Sol del Sur at Cafam's Global Bazaar

This past Saturday was the Global Bazaar at the Crafts and Folk Art Museum. It was such a fun experience! The cute little patio was filled with different kind of artisan made goods, mostly jewelry. All the vendors were super friendly, wanted to know about my items, made good comments on my displays, and were willing to share excellent information.
I had two very friendly ladies sitting next to me: Valerie from Fastenations on one side, and Genie from Distinque on the other. I exchanged emails with both and probably will be sharing table with Genie in the future.

I also enjoyed talking to costumers, answering their questions and having fun! Which is a lot to say, considering how tired I was. Unbelievable! Last week was crazy preparing my items and all the displays, but I think was very worth it. Some of the assistants also signed in for the newsletter I’ll start sending this week, and entered the drawing of this set of earrings. I’ve been asking my online costumer to sign-in too, so they are up-to-date about new products, sales and special offers! That IS fun, but also a lot of work!

So, I’ll leave you now. I have to design the new Gift Certificates that I want to put on sale in my shop.

I am very excited to announce that I got my first wholesale account for my jewelry this week!
It was the best thing, the shop is wonderful, it’s in the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles! You can not be a crafter and don’t love Crafts museums! In that sense, I have to confess I had no idea it existed.

Anyways, it was such a coincidence that the day before they contacted me, I got an email from the Chilean embassy announcing that they were doing a Chilean Crafts Trunk Show right in the same place!

So, this woman that runs the museum’s shop contacted me, told me that they were having an event called Global Bazaar, that if I wanted to join that and that if I had a line sheet of my jewelry Of course I didn’t have anything, but luckily I had some bookmarks about that so I did it that same day, sent it to her, and the next day she put her order! It is not a huge order, but I’m very happy about it!

The Chilean event was today and it was lovely. We ate empanadas, drank wine, talked to chilean people and even bought a beautiful rari framed art from a shop called Cuenco. Visit the link and you’ll find out what rari is!

The place looks wonderful from the outside and inside too! Apparently they are always changing the exhibitions, and the shop is just great, they have lots of handcrafts from the whole world! I’m so proud I’m going to be there too!

Oh, and I said yes to the first show on November 7th. They’ll have another one on December but I’m not so sure about that…. we’ll see.

Well, it seems like since I have my lovely website, I haven’t make a single post!

Truth is, I was sooooo busy I didn’t have energy to write. Lots of things to do, lots of thigs have happened.

First one, off-mosaics, my beautiful cat almost die!!!! It was awful!! We had several terrible days, wondering what the outcome would be, but for now it seems she still has many years of purring to come! She had a kidney failure, so we still have to inyect her with IV fluids, and give her a couple of medicines, but she’s getting better each day so that makes me reeeally happy. Go Nico! (is a she, but her weird first mother named her after the model/singer…)

Second one, I had a show this last weekend!! I know, I know you are supposed to post about shows BEFORE they happen but, well, I was too busy making new stuff for the show, and not feeling like writing at all, but, whatever. Next time.

The show was totally great, a LOT of people saw my art, I had a lot of feedback and that is always a pleasure. Also there were so many different people there, totally fun! By the way, the event I’m talking about is called Create:Fixate, and if you can attend one, do it! I think is totally worth it. There were about 30 featured artist, vendors (that’s me!), live music, live Dj’s, live artists. Really cool!

And I discovered one thing: kids love my mosaics! There was a preview, so there was some kids with their parents, and a couple of them just hold my mosaics and wanted to take them home with them! So funny! (parents didn’t think the same, apparently). LOL

Well, after all the nerves and work, the show is over and I’ve spend these days posting all the stuff that I made for the show and didn’t sell, so my shops are looking full and nice. Take a look!

I wish it had been different, but it was the same thing as the other boutique sale. Well, maybe just a little different, since I didn’t make any sale! And, this was a commercial show. Well, not that kind of paid shows, but the place is. Anyway, the environment was super friendly and relaxing, there even was a band playing great music! But no public at all. I don’t now what was the problem, but I guess I won’t come back.
The good thing was that they kept my most expensive items in consignment. Maybe they sell them!!!

Oh, that beautiful one is my Cris And the one with the where-are-the-people face is me!

Well, I’ve been feeling kind of disappointed after my two failed shows, I know I have great products and there must be a market for me, but I just don’t know where is it!!?? I’ve been very busy setting up things, making things, doing some promos (maybe tomorrow I’ll talk about the Little Black Box), went to shops to offer my stuff (the said it was too late)… what else can I do? Well, for now, keep making mosaics, maybe costumers are coming soon!!!

Well, it wasn’t really a SHOW, but the preparation was the same and it really was as important for me. Someone contacted me through Etsy, asking if I wanted to participate in a craft boutique (that is the official name) at her house in Pasadena. At the beginning I thought it was a kind of spam, no much information about the event, but finally and after asking her for a table to borrow, I decided to go. The only problem was that I only had about 5 days to prepare the thing, and since it was my first time, I was totally stressed. But when me and Cris got there, he chose the spot (awesome!), and we opened the table, I felt like if I had done this every week! So he left, I set up the table and just enjoyed.

Actually, I enjoyed the place more than the sales, that weren’t much, actually, almost nothing, but it was really relaxing to be under those lemon trees, I met some people, and it was a kind of practice for the next show.
Yeah! If the day before we hadn’t came across a nice shop near The Container Store (buying some stuff for the set up of the table), everything would have been more disappointing. This shop was selling only handmade crafts and art, we asked a couple of questions (I have to say, I didn’t start the chat… shame on me!), and they ended up asking me to participate in their Alternative Arts Market, that they make once every month. This month it will be this weekend, which is when the Holiday sales begin (for those of you who are not so well versed in American culture). So, I’ve been very excited and hopeful that this is gonna be IT. If not, well, I tried it all!
Is gonna be Saturday and Sunday, hopefully there will be enough people to make me busy! (the other day in the boutique I almost took a nap… THAT relaxed I was.
Well, it looks like I’m writing today!
Wish me luck!