drawnonward

Holiday Show Time

2010-12-01T15:00:00.002-05:00

It's that time of year again! I'll be at the Boston Bazaar Bizarre this Sunday from 12-7 at the BCA Cyclorama. I love this show; I'm even excited for the theramin this year! (If you don't know what a thearmin is, you really need to come to this show!) I have lots and lots of headbands, plus bigger clutches. All the old staples will be there, too.

Next weekend, I'm heading to Portland, Maine, for my first-ever 2 day show. Picnic is having a holiday show again, and this year it runs from 12-8 on Saturday and 12-5 on Sunday. Get your picture taken with a Yeti; it's sure to be great fun!

Queen City Craft Bazaar

2010-05-02T12:00:00.001-04:00

This Saturday, I'll be a vendor at the Queen City Craft Bazaar! The craft community in Burlington is amazing; I can't wait for the show! Come visit if you're in the area!

Earth Day Resolution

2010-04-22T11:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Earth Day! I think today is a great day for making resolutions about how we can treat our Mother a little more kindly. This year, mine is to eat more local produce. I am embarrassingly pitiful at eating vegetables of any kind, and getting to the farmer's market is an issue (it only runs until noon on Saturdays, and I am not up and ready to be in public that early on the weekend!). So I think that will be my resolution for the year, what's yours?

Long time...

2010-04-20T12:49:00.005-04:00

no blog! How've you been? My winter hibernation is over; now it's time to get back to it! I've decided this year I'm going to focus more on laptop sleeves, purses, and headbands! This is what the headbands look like, and this is me being a not-so-fabulous model
They're braided like the bracelets, and are adjustable.

My spring/summer craft fair schedule is almost complete, and I've got some great shows coming up! I'll be at the Queen City Craft Bazaar in Burlington, VT on May 8 from 10-5 at Union Station. This show is very close to my heart because I did this show twice when I lived in Burlington, and the craft community up there is amazing. I haven't been back to VT in a while, and I can't wait!

I'll also be at stART on the Street in Worcester, MA on May 16 from 11-5. This is a new show for me, but I'm excited to try it out! I also recently found out I was accepted to the SOWA Market in Boston, and I'll be there June 27, July 25, August 15, and October 3 and 24. Sprinkled in there will be some Concord Arts Market dates.

Finally, have you seen my redone website? It's pretty fancy (not really--but I did it myself!).

Lots of Updates

2009-09-17T21:01:00.004-04:00

Hello friends! This has been quite a week! Lately I've been feeling discouraged about drawnonward--it was like I couldn't do anything right! I didn't have any craft fairs scheduled for August, and I planned to take the month to come up with some new products. That didn't go exactly as planned, and I had almost nothing to show for my month off. You know when you have those days where nothing you make is coming out the way you want it to? I had about 2 weeks full of them. Usually, I can just walk away from the frustration, but I really wanted the month to be productive. In the end, I took some time off from crafting, and tried to get back into the habit of letting my inspiration dictate the rythm of the creative process (does that sound as cheesy as I think it does?). The time away was just what I needed, and now I feel much better! I'm moving ahead cautiously, because I don't want to get that burned out again.

But enough self-pity, I have some great news! Last weekend was Picnic in Portland, and it was so much fun! It rained a lot, but there were still lots of people there. A few people remembered me from the year before, which was cool. They're planning a holiday show that I'm way excited about; I'll keep you updated on the details. Speaking of holiday shows... I got in to the Bazaar Bizarre again! This show is the best; the organizers are great and it is so so much fun. This year, it's at the Cyclorama, which should be fun. I still can't believe I got in again; I keep re-reading the acceptance email and expecting them to send me another one saying "Sorry! We sent that email to the wrong person!" Paranoid, I know. But it was totally the great news I needed to jump start my crafting. Baz biz saves the day again!

