Summer Art Fairs - Part One - Royal Oak Clay, Glass, and Metal

I'm near the end of my busy summer art fair season and wanted to take the time to recap the season so far. Prior to this summer, I had done only small, usually indoor, art shows and a few outdoor shows where a tent was provided for me. This year, my first major show was Royal Oak Clay, Glass, and Metal on June 13 and 14 in Downtown Royal Oak, Michigan. It was the first time my husband and I set up the used canopy I'd purchased the year before so I felt like there was a lot to do and learn set up wise. Here is how my booth looked at this show.

This was a great show. Most of the customers commented that they regularly attended this show and I really appreciated all of the kind comments regarding my work. The promoters of this show do such a great job organizing it and volunteers regularly stopped by my booth to offer me a beverage or a bathroom break. Wonderful!

I was also very pleased to receive the award for Best of Jewelry at this show!

New Studio Space

A few months ago, my amazing husband expanded my studio space to three times its size! It is now so much more efficient. I have an area for each part of the process of making the jewelry, getting it ready to ship, or staging the jewelry to prepare for shows. Here are some photos of my studio in use...I didn't attempt to clean it up too much for these photos. Above is the area where I make my beads and make the silver settings. I also do various stages of the assembly here.Above is the area where I do the cleaning and packaging of my jewelry. I also prepare packages for shipping in this area. Below is the area where I organize my displays for my show. It's not really set up now, but it will be later next week as I prepare for my next show of the season: Etsy at the Market in the Kerrytown Market in Ann Arbor.