Sunday, September 4, 2011

i love telluride!

as i have told you, i've been doing the telluride farmers' market this summer. i have been doing it about every third week. it has been SO wonderful! not only has it been a full time job for me, working as much as i can in between shows to keep up my inventory because i practically sell out each time i go up there, but i have perfected the art of set up/take down, and i have really built up my confidence and skills as far as selling goes. i feel so much better about interacting with people and selling my work. it really is the type of thing that only gets easier with practice and i have had a lot of practice this summer. this weekend was the telluride film festival and the market was especially hoppin'. film stars and producers everywhere. (apparently jennifer garner and one of her daughters bought kettle corn from my dear neighbor.)

this is a design that does quite well in telluride, the three little stones on a ring, with matching earrings.



AND, check out my new banner! isn't it fabulous? a sandwich board is coming next. i feel so professional...

this was a big hit this week too. the "build your own charm necklace" option. ladies (and even men) had so much fun digging through the dishes and designing their pieces. i will be hard at work making lots more charms for the upcoming durango arts festival.

i also got some new displays. see the individual earring displays? and the larger ones that showcase the necklaces with the matching earrings? i love them.

and... this is bailey, my fabulous new apprentice! she is hammering stacking rings for me here. i have known her for years; we used to work at the bead store in durango together. she still lives in durango and will be coming over once a week to help me out in exchange for learning silversmithing skills. she has already taken some classes so she's quite proficient already. i just love her!

also, my friend doug is still working on the all new silversparrowdesigns.com. i am meeting with him tonight to work out some details. very exciting! stay tuned...

4 comments:

pencilfox said...

busy lady, indeed!
love the professional appearance of your stand....
and the "build your own" pieces....

and YOU look fabulous!

Silver Sparrow Designs said...

well thank you, m'dear. i appreciate you saying things look professional, because i have been working very hard on the overall look of my booth.

...and i suppose i have been working very hard on the overall look of me as well. i have not been dieting, but i have been truly enjoying exercise for the first time in my life, going to the gym very regularly, and riding my bike a LOT this summer, so thank you so much for that compliment as well. plus, i am just feeling happy, and peaceful in my skin for probably the first time EVER. i guess it shows.

SilverNikNats said...

Your booth looks fantastic, love your stands and the sign just screams quality!

6512 and growing said...

*smiling*
XOXOXO

the equipment fairy

my horoscope for the year, in my we'moon, said wonderful things about possibilities and generosity this year. one part of it was, "other people's resources will be generously available, from inheritances to bank loans; seriously consider using this support to establish a fresh and enduring base of operations during '08-'09." i had forgotten all about it until all these amazing things started happening for me, making everything possible for me to live my dream as a silversmith staying at home with my children.

shortly after our huge remodeling project was finished, another wonderful thing happened. i was "in the right place at the right time" (another lovely coincidence) and met sharon king. she just happened to have every tool i could ever need for my silversmithing, all top of the line, very high quality equipment, sitting in her garage gathering dust and needing a new home. after talking for a while, we agreed that she would VERY generously not only sell her equipment to me for a screamin' deal, but finance it as well. i now pay her a small monthly payment and my shop is 100% set up! (please see photos.) THANK YOU SHARON!!!

the amazing sharon king. if only there were more folks like her in the world...

the amazing sharon king.  if only there were more folks like her in the world...
this is sharon, who made it possible for me to have all of this incredible new equipment.

the bench

the bench
here is my incredible new bench, with drawers full of fantastic new files and mandrels, and SILVER, and pliers, and hammers...

my magnificent new torch!

my magnificent new torch!
here is the lovely new smith torch. i am still getting used to using it; it is quite different from my old acetylene torch.

my insanely powerful buffing wheel

my insanely powerful buffing wheel
this machine, too, will take some getting used to. it almost threw me across the room the first time i used it!

the foredom

the foredom
and this is my wonderful new foredom, an amazing tool!

the BIG remodel!

my studio/shop is set up in the 100 year old barn behind our house here in dolores. i knew it would be a cold winter out there if we didn't make some changes soon. to make a long story short, some very generous people, including the mayor of our great little town, my husband, and my visiting father, pulled togehter for me and really made it happen. we built a small room in the barn that is very well insulated and has a woodstove.

before

before
here's what we started out with...

dad and glenn, working hard

dad and glenn, working hard
my fabulous husband, glenn, and my wonderful father, jim, hard at work

little helpers

little helpers
simon (canine) and maybe (feline) were a big help throughout the project!

jim rules!

jim rules!
here's the lovely mayor of dolores, jim, who really made the barn remodel possible by supplying the materials up front.

insulation queen

insulation queen
here is katie, one of my apprentices, helping out

moral support

moral support
sarah, my other lovely apprentice, stopped by to offer moral support (and beer) to the workers...

(almost) completed shop

(almost) completed shop
we still need to do all the finish work (tape, mud, trim, paint, add a door...) but here is the "finished" shop!