Crafting a HandMade Life

New work- home decor felt/silk flower series

2011-11-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

These are in a series of pillows I made called my 'Felt/Silk Flower Line.' The flower are made from a collage of alpaca felt scraps and pieces of hand dyed silk fabric. The silk fabric was left over from my time at Penland School of Craft, where we studied natural dyes. The natural dyes really seems to work with the natural palette of the alpaca felt.

These are still considered eco-friendly, all of the fabric is from natural sources, the felt is being recycled verse being thrown out, and the filling is from pillows obtained from thrift stores.
More to come

New work- home decor

2011-11-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

I produce a large amount of felt scraps from my work and I had started bagging them and selling them in my rockymountainfibers etsy page. But I thought I should try and use some in my own work. The first pillow I made was the "rainbow in the breeze." I had had a rough day- one of those days when we artist feel like selling our equipment and getting a 'real' job. As I was laying on my couch celebrating my pity-party, I had this really strong urge to just go into my studio and make something just for me. Something totally new where it didn't matter if the buying public liked it or not, just creating something for the need to create something. And that pillow resulted. I'm am going to continue with the design rather and make curtains and a duvet cover. I think that would be pretty cool.

Sometime the feeling of disappear and a readiness to through the towel in feeling, is what we need occasionally to remind us why we do what we do. We need this to break though into new artist development.

Krista

'New' old work

2011-11-10T09:02:00.000-07:00

This is a piece I also did for the Nudes show in Jackson earlier this year. I also showed it in the Art Associations 'Members Only' show- taking home a "People Choice Award" for it!

The top photo is the finished piece and the following photos are the work in progress
Krista

Figurative studies

2011-06-10T13:19:00.000-06:00

These are some pieces I made for a local show in Jackson, all about nudes. Below is my artist statement for the show. There was a third piece, but I'll show that next time.

Artist Statement

Ever since I was a young child, I have always been making art of some kind. As I grew and developed my artistic talents, I found a true love for both drawing, particularly the figure and textile art. I never thought the two would merge, but that is what my current line of work is trying to do. I have swapped out my charcoal for a needle and thread to execute the line work. Then I am using various natural fibers to help fill space. I am trying to incorporate traditional fiber and needlecraft techniques to new subject matters, the nude figure.

Some work I have chosen to work with a natural, neutral based palette using the natural color of the wools and alpaca to give a more realistic look. Other times, I am using bright, bold colors to make a statement about something.

I plan to develop this work further and see where it chooses to go.

what I've been up to the past few months

2011-05-09T19:50:00.000-06:00

One of the new projects of the year was me teaching my first felt making class. Here are some photos from the project I taught to the class. I don't have any photos from the class, as my camera was AWOL for the day.

The class covered the basics of wet-felt making and finished with the project of making a pair of either mittens or gauntlets using resist felt-making.
I love to see how much of a beast the piece started out as and how small it ended! YAY to felt making and all that lovely shrinkage!!!!!

See you around the craft table soon....

Handmade Do-It-Yourself Holiday Gift part 2

2010-11-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

Last week I was up to my elbows in wool, soap and water and eventually felt, so I took a break from blogging, but I thought I do a couple of short post this week. I am in mad-high-production mode while trying to build up my inventory for my winter shows.
during my last couple of post, I showed some of the stuff I have done with my scraps and wool roving. But what I should have said was 'Here are some great ideas for handmade holiday gifts!'. So this week I thought I re-touch on the ideas and show the kits and supplies listed in my Etsy shop so you can made your own.

The first was the longest scarf in the world- not really, but sometimes it feels that way! The supply pack I would recommend are my 'handmade wool felt square bags':

They have pre-cut felt squares that all you have to do is sew together two of the edges together and proceed down the scarf til the desired length is reached. It really is a very easy, but dramatic and functional handmade gift for the holidays!

my Thursday mornings-Farewell

2010-11-04T09:00:00.000-06:00

The farm is closed for the season and the workshares are done! The last day was one of the hardest we have had on the farm. We spread the 500, which I am not even going to get into here. If you would like more info, please search biodynamic farming! But I will tell you spreading the 500 is a strenuous job! We walk the entire length of the farm with liquid filled 5-gallon buckets and 'spread' all the hippy-dippy goodness. So we did that twice, then we worked to remove a green house that had been in one spot for 5 years. Trying to pull a tarp up that has 5-years of grass growth through it is not easy!

But, it is now done. We did get a few last crops that day: garlic, basil, kale, carrots, rutabagas. And as my sign-off from the farm until next year, yes I do plan on worksharing again, here is a photo of my favorite carrot of the season... careful it is a bit racy

'What do I do with it?' week-ornaments

2010-11-03T14:00:00.001-06:00

I also made these last winter for gifts. Hand-felted wool balls decorated into ornaments.

I started with some of my wool roving, formed a softball sized ball of roving, then dip in hot soapy water and felt into a small ball- not to tight, but enough for the ball to hold it's shape. Then let dry and hand decorate with thread, beads, dye, yarn- whatever else you can think of. Or try needle felting some decor on them.
Please see my rockymountainfibers etsy store for wool roving!

'What do I do with it?' week-stockings

2010-11-02T14:00:00.000-06:00

I made these last year for my husband and my two stepsons. I really liked how they came out.

I used a large felt scrap for the stocking, cut to shape. Then I used other smaller pieces to compose the decor, sew down. Then sew the two stocking pieces together and add a little piece around the top with a piece of bias tape for the hanger! Pretty easy and a great gift for the little and big boys and girls!

Totally customizable for whom every you want! This one is my favorite!

'What do I do with it?' week-scarf

2010-11-01T14:00:00.002-06:00

I thought this week I'd focus on some of the other work I do and what others could do with some of the supplies I sell in my rockymountianfibers store. There I sell crafting supplies like wool roving, alpaca roving and other roving, felt sheets, felt scrap baggies and natural fiber fabrics, I have been listing more and more bags of felt.
This scarf is one of the projects I made with some of my scrap felt pieces. It is about 10 feet long, so it wraps many times around my head. It is warm, soft with a nice cheeky-ness about it.

If this is something you are interested in making for some this holiday season, I would suggest buying one of my felt sheet baggies- any size- for a more custom made look and cut and sew the pieces together end to end. It is pretty easy to make, but a great and functional gift for someone in our life.

Winter shows

2010-10-29T10:30:00.003-06:00

After the long post earlier this week, I thought I'd keep this one short and sweet. Just a listing of my winter shows this year.

One-Day Craft Fair Wilson, WY Date: TBA Nora's (this will be the only local winter show I do!)
The One of a Kind Show: Chicago; Dec 2-5 Merchandise Mart.
Bust Holiday Craftacular 2009: Dec 12 The Metropolitan Pavilion 125 W 18th St.

The maybe list:
The Buyer's Market ( Trade only): Philadelphia Convention Center Feb 18-21
The American Craft Council Show: Baltimore; Baltimore Convention Center Feb 24-27

For those of you in the Chicago area, email your address for a free entry pass to the show!! kristagorrell@hotmail.com
Thanks for reading....

my Thursday mornings-week 16

2010-10-28T09:00:00.000-06:00

This is the 'sunny john' and yes, that is a composting toilet for those of you unaware.

Henry, an old Ford pick-up, which is now the storage site for tools, hoes, gloves, etc

This is a pic of some of the fields, with my husband and oldest step-son.

Our cute little piglets, bound to be sausage some day.

This week I thought I'd share some photos from the farm. These were taken during our work-share party on Oct 17. The weather was great, as it has been this long, warm fall we have been having here in western Wyoming. No snow yet! but it is coming.

winding-up

2010-10-27T11:00:00.000-06:00

Last week I talked about getting back into my studio to get work started for the winter shows I have coming up this year, but today I thought I'd touch on one of the things that was keeping me away from the studio, the e-course Marketing for Makers I have been taking. And while I don't want to turn this into an open-bitch-forum, I do want to address the class with a pretty honest eye.

First, I really like Megan. I feel she has a very strong and professional presents on the web with all that she does: jewelry, cozy/cuff, forums, classes, blogs. She seems to have a great passion for not only the handmade, but in seeing those who make handmade succeed. She has taught in the class room and that has helped and has shown presences in her e-course manner. Her work has been covered in national press and well-known blogs, and has been shown in high-end retail and wholesale shows. All of this success and achievement made me feel she had a thing or two to teach us up-and-comings.

