'Simply Minimal' by patriciaray5
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Sunday, September 15, 2013
Friday, September 13, 2013
"Buy Local, Build Local" At The Artisans Marketplace in Mount Juliet
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| Handmade Goods For Sale At The Artisans Marketplace |
The Artisans Marketplace is a shop featuring local artisans’ handcrafted items. Our goal is to not only to support the local artisans, but also local businesses and the community. Our vision is "Buy Local, Build Local". Our store is about 350sq ft. and is a quaint space for a boutique-style artisans shop.The beautiful boutique style shop is filled with one-of-a-kind jewelry, shabby chic furniture, home decor, unique gifts & more! We currently have room for more vendors and welcome additional vendors and their handmade/handcrafted items! The Artisans Marketplace is a business nestled in the community of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. We are located at 11870 Lebanon Rd., Mid-Way Center, Mt. Juliet, TN. It is located in a plaza with some antique shops, hair shops, other boutique style shops and some other merchants.
Dave and Kathy moved from Connecticut to Tennessee in September 2008 when Dave accepted a job as an engineering manager here. Kathy is a Certified Professional Home Stager and brings her creative expertise to the business. Kathy has been crafting and making handmade items for 30+ years and has an online business making and selling hemp and macrame jewelry and accessories for people and pets. Between us, we have three children and five grand children. In their spare time, the couple volunteers for Greyhound Pets of America (GPA). GPA promotes the adoption of retired racing greyhounds. They currently have three greyhounds, and two whippets. Yes, it’s a full house! Also, they host a monthly greyhound meet & greet at the new PetSense store in Lebanon where they bring some of our hounds for people to meet and promote greyhound adoption.
If you are new to Tennessee, Mt. Juliet is a city located in western Wilson County, Tennessee. A suburb of Nashville, it is approximately 17 miles (27 km) east of downtown Nashville. Mt. Juliet is located roughly between two major national east-west routes, Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 70. Mt. Juliet's official city slogan is "The City between the Lakes", reflecting the city's proximity to Old Hickory Lake (Cumberland River) to its north and Percy Priest Lake (Stones River) to its south, both of which are man-made reservoirs. There are also plenty of activities to do and things to see. Of course, shopping at The Artisans Marketplace is destination number one!
A new, large-scale commercial and residential development called "Providence Marketplace" is located on the city's southern side near Interstate 40. Tenants include Target, Belk, JCPenney, Best Buy, PetSmart, Old Navy, Kroger, and a 14-screen multiplex operated by Regal Entertainment. Here is their website: http://shopprovidencemarketplace.com/
• Charlie Daniels Park (named in honor of the musician who makes his home in Mt. Juliet) is home to tennis courts, a large children's playground, the city's youth football fields, and the Mt. Juliet Community Center (a public meeting place and gymnasium). The city also recently constructed a band shell at the park for the purpose of hosting musical festivals. Here’s their website: http://www.cityofmtjuliet.org/charliedaniels.cfm
• Long Hunter State Park consists of approximately 2,600 acres (11 km2) managed by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. The park includes two boat launch ramps on J. Percy Priest Lake, several miles of hiking trails, several group campsites and one back country campsite, a meeting facility, and a visitor center. Non-motorized boats are allowed on Couchville Lake. The 5.5-mile (8.9 km) Volunteer Trail follows the lake shore, connecting the Couchville and Bakers Grove sections. Two back country campsites are located at the end of the trail. A flat, paved trail circles Couchville Lake, and includes a 300-foot (91 m) bridge spanning the eastern end of the lake. The Jones Mill Trail, in the Bryant Grove section, leads to the top of Bald Knob, a clear hilltop that overlooks J. Percy Priest Lake. Here’s a website for the park: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Hunter_State_Park
• Here is a website for Wilson County and Things To Do and See: http://www.visitwilsoncounty.com/things-to-do
The Artisan's Marketplace would love to have a large variety of handmade/handcrafted items available for customers to select from in our shop. Right now, they are specifically looking for someone who makes pottery, stained glass, and children's toys, but they have room for other handmade/handcrafted items as well. Kathy says, vendors can contact us by emailing us at: theartisansmarketplacetn@yahoo.com to request our Vendor Packet.
