least one item to every man , woman and child in the county. The hours are slipping away so fast, before you know it it's 2:00 am and you haven't even thought about going to bed yet. But you have to take a break, so you go lay down and pass out, this crafting stuff is hard work. The next few days go by in a blur and finally you have made all that you could possibly make in such a short time span. Now it's midnight the night before the show and you have to load your vehicle to be ready to go no later than 7:00 am to get to the show venue. You're already so tired you can't see straight but the caffeine and adrenalin kick in I guess, you manage to unload a dozen or so large heavy boxes of your crafts and set up all of it on as many tables as you can cram in your space, all of this is done by 10:00 am and now here's where the fishing analogy comes into play.

You set there and wait for them, you pace the floor looking at the clock thinking this show is over at 3:00 where are the people. Finally here come a few ladies and they stop at your booth and look at what you have to sell and compliment your work but no nibbles, they move on. Well look up here come more people and the next thing you know you have cast your lines and your reeling them in and bagging your product and taking their money and taking orders and before you know it it's 1:30 in the afternoon and there are no more people, where did they go?
Don't give up there might be a few more folks stopping by, at least you hope so because now your so stinking tired and sleepy all you want to do is go home and fall into your comfy bed and sleep for days. But you still have to pack all of this stuff that's left over load it back into your vehicle and make the trek back home and unload it back into the house. Are we having fun yet?
If you've ever done craft shows you know this is true and for those that have never done a show now you have a whole new respect for what goes on behind the scenes and you might wonder how could anyone like doing that, it's hard work. From someone who has done it for many years I'm a lot more organised then I used to be, the check list is my friend and I don't pack a dozen large heavy boxes anymore. I think it takes a special kind of crazy to do this several times a year, I think that's why crafters always seem to get along so well because we've all been there, but we get smarter after years of doing this and it's not so bad.
Pictured below is my setup at the Leonardtown Crab Festival last Saturday.

If your out in your neighborhood and see a sign for a craft show take some time to check out the show and hopefully you'll find something you just have to have and make all that work worth while for the artist or crafter.    
 











 

Take time to create something

It took forever to get through the winter months and now here we just a few days before the long Memorial Day weekend. I've been busy leaning new things not paint related, but just as colorful.
I've been learning how to bead weave and I've incorporated some stained glass in my designs.
I've been asked which I like better painting or beading / making jewelry. My answer is I like which ever one is selling so I can pay my bills, no seriously I love working with color so as long as I have the challenge of taking anything and making something pretty and colorful I'm happy.

I like working with the glass I'm not that great at cutting glass but with a grinder I can make a presentable piece. I watch my friend Ginger work with glass and she picks up her glass cutter pushes it across a piece of glass and picks it up and breaks it with her hands just like nothing, I do that and use breaking pliers because doing it with my hands just doesn't work, it breaks just not where I intended it to...LOL. But I can say I'm getting better at it, Ginger has been doing it for probably 40 years, that's called experience.

I've been staying busy with the Craft Guild Shop you know there's always something to do, we had our first craft show of the year at the first of the month and it went well. We set up next door at the winery,
people came out they shopped and had some wine and enjoyed the free entertainment and we had beautiful weather, it was a good day. The next thing on the list is the Crab Festival next month. I'm working on getting as much made as possible and having some different things that I haven't had before.

I hope you have a chance to create something maybe take some time over the long holiday weekend and pull out some of your crafting supplies and get reacquainted them, you never know what might inspire you and what you might come up with besides it's good for the soul.
Make it a good weekend.

An Artist Work Is Never Done

The life of an artist is anything but boring. There are a lot of misconceptions about artists. People think we have all the free time in the world to do whatever we want. People have no idea what is involved in doing what we do. First and foremost you have to stay on top of your craft, things change constantly, what was popular a few months ago is blassie today. There are new products coming onto the market every week, this is true in just about any medium you work with whether it's painting, sewing, woodworking, floral design or glass work. This means you spend a lot of time researching new products that you'll use in the making of your craft or art and finding them at the best prices. You must stay on top of new trends be it the trending colors for this year or fonts if you paint signs and other designs that might be used in glass or wood or for sewing projects. There's no point in making the same thing that was popular a year ago because now that's outdated.