But, I have not been totally happy with the class and some of the ways it was run. I understand e-courses are different from in-person classes and that Megan has a lot going on. But, so do I and most of the others taking the class. If I have set certain nights aside to be 'in school', then the teacher better show. More then once, the lessons were late to be posted, not just a day, but sometime not until the next 'class day' and with no acknowledgment of the late posting. Thing happen, events change, computers go down, yes but acknowledge the fact that the lesson was posted late. I and my fellow students are also paying customers, using a product bought from Megan. Would she treat her jewelry clients or a gallery owner in the same manner. I hope not, but if so perhaps I could teach Megan a thing or two about professionalism.

Okay, so now that that is off my chest, all in all I am glad I signed up for the marketing class. It has taught me some valuable things about marketing and has change my perspective on marketing. And with that change, how to better use my marketing resources. Because this posting was not a stellar A+ for Megan, I am not linking her website, the class site, anything. If you want more info or are interested in the class yourself, I don't want to tarnish that. So you will have to find her yourself.
Thanks for reading....

cracking my own whip

2010-10-22T09:00:00.002-06:00

Over the last week, by me dedicating my blogging to the launch of my new scarf/cowls it was such a good exercise to force me back into the studio. Which might sound odd, as a working studio artist, that lately I have not spent much time in my studio creating stuff. I mean sure, I have been in there sewing the alterations that have been coming in, but to be activity creating work and new work, is something I have not been putting my time into. I have been so 'busy' putting work into my business instead of putting time into work for my business. It is such an easy thing to do too!
I saw a post awhile back on Crafting an MBA about just that; too much time on the business instead of in the business.
I did choose to take a break and focus on the e-class I am still taking, but the break turned into a few weeks and it can be hard to get the creative momentum back once it has been on hold for a while. So I decided to try and get that momentum back, to try and make 'something' everyday. My first something was to finish a dress for myself I have been working on for months. Though I spent more time that day on the dress than I originally wanted, it feels really good to be wearing that dress: sew, finished and dyed, while I was writing this post.

I figure if I only have an hour on some days to try and create something, that is better than nothing. It is also freeing when you can just 'make' for your own creative freedom instead of working on an order or someone's dress (which is never a good place to be free with yourself). I have steamer trunks full of fabric waiting to be sewn into something, so I figure that is a good place to release some creative energy and get the creative ball rolling.

my Thursday mornings-week 15

2010-10-21T09:00:00.001-06:00

Last week was the final share week for those who bought a share. We, as workshares, get an extra share called the winter storage share. But the farm owners decided to incorporate both, so we walked away with massive shares last week. I had to take the photos on my table because there was so much:

And the crop list is: tomatoes, peppers, greens, kale, cosmic salad mix, argulia, garlic, pumpkin, cucumbers, cabbage, basil, parsley, kohl rabbi, onions, beets, carrots, carrots and more carrots... about 20lb. of carrots.

official launch of infinity scarf/cowl

2010-10-20T09:53:00.000-06:00

So today I thought would be the official on-line launch of my infinity scarves and cowls. I have a few listed on my etsy store now and will continue to list more in the coming weeks. Now that you have seen some of the process and making, it will give a larger understanding to the scarf/cowl, and it also gives you a nice story when people compliment your accessory.

Also, here are some photos of the now finished cowl that was demonstrated in the previous photos. I'm really happy how it turned out.

launch week-infinity scarf/cowl-concept/production

2010-10-18T12:51:00.000-06:00

I was originally going to write separate post about concept and production, but decided to streamline and make it one post. Like I was saying the other day, the idea of the infinity scarf/cowl came from a Lucky issue. But, taking the idea from the photo to concept took a little experimenting. Most of the time when I get a new concept in my mind, I ponder it, hem and haw over it and then when I finally decide to try it- I jump straight in, head first! The first one made started at 10 feet long! and ended at 70 inches around, and about 7-8 wide. It came be wrapped around up to three times- but is pretty smug at that point.

I first had figure out what materials to use. Most of my wet felt work is done with bamboo curtains. It was the first technique I was shown and has continued to be my preferred. But the bamboo was not going to work for the scarf idea. I needed sometime more flexible and also a way to form the resist in the middle ( to keep it from felting together). I decided to try bubble wrap. Some felt artist really prefer the bubble wrap, and it works great to form areas of resist, which was imperative for the scarf to work, and also is available many more lengths, which again was totally necessary for the scarf idea to work.

The first one made turned out pretty good. In addition to felting in the round to form a seamless felt loop, I also incorporated a technique called nuno felting. Nuno felt is when a piece of fabric, I use mostly silk, is layered into the roving and as the felting process is happening, the fibers intertwine themselves into the fabric, causing it to wrinkle, scrunch, bunch, crinkle and whatever other term you want to use, to form a lovely texture in the felt. And, it also helps to add structural integrity to the scarf. Above are some photos showing nuno felt.

I started a new cowl to show the steps. Here I am using a piece of silk crepe that has been dyed previously by me with some natural dyes, the wool is a ramboulette and grey alpaca.

Be sure to check back for the photos of this finished cowl and for the official launch.

launch week-infinity scarf/cowl-intro

2010-10-13T17:23:00.004-06:00

This week I thought I talk a little about a new product I am 'launching' on-line at the first of next week, cowls and my version of the infinity scarf.

I got the idea for the cowl and infinity scarves one day while looking through an issue of Lucky mag and saw a knitted version of an infinity scarf and thought 'I could do that out of felt'. For those wondering what the hell an infinity scarf is, it is a scarf that has no beginning or end, but is formed in one continuous loop. The loop is large enough to wrap multiple time around the neck. The cowl is the same concept but a taller,slimmer version, which is intended to be slipped over the head and pushed and folded down.

Tomorrow I thought we'd take a break from the farm, especially since the harvest is really starting to look the same, and see what it takes to felt a continues scarf in the round and a little more about the product.
Be sure to check back to see the work in progress!

my Thursday mornings-week 14

2010-10-07T07:00:00.000-06:00

here's the photos of the crops from last week's harvest.

It's all starting to look the same, but I guess it will last a while in the root cellar in-the-making.
Crop List: eggplant, garlic, peppers, carrot, turnips, potatoes, beets, basil, cucumber, fennel, collard greens,

American Craft week

2010-10-06T18:36:00.000-06:00

This week, actually Oct. 1-10 is American Craft week. A time set aside to celebrate the traditions of craft and the continuation of craft in America today. I was hoping to organize some event here in Jackson, but it just didn't work out. So I thought I'd use my blog as a place to talk about craft week and highlight some local craft people and studios.

So first up, my studio. I work in a back room in our house, while also using the garage for dying fabric and one of the bathrooms for my felt making. My studio is pretty tight for all I use it for and have in it. I sew both my production line and any alterations I'm working on, the futon is used for blocking felt and storing felt below, the desk my sewing machine is on is also my cutting board and also a place to set up my drum carder. I also pack up shipments, prepare the baggies o' felt that I sell and draw and develop new pieces and styles.

And lastly, this is the inspiration board for this winter season's new work coming out soon.

my Thursday mornings-week 13

2010-09-30T08:00:00.003-06:00

This last week so great. We worked under the harvest moon which was still out (did I mention we start at 7am), hanging over the mountains, just before the sun was starting to come up. I so wish I had my camera that morning to post a photo.

The pottery you see this week is from Tasha Mckelvey. We met at the BMAC show in Aug. and did a little trade. I really love how precious her work is, but functional and durable. Her company is one that I really look up to as an emerging artist. Her work is carried nation wide in stores and galleries, she shows in great art/craft fairs and is willing to share some of her business experience and advise. Which, after doing shows for a few years now and talking to many artist, is not always the case. Some people are really hush hush about their business experience.

