My Ozark Adventure in Marketing

One of the nice things about working in Law Enforcement is the occasional reduced rate coupon or “freebee” provided for public servants. Last week my husband and I took a quick trip to Southern Missouri to take advantage of a discount offered by a well established theme park. I enjoyed the trip but there were two things that made me wonder about the decisions made by the park management. This park is known nationwide for its rustic appeal and quality craftsmen. Yet, three of the premier craft attractions were closed for the first month of the park season. Hey Mr. Businessman!! If you advertise that you have resident craftsmen and visiting artists--you may want to actually have them at the park. The other thing that I noticed was the gift shops. Yes, I know. A tourist attraction is going to be FULL of gift shops. The problem was that the gift shops at this “1880’s-themed experience” were packed with modern, cheaply made, imported, mass produced, plastic junk. There are many Missouri and Arkansas craftsmen and artists that would love to fill Branson’s gift shops with quality art and craft items. There is no need to fill all of that retail space with that stuff. I was very disappointed. My husband was very happy to return home with the money that we had taken with us for shopping. What a shame.

This morning I saw the light---or to be more precise I saw a sign.

With The CAM ETSY sale coming up on December 6th, I have been trying to make some bright holiday ornaments for my AngelsGourden table. Usually I just work in whatever direction the gourd takes me but this year I was trying to make the ornament “sets” that customers have asked for in previous years. You know—get that all important sale that covers the booth fee. When I got the 12th mini gourd in the “set” I was getting real tired at looking at the same shapes and colors and I realized that for the first time I was not enjoying my work. Making something had become boring! It was-- no. fun. Show sales this year have been few and far between and ESTY business has been worse. I fell asleep last night wondering if it was time to stop making things and take piano lessons instead. To say the least, I was bummed. This morning Monday got here all too soon and it was time to get back to my “real” job. The paper was slowly moving from the left side of my desk to the right and the file cabinet was filling up as usual. Then my boss suggested that since I am the “crafty one” in the office that I make a sign for the Toy Drive box that sits in our lobby every year. Nothing fancy-just a quick sign to let the pick-up crew know that they get the toys but need to leave our collection box behind. I grabbed my small collection of Sharpies and a couple highlighters and set to work. I enjoyed making that simple little sign. Not for money but for a good cause. Just a few block letters and a quick sketch of a holiday package. The “V” is a little crooked, but it will do the job-and it was not work…it was FUN! Like I said- “I saw the sign”. No more “sets”. No more worrying about the “sale”. I am just going to make things for fun and let fate do the rest.

What next?

My studio has been empty a lot lately. I have excuses aplenty for why I can’t seem to get anything done. “The grandkids take up too much of my time.” “My husband always seems to need me to be elsewhere.” “The new baby that Heather has brought into the family is keeping us all busy.” I could go on for hours but it would not change the fact that I am the reason that the studio is empty. I have no idea where my art is going. (or maybe where it has gone) I see wonderful glass items by Villa Design (http://www.etsy.com/shop/villadesign) or the beautiful jewelry made by Anna Ourth(http://www.etsy.com/shop/AnnaOurthJewelry) and my gourds look stale in comparison. How can something that I have always seen as such a living art form now look so lifeless? The beauty being created by Gloria’s Gourd Art (http://www.gloriasgourdart.com/) often takes my breath away yet when I try to sketch a new project all I can produce are endless spirals on the page. Is it time to take a break and hope to come back with fresh ideas? Should I try working with yet another new medium? My studio cabinets testify to the large variety of mediums I have sampled already! Just ask- I have it in there somewhere. Maybe I just need more time. To think. To plan. To get into a project so deep that I forget that time exists. Any ideas? Why didn’t I think of that!? Yep! You talked me into it! I’M TAKING TOMORROW OFF. If anyone is looking for me—I’ll be in my studio.