I also recently joined twitter, so you can follow me now! My user name is drawnonward_nh because drawnonward was taken (no, that's not me tweeting about D&D), so look me up! I still don't totally understand how it works, but it seems pretty cool so far! Also, and this is a little embarrassing, I just found out that I don't get status updates emailed to me when something happens on the drawnonward designs Facebook fan page. So, if you posted something on my wall or sent me a message that I never responded to, I apologize and won't let it happen again! But now you can be a fan and actually expect to get some interaction with me!

One more thing! There is a fantastic picture of J on my flickr that I can't post here because I told him I wouldn't put it anywhere but flickr... But I will leave you with some new product shots.

This is a bigger size wristlet; I photographed it in my fancy new light box. Ok, it's not that fancy, but I finally made a light box!

Group shot, also in the light box.

A purse! I know you're as excited as I am! Isn't it pretty? I can't wait to make more.

Rings--they were a super hit at Picnic! They're fabric (clearly) and are amazing.

Happy almost weekend!

2009-08-23T20:33:00.002-04:00

Hi friends! I'm excited to report that I'll be at Picnic Music+Arts Festival in Portland, ME on Saturday, September 12! This show was so much fun last year, and it sounds like it's going to be even better this year. So if you're in the area, stop by! The first day I'll be at the Concord Arts Market this fall is Sept. 26.

I also set up a Flickr account the other day, so check out my product shots and other fun photos! It should have some new pics soon because I'm almost done some new items. I've started making fabric rings, and those should be up soon.

I hope everyone had great weekends! I went to Bread and Puppet Theater in VT and it was absolutely amazing--I highly recommend it! I'll post some pictures of that on Flickr too!!

Pictures!

2009-07-26T16:45:00.006-04:00

Last weekend, I got the chance to get outside and take some pictures, and I'm really happy with the results!
Bags--I'm really happy with the bag progress lately; I've started making bigger clutches, and maybe someday I'll make them into purses. The original woven prototype was a bag I made for myself a few years ago, and I'd love make more of them.

Close up of one bracelet and a bunch of them.

Coral disc earrings
Flower earrings that thread through your ears the wrong way. It sounds like it'd be hard to do, but it's really not!
Three pairs on a line. They're hanging on my new display piece, held on by little tiny clothes pins. Sometimes I think I get more compliments on the clothespins than the earrings, but look how cute they are!

Christmas ornaments--or ornaments to hang anywhere you feel like!

Key chain!

So there you have the results of my photo shoot; what do you think? The Arts Market is done for the summer, and it was a great time. I feel like every post I do is about the market, but it was a wonderful experience and big time commitment for the summer. I'd never done a weekly market before, but I learned a lot from this one. I think my display got a lot better, and I met some fantastic artists. I can't wait until it starts again in the fall; I'll let you know when I've finalized the dates I'll be there!

My blog is famous!

2009-07-16T18:33:00.004-04:00

Ok, Concord-famous! We're in the Concord Insider this week! It's a story about the Downtown Market Days, which started today. You can find me there on Saturday--you know you want to go even if it's raining! The Market Days are always way fun, so this year should be even better with the Arts Market joining it! I'm making some new mirrors (so new I don't have pictures) as well as some bags and earrings. I'll also be at the Concord Arts Market next weekend (7/25) when it's back at it's old location (33 Capitol St) for one last time!

Here's a preview of some of the goods I'll have this weekend:

So come say hi Saturday! And if you're lucky, you'll meet my mom! She's covering for me in the evening because I have a wedding to go to.

2009-06-28T18:18:00.006-04:00

Hello dear blog readers-it's been so long! But I have pictures today! The Arts Market has been going great. The whole set up of a weekly market is new to me, but I like it, and it's really fun. I meet great people every week I'm there, and it's so close to my house, I can't complain. Some days at craft shows are great for me not because I make a ton of money, but because I get re-motivated to make stuff! Yesterday was one of those days, and now I'm excited for the upcoming 3 day weekend so I can get some serious accessory making done. At the market this week, Katy, the organizer, introduced me to someone and said, " This is Alison and she makes accessories." I feel like I've referred to myself as a jewelry maker for so long, it's time for me to start thinking of myself as an accessory maker. It doesn't sound as catchy, but it's more accurate, and just thinking of myself that was is inspiring me to expand my product lines.