The crop list for the week is: potatoes, tomatoes, more peppers (ahhh no more, I don't know what to do with them!) bell pepper, eggplant, collard greens with some kale (good for juicing), crazy colored carrots (purple, red, yellow oh and orange) more leeks, onions, some thyme (which was left over from a previous harvest)

and the best treat, a pumpkin!

new work soon to be listed @ etsy

2010-09-27T17:11:00.000-06:00

redefining the mission

2010-09-24T12:18:00.001-06:00

As I stated earlier this week, I've been reading Tara Gentile' s e-book about blogging. The book has been informative about keywords and other blog info. In addition, she gives 52 topics to help you keep the blog writing inspiration going. The topic for week 1 is to talk about the mission statement for your blog.
I kind of touched on that a few weeks back, when I started putting more time into this blog, but I thought today I'd re-touch. I've been trying to deiced where to take this blog and I think I'm going to let it lead it's own path.
I want to use this as a place for people, customers, other artist and whomever to find out more about me, my art, my work, and what else I am and do. Megan Auman had a post on her blog a while back about this. She had always instructed her students to keep their blogs about business and not personal; but we're artist, what we do is personal. And she admitted that and has started to talk a little more about her personal life.
I also want to use this place for me too. I want this blog to be a place I too can refer back and see what was going on then. I want to use this as a place to talk openly about my business struggles, or what I've learned in my schooling, or what I pulled out of the garden last week.
So I guess that is the mission statement of this blog, a place for people to see what I'm up to, to see new and developing work, to find out my show schedule, to learn from my experiences, to see my eco efforts ( which is one reason I work at an organic farm) and some random stuff too I decide to post.
Thanks for reading and let's see where the journey goes.

my Thursday mornings-week 12

2010-09-23T09:00:00.003-06:00

With the crop from last week, I tried making Baba Ghanoush. But just ended up mixing it into some homemade hummus, as the eggplants were just a bit too small. I also blanched and froze the beans from the last two weeks. I'm going to try to braid the garlic!
I told my husband that I want to convert our houses craw space into a root cellar. I need some place to store the garlic, carrots, onions, potatoes and whatever else comes in the next few weeks.

The crop list is: winter squash, kohlrabi (does anyone know what to do with them?), cosmic mix, more carrots and garlic and potatoes, more peppers, fennel, leeks, and basil.
Cheers

getting schooled

2010-09-22T16:59:00.000-06:00

After finishing up my summer shows I have decided it was time to put some energy into trying to expand my knowledge of business, marketing, blogging (all the stuff I feel I struggle with). I recently started the e-course Marketing for Makers taught by Megan Auman. We are a few weeks in and the lessons have been good, inspiring and a little over whelming.
I have also started reading 52 Weeks of Blogging and will soon start Story Telling by Tara Gentile from Scoutie Girl.

In my quest for knowledge I'm starting to relize that A LOT of people are now offering professonal services and help ebooks and coaching; it just got me wondering a) how well equiped are all these people to give professional business help and b) how do you decide who to work with?

I like Megan and Tara's style and they both seem really well accompished in the area they are selling business services and products in. I have confidence in the products I have chosen, but what about you reader? What services/products have you tried, liked, disliked, recommend?
Thanks for reading!

new supplies listed

2010-09-20T09:31:00.000-06:00

I have added some new felt baggies at my supply etsy store: rockymountainfibers.

Be sure to check them out.

my Thursday mornings-week 11

2010-09-17T16:59:00.002-06:00

Here's the photos from last week from the farm.
We had some excitement, one of the cows got out of the electronic fence and was running around the farm. He was just trying to have a little fun, can you blame him!
The crop list for the week is: eggplant, more peppers, red-leaf lettuce, collard greens, carrots, garlic, potatoes, green beans and sage.

my Thursay mornings- week 10

2010-09-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

One thing I do that a lot of people don't know about is work at a CSA ( community supported agriculture) farm on Thursday mornings. It is part of a six month commitment as a work-share at the Cosmic Apple farm in Victor, ID. For 5 hours starting at 7am we weed, plant, hoe, harvest, cover, re-harvest, weed some more and whatever else needs done on the farm that day and as payment we get a share of the crop. We are currently on week 10 of the harvest time, about month 4 for the work-share portion. Here are some photos from the harvest on Sept 2.
The crop list is as follows: tomatoes, peppers: green, banana, jalapeno; eggplant, zucchini, cucumber, cosmic salad mix, kale, sunflowers, beans: green, yellow, flat; and basil. It was a good week.
The ceramic bowl and canister you see are by a potter out of Portland, OR, Laura Cooke.

one cool step-momma

2010-09-07T16:31:00.003-06:00

From time to time, I consider myself a pretty cool step-mom. I made these guitar shaped cookies for my oldest step-son's birthday earlier this month. I think they turned out pretty cool.

I bought the cookie cutter for these from the punkrockkitchen website, for those that might like to rock out their own kitchen sometime.
I didn't use the receipy in the cookbook which came with the cookie cutter, but some store bought pre-made sugar cookie dough, which I think added to the misshaped guitars after baking. But I was happy with the results in the end.

In addition to the cookies, I have been traveling a lot this summer to various shows, trade shows and a creative entrepreneurs conference in Seattle. While there, I decided to make some changes to my business and one of those changes is to this blog. I have decided to change it from just updates about my business more about my life as a crafty-creative-maker-artist-designer-seamstress-gardener-reader-adventurer and anything else I feel so inclined to write about. I hope this will help both stimulate me to want to write more and to get more readers to my blog.
Hope you like what is to come.

wholesale work

2010-04-08T09:37:00.004-06:00

this month will be spent on my preparations for my first wholesale show. it is the ACRE wholesale show which is affiliated with wholesalecrafts.com, a website dedicated to wholesale crafts. only registered artist and buyers can fully access it.
the show will be in vegas the first part of june. i'm starting to feel overwhelmed by the amount of work i feel i need to do before the show; line sheets, catalogs, order forms, a new booth layout, new posters with product shots, and much more i'm sure i'm not listing. i have started to pool my books and other references about wholesaling. i recently bought megan auman's wholesale e-book, which i hope to get read by the weekend.
i really crossing my fingers with this wholesale show and hopefully the buyer's market in august. i'm hoping this will really help to make my company stronger so i can go full time in my studio next year!
i addition to that, i have also started hearing back about summer retail shows. i decided to not travel as much this summer and only do a few retail summer shows. last year i lost a decent amount of money doing retail shows out of town. so, for this summer i am doing the Jackson hole art fairs and maybe one in Portland, OR in September. here are photos of some new color combos i have been working for my retail shows. these are for my 'natural line'.
this photo shows two new color combos, the larger swatches. they are made from carding the two outside rovings together to get the center color.

this shows colors formed by layering the different color rovings. its a much different effect. i like the bottom two, but not so much the upper two.

garment tags

2010-04-07T09:32:00.003-06:00

i finally cowboy'd-up and bought some professional woven garment tags. it been something i've wanted to do for a while, but always felt my money should be put elsewhere. so here they are; i really like them. they also have my new logo on them, with i designed. what do you see? what do you think it is?
i also wanted to announce some shows coming up: april 24 jackson whole grocer eco-fair; also the jackson hole art fairs, i've been excepted for both july and august, but am not sure if i will do both. check back for more!

new work 3/2010

2010-03-12T16:35:00.003-07:00

this is a piece i'm donating to a museum here is wyoming for their fundraiser. it's a piece i've been thinking a lot about.
i've been thinking how can i take my fiber love and love of figure drawing into one; so here is the first attempt. my husband really digs it.
the process: i took an old drawing from our local open studio drawing class, re-drew it onto a 5 x7 inch piece of silk noil (similar to linen in its texture and density), then outlined the figure with black embroidery floss, filled in the figure with both wool and alpaca roving, which i needle felted into the silk fabric, then worked in more embroidery floss for details, highlights, definition. the blue is a piece of scrap silk/soy satin from my capelet linings. her hair is loose embroidery floss jst barely tacked into place by needle felting. all the fiber, minus the blue fabric, is natural undyed fiber.
i'm really excited to take this work farther. i am often asked what a fiber artist is and i think this piece really shows one side fiber art.

guest artist 5- megan auman

2010-03-08T10:47:00.002-07:00

megan auman is a metal artist, designer, jeweler, business advisor, teacher...should i continue. i have never meet megan, but i have followed her blog and work for a few years now.

one reason to feature her is for her new blog craftingMBA, a craft business blog which has been offering great business tips and topics. this month is the launch of her book club, which i am very excited about.

