CHA 2010 Summer Schedule!

Curlicue Earrings COPYRIGHT Margot Potter from Bead Chic for North Light Books

I will be attending the CHA Show next week in Chicago. I can't stay for the Super Show, I have to prepare for my upcoming book photo shoot. If you're going to be at the regular CHA Show, please stop by and say hello! I'll be doing make it take its daily in the Beadalon booth making these fabulous copper wire earrings from my new book Bead Chic! Plus I have one half hour book signing you can attend and get a signed copy of the book!

I have several blogs set to drip while I'm away, so check back! There's another fabulous Adirondack chair to share and my weekly Teen Crafts project for ILoveToCreate!

Tuesday July 27
10am-1pm Curlicue Earrings from Bead Chic Make it/Take it

Wednesday July 28
10am-1pm Curlicue Earrings from Bead Chic Make it/Take it
3-3:30 pm Craft Studio Book Signing Bead Chic

Thursday July 29
10am-1pm Curlicue Earrings from Bead Chic Make it/Take it

Epic Blog Post! Etsy, CHA and I Love to Create!

I'm still playing catch up, but I did manage to get a fair amount of product into my Etsy Shoppe yesterday. I had it filled last summer and then it slipped away from me with all of the other things I do on a daily basis. There are a lot of really great limited edition Vintage plastic beads and parts there and I've tried to price them competitively. This stuff is hard to find and it's really fabulous to use hugantic parts that weigh so little in your work. Especially if you, like me, love big and bold statement jewelry. I've got more to upload today and hope to add some newly hand crafted items just for the store as well. Taking pictures of the vintage clothing is challenging since I sold my dress form a few years back, but I'm working on it.

As for pricing...I simply can't price my goods at the cost of materials, though it seems a lot of folks on Etsy do that. Methinks if they started calculating their costs and the worth of their time, a lot of them would realize they're actually losing money. It also degrades the value of the other product on the site, which is unfortunate. Never undervalue the worth of your time and your creativity. You have to factor that in, or what is the point of making stuff to sell?! It's all about perception of value. We're building e-commerce for my website and when it's ready, I'll be selling directly to you and bypassing the crowded online craft bazaar sites. I used to own a bead shop and retail gallery and I have a keen eye for the unusual and the things that will be trending in the not so distant future. Trust me, I don't know why, but I just know.

Photo Courtesy Suze Weinberg

CHA was a whirlwind, as always. It's a lot of networking, smiling, glowing like a 100 watt light bulb and connecting with the right people at the right moments. You want to make a splash, but not get everyone else wet. What I mean by that is, it's a process and it takes time to build a brand. The craft industry is filled with designers and consultants who have been working for a long time to build their brands, make their connections and get work. It's important to be careful not to stomp on toes in your quest for success. It's a balance, because you do want to stand out and be noticed. Genuinely connecting with the people who've already paid their dues is a good way to get to the next step. You simply never know when someone is going to ask them for a recommendation and if they like you and they believe in your sincerity and talent...well you're more likely to get work than the person who is only out for themselves. Conversely, when you can, it's important to pay it forward. I'm a big believer in the power of 'we.'

That being said, these are desperate times. People are feeling it. I'm feeling it. Yes, like everyone, I'm scrambling to make connections to get work and pay the bills. That doesn't mean I'm going to be ruthless. I believe that true talent shines and work will go to those that have earned it. I also believe in the laws of Karma.

Summer CHA was once a different trade show that was entirely paper and scrapbook focused and it's still more than anything a paper crafting show. I found a couple of gems in my travels around the show floor. Check out Viva Decor and Twisteez Wire.

Avalon Honorary Peabody Hotel Duckmaster with Duckmaster Dave! Copyright Margot Potter

The two best things that happened in Orlando were watching my daughter fulfill her "lifelong dream" to see the Peabody Hotel ducks. I arranged for her to be Honorary Duck Master on Friday night and she was positively radiant. She spent the next day by the duck fountain trying to figure out how she could live at the hotel like Eloise at the Plaza! Then one of my best friends from High School (really we're more like sisters) happened to be staying an hour away, so she drove over and we met for dinner and drinks one night. She was even willing to sport a tiara! Yay Tam!

Madge and the gorgeous and brilliant Tamara Johansen sporting tiaras! Copyright Margot Potter

I've got some good news! The folks from I Love to Create have asked me to start doing weekly Kid/Teen projects, so that means every Tuesday here at The Impatient Crafter blog will have a free craft project you can do with or for Kids or Teens.

Phew. Epic! Until next time...craft on with your bad selves.

xoxo
Madge

The Impatient Crafter's Etsy Shoppe!

I'm playing catch up here at Studio Madge and well, to put it bluntly, trying to make some money to pay the bills. No, I'm not independently wealthy and no, being a quasi-marginal pseudo celebrity, craft industry designer and author doesn't pay me the big bucks...yet. Shocking, isn't it?!

I'm filling up the Etsy shoppe with some one of a kind finished designs that have appeared in my books, magazine publications and on my blog. I'll also have ephemera and vintage craft supplies up soon AND some amazing and pristine Victorian and Edwardian era vintage clothing. Plus some other vintage goodies I've collected over the years.

So do hop on over and see what's new!




I'm still working on that CHA post and waiting for some pics from other folks since I was so busy I didn't have time to snap many of my own. Stay tuned...and until then...craft on with your bad selves.

xoxo,
Madge

Dear Blog Reader

Dearest Blog Reader

Madge returned from the CHA Summer Show and was immediately swallowed by a ginormous straw pile. She's working on an epic blog post for your enjoyment tomorrow. Do forgive.

