AlyxAndrea Design will be at the 2013 Fresh Air Craft Fair 
 

Date: May 11th 2013, 10am – 3pm Rain or Shine

Location: Elver Park, 1250 McKenna Boulevard, Madison, WI 53719

 

 

What is the Madison Parks Fresh Air Craft Fair?

Madison Parks is pleased to host the Fresh Air Craft Fair on May 11th, from 10am-3pm. Local artists and craft vendors will be showcasing and selling their original works including jewelry, pottery, paper goods, glass works, and other handmade items.

 

Activities

Kids: There will be plenty of activities for kids including spring themed kid’s crafts. The Wisconsin Kiter’s Club will be flying kites for demonstration, as well as hosting a kite making workshop, so kids can bring home their own kite creation. Also, Madison Parks hayrides will be available for $2 per person around Elver Park.

Food: Attendees will be able to purchase snacks from Curt’s Gourmet Popcorn and Jim’s Kettle Corn. The Santa Fe Food Cart will be serving burritos, tacos, and other southwest classics.
Music: Local folk/pop musician Adam Rostad will be performing from 12pm-3pm. This versatile artist creates original songs and unique covers in many different styles and genres. Don’t miss this up-and-coming artist!

Vendor List

• Jenny Blasen Pottery: Handmade stoneware pottery, coffee mugs, yarn bowls, ceramic plates, and soap dishes.
• Copper Heart Designs: Handmade jewelry created using a variety of metalsmithing techniques including etching, enameling, soldering and wirework.
• Makers Guild: Paper and Fiber Arts with a focus on eco crafts - felted crowns, whimsical up-cycled fiber critters, felted wool balls and blocks, pin cushions, journals and stationary
• Meredith Dillman: Watercolor fantasy art
• Danidorem: Handmade Eco-Friendly Jewelry
• JS Designs Studio: Custom children and infant clothing and accessories with comfort in mind
• Three Fates Design: Beaded art work
• Twisted Planet: Upcycled jewelry and crocheted stuffed animals
• Hazy Daze Glass: Unique handmade glass items
• One Thirty Jewelry: Handmade jewelry: Rough cut stones. Wood. Metalwork. Vintage chain. Organic. Asymmetrical. One of a kind.
• One Thirty Jewelry: Jewelry that combines metal techniques with traditional materials, including wood, semi-precious stones and vintage beads
• Shari Wittman: Paper creations including envelopes and note cards, as well as origami items
• Deirdre Adele Thompson: Beaded jewelry
• The Gourd Lady: Painted bird house gourds, butterfly houses, wood bird houses, and suet feeders, as well as solar garden art
• Mrs. Bow Wowz: Handmade dog treats
• Akarim African Enterprise: Hand woven baskets
• reVINYLized: Repurposed records created into fashionable jewelry, clocks, and other items.
• Randee’s Rock Gardens: Container gardens
• Aych: T-Shirt Design, Screen Printing, and Drawing
• N*Studio: Functional pottery/ceramics with a touch of color and whimsy. Textile goods, including handbags, quilts, and home accessories.
• ECE’s Candle’s: All-natural 100% Soy Candles
• Valora Vintage: Vintage rings and earrings, as well as hand blown glass ware
• Ashley Schultz: Handmade polymer clay sculpture and hand beaded glass/stone jewelry
• Selina De Haan: Beaded jewelry – Bracelets, earrings, and necklaces
• Bibi’s Arts: Handmade sterling silver, copper and brass jewelry
• AlyxAndrea Design: Beaded ribbon jewelry and accessories

Admission

Free

 

Parking

Parking will be available at Elver Park in parking lot adjacent to the Craft Fair as well as in the additional lot at Elver Park.

Ladies Rock Camp

I recently participated in the most amazing activity ever invented...Ladies Rock Camp. grcmadison.wordpress.com/ladies-rock-camp/

When I arrived at camp on Friday morning along with 30 or so other women I had no idea how to play guitar and had definitely never been in a band before. We started with some silly activities to help us get to know each other.  Among the diverse group of equally amazing women included a school psychologist, a physician, a project manager and a couple of women who were retired and this was on their "bucket lists."  I came with a good friend of mine from work but many of the women had never met anyone else in the group before.

We met our coaches who are all professional musicians:
Beth Kille - www.bethkille.com/
Shawnie Marks - http://www.reverbnation.com/shawndellmarks
Anna Vogelzang - theanna.com/
Emily Hurd - http://www.emilyhurd.com/
         **One of the songs she sang for us made me cry like a baby**
Henrieta Tornyai - http://www.henrietatornyai.com/
Marlo Dobrient
Julia McConahay - www.juliamcconahay.com

Then all the women who wanted to play drums took a spot around the room and the rest of us wandered around and joined a drummer until there were 5 bands.

