happy friday

I've upgraded the look of my table for fairs. I think I nailed it and I'm very happy with the outcome. There are a few other items missing but for the most part this is the look. The wooden crates are from Michael's. Mike and I stained them to give them the used and rustic look. The crates also are useful than the bags I was  using for storing and transporting the products. My towels, prints, and everything else fit in nicely. Easy access is key. 

If you haven't noticed from the side bar, I have two fairs tomorrow: Indie Craft Bazaar: Spring Fling 2012 and The Trouble with Girls All-Female Art Revue! I've worked hard all week for both. I'm excited. If your in the neighborhood please be sure to stop by.

If you'd like more? Like Life In progress by jesslope on Facebook and follow me on Twitter for all of my random post and pictures. 

shipping boxes for towels

Remember this face? I decided to make it part of my branding, it's displayed on my etsy shop banner, I've  made stickers that I give out at fairs, I've even made paintings. Crazy it all started out of a doodle I made while having a lazy weekend on the couch.
After bouncing ideas off of a friend he suggested I also incorporate the face onto the boxes I purchased from Uline. These boxes are prefect for shipping my screen-printed tea/kitchen towels. On the side with no printing I'll place all the shipping information.
If presentation is everything, I think I nailed it. What do you think?

table manners etiquette

 

This is new to the my online shop and is a personal favorite. It is one of the first images I screen-printed on my Yudu. I'm glad to share it for the first time and I'll also be selling it at the Odd Duck fair this weekend. I particularly like this piece because I can always use a cheat sheet for table setting according to proper etiquette. The piece is printed on paper, size 8.5 x 11 (1/16"think). I also printed the image on flour sack dish towels.

a merry indie craft

This is what my table looked like at my last fair of the year. Its been a great learning experience this year being new to the fair world. I've come a long way from my first fair back in October. I now know that I want to grow a business based on screen printed tea/kitchen towels. I started the fairs with 30 towels, three different designs and I sold out at the Indie Craft Bazaar. By far the "tools of the trade" towel is the best seller. I plan on reprinting those for sure and making a series of different ones. I've also been selling handmade and upcycled jewelry made of old mac keyboards and those did very well. I also plan on getting active an etsy shop, which up to now has taken a back seat because of the fairs. I feel the fairs have given me direct interaction with my customers and I now know my target audience. All in all, this fair was a great way to end the year. 

custom stamp

I ordered a custom rubber stamp (with my blog name, for branding) made of clear polymer from etsy scribbling club. I'm glad I did. I was able to blast it all over my earring display, the back of my paintings and even the inside of my tote bags.

getting ready

       


As I mentioned before, I'm doing my first crafty fair this weekend. I signed up and was approved by DOWNTOWN OPEN MARKET two months ago. The way I broke it down was by making all my products during the first month and taking the second month to work on branding and displaying my product. (it over lapped a bit but I have a one track mind)


Top photo is how i'll set up my table with my earrings, bracelets, necklaces and notebooks.
The other three photos are my towels, tote bags and paintings. They're on pegboards.

The count down is on. I'm so excited/nerves.
(I'm still that little girl that thinks no one is coming to her party)

some people see in color, other people hear in color.

The text on the image above nails the meaning of my recent artwork. I'm kinda proud of myself. I got my hands dirty and stepped outside of my comfort zone. Right now these are showing at the Uncommon Gallery. There are a few available on my shop too.  This is just the first series. I made three series with different faces and the symmetry lines get a bit wilder. I'll be showcasing all three series at my first fair. More on that later.

everyone is doing it

this image was taken with picplz app because i no longer roll with iphone and they don't make instagram for andriod. this is the next best thing which is pretty much the same thing. if you'll like to befriend me find me under jesslope.

a to z meme is going all around in the blog world- at least to me its seems that everyone is doing it and i wanted to join the cool kids. did you post one?