According to Kathy, here is an overview of the basic information for vendors:
"Each vendor pays $35 per month for rent. The Artisans Marketplace also keeps 20% commission on anything that sells. However, we are currently running a Grand Opening special for vendors. For the first 25 vendors, we are offering a Grand Opening special of $25 per month rent for the first 3 months (plus 20% commission on sales) with a 3 month contract. That’s more than 28% off the standard monthly rent! We provide the physical storefront, including the many costs (lease, electric, water, sewer, insurance, etc.) associated with having a physical location. This allows the vendor to focus more on their handcraft and less on the business end. Plus, if a vendor participates in craft fairs, we like to share with them the cost of craft fairs vs. vending at The Artisans Marketplace. The total of the 3 months of rent at our shop is $75, which is on average the cost of a 1 day craft fair. When a vendor works at a craft fair there's a lot of work involved (as artisans may already know). When a vendor consigns with The Artisans Marketplace, for their $75, they get an average of 90 days, not just one day, and we set up their display, man the store, sell their items and advertise. When a vendor thinks of it that way, the investment of $75 (plus 20% commission on their sales) for 90 days is much better than the same price, or higher, for a 1 day craft fair. Keep in mind, our store is like an indoor craft fair all year long! "
Kathy also says that holiday items will be coming in soon for seasonal shopping and, "We have a future surprise coming, hopefully soon. We are also planning on holding workshops and classes in the shop. We currently have a couple of vendors who are interested in teaching classes and Kathy is planning on teaching a class on painting shabby chic furniture. We are also planning on having an Artisans Showcase where we will feature an individual artisan (vendor) for a Saturday or evening. This will allow customers to actually meet and talk with the artisan."
Here are some social media links to follow the exciting new developments at The Artisans Marketplace
Facebook.com/theartisansmarketplacetn
http://instagram.com/theartisansmarketplacetn#
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Fresh From The Kiln, Fused Glass From Featured Artisan, Jonna Vaughn
Today we are going to talk with glass worker and owner of the online shop Tennessee Glass Stains , Joanna works with both fused glass and stained glass. Her shop is filled with amazing handmade pendants, right from her kiln. Please read more in her shop About Section , if you are interested in the process of making fused glass. It is truly a fascinating read! Here is what Jonna says about her business and art:
My name is Jonna Vaughn, and I am a Cincinnati native transplanted to the small town of Fairview Tennessee, just outside of Nashville. I am a glass artist specializing currently in fused glass, although I got started in stained glass windows when I first moved to Tennessee in 2000,
Although I do love my little town (we just got our second traffic light wootwoot!), it is about a 40 mile drive to "town" (Nashville). There are no real source for supplies locally, so I do all of my ordering online from reputable glass companies but I wouldn't trade the country living, the quiet outside, wildlife, and friendly front porch waves for anything.My full time corporate job left me with weekends only to market my glass doing festivals and art shows. After several years I knew I had to find another way and the ETSY shop was born!
Being an ETSY rookie, I underestimated the amount of time that I now know should have been dedicated to my ETSY shop. Not long after the shop opened, I was discouraged by the lack of sales (although my first sale was to Johnny Cash's daughter!). I guess I must have just thought that if I listed it, they would come. Well....they didn't... and somewhere in there I was learning the world of fusing and the commitment to my shop crumbled. Fast forward a few years...I had learned a new level of glass artistry to share, gained some confidence and stopped poking my lip out so I was back to the ETSY drawing board. I blew the dust off of my shop, set out my new pretty things and open the doors once again.
With the holidays coming, I am feverishly stockpiling finished pendants like a little squirrel. I typically take a break from festivals and shows during the hot summer months and spend that time preparing inventory for the fall festival season. Once I make it through the holidays, it's time to take the winter hours and start preparing for the springtime shows. It took me a few seasons to get out of the "oh my gosh I don't have enough stuff to take to this weekend" mode, where I stayed up like a vampire and ran the kiln so much I got a holiday card from the power company.
My current goal is to get to and keep my shop inventory level at about 300 pieces. One step at a time, right?
I try to keep people engaged in the shop and Facebook pagewww.facebook.com/Tnglassstainsdichroicglass
Fans of the FB page get a discount code for 10% (hey, it covers shipping!) as do repeat customers. You will also find a monthly dichroic pendant giveaway on the FB page. Following the entry rules is like falling out of bed, and the winner is selected and posted on the page the 1st of every month. Best of all, the winner gets to select their own prize from anything in the shop!
If I had to give any advice to an ETSY newcomer, it would be to learn from my mistakes.....engage with ETSY- participate in the forums and teams. You will get lots of support, make some great friends, gather best practices from others and get the sales going. Treat your shop as you would a physical business and commit the right amount of time to grow it. It won't all come in a day, a week, or a month. But mostly...don't get discouraged and keep finding ways to improve. I am still doing all of these myself!
