Gainesville Art festival pictures

It was a beautiful and busy time last weekend at the Downtown Festival and Art show!  I enjoyed talking with so many people and getting the opportunity to help people with their holiday gift giving needs.  Here are a few random pictures from the event:

I painted bulletin boards to be used as display pieces for the jewelry.  I used those this time because I could load them with jewelry the days before the show then just hang them in my tent once I got there.

This time, I included a table out front for people to easily sign up for my mailing list.   I also had a basket of jewelry for people to peruse.

Once again, I went without glass over the jewelry.  It felt like I was 'nekkid' as I had used it for so long, but I think customers really enjoyed being able to see the jewelry without waiting for assistance.

This show also marked the debut of the recycled bottle caps with resin.  These cute little caps are the perfect refrigerator accessory.

I had more colors of the resin and silver pewter jewelry to show off.  I've been going a bit crazy with the colors lately.

While the earrings looked great on the colored flower trees, I displayed the pendants on the table. The displays looked a bit too crowded hanging on the displays.

I'm working on a video of the event too, to give you the 'full effect' of the weekend.  Thanks to everyone who stopped and shopped! 

P.S.  I'll be a Linda Blondheim's loft studio at Paddiwhack this Friday evening, 5:30 PM to 9 PM and Saturday noon to 4 PM.  Come and enjoy art, jewelry and Christmas cake!!

Resin jewelry - what's popular this week

I learned two things several years ago when I started doing street festivals.

I can never predict what jewelry is going to be popular.
The same jewelry may not be popular for the next art show.

Apparently the wholesale art market isn't any different.

One of my best selling patterns last week was my resin cowgirl jewelry.  I don't sell this jewelry on my KMS Designs jewelry website, but on my other endeavor, Cow Art and More.  I was replenishing my inventory yesterday and I had hubby grab a few random picture of the pouring process.

Horseshoes and longhorns are in this batch.












There's also a few of the geometric and dottie patterns.  These will be ready to ship late Friday afternoon.

Random resin jewelry photos

A few random photos from the week.

A large wholesale order.  These will be sold online.  They are individually packaged and each has an organza ribbon necklace.

An assortment of pendants for a wholesale order.  These are going to Wild Ruby in Framingham, Massachusetts.












Detail view of the same group of resin pendants.












A group of delicious designer art deco jewelry.  (Had to insert some literary skills here)  Actually they are mostly flower and snowflake pendants.











These jewelry trays have more contemporary necklace styles: asian flowers and "kaleidoscope" patterns.

A close up of some of the flower pendants in green and pink.  Some need the silver tone bails attached.










By the way, in case you missed it, I put some new resin scrabble tile pendants on the KMS Designs website his week.

Jewelry projects - What I'm working on now

As far as my jewelry making business goes, holiday gifts are over by December 15. Most everyone has either purchased from me at a retail show, or have bought their jewelry and had it shipped. I sometimes will get a last minute order, but for the most part, the holiday is done. So what am I working on now?

These are a couple of new scrabble tile patterns I have almost finished.  I hope to have them photographed and on the KMS Designs website by the end of the year. 

Are those Valentine's Day heart jewelry patterns?  Yes!  While Christmas and Hanukkah may be over, the next holiday is just beginning.  In order for me to have enough Valentine's Day jewelry inventory, I have to start now.

This is a another tray of the resin and sterling silver jewelry.  This line of jewelry is at a crossroads for me.  I love to make it and customers are drawn to it.  The complication is that the price of silver continues to climb at an astronomical rate.  (As I write this, the price of silver is up 60 percent in the last four months alone.)  I am faced with the choice to continue making the pieces as I have been and raise prices, or find a way to make the pieces differently, at the same price, while still appealing to customers.  Stay tuned on this one.





The last (but certainly not least!) thing that I'm working on is getting ready for my first wholesale show in Orlando, Florida, next month.  I'm represented by wholesalecrafts.com and will be exhibiting there.  More to come on this big project!

Handcrafted jewelry on sale

These are more pictures of jewelry I have on sale between now and the end of the Thornebrook Art Festival. If you see something you want, please contact me to place an order.

In case you missed them the other posts will sale jewelry and bali beads:
Artisan jewelry on sale
Bali beads on sale post 1
Bali beads on sale post 2

Sterling silver and nu gold discs with semi precious stones and glass beads.

Originally $50, will be $20

Semi precious stones on high polish sterling silver loops.

Originally $50, will be $20

Charoite and rhodonite pendant on patterned sterling silver and nu gold

Originally $85, will be $20  (This pendant also includes the chain)

Patterned and pressed sterling silver dome with a red jasper bead accent.

Orignally $40, will be $5

Assorted semi precious stones in diamond and oval shape sterling silver settings.

Originally $35, will be $15

Oxidized and polished sterling silver diamond shape earrings with semi precious stone briolettes.

Originally $50, will be $15.

Glass cat's eye cabochons with patterned sterling silver accents.  Assorted colors.

Originally $35, will be $10.

Assorted color semi precious stones set on patterned sterling silver with glass bead or semi precious stone hanging accents.

Originally $50, will be $20

Sterling silver loop earrings with aurora borealis finish glass chips.

Originally $28, will be $10











Sterling silver earrings with copper and nu gold accents.

Originally $35, will be $10

This fairly well covers everything that will be there.  See you this weekend at the Thornebrook Art Festival, booth 15 (green zone).  For those of you who have been coming for awhile, it's my same spot as previous years.

Handmade jewelry on sale

We're almost to the Thornebrook Art Festival!  I'm preparing jewelry for my annual sale in conjunction with the show.  All my sale jewelry is the end of a series, when I'm just down to the last few.  There are no seconds or imperfects.  I've photographed the first batch and have them shown here:

Vintage cabochons in sterling silver.  Approximately 7/8 inches wide.

Normally $75 each, will be $25








I have a few of my infamous vintage cabochon pendants and earrings left.  The pendants are approximately 1 inch wide and the wire earrings 3/4 of an inch.

They are normally $18 and $30, respectively, but will be marked down to $5.

Melon coral and hematite (left) and pink coral and unakite (right).

Normally $75, will be $20.

Copper (top left), sterling silver (top right) and 14K gold fill (bottom).  All with a hammered texture.

Normally $18, $32 and $40 respectively.  Will be $10, $20 and $25.












Textured/patterned sterling silver with 14K gold fill accents.

Normally $30, will be $15










Sterling silver beads with nugold accents.

Normally $40, will be $10














Dichroic glass bezel set in sterling silver.

Normally $60, will be $10.














Patterned brass earrings, oxidized to highlight the detail.

Approximately 1 cm wide.  Normally $15, will be $5







Pearl hanging from a sterling silver loop.  (These have been some of my best sellers).

Normally $28, will be $10.

Sterling silver abstract designs.

Normally $25, will be $10











If you see something here you would like to purchase, please contact me.  I will be happy to take a credit card over the phone and hold your order for pick up at the show.  I am also happy to ship items via U.S. postal mail.  Shipping prices is $3 for the first item or $6 for two or more items.

Scrabble tile jewelry in progress

 I have been concentrating on the Scrabble tile pendants over the last couple of weeks.  The early comments from my customers and wholesale accounts have been positive, so I have been focusing on them.









As I was working on them yesterday, I loved how the random assortment of them on my tray looked like art itself.  I've been having fun working with different colors, patterns and simulated textures.









This is just a preview of what's to come!  Stay tuned.