May 5, 2011

post craft sale

before anything, thank you to everyone to made it out to the craft sale last week. even to just say hi, it was pretty neato seeing people buzz at our table.


we got a way sunny corner of the caf and i have to admit it made everything look yumsville! all the colors of my monsters and kay tor's voodoods and brooches just popped and nearly made my own heart pop. i brought out just about everything i had for sale online, the new monster plushies and brooches which really filled up the table space, leaving my tote bags to the side bench in the sun. i was embroidering and kay tor was sewing up some more brooches during the entire sale and the other table around us (mostly glass and ceramics) would comment on how the great thing about textiles is that you could do it anywhere. they couldn't blow glass or throw clay just anywhere like you could with knitting, crocheting and embroidery. it wasn't the first time we heard this but it's always fun to hear.

there were times where people would take a break and wander around to the other tables and suggest making trades which both kay tor and i were completely up for.
with our neighbouring table (and fellow dread head) claire anderson, i traded for a cutie little bowl with a balloon cut out. i thought instantly that i could use it for crocheting at home, feeding the yarn through the balloon i wouldn't have to worry about the yarn rolling away from me and getting a little dirty.
with a now graduate glass artist silvia taylor, i traded for this pretty amazing glass feather which is now hanging lovely in my window though it could be moved to my workshop window soontimes.

the talented glass artist and friend megan came around half way through the day asking me to sew back on a flowery detail on her skirt. she said that day was the first time she wore it and the flower was beginning to come off. i didn't expect any form of payment for the job but she said i can come around and pick out a glass strawberry. now for those of you who know me well enough, know of my strange love of strawberries. i've said once before that if i were a fruit, i would be a strawberry. all that said, i had to accept! well my goldfish memory got the best of me that day and completely forgot about it until the end of the day when everyone began to pack up, megan came around with these two cutie glass strawberries in hand and said both were mine to take home, whoah heart pops!

despite the little sleep really beginning to sink in by the evening, it was all great fun and made kay tor and i decide to do this sale again next year.
although it was a small sale, it definitely gave me a bit of insight of what i need to do to have a pretty sweet table. the labeling took a little longer than expected and i kind of wish i had a bit more time to make more stuff 'cause i'm a nut like that. this summer i'll be on the hunt for craft sales to maybe do up but i'll admit one thing: my big ol' bum ticker has the hillside festival of 2012 in mind... just saying.




during the craft sale was an open to the public open house throughout the studios and we all had one piece or another to be displayed. i never went through the open house before getting into this program but i think i would have liked to. everyone's work was so perfectly displayed and grouped together in a way that just made sense to someone who may have not a single clue about the textile program. i wish i had a bit of time to pop into the other studios and take a peek at how they had things. i know the glass studio were doing small demo's all day which i hope really tickled the hearts of potentially new glass artists.
this year, the now second years, turned to be such a great bunch of weirdos with loads of talent that i'm genuinely excited to see who we'll get for first years next year.

after  the very long day, there was the tulip ceremony in the school's theatre. a kind of final goodbye for all the graduates and where awards are handed out. some were surprised to get some awards...maybe totally including this simple girl.


i wrote in my last post that i felt pretty good about my year's work and was ready to reach further. well i guess i wasn't the only one who felt that and got the studio award of a fair amount of studio credit! perfect for helping pay some of the materials needed to test out natural dyes next year.
i was never a fan of harsh chemicals and would like to learn to really know my natural dyes. i remember with a small assignment in my textile history class, we had to do a couple of natural dye samples. the process seemed so easy and the materials could be found in your kitchen or your own backyard. we did a tumeric and acorn dye and both came out to be such great colors, seeing the difference of saturation with different materials was really interesting. 

after the tulip ceremony, we went to the on campus gallery to the opening of the grad show. so many pieces looked fantastic and really inspired me for next year. the graduates are a lovely group of ladyfaces and i have to admit i will miss not seeing them in the studio, we shared some good long nights and some fun banter and dorky jokes over the separating shelves. on top of losing the third year beauties, the studio will be losing a pretty fantastic lady who definitely won a place in my heart, technologist and surface design teacher thea is off to do her masters across the sea which is both awesome and sad. i can only hope the studio will run as smoothly next year as it did these last two.

the next morning, i couldn't help but to be hit with the thought that come september, i'll officially be in the final year of the program....eep!
thankfully i have a pretty full summer to keep my mind off that thought for a little while longer.
i leave you with a video for O'Death's bugs, whoah eye candy natural textures!

internally yours,
sister valentine

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