Autumn Leaf Gourd Bowl Tutorial

Autumn Leaf Gourd Bowl 1. Raw Gourd

We try to grow as many of our own gourds as possible. 2. Cleaned

After a year of drying I wet them and wrap them in plastic wrap to soften the outer layer of dirt and skin so that it will scrub of easily. 3. Cut, inside cleaned and outside sanded

I have never had much luck with sandpaper for smoothing the inside of gourd bowls. I have gone back to the Native American method of sanding with fist sized sandstone rocks. They are easy to hold and fit the contour of the bowl. 4. Inside Sealed I seal the inside of the bowl to cut down on the gourd dust and the sealer soaks into the shell making it stronger. On this project I used a commercial stain and sealer. Be careful not to use too much as the stain will seep through to the outside of a thin shelled gourd. 5. Wood Burned

At this point in the process I burn on the leaves, and some shading and start to carve away the excess shell around the rim with my gourd saw. I then use a sander and diamond burs in my Dremel to refine the detail along the rim. 6. Background Color

A solid coat of gourd dye (in this case Olive colored) is put on the entire bowl and allowed to dry over night. The edge of the rim was painted black with acrylic paint. 7. Color and Shading

Now the color is added to the leaves. Greens can be used for spring and bright colors for fall. The same process can be used for Holly and Poinsettia for the winter Holidays. 8. Sealed The bowl can be sealed with more Stain and Varnish or a clear water based sealer. I like the way that the stain pulls all of the colors together and gives the bowl a mellow glow.

To Post or not to Post…THAT is the question

Once again I am trying something new. This week I started posting (almost) step by step pictures of a gourd bowl on my AngelsGourden page on Facebook. The pictures have been received very well. Quite a few people are sharing them which is fantastic! I have a few friends and family members who are quick to “Like” any art that I post but most of the time the photos do not get “Shared” with the Facebook world. I even got some feedback when I asked a question about the amount of color on the piece. Now my question is…Should I start the picture series with a “raw” gourd or should I do as I did this week and start with a gourd that has already been cleaned, cut, and sanded? The first few steps of the process are not very photogenic but they are a very necessary part of the creative process. The last few steps are usually where all of the interesting details and colors appear. I also want to take into account the number of pictures that I post. I do not want to overwhelm the Facebook Wall with a million “look at me” pictures and alienate my few followers. So readers I ask this question of you… Do I post the whole creative process or just the “pretty” parts? Thank you. Ag

Today I did something that a lot of artist/crafters would not do. I met with a customer and showed her how to make two of the pieces that I sold in my ETSY shop. I know… I can hear you saying “If you show her how to make it herself, you will not be able to sell her anymore of your items. Even worse, she can sell them herself and steal your customers. That is a good way to put yourself out of business.” As a business woman I can see your point, but as an artist and member of the artistic community I see this from a very different angle. Artists march to a different and somewhat eccentric drummer. We feel the need to create, to share our creations, and to share in the creative process. Ask a group of artists/crafters ( yes we tend to travel in packs!) and you will find that most of them are willing to share the details of their creations. They will share everything from the beginning of the creative process and where they find idea -to the details of how they achieve a certain look or where they buy a much need supply. Sharing is a large part of the creative process- as is teaching. You will find that a large number of arts and craft supply businesses also offer classes. Most classes are taught by employees that are artists themselves. So back to where I started telling you about what I did today. One of my customers wanted to know how I made the copper Viking Weave necklace and bracelet that she purchased from my AngelsGourden ETSY shop last week. We e-mailed back and forth a few times and arranged to meet this afternoon at “Wired Coffee” on Lindbergh Boulevard in Sunset Hills. We introduced ourselves, grabbed a iced coffee drink and sat down to talk copper. I got my weave supplies out of my tote bag (that goes everywhere with me) and as I started showing her the basic weave technique she started firing off questions like a four year old on a long car trip. We covered the Viking Weave, beads, clasps, where to get supplies, tools and metal smith techniques. Let me tell you it was great! The feeling I got not only from the creating process but from sharing my craft with someone who was smitten with the process and wanted to learn. We talked for an hour and a half and it seemed like five minutes. We exchanged phone numbers (in case she thought of another question) and I took her order. Yes- she wants me to make her a half dozen more items for Christmas gifts. (Not such a bad business decision after all.) I wonder if I should offer to teach a class. I know where I could book a room. The manager at Wired Coffee showed me around while I was there. They have a small meeting room (they don’t mind if you over flow into the main room), they have art exhibition space, and they have a great selection of coffees! Did you know that they also serve FOOD? They have a well rounded menu and the prices are reasonable. They have a facebook page where they list upcoming events-like speed dating in September! I left the manager with my business card so keep and eye on their facebook page - some day I may be listed as an upcoming artistic event .