Anyway! My handyman J made me a new jewelry display for the arts market, and it's working out great lately. The arts market is a great excuse to try out new displays and be creative. This one is fantastic!

Isn't it nice? And it does a much better job of not blowing over than the last display! Now that I think about it, the display with the metal pipes that kept falling over the first week also came crashing down at the Bazaar Bizarre! And that was inside!

I also had some mirrors for sale this weekend for the first time!

And, I made a sign, finally.

Yay! Thanks for listening to my ramblings; I'll leave you with some Bonnaroo pictures, because I really did go!

Here's the sign I made for the car window for the drive down

It was raining when we got there and I had a chance to take the pic, but the sign looked sweet!

And, a shot of the What Stage, when we were waiting for Snoop Dogg's performance (yeah, we were far away!)
Have a great week! Hopefully it stops raining before the 4th!

2 months?!

2009-05-31T10:41:00.002-04:00

It's been 2 months since my last post? Man, what a slacker I am! I'm sure a lot's happened in those 2 months, but I can't remember most of it. We moved (again)! The new place is great, we're still settling, but it's fantastic so far. I also did the first Concord Arts Market yesterday, and it was an awesome day. The weather was great, and I think this season will be full of great days.

I'm working on some new products (remember my button maker?), which I will be taking pictures of and posting soon... Also in the works is a new display, because the display piece I use for most of my earrings blew over about 200 times yesterday.

So yes, that is the excitement that is my life; I promise to be back in less than 2 months!

Arts Market!

2009-03-29T11:39:00.002-04:00

Arts market season is nearly upon us again! I'm confirmed at the Concord Arts Market for May 30, June 6 & 27, July 11,18, & 25. So come see me sometime! Also, Katy, the market organizer, just started an art studio with a few other artists in Concord, and it's real cool. Verdigris Artisans is in downtown Concord, and they have open studios that are definitely worth checking out.

In other news, I got a button maker yesterday! It wasn't new, so it doesn't look exactly like that, but it's pretty awesome. It came with tons of supplies, so now I just need to figure out what to do with it! I have wanted a button maker for so long, I don't know what to do with myself now that I have one. But if you have any special requests for buttons, let me know!

2009-03-26T17:58:00.004-04:00

Yay spring! It's finally here--right? I don't know where this month went; I was sick and then went on vacation! J and I visited his sister in Denver, and it was a great time! I'd never been out west for that extended amount of time before, and it was really cool. We went to Red Rocks (where I've always wanted to go) and Dino Ridge (because I love dinosaurs!) This is us at Red Rocks

And when I got back, I got a new sewing machine! It's beautiful (and heavy!), and I can't wait to start using it.

Snow Day!

2009-03-02T11:08:00.004-05:00

I have a snow day today! There is so much snow here! I wanted one more snow day before the winter ends, so now it can get warm. And next week, J and I are going to Denver to visit his sister; I'm so excited! Have a good day!

Happy Weekend!

2009-02-21T07:56:00.003-05:00

Finally it's the weekend! I'm going to see Ryan Adams tonight (not the Summer of 69 guy, the alt country guy) with my sister; she got me a ticket for Christmas! I think it should be fun, and it's another excuse to go to Boston. Not that I need one; I'm going there three days next week for trainings for my job.

I made something with the serger! It's not really anything, but I'm excited I can actually create things with that beast! Here it is:

I told you it wasn't anything!

Also, if you're on Facebook, you can become a fan of drawnonward designs! All the cool kids are doing it.