Once you have made the best product that you can then you must find a way to market and sell your work. Today with the internet the world is a lot smaller and your computer will bring customers to you but only if you have marketed your work the right way. So where to start. You have to have good quality pictures. Lets face it most of us are not photographers and we are not lucky enough to have a family member or friend that can take quality pictures for us. So that means you get out the camera and learn to do it yourself. Once you have those picture you have options of different sites online such as EBay and the most popular Etsy and others where you can post those pic's and that takes time. Time is spent setting up the page and getting the right look and designing a banner that represents the perfect look for your items. Once you have this page set up you need to monitor it everyday and keep it updated.  

Let's say you decide to go store front with your product, maybe in a shop that sells on commission or maybe you join a co-op like I have done. This will involve an investment in the co-op of money for space fees each month and days where you will work the shop. 

Time will be spent planning and setting up your display, waiting on customers, keeping the shop clean and in order, maybe designing business cards  or working on advertising and the list goes on.

There will be events that you will participate in to raise extra money for the shop and you will pay a commission to the shop from each item you sell. 

You might decide to bypass all that thinking that you'll set up an online shop. Unless you have lots of money to hire someone else to build and maintain your website you will need to figure this out on your own to. There are sites that are reasonably priced where you can build your site. You'll need really good pictures to have a nice website so again you either hire someone or you learn how to do your own. And it's not just the website that will need your attention, lets not forget Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest and you might as well try your hand at a blog while you're at it, heck what's one more thing to add to your list of things to do. 

Now we have all this going on and another crafter tells you about a great craft show coming up in just a few months. So you make the contact with the show promoter and you pay the fee for the show. Well darn now you've done it, you've got to work like a crazy person to get more product made to be ready for this show you just paid for. So you'll work day and night, yes, that's right, nights too, heck who needs sleep....LOL.  You work right up till the last minute till you have to pack and load your vehicle to leave for the show. You'll do your own setup, work your space running mostly on adrenaline and caffeine , make some sales if you're lucky then at the end of the day pack up whatever is left over and drag back home so tired you can't stand up. Are you tired yet? 

Now you want to hear something crazy? Most of the artists, craftsmen and women that I know don't do just one of these things I've listed above. Nope some of them do all of it, and many of us do it on our own. Yes some have enlisted help from their spouse or kids. But that's not always the case. So you see being an artist is a full time job above and beyond working on your art. So much for having all the time in the world to do whatever we want.

I can say from experience that I've worked other jobs in my lifetime but never have I learned more or worked harder for anyone then for myself. Most likely you won't get rich doing this but you will be doing what you love and you will meet some of the nicest people ever. They are some of the hardest working people you'll ever meet and they're always willing to lend a helping hand or pass on a good tip whenever they can. I'm blessed to count many of the local crafters and artists in my community among my friends. 

So the next time you find yourself at a craft show I hope you'll think about all that is involved in what we do and that you'll see us in a different light. Supporting your local artists is so important in keeping local and American made products available for generations to come. 

www.craftguildshop.com   https://www.facebook.com/craftguildshop

Welcome 2014

A fresh new start to the year always make me wonder what will happen in the coming months and what changes while occur in my life. As an artist I have many friends who are artists and they have made a good life working doing what they have a passion for and what they love. You know the saying, find what you love to do and you'll never work a day in your life.
That sounds great and many have been able to do just that over the last thirty years or so but in the last few years that's not the case and 2013 has been the most difficult to eek out a living from our art. The title of starving artists comes to mind, well maybe not starving but it's getting more difficult to pay the bills. Even those who license their designs for manufactured products are jumping through hoops to come up with dozens of new designs only to have a handful excepted and still only make pennies on each piece sold. Selling store front is great except the commissions are at 50% or more so you raise your prices and it doesn't sell because the price is too high. So what do you do?
Most are still struggling to continue on in the hopes that the economy will change and things in this country will improve. With Government sequestration, layoffs and jobs that are unstable that doesn't help the cause. Small businesses are the ones that make and sell American made products. When you purchase from a local artist or craftsman in your community more than 60% of that money stays right in your community and keeps other businesses open.
I hope when you shop this year you will take the time to seek out the local shops and will help your neighbors in your own community to continue to do what they love and provide our country with quality made products. It might seem like a small thing to you but it could make a big difference in where this country is heading in the future. Change was promised some years back and it seems that's about all we have left in our pockets these days is a hand full of change. I'm not going to get into any political rant I'm just stating the obvious as I watch one small business after another pop up with terrific products and great hopes and expectations for the future only to see them close a year or two later. Or the saddest of all, the long time privately owned business that's been around for years and all of a sudden fades away.
That's what's on my mind today and I hope you will take this to heart and help those that you can.
I wish everyone a Happy and Blessed New Year.

             

Change is in it the air...

