I am busy, amongst other things, preparing for my first ever craft fair. It is a small, local fair being held at my church in early November but that will give me an easy entry into the experience of participating in and selling at a fair setting. I will be offering some of my original art for sale from St. Catherine's Apprentice, as well as prints and maybe cards of particular pieces. (I've also started selling on Etsy, but again, that is for another post!) It's also an opportunity to advertise for my commissioned portraits and just begin to get the word out that that is something I do, though I'd like to focus more on creating and selling original pieces.
In addition, I have been contemplating a sister business--Brother Sun, Sister Moon Rustic Handicrafts. It would be a bit of a family hobby business endeavor the kids can help with. I've been dabbling with rustic wood projects. It's a resource I have free on our 9 acre home. I love working with the natural material.
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| A view of part of our wooded acreage last winter. |
Woodworking is something that runs in my blood and just feels good doing it! It used to be my grandfather's hobby. He was very talented. He once built me a beautiful, little, rocking baby bassinet for my baby dolls when I was little. I still have that hiding away somewhere in fact! He had a shed in his backyard where he'd create all his wooden crafts and furniture. My father, too, is quite the skilled wood craftsman. He handcrafted a large set of beautiful, custom, built in shelving in my parents' living room with matching entertainment system cabinetry. While I'm not THAT gifted, lol, shaping and crafting wood in it's natural, rustic form is something I find as a soothing, enjoyable pastime. To begin with I'll be offering miniature, rustic Earth Looms. I absolutely LOVE these! I've wanted to make one for years, but we haven't settled down into our forever home till recently. I'll be creating a large scale version in my garden for my own family in the near future. For now, I'll be creating a smaller, portable version for craft fairs.
I'll also be constructing my own miniature tripod display easels to showcase my artwork at the fair. I'll share that tutorial with you tomorrow. But I'll leave you with this little goody I came across while researching tripod instructions. It's a miniature Easel Picture Stand! It's a quick and simple project to create and so adorable. I'll be creating a few of these to display pictures of my children! The Tutorial Instructions can be found here.
