Blue Buddha Boutique Holiday Show December 14, 2007
Our first show in our new space! Thanks to all the students, customers and friends who came out on this chilly night. We even piqued the interest of a few local folks who saw the open house sign and wandered in. "Oh, this is great!" they exclaimed. "We thought for sure someone boring was going to rent this space, like a real estate company or something, but this is exciting!" Yay!
Since we hadn't yet moved in, the space was mostly empty, except for the table of jewelry I'd set up. So, we decided to put up signs indicating the purpose of each room. I wrote up a paragraph or two, and Artie made nifty visuals, some of which you can see below.
And now, we're off to count inventory, pack and move. We can't wait to get settled in the new space, and we look forward to serving you from our new location!
As usual, one of my favorite shows of the year! I enjoyed meeting so many new chainmaille fans, as well as catching up with former students and customers. And this year, I actually had the chance to do a little shopping before the show started. I am quite proud to be among such talented craftspeople.
Congratulations to Blanca O, winner of the "Guess how many rings" contest. She won a $25 gift certificate for her guess, which was 459 rings from the actual number.
Blanca's guess
5,100
Actual number
5,559
Runners up
4,500 and 7,226
Range
250 - 100,000
Average
8,905
Average (w/o highest and lowest)
5,764
Overall
As usual, most people (63%) underestimated.
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Our first show selling supplies! Artie & I had a blast, and were excited that so many of you knew about the Boutique from the recent article in Step by Step Wire Jewelry magazine.
Welcome, new chainmaille addicts. Er, um, I mean hobbyists. This craft isn't addictive at all. *whistles innocently*
A photo of our booth, and Rebeca getting a little silly with the pliers.
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This was my first year teaching at Bead&Button, and I had a blast. A somewhat exhausting blast, but a blast nonetheless! I met some incredible people—vendors, fellow instructors, and of course students—that I will not soon forget. Students, I hope you enjoyed the classes as much as I enjoyed teaching! Things were so busy that I didn't get a chance to take many photographs, but I did manage to capture some hands making maille for the first time. (Thank you to the women in the Chainmaille Earring class, for allowing me to photograph you.) Also, you can see my chainmaille scarf and Vanessa's shrug, which we wore to the Meet the Teachers reception. See you all next year!
As part of the City Of Chicago's Winter Delights Festival, a Stitching Salon was set up in downtown Chicago. On January 20th, I did several artist demos at the Salon. Over the course of the day, more than two dozen people crafted a pair or two of earrings, and about 10 people learned European 4-in-1 (Mesh). In addition, several fellow maillers and students stopped by to work on projects and check out what other maillers were up to. All in all, it was a really exciting day! So exciting, in fact, that I completely forgot to take photographs until the last 5 minutes of the event. Oops! I did, however, manage to run around before everyone left and snap a few pictures.
Ann Shroyer (left) and Rebeca Mojica having a blast learning a new weave.
Jacques Marcotte (DTDJock) of Matchless Maille and Zlosk's Thundercat's inlay.
Aspect Ratio King Paul Werstler (Zlosk), working on micromaille.
Whew! What a great and busy show. I love the DIY Trunk Show—there are so many great artists and the crowd is always so friendly and enthusiastic. Vanessa and I enjoyed meeting many people, and I especially want to thank all of the repeat customers. I'm thrilled and honored that you came back for more!
Congratulations to Krista C, winner of the "Guess how many rings" contest and recipient of a $25 gift certificate. This contest featured the biggest rings ever, with a 12.8 mm (1/2") inner diameter. Incidentally, I've only done this contest 5 times, and this is the 2nd time someone named Krista has won!
Krista's guess
3,333
Actual number
3,522
Runners up
3,200 and 3,878
Range
417 - 11,472
Highest Guesses
11,472 and 10,678
Average (w/o lowest and 2 highest)
3,615
Overall
As usual, most people (57%) underestimated, but this is the smallest percentage of under-estimating thus far. Good job, folks!
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Book Release Party
at Helio Massage and Bodywork Studios
June 14, 2006
What a fun evening! Plenty of food, drink and free massages to go around. Thank you, friends, students, valued customers, new clients, and everyone else who came. I am thrilled to have a published design, and so grateful for your support.
Congratulations to Michael, winner of the "Guess how many rings" contest and recipient of a $25 gift certificate. This contest featured the smallest rings ever, with a 1.6mm inner diameter.
Michael's guess
13,000
Actual number
15,132
Runners up
12,473 and 11,271
Range
300 - 704,000
Highest Guesses
200,000 and 704,000
Average (w/o lowest and 2 highest)
8,183
Overall
As usual, most people (75%) underestimated. In fact, 56% guessed under 6,000 and 18% had guesses with only three digits.
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Thanks to everyone who came out to see my latest work. There were several talented jewelers here today, and it was fun getting to know them and seeing their work upclose.
The hot tea and yummy cookies provided by the gallery was much appreciated on this brisk autumn day!
Here I am, crafting a copper piece on the spot for a customer.
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This show was a huge event, with 80-plus vendors and several workshops throughout the day. A very wide variety of items, from soap to purses to corsets to lamps and of course, jewelry. (Plus a TON of other stuff). If you didn't go, be sure attend next year!
Congratulations to Krista S, winner of the "Guess how many rings" contest. Because her guess was so close (only 9 away from the actual number), I increased her gift certificate amount from $20 to $25. Actually, I was quite impressed by the guessing this time around...you guys are getting good!
Krista's guess
5,655
Actual number
5,664
Runners up
5,683 and 5,811
Highest Guesses
512,000, 1 million
and 6 billion (!)
Range (w/o lowest and 3 highest)
409 - 28,761
Average (w/o lowest and 3 highest)
4,552
Most Popular Guess
6,000 (2 people)
Overall
Most people (69%) underestimated. In fact, 46% guessed 3,000 or under.
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I was honored to teach several chainmaille earring workshops during the show. About 20 people participated in the workshops, and each went home with 1-2 pairs of handcrafted earrings. No matter how much I do this, I think I'll always be thrilled to watch people make maille for the first time.
Wow, was it a hot one today! I'd like to extend a big thank you to everyone who braved the 90-degree weather and touched the hot metal maille on display!
Congratulations to Miska K, winner of the "Guess how many rings" contest and recipient of a $20 gift certificate. The guess had all the same digits as the actual number, just in a different order. Being the numbers geek that I am, I thought this was kind of cool.
Miska's guess
1,921
Actual number
2,191
Runners up
2,500 and 2,613
Range
150 - 10,999
Average
1,701
Average (w/o highest and lowest)
1,466
Overall
Most people (74%) underestimated. In fact, 57% guessed under 1,000.
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Thanks to everyone who stopped by my table. I had a great time and enjoyed meeting each of you.
Congratulations to Craig B, winner of the "Guess how many rings" contest. He won a $20 gift certificate for his guess, which was only 127 rings from the actual number.
Craig's guess
3,000
Actual number
2,873
Runners up
2,038 and 3,777
Range
302 - 80,000
Average
4,129
Average (w/o highest and lowest)
1,690
Most Popular Guesses
750 (2 entries) and 1,200 (also 2)
Overall
Most people (84%) underestimated.
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