as for megan's work, i suggest checking out her etsy and websites to see what she does.

so here's to megan, for her constant pursuit to help others achieve, cheers!

guest artist 4- rocky mountain fiber

2010-02-22T14:55:00.004-07:00

so i've taken a couple of weeks off from blogging, but am back. and i was thinking for this week's installment of guest artist, i'd do a little horn tooting by talking about my new etsy shop
rocky mountain fibers and fabrics.
i've been selling fiber and felt from my slimpiken etsy shop and have felt it clutters my shop. i'd rather have people coming there to see my work only, so i've decided to open a second etsy shop for just fiber and fabrics from natural sources. it will be all the supplies and materials i use. i'm hoping it will bring in a little extra income between shows.
at some point i'd like to start listing dyed fiber and fabric.
so if you've been waiting to try your hand at the fiber arts, please check out my new store for your fiber and fabric needs.

now for sale

2010-02-04T11:02:00.000-07:00

my new capelets are for sale on my etsy site. please sure to check them out

more photos

2010-02-03T16:24:00.004-07:00

here are some more photos of my new capelets

guest artist 3-ShiBang designs

2010-02-01T15:43:00.002-07:00

today's artist is Robyn Stephans from nova scotia, canada. robyn and i meet at the OOAK show in chicago. she too was part of the etsy pavilion. she is a fiber artist making bags, clutches, ipod cases. she take wool roving, which she has hand dyes and felts, then appliques it to her bag. i think the best part of her work is the details in the thread colors, textures, use of netting to really bring out the colors of the felt.
robyn's work can been seen at her etsy site or design a bag yourself at her website!

my new line of work

2010-01-29T12:48:00.003-07:00

here are some photos of my new line of work- capelets. i premiered them at my winter shows last year. people really seemed to like them.
they are capelets made from handmade wool wet felt, hand dyed and constructed by me. the linings are a silk/soy satin also hand dyed.
look for more photos soon. i will also be listing them on etsy in the next week

guest artist 2- heidi fehrenbacker

2010-01-26T16:01:00.003-07:00

my second choice is Heidi Fehrenbacher from Michigan. we met at the one of a kind Chicago show this past December. she is a functional potter with interesting glazing designs. i bought a few of her pieces for Christmas gifts.
i love the shape of her curved mugs. also her 'country/city mouse' mugs are so great.
what i love most about her work is the uniqueness of her pieces. while they are standard in function and purpose (like most pottery) her works stands out as the silhouettes are different and her glazes. i like how she almost draws on the pieces; they have some great line work.
Heidi was a great artist to be next at the show, helping the time go by so well.

studio clearance sale

2010-01-22T10:50:00.002-07:00

i have not talk about the fact that i'm running a big clearance sale in my etsy store for the next couple of months, til the end of march. i don't believe in discounting work to sell it; i feel it 'cheapens' it and makes the customer think that every artist should discount their work. so i don't normally do it. but i have some stock which is older and i'd like to clear it out to make room of new work.
so if you been looking to get one of my pieces, now is the time. there are some pretty deep discounts.
i am also selling wool roving and grab bags of my felt scraps for those who'd like to experiment on their own.
i am also offering free shipping on any sale through march too!

guest artist 1-amy tavern

2010-01-18T13:12:00.003-07:00

there are a few reasons i chose amy as the first artist to highlight. first, she has played a large role in my craft pursuits. we meet back in 2006 at penland school of craft in north carolina. she was an assistant in the metal smithing class while i was elbow deep in some wool in the textiles dept. she has been huge source of information, and never seems to mind giving advice. some artist i meet are real hush hush with their knowledge, but not amy. she is currently back at penland in her second year of their artist residency program.
i have always love amy's work. it's simple lines and shapes with a cheeky quark added through her design elements. have have a couple of her pieces and used her jewelry in my wedding.
another reason i chose amy right now is her production line will be disappearing at the end of january. so check out her work at her site and her etsy store. you can become a fan at her facebook page and follow her on twitter too. i'll be sad to her her production line go, but as she has stated this is the time to experiment and grow into new work.
thanks amy!

2009 to 2010

2010-01-14T12:42:00.003-07:00

well it's another year, so i guess it's time for goal setting and year in reviewing.
first, i'd like to change this blog. i've been using this as a forum to talk about my struggles and victories with my art (definitely more struggles at this point). but this year, i'd like to talk about other artist/crafters. i meet some really great people at the shows i've attended and would like to talk about them here. so mondays will be set aside for other artist.
while at the one of a kind show NYC, it came to me... how can i expect people to buy my handmade objects when i don't buy many handmade objects? so, i am going to live a 'handmade year'. i will try to buy as much as possible handmade, mostly from etsy. i'm hoping it might help my online etsy sales as well as support the handmade movement.
another project on the horizon is getting into a couple of wholesale shows this year. i'm hoping for the buyers market and the acre vegas show.
i'm also setting the goal that by the end of 2010, i can go into 2011 as a full time studio artist and retire from table waiting.
i have some new designs that were premiered at the winter shows, i need to get some photos. i finally got my caplettes going. it been something in the back of my mind and finally got them going. more on those later.
and lastly, i'm really thinking about getting a small clothing line going, using only natural fiber fabrics, since that is part of my artist statement and goal with my current work.

as for 2009..... i think over all the year was ok. i raised my prices in 2009, so that had an effect on my slower sales, but i did sell work at the prices. the one of a kind show in chicago was good and i have signed the contract for 2010, but NYC was a bad show and i will not return. the summer shows were the same... some bad, some ok and a couple good ones. i need to find a way to supplement my income in between the show season. which is where i'm hoping wholesale will fit in.

one of a kind chicago

2009-12-07T16:36:00.002-07:00

i'm sitting here in chicago waiting to board my train to new york, and thought i'd get a few thoughts down. the show i just finished was decent; i learned a lot of stuff and will try this show again next year. first, because i was in the etsy pavilion i had half the footage as other artist, so that made my sales not as high, i didn't have the room to have the inventory to really bring in the money. i also learned that i need a LOT more inventory to make more money at this show. my new natural line seemed very popular too. all this will help me for next years show.
i also have to note that at this show i was accosted by a sheep farmer. she came into my booth and asked about where i got my wools from, so i told her. some i get from local and independent farmers, but most i buy through ashland bay, which is a wholesaler out of portland. they use wool from all over the world. the farmer got pretty confrontational with me, lecturing me on the need to use local, domestic farmers, which i don't disagree with. but i told her until local farmers can be competitive with price and consistent with quality, it doesn't make business sense to buy it. she then argued back that if more people bought domestically, then the prices would be competitive. ok. we then moved on to the silk fabric i use, which to my knowledge isn't available by domestic mills. she gave me a breif history lesson about the US being the largest manufacture of silk... during the civil war! fantastic, does that help me now?
here's the point: i'm producing a product that is from natural and renewable fibers, recycled goods, using eco-friendly dyes, made by domestic artisan hands, my own; how much more do i need to pile onto my product? how much more cost can i really pass on to the consumer? she tells me they make less money by using domestic wool in there products, ok but i'm still waiting tables to pay bills- how much less can i make? i wished i had asked her if the wool blazer she wore was from domestic wool or if her blue jeans had been constructed within the US, i bet not. does she go into macy's and lecture the sales clerks about domestic fiber in their products? why does the responsibility fall on my shoulders as a fiber artist?
that's all i have to say to that
more to come from NYC......

some new work

2009-11-11T08:52:00.003-07:00

here of some photos of some new work! i've been developing a new line of work which uses naturally colored wools and alpacas. with these colors, i have started partial felting in designs. that's how i've made some of my newer work which has stars, honeycomb, circles, etc. designs in the felt.
people seem to really like the colors and the natural aspect, but the price is much higher than my dyed work. there's more work involved and also the fiber alone cost substantially more!

so here are some photos of the natural stuff. all the following work in un-dyed, naturally color wools and alpacas!

working hard

2009-11-10T09:37:00.005-07:00

the past few weeks have been spent getting ready for my winter show circuit. they are
winterfair-cincinnati nov 27-29
one of a kind-chicago dec 3-6
one of a knid- new york dec 10-13
if you'll be in the area, stop by and say hi!

here some new pieces i've been working on. the bottom brown one is one of my favorites. i made it for myself, but decided i need to be selling all i can right now, so it is listed at my etsy shop and will be for sale at the shows, until it sells!

