I’ve been trying to finish up some of my holiday ornaments. Many of them have been fired and waiting for their wire hoop or ribbon attachments. Many of these ornaments will be making their art fair “debut” at “Art In The Barn” next weekend. But one of my dilemmas was “how to price them?” I didn’t really want to attach a price sticker to each and every one. I don’t really want to make a sign for each individual style. Or even worse, designate pricing levels based on size within one ornament style. Too many prices. Too many variations. Too many sizes. Too many price stickers.

But I think I may have come up with a brilliant solution.
I love color-coding… so why not color-code the ornaments? Brilliant, right? So I’ve decided to attach a colored paper clip to each ornament to signify which color-coded price that ornament corresponds to. That way, the paper clip easily shows the price, is easy to remove, and won’t leave a sticky residue like a price sticker would. So the color-coding has begun. Six different price points. Six different colors.

Today was one of the most beautiful Fall days ever.
Yes, it feels like Summer is over. The weather has cooled off, the humidity is gone, and today was perfect. Such a wonderful “Fall” day… to be “stuck” in my basement all day long.

Yes, I spent the day today with my best art fair assistants prepping, pricing & packing all of the pieces from my last soda kiln. We had a LOT of pots to tackle. Lots of pieces in milk crates with lots of protective foam sheeting.  It was a long day. We talked, we chatted, we solved all the problems of the world. But by the end of the day, we’re pretty much already packed up for “Art In The Barn.” Which is a pretty great feeling knowing that we’re almost weeks ahead of schedule!!!

And as a quick Thank You for their hard work… I took my Mom & Dad out to dinner!

Had a great time this morning hanging out at the Bucktown Arts Festival chatting with a lot of “My Talented Friends.” If you have time, they’re open again tomorrow with hundreds of artists all through the park. Stop by and say hi to metalsmith Sarah Chapman, potter Delores Fortuna, printmaker Judy Zeddies, yarn-mistress Susan Tecktiel, chain maille jeweler Melissa Banks, potter & sgraffito artist Glynnis Lessing, potter Isabel Mikel and so many more!

Little Emma showing off some wildflowers she picked for her mom Carole (my Evanston Lakeshore Art Fair booth neighbor) in one of my wheelthrown ikebana vases.

During the Evanston Lakeshore Arts Festival, I met Wendi Kromash. She introduced herself and we quickly found out that she’s brother & aunt to two of our favorite pottery students at Lillstreet… Ken & Ben Kromash. We talked for a bit and she mentioned that she writes a blog about her hometown Evanston. She said that she would do a blog posting about me, my pottery & the art fair… and she did. It was great to meet another of the Kromash Clan… and thankful for the great reviews!!!

To go to her blog posting, click here for Everything Evanston.

And here’s the “other” alternative to booth neighbors!
We’ve all had them at one time or another. So glad I made it through another fair with GOOD neighbors… although I do love “buttons dipped in glitter and hanging on strings” as art!!! Hysterical… yet sadly so true!

Click here for the video “Art Fair Neighbors.”

Once again, the weather was beautiful. And my “backyard” view was stunning.
The Evanston Lakeshore Arts Festival is always a fun weekend on the lakefront.

Sure, my booth was filled with a LOT of pottery. And it was so much fun to see so many supportive friends & customers passing through this weekend. I just love watching people pick up my pieces, caress them, fondle them, and eventually fall in love with them!

I was also lucky to meet another fun metalsmith this weekend… as she moved into the booth next to me! Carole Axium of Chicago was great fun to play with all weekend long. And her work is beautiful to boot. A weekend art fair is always so much more fun when you have good “booth neighbors” AND you admire their work.

Here’s a quick peek at some of her beautiful designs. Everything is easily functional, you can wear them everyday, and she OBVIOUSLY has a love of incredible stones! She has quite a collection of crazy “picture” stones with so many layers, colors and more!

But the funniest part of the weekend playing with Carole was on Sunday when her daughter Megan decided to “work” for the day to make some extra money. And I use the term “work” very loosely!!! I tried to get her to negotiate a deal & a contract with her Mom before she even started working. But as the day went on, it was apparent that she was eating more from the food vendors than she ever could be earning from “working”?!

Megan was adorable. And just as quirky & goofy as you would expect any pre-teen to be!!!

For more information on her website, click here for Carole Axium Designs.

Special thanks to everyone who came out to the Evanston Lakeshore Arts Festival this weekend. It was so much fun seeing so many friends, familiar faces & loyal customers in my booth… as well as those new fans who played with me & my pottery! Thanks for making this weekend so much fun!!!

Day Two in Evanston was another beautiful day on the lake.
There were a few more clouds, and a little chill in the air, but I’ll take ’em. It was quite possibly the best “art-fair-weather-weekend” ever!!! No rain. No storms. No wind. No forced evacuations. No gnat infestations. Nothing that we’ve grown accustomed to in Evanston?! Just beautiful… and more beautiful.

“Officially” we open at 11:00am… but I’m all set up at the Evanston Lakeshore Arts Festival an hour ealry. C’mon by for an early sneak peek!!! Booth #42 with a great view of the lake!!!

Speaking of beautiful views… here’s the backyard with clear skies and a wonderful breeze. Perfect.