Our last show for the year

We finally finished our last Christmas show for the year which was right here in our home town of Chase.  We had a great time seeing old friends and neighbors as well as making new acquaintances.  There was an excellent turn-out this year over flowing with both vendors and shoppers.

We were too busy to take any photos of our display this time but managed to sneak in a picture of Dave with two special guests that attended.

Here is a photo of some of our set-up at the last show when we were at the Kamloops Courthouse.  We were in the centre of the room so we managed to use the outside as well which worked very well for us.

Christmas at the Courthouse

We had a fun time selling at the old courthouse cultural centre in downtown Kamloops last weekend.  I took lots of photos to capture the history around us.

This is one of the several staircases leading up to the second floor where the artist vendors were located.

We were in the centre of the room and enjoyed the sunshine coming through these gorgeous stained glass windows.

And the fabulous woodwork everywhere -- on the walls and ceilings.  The beautiful Christmas decorations added a nice touch.

We were entertained from the judge's bench with live festive Christmas music.

We have a few days to catch our breath and up on some orders before our last show this weekend which will be right here in our own town of Chase.

Christmas Tinsel in Red and Green

We are in the Christmas spirit right now and created these coordinating pieces in a rich Christmas red and green.  The pieces sparkle and remind me a lot of Christmas tinsel.  The clay beads used are  textured tubes and our large pearl rondelle spacers in #52 olive green.

More Shawl/Scarf Pins

Made some more new shawl pins this week in some new colors and styles.  The last three I used a variation of my double-sided textured bead technique at the ends of the steel pins that have been covered in clay.

Christmas at the Courthouse

We are doing last minute preparations for our next show coming up this weekend which is in the old courthouse right in downtown Kamloops.  If you click on the banner below it will take you to the website for more information.

Here are two of the pieces I showed you last week that were on my bead table that are now finished.   They are both longer designs that can be worn as a single strand or as a shorter double strand.

A Christmas Craft Fair in the Country

We had a real fun time today at a real country Christmas craft fair.  The drive up the mountain was a little challenging with the fresh snow that had fallen over night.

I managed to take a few photos of our set-up this time although it was not our usual one since we were in a cozy little community hall called the little school house.  I was going to say "warm" and cozy except the furnace happened to break down making it a little chilly inside since the temperature outside was -10 C.  The hosts were very gracious and we warmed up real quick with the hot tea, coffee and fresh cinnamon buns they offered us.

In between sales, we managed to visit with some of our fellow vendors there, some who were new.  I was really inspired the most by Dawn who wasn't selling anything really, except herself.   She's determined to make a go of her housecleaning business and I really admire that kind of grit and determination.

All in all, it turned out to be a very rewarding show.

What's on my bead tray?

I have a lot of bead inventory stocked up and working on some new designs for the coming Christmas shows and hopefully a few extras to sell online in our ArtFire Studio.  Here are some pieces on my bead tray right now.

I'm giving you a sneak peek at the two finished designs on the left.  The copper and black one is still "under construction".

The tube beads are the ones I show how to make in my Textured Tubes and More tutorial.  The holes on the tube beads are quite large which makes them great for stringing on thicker cords.  I wanted to cinch them up a bit for my wire work designs so I added some bead end caps between the tube bead and the crystal which help to fill in the "gap".  I think they give a nice "ruffled" look and add a bit of interest.

   

I also have these cool rings and was looking for a bead to go in the centre but wasn't happy with anything we had on hand so came up with a new plan.  I filled the center spaces with a clay "bead" and baked them right in.  I think they will go with the overall design I'm working on much better now.