Maple Days was a HUGE Success!

Photo by Scottie Magro of SEEDS Studio

Maple Days was a great success!  Thank you to everyone who came out for the festivities.  I met a lot of great new people, including lots of talented artists.  I would like to thank Scottie Magro of SEEDS Studio and Kim Szalay of Michigan Bead Supply Company for doing a great job organizing the event.  Both should be very proud!

I also had the pleasure of meeting Julie King and Gertie of Gertie Gear. Gertie is a sweet beagle and spokesdog for Gertie Gear, fantastic pet beds! These are handmade air beds with cute covers.  You gotta check 'em out!

Finally, I met Jill Hamilton-Krawczyk of Barrel of Monkeys.  Jill makes super cute buttons and button jewelry.  She is a graphic designer by trade and is incredibly talented.  

There are so many talented Michigan Artists and only a few were featured at Maple Days this past Monday.  You can find even more by visiting the Michigan Indie Crafters of Etsy (MICE) Blogspot.  This is the perfect summer to check out local art fairs and see for yourself all the talent Michigan artists have to offer.  Michigan summer art fairs are great places to see this talent on display.  I hope to see you out and about this summer!

So Excited!!

I am so excited for upcoming Maple Days.  I have been working hard to spread the word and have gotten some really great feedback from folks.  I hope to see lots of people out in Walled Lake to help support Michigan artists. It is gonna be a great time!

In the meantime, I have been working on some new items to debut at Maple Days for summer.  I am really excited about this!  Let me tell you, this one new item I have for you is perfect for women and girls alike.  I cannot share many details with you because I have not taken my pics yet.  But, once I do, I will definitely share.

Maple Days is a Week Away!!

Maple Days is only one week away!  That means the unofficial start to summer is near.  I have been working hard preparing new summer items to debut at Maple Days.  So, mark your calendar and come on out for the awesome event! Tents open at 9am and the Walled Lake Parade starts at 11am.  It's the perfect way to kick off summer with the entire family!

Demo Day at Michigan Bead Supply

I am excited to announce that this Saturday, April 25th @ 1pm, I will be at Michigan Bead Supply demoing how to make this whimsical wire-wrapped bracelet and crystal heart pendant.  I will start teaching classes for both pieces in May.  If you love jewelry and have always wanted to learn how to make cool pieces, this is the perfect opportunity for you! Come out to meet me and the friendly folks at Michigan Bead Supply.  While you are there, be sure to sign up for these classes!  I cannot wait to meet you!

Michigan Bead Supply

Address 1123 E. West Maple Suite #4 

Walled Lake, MI 48390 

Phone# 248-960-2216

Maple Days

I just returned home from a great meeting at Michigan Bead Supply with Scottie Magro and Kim Szalay.  Both women were super nice and super talented!  We spoke about many things including Joyfulgrrl Jewelry's participation in Maple Days in Walled Lake.  This is the first year Walled Lake will host an art fair during their Memorial Day parade.  It sounds like it will be a lot of fun and I look forward to participating!  Mark your calendars for May 25th and I will see you in downtown Walled Lake!

In the meantime, I look forward to getting to know the folks at Michigan Bead Supply over the next several weeks.  It is a really cute bead shop!  I noticed lots of unique items and am excited for the opportunity to check it out even more.  If you are a beader or just love unique jewelry, I encourage you to stop in.  If you ever thought about learning how to bead, Michigan Bead Supply offers a lot of really cool classes, so this is a perfect opportunity to start!

Michigan Bead Supply 

1123 E. West 

Maple Walled Lake, MI

You can also find Michigan Bead Supply on Etsy.

Prepping for the Summer Art Fair Season

I cannot believe it has been nearly 2 weeks since my last post.  I have to say, I definitely have to consciously make time for online networking and blogging.  Of course, sometimes I do have the time, but do not have anything clever to post.  I guess I will have to work on that!

In the meantime, I am happy to announce that I have been accepted to another summer art fair.  I will be participating in the 44th Annual Art & Apples Festival in Rochester, MI.  This festival takes place September 11-13, 2009.  I am excited to participate in this event, because it will be my first time.  I hear it is a beautiful show and September is a great time of year to be outside selling jewelry!  

Last summer, I got my feet wet with the Berkley Art Bash and Milford Memories.  This year, I hope to participate in even more shows.  Right now, I am still working on finalizing my Summer Art Fair Schedule, but until then, I will continue to post as news comes in.  For now, it is an honor and privilege that Joyfulgrrl Jewelry has been accepted to both Plymouth Art in the Park and Rochester Art & Apples Festivals.

Small Wins Equal Good Progress!

This week, Joyfulgrrl Jewelry has had a good share of great progress!  Last weekend, I participated in the 16th Annual Huron Valley Taste & Expo.  It was a great experience and I met a lot other cool artists!  These events are great opportunities for networking and meeting new people.  

One awesome person I met was Joelyn from Ardent Designs.  Joelyn and her family live in Ypsilant, MI.  She makes jewelry using fused glass.  Joelyn was telling me and her customers how she just got a kiln and started working with glass and how much she enjoys it!  She just added tie tacks to her inventory, which I thought were really cool.

Another cool artist I met was Ajay from Ajay's Lunch Box.  Ajay and her husband are from Milford, MI.  Her funky wire-wrapped jewelry designs are one of a kind.  You definitely have to check her jewelry out!

On Monday, Joyfulgrrl Jewelry was stalked on Etsy by EtsyStalker.com.  This cute site features very talented Etsy artists.  If you love Etsy, this is a website you have to check out.  You can also follow EtsyStalker on Twitter.

Speaking of Etsy, Joyfulgrrl Jewelry saw its first 3 Etsy sales this year.  Of course, I was doing the Happy Dance!  It is such a great feeling when something you create finds an awesome home and brings happiness to others.  I love it!

Finally, the best news of the week came today!  Joyfulgrrl Jewelry was accepted to Plymouth, Art in the Park.  Otherwise known as the Plymouth Art Fair, this is one of the big ones!  This year is the 30th Anniversary and it takes place July 10, 11 & 12.  This will be my first year participating in Art in the Park so I am super excited!