Next up....

So this little beauty is just a couple details away from being done, but will be attending the Majestical Roof's Alternative Art Market on Sat, July 31st. Come by and say Hello, as I'm sure she'll want to meet you! : ) She's a pale dove gray, and the seat is a cloth I bought from Anthropologie a couple years ago, and I've been waiting for the perfect place to use it. I might be using a bit of the yellowy color on the dove grey as an accent color--just as a couple small embellishments-- but haven't fully decided yet.
What do you think?
Happy Friday! (and Saturday, too!)

Majestical Roof Art Market

And speaking of selling our wares, there is a fabulous shop in Old Town Pasadena called Majestical Roof, where original, non-mass produced/commercial items are displayed and for sale. It's a cool little boutique with a huge variety of items from jewelry to one-of-a-kind clothing items, to furniture, to fine art, to kids stuffed animals--you get the idea--all by indie artists. They can be a bit hard to find, but they are in a very cool little courtyard area off Holly St and Fair Oaks Ave. (for those of those who live local to Pasadena). Well, the last Saturday of every month they have a great little art market in that courtyard, and sometimes they add a jazz performer for ambiance, and wine tasting for flavor. If you live in the vicinity, stop by!! Laurie and I will have a booth there, too, this July 31st. Come by, stay awhile, and enjoy yourself in a very hip, cool, Majestical place!

Little Willow Studio

Well, it just occurred to me that, for as much as I love my sister-in-law Laurie, I have failed to write about her shop, Little Willow Studio. She creates beautiful jewelry items, many of which I covet on a daily basis. As a matter of fact, I have been eyeballing this set of earrings for while now ( love how simple they are, yet still manage to have a pretty unique shilouette....

Stop by her site. If you don't see something you covet (I doubt that), I know she takes custom orders and will do her darndest to make you happy, and create something just for you or your friend/loved one. Talented is a mild term.

LA Flea Market at Dodger Stadium

Here's a quick post with a photo of Laurie (still setting up--all our stuff was hidden come opening time) in our booth at the flea market. We had a pretty good day despite the searing heat. (Maybe I should have pitched my two side tables as "part frying pan--no skillet required"!) The space was 10'x10'; I obviously need to finesse my set-up area, but I have ideas brewing for the next show. I'm open to suggestions, if you'd like to offer them.

What draws you into a booth area? What would you like to see to catch your eye? (For example, we put the table to the back, thinking it would draw people into the shade from the heat and to keep our items out of the sun; but in retrospect, we maybe should have put out tables closer to the front, as maybe people don't like to be drawn in--lest they feel like a fly in our crafty web!) Looking forward to hearing what you think!

                            

Fit for a Queen

Here is a photo of the next chair in line for re-vamping. I've have it sanded, am replacing the finial on top and will soon be painting it a GORGEOUS deep crimson  color, which  I'm pulling from a fabric I posted earlier by Anna Maria Horner (LOVE her!) The fabric shown will be used on the upholstered seat; the large flower will almost fill up the seating area.

I actually have 3 of these chairs--the one here, shown with the low arms, and two with no arms, but still have the high cane back throne-like feel. All are in good condition, especially after a couple minor tweaks.  My plan thus far is to make the two w/o arms a similar look to the one with arms, but use a slighty different color palette. I'm excited to being able to move forward on all 3 of them! I'll post more "in progress" photos as I, well, make progress!

 On a side note: If I met you at he LA Flea Market yesterday, thanks for stopping by and chatting, and for your interest in my work! Thanks for all the lovely compliments! Keep checking back, as I will be adding more. (These types of projects for me are addicting, and I love to keep planning new ideas, and hopefully create more things that bring a smile to people's faces. Hence the name "Very Happy Chair"). Make a fabulous day for  yourself, and thanks again for stopping by the booth (and here, too!).

WooT!

Well, today Laurie (my sister in law of Little Willow Studio) had a booth at the first ever L.A. Flea market held at Dodger Stadium. Despite the 100 degree temperature on an asphalt parking lot, and the beginning of the event being in need of serious organization (kind of like my desk), it eventually ironed out and became a rather satisfying day.....Because I sold one of my chair sets! If you've followed any previous posts on this blog, this photo may look familiar:

Well, it came in a set of two, and I sold both! Granted, it was for a bit of a discount, but I was excited to meet someone who enjoyed them so much, I couldn't resist.

I also sold one of my new little trinket boxes to her. AND--she's putting in an order for two similar chairs designs. Thank you, Cydney--may you get plenty of fun and coziness from your new chairs.

Boxen

Here are just a few of the little trinket boxes I've made to sell at the L.A. Flea Market. Wish me luck! : )

The Quickie

Well, usually I try to pick chairs that I think I can slap a couple coats of paint on, but this one I loved as is. Picked it up from CraigsList a couple days ago, and finished it already. (There's a lot to be said for not having to do the gritty prep work). I just femmed it up a bit with a swirly flower in a fun color and Voila! Now I just hope some one likes it as much as I do. (Note: in the "before" picture there is one orange paint stroke I had started; I was so eager to work on this one I almost forgot to take the "before" photo!)

Impulse Items

Every time I go to one of my regular errands, I always take a glance across the street to a beautiful little boutique called "Penny for Your Thoughts". They have a nice variety of original and vintage items, all of a truly artistic nature, and a very cozy ambiance. And they have reaaaaally good coffee (their Mexican Mochas ROCK).

Quite awhile ago I had approached the owner with the idea of selling my furniture on consignment there. Although open to the idea, and liking the photos of the furniture, she expressed concern with carrying too many large items, and that it would simply just depend on the piece. So I hadn't approached the topic since, as I was trying to create more pieces for her to view; and as mentioned before, that simply doesn't happen as frequently as I'd like. But since I've meandered into trinket boxes, I thought I'd try again, since little trinket boxes don't take up much boutique "real estate". So on impulse, I darted into her store and showed some photos I had taken of some boxes I had recently painted. She expressed interest, asked me to bring some in the following week--and so I did. Today. She loved them! Yay! She is starting them on consignment first, and If they get a good response, she'll consider wholesale orders. Here are the ones I dropped off to her. Enjoy--do you have a favorite?

I Can Tell the Future...

...and boy am I gonna be busy! Laurie (my sister-in-law and partner in craftish crimes) have signed up for the first ever huge Craft Fair/Flea Market which will be held at Dodger Stadium on July 18, 2010. I think it's the promoters goal to have it rival in size to the famous Rose Bowl Flea Market (which is like the Disneyland of flea markets). We are so excited to have the opportunity to sell our items; however, naturally, we are scrambling to make sure we have enough inventory, should our items charm the masses (crossing fingers). Decorating enough trinket and jewelry boxes doesn't have me worried, nor does having my jewelry--I want to make sure I have plenty of my unique repurposed hand-painted furniture on hand. I love revamping the furniture, but I certainly don't get to dedicate the blocks of time it takes to complete a piece. Ideally, I'd have a piece done in 2 or 3 days, maximum. But, alas, it usually takes me weeks.

Right now I have a fun vision of taking a high-backed wooden chair, with low arms and rattan caning on the back from a drab old ivory (nothing wrong with ivory, it's just that this one was well-worn), to a fabulous deep crimson--a color that I want to "pull" from a beautiful and bold Anna Maria Horner fabric (from her Garden Party line) called "Guest of Honor" (scroll down when you get to the page to see the whole line):

I have high hopes for the outcome of this chair! I'll be sure to post photos of before & after as soon as possible. In the meantime, please keep Laurie & I in your "lucky penny" thoughts (aka as "good wishes") for creating a successful inventory, and, well selling it all!