A. Age: 28
B. Bed size: king
C. Chore that you hate: vacuum 
D. Dogs: wellington (we're happy to have him)
E. Essential start to your day: shower, coffee/expresso
F. Favorite color: depends, changes like a mood ring
G. Gold or Silver:  silver please
H. Height: 5" even
I. Instruments you play: nope :(
J. Job title: art directorK. Kids: who? what? 
L. Live: sunshine state
M. Mother’s name: luz
N. Nicknames: jess, jesslope
O. Overnight hospital stays: once at the age of seven, fell off a swing. i was there a whole week.
P. Pet peeves: wet floor mat in the bathroom
Q. Quote from a movie: "in a sense, yes. my art has been commended as being strongly vaginal which brothers some men. the word itself makes some men uncomfortable. vagina."
R. Right or left handed: left  
S. Siblings: si, i'm the middle child
T. Time you wake up: 8:00 but working on changing that
U. Underwear: boxers or briefs? 
V. Vegetable you hate: okra
W. What makes you run late:  forgetting something and remembering once i'm in the car. ugh! 
X. X-Rays you’ve had: cat scan and mri
Y. Yummy food that you make: lots of pasta stuff and grilled vegetables.
Z. Zoo animal: i want to see a white tiger.

new items in shop

Remember my doodle mode post? What I didn't share before was that it was created out of a doodle I made while sitting on my couch watching a whole weekend marathon of Madmen. Weeks later, I ran with the idea and I now have a series of fifteen unique, hand-painted canvas screen print sheets. I've made the lines in different colors red, blue, and neon yellow.

I'm excited and curious for this project and its path. 

"in the streets" of nyc

from doodle to this

What do you think?

made it myself

I've been wanting the perfect way to display my jewelry. I used to keep my jewelry in little boxes, however, that didn't work well when rushing out of the house. After long searches I had no other option but to make my own. This way my jewelry is always on this display when leaving my bathroom. I'll be adding more hooks as my jewelry collection grows. 

         

grand opening

I opened an Etsy shop. Check it out here. These are flower earrings with button studs.

 

new painting

I had no clue this would be so time consuming. Since I used masking tape to make the lines as straight as possible. I had to sit back and wait for it to dry before I could paint the other lines. So it became a two week project. Either way, I'm loving it. I can't stop sharing at it.

making it lovely

A couple a weeks ago, I was asked by a family friend to put together invitations for a shared Quince party. Actually that first sentence is false. I received an email with subject line: Fourth draft, and the email contained a power point file of this.

After making a phone call I learned that the email wasn't meant for me. It was for a different Jessica. While I do give credit for making an effort at designing. I immediately thought... I could clean this up a bit more. So I offered my skills. And came up with this:

The family loved them and printed at vista print. I think they came out cute.

unlock time

went to a "playshop" as the artist, Evelyn Ballin calls it. she is known as the heart painter. she has studio events of all sorts and a few days ago i signed up for a clock making/decorating workshop.

steps to making this unique clock: drill the hole (for the clockwork):: paint on the canvas panels :: hot glue the keys and letters :: afterwards Evelyn added the finish gloss. a few days later I picked up my very own unique and personalized clock.

i know this is something i could have done at home. however, it was nice to take in the experience at the playshop and to get out of my comfort zone. It was also cool to work with only the materials given to me, rather than planning in advance. looking forward to more playshops.

i was so happy about the result that i ended wrapping it and giving it to mike as a christmas gift. we have given the clock a home above our television.

autumn in central park 09

sharing a photo taken on my visit to the city last year. i miss seeing the change in the leaves. needing motivation for the weeks ahead. training for a half marathon in january. my calf muscle is killing me with only 3 miles under my belt. shopping for new sneakers is in plan for the weekend.

keep it moving

this was about a year ago. when visiting nyc. i have to remember to keep it moving.

recycled bottles

recycled bottles painted by me. for cheap kitchen decor.

i used high life beer bottles, starbucks bottles and even olive oil bottles. added acrylic paint and top off with wine corks for the high life beer ones.

rooster gallo towels

rooster in english and gallo in spanish. my first project made with the yudu machine. i had read that roosters bring luck in the kitchen. it's supposed to be a symbol of luck, health, and prosperity. I can't wait to start on some other yudu projects.