Bonnie L. Blandford

Oops!

2009-11-14T22:35:00.001-05:00

I knew I was behind on blogging but boy, it's really bad when you log in and find it's been exactly a month since your last blog! It's not that I ran out of things to talk about since that will never happen, but I've been on the road doing shows all over the country and I'm pooped!

My plan is to catch up with pictures and stories next week so please check back...

Bethesda Row Arts Festival

2009-10-15T14:25:00.004-04:00

I'm scheduled to do the Bethesda Row Arts Festival this weekend in Bethesda Maryland. Really been looking forward to this show for lots of reasons. Sister time since Kare was coming down to help me with the show. My favorite nephew (who is now so much taller than I am...big sigh) and my brother-in-law were also going to visit which would be a great warm fuzzy. And let us not forget Maryland crab cakes!!! Plus I've not shown my work in this area recently so I have totally new work to show!

And then comes the weather forecast. In the 40's with rain all weekend. I can handle the cold (reluctantly) and I can handle the rain but the two together is really, really tough. It just sounds bone chilling. Plus set-up for the show is early Saturday morning which sounds even colder.

For the first time, Michael (we were going in the same van) was the one who said he didn't want to go. I was actually relieved since I wouldn't have suggested canceling but I really didn't want to face that cold, wet weather. I was willing to go if he wanted to and he said he would go if I wanted to but he really wasn't looking forward to it.

We're not going to Bethesda Row. Not a decision made lightly but made more out of necessity. We both have heavy schedules coming up and can't afford any down time getting sick. We both have orders to get out so we can use the time productively. I'm feeling warmer already...

So no warm fuzzy family time. No crab cakes. No trying out this work in a new market but hopefully I'll get into the show next year because I'd love to do it!

Cottonwood

2009-10-09T14:39:00.006-04:00

I love this show but it just didn't work for me this year. Had lots of fun, got to see my friend Marilyn O'Hara who's a great jewelry photographer. Also got to see Needfire, a great Celtic Rock band who I really enjoy!

First saw them at Woodlands Waterway in April so I was excited to see they were playing at Cottonwood in May. They were rained out... But luckily they were also scheduled for the October Cottonwood show. My booth was very close so I snuck away to watch. There's something about men in kilts, jumping around playing Celtic rock. Then add a didgeridoo to the mix. Wow! Do Pat and I look happy???

It's a long drive from Michigan to Texas and I'm gone for 6.5 days. It's hard to justify if the sales aren't there, which they weren't this year. It's a fun show and I really enjoy Texas and the people there but will probably take a break from this wonderful show. Unless I win the lottery and have money to play with!

Catching up in pictures

2009-10-09T13:06:00.003-04:00

Funky Ferndale deserves it's own pictures...

Jon Hecker was next to me with the Tattoo Dreams booth so there are a couple shots of his booth. Notice the great hanging beads that Pat's now doing! Becka Strachan got a customized Tattoo Dreams table and looks pretty happy!

Then there's a picture of the space behind my booth at the show. This fit with the whole theme of the show perfectly!

My favorite - the balloon man was making balloon collars for all the big dogs...

I'm not funky...

2009-09-23T22:28:00.004-04:00

It's now for certain. According to the Funky Ferndale show, I'm no longer in the "funky" group.

Had great fun at the show with Jon Hecker in the booth next door (Pat was home very sick), showing their Tattoo Dreams. And the people watching was fantastic! But I felt either old or just out of my element. My work didn't fit into the show or the people there. But it was FUN!!!

Next up for me is the wonderful Cottonwood Art Festival in Richardson Texas, a suburb of Dallas. This is a relatively new show for me and I absolutely love it! Everyone is so very nice plus people actually like my jewelry!!! And I get to see the great jewelry photographer, Marilyn O'Hara!

It's all good...even if I'm no longer funky...

Can I be funky?

2009-09-18T10:46:00.002-04:00

I leave in a little while for the Funky Ferndale Art Show and I'm wondering if I'm even the least bit funky anymore. As I've been sitting in the studio making new things for the show, I realize that right now my work is more zen than funk.

So when did my work change and mellow out? All my life changes and everything that happens is reflected in what I make. For me with the world so chaotic, my work is coming out more calm and peaceful. Feels right to me!

All I can hope for this weekend is that in and amongst all the funky work in Ferndale, people will be drawn to a little sea of calm...

Cheap Advertising

2009-09-13T23:41:00.002-04:00

I don't understand why art fairs don't have lists of their artists and links to their websites available for the public at least 2 months before their shows. This is the cheapest form of advertising I can think of yet so many shows don't take advantage of it!

As a customer, I go to the art fair's website first and see if there is anything there that interests me. I love discovering new artists or new work by old favorites and then I can't wait for the show. I cannot understand why shows don't have that information available and do it months before the show. Yes, there will be cancellations and changes before the actual show and no, I don't expect it to be constantly updated but what's so tough here???

It's cheap advertising and I think as artists, we should demand it!

I have found my true calling...

2009-09-08T18:37:00.004-04:00

I want to be an art fair roadie! This past weekend I did just that when I went to Fourth Street Festival in Bloomington IN with Michael as his roadie. Now my motives weren't pure since the Hecker's live there and were showing their Tattoo Dreams work in the booth next door. I was seeing social time ahead. And there was!

As a roadie there's no stress before the show. Nothing to get ready, nothing to make, nothing to worry about. Pack up your clothes and go. No maps to print, no show info to read, no wondering if you're on grass or pavement or if it's going to rain. None of that. Just sit in the seat and ride! Stop for gas and someone else pays for it. Oh, this is sweet!!!

Setup was pretty easy since again, I had no worries. I got to move Michael's work around the way I liked it even though he moved some things back. I didn't sweat the parking situation, even though it was perfect there. Pat and Jon knew all the greatest places to eat so we ate really well and I could even eat garlic, which I love. If I had a booth I'd be way too close to people to get away with garlic breath but not in Michael's.

I made the first sale in the booth on Saturday which was fun. Later in the day, Pat needed a booth break so we left the guys in charge of both booths and we went to catch up in Starbucks, only coming back 2 hours later because they called us. We had lots to catch up on!

The show does people counts once and hour and I volunteered for a shift each day which was great fun since it was new to me. So if you read their estimates of attendance, they should be more accurate than most. I did some booth sitting for friends that were by themselves since I know how much I appreciate it when people do it for me.

Oh, the freedom I had was wonderful! I could somewhat come and go. Drank lots of coffee and met wonderful people at the show. Got very wet walking around on Sunday when I actually got to see the show. That never happens when I have my own booth...

So I've now found my true calling. I just have to find people to actually pay me to do it!

Vacations

2009-08-30T12:16:00.005-04:00

I've never been one of those people for whom a vacation means travel to faraway lands. My idea of a great vacation has always been seeing interesting places, meeting interesting people and enjoying a new experience wherever that may be. Now, because I'm doing so much traveling for shows, the entire word "vacation" has taken on a new meaning.

Vacation now means a hammock at our favorite little rented cottage on the beaches of Lake Michigan. Up on a bluff, right on the lake, with woods all around and very few people seen. Ah, perfection.

I'm now home from the most needed vacation that I can ever remember, ready to get back in the studio! I have a HUGE group of shows coming up, the most I've ever done in a short amount of time and I need to be well stocked so that no one is short-changed in selection because I didn't get enough done. I feel refreshed, revived and have tons of ideas of new pieces I want to make.

It's now 50 weeks before I'm back in that hammock, listening to the waves crash on the beach, napping and reading good books. I have a lot to get done before that...

On vacation...

2009-08-23T09:15:00.002-04:00

Getting ready for vacation this year took more last minute work than normal because I got home from a show just days before. But of course we made it since NOTHING gets in the way of vacation.

So my next post will be AFTER vacation when I don't have to sit in Biggby's, my favorite coffee shop with music seemingly blasting into my ear that has swimmers ear. Oh pain...

Scheduling Art Fairs

2009-07-26T16:09:00.003-04:00

For me the Ann Arbor Art Fairs in July have always signaled the end of summer. My next show is normally in September so I take August to regroup, restock and take a vacation. I've always wondered how people turned right around after Ann Arbor and did another show. This year, I'm going to find out. Okay it's not really right after Ann Arbor but it is close. I'm doing the Uptown Art Fair in Minneapolis Aug 7-9 before I get a vacation.

If you like control over your work schedule, this isn't the life for you. You can apply to dozens of juried art fairs and get into none, all or somewhere in between. Okay, I've never gotten into everything I've applied to but I can dream big!