That old saying of  "Everything changes nothing stays the same" is so true. Just when you think you've figured it out and worked hard to get to where you are something happens that makes you do an uptake.
The property where our shop is located has been sold. This was done unexpectedly with no warning, sure we knew there were strange people lurking around after hours checking out things but you see people come and go all the time, no big deal. So now we have a new landlord who has big plans for the property that he just purchased and big plans to more than double the rent. In all fairness he has allowed us to stay with a small increase in the rent but come February it will double. I wonder if he's ever heard the term Starving Artists. The only reason we have been able to have a shop and do what we love to do it because we work together as a co-op, there is not one of us that could go out and have a shop on our own but together we have managed to make a really nice shop. The new owner likes our shop and wants us to stay put, I think he walks in and sees all the things we have to offer and he thinks the shop is making tons of money. I wish that were the case but not so much, we have good days but there seems to be more not so good days and days of no sales at all. This summer when the government started the sequestration we saw a big drop in sales, every time there are furloughs we feel it. Small businesses like ours struggle to get from one month to the next.

There is a custom frame shop next door to us Shelby's Custom Framing will be closing after 32 years in the business. Shelby has had rheumatoid arthritis in her hands for years but yet she has managed keep working to frame and do restoration on artwork for her customers. She has restored artwork that has been cut and ripped and had water damage and worse to look like new, it's fascinating. With the slow economy and the raise in the rent and of course the issues with her hands Shelby has decided it's time to give up her wonderful little shop and start working out of her home. After so many years in business Shelby has gained a wonderful clientele that will follow her no matter what she does.
As for me I'm not really sure how this going to work, I've come to rely on custom work, to pay my bills. My customers find me through the shop they come in they see my work and we start a conversation that leads to them asking if I will paint their chairs or a sign or who knows what. I think when people see my work in person they feel more comfortable discussing a custom order. It doesn't seem that online photos get me that same response or reach the right people for that matter. I've tried Esty with no success and Ebay is not the ticket for me either. I'm open to suggestions. When things like this happen you have to get creative so I'm going to think out of the box and see how creative I can get.
I've made another glass mosaic and I'm really enjoying working with the beautiful colors of glass, the new designs in glass that are available now are just amazing. Of course I'm just learning and I haven't gotten into all the new things but it's fun to learn about how they are used and see what others are doing with them.
Here's my latest piece....

 





               

Trying something different

Where did the summer go? I feel like it just flew by, but here we are in September and the fall Craft Show season is upon us. I'm trying to paint Christmas ornaments but my mind is not on it I still have summer designs on my mind. The summer time sales were slow, I'm blaming that on the sequestration. It sure would be nice to have a busy fall and Christmas season. But we have another issue. Last month the property where our Craft Guild Shop is was sold. And unfortunately with the rent more than doubled and other the expenses that are added to the lease it looks as though it's time to move within the next four or five months. Just what I want to do is move in the dead of winter. Finding another affordable location is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I think we need to get creative and think outside the box and we'll find something. I feel like God has a plan the trick is to be patient and it will come to pass. In the meantime I have picked up another hobby working with stained glass, I love the beautiful colors of stained glass and have a few friends that have done it for many years so I'm using the scraps and making mosaics. It's kind of time consuming but the end result is worth it.

I just love the colors, there is a mate to this one I just need time to get it done. I've been painting chairs for someone, once that project is done then I'll have more time to work with the glass. There are so many different types and colors of glass it's like pulling together the colors for a painting the possibilities are endless. So there's no excuse for not working with color, there is always something you can do, if you have a passion for painting , stained glass or sewing you can pull together the right color combinations and make something beautiful with your own two hands. Try something new this week it might change your outlook on things.      

Lovin' Summer, Even though it's HOT

Somebody, anybody, please tell me why summer flies by so fast. 

It's the middle of July people, summer will pass by so fast it's a blur. I don't know why I'm shocked, it does this every year. I just realized it's time to get to work on Christmas ornaments, YES, that's right I said the word Christmas. I must be getting old because I can't seem to keep up anymore. Am I the only one that struggles to stay ahead of the game or is everyone else thinking about Christmas at this point in the year. 

I'm interested in painting some furniture now, my friends and I got together and went to some cool antique shops, well one was an antique mall, it was huge. I found a couple of tables that I'm going to play with. I'm wondering if I should buy some chalk paint or try making my own. There are instructions to make your own chalk paint on Pinterest ( yes Pinterest has become another of my weaknesses ), the prices of chalk paint are a little high so I think I'm going to play with it and see what I come up with. It should be fun. I'll let you know how my homemade version works.

