Packing Up for the Show

I've spent most of this week getting ready for the annual Spring Show at One Way Antiques and Two Feathers Trading in King, a small town about 30 minutes away from us. It's always a fabulous show, like one big family of artists, who gather together for two days of showing off new art, meeting customers, and truly enjoying the chance to be together again. It's not a large show, the "production people" keeping it to 30 or 40 booths, but each booth has fantastic and very original work, often very different from what you see at other small shows. There's textiles, paintings, very unique stained and fused glass sculptural pieces, glassblown work, metal jewelry, jewelry made from vintage dominoes, ceramics, custom knives, and much more. And it's in the most beautiful spot imaginable... a gorgeously landscaped area filled with vintage architectural pieces, salvaged goods from old homes and buildings, and a bamboo forest!

I'm just about ready at this point. I've priced, tagged, cleaned silver, made more business cards, ironed my table covers, baked blueberry muffins (snackies, you know, are important!), wired the backs of all my paintings, and I can't remember what else. Phew! We're going to the site this afternoon to set up our canopy and tables so tomorrow morning we will only need to set out our wares. For my husband, with whom I share a booth, this takes about 10 minutes. He throws an old Indian wool blanket on his table, sets out a deer antler or two, puts out his glass-topped boxes that contain his handmade knives, and a few other little goodies. But for me? Well, it takes just a little longer. I have old Moxie crates, a small metal table (from which I hang various necklaces from the rungs), necklace stands, rocks, dried beans, my large earring stand and my smaller individual metal earring displays... and then I have to decide which pieces to put where. And this year I will bring a display for my smaller paintings, which I normally don't take but have decided that their bright, cheery colors will add to my more earthly jewelry display.

So here's a couple pictures of stuff gathered round waiting to be loaded on the truck. You can see my hinged earring stand that my husband made for me, my vintage blue jewelry case with individual trays that contain the necklaces I will take, my crates, paintings, and other whatnots.




And here's my outfit (always important!), probably (sometimes I change my mind at the last minute... isn't that something we girls are prone to do?)... consisting of a wonderful little skirt from the local thrift store (yes, I LOVE the thrift stores) which cost all of $4, the most beautifully sheer vintage maiden's blouse that I bought from QueenLondonsCarriage on Etsy at a great price, a pair of my Ariat cowgirl boots, of course, and a straw cowgirl hat! And I usually sport my boot dagger that my husband made to help him with his sales!




Pictures from the show will be shown early next week! And probably no blogging until then! Happy weekend, everyone!