Wine Country Calls

I must start by saying that I am not a wine drinker. I just never liked the taste of the stuff. I am one of those evil people that you see at parties- you know the ones- ruining your favorite wine by mixing it with soda. Oh –the friends that I have offended and the time that I have wasted. A visit to my sister in Hermann, Missouri has shown me the error of my ways. I took a tour of the beautiful Stone Hill Winery. I usually go on these trips to look at the gift shops to see what other artists and crafters are making. This trip was different because Stone Hill is the home of the only wine that I have ever liked-Stone Hill Pink Catawba. Their Pink Catawba is light, with a slight fruity taste. YUM! No soda required here. While at the Winery I inquired about entering my Gourd art in their “Kristkindl Markt” in November. I wait to hear from the organizers of the event. So with my fingers crossed and a few bottles of wine tucked in the truck we headed for home. The two weeks later we returned to Hermann with the intention of visiting the Deutschheim State Historic Site and the Old German School Museum. We never got there. We met my brother in nearby Rhineland, Missouri for breakfast at the Trailside Bar & Grill, a great stopping place along the Katy Trail. We were served a delicious farmhand sized meal and the service was great. After breakfast my sister called and said that since I was interested in wine ( I guess she got that idea from my plentiful purchases in the Stone Hill Wine Shop a few weeks before) her husband wanted to take is to a little winery “just down the road” that was owned by a friend of his. We met up by our camper in Hermann City Park and headed off to Bland, Missouri to visit Wenwood Farm Winery outside of Mt Sterling, Missouri. The winery is just a few minutes from HWY 50 on a beautiful country lane. However –to get there from Hermann we had to take every twisty, no shoulder, curvy, two lane road in the county. I am a back roads country girl but you should have seen the look on by husband’s face an hour later when we arrived “just down the road.” Oh man! It was worth the trip! We swooped down into the valley and turned a slight corner and there it was. The green grass (yes even in this summer of drought it was green), the small stream, the white farm buildings with green trim. The perfect picture of rural America! I was already impressed with Wenwood Farm Winery and I wasn’t even out of the truck yet! We parked by the big barn and walked across the lane to the small barn that is converted into a gift shop and tasting room. I am all about checking out the items on display in the gift shop but when in Rome….. So it was time to shuffle to the counter and taste some wine. The owner, Tom, (how is that for service) poured for us samples of three of their sweet wines (still not fond of dry) and a special limited edition sherry. They were all wonderful! What a pleasant surprise! I liked them ALL. As he wrapped our purchases (of course) we sat and visited. He also let us sample some of their on-tap root beer. If it was available in bottles we would have had to leave someone behind to make more room in the truck. We took a short walk around the grounds and enjoyed their lovely streamside pavilion where they sometimes offer live music. Before returning to the truck we stopped in the tasting room to say our goodbyes and I dropped off my AngelsGourden business card and was invited to enter an application for their "Art on the Farm" event in late September. See you at Wenwood in September!

Something New- Enameled Copper

In the midst of the storm-a light appears through the gloom. Something has been added to my latest gourd vase. A handmade enameled copper lighthouse!

Angelsgourden at Tower Grove Farmers Market

Saturday October, 23, 2010 my gourds and I will be at the Tower Grove Farmers Market form 8:30 am to 2:30 pm. Marty and I will be set up with some great artists at the Showme Etsy team booth and we look forward to seeing you there!