My New Best Friend

2009-02-17T18:01:00.002-05:00

Look what I got!
It's a serger! I'm super excited I finally have one, and I even already figured out how to thread it! It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be... I had the day off yesterday (I think I was one of the only people who did), and I learned how to thread it, but that's about it. I'm excited to try it out--that's my next step! I also got started on some new bags which should be done soon.

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend! J and I went to the aquarium on Saturday. Apparently we weren't the only couple that decided the aquarium was a good place to spend Valentine's Day! It was so packed; we waited over an hour just to get inside. But it was still fun, and we hadn't been since grade school, so it was worth it.

Here's a friend we saw there:
And look what J got me! There were a few more with it, but this one is my favorite.

And, after all the anticipation a few weeks ago, we got Bonnaroo tix! Woo hoo!

2009-02-04T20:07:00.003-05:00

The wait was worth it! The Bonnaroo lineup is amazing! One of the bands that's preforming posted the lineup on their myspace before midnight, which was fine with me! There are tons of bands I'm way excited about and some, not so much (Bruce Springsteen? No thank you) I think this time will be better because I know what to expect--disgustingly hot weather, lots of awesome bands playing at the same time, a wicked long drive...

I just took some photos of my nice clean craft room, and figured I should share them before it doesn't look like that anymore. J and I are moving in May, so I might not have a craft room in the new place. I know, it's sad, but we're downsizing so we can save more money for our trip around the world. We're leaving in 95 weeks, so we'd better get saving! I know you're all wondering, didn't you just move last year? and you're right, we did. I've decided J and I are inherently nomadic, and we can't stay in once place too long (hence the trip around the world). Anyway, here's the craft room:

Before
After

It's still a little messy, but at least there's room to move in it! I didn't do any cleaning after the crazy Christmas rush, but now it looks somewhat normal.

And...my business is finally legal in NH! I sent in the paperwork in January, and now I'm official (even though they wrote the business name wrong--it should be all lower case!!) I'm glad to have finally done that; it had been on my to do list for a year!

I can't wait until midnight...

2009-02-02T22:33:00.002-05:00

...when they announce the Bonnaroo lineup! I feel like it's New Year's again! Except I wasn't this excited for the new year. J and I are going, and we're hoping the lineup is awesome! I went in 2004 and it was a little bit of a disaster, so hopefully this will be a better experience. We'll see!

I hope everyone had good weekends! Mine was uneventful, except I got to see my favorite little sister! I went out to visit her at school for the day, and it was awesome. We went to Brattleboro for lunch and shopping. I hadn't been there in a long time, and it was great to go back. My sister is awesome, and it's so cool to see her growing into such a lovely young lady! (ok, I'm done being a grandma now!)

J helped me make some jewelry yesterday, which means I finished some earrings, and he tooled around with my scrap silver. I am (impatiently) waiting for an exciting package, and I can't wait to show it off!

New Pics

2009-01-27T21:20:00.004-05:00

There isn't much exciting news from drawnonward, but what else is new. I've been working on my picture taking skills, and here are some new product shots--

What do you think? I think they are a nice improvement! Now I just need to post products on etsy! Also, here's a picture from the Bazaar Bizarre!

My camera battery died after this picture, which was a bummer. At least I got one nice shot! I liked the new display a lot, even though you can't see it that great in this picture.

One of my new year's resolutions is to blog more, so maybe I'll start in February :)

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T12:43:00.002-05:00

2009! I thought 2008 went by so fast, but when I look back, I did a lot. I got a new job (ok, that was Dec of 07, but close enough), went to Iceland, moved again, and had some great things happen with drawnonward. I hope that I stay motivated with everything in 2009, and I'm hopeful it will be a good year!

Happy New Year everyone!

Bazaar Bizarre!

2008-12-07T06:44:00.002-05:00

Today is the Bazaar Bizarre! I'm so excited/nervous! I think it will be a great day. Please come visit me! I'll post some pictures of it after it's over. Happy Sunday!