1 year down

2009-07-20T13:42:00.001-06:00

this past weekend was the jackson hole art fair, which was my first juried show. so this marks my 1 year anniversary. instead of looking back, i choose to look forward. here are some things to work towards:
1. making a profit! separate from my other forms of income; my craft supporting my craft!
2. work towards outsourcing some of the work: photos, garment tags, people to help with bookkeeping, money, all that!
3. develop new products; set time aside every week to do some product development.
4. keep working to get organized!! some days i'm really good, then my portfolio blows up! (which is its current condition)
5. get into some better shows. after working with the howard allen group this summer i can honestly say i will never work with them again! i'm going to try and do better research to which shows to try for.
lastly 6. keep trying! which is all any of us can say right now!

so i need a break from the fiber, going into wedding world instead. i'll be posting photos as soon as i can find the camera cord to upload the pictures!
more later

green show

2009-07-03T07:33:00.003-06:00

its early morning here out west and i'm preparing to leave for the second show this summer, a green show in frisco co. here are some green pieces i'm taking. these hats are made from all natural, un-dyed wool and alpaca. this is something i've been wanting to do for sometime and am thinking about offering a new line of natural colored goods.
this second group is again naturally colored wool, but i then did a dye bath with walnuts husks. walnut is one of the few natural dyes that does not require a mordant (primer). some of the mordants are very toxic, but most think natural dyes are greener
more from the show later

first show down

2009-06-30T09:57:00.003-06:00

i've just returned from my first show of the summer season; in vail co. here's my new booth layout that corey and i built!!! don't be fooled, as i did most of the carpentry work on these wood boxes. corey build brackets and got hardware on them. i really like the flower pots/cement weights needed to keep the tent on the ground.
the show was not so hot, i did sell some (not enough to recover my cost), but some of my neighbors had no sales! so it could have been worse. i was not expecting much from this summer, but i was hoping for a little more than this first show provided!
i have been in a real bad mood since my return and i'm not sure way. this week i have a lot of commitments and work to do and little time, so my stress level is high. but another thing is i'm not sure if doing these shows is really my thing. it takes so much time away from your studio and work. and not just the time at the show, but travel and then getting resettled once back in the studio, it takes days! so i think that is frustrating me. also the summer tourist season is in full swing, so traffic is high and people are everywhere.
i don't know why people forget to pack their brains when they go on vacation!!
as a new month is on the horizon, i'm planning to make myself write every weekday this month, just cause i feel like i need one more thing!
more tomorrow!

surface work

2009-05-22T10:54:00.003-06:00

this week i've been doing a little 2D surface work for my wedding accessories and my dress. here are some photos.
i was trying to match the swatch; i think it came out pretty close. i'm not sure how to get the 'dusty' gray to fully match, but it should work.

i'm dying this for my dress, but am second guessing it; it needs more worki like how much darker the first photo looks; i just need to keep working it.

where did may go?!

2009-05-20T09:39:00.002-06:00

it seems like just last week i was in ohio for a family thing in late april, next thing i know its memorial day weekend! haaaaaaaaa!!!!!
so much to do! so little time. i have 6 shows lined up for this summer:
vail, co june 26-28
frisco, co july 4 &5
jackson hole july 17 -19
boulder, co july 25 &26
frisco, co aug 8 &9
jackson hole, wy aug 14-16
in addition to getting inventory together, i'm also redoing my booth!! exciting and over whelming

back to the studio

2009-04-12T22:05:00.002-06:00

spring break is over! everyone will be returning to school or their house. so its time to hit the studio hard this week. i'm hoping to get beck on-line this week and continue to have new work coming.
my summer schedule is getting finalized too. the past week i heard from 5 of the 6 shows i applied to: 3 acceptance 2 rejections- which i'm taking hard as they where the first shows i've been rejected from so far. but its going to happen at some point. so i have applied to a few more for the summer and am also looking into shows for later in the year.
first on the to-do list is get professional photos! which i think may be one reason i was rejected. also work on my booth design and layout. time to apply some of the info i learned in philadelphia!
brand new week, no guest, no step kids- studio here i come!

working away

2009-03-27T13:44:00.004-06:00

this past week i've got some work done, not as much as i'd like... but is it not also that way.
i have a few more scarves in the works and some new ideas that have come to me recently. i feel 'early april' breathing down my neck. as that is when my new works premier!
on another note things have happen (which i will not detail here) in my life to get me thinking about what comes along with the talent of being an artist.
people and society view us as an anomaly on display. like animals in the zoo.... 'look how interesting, so beautiful, how exotic....' but only with the security of glass to separate themselves; elevated to a higher platform. people are envious, interested, but distant at the same time.
i have friends both fellow artist/ craftsman and those are not artistically inclined, and with the later group there's this difference... like the disclosure at the bottom of a document, 'she an artist'. like it some separate classification of people (and maybe we are.) but yet these same people go the art fairs and other arts events; interested only from the safety glass.
its like society and those in it hate to have us around but can't live without us; without someone to put a twist on ways to view our world. almost as if we're a threat to how a 'normal' society should be, how people should live their lives; while we feel the freedom to live as we so want and believe.... how scary!

a little taste

2009-03-13T13:28:00.003-06:00

apparently my foul mood carried over into today and is preventing me from getting stuff done. i'm feeling very artistically frustrated today. i'm hoping to work it out here soon today. i'm feeling overwhelmed with all that needs to be done, so i end up not doing anything. i need to get a list together and prioritize!!!
here are some photos of one of the new designs i've been working on. this piece will be donated to a local art auction. i like this design and will continue to development more.
the hat also got donated; as a set, 'my thoughts in blue'

one of those days

2009-03-12T22:10:00.003-06:00

today was another day where i was so busy... not working in my studio. i have found that i have a real struggle trying to find a balance between studio time and being a 'homemaker'. (right now i'm hating that term). having two teenage stepsons, one that lives with us full time is a full time job within its self... at least that's how it feels some days. there's such a fine balance of time in days and it frustrates me when all i want to do is get some work done and other responsibilities pull me away.
but for right now i am listening to my song-du-jour obsession 'the cocktail slippers' st valentine's day massacre!

hard at...not work

2009-03-11T17:30:00.002-06:00

i'd like to say i've been so busy in my studio that i haven't even had time to write, but alas, untrue. the past few days have been filled with getting a new used car, which is a good thing, both for business and personal. but my days have been filled with business junk. sometimes i feel the art of running a business takes so much from the business of my art. i am looking into recruiting help, i.e. an accountant who can help with my bookkeeping. also i'm looking into ordering new and nicer label tags, as i've been making my own. and am looking into other ways to save my precious studio time by outsourcing the stuff that i can.
i have been working on some new pieces though!!! look for them here in a few weeks!!
tomorrow should be fun as a local garment making company is closing it doors and selling its inventory... so thread, zippers, yards and yards o'fabric here i come!

bold decisions

2009-03-04T10:30:00.003-07:00

as of this morning i've decided to make the bold decision to temporarily close up my etsy shop and website as i'm planning entire over haul of my current line and working on new pieces. i am choosing to keep it closed until early april, which is when i was planning on releasing my new work.
i really feel this is needed as am trying to raise my level of craftsmanship and artistic quality in my goods. this morning i was looking at my current inventory and realised how unhappy i am of the work i've been trying to sell is. so i decided to pull it all!
i'm looking forward to reworking things and working on new goods.
i'm hoping this will help me with what direction to take my company and artwork. i'm still interested in wholesale and might used my current work as my wholesale line and work on more one-of-a-kind pieces to retail my self, under my name, not SlimPik'enDesign; i'll save that for wholesale.....maybe?!
i'm guessing this is coming from the classes in phili..... damn education!
anyway i will of course keep my blog going.... as i'm sure i will need it now more then ever to get my artist woes off my chest!
check back for the newest developments