To all friends and family

Due to all of the highway accidents this week I want to remind the people that I care about:
The most common contributing circumstance on auto accident reports is inattention. Please watch the road. Nothing is more important than being safe. NOTHING!
The next most common cause is following too close.
Leave a safe breaking distance between vehicles. AT LEAST one vehicle length per 10 miles per hour. If you can read that cute personalized plate you are too close. If someone fills in that gap and you have to slow down, you may get to where you are going a little bit later but you will get there alive.
It is ok to ask me to hold or set the phone down to use your turn indicator well before you change lanes. The other drivers can not guess what you are going to do next so give them some warning- they may even reduce speed to let you in.:)
Love,
Angel

St Louis Fun

Have a great time in St Louis while helping a good cause. Get together with a fun group of people to party and remember lost friends and family.

Time September 11 at 6:00pm - September 12 at 1:00am


Location Bruno's
2652 Hampton Ave.


Live music from The Darrells, Unleaded, Maxstout and Kevin Tipton & The Mudflaps!

$20 suggested donation at the door plus great drink specials!

Be sure not to miss the 50/50 raffle and silent auction!
...
All proceeds benefit the ALS Association - Greater St. Louis & Keith Worthington

Can't make the show but want to make a difference? Visit:
web.alsa.org/site/TR/Walks/KeithWorthingtonWalk?px=2341924&pg=personal&fr_id=6480


In loving memory of Haley Stevens and Tom Lombardo.
Learn more about Haley here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHguH9sRN7M
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLXeAm_Bo00

Monarch Restaurant and Jour De Fete

My hubby’s coworkers all got together for dinner last night at the Monarch restaurant in Maplewood. A food tasting is a great way to get to know people and makes for some lively conversation. We got a chance to try out their new Cajun menu items and a bottle of the house wine. The sea food was great and the desserts were wonderful. I think that some of the other items could use a little more spice but that may be because when I think Cajun I think “Spicy”. The service was amazing and the atmosphere was great. They have an Italian Plaster wall in the dining room that is really a wonderful work of art! A great time was had by all.
Now that I have had a chance to socialize and have a great meal it is time to get back to work. My next sale is at the Bid 4 Auction Flea Market on Main Street in Ste Genevieve MO. I will be there during Jour De Fete the 14th and 15th of August. The Jour De Fete is the local festival where the citizens of Ste Genevieve and surround areas can celebrate their heritage. The festivities are always wonderful and the streets of the town are always lined with art and craft vendors. The local fire department usually has a boot where they sell wonderful food and there are other food vendors throughout the town. The area is known for its wineries so there are places to sample and buy a bottle to bring home.
The flea market is inside an old hardware store building on Main Street. I will have the comfort of air conditioning and a roof over my head in case of showers. I will be taking all of my sale items and some work in progress to keep my hands busy between customers! The road to Ste Genevieve runs through some beautiful scenic valleys so you can plan a short road trip and stop by to say “Hi” See you there!

This Weekend in St Louis

Looking for something to do this weekend in St Louis? How about some art and fun? Stop in at Artropy and say Hi! http://showmeetsy.blogspot.com/

A Blast of Orange Treasury on ETSY

My bowl made it into a treasury!!! Woooo Hoooo!!!http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=126235

Weekend Get Away

The weekend at Pere Marquette was wonderful! Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton is a short drive from St Louis but still far enough away to provide the feeling that I am “getting away from it all”. The grounds of the state park are well tended and the Lodge is a wonderful stone and timber piece of a bygone age. My hubby and I stayed in one of the cottages and it was lovely. A large living room with a good sized flat panel TV (my hubby’s idea of heaven) and a fold out couch for additional sleeping room. This joined a small bedroom and bath.

We arrived on Saturday afternoon and spent hours walking through the park. Dinner was the buffet in the Lodge Dinning room. Prim rib ---yummmmm.
Sunday Morning we also enjoyed the dining room at the Lodge –I had the oatmeal and my hubby had the breakfast buffet. Again the food was wonderful but there is always way too much of it!

The show did not go so well- we did not sell anything. I do not think that there were many sales inside the Lodge. The crowd was moving through the room but no one was buying. I hope the booths outside had better sales. I saw that Candy of Raven’s Cache had set up outside with her new white canopy and I hope she had a great day! We got some nice complements but no sales. My hubby had a great time-he loves to people watch!

