illustrations: andrew hamilton

I have always loved to draw with words and so I have decided to challenge myself to share at least one illustration of a quote each week with you, my dear readers.  Today's quote is from Andrew Hamilton, "Art is the only discipline where saying less means more."

All of my illustrations will be free for your personal use. To download the full size picture you can visit this link. Please attribute where you got them from if you share.

Hope you have an inspired Tuesday!

illustration: ralph waldo emerson

I have always loved to draw with words and so I have decided to challenge myself to share at least one illustration of a quote each week with you, my dear readers.  Today's quote is from Ralph Waldo Emerson., "Don't be pushed by your problems, be led by your dreams."

All of my illustrations will be free for your personal use. To download the full size picture you can visit this link. Please attribute where you got them from if you share.

Hope you have an inspired Tuesday!

illustration: h. jackson brown jr.

I have always loved to draw with words and so I have decided to challenge myself to share at least one illustration of a quote each week with you, my dear readers.  Today's quote is from H. Jackson Brown Jr., "When you can't change the direction of the wind - adjust your sails."

All of my illustrations will be free for your personal use. To download the full size picture you can visit this link. Please attribute where you got them from if you share.

Hope you have an inspired Tuesday!

illustrations: never give up

I have always loved to draw with words and so I have decided to challenge myself to share at least one illustration of a quote each week with you, my dear readers.  Today's quote is, "Never give up for that is just the time the tide will turn."

All of my illustrations will be free for your personal use. To download the full size picture you can visit this link. Please attribute where you got them from if you share.

Hope you have an inspired Tuesday!

illustrations: go.

I have always loved to draw with words and so I have decided to challenge myself to share at least one illustration of a quote each week with you, my dear readers.  This week, it's simply the word "Go," said from me to you. Go and do, go and be. 

All of my illustrations will be free for your personal use. To download the full size picture you can visit this link. Please attribute where you got them from if you share.

Hope you have an inspired Tuesday!

illustrations: john updike

I have always loved to draw with words and so I have decided to challenge myself to share at least one illustration of a quote each week with you, my dear readers.  Today is a gem from John Updike, "You cannot help but learn more as you take the world into your hands. Take it up reverently for it is an old piece of clay, the millions of thumb prints on it."

All of my illustrations will be free for your personal use. To download the full size picture you can visit this link. Please attribute where you got them from if you share.

Hope you have an inspired Tuesday!

zeleny!

I had a blast at Zeleny Arts and Craft Fair last weekend in Parkville, MO, just north of Kansas City, and I am so excited to be going to their second show of the season in Springfield, MO this coming weekend! We'll be downtown at the Squidfoo gallery during the First Friday art walk on Friday night and also on Saturday from 10-5. If you're in the area, come see me. Here's the link to the Zeleny Springfield Facebook event.

Everything in my booth I made by hand and it was all with recycled materials to boot! It was fun to adapt to a new space (8x8 instead of 10x10) with new work! Beaded jewelry had been my calling card since I started my business in 2005, but I hardly brought any last weekend - such an odd feeling!

I hope some of you can come out to Zeleny Springfield this weekend!

illustrations: j.m. barrie

Before we get to our illustration for the day, I would love it if you took a moment and voted for the above necklace design on Shopbevel - if it gets enough votes, it will be available for production through them early this summer. It would be a total dream come true and you could make it happen for me! You can either create an account or just use your Facebook login to vote.

I have always loved to draw with words and so I have decided to challenge myself to share at least one illustration of a quote each week with you, my dear readers.  Today is a gem from J. M. Barrie , in Finding Neverland, "Just a dog? Porthos dreams of being a bear, and you want to shatter those dreams by saying he's just a dog? What a horrible candle-snuffing word. That's like saying, "He can't climb a mountain, he's just a man," or "That's not a diamond, it's just a rock. Just."

All of my illustrations will be free for your personal use. To download the full size picture you can visit this link. Please attribute where you got them from if you share.

