Sunny Days: Lemon Citrine and Sterling Pendant

*The earrings have sold. The pendant is available at Eclectics Gallery as well as the John Knox Marketplace Spring Mart show March 31 - April 1, 2012.

The Wild Side of KC - A Treasury by the KC Etsy Team

Being part of the KC Etsy team, we make treasuries highlighting our team members. This treasury depicts a few beautiful animal items created by members of this wonderful team.

'The Wild Side of Kansas City' by BrieDeneeJewelry

Garden Slug Amigurumi P... cheezombie $4.99	Steampunk Owl Necklace SteamTimeJewel... $38.00	Purple Butterfly Hair C... ArielsBowtique $5.00	Waldorf upcycled bird d... greengoat $23.50
Set of 8 handmade Spri... bbesigns $21.00	Foxy Fox Hat Knit Beani... cottonhills $25.00	Custom Pet Portrait JBArtistry1015 $250.00	New Goldfish - Vintage ... butternutsquas... $10.00
Boston Terrier Chibi-He... MacKomicsStudi... $8.00	Silver Butterfly Pendan... TangoPony $17.99	Large Baby Giraffe - Be... FineArtsGuy $39.00	YOUR PET--Custom Noteca... originalsockdo... $45.00
Hand Embroidered Rooste... heypaul $8.00	Frog Prince on Lily Pad... ZagoraNaturals $4.00	Print Art Birds Fence B... LilyCole $20.00	Plush Star Wars Chewbac... littleoneslove $30.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

My Sister's Birthday

It was my sisters birthday this week. I wanted to get her a really unique gift this year. Preferably one I hadn't made, even though I know she adores anything I make her. The first place I thought of was Eclectics Gallery, where I'm a member and am constantly seeing cool new handmade items when I work on Saturdays.

One of my favorite items that I know my sister would adore is by Wendy Shoufler. She does amazing mosaic work and this little lamp is both a testimate to her skill as well as a usable art piece so it's not just clutter in my sister's house.

If you like larger wall art, Wendy makes those as well. She sold this piece a few months ago. It's still one of my favorites, especially for spring. It is now in a customer's beautiful home brightening up their day.

My sis is also a huge fan of jewelry. I have given her so many pieces as gifts over the years. I gave her a pair of sterling silver hoop earrings over Christmas that she just loved. Since her b-day was only a few months away, I decided to go with another artists work.

These are a beautiful pair of silver earrings by Makenna Rose Bartel. Although she has an Etsy shop, like myself, I found a pair of earrings similar to these at Eclectics. 

You can see these in the shop and on our blog: Our Eclectic Lives

KC Etsy Member Spotlight: Kathleen Gordon-Ross - Tiny Stitches

Babies are adorable. They are also messy.

For those burby messes, checkout Kansas City's local artist Kathleen Gordon-Ross's shop, Tiny Stitches, for some classy, shic cloths. They can be used for other purposes as well. Pull them out if you need a clean changing area or or if your little one gets chilled while out and about. Perfect to wipe a runny nose or clean a spilled drink in a pinch.

If you don't find a color combination that you like or that goes with your decor, send her conversation. She does custom work.

The Marketplace at John Knox - A Craft Show Booth Layout

Here comes another show! This one is The Marketplace Spring Mart April Fools weekend (March 31 - April 1). It is put on by the John Knox Village in Lee's Summit, MO at The Pavilion.

They're going to have all sorts of vendors, from handmade jewelry and accessories to clothing, gifts for friends and family, home decor, and even delicious food. All these items are going to be super unique, including my own.

Let me know you're coming! 

My mom and I have been making items like crazy for this show. I get off work at 5p, go home, and begin a new piece each night. Building the booth layout has been super fun too. It's been a challenge over the last few years acquiring the tools to have a fabulous booth. One that resists weather, looks great, displays the jewelry interesting and fun, and is easy to transport and setup. That's the best part though, facing the challenge head on and having a good game plan.

This is one of the more recent layouts I came up with for a 10x10 booth. This is a good one. A great option with both table space and grid space for good hanging or shelving. 

Option #2 isn't a favorite either since the center table could make it difficult for customers to walk through the booth. There's just not enough space between the 5 ft table and the 2 4 ft tables in the back. 

So far #3 is my favorite. I had found a posting for lightweight booth ideas on the Arts Business Institute's website which gave me the idea for the 4 small "tables" in the center. I'm still looking for the cardboard to pull this off. I'm optimistic I can find some good sturdy yet collapsible cardboard for those little tables.

Of course before we go, we'll do a mock-setup but I still wanted to have a better idea of where everything would go. It's always so chaotic when you get to a show and begin setting up. I've found it goes much more smoothly if you have a game plan and a good idea where to put your merchandise. 

This was the first drawing I had done to decide where to put all the different types of jewelry. Of course, with the layout above, I had to come up with a new placement.

Wish us luck! There is still so much to get done. Shows are a ton of work but extremely satisfying once they're complete. Definitely worth the trouble. 

Hope to see you all there.

Brittney

Fall is Here in Kansas City - Etsy Treasury List

Edited: Art Unleashed Auction 2011 - Humane Society of Kansas City

Thank you to all who bid on little miss below. She was auctioned for $55. All proceeds go to the Humane Society of Kansas City to help those animals in need.

I love animals. I love jewelry and arts and all kinds of crafts. It's a great thing when you can combine the things you love in life.

The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City is hosting a Live and Silent Auction of original pet-themed artwork. The Art Unleashed event will take place Friday August 26th at Hale Arena beginning at 7:00p - 10:00p. They have asked local artists to donate their pet-themed artwork for this event. You'll be able to see artwork from Eclectics Gallery Members, paintings by Karrol Combs, ceramics by Melissa Moore, jewelry by yours truly, and many other types of arts and crafts.

My Donation: This isn't the best picture as I took it with my phone. The deadline for artists to submit happens to be today so I haven't had a chance to take this puppy ;) home and photograph her properly. She is made with feet upon feet of silver wire in various gauges with Swarovski Crystals in Black and Crystal AB caught in a wire net within the silhouette.Since she's a beautiful girl, she was given three freshwater pearls for her collar.

Joining Eclectics

This has been a busy week. Started off with a Jury meeting with a local artist shop. This works sort of like an interview on both sides. The shop interviews the artist while the artist interviews the shop. Each need to be sure the partnership will work and be lucrative. Overall, we liked each other. Crangrats to Brie'Denee .... now a proud member of Eclectics Gallery! You'll be able to see our jewelry in the shop this May.

For a sneak peak, visit the Gallery next Friday April 15th! Attend the Mum's the Word Mothers Day event: