Sweet Cedar Jewelry Design

An afternoon of indulgence with Wine, Jewelry and Chocolate!!! A fund raiser for CALM – Child Abuse Listening and Mediation. Thursday, November 1 from 3:00 to 7:00. Admission is free to fun event at the world famous Montecito Country Club in Santa Barbara! Enjoy wine from four wineries, chocolate from three of SB’s finest chocolatiers and jewelry from 30 local jewelry designers. All vendors will give 20% of all sales to CALM. Please join the fun!

Date: Thursday, Nov. 1 from 3:00 to 7:00
Address: 920 Summit Road, Santa Barbara
Admission: FREE

Wine, Jewelry and Chocolate – a benefit for CALM
November 1, 2012

Sweet Cedar Jewelry Design made its Santa Barbara Beach Show debut yesterday.  For forty seven years, artisans have been peddling their handmade wares every Sunday, year round, on beautiful Cabrillo Boulevard east of Stearns Wharf.  Like the Yes Store, it has been a fixture for those of us growing up in SB and to put it simply, it just felt like home.  I found a spot next to Yes Store friends Pamela and David Newman and was ready to open shop at 11am. The weather was beautiful, with puffy clouds, a light breeze and temps hovering at seventy.  I’m sure I will have to endure some not so beautiful days, but then again, nah! This is Santa Barbara!  Funny, how this little business venture of mine has renewed my love and appreciation for my home town.

Beach Show Debut

There are LOTS of jewelers at the Beach Show and competition is stiff, so I was thankful for the sales I made.  I think my work is different enough that it will be worthwhile for me.  I have not seen anyone else selling solely metal clay work or fine silver jewelry for dog lovers!  I did meet lots of dogs with their devoted people, and realized I forgot my complementary dog treats and water bowl for canine shoppers!

I was reluctant to join the show due to a required minimum attendance commitment I had heard about, but after learning that it averages out to only once a month, I realized I can handle that!  The best part is that I now have a regular place to sell my work and meet with customers right here in Santa Barbara.  Until mid April when there is a space assignment meeting, I will be trying different spaces as I can get them.  Apparently the best spots are close to the wharf, so next week I’ll see if there is an unused spot up that way.  Where ever I end up, I am very excited to be a part of this historic art show!  See you at the beach!

On Christmas Eve at 6pm, the doors to the 43rd annual Yes Store closed for another year. It was a beautiful store this year.  It was bright, spacious and had a great location in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara.  It was nice going in knowing a number of the artists this year after being a newbie last year.  I got to know a few of them better and reconnected with an old friend from ceramics classes at UCSB.   I was happy with the interest my work generated and sales were very good. Over half of the items I sold were from my dog lovers line of jewelry.  It seems most everyone knows a dog lover and it is almost certain that the dog lover in your life does not have a pair of fine silver dog paw earrings.

Since retail is so new to me, I am still learning how to display my work, what sells and what doesn’t sell for gift giving, and how to approach customers without coming off as  pushy or aggressive. Most people I spoke with during the few times I worked in the store were receptive to learning about metal clay and were surprised about how clay can become solid metal.  (It still seems like a bit of magic is at work with this stuff!) I’ve been told that retail is an art in itself and there is much research and advice out there to provide guidance. It might be worthwhile to do a little research of my own!

I woke up on Christmas morning and my first thoughts were about the smiles on the faces of people who received my jewelry as gifts from people who love them.  I secretly wished there was some way I could have been there to see the reaction of each recipient.  Just the thought of a little bit of joy my work creates will have to be enough.  Maybe I’ll be out and about one day and spot someone wearing my work.  I wonder if that happens, can I resist the temptation to introduce myself? Could be awkward!

So, for the second year my participation in the Yes Store added so much pleasure, fun and meaning to the Christmas season for me.  I have already started thinking about ways I can improve my display and what new designs I might add next year.  I know some day the novelty and joy from the store will probably wear off, but I hope not.  I am honored to have joined the ranks of Santa Barbara’s finest artists and craft persons and hope to be included again next year.