final thoughts

2009-02-27T16:23:00.002-07:00

this is the last post on the buyers market classes. overall, i'm very glad i attended the classes and would recommend the classes to any artist looking to become more professional in their art. the classes and the info learned has been running through my head since we returned. there was definitely a discouraging note among the vendors at this show, "worst show ever, no sales",etc...
but again i'm glad i went.
i have also decided to make some drastic changes to my company. for example i raised my prices. i've decided to take my pride in my craft and price my goods in accordance. my goods are all individual and take time, knowledge and talent to make. it will be interesting to see what the response to the price change is. i think the reason i feel like i'm not making any money is because my goods are way under priced. i'm not wal-mart, so my goods should not look or be priced so!
i'm also working on some new designs and new products to add to company....which will be reveled on april 3.
be sure to check back to see whats new

buyers market pt. 2

2009-02-25T14:02:00.004-07:00

on the second day of classes we learned about gallery relationships and pricing. both were very informative. i learned ways to get galleries to order from you, good ways to follow up, marketing tools. the pricing class was also great. i learned my prices will most likely change, upward. i learned many other things in this class, but that is definitely the main point that has implanted in my head.
in other news today, check out the visitors that have been chillin' in my backyard all day
(those are moose)
also today i've been working on getting photos taken and hopefully add more to my etsy store in the next few days. my goals are to post items daily- to get more traffic and make some sales!!i'm trying so new photos, just from the eyes up, not the whole face. what do you think?
tomorrow- my final thoughts on the buyers market

home sweet wyoming

2009-02-24T14:20:00.003-07:00

last week corey and i visited phili, for the buyers market training classes.
(well, i was taking classes, corey just wondered the city)
ABI works with buyers market and the rosen group to help prepare artist for the jump into wholesale. my classes consisted of gallery relationships, wholesale 101, booth design, pricing, and many group panel discussions.
wholesale 101 and booth layout were both presented by bruce baker. he was a very dynamic and engaging speaker. i definitely got info from his classes which applied to both wholesale and retail.
his class also helped me to determine i'm not ready to move into wholesale yet. i feel i need more time refining my line and also expanding it. one point stressed by more than one speaker was to have a wholesale only line and a retail line, to prevent competition with the galleries. this is something i want to do before i attend a trade show.
the booth design class also had great info for my summer lineup of retail shows, which i just finished applying for. the line up (if excepted) is:
jackson hole art fair, july and august
sun valley
vail
boulder
park city
now i just need to find a way to get a little cash flow so to pay for the booth fees!!!
more on the buyers market tomorrow!!

thank you thank you

2009-01-29T12:37:00.004-07:00

i'd like to announce that i've received a lovely grant from the state of wyoming! this grant will pay in full for me to attend the buyers market wholesale training class in feb. in phili!
this is great as money is tight (for everyone i'm sure) and because this puts me one step closer to my goal of becoming a vendor for this show by feb. 2010!!!!!
so a big thanks to the state of wyoming for this very helpful grant!!!!

office work

2009-01-22T10:16:00.003-07:00

today is a day filled with paperwork, bill paying, web stuff.
so exciting!
but, one highlight, today is also the day for wedding stuff, which is fun.... sometimes. today we get to decide on a guess list and reception stuff.... so kind of tedious.
but... please check out our wedding blog. i figure about twice a week i'll try to up date and post stuff. kristaandcoreygetmarried.blogspot.com/

scary, very scary

2009-01-21T19:25:00.003-07:00

over this past weekend, i had a scary but very fortunate experience. i was up early Saturday morning, around 5:45am ( i am a breakfast waitress too) and went into our garage looking for something and was meet by a garage full of smoke.
the garage is used mostly for storage and my dye studio, not for storing our cars. in my dying of fabric i use portable hot plate burners, which one had shorted out, heated it self up and started to burn the hat set on top of it. luckily, wool is naturally self-extinguishing and had been used for fireman's blankets, so the fiber had just smoldered. which is very lucky as we have many chemicals stored in the garage and our closes smoke detector is not working, so the situation could have turned for the worst.
so just a quick reminder of those of us that work with heat, flame, chemical, etc. to be cautious with our equipment. i would have never had thought of my burners shorting out and almost burning down our house, but you can bet they'll never be left plugged in when not in use from now on.

hello new year

2009-01-15T15:07:00.002-07:00

i realize its been the new year for a few weeks now (where does the time go?) but i still feel the need to acknowledge it. so here we are. my current activities consist of deciding what shows to apply to for the summer season. also planning my trip to phili for the buyer's market visiting artist program. afterward, i will be one step closer to my goal of being a vendor at this show by next year!!
the timing is good, as i feel i still need a little time getting my work more refined to move into wholesaling and this training course should help!
corey and i are in total wedding planning madness right now, but it should slow down here once we get contracts signed and everything lined up! i'm going to start a wedding blog, if anyone is interested in seeing whats going on with the wedding. also a way for people to rsvp without all the paper and postage trash!
on a more serious note, i'm sure most artist and crafters have by now seen something on the new laws going into effect in feb. the consumer product safety improvement act- this is very serious changes that will put most crafters out of business. i'm asking everyone, artist or not, to take action and sign petitions, talk to others, just spread the word and get others involved! here are some important links
etsy's site
CNN money site
a blog
and if you just enter CPSIA petition in google a whole list comes up.
even if you think this don't effect you or your craft, don't forget those of us who's it does!

'closed' for the season

2008-12-07T13:30:00.003-07:00

its sunday, the last day of the last show i'll do this year. so time for a little reflection!
-its been a tough year to break into the craft market, at least that's what other artist have told me. i have received many compliments on my work by fellow artist and the general public, if only that payed the bills.
- i have some new ideas which i'm excited about getting started on in the new year
-i decided it was time to make a serious attempt at getting into the wholesale world (as stated in an earlier post).
- some areas that need work: my web presents needs at least one full studio day spend on web markets, my site, stores etc.
: working on a client list, mailings etc.
: streamlining my line- getting rid of some styles, developing new

just some points to think about for myself

ode to the midwest

2008-11-26T10:45:00.002-07:00

i am in ohio for the next few weeks. this is where i grew up and went to school. i drove back in my slow, old pickup from wyoming. here are some photos from the three days on the road.

BUST ad debut

2008-11-19T16:57:00.003-07:00

today i got my new BUST issue with my ad in it!
(the colors are different??)

check it out yo'self!

its been a while....

2008-11-18T18:20:00.003-07:00

didn't realize i hadn't written in over a month!
the past two weekends i've done shows. my Casper show was pretty disappointing monetarily, but worth it weight in golden knowledge i learned from my neighbor!! one plus to the shows!
i have set a major goal for my craft company... i am going to try and get to the buyers market of american craft by Feb. 2010. seems far away, but not really. Feb 2009 I'm going to attend their wholesale classes, then apply as a vendor for the next year. i feel this will give me time to develop my product, learn how much i can make and get a more regimented studio work schedule. so I'm feeling really inspirited and hopeful about achieving my goal for being a full time studio artist!
now i'm off to ohio for two big shows. hopefully these go better!
also on the horizon. corey and i have set a wedding date 9.3.09! so that will be going on as well throughout the next year. yay!!!

run off

2008-09-26T06:51:00.004-06:00

yesterday corey and i did another photo shot up in grand teton NP; that is until these guys ran as off. we waited in the car til they moved on. then continued and got some nice shots.
other than that, i've been dragging my feet about doing work to prepare for the upcoming shows, but hopefully today and next week i can get that motivation back!

new pics

2008-09-23T10:23:00.003-06:00

last week corey and i went out and shot some photos of me in my hats for my sites! here are some of the better ones. the background is north of jackson, mormon row in the grand teton NP.
hopefully this week we can get more!

something new

2008-09-17T07:01:00.002-06:00

here are photos of some scarfs i put together to sell along side my hats. i thought that they would sell like hot cakes, but no one hardly looked at them. i think they're really cute, but what do i know, i'm just the designer. look for them soon in my etsy shop!

a little down

2008-09-15T11:32:00.003-06:00

it's monday, the day after my second sale and it did not go well. this seems to be such a hard time for everyone. so i guess you just count the pennies and keep moving forward, right? good thing for waitressing, which is what i'm currently doing!
anyway last week i got my first order of wool, as i am now a wholesaler. so i have about 50lbs. of wool in my house now. hopefully going to start selling some on my etsy page. it looks like big caterpillars!
i also found a new website i'm going to try out, called smashing darling. its for indie fashion designers, so hopefully i'll have more luck there. also i figure its time to wholesale out some of the inventory left over from the sales.
also, a few weeks ago was my 1 year anniversary for quitting smoking! to celebrate, a necklace i bought from my friend and mentor ms. amy tavern!
so it's back to the grind stone as i have three more sales in the coming months!

