Tag: neighbors

A few my favorite things… Artists work from Spoutwood

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At Spoutwood Faerie festival – there are so many talented makers, artists, craftspeople, performers, artisans… there is no way I could give you an overview. Let me give you a series of pictures to highlight a few of my favorites, my friends and neighbors… 

Gorgeous parasols…

Parasols

Butterfly Bones – resin at its finest, many organic materials. Stellar display! (Shop here.)

Butterfly BOnes

Wing and Talon Leather – I was glad to get to meet and hang out with Donovan, my neighbor. He is a gifted artist, and makes the most exquisite masks. All by hand, hand tooled, hand painted, no assistants – his vision, his creativity. Those barrettes made me want to grow my hair long. Seriously. ( Shop here.)

Wing and Talon

Wing and Talon barrettes

Echo and Wild Jewelry – Confession – I own MANY of Jeannie’s pieces. I tend to purchase a new one each year at the MD Rennaissance Festival. I have been acquiring them for years… Over the last few years we have become friends as well. Her vision and her spiritual outlook mirror mine, she works in sterling, I work in clay…

Echo and Wild

Echo and Wild fairies

Molly Stanton of Elven Elysium. Its polymer. Look again, believe me. Gems, cabochon set, beaded stands, dangle… Molly is a gifted sculptress; you should see her figurative work!

Elven Elysium

Elven Elysium 2

Dancing Pig Pottery – another artist who I know from attending the MD Rennaissance Festival – I got to meet Virginia at Wicked Faire in February. Isnt it ironic that the potters always get along famoulsy, even when doing work as varied as hers and mine?  I now have a fantastic mug of hers for my morning coffee! ( shop here.)

Dancing pig pottery

DP detail

Like I said – just a few, a little eye candy for you! These artists are all creating their work themselves, 100% hand made. In the days of collectives, and corporate entities disguised as handmade artist/craftspeople – its nice to support the real deal! (That last comment refers to a recent Etsy scandal…)

 

 

FaerieCon m.a.g.i.c – G is for good friends, good neighbors

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Robert Frost said “Good fences make good neighbors” That sprang to mind when I sat down to gather my thoughts  for this post. Good neighbors make for a good festival. Good neighbors also make good friends – and vice versa. This FaerieCon I was in my regular space, my home away from home. I have vended the event three years running in the upstairs hall. Yes, its hard to select and filter what to bring for a 6′ table display when I am accustomed to a booth. But to be surrounded by friends, old and new; to listen to fantastic music during the Masquerades; take a look: 

JDR table

Let me introduce you to some of my gypsy fae family. 

Sarah and JDR

Sarah and I have been friends for years – she was one of my first friends when I moved to Delaware. One summer she and her teenage kids ( my students) gave me a wee soft sculpted artist doll mermaid. A few years later, she and I are set up side by side at FaerieCon. She was the person who introduced me to FaerieCon and planted the seed that we should each vend! And she is one helluva a baker, too…

Toadstoolsntreestump

You can find her on Etsy at ToadstoolsNTreestump!

Sarah and I met Kimberly of Goblin Bazaar at the first Baltimore FaerieCon. If her shop is closed – she is either out geocaching of catching fae critters… She runs an adoption agency of sorts, coaxing the critters in from the wild and finding them homes with open minded magically aware humans. Some need love, others understanding, but they find the right match in the end. 

Kimberly and JDR

And there are goblins. Nose Goblins, Oak goblins… goblins wearing exquisite leather masks – they might let you wear one as well with just the right bribery. Of course I am talking about Goblin Road! Robert represents this husband and wife business/team at FaerieCon, and he is a welcoming presence, a wealth of information, freely shared. He has a certain “je ne sais quoi”. 

Robert Goblin Rd

We adopted Dru` the oak goblin a year ago (?) and he is a welcome addition to our family. (Dru` is Gaelic for oak, naturally.)

oak goblin

One additional friend, although not on our hallway – Noelle! She is a multi-faceted actress, performer, artist who never ceases to amaze me. I am so glad that FaerieCon and Frenchy and the Punk brought us together! Wouldn’t quite be the same if you werent there, darling! (Scott and Samantha you were missed! Hope you can return to the Realm next year!)

Noelle and JDR

And this hallway was the place to be! New people to meet! Much fun to be had! (And the lights bounced! Inside joke…)

Meredith Dillman – I was familiar with her work from the Interwebs – great to meet her. A picture, you ask? Sorry, no. How about her work? I love “Kitsune”!

Dillman Kitsune

There are many faeries and lovely and mysterious ladies on her site as well. But I can never resist a fox fae!

I was thrilled to see Reyen Design Studios on the map across from me! I am familiar with their wool and silk felted creations from previous FaerieCons and Spoutwood. Hand dyed, merino wool felted onto silk – they defy words. A must to see, feel, wear. And such good neighbors! ( This picture is a rough phone shot, but I had to do it…) Serenading Satyrs!

Reyen satyrs

Last but not least – Danielle from Earthly Leather Designs. We were Etsy acquaintances, and I am thrilled her first FaerieCon was a smashing success! Here’s to many more! (And hoping we get to chat a bit next time!) 

Earthly Leather

Thank you for being the best neighbors a girl, and her dryad, could wish for. Have a wonderful year, til next we meet! 