The first Thursday of each month, hundreds of art, wine, music and people lovers head to downtown Santa Barbara to go gallery hopping.  A dozen or more galleries display new collections of art work and serve up munchies and beverages to visitors.  At the Yes Store, this event only comes once a year on the first Thursday of December.  This year was a fun time for all with lots of wine and a great crowd of people.  I decided to capture the night in photos and am sharing some of my favorite photos below.  Enjoy!

Kevin and Jim man the sales counter.

Sara serves up wine to gallery hoppers.

Friends gather to chat and catch up.

A shopper examines the merchandise

Laurie Lehman shows off one of her exquisite rings.

Great hats!

Checking out the amazing light show in David Sugich's kaliedescopes

Shoppers enjoy the well known work of the "Sisters"

Anyone who knows me knows I can't resist a furry face!

Shoppers at my booth! "Can I help you ladies?"

Live music adds to the festive event

A shopper admires one of the beautiful pieces from Healy Designs

Shopper can't believe a kaliedescope could be this small!

The Yes Store is finally open! What a great night of art, friends and music! The store is really amazing this year. It’s big, bright and the quality of art is impressive as always. The holiday season in Santa Barbara is not complete without a visit to the Yes Store, so be sure to stop in and say hello! We are at 740 State Street, Santa Barbara right next to the Pink Berry store.

A Band at the Door Plays a Lively Tune

Ready for the Ribbon Cutting

Excited Shoppers and Art Lovers

Come On In!

My Booth - Sweet Cedar Jewelry Design

Me and My Artist Neighbor Sylvie

John LaPointe and his Pottery

Susan Dunbar and her Tile Painting Exhibit

David Sugich and his Glass Kaleidescopes

See Photos from “First Thursday” in the Yes Store

The YES Store 2011 is coming!!! Opening night is Friday, November 18. Located this year at 740 State Street in Santa Barbara, the 43rd Annual YES Store will be bigger and better than ever!

Last year was my first time as one of the 47 artists showing and selling their work during the holidays in downtown Santa Barbara.  It was such a great experience and I’m trilled to be participating again this year.  The store is due to open the second week of November, exact date coming soon.

My booth - Yes Store 2010

Over the past year I have grown as an artist and learned so much about working with metal clay.  The addition of bronze to my work allowed me to take more risks and work on larger pieces.  I’m excited to be adding new designs including a new line of jewelry for cat lovers!

The YES Store first opened in the late 60′s and as a young art student I dreamed of  being included in the store.  Every year a visit to the store provided lots of inspiration and motivation to create art. It is an honor to now be included among the ranks of Santa Barbara finest artists and crafts people.

The YES Store 2010

Mayor Cutting Ribbon for Opening 2010

Having Fun With a Customer

The stars must have aligned for me this weekend.  Art Walk is one for the books, but will be long remembered as a special event where so much was right.  We were given Friday to set up and I was able to take a day off of work. It was such a joy to have so

Sweet Cedar Booth - Art Walk 2011

much time to “play” with various booth layout ideas.  I loved my booth location, right near the entrance to the show up on a small terrace overlooking much of the show.  I had wonderful neighbors and I set my booth up so people would walk through, flanked by my work, to my neighbors wonderful animal wood sculptures display.

Saturday morning three judges came through with their clipboards checking things out, scrutinizing my display and examining my work.  What a special surprise it was to see that one of the judges was my high school jewelry teacher!  Even though there was a 30 year break between my jewelry making endeavors, I still consider her to have played such an important role in my current success.  About two hours after their visit, they approached me with a big purple ribbon!  I was an award winner!  I was selected to receive an Award of Merit, my first art award ever.  No surprise to anyone who knows me, I jumped up and down and squealed like a school girl.

My first award!