My band from left to right is Karen (drums), Char (keyboards),Lynn (vocals), Pepper (bass), Nicole (lead guitar), Me (guitar).

For three days we learned our instruments, learned how to write music and worked with our band coach to bring it all together.  With the help of Beth Kille and Shawni Marks we wrote our song called "Don't You Wish You Were Me" and "Free Byrdz" were born.

On Sunday night at 7 pm we performed our song at The Brink Lounge in Madison WI.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=817606674628&set=vb.211702434&type=2&theater

I have never smiled so much, laughed so hard, felt so elated since maybe my daughter was born and possibly on my wedding day.  Threw that in for Dale, my awesome husband who also recorded the video above.

I wore this AlyxAndrea Design original to help me feel like a rockstar :)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/128743718/punk-spikes-beaded-ribbon-necklace-lilac

I can't wait to go back next year!!!!!  I think the blisters on my fingers have finally turned to calluses so I can start playing again and hopefully learn a little more before then.  A few of us even talked about continuing to play and start our own band.

It was a truly remarkable experience. You wouldn't know to meet me now but I was always terribly shy.  I barely spoke until I was in middle school and would have panic attacks when giving speeches even in college. Making phone calls, talking to strangers, asking for assistance in a store, the list went on and on of situations that caused extreme anxiety for me for most of my life.  I got over my fears by doing what I feared over and over again until it didn't bother me anymore.  Every time I go to a training or seminar I make sure to ask a question a least once as a way to practice speaking up. I took a job as a hospital switch board operator several years ago to get used to making and receiving phone calls.  I do group facilitation and volunteer to lead trainings, classes and meetings as much as possible in my career in social services.  I haven't completely cured my social anxiety but I work on it every single day.

So getting up in front of a bar full of people to play an instrument I had just learned was a huge deal for me.  I admit I was a little, ok a LOT nervous, but once I was on stage I felt exhilarated and just had fun.  I REALLY had fun.

Gift and Plant Fair

Please join me!

Saturday, April 27, 2013
9:00 am – 2:00 pm
St Ann’s Gym
324 N Harrison St
Stoughton, WI

Over 30 vendors will be available with gift items    

perfect for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day,
Graduations, Weddings,
Spring & Summer Birthdays, etc.
Perennials & Baskets of Annuals will be available.
Other annual flowers can be ordered.
Proceeds benefit Journey of the Heart
Mission Trip to Indianapolis in July 2013

Paper bead class and tutorial

You guessed it...another first is my jewelry making adventure.  The owner of the store that displays some of my jewelry (Art Market in Edgerton WI) asked me if I wanted to teach a class on any craft I wish.  I thought for several weeks and came up with paper beads.

I was a little anxious the day before but not too bad.  Growing up I was soooo painfully shy.  I would have panic attacks when called on in elementary school.  I got a little bit better as I got older but even in college I put off speech class until my very last semester and shook like a leaf in front of the class.  Since then I have done a lot of group counseling sessions, most recently a cognitive intervention group for men on probation and parole for the WI Department of Corrections.  I also teach a class on renting for my clients who are staying at the women's homeless shelter.  So I've come a very long way in my ability to speak in front of others.  I would still consider myself a introvert but I no longer have anxiety attacks when I am expected to speak with people I don't know.  I'm still not terribly comfortable giving actual speeches at a podium in front of others.  I prefer to be interactive with people who are participating in a class or group.  

This was the first time I've taught a crafting class though so I had to be a little nervous.  I over purchased supplies and checked and re-checked that I had everything I needed.  I had difficulty sleeping but I didn't have dreams about arriving at the class with no clothes on which was good.

11 people showed up which was 3 more than had registered.  This was a perfect size, any larger and there would not have been room to move.

I feel it went incredibly well.  The only real problem was that the fumes from the nail polish got to be a little overwhelming.  Everyone seemed to really enjoy the class and everyone was able to create some really pretty beads.

I wore this necklace while I was teaching and it is now available for purchase at www.etsy.com/listing/127652987

Below are the pieces of jewelry I made using my paper beads and they are now being displayed at Art Market. www.facebook.com/pages/Art-Market-Edgerton

These beads are made from magazine pages and are sealed with clear nail polish.

These beads are made from book pages and are sealed with pink glitter nail polish.

This matching necklace and earring set are both new designs for me and I used book pages to make the beads and they are sealed with pink sparkly nail polish.

Make Your Own Paper Beads!!!

