Aaron Douglas Art Fair

Last Saturday, I showed at the Aaron Douglas Art Fair in Topeka. It was a good show, despite some rain, and I had fun hanging out with my husband Tony and my friend Sarah (have I mentioned she makes great dog collars?).

I also got to be by one of my favorite artists Laura Engelhardt and her friend Beth. You should definitely check out her site: www.ebbflowarts.com.

Now it's on to the Maple Leaf in less than three weeks. I'm hoping to have some new, colorful robots, as well as new steampunk jewelry. I may even try to make some earrings (at the prompting of Laura) to go along with my new rings and bracelets.

Procratination vs. Creation

I restocked my display at Colfax (611 W. 39th St. KC, MO) earlier this week and realized I need to do some serious creative updating. My case is blah in the extreme. Everyone else has color and vitality, while mine is white with mostly silver necklaces just hanging there. I'm hoping, at the least, to add a smaller robot wearing a necklace or create a metal "bust" I can hang necklaces on. It's clear, I absolutely need to do something! Maybe I should be creating, instead of blogging. Hmmm . . .

I did go shopping today and found a bunch of new things to use in my Bitty Bots, so I'm thinking the Bitty Bot army is going to rise again. (It's been close to a year since I've had them at shows.) They're always a good seller, but a challenge to make because I try to make each one unique--I don't want to just keep replicating the same idea over and over. I suppose I should stop procrastinating and go create.

Birds . . . Who Knew?

While last weekend's shows went okay (with the slight exception of my being in two different emergency rooms with my youngest son all of Sunday while my unshowered sister had to man my booth), I'm just starting to get it. I just might be in the jewelry business, not the cool robot-making elite.

My steampunk jewelry seems to sell consistently and is, quite frankly, the cause for most of my current store contacts. I truly enjoy recycling old watch parts and creating something unique, and it's been interesting to see how my aesthetic has evolved. (Who knew birds went so well with clock parts?) Unfortunately, it's still not my first love.

So here's the question: if steampunk is my "bread and butter," am I wasting my time with the robots?

Last Minute Preparation

Tomorrow and Sunday are two great art shows. I'm trying to get everything packed up today (it's been a while since I've had a show, and things seem to get scattered somehow).

I've made a few new robots complete with stories, so I'm excited to see if they'll go to new homes this weekend. Plus, I'm thinking about bringing some of my steampunk art to see if it will sell. Fingers crossed!

Steampunk Ipod Player

I'm submitting my newest creation (a steampunk mantel clock/ipod player) for an exhibit that will be at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation near Boston, MA.



I started with a turn-of-the-century mantel clock and disassembled it, piece by piece. Then my dad helped me make an inner base for the ipod dock and speakers to sit on. We also had to remove the clock face from the glass window so that you could open it and insert your ipod through it. Next, I made a cog collage from recycled clock parts on the background and also added some clock part embellishments to the front.


The result is pictured below. You can see the black ipod dock and speakers through the window.

I don't have a lot of confidence in being chosen, but I do think the finished product turned out well. Your thoughts?

A Fresh Start from a Long Hiatus

So this summer I fell off the blogger wagon, but TODAY I'm climbing back aboard. I've redesigned the look of my blog, and I plan to make frequent posts . . . well, that's the plan at least.

Next weekend, I start Fall Art Show Season. I will be at the Lenexa Spinach Leaf Festival on Saturday, Sept. 11th and at the Lawrence Fall Arts and Crafts Festival on Sunday, Sept. 12th. I'm hoping for decent weather and my sister as a companion.

There'll be new robots and steampunk jewelry, of course; plus, I'm selling some fantastic dog collars made by my friend Sarah. You won't want to miss it!

Stay tuned, and I'll try to stay aboard.