On another note we have a new member coming into the Craft Guild Shop. George McWilliams will be joining us the 1st of August. His artwork will be in the shop by August 2nd and he's planning to have a drawing workshop on Saturday Aug. 3rd and the watercolor workshop on the 4th. This is a great time to learn from one of the best, I hope everyone will come out and support our newest member.

Well until next time I hope you dust off your brushes and find some time to paint and of course stay cool. 

Making Changes

There is a time when things just have to change. If nothing ever changes then you're not moving forward, I know there are people who really don't like change and that's sad when you are in business. Early on in my life I didn't like change but now in my later years I've come to realise the only way to move forward is to accept change. Our Craft Guild Shop is a co-op of 17 artists and crafters all very nice people until you mention making changes to the look of the shop or changes in how we do business. Our shop has been sitting there with the same look since they opened it about seven years ago, it's a nice shop very neat and
clean with wonderful handmade items to sell. The way it was set up was each vendor had their own space and that worked for a while. But then when you looked around you would see some people had their spaces overflowing with things and others had very little in their spaces.

Which seems like a waste of space.
And the colors on the walls left a lot to be desired and our lighting is not the best. Now the building doesn't belong to us we are renting so the lighting is someone else's responsibility, but the paint on the walls is an easy fix. So in a meeting it was brought up that we should take down the dividers and paint the room to open it up and make it lighter and brighter. We voted on it and everyone voted for the change.
When the work started the attitudes came out. This project is still in the works, we are still looking for a few pieces of furniture that we hope to find
to make display pieces out of and there will be more rearranging of things but overall it looks so much better now than it did. Customers have come in and made comments about how much lighter and brighter the room looks. We won't stop until we make the room look the best we can and have the merchandise displayed in the best possible light. So the moral of this story is go with the flow accept the change because it's how you grow and move forward. OK, that's enough about change I'm stepping down from my soapbox now.

       

Painting with purpose and re-purpose in mind...

Everyone who's ever read anything on here my blog knows I love paint and colors and painting cute designs.
Lately I've been thinking about painting on different surfaces. Everything old is new again and re-purposing
old pieces of furniture to make then look like pieces of art has caught my attention. At the Craft Guild Shop we have decided to give the shop a new look we are going to look for old furniture that we can take apart and make into our display pieces for the shop. That might mean taking a coffee table and adding some wood and paint and turning it into a shelving unit for a display, or using old wooden crates in a new way or turning a draw into a shelf this should prove interesting. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

I've painted a few chairs and they have sold so I need to go old chair hunting. The chair in the picture says... To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heavens. I found the leaf design in Painting magazine. I had an old ironing board and I wanted to paint something on it so that it was more of a wall hanging that could be used all year then just a seasonal piece that sits in a corner somewhere. I took a couple of patterns and combined them to get this look. I find myself looking a old furniture and wondering what would look good painted on it or how I can re-purpose it into something else. I have to say it's a nice change from the usual flat surface that I normally paint on. Painting no old pieces does come with challenges such as cleaning it before you paint ( yuck ) and deciding weather to fill in the cracks in the wood or just paint around them, sometimes that works in my favor and sometimes not so much but you learn as you go.  
So when your thinking of your next painting project think about painting on something other then what you might find in the craft store and try working on something old that you would normally throw away and give it new life and purpose.

The summer solstice begins this week. I always look forward to summer each year. Life just seems a little more carefree to me, Things slow down a little, the kids are out of school and living next to a school I notice less traffic and it's just quite again. Folks are planning their vacations and there are ball games at every ball field in the evenings. It's light every evening until 9 pm and it's just nice to sit out on the porch and read or have a drink and think about nothing.
Take some time to relax and enjoy the summer season and be grateful for all of Gods favor.
Until next time, happy painting.

It's done it again...

Hard to believe as cold as it's been the past month that we skipped right over spring into summer again.
Our temp. hit 85 yesterday and it's going to be even warmer today. Crazy weather in this country over the last several years. Now I'm not complaining, no way.
Lots of things going on at the Craft Guild Shop we had the reception for George McWilliams last Friday evening. Lots of folks showed up to check out his new work. Sales were slow but I'm not going to be discouraged we have his beautiful work in the shop for the month.