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Halloween Theme Treasury Contest Winner
'Fall Fiesta' by Mylana
Fall colors!
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Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Organic Crafting With Natural Gourds
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| Sunset Gourd Birdhouse |
Let's take a look at Patricia's creations and hear more about the hard work she puts into growing, carving, and embellishing her gourds! The following feature is written by Patricia in response to several questions I had about her unique crafts. Thank you for taking the time to let me showcase your work!
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| Gourd Centerpiece |
The year I retired from the work force, I grew a variety of gourds, though my husband who encourages me in my endeavor has now taken over that aspect of the craft. My original crop was more prolific than I intended, and sense I don’t like to waste it gave me incentive to try my hand at a hobby of crafting. I did my research, and once I finished my first project I was hooked. To me it was almost like a miracle. The process went from a tiny seed, to a beautiful fruit, to an ugly dried and moldy gourd that rattled when shook, to one that was dry after being scrubbed clean of mold and film on the outside, to one cut open, deseeded and sanded, to a completed project that gave me a sense of - wow.
Most of the gourds I work with at the moment are Mexican bottle and pear. I have gone a bit further though in creating my Christmas ornaments. It was impossible for me to find the figurines I needed to complete the vision I had for my ornaments, so I made my own with polymer clay. I was pleased with how my figurines turned out, and once I began using a visor magnifier, I was even more pleased at how detailed I could make them. In fact the magnifiers are handy for using with many of my projects.
I prefer to pick my gourds when the vine dies back and then lay them out where air can circulate around them. And once they are dried out, I gather them up for storage and cleaning.
The cleaning process is simple though some elbow grease is required. The mold and thin membrane on the outside of the gourd must be removed. I like to use warm soapy water, a rectangular non-abrasive scrubber with a handle, metal pot scrubber, small crochet hook, tooth brush, and kitchen knife for scraping stubborn film. The crochet hook is especially handy on and around the stem and navel. I’m careful however not to gouge or put noticeable scratches in the gourd’s surface. Lastly I run cold water over it while checking for any bits of film I might have missed then set it out to dry. Once dry it’s ready for crafting.
My sketch pad comes out next. I love playing around with themes, designs, possible figurines, and colors, and also with new ideas and mediums. When a plan is in place I work on the gourd itself. There’s mold inside of it, so when I open it up I always wear a mask or my double-cylinder respirator, depending on the amount of dust, and I wear eye protection. I begin with any one of a Xacto knife, mini jigsaw, or power drill depending on my goal.
I continue to wear a mask or respirator and eye protection while cleaning the inside of a gourd and also gloves to protect my hands from the rough sandpaper. For gourds with small holes like in birdhouses, I use a long-handled flat-head screw driver, long-handled forceps, and my fingers. For other gourds I use my fingers, forceps, and various scrapers for tough jobs. Once the gourd, other than birdhouse, is cleaned out I sand the inside using medium and fine non-clogging sandpaper till its nice and smooth and the inside film is removed. If the film is stubborn I use an attachment on my rotary (dremel) tool. Sometimes I also notice a few rough places on the outside of the gourd and then sand them with medium and fine sanding blocks. When I’m finished with cleaning and sanding, I wipe it down with a damp cloth to remove any dust. It’s then ready for crafting.
The major tools I use for crafting mainly consist of a dremel for carving, a wood-burning tool, and a glue gun. As for my choices for creating color, finishes, and figurines, I prefer high quality acrylic and spray paints and leather dyes, UV protection sprays and an acrylic finisher, and polymer clay.
A few of my items had been sold by my daughter at a grammar school craft fair last year, and I’ve sold several to acquaintances and through my shop on Etsy, of which is linked to Facebook and Twitter. My goal is to build my inventory and rent a space in a craft show, with my husband’s assistance, and attend a workshop or two next spring or fall. For now though I’m preparing for this Holiday season that is nearing rapidly. I hope to list several more items in my shop before that time arrives.
I enjoy the process of creating, and I too enjoy the wow factor that comes at the end of each project. It’s finished…and I love it. Yeah. I can hardly wait to set up my prop and take pictures, do the write-up on it and place it in my shop on Etsy where I can share it with the world.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Fantasy Feathers Team Treasury Contest Winner Aug 18th
'Fantasy Feathers' by thegivingtreesbees
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