Trinidad Fish Festival

Erin House Designs along with all the members of the North Coast Metal Arts Guild will be at the 54th annual Trinidad Fish Festival on Sunday June 19th.  Come out and enjoy some local fish,  beer, wine and art on Main Street in beautiful Trinidad!  From 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.

 Highlights include:

• Charcoal-grilled salmon and whitefish, or deep-fried whitefish dinners – Salmon $15, Whitefish $11, Combo $13.  Children under 12, $8.  Senior Discount, $1
• Soda, beer, and wine from Moonstone Crossing and Winnett Vineyards
• Free live music all day – Lineup TBA
• Children’s activities area
• Street fair with artists and artisans from Main Street to the Memorial Lighthouse
• Tours of Trinidad Head Lighthouse tours (only happens once a year!)
• Coast Guard helicopter rescue demonstration
• Shuttles up Trinidad Head for free tours of the working lighthouse
• Free Parking behind Saunders Shopping Center (off View Street)

Thanks Humboldt Arts Festival!

NCMAG Booth

  Samba Parade

On May 13th and 14th The North Coast Metal Arts Guild (of which I am a member) participated in the second annual Humboldt Arts Festival in Arcata, California.  This arts, music and dance festival coincides with the graduation ceremony at Humboldt State University, also located in Arcata, California.  This is a festival that celebrates local artists of all kinds in Humboldt County California.  We had such a good time connecting with the community and other local artists.  All four members(me, Erin Austin, Lia Sharp and Jessie Howes) of the guild were there at the festival to sell their wears.  There was some great local art represented and for sale at the festival like, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, clothing and some great screen printing too.  We met these two hilarious ladies selling screen printed shirts cardigans, and sweatshirts.  They call themselves Tease and their stuff is great! There is also an art show at the Ironside Gallery that opened the day of the festival and will be up until June 30th.   After the sun went down on the first night there was an amazing fire dancing show complete with three large metal sculptures shooting fire into the air!  It was the most incredible fire show I have ever seen.
I included pictures of our booth and our fancy new banner that Erin Austin and her husband Geoff did the graphics for.  Also, a picture of our free standing wall that Erin Austin and I made and finished with some great fabric Erin had lying around.  Thank you to everyone who participated in the Humboldt Arts Festival!  It was a blast!

Dolphin Bead Designs

I have to share this great online printing site for those of you who make and/or sell jewelry in a retail setting.  Dolphin Bead Designs prints custom jewelry cards and tags.  They have almost every style of card you could ever imagine!  They have tons of fonts to choose from and you can upload your logo or graphics.  Their customer service is great too.  There is no customization charge and if you don't have a logo, they can help you create one.  Once you upload your images and choose your font, an email proof will be on its way in a few days.  Once you approve the proof, the cards are printed and mailed.  I can't tell you what a difference it has made in my display.  I was printing my cards at home and cutting them out, but these look so professional.  I chose the black laminated cards(it makes them glossy and a little more sturdy) with silver foil printing.   There are other colors of card stock to choose from, like, brown, kraft, ivory and shimmery pearlized finishes.  I personally love the black cards.  They really make the jewelry stand out.  I ordered the cards with out pre-cut holes(so i can use them for a few options) and with a plastic hanging clip on the back.  If you are looking to take your business to the next level, you should check out these great cards!  If you have questions, you can email them.  I talked to Kristi with my purchase and she was so nice and helped me with the layout of my card.  I am so happy with my new cards!
Thank you Dolphin Bead Design!

I Heart Indie Fashion

So, Last night was the I Heart Indie Fashion at the Origin Design Lab in Old Town Eureka. It was such a great time! It is nice to get out of the studio and socialize with other makers and buyers. The Origin Design Lab is is an open studio and supply center for artists, designers and makers. They have classes, workshops and trunk shows. In the front is a lovely shop filled with fabulous wears from local designers and supplies for various projects. Origin Design Lab founders Andrea Baker and Jodi Lee created the design lab to promote and cultivate a local community of motivated and adept makers. There is such a feeling of support in Origin. They know it is hard to have a successful business as a maker and they are there to offer support and advice. They are also serious about selling local handmade quality products.
At the end of the night we all sat down and shared stories, advice and questions while sorting buttons! It sounds a little strange, but it was so much fun!

I Heart Indie Fashion

I Heart Indie Fashion is tomorrow! May 5th from 6pm to 9pm come by the Origin Design Lab in Old Town Eureka on 3rd and F St. for a fun mixer to meet the artists who sell their wears in the boutique. There will be drinks and snacks.... and the first 30 people who show up will get a goodie bag. I got a chance to see the goodie bags today and they are amazing! All the goodies are hand made from some of the participating artists. There are brass buttons from Erin Austin, prayer flag necklaces from Anna Biszantz, luggage tags, flower water and more! I included small hammered brass pins that I attached to my business card. I think it is going to be so much fun! I am excited to mix and mingle with local people and make new connections. Put your party pants on and come meet some local artists. I hope I see you there!

I am featured on Metal Musing!

Check out Erin Austin's blog, Metal Musing. She has so kindly chosen me to be the featured artist of the week. What a great friend and artist! Check out her great rings. She is participating in Ring a Day and Ring a Week. She is so crazy awesome! You can check out my fabulous feature by clicking here.

She also has a great tutorial on how to make metal buttons. You can check it out by clicking here.

Custom Ring

I just finished this custom ring for a client who wanted a commemorative ring for her late dog "Chupey". There is a picture of her dog under a clear quartz stone and "My friend Chupey" roller printed on the sides of the bezel cup. Which proved to be a little difficult, because the words have to be etched onto brass backwards and then roller printed onto silver. Because the stone is faceted on the top, I chose to use prongs because I think it adds a little more drama to the ring. I am very happy with the finished product and my client was as well. I was actually a little nervous that it would end up looking a little cheesy. I don't usually do commemorative pieces, especially for a pet; but I am very happy with the end result. I think the ring looks classy and elegant. What a great way to remember your best friend.

Feature on Miskabelle Vintage!

My Etsy shop is featured on Miskabelle Vintage Blog
http://www.miskabelle.blogspot.com/

Check it out!

This blog is great! they have great vintage clothes and fun ideas too!

Thanks Miskabelle Vintage!

Meg's Custom Necklace

I finally finished a custom piece for a great friend of mine. There are three Lapis Lazuli prong set on the top and an opal prong set on the bottom and two accents of cones with roller-printed caps on top. I am really happy with it and so is Meghan.

Reliquary Assignment

So, I am open to any ideas about the reliquary assignment (see previous post). I was thinking of basing it on my cousin who passed away in 2004. His name is Michael Mellberg. He was a pilot.