We have his prints as well as original artwork. I wish you were here to see this piece in person this picture just doesn't do it justice.
Our next event coming up is our Porch Party on May 4th. We will have the Leonardtown First Friday May 3rd. with another meet and great with George McWilliams then on Saturday lots of crafters will be joining us  on Saturday for our Porch Party. There will be a demo by Hans Boecher he'll bring his lathe and show you how to turn a pen. For a small fee you can make your own pen. It's fun you have to try it.

Ardith Young will be offering a glass class for a small fee. There's always something fun to do at the Craft Guild Shop.
Along with my other duties that I have attained at the shop I've been trying to paint this week. I really need to fill my space again sold several things last weekend. My painted chairs sold, yes they found a good home.


   

Waiting patiently...

Seems like winter wants to hold on forever this year. Twenty five degrees last night sure doesn't sound much like spring now does it. But the trees are budding and those little leaves are ready to come on out, just need some warm days and not so cold nights.
At the Craft Guild Shop are are so ready for spring, we can't wait for those warm days were we can open up the doors and let the fresh air in. We had our Spring Open House a few weeks ago and people came out to shop. They are buying new art work to add to their collections and pretty home decor items.
This Friday is Leonardtown First Friday, our Artist of the Month is George McWilliams. If you live in the area it will be worth the trip to come out to meet George. George is bringing prints as well as original pieces of work. George paints landscapes and I'd say he's best known for his maritime scenes. These scenes will take you back in time to the hay day of the water men who made their living on their boats working the water every day. Back in the day when the water was clean and the fish , crab and oysters were plentiful and at their best.


Growing up here in Southern Maryland in the 60's and 70's I remember when you could go out on the water and the boats of the men who made a living on the water were everywhere. And the other way these locals made a living was farming tobacco. The Tobacco farms were every where, now you have to look to find one
Now the agricultural farms are growing grapes, vineyards are popping up all over Southern Maryland as well as wineries. Well that's enough of me reminiscing, I hope you will take some time to check out a fine artist  http://www.georgemcwilliams.com/  and if you have some time Friday evening then stop by and meet him at the shop. http://www.craftguildshop.com/ . His work will be on display and for sale in our shop through the month of April.

Look  for us on Facebook and Like our page.

Dreary Winter Days

Here we are almost half way through the month of January. I find myself trying to remember when was the last sunny day. I'm one of those that needs to see the sun. So since there's no sun today I turn on every light in the room I'm in, I don't pay attention to what it looks like outside I try to make my own sunshine here inside. I get out the paints and try to make a point of using colors that I don't usually use every day. You know if your a painter we get stuck on using the same colors every time we paint, well there are a lot of colors that sometimes get neglected. Color makes life interesting and can change a mood of the piece your working on. So dust off some of those colors that you don't normally use and make your day a little brighter. I just finished this cardinal, it's a Shirley Koenig design,
this is a easy design and it's sure to brighten up any dreary winter afternoon.

On another note the Craft Guild Shop had a great Christmas season, it seems more and more people are finding out about us and they are coming by to see what we have to offer. We like to have people come by to check out our little shop, I think it's been one of the best kept secrets in Southern Maryland. Once they come in they can't help but find some unique treasure that will work perfectly in their home decor or something that's just perfect for a baby shower gift or a house warming present. We gained a new member this month, Beverly Weaver she makes American doll clothes and baby clothes done with smocking.
At the end of March Ardith our stained glass artist will be offering a glass class to make a stained glass wind chime, that sounds interesting. In the shop we have done some rearranging and we have a complete section of baby items. You'll find quilts, baby blankets, embroidered onsies with the cutest designs and a lot more.
I'm working on painting some new items for the shop and I'm going to include some cute things for baby's room. To see some of the things we offer you can find us on Facebook and by all means if you do look for us there "Like Us".
Lets hope the rest of the winter will be kind to us, we still have a long way to go till spring, I'm counting it down :) . Until next time happy painting.     

Fall Blessings

The daylight hours are getting fewer with each passing day. With that will soon come colder days, and as much as I love spring and summer and hate it see them go I do look forward to the holidays.
At the Craft Guild Shop we are bringing out the fall items for sale.

And we are gearing up for the classes that some of our members will be teaching, I'm starting a beginners painting class Saturday. In November knitting and stained glass classes will begin. After the first of the year sewing and soap making classes will be added to the list. 

Things are going well at the shop and we are grateful for all our customers.
We are always looking for someone with a different or unique craft that they would like to sell in our shop, you must live local her in Southern Maryland and be able to participate in the shop and the events we take part in. We are a co-op and having local members who can take part in our events but also be available to work in the shop is important.

