It's a Southern Thing...The Barn Sale!

Yes, I sold my jewelry in a Barn!

Since retiring from the corporate world I've been working full time on my Etsy jewelry shop and a traveling jewelry booth setup.  This past weekend I participated in my first Barn Sale at the Old McDonald's Farm in Sale Creek, TN.  It was a "shabby chic" themed event put on by the Traveling Bazaar Group. 

Did I make a lot of money? N0.  Did I have a great time? YES!  It was so much fun I'm going to do it again in December.  It was great networking with the other vendors at the event and I learned a lot from them.

Some Craft Show Tips:

1.)  Bring snacks - eating a full meal is impossible if you don't have a friend to booth sit.

2.)  Bring a fan(s) - shoppers will stay longer in your booth if they are cool.

3.)  Bring Backup Supplies - many shoppers wanted to mix and match chain lengths with my sea glass pendants, no one wanted the necklace "as is".  Additional lengths were needed.

4.)  Be prepared for the surge - Serious shoppers arrive within the first two hours of the show.  After lunch was very sluggish for sales.

I'm on the standby list for the Jasper, Georgia, Marble Festival; keep your fingers crossed for me to get in this year!

Cheers!

Lori in Blue Ridge, GA

Mermaid's Tears...

The Legend of Mermaid Tears... Sea maidens could change the mighty course of nature, but were forbidden to do so by Neptune, the stern, watchful god of the sea. One dark, storm-ravaged night, with sails ripping and masts cracking, a schooner fought to find safety in Friendly Cove off Nootka Island in the San Juan I. The ship was familiar to the mermaid who swam along its side . . . she had weathered many crossings with the ship and its captain. As the ship heeled in the violent wind, the captain lost his hold on the wheel, tumbling perilously close to the raging sea. In an instant, the mermaid calmed the wind and tamed the waves, changing the course of nature and saving the life of a man she had grown to love from afar. For her impetuous act, Neptune banished the sobbing mermaid to the oceans depths, condemning her for eternity never to surface or swim with the ships again. To this day, her gleaming tears wash up on the beaches as sea glass . . . crystalline treasures in magic sea colors, an eternal reminder of true love.

I received a shipment of Genuine Sea Glass from Crete, Greece this week. Naturally produced sea glass ("genuine sea glass") originates as pieces of glass from broken bottles, broken tableware, or even shipwrecks, are rolled and tumbled in the ocean for years until all of their edges are rounded off, and the slickness of the glass has been worn to a frosted appearance.

This is my shipment of "Mermaid Tears". 

I've been using the glass to make necklaces for an upcoming craft show, I will be a vendor. Here is an example of what I'm making, I've added tiny pearls....

Thanks for stopping by today, let me know what you think of my designs.  Which is your favorite?

Cheers!

Lori in Blue Ridge, GA