Paper beads are super easy to make and you probably already have all of the necessary materials.

You need:

Paper, magazine pages or book pages etc
Glue sticks
Exacto knife or scissors
Cutting mat or cardboard to protect your table
Round tooth picks
Nail Polish
Styrofoam

Step One:  Cut your paper into strips.  You can cut straight across or make triangles using cuts similar to a backgammon board. Or just experiment in different designs.

Step Two: Fold the first 1 cm or so of paper over toothpick.

Step Three:  Start rolling the paper onto the toothpick making sure that the paper is very tight against the toothpick and also straight

Step Four:  Add about an inch of glue onto the paper and roll until there is about an inch left then add more glue.

At this point the bead should be rolled tight and glued well enough so that it does not unravel.  The bead should feel hard.  If it can be squished that means the paper was not rolled tight enough.

Step Five:  Push the bead up towards the tip of the toothpick.  This ensures that any glue that got between the paper an bead does not have a chance to set your bead in place forever.  The bead is also then less likely to get stuck to the toothpick after applying nail polish.

Step Six:  Use nail polish to seal the bead.  Paint a thin layer onto the bead by brushing with the grain.  One coat is good enough but you can add more coats for more shine.  The nail polish will make the beads water resistant but not water proof.

Step Seven:  Stick the toothpick into the Styrofoam so the bead can dry.

Easy peasy.  Experiment and have fun.

Bye Gonzolyn :(

Gonzolyn was the best cat that ever lived.  A little ball of fur perpetually on my lap. A presence 100 times as big as her mere 4 pounds and a heart even bigger.  She was named after Speedy Gonzalez because she was mostly just a blur when she was little and I know she's back to chasing all things shiny in kitty heaven.

I survived!!

Yes, my anxiety had me a little neurotic this last month or so waiting for my first craft fair.  I started making my unique jewelry designs less than 4 months ago and even though I have not sold much it has been a whirlwind.  I started a website, a shop on Etsy and I'm trying to master the world of on-line sales (much more complicated than I could have ever imagined).  I was able to get my jewelry displayed in a store and I am involved with the group that is working on establishing a community market in the small town I live.  Then I was in a craft fair for the first time.

The fair was in a gorgeous new building in down town Madison WI.  The parking was very limited and apparently the organizers did very little advertising.  The only advertising anyone knew about was ads in the student newspapers.  We all know that college students are not known for having a lot of money.  So, the turnout was very low.  I have some mixed feelings about this.  If it had been really busy I would have been really anxious and may have felt really overwhelmed and unprepared.  BUT, as it turned out I just barely sold enough to cover my booth fee and I did not cover the cost of transportation and food for the day.

I was able to meet a lot of the other vendors and enjoyed getting to know some really remarkable artists.  I still have to go through the business cards I collected and I will make sure to give a shout out to them.

I am fairly happy with my display and got a few positive comments.  I few people really liked the business cards, tags and banners my amazing husband designed for me.

Overall, I loved the set up, the other vendors and how my display turned out but I definitely would have liked a better turn out.  I'm signed up for another fair in March for a fundraiser craft fair and fashion show.  So, we will see how that goes.  I'm still debating whether or not I want to apply for any more for this year.  If I do I also need to make sure the times are shorter.  Seven hours in a chair I am not used to is too hard for my Fibromyalgia.  I am still very sore today so I probably shouldn't put my body through that again.

Yikes!

Tomorrow is the big day...My first every craft fair.
Art from the Heart at Memorial South in Madison WI


I'm so nervous!  What if no one likes it?  What if no one buys anything?  What if my fibro pain is too much to bare?

I took 2 days off of work so I can make sure I am ready to go first thing in the morning.  My amazing hubby also created new business cards for me and a banner to hang.

I should just title every blog "Another First" because I keep delving into new adventures.  Yesterday I met with a group of people who are interested in doing a farm market in my little town of Edgerton WI.  Some people tried last year but it flopped.  This year we are hoping to be a little more organized.  My hubby wants to do social media and other marketing and I'm going to have a stand for my jewelry.  I can't think of anything more lovely than sitting outside on Saturday mornings, talking to my neighbors and possibly selling a few items.  I can also bring my supplies and create while I'm out there.

I am also working on some new designs which have become really popular.  Some really loopy necklaces and headbands which I don't have any pictures for yet.

This first one sold within a few hours of listing it at www.AlyxAndreaDesign.etsy.com

https://www.etsy.com/listing/122575866/pale-green-beads-dark-brown-ribbon

https://www.etsy.com/listing/122544390/large-loops-pink-and-grey-ribbon-and