Hope you have an inspired Tuesday!

Dear Readers, Google Reader AND Google Friend Connect are going the way of cassette tapes, so make sure you don't lose your favorite blogs - Especially Favor the Brave, which you can follow on Bloglovin' HERE! Import all your fave blogs from Google Reader to Bloglovin' here.

craft fair-ology: be your own favorite booth

If you're just joining me, this is "Craft Fair-ology," my regular feature on helpful tips and hints for selling handmade goods at craft fairs.

But wait, you don't have to be a craft vendor to learn something useful! I will be mentioning how to apply these tips and techinques for display and storage to other aspects of your life as well... truly win-win! 

One of the best pieces of advice I've ever heard for selling at craft shows is to be the booth you would most want to stop at. The set up pictured above is the booth where I feel like I did that the best. I am drawn to lots of color, but I like for it to have some uniformity - hence the black and white chalkboard theme with the pops of every color of the rainbow!

What you like might be different from what other people like, but it's guaranteed that you will do your best work if you are doing what you love and showing in a way you like instead of copying someone else's style. When you are at craft fairs, take a walk around and note what you like that the other vendors are doing. Make sure you're using them for inspiration rather than directly copying them, because you always want to make sure you make things you're own. When you have a chance, jot down all your ideas and think about what you do with your time and space.

Most of all, be patient with yourself. The most well put together booths didn't happen overnight, and I have spent the better part of 4 years perfecting mine, and I am always improving.

For more craft fair advice, read the rest of my Craft Fair-ology posts.

Dear Readers, Google Reader AND Google Friend Connect are going the way of cassette tapes, so make sure you don't lose your favorite blogs - Especially Favor the Brave, which you can follow on Bloglovin' HERE! Import all your fave blogs from Google Reader to Bloglovin' here.

illustrations: random inspiration

Dear Readers, Google Reader AND Google Friend Connect are going the way of cassette tapes, so make sure you don't lose your favorite blogs - Especially Favor the Brave, which you can follow on Bloglovin' HERE! Import all your fave blogs from Google Reader to Bloglovin' here.

I have always loved to draw with words and so I have decided to challenge myself to share at least one illustration of a quote each week with you, my dear readers.  Today it says, "Let today be the day."

All of my illustrations will be free for your personal use. To download the full size picture you can visit this link. Please attribute where you got them from if you share.

Hope you have an inspired Tuesday!

craft fair-ology: creating versatile space

Dear Readers, Google Reader AND Google Friend Connect are going the way of cassette tapes, so make sure you don't lose your favorite blogs - Especially Favor the Brave, which you can follow on Bloglovin' HERE! Import all your fave blogs from Google Reader to Bloglovin' here.

If you're just joining me, this is "Craft Fair-ology," my regular feature on helpful tips and hints for selling handmade goods at craft fairs.

But wait, you don't have to be a craft vendor to learn something useful! I will be mentioning how to apply these tips and techinques for display and storage to other aspects of your life as well... truly win-win! 

One of the best favors you can do yourself as a craft vendor is to create display spaces that can do double or triple duty. The blue suitcase above is one of my favorite examples. The clothespins on the back can hold whatever I need them to - necklaces, earrings, signs, etc. I have divided up the bottom with tins and canisters because they have lids that can be taken off and the items inside can be displayed as is. The other great thing about suitcases that they are easy transportation to and from the show!

Also, back in the left corner you can see my big black corkboard, which I used with cup hooks from the hardware store to create more versatile space. I use it to hang necklaces, earrings, etc. 

Think about what it is that you sell and what you might like to sell in the future and how those items can best be displayed. Having a good amount of space that can change with your changing inventory will help you be most ready for whatever shows and quick turn arounds might come your way.

Read the rest of my Craft Fair-ology posts for even more ways to use your space and optimize your craft fair performance!

craft fair-ology: up, up, and away!