Happy November

2008-11-01T11:02:00.004-04:00

Hi all-- it has been one jam packed October around here. It's finally sunk in that the Bazaar Bizarre is a little over a month away, and I still have so so much to make. Next weekend, I'm doing a craft fair at Memorial High School in Manchester, which my mom says is a good show.

On top of trying to stock up my current products, I've finally got a few new ones coming out! My yoga mat holder is looking pretty good, and one night, out of nowhere I decided to make Christmas ornaments. They're super cute (I think), but I don't have any pictures of them yet.

Ok, once the panic wears off about how much I have to make over the next month, I'll be back!

2008-10-05T10:14:00.007-04:00

We had the final Concord Arts Market of the season yesterday. It was such a great day! It got rained out the weekend before, but yesterday was gorgeous. There were lots of really cool vendors and shoppers! It was my first show taking credit cards, and, let me tell you, it was totally worth it. The whole process of taking them stressed me out, but I figured I need to join the 21st century sometime. The only crazy part of yesterday was the wind! Now I know why Katy, the organizer, makes everyone weigh down their tents so much. A couple times yesterday my tent lifted off the ground, and the weights were the only thing keeping it from flying! People's stuff kept blowing over too, which was no fun. At least it kept us on our toes!

Here are some pictures from the day. I took them before the crowds came, and then I forgot to take more all day!

My setup

The bracelet trees. This was the first show this year that I was the only one with these trees! Thank you, IKEA!

Some earrings and necklace sets. It was a good day for necklaces!

Pumpkin earrings! These remind me of my mom! And now they're hers!

As it gets cooler, our garden is winding down. Well, I don't know if something can wind down if it was never that bountiful in the first place! We picked the last of the jalapenos the other day, and also got a cucumber! Guess which one's the cuke:
It's so tiny! It looks like a little ball, but it's really a cucumber, from our own garden! I don't know how it'll taste, but at least we grew it!

Our pumpkin plants are not doing so great, especially since our landlord dug up half of them for no reason! That's another story, but we do have one growing! J's nephew came over the other day to look at it, and he said, "Oh, it's a peanut pumpkin!" So that's what it's called now. I love it!
It's about the size of my hand, and I'm proud!

Rain!

2008-09-26T22:04:00.003-04:00

Because of all the rain we're getting here in NH, the arts market is going to be on Sunday (provided it ever stops raining!). It was a fantastic time last Saturday, so I hope everything goes ok Sunday! And, now I take credit cards! Super exciting! See you Sunday!

Picnic!

2008-09-16T20:52:00.003-04:00

This past Saturday was Picnic, an art and music festival in Portland, ME. It was fantastic! I participated as a vendor, and had a great time. The music was way cool, and there were lots of talented artists there! I forgot my camera, but luckily my sister was there to take some pictures. The weather was beautiful but a little windy! I lost a pair of earrings because they blew off the table and got stepped on! Oh well. I got a tip from a fellow vendor about a very interesting bead store in NH, and I will report back once I make it there. It's about an hour from my house, but apparently worth it. Fun!

Starting this Saturday is the Concord Arts Market. Katy has been working like crazy to get this thing going, so I think it will be a great time! I'm excited to meet some cool people and get some coffee milk from the farmer's market (which is right next door!).

I'm in!

2008-09-04T08:17:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I got some great news--I got accepted to the Boston Bazaar Bizarre! I think I'm still in shock; I'm so excited! Now I need to get myself in gear and start crafting! Yay!

In progress

2008-09-01T10:02:00.004-04:00

As my vacation winds down, I've been focusing on the parts of the creating process that are not so exciting. I figure that way, I will be more motivated to start making things without any major hang ups. Basically this means I've been making strips like crazy. Here are a bunch I've finished up:
The fatter strips are for bags, and the smaller ones are for bracelets. I tend to go through color phases in bracelet making, and guess what color I'm stuck on now?