Sometimes your schedule just works out beautifully with close shows back to back and other times you're criss crossing the country, which is going to be my fall schedule. Michigan, Texas, Maryland, Tennessee, Florida, Ohio. It would be nice if I went right from Tennessee to Florida but there's a week in between.

This works really well for anyone who likes road trips, which I do but I've never done this much traveling in such a short time. 5 shows in 7 weeks means instead of typing this, I need to be in the studio! Back to work...

Best in Show!

2009-07-23T10:35:00.004-04:00

Boy, it's not often I get a chance to talk about something that kept a grin on my face for days, but this did. My jewelry won "Best in Show" at the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair on State Street! My first "Best in Show" ever! That award is usually won by fabulous painters or glass blowers, not jewelers.

The fun started early since I wasn't in my booth when they came to give me the award. I had chosen that time to walk around and see some of the show for myself. I got back and started telling Shoaleh what I had seen. What I didn't notice, for quite a while in fact, was that she was wearing this big blue ribbon across her chest! Yes, I did finally notice.

Then came the fun of deciding where to put the ribbon. My initial idea of wearing it as a necklace was quickly vetoed and the ribbon spent it's days moving around the booth. A list of the winners was written up in the local newspaper on Friday so that started the people coming and looking for who won the awards. Not sure it helped sales but it definitely helped keep me grinning!

Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair is next week!

2009-07-08T11:11:00.004-04:00

YIKES! What a thought! I worked so hard getting ready for the Boston Mills ArtFest and had so much fun there that it's hard to get back in gear for my biggest show of the year, the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair!

But in the midst of at least thinking about getting in the studio to make new things, I took a day off to "play" with my nephew Tommy. I only get to see him a couple times a year since he lives in Maryland and it's not enough so I grabbed this chance at some one on one time with my favorite kid (not sure that at 5'10" and almost 16 I can still call him that). By the end of the day, between he and Dick, I had one of the best days of my life. It was nothing big but just a lot of little things, lots of warm fuzzies that made me totally forget about work.

But I'm back in work mode today. Starting my lists of what needs to be done so I can prioritize and make sure everything gets done. I love lists and would be lost without them. I have pictures from the front and back of my booth last year since it worked really well for me and I want to repeat it. This picture is my booth last year with Nancy Martin working away inside. I have more cases than at any other show so I need to get working to fill them!

This is the year to come back to the Ann Arbor Art Fairs! If you haven't been in a while, come back and see what you've been missing! Park at Briarwood Mall and take the shuttle in for the easiest Ann Arbor experience.

I'm booth #27 on State Street right in front of Angell Hall. I'll be the tired looking one with a smile on my face because I'm at my favorite show of the year!

Buried in the studio

2009-06-29T09:43:00.002-04:00

So, I'm feeling guilty about not blogging but I've truly been buried in the studio. My next two shows, Boston Mills ArtFest and the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair are the two biggest shows of my year and I need to be ready.

I have these blue trays with 50 compartments and my goal was to fill one tray completely by tomorrow morning. Not sure I'll make it but I definitely won't if I spend time on the computer.

I can no longer put in the really long hours that I used to in getting ready for a show. Everything objects from my body to my brain! I can be in the studio but I won't be accomplishing anything so my thinking is that I might as well get some much needed sleep instead. Better than burning off my eyelashes!

So, off to the studio...

Bonnie "Sue" Blandford 1929-2007

2009-06-19T18:41:00.004-04:00

Today is the second anniversary of my Mom's death. I still think of her and miss her every day and I think that will always continue. She was a huge part of my life, not always in the forefront but always there.

We talked on the phone at least once a day, sometimes many more times for silly reasons. How to cook something, what bird did I see, I'm bored (that was me), should I or shouldn't I or please just talk some sense into me. Didn't always like the answers I got from some of my questions but knew she would be straight with me.

She set the bar really high for women in general as she broke the glass ceiling over and over, making it easier for those who came after her. I'll never come close to all she accomplished but I know that's okay. She set amazing goals for herself but never forced the same on her daughters. She was proud of what both of us have accomplished and didn't measure us by what she did.

Love this picture of my parents! Once Mom retired, her suits were traded for khaki pants and her Ferragamo's for good walking shoes. This is how I'll always remember her with Dad.

I found this quote (author unknown) that I thought fit her so perfectly, she laughed and hung it next to her desk.

