I planted morning glories once.  ONCE.  They come back every year.  This striped one was really a surprise a couple years ago.  Every year I hope for another striped one!

Send your photos for Photo Fridays to beadwhisperer at gmail dot com.

Joe and I went last year, and truthfully, I didn’t know what we were getting into.  I have to say that this is one of the biggest collection of talent under one roof!

Fashion?  Oh honey, there’s TONS of fashion here.  Leather?  Indeed.  Glass?  Oh the glass!  There’s home decor, jewelry (both fine and fun), stone (ooh stooone) Fiber, wood  and on and on.

You can buy your tickets online and save a couple bucks, or join the ACC and get in for free.  Parking is not a hassle, there’s a lot right next door and it’s a few dollars for the day.  Or you can take the train in and get dropped off right there.

Wear comfy shoes, bring water, and a tote bag (reading materials galore) and be prepared for sensory overload. Take breaks, get your hand stamped and go outside and breathe.  There’s a few decent restaurants around the Convention Center, and a brewpub down the street.  Talk to everyone.   These people are happy to talk art, and are thrilled to talk art with intelligent people.  You might even make some new friends.

Oh, and by the way, you’re going to spend some money, because you won’t be able to help yourself.

We are going on Sunday this year.  First thing in the morning, so we can spend a whole day taking in the awesomeness of this event.  (Sorry, Aunt  Jean Van B, I’m using my tool money to bring home something cool!!)

Go!  Have Fun!  You’ll be glad you did!

Gay shares her talents with the community as well.  Recently she was involved with the Lunch & Learn program at the Chapel Pointe Retirement Center.   After a lunch of Reuben sandwiches and cheddar cheese soup, Gay answered questions from the residents and talked about her life as a woodcarver.  Since she’s a pro, she can talk AND carve, and shed no blood.

Gay uses mostly basswood for her carvings, but also uses some mahogany, butternut and pine.  Local sawmills supply her the wood (except the mahogany)

Gay uses acrylic paints and Minwax stains to bring her creations to life, and often finishes her pieces with salad bowl wax to seal and protect the color.

The piece she started at Chapel Pointe was finished back at her studio at the Village Artisans Gallery  and is now known as “Fluffy Sat As Still As A Statue”

Peca is a Shiba Inu.  According to the Westminster Kennel Club, Shibas  are the smallest of the Japanese native breeds.  They were originally developed for hunting in the dense undergrowth of Japan’s mountainous areas. Alert and agile with keen senses, he is also an excellent watchdog and companion. His frame is compact with well-developed muscles and he possesses a double coat that can be black and tan, red or red sesame.

I think they look like they’re smiling, which is always a bonus!

Speaking of smiling, Paula Lewis is at the Village Artisans on Saturday the 18th.  From 1 to 4, Paula will be the Artist In Action, so go say Hi to Paula and shop around a little bit.

“Inspiration, move me brightly
Light the song with sense of colour, Hold away despair
More than this I will not ask
Faced with mysteries dark and vast
Statements just seem vain at last
Some rise, some fall, some climb
To get to Terrapin.

Terrapin was never really explained properly to me, nor is that the point.  The point is inspiration.  What inspires you?  Do you get up every day, hop out of bed and say I AM INSPIRED TO MAKE SOMETHING WONDERFUL TODAY! and head to your work area and make it?  Are you in the garden or yard, and something catches your eye..”Hey…I like THAT!”  Or are you driving somewhere, see a color, a shape, something that speaks to you?  “Ooh..write that down!  I could create with that”.  (Or $3.65 a gallon at the gas station and you say, “Holy crap I better make some art to sell or I’ll have to park my car!) Inspiration is all around us,  but sometimes a little boost helps.

A lot of YBC members belong to the latest social media/sharing website Pinterest.  It’s basically many, many boards managed by many, many members showing the world what they like.  Boards range from recipes to art to flowers, plants, trees, animals, cars, houses to products members like.  It’s kind of interesting to wander around Pinterest and see what there is to see.  And believe me, there is a LOT to see. In reading different forums, I have also found that there’s a fair amount of product promotion from Etsy and other selling venues with Pinterest.

Go over and check it out.  But don’t blame me if you lose an afternoon skipping around.  However, feel free to share the credit when you find something (at least one thing) that sparks inspiration.  I found that I love old architecture.  Columns and arches especially.  And fractals.  And, and, and……

You’ll know what I mean when you get there.  Have fun!

The perfect way to tour Amber’s studio and learn (or refresh) a new skill is this class in April:

To register, go here: http://www.pacrafts.org/workshops/crochet-april-14/

above or call 717-431-8706. For inquiries email handmade@pacrafts.org

One of the questions we get asked is “Do you have a website?”  There are two schools of thought on this question.

The immediate response is, “Yes!  I do!  Here’s my card with my address of my website, please come and visit!”  Customer takes the card and strolls away, tucking your card into his wallet, pocket, or her purse (probably like mine bulging with cards, notes, bits of string, receipts, pliers, and random bits of flotsom and jetsam) never again to the see the light of day.

So let’s say your card rises to the top, or Art Customer was really interested in getting something from you later.  How do you get them to actually buy from your website?   Art Websites that Work will give you some good tips for your website as well as being a treasure trove of interesting art related articles.

So you don’t have a website.  There’s some logic behind that as well.   I don’t have a website.  I have my reasons, and I’ll be happy to share with you in person.  (Because there’s arm waving and gesturing involved)

Luann Udell  (who I really would like to meet someday and hug!) writes an awesome article in Fine Art Views   about why it’s not necessarily a bad thing not to have a website.

My two cents is this:  I kind of like the trend of having a blog showing your work, showing the process, and how you get there.  I can spend hours wandering thru the Blogosphere reading arty crafty blogs.  It’s like inviting the world into your studio to visit and chat.   The popularity of shopping centers like Etsy, Artfire and Big Cartel (to names a few) is greatly helping to turn the tide on ‘formal’ selling websites (in my humble opinion)  Your blog can point folks to your online selling websites.

You can take what you wish from the articles.  It all boils down to being a personal choice to have a website or not.

Nancy tells me the whole journey started when her soon to be daughter in law brought her a printed piece of fabric with a lovely fall scene.  She thought it looked very similar to the place where the wedding was going to take place and she wanted to know if Nancy could do something with it.  The one little piece of fabric turned into the first wedding quilt.  It became a 32″ x 34″ quilt with all the lovely colors of browns, oranges and golds that of a fall wedding.  Nancy embroidered the names of the bride & groom, added the date and the sayings from the invitation.