The weekend was full of friends, new and old, visitors were generous with their compliments about my work, and I received invitations to sell my work at some gift shops and a fund raiser.  Sales were decent, but mostly I enjoyed the relaxed and fun atmosphere, getting to know fellow artists and the beautiful setting.

This coming weekend will be my first experience showing my work at Art Walk, an annual fine arts show at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.  Mom showed at this event a few times and many of Santa Barbara’s most prominent and successful artists display their work at this show. This is a beautiful event with artists showing their work under the oak trees along the creek behind the Museum. There is also an indoor show where the most loved painters and sculptors in Santa Barbara hang only a few of their best pieces.  There is a reception Friday evening which I’m really looking forward to.  It feels a little like I’m a rookie who made it into the big league! Link to the Art Walk site

Bronze Bee Hive

I’ve been very productive over the past two weekends in preparation for the show and have been working in both bronze and silver.  I like bronze because I can work bigger and take more risks. But results after a bronze firing can be mixed. In the same firing I can get a piece with a perfectly sintered, smooth surface and another piece with a rough surface that requires much more time in finishing.  Silver always comes out with consistent, smooth surfaces and is always easy to finish, but is almost ten times the cost for the metal clay.

My favorite piece from this weekend is the Bronze Bee Hive pendant on a gold plated large link chain.  The honeycomb texture came from a texture plate I made using baked polymer clay. The bee from balls of clay, rolled sheets for his wings and bronze wire for his antennae.  The honey drips were a last minute idea that I had as it was headed for the kiln.  I think they finish it with a little whimsey. My next one will have legs!  It was so much fun to make, I feel inspired to explore more hand sculpted creatures and see where it takes me.  I’m thinking a beetle or lizard will be next.  My favorite insect is the praying mantis, but I think that will be a challenge for down the road.

I’m really excited about this show!  Now I need to let friends know about it.  The marketing side of this little business is the hard part for many artists, including me.  It’s hard to “brag” about your work in order to sell it.  But the reality is, I enjoy the process of creating wearable art and especially enjoy watching someone light up when they find the right piece for themselves or for that perfect gift for someone they care about.  It really is the icing on the cake!

Necklace busts ready for Art Walk

Earlier this year I participated in my first outdoor fine art show as an artist.  It was in Ojai on Memorial Day weekend and it could not have been a better experience for a newbie artist.  The weather was almost perfect, a little wind challenged me with downed displays a couple times, but the crowd was there to see and purchase art.  People were so kind and complementary of my work and sales covered my expenses many times over.

My Booth at Solstice Festival in Santa Barbara

A very different experience was the Summer Solstice Festival in June, downtown Santa Barbara.  Artists were in direct competition with vendors selling neon pink plastic butterflys and cheap imports.  After the flamboyant and colorfully creative Solstice parade, a beer garden, stage bands, mosh pits and funnel cake were the the main attractions.  This was not the show for work like mine.  Luckily I covered expenses and made some great local contacts if I decide to sell work in stores.  I did get a great corner location and I was pretty happy with my booth.

My mother on the other hand, is a talented painter and art show veteran.  Over the past fifteen years I accompanied her to many of her shows.  Now that she’s slowing down, she doesn’t do shows anymore, except for the annual Artist’s Studio Tour in her home.  Her work can be seen at www.marylafond.com  I am her number one fan and we love to critique each others work.

Poppy Pursuit - Mary Lafond, Oil on canvas board

She was recently chosen as one of the artists whose work will be gracing the walls of the newly expanded Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.  Fourteen of her paintings were chosen and some of them have already sold.  So she is working her tail off repainting some of them.  Not too many people like spending time in hospitals, so I love the idea of thousands of people over the years finding some comfort viewing Mom’s paintings.

Being new at running a small business, it’s rewarding when an idea for increasing sales pays off. At the Ojai show, dogs were welcome, so on the second day I put out a bowl of water and some doggie treats, right next to my dog theme jewelry display.  Sales of silver paws and dog bones doubled that day!  Woof!

This Basset Hound enjoys a drink while her person checks out my dog theme jewelry display.