"Life is not a journey to the grave
with the intention of arriving safely,
in one pretty and well preserved piece,
but to skid across the line broadside,
thoroughly used up, worn out,
shouting GERONIMO!"

We think she accomplished that...

Booth Drama

2009-06-11T15:40:00.003-04:00

I have a booth dilemma. The "bottoms" of my cases need remaking. The taupe looking color was first but didn't last long. Then came the gold, thinking it was the color of my high karat gold and would pop. People would notice me! With the taupe, I feel like I blended into the street or into the background and didn't make a statement.

So I found some lovely fabric which meets all my needs but I need something to use until I feel like I can afford 20 yards of the new one. So I'm back to the gold, brand new but the same fabric and color. I can hear the screams from a certain friend already. She doesn't like the gold...

So when you see me at the next few shows, I'm back to the gold. You can't miss me!

Art fairs are tough!

2009-06-07T13:35:00.003-04:00

Just back from the easiest art fair of my entire year, the Kalamazoo Art Fair. It's one day, you set up in the morning, ready to go by 9am. It's only an hour from home and because Dick went with me, I was home again by 6:30pm. I get to take my easy canopy so instead of a hour putting up the canopy, it's minutes. My van is right next to my booth for both setup and take-down. It all couldn't be easier. Plus, I had help which I normally don't.

So why do I still feel (and look) like I've been hit by a truck???

Art fairs are just getting tougher! This time I'm blaming it on age. I started doing shows when I was 23 and back then we would go out at night for a late dinner with friends and have no problem being perky at 6 am to go back to the show. Now all I want is my jammies and an air conditioned hotel room!

This is my second show of three in a row which is something I normally try not to do. But these aren't normal times and I need to do more shows than I used to. It would be fine if I didn't have to work like crazy between the shows but working 7 days a week has been the norm for many years as it is for most people who make their living selling their handmade work at art fairs.

So if you catch me yawning at an art fair, know that it's not because I've been out partying the night before. It's because this is just becoming harder to do as the years go on. But I'm not stopping...

Renaissance Art Festival

2009-06-03T15:22:00.006-04:00

Just back from the brand new Renaissance Art Festival in Ridgeland Mississippi where it was HOT! This northern girl wasn't prepared for 90+ degree temperatures (it's 65 here right now). Whew, I was ready for the air conditioned hotel room!

The other thing I wasn't prepared for was how wonderful Southern hospitality can be! Everyone involved with the show was so happy we were there and so welcoming. We heard over and over from the public how pleased they were to find all the great quality work. One woman stood outside my booth calling her friends telling them they just had to come to the show. That it was all museum quality work for sale! That gave me a big grin!

So on top of a lovely show was the fun of seeing good friends and getting to be right next to Pat and Jon Hecker. That upped the fun factor greatly! The time spent outside the show hours is just as important as what happens during the show for me. We tend to lead rather solitary lives in our studios so a good part of shows is the social aspect. This show was a great one for reconnecting with friends and catching up on the news.

Thanks to H. C. (Chris) Porter, Robert McFarland and everyone else involved in putting on this wonderful, first year event. You did a great job! I'm already looking forward to next year!

Dirt under my fingernails...

2009-05-24T14:12:00.003-04:00

I'm finally over my horror of using old kitty litter containers for my tomato plants this year. After having priced more of the big terracotta pots, I decided that this was the year to recycle all the good litter containers I've been saving. They may look funny but they're turning out to be quite practical. Love the handles while the plants are little.

My yard doesn't get enough sun due to my over planting of trees over the years so I have one little spot off the driveway that works perfectly for growing veggies in pots. This year it's tomatoes in several varieties, Poblano and Anaheim peppers and then some green and red peppers. Last year I froze a ton of peppers and really enjoyed having them available during the winter so I'm trying more this year.

The picture below is hopeful. One lone bud on my poppy plant. Normally it blooms before Mother's Day and then we have a big rainstorm that weekend and it gets beat up. Not this year. And I have hope that I'll still see a beautiful bloom!

Needing good news

2009-05-20T23:29:00.003-04:00

I need good news. I don't want to hear how hard it is out there, many of us are already living with that. What I do for a living is not life sustaining for anyone! No one NEEDS jewelry for their existence. The problem is that it IS life sustaining for me. Making it helps get me out of bed in the morning, pays my mortgage and feeds my cats. It's not just a "job", it's a huge part of who I am and I'm afraid of losing it.