I also (almost) finished a big batch of bracelets, but I haven't found snaps for them. I used to buy the snaps at a local craft store, but they don't carry the size I use anymore. I guess it's good, because now it forces me to find a less expensive, online supplier. Anyway!

I'll leave you with some pictures of a bag I made a way long time ago that I just rediscovered. The fabrics are from my trip to Ethiopia, so this one's special.

Friday already?

2008-08-29T10:36:00.004-04:00

Man, this week went by quickly. But I do have some good things to show for it!

I've been working on more bags, and am super excited how this one came out
And I finally got back into making necklaces, here's one of them:
And there's matching earrings! The pictures of these things are from the Bazaar Bizarre help session that was Tuesday night. I got completely lost on the way there, and thought I wasn't going to make it. But then I found it! Sometimes driving around in circles works! I got some great pictures out of it, and met some really nice people!

Other than that, the week was relatively uneventful. On the agenda for today is to strip the paint off some shutters and make a display piece out of them. Fun!

Vacation!

2008-08-25T14:09:00.002-04:00

Today is the first day of my vacation! I'm not going anywhere specifically, but I took the week off to make stuff! That's the goal of the week: make stuff. We'll see how it goes, today has not been so productive so far. But it's still early, so I'm not worried. I'll have some good stuff to post soon!

2008-08-17T11:50:00.003-04:00

So I've been working on some new products lately, and I'm super excited about them! None are complete enough to post, but they're almost there. I've also been working on taking better pictures of my stuff, and I don't know how well it's working out. Here are some new pictures:

What do you think? I think I just have to keep working on it!

The other fun news is that the Concord Arts Market is starting next month! It's going to run for three weeks in the fall, starting September 20. I'll be there all three weeks, and it should be a great time. There'll be music, and it's right beside the Farmer's Market; what more could you ask for?

Ok, that's all for today; hopefully I'll have some great new things to post soon!

2008-07-12T09:16:00.004-04:00

It's been a while since my last update, so here's a quick rundown of the last two months:

We're finally settled into our new place! The more time I spend here, the more I love it! We've planted a couple of gardens that are not doing fantastic, but they're ok! Basically we're going to end up with tons of hot peppers and nothing else. Oh well!

We went to Florida with our nephew. J's mom lives down there, so we went for an extended weekend. It was so hot! Overall it was a great trip, and I took the cutest picture of J and our nephew.

So cute! The nephew didn't totally understand the concept of flying, but I think he still had fun.

Hmm, I guess the rest was a blur! I did finally take some jewelry shots to use on my website, so I"m excited about that. Here's a sneak peek:

Anyway, I hope you have great weekends!

Moving

2008-05-23T11:15:00.000-04:00

I think I forgot how much work goes into moving! We moved at the beginning of the month, and I don't know where the time has gone! There's been lots of cleaning and unpacking, but not so much crafting. Oh well, now I have a whole room just for crafts, so that should help with some motivation!

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

2008-03-24T18:13:00.000-04:00

Hmm. So the blogging thing is not going as amazingly as expected! I have been completely unmotivated to make anything this winter, but now I'm back! Here's a peek at some of the things I've been working on

fancy new earrings

Bracelets! Ok, this picture is from last summer, but I've been making a lot of bracelets that look a lot like this one lately!

In other news, I've sent jewelry off to a few fun new stores! The Speakeasy Boutique is a funky new store in Concord, NH that sells cool bags, neat jewelry, and some great artwork. I also dropped some jewelry at Oak, a new handmade goods store in Boston. It's right off Newbury St, and if you have a better sense of direction than me, you should have no problem finding it.

Also, I'm moving! I didn't think I'd want to move this year, but J and I found a place that is awesome, and I get a craft room! I'm totally psyched, I'll keep you updated on the process!

Welcome to drawnonward!

2008-01-17T23:48:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog! I'm excited to start blogging; I hope to keep this updated with all my exciting jewelry news.