Art Wear Fashion Week

2008-08-22T08:16:00.004-06:00

after a late night on tuesday and an early morning on weds. the hats for the Art Wear Fashion Week are done and were mailed on weds morning. here are some photos

above 'the ice queen'; below 'aries ode to spring'
below 'the leave are falling'

above 'the bustled bride'; below again 'april showers bring may flowers'

and a few from production line: the 'ruffled jen'
the 'judy'; the 'chuck' in pink

my latest project

2008-08-11T08:36:00.003-06:00

in addition to my art and hats and working almost full time slinging ice, i also do alteration. here is one that came in by Corey's co-workers wife. she needed this dress to be part of a wedding and it was too small. the parameters if the dress: must be yellow and must be formal. so here's what we started with....
somethings you can't see. the skirt is totally sheer, we could not even zip it up, it looks a lot better in this photo then the real dress (they always look better in a size 2 as opposed to a size 20, the size i was working with)
and here are the photos after i worked on it......

what i did... sewed in an underskirt so it was not sheer, cut the single shoulder strap off, sewed it to a strapless bodice, put thin straps with the organza sewed on it, removed the sequence and the hip ruffle thing, moved the zipper to the side seam and cut and placed a new nude colored back panel to acomodate the size difference. i think it looks better.

still here...just busy

2008-08-06T11:30:00.003-06:00

i have discovered i'm not so good at this blog thing, but here's the latest news. i'm still a little disappointed in the first show... but i realize life moves on and so have my oppurtunities. i have been excepted in the Art Wear Fashion Week in fort collins, CO. they have asked me to display 5-8 hats like my 'april showers...' hat (above).
i also just found out that i have been excepted in both Winterfair shows in ohio, one in cincinnati and columbus. i'm not sue if i'm going to do the sales or not, but it nice to know i have the option.
some other sales this year are 'taken it to the streets' here in jackson, wy part of the fall arts fest and 'November Art Sale and Show' at the Nicolasysen center in casper, WY.
in other news, i have returned to the work force here in the hole. doing what you ask... no, not slinging booze or coffee (though i've always thought 'krista the barista' is too cute) ... i'm slinging ice and meat. that's right, i'm back working at jackson whole ice and game. in the summer we make and deliever ice all over the valley, in the fall we process the game from hunting season. i think i'm the only veg-head who would work at a game processing plant!!

here i am in my new western hat!!

the aftermath

2008-07-23T10:35:00.003-06:00

my first show is over and after a few days to recover, here's what happened. i was happy with my booth layout and also the fact that besides the table in the last 20 mins of the show blowing over, everything else held. people liked the display stands, one women wanted to buy them!!
my sale were reasonable, i guess, since i don't have anything to compare it to. i did make enough to cover my costs, which is good. i do think i will get a part time job just to bring a little money during the down time between the next show.
i only sold a little over 20 hats, so with having 200 there..... you know. but now i have the inventory for the next show and to wholesale some out,
that was the biggest question i got, do you have a store?, where do you show?, oh... you're local! seemed to be a plus!!
i did find that most people have no idea what i do. most thought i knitted then put the hat into the washer to shrink it down. so i explained that that's fulling not felting. some understood, most didn't. i had a few people walk and say they could do that! go right ahead then little lady!!!! and tell me how to make a successfully business at it too!!!
but all in all, the show was good, the weather was good, no blown away tents, covered my cost what else could i ask for... a little profit but maybe next time. here's corey and i at the end of the show!

i have to share this...

2008-07-15T09:02:00.003-06:00

it's early here, just past 9am and i had to share this story. i was still in bed, not fully asleep, the in between stage, when you aren't quite ready to face the daily stuff but not in a dead sleep and my business phone keeps going off. 'i'll get the voice mail later, who calls before 9am anyway!' but i get up and return the call. its a young women looking for my store!! 'i work out of my house' i tell her, but invite her over as she was just around the corner. so here i am in a lovely pair sweats with some slogo written across my ass, a hoodie and my first hat, a forest green elva. this young women was trying to help her younger sister with a 4A project and has looking for something domestic made i.e. my stuff!!! she bought a hat that i hope she really wanted, i hope not out of obligation cause i was standing there in my PJ's!!! i told her to contact me if things don't work out. anyway it really was a nice way to get woken up, someone seeking my work out!
here are some photos from my building a display rack last night!!
Jennifer Beals (flashdance) eat your heart out!! but i think she had better hair!!!!!

on your mark...

2008-07-14T10:12:00.002-06:00

so here it is , the monday of the week of the big show and i find myself surprisingly calm.
as of right now, it feels like its all coming together!!! i have about 200 hats mostly done, just pressing, steaming and photos, which is tomorrow. today is pin making, getting supplies, dropping off another show app, and working on displays tonight.
tomorrow photos, which will be nice to get posted!!!
weds. getting tags on and final prep. also the weekly local paper which has made me their art section cover story comes out!!!
thursday show set up and thats it. that night i plan on fully relaxing before the three days of the show!!!!

the countdown is on

2008-07-07T21:55:00.003-06:00

time is coming to a fast approaching end. i have scaled back to about 200 hats, which i really hope is enough, so i have time to focus on other aspects of the sale, new cards, banners, artist bio, etc.
i have about 25 hats to finish by this weekend, then the rest of the time is for get everything ready for the show. here are some photos of the first of three racks that Corey and i designed and built.might not look like much now, but filled with hats, i think it should look really good!
i getting excited about setting up my booth. for what i envision, it should be really sweet!

the past couple of days....

2008-06-24T15:15:00.003-06:00

i know i said this blog was for the ups and downs of my artistic pursuits, but sometimes life gets in the way. with my trip to portland this weekend, i had set the goal of have 200 hats done!!
and then this happened.
friday night my fiance, who is a stock car driver on the weekends had a race, so i went. and he was being a guy, pissing me off, so he and i get into it at the track. not that big of a deal, right. not untill his 14 year old son, that's right, i'm a step mom to a teenager, gets in my face and runs off. we figured he'd return after the races were over, no. so we had everyone looking for this kid, town police, county sheriffs, other parents and friends. finally he is found, and doesn't want to come home, because of me, i'm the evil step mom. that is really hard to hear, especially when you've opened your home, and cooked and cleaned for him. so it's me, the problem!! finally we get home, try to work it out but to no avail. have you ever tried to make a teenage boy talk, i'd think it be easier to pull out my own teeth.
ok so the weekend passes, i'm trying to make up for lost time, then this morning i'm up and working, feeling good and productive. then i see a county sheriff wrapping the yellow crime scene tape around my neighbors house, suicide!!! this guy has three young children and a wife and he kills himself, they think last night. i'm watching from my window, the wife pulls up, screaming and crying, i don't know where the kids where, but how terrible. in their house too. it actually makes me mad, how could he leave his kids like that!! then i feel sooo sad for the wife!!! just offal. some other neighbors were coming home and there we were all standing in the street, watching as they took his body out. and they're all talking like they knew it was coming, did anybody do anything?
this morning had really shaken me and changed my perspective on suicide. i can hardly get any work done, because i feel so distracted. i don't have much else to say, just needed to get it out of my mind

here it is

2008-06-20T12:18:00.003-06:00

here are some photos of my shibori dyed wool felt. i have mixed feelings about them, i think once i get better with color and how the dyes interact, i will like the shibori wool better.
the rest of this and next week are commited to nothing other then sewing my brains out. i'm going to PDX for a wedding on the 27-30 and would like to have any hat that is laying around my studio, sewn and done. GOAL: 200 hats done before friday 6/27!!!!!

back at it

2008-06-16T10:30:00.004-06:00

its monday morning and i'm am currently unemployed, or maybe its self-employed, not sure. i decided it was time to retire from the bar tending and get serious about making work, especially since i'm down to about a month before the big sale.
here's the stuff i'm working on now. today i hope to get it all sewn together, so tomorrow i can start felting again. this week should be fun, since i've decided to do a full 50 hats with shibori-dyed wool felt.
here's a photo of some of my first experiments. for those who aren't fiber nerds, shibori is an ancient Japanese form of tying and dying fabric, similar to tie-dye.
i'm also liking this two tone hats. people have commented on the monochromatic aspect of my hats, and after trying two tones, i do like it.
well enough for now, back to the grind stone

night out

2008-06-12T10:58:00.004-06:00

isn't it amazing how a little hang over can make anything you've been feeling sooo much more exacerbated! i went out the last night and today feel even more unmotivated to work. i also find it interesting that after you've quit smoking, how much more it bothers to go to a smoking bar. (don't forget i live in wyoming) i think i'll go into town, do a little thrift store shopping, maybe that will help.

heat wave!