If you're not a Margot Potter Facebook Friend, consider becoming one today. You can win signed copies of both of her new books if you are her 700th friend! Also please consider joining The Impatient Crafter fan page!

Check out the fab videos Threadmaster Christopher Nejman made at CHA Super Show! Look for a special guest appearance!

xoxo
Madge's Personal Assistant
(Okay...really Madge.)

CHA Summer Show!

Howdy Pardners:

I can't believe I'm leaving for Orlando on Monday! I'll be heading to the CHA Show and staying for the CHA Super Show. This is the biggest trade show in the craft industry and it happens twice yearly. I'll be sporting all of my fabulous creations I shared this week, checking out the new crafty product lines, taping a segment for Fiskars TV, attending the Fiskars' 360th Birthday Bash at Epcot, having a Girl's Night Out with some of my favorite crafty women and (though this goes without saying really) practicing the fine art of shameless self promotion!

I've got a lot of fun things happening while I'm there and when I'm not walking the show floor making new contacts here's where you can find me:

CHA Summer Show
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

Take my class!
Wednesday

7-9am Zig Zagged Necklace
Workshop W0803
Room W304C
Sponsored By: Beadalon

Beadalon® Silver-Plated wire creates the foundation for CRYSTALLIZED-Swarovski Elements crystals in sumptuous citrus colors to dart and dash around your neck in an innovative design. Join author Margot Potter as she uses Bead Master technology to show you how to make this simple project from the exciting new book: "Bead and Wire Jewelry Exposed" from North Light books.

Class level: beginner
Items to bring: None

CHA Craft Super Show
Friday and Saturday

Friday and Saturday 11:30am 3:30pm

I'll be joining crafty superstars Crafty Chica, Patrick Murillo (The Mantastic Crafter) and Sarah Hodsdon in judging a fast paced crafty contest hosted by the delightful Marisa Pawelko! Do you have the crafty skills to be...America's Next Top Crafter? Big thanks to Marisa for asking me to judge, this is going to be fun!

Friday and Saturday 2-3pm

Take a break at the Crafty Café located in booth 1811. Kick your feet up, grab a beverage and depending on what time you visit, you may see a craft demo or two! Join a host of craft industry celebs as we read excerpts from our blogs! The glittery, the gluey and the craftastrophic! This...is a do not miss! A big thanks to Crafty Chica for inviting me to participate!

Somewhere in Time

Somewhere in Time Mixed Media Necklace

This is a project for a taping I'm doing at CHA. I am sworn to secrecy as to how I created it until the episode airs. It's called Somewhere in Time after the film of the same name. This is one of my favorite Victorian images in my collection because she has a wonderful cat that ate the canary grin. Every time I look at this I think someone must have just said something terrifically naughty to her right before the picture was shot.

You so rarely see smiles in these old photos, I believe it's because the camera shutter was open for so long it was hard to hold a smile. Her wicked little grin makes this image especially compelling. I've featured her in a Steampunk mixed media piece that will be in Jean Campbell's new book and I can not wait to show you when the book comes out.

I wanted this to look like an image under buried glass...lost in the ethers of time, frozen in this wonderful moment, buried under the years that have since passed. I think I achieved that objective.

I love ephemera because it's a lens. Old photographs are especially compelling because there are stories there, wonderful stories that have yet to be told. That is endlessly fascinating to me.

I must away to pack up my book and finish my CHA show prep. Until next time....craft on with your bad selves.

xoxo
Madge

Madge's CHA Show Jewelry!

Hootenanny Jewelry Set Copyright 2009 Margot Potter

Moulin Rouge Jewelry Set Copyright 2009 Margot Potter

Don't Eat the Daisies Copyright 2009 Margot Potter

(Click on images to view in close up!)

I'm leaving in a week for the CHA show in Orlando. Because I'm a designer, it's important that my accessories be flawless. Yesterday I worked on a few pieces to wear to the show. Because they're for me, I didn't have to tone them down. It's so much fun to work in a larger than life scale. I would love to design for the Haute Couture runways or for the theatre, because that's the way my brain works.

Heather DeSimone of The Beadin' Path recently sent me a stash of vintage plastic beads and components and I've been brewing up some design ideas ever since. I have been wearing vintage plastic beads for years. I love them because they are lightweight, so you can pile them on and never feel weighed down. Plus there's so much whimsy and color to be found in vintage plastic.

The first design uses vintage plastic beads, Beadalon polyester chain and resin beads from Plaid's fresh line. Those owls make me so happy I could cry. They're 3-d! They come in a wild array of colors too! I was imagining a vintage evening party with strung lanterns when I designed this. I'd like to get more colors and make another version of this necklace.

The second piece features a 2.5" Eiffel Tower pendant from Blue Moon Beads Noir line. I've been daffy for black and white striped beads recently and I've always had a soft spot for anything French themed. I hand knotted Irish waxed linen cord for the vintage plastic beaded segment and added coated black chain I scored in NYC on the back. Knotted linen gives both structure and fluidity to your designs, and it's so easy to knot you don't need an awl.

The third design takes a cue from design maven Jen Perkin's work, with layered vintage plastic flowers and Beadalon Quick Links chain. The earrings are ridiculously HUGE, but light as a feather. I'm mad for the color combination on this one. This is so Lovely Howell! Heather has a huge selection of these flowers and lucite filigrees and it's so fun to layer them up, you just thread with a head pin and loop the tip on the fine end of your round nose pliers.

I am going to make one last jewelry set and them whip up a new purse and then I'll be ready to rock and roll.

Rebekah Meier is giving away a signed copy of her book Fabric Art Collage on her blog. I reviewed it here last week. If you're into mixed media...you have got to get this book!

Until next time...craft on with your bad selves.

xoxo
Madge