Since I was accepted into the KY Crafted program last fall, I was eligible to participate in Ky Crafted: The Market....and I was SO excited!!!  This show features mostly KY artists who are all part of this program.  There is one full day of wholesale and then two days that are open to the public for retail.  While it was a long week leading up to it having just gotten back from Philly, I was so glad to be there.  Wholesale day went really well.  I met buyer's from KY as well as other states and also saw many of my current KY retailers.  Everyone was so congratulatory and excited to see me be a part of the show.  The whole weekend really felt like a celebration.  The retail days were fun, and it felt like most of Lexington came out for the festivities.  The KY Arts Council did an amazing job (as always).  This is one of the shows I will definitely look forward to doing again!

I was delighted and surprised to see one of my journals on the door as you
headed into the convention center!

Amy Hess, from the Local Traveler, and me.
Amy came by to do an interview for an upcoming show...stay tuned for details...

This is almost everything for my booth on one cart!  Welcome to loading in and out...it makes me thankful for a small car that I can't fit too much in :)

I recently traveled with the Kentucky Arts Council to Philadelphia to participate in the Buyer's Market.  It was my first time being at this show as well as my first time in Philly.   I arrived the evening of Valentine's Day and met up with Amelia Stamps, a fellow artist and friend.   She had done the show previously and was able to give me some insight as well as show me some of the Philly sights.  We didn't have too much extra time, but we did manage to enjoy meals in Chinatown most evenings.  We stayed near the convention center where the show was held and were able to walk everywhere, which was really nice.  The show felt like the easiest experience ever!  There were five of us who shared the booth,representing KY Crafted.  The KY Arts Council provided display and signage and were great about organizing everything.  The buyer's were also really great and quite personable.  It was really fun meeting store owners who are interested in supporting handmade products.  I'm grateful that I was able to participate and look forward to doing so again in the future!

It's official!!

The whole booth, featuring five artists

Close-up

This is what I look like writing orders ;)

Me and Amelia

The City

China Town

Little peek at The Market, which was filled to the max with food vendors, veggies, Amish baked goods, coffee, etc....Delicious!

I headed down to Orlando, Florida last week for my first wholesale show.  It was quite a different experience than retail.  The buyers were in work-mode, searching out the best products for their stores, galleries, and boutiques.  I met some great buyers who are very interested in the quality and purpose of my products.  In addition, my booth neighbors were fabulously entertaining and helpful folks from North Carolina and Tennessee, who answered questions and kept me laughing.  

I took a detour on the way home and stopped by Daytona Beach for a day.  I was able to relax deeply and take a genuine break.  I walked miles and miles on the beach and enjoyed the time of moving more slowly.

Sand art.  The water washed this away right after I took the photo.

Hello, Luna.