So, I want good news. Little or big, I'm searching for more good news...

~Baxter~

2009-05-18T12:10:00.003-04:00

This is when I wish I was an eloquent writer of beautiful prose because this is Baxter, a member of the Hecker family and my nephew. He was only in their lives for 7 months but will be in their hearts forever. As Pat described him, he had short legs, hadn't grown into his ears yet and he ran like a puppy! It was love at first sight, on both sides when he first ran into their lives.

There were always great Baxter stories and hopefully the memories will bring some comfort to his family but for right now, it just hurts. And frankly, it doesn't seem fair.

Baxter brought a great amount of love into numerous lives in a short amount of time. He'll always be remembered with a smile and a story...RIP Baxter...

Everyone's at a show!

2009-05-16T19:07:00.002-04:00

At least that's what it feels like! I've talked to people at 3 different shows around the country today which makes me feel like I didn't get asked to the prom!

I did get accepted to a show this weekend but declined the invite because it would make 4 shows in one month which is just too many for me. So why do I feel like I'm missing all the fun???

62% Price Increase and Hotel horrors!

2009-05-12T18:21:00.006-04:00

In these times when we're all trying to cut our expenses both in making our work and the expenses to do art fairs, in the hope that we'll be able to keep our work affordable, I was just notified of CheckInn card's decision to raise their nightly fee by 62%!!! Actually, I wasn't notified at all. I discovered that my bill was bigger than I expected and then I contacted them.

They are a reseller of low end hotel rooms that I've been using for a few months, trying to save money on travel. The way they make their money is to charge a fee for every night you use their discounted hotel room rates. Perfectly good system which I've enjoyed using, even though some of the hotels have been a little sketchy to say the least! But raising the fees by 62% in these times is ridiculous!!!

The last hotel I stayed in with them was a Red Roof Inn in St. Louis MO. I don't normally take pictures of the hotel furniture but these chairs were so gross, I felt like I needed to document them. The hotel wasn't cheap to begin with and now to find out I have to pay even more than I expected, well, I'm not happy.

Plus this is proof that just because I love the Red Roof Inn in Troy MI, does not mean I'll love all locations. And this room cost almost twice as much... And that's with using the CheckInn card vs. reserving online for the Troy location.

Boo hiss...

Cancelling an art fair...

2009-05-08T17:35:00.003-04:00

It doesn't happen often, in fact almost never, but occasionally I've had to cancel an art fair that I've planned on doing. That's what happened this weekend. So I won't be at Art Birmingham, formerly the Birmingham Fine Art Festival in Birmingham Michigan.

Today would have been set-up day and the weather is absolutely beautiful. Perfect for an art fair. Tomorrow there's a possibility of some rain but it wouldn't be Michigan in the spring without that. Sunday looks lovely for an art fair.

Here's hoping that the show turns out wonderfully for the artists and customers alike. I'll miss being there...

Cottonwood Art Festival

2009-05-07T22:35:00.006-04:00

The show in pictures! The rains luckily came straight down, hard but without wind for which we were VERY lucky! The water was streaming through the park in rivers, becoming ankle deep in my booth. Michael was a trooper, getting soaked but helping me tremendously. The show was closed about 3:30 on Saturday which I really appreciated since being under my canopy with the water rising isn't my idea of a fun day.

My friend Marilyn O'Hara deserves an award for even being willing to come visit considering the weather that was coming. She stayed through the mess and helped take out the jewelry for me. Her sandals may never be the same...

When we originally set up for the show I noticed a semi-trailer full of straw in the parking lot. On Sunday morning I discovered why it was there. The show supplied us with all the straw we needed to make the show area and our booths functional again! They were well prepared which meant that the show continued on Sunday but with a new look underfoot!

Now comes the weird part. I still had fun! I really enjoy Texas art fairs and it's because I find the people to just be really nice. Add to that a wonderful artist party on Friday night, lots of good friends at the show, great times outside of the show, and it all adds up to a positive experience, even with the rain and the flu problems in the area. A side note - the show used one of my images (a ring) on their website and I was surprised how many people mentioned seeing it!

Please let this be the worst weather we all encounter at shows this year! If everything else is going to be tough, at least give us good weather!