For those that paint there had been some really cool patterns designed by the wonderful artists that we have all come to love over the years. If you are looking for something new or different to paint pick up one of the painting magazines and treat yourself.
If your looking for something fun to do why not get some of your friends together one evening a week and paint, you can share ideas and help each other with projects and encourage each other. If once a week is too much  maybe a Sunday brunch and a few hours to paint together once a month might work for you. Or find a class where you can join in the fun and meet new people with the same interest.  
Just pick up a brush and spend some time enjoying the process.
Painting is good for the soul.  

Spring & Summer Festivals

 This past weekend the Craft Guild Shop had a Porch Party to celebrate 35 years in business. That might not sound like much to some but for a craft co-op that is a big milestone. The artists and crafters of the Guild have been through bad economic times , moved from one location to another more then once, lost members to cancer and other health issues and have had to deal with flood waters on more then one occasion. With each trial they have regrouped, worked hard and managed to get bigger and better. 

So back to the porch party, we asked other crafters to join us to celebrate. We had people with beautiful jewelry, floral designs, photography and my friend Michelle Sholund from By The Bay Bontanicals brought her candles down from Reisterstown MD.  You can find out more about her palm wax candles @ her web site http://www.bythebaybotanicals.com  

                                                                                                                                                              Also my friend Hans brought out a couple of wood lathes and people made pens. It was interesting to see what two blank pieces of wood turned into,  literally...LOL. Here's one that I made... Hans is a good teacher cause I could have never done this on my own. 

Ardith Young http://ardyscreations.com did a stained glass class and her students did some cute sail boat sun catchers. I think everyone had a good time Saturday. Sunday we had a reception and cake cutting to mark the 35th anniversary. And some of the long time members and some that have contributed extra to the Guild received plaques that were handcrafted by Hans. I received one for my work on the web site http://www.craftguildshop.com and Facebook page. 

 Chuck and Betty Harless who started all of this 35 years ago were on hand to cut the cake, it was nice to see them again after so many years. 

Now with all this said it's time to work hard and get ready for the St. Mary's Crab Festival coming up June 9th. 

I have a Strawberry Festival coming up next http://www.christepiscopalchaptico.org/strawberry.html

I'm looking forward to some good fresh strawberries.

If you have some time on the weekends check out the craft shows and festivals in your area. You'll find some interesting things to do and meet some awesome people. 

Well it's back to the paint and brushes to get more things painted for these shows.

Enjoy your day and Happy Painting.   

               

Time to paint for Spring...

Spring is in the air. Now that we are back to daylight savings time and our evenings are light longer it's time to get excited about spring. Trees are budding all over the place and flowers are in bloom, things are coming back to life, Yipeeee.

If you are thinking about painting something for the spring season how about painting something for the yard or your porch to welcome friends and family when they show up. I'm painting a new house number sign for my yard. Here it is in the works, it's a leaf design that will go from spring , summer, fall and winter. You can find this design in a series of last years Paint Works magazines.
I'll post this again when it's finished. 

 Everyone should have their house numbers displayed it's important to have them  displayed clearly visible from the street. Numbers placed where they are easily spotted by fire, police and ambulance personnel may save lives.

My advise if your painting anything to put outside is to make sure you seal the wood with a few good coats of sealer before you start painting your design. Then once you have finished the design the most important part is sealing the piece again with several coats of a good weather proof varnish. When buying varnish look for one that doesn't yellow, that's very important, the last thing you want is to have all your work turn yellow with time. It's not that easy to find in the stores, at least not in my area. I use J.W.etc. Right Step water base Clear Varnish.

Here are some picture of an orders I've done done for customers...

This one I have painted the monogram and I used vinyl for The Marshall Family.  

If you would like to have a sign for your yard you can contact me here or through my web site www.joycespaintnplace.weebly.com   just leave a message in the comment box there.
Until next time happy painting.

Something Different

As I have mentioned before I'm a member of the Craft Guild Shop of St. Mary's.
There are several artists in the guild that paint using one medium or another. But one thing I found unique is something called Intarsia. It's putting together a design with the use of different types and colors of wood. My friend Hans makes these detailed pieces with small pieces of different types of wood that all come together to make something so beautiful and different. Who says you have to use paint to paint a picture.

He also cuts these designs and puts together these wooden plaques that I really like. He does one for every branch of the military.

We have lots of talent in the Craft Guild Shop, go to our web site and check out what the others are using their talents to make. www.craftguildshop.com
We are working on opening and online store hopefully that will be up and running
in the next month or so.