I hope to have better luck next Saturday April 17th for Artropy at Sqwire’s Annex. I will be spending the day with a great group of St Louis artists! If you are in town this weekend,stop in to say Hi!

Show Me St Louis Tuesday April 6th

Hi All!

AngelsGourden will be featured on Show Me St Louis (Channel 5) on Tuesday April 6th at 3 pm.
They came to the house this morning and spent an hour taping in the studio and in the front yard. There is a short interview with me and another one with the hubby.
They took pictures of my art and the area where we grow the gourds. I have no idea how this will turn out because I don't even remember what she asked or what I answered because it all went so fast.
Wish me luck.

Easter

We had a great Easter with Mom and Dad in South County. Now to get ready for tomorrow. I ran out of mascara so I will be on TV with no eyelashes! If that is the worst that happens I will be ok. Have to be sure to remeber to order some of the great mascara that Dawn sells through her Beauti Control business. Maybe after this TV stuff is over we can have a spa night for the girls. WooHoo Spa night!!!!!

Tristen's Birthday

What a beautiful day! Three of our children came over with their children to celebrate Tristen’s ninth birthday. We had BBQ followed by cake and ice cream. The grandkids played outside in the yard while the grownups sat on the porch and caught up on the family news.
The grandkids managed to put the kickball into the pond three times. The first two times Marty had to scoop it out with a dip net. By the end of the afternoon Brittney figured out how to get the ball out of the pond without help. All of the boys managed to get into the mud and had a great time doing it.
I tried to clean up the studio for the taping of my segment on Show Me St Louis next week but every time I started to work on it one of the grandkids needed their grandma. Oh well.. Who do I think I’m fooling anyway? The studio is always a mess. Being a Gourd Artist is just a dusty way of life. There is no clean way to work on a gourd.
The houses is quiet now so I will sneak off to the studio and see what can be done………………………….

Chamois and Slumped Glass

What a great weekend! I went to Chamois Missouri on Saturday to spend some quality time with my sister. She is a glass artist and we spent the day slumping some glass pieces that I can use in my gourds. I brought back some bright colored clear glass pieces that she had in the kiln when I arrived at her house. These pieces may find their way into one of my mushroom night lights. While I was there she showed me how to cut glass and helped me put together some pieces that we put into the kiln before I left to head for home. I can’t wait to see how they turn out! She had just finished a foil piece of a frog that was real cool. If can make it out of glass-she can make it look good.
After the long trip on Saturday it was great to spend Sunday just lounging around the house with my Honey. He watched a bunch of old westerns and I wandered out to the studio with my gourds. I have a few projects in the works so watch the gourden for a new crop.

Spring Show To Do List

Good Morning! Not as warm as it was yesterday and a little overcast but all in all not too bad. Dad always said that any day that you wake up is a good day.
I have been very busy this week getting ready for the spring craft show season. I signed up for a ProPay account and ordered by “knuckle buster” so that I can accept credit cards. I got the Premier account so I can now accept VISA, MASTER CARD, DISCOVER and AMERICAN EXPRESS. AMERICAN EXPRESS costs more to use so I don’t think I will advertise that one very much.
I ordered my custom “merchant plate” for my “knuckle buster” and it should be arriving in the mail soon. It seems so strange that at this time last year I did not even know what a “merchant plate” or “knuckle buster” were, much less, that I would need them.
My husband-bless his heart- is working on getting me a banner for my booth. He is trying to work it out so that I can have my avatar on the banner along with my shop name. I would already have a banner if I wasn’t sooooo picky about using my original art instead of a clip art picture. I think I drive him crazy!
Now I need to get a table cloth. Once again I am picky. Imagine that! I want to get a basic white or black cloth that will go most of the way to the floor on the front and sides of the table. Then I want to get some small runners in different colors that I can add on top of the cloth to brighten the table for different shows. It’s off to SAM’s Club after work!
I need to contact DISCOVER. I saw an advertisement that said they will provide free signs and I like FREE!

I gotta go….work to be done. See ya soon…………………..