FaerieCon m.a.g.i.c – M is for mermaid

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Once a year I get to leave the world behind and cross over into the land of FaerieCon. I won’t return aged 100 years, it is safe to partake of food and drink, but I will see glorious wonders and frolic with friends, old and new, and my gypsy faerie family. (I am not exagerating, although I may be accused of waxing poetic.) Until you have experienced an event such as this, you will have to take my word, suspend your disbelief, and read on…

Where else can a dryad frolic with a mermaid? While djinn stroll past, and satyrs lounge, strumming a banjo? Where artists share epic feats of imagination and skill; where authors read words that transport you further away from the mundane world;  and where music can spiral around you in ethereal tendrils? 

This past weekend – we arrived Thursday, settled in, noshed on sushi… Met up with friends for laughter and libations – the uber talented artists Brigid Ashwood and Jane Star Weils, and storyteller/creative genius Mark Lewis. This night alone thrilled me no end – sharing wine and witty conversation with artists whose work I admire, very nourishing and inspiring to my creative soul…

We set up Friday morning…

JDR table

Tiles, a few shrines, and my dryad sculpture reigning over all the mixed media jewels. I was thrilled to have as my neighbors – my friend Sarah of Toadstools n treestump, and Mermaid Melissa!

Mermaid Melissa

The iPhone picture really doesn’t do her justice – the carpet colors are overpowering the variations of sheen and hue in her – rather long – tail!

Mermaid Melissa, hailing originally from Florida has worked professionally as a marine animal trainer, pearl diver, and currently as a professional mermaid. She is charming, personable, and a self professed “kid magnet” as we witnessed through out the weekend. At FaerieCon she was representing Fae magazine, and their new publication Mermaids and Mythology magazine, for whom she writes a column. Her website is filled with stunning photos and even more breathtaking videos.  Saturday afternoon, like wild fire, a phrase rarely heard raced around the lobby: “There’s a mermaid in the pool!” Even those of us that had seen Melissa swim on Friday, joined in… how often do you get to exclaim that to others? 

Mermaid in the pool!

Mermaid2

And let me share Mermaid Melissa’s message here: Save the world’s oceans before all creatures become mythical!

Please check out her site. You wont regret it. Until tomorrow – when I bring you Day 2 of the “Five days of FaerieCon m.a.g.i.c…

 

 

Holiday weekend: shows, summer, beach, neighbors…and water ice

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Shadey view

This was my view a week ago – Saturday July 2nd, to be exact. I cant believe a week has gone by already! Yikes! Last Saturday was the St. Peter’s Fine Art Show in Lewes, DE. It is one of my regular shows, that I enjoy, and this weekend was even more perfect – the weather cooperated! Take a look at that sky…

St Petes view 2

There’s a shot of my street. Honestly – it was such a nice day, smooth at set up, sunny, and don’t forget the water ice. Its a St Peter’s tradition for me. That afternoon lull, when you are feeling a little sleepy… It was great to see familiar faces, and to meet and chat with new customers!

St Petes

One beautiful little incident: a woman was very drawn to a ceramic pendant – a crescent moon and star. She initiated the stealth buy; it was for her daughter, who was going to catch up with her any moment. Yet in the brief time we shared – she told me her daughter was adopted, and she had said to her from the beginning to the present – “I love you to the moon and stars.” She wanted her daughter to have the pendant, as she was away at school, majoring in art. It means quite a bit to me, when people are moved by the work I do – even something as simple as a pendant. And that she felt compelled to share that with me, inviting me into her trust in our short interaction together. Thank you !

mer tiles

My new tile: the split tailed mermaid made her debut at the show. She is a confident mermaid, a bit sassy. I quite like her!

St Petes view

I did stroll my block – sadly I wasn’t able to take a stroll through the whole show… But I met some wonderful neighbors!

(Speaking of block… block printing!) I had to meet Jennifer of Home Sweet after a customer shopping in my booth raved!!! about her block printed fabrics – even unwrapping and showing off her purchases. And I couldn’t agree more. Gorgeous work, bold, colorful, great design, great craftsmanship. 

printer display

Scraps of fabric in a bowl… you mean I can have one?! Like a treasure! And a very green business card as well! You can find her at her site and on Etsy. 

Printed sample

Off the Wall

There you see the lovely and charming Peri of Off the Wall Art. I couldn’t ask for a better neighbor as we explored the Square up credit card services for the first time. ( Review: quick, easy, generally brilliant. Stylus recommended.) Her work is very creative, very fun. Colorful, whimsical, and heartfelt; it draws you in with a strong sense of “joie de vivre”.  Wonderful sayings – not overly sweet, but endearing and sincere, and often punny. The two cards below show you what I mean: “Be who you arrrghh!” (Piratical words of advice!) “We all laugh in the same language” I just love them! Check out her site – great work for kids, or the inner child in all of us. 

Off the Wall art cards

It has been a busy week – we stayed at the beach to visit the ocean, and enjoy the Fourth…unpacking after the show, Oops, caught a summer cold, clean the house… and get ready for the second session of clay camp starting tomorrow! Did spend a few quality hours in the studio yesterday. Stay tuned to see the results! It wont take a week before I post again, promise!