If you're just joining me, this is "Craft Fair-ology," my regular feature on helpful tips and hints for selling handmade goods at craft fairs.

But wait, you don't have to be a craft vendor to learn something useful! I will be mentioning how to apply these tips and techinques for display and storage to other aspects of your life as well... truly win-win! 

Building up, up, up!

Often you only get 10 ft x 10 ft, 8 ft x 8 ft, or maybe just one table to display all of your hard work. So how do you deal with such intense space constraints? You have only one direction to go - up! 

Think about your favorite little artsy boutique or market. I'll bet you that everything isn't just on one level. There are often tables, things on the floor, dresses hanging just where you can't help but stare at them. The walls themselves are often covered with goodies, right at eye level so they're hard to resist. I have found that one of the keys to creating an interesting display is to use my vertical space as well as my horizontal space.

Building yourself a set of mobile craft fair walls or finding another type of backdrop is a good place to start. I try not to take up too much prime table space with signs and decorations, so I usually use those on the walls or on the front of the tables, as you can see in the picture above. Then, by varying the levels of your display pieces with shelves, boxes, and crates, you can help move your customer's eye through your booth, instead of giving them one flat level of displays to look at.

Go forth and build up! For more craft fair advice, read my other Craft Fair-ology posts.

craft fair-ology: tell your story

If you're just joining me, this is "Craft Fair-ology," my regular feature on helpful tips and hints for selling handmade goods at craft fairs.

But wait, you don't have to be a craft vendor to learn something useful! I will be mentioning how to apply these tips and techinques for display and storage to other aspects of your life as well... truly win-win! 

One thing I always bring with me to craft selling venues, no matter how big or small, is my "About" story. A big part of the reason people like to buy hand crafted goods is that they get to see who made it, where it came from, and know the story behind it. Often, though, it can seem pushy for a crafter to launch into their back story the moment a new customer walks by. This sign is my why of opening the door to more conversation with my buyers about what I make and why.  

A lot of people don't see it, a lot don't read it, but those that do often want to talk more about my business, my art, and my goals. Sometimes they want to buy something because they realize the commitment involved in my business.

You know how important it is to have an "About" page on a blog, for your Etsy store, and other web pages, so why should selling in person be any different? Think about what makes you different and help your customers to know why your business matters. It can make all the difference.

balancing act

Once again the urge to write ends up with me on the internet, scrolling through Google Reader, checking the sales on F21 and Free People, and checking in on my old stomping ground, College Fashion. A wasted opportunity.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the internet. Without it, how would I be so inspired? Between Pinterest and the many love ladies whose blogs I read on a regular basis, I never run out of ideas. But here’s where the problem comes in—so often my inspiration never makes it to the doing phase because I’m wasting time on the internet collecting even more “inspiration.” I pin outfit after outfit but don’t take the time with my own clothes to thoughtfully combine them. I decorate my house on Pinterest but the poster I’ve been meaning to hang since the honeymoon is still propped against the wall.

Perhaps this is strictly a problem with me, as I do suffer from a lack of discipline to stop looking at pretty things and go make and do pretty things. Either way, I believe that an artistic life needs to intersect with the internet only briefly, glancingly even, because life, especially an artistic one, cannot be lived digitally. The internet is a fabulous tool, but I must use it consciously, rather than letting it use me. There must be balance, as in all things.

Maybe everyone else has gotten the balancing act down, but I’m still working on it. I find it a lot easier to mindlessly absorb than to purposefully create, and that’s one thing I am working daily to change. It’s time to start using the inspiration I find and then passing it on to others.

Art is gift giving to your audience, and it’s time I start focusing on the gift.

peace&love,

Jill

Thursday Inspiration: Dresses

I've decided to start a new feature each Thursday so I can share some of what inspires me with you, dear readers. Today: Dresses! I love dresses, which is probably no surprise if you've been around here very long. The dresses that are still available are linked to where you can buy them.

Enjoy!

peace&love,

Jill