2008-06-11T11:43:00.005-06:00

i'm soooo sorry for all of you back east: ohio, north carolina. i heard the temp. there is out of control. and you know whats really crazy, its snowing here today.
here's a photo of my mint plant, with snow

here's from my studio, my mountains have disapeared!!!
i ran into a friend yesterday how told me he went skiing yesterday!!! ITS NEVER GOING TO END!! alright, enough about the weather for today.
so as i sit here in the second month of this insanity of getting ready for my first professional sale, i'm dealing with some heavy stuff
1. the burnout, i'm tired and ready to start making new and different stuff, but feel like i can't cause i've put myself on such a tight time line. i have decided to scale back from 250 hats to 200-220, and put more time into making pins and other hat accessories. that was one of my original goals, have hats and pins to offer multiple price points. i feel that the pins will be as important as the hats and need an ampule amount of time as well.
2.my job: i gave my notice yesterday at my job as a waitress/ bar keeper. i'm leaving so i have more time to work on my craft, also because i drive 30 miles round trip and with gas...do i need to explain further!! also i'm over the drama of a restaurant. those who've work them know what i mean!!! i have enough stress, i don't need any more.

3. so now i have about 90 hats done, and am sewing 60 more by sunday. hopefully i will have the 200-220 done by the first week of july, then spend the rest of the time on pins, my booth, getting more cards printed, appling to more stores here in town... you know all the other stuff!

here are some photos of a new style, called the 'judy' named for my future mother-in-law. it's a very veristile hat that can be worn different ways.

this is my favorite!
(yes, that is a bottle of antifreeze in the background, and no, its not for the irony!)
to all the fellow artist in the struggle, keep on!

feeling ill

2008-06-05T19:05:00.003-06:00

as i lay here on my couch in my self-pity with a cold, i'd thought i'd give you all a little update.
i finally got a website!!!!! kristagorrell.com with the help of the nice people at otherpeoplespixels.com. check them out!!!!

may showers bring...snow?

2008-05-27T11:17:00.005-06:00

thats right! it be snow up on those mountain tops! the weather this year!
heres a piece i did for a show here in the hole. title 'april showers bring may flowers'

i'm still here

2008-05-25T13:31:00.008-06:00

i've been a busy, busy girl! still getting ready for the big summer sale! i'm in the second turn of my 2-week work schedule. i'm definitely liking these colors better than the first batch. a little toned-down, softer.

here are some photos of the first batch in the construction stage.

these are the moments that us fiber nerds live for, shibori-dyed wool felt! i think i might do a whole batch like this!

monday morning

2008-05-12T09:35:00.003-06:00

so here it is monday morning, getting ready to start the construction of 50 hats this week!
here are some photos of the felt being blocked. its a way to give purpose to the old futon from college!
here's a photo of the felt, those colors! soooo bright. Corey (my hubby to be) and i were talking about how the bright orange (on top) is the same as the hunting orange and i came up with the idea to make some women's hats for hunting! its very big out here in wyoming, and i know a few of the guides who might help to promote them. maybe line the hats with some camo print. its an idea! we'll see what happens with it.

last night i just realized how crazy my summer traveling will be. in june i'm going to portland for a wedding, then to corey's brother's wedding reception in cheyenne in july, the big show here in jackson also in july, visiting the buyers market in august, then another show here in sept (maybe). during all this, i'm planning on applying for a few shows in ohio (winterfair in cincy and cols), then hopefully doing my college's christmas show in december if the dates work out, and of course, if i get excepted into winterfair! theres also a wholesale show in denver i can participate in, but i need to do more research on it first. its going to be one felt filled year!
oh, these are photos from the studio over the weekend. yes! that be snow. the way this winter is still going, people will need my wool hats in july!

to dye or not to dye?

2008-05-09T09:45:00.005-06:00

that's all i've been doing for the past few days!!!!
here's what the first batch looks like

i don't know what to think about these dyes. i'm using acid dyes from pro-chemical, and they are sooooo bright, almost blinding. i feel like i'm in an 80s flashback with all the acid dyes! i've been trying to apply some of the color theory stuff from school to bring down the intensity, but to no avail!

anyway here's the same view from the studio this morning, there are mountains there... somewhere. oh and they're predicting snow, yes rain with light snow showers in may! where's our spring. this winter here is NEVER going to end!!!!
i also took the ballet class the other day, makes you realize how out of shape you are and my legs are still sore! can't wait to do it next week!

nice dye pots

2008-05-07T09:41:00.007-06:00

so much for the weather breaking and being nice, which it was for the past two days. just when i decide it time to dye, the weather craps out. well that's life!
here are a few photos of my meth lab, not really its a dye studio (AKA the unusable garage). it looks like how i'd picture a meth labs to look like, with the measuring stuff, scale, hot plates, etc.
so that's what my plans are today, dye, dye, dye.i love this photo. it's me at Penland school of Crafts, during a fall concentration in 06. the photo reminds me of some old safety poster from the 70s. that's a pot of indigo in case anyone was wondering. look how pissed off i look, like get that camera out of my face!

i'm also thinking of trying to take a ballet class today. it would be the first time since 1999 and 4 surgeries , all knees, for a grand total of 6 (2 while in HS, one knee, one ankle which is the reason i stopped my dancing) i like to keep my dr.'s kids in college! so i thought it was time to give a try again. i'm planning on taking a beginner class, which i think is funny since at my performing arts high school, i was in a pre-professional training program, but i guess you gotta start back somewhere!
keep up with the hard work my fellow craftsman!!!!

getting back to it

2008-05-06T08:36:00.003-06:00

here it is tuesday morning, getting some computer work done before getting into the felting thing again. above are some photos of the process. 6 done yesterday, so that means 12 or more sheets today. it is a wearing process of laying out wool, rolling it, beating it, getting it mat together. that could be a new diet, the felting diet!
to all of the fellow artist out there trying to get their work done for the summer fair cycle, good luck!

almost home

2008-04-28T21:06:00.000-06:00

I'm sitting here in my vegas hotel room, totally exhausted and trying to prepare myself for the insanity that's coming while trying to prepare for the show in july. my trip to vegas was to check out the ACRE show through wholesalecrafts.com, to see if it was something i would like to do for my company. while at the show, i spoke to many artist, young/old, new/well-established and the over all feeling i got was this craft thing is struggling. be it the economy, the retirement of the old guard, or the movement of 'indie craft' which seems a new voice in craft and price, the scene seems to be changing. this makes me even more insecure about trying to make craft as my living, especially as prices for everything is jumping through the roof, well as much of one as we all will be able to afford!

also today in news...

2008-04-13T12:00:00.000-06:00

yesterday while doing my job as a cashier at our local whole grocer (think whole foods, just smaller, locally owned) i saw a girl wearing on of my hats. it was exciting cause its the first time i've seen someone out with one that i didn't give or sell to personally, so she must have gotten it at one of the stores here that carries them! at least i know there selling!!!! it was the one pictured above! baby blue elva made of wool and angora.

something new

2008-04-13T11:51:00.000-06:00

I've been developing this idea for a while now, little felt bangles with embroidery and beading. something a little different.

in the beginng, there was felt

2008-04-11T22:07:00.000-06:00

i decided to start this blog in honor of getting excepted into my first juried art, which i did, as the emerging artist for the july sale here in jackson hole. i thought this would provide a new 'soapbox' to tell the tale of getting to the show and hopefully the success after the show as well. the show is in mid july, and since i'll be on the road til late april, i figure work for the sale won't really start til may. the goal is around 250 hats for the sale! in 2 1/2 months! insanity!!!!!