Why is ‘nothing’ so hard to do?

I had been officially on vacation from my day job for 8 hours before I started to get twitchy!

Not to worry – I have a show booked now for January 28th – check that sidebar! – and have a lot of projects planned over the next two weeks. I have jewellery to work on, displays to plan, an office to clean, and website and Etsy updates to make!

Now that I’m rested up and all the gifts are opened, it’s time to get to work. Over the next few days you won’t see a lot of changes here – they’ll be happening mostly behind the scenes, and I’ll be doing some work over on the Ottawa Artisans Guild website.

I’ll keep you posted (pun intended) on new developments as they arise.

All settled down for a long winter’s nap

It was a great season – heck, a great year! Maiden Star got out to a lot of great shows, and participated in some worthy causes. I created some great new designs, made new friends, and had fun doing it.

I have taken the past two weeks off, but will be getting back to it, making new jewellery, updating the site, posting more on the Etsy page (and looking into other venues for online and retail sales – hint to retail shop owners out there!). If the uploads seem a little long in coming, I have a lot of administrative work to do to – building the new inventory database will take some time, but I promise I won’t let it interfere with creating new jewellery. After all, the sparkly stuff is what this is all about!

I will update the calendar with new events as I book them, so keep an eye on that right-hand column. I expect to be posting a show for January soon, and have plans for April… still working on the months in between. And for those in the Kingston area, I do plan to be at the Womens Art Festival again this year. (Can someone please arrange for it not to rain this time?)

I hope you all have a happy and healthy holiday season, that you have the chance to spend time with those you love, and that you get to enjoy the warmth that can always be found in good company, even on the coldest of nights.

One more show in the snow!

December 3 and 4 will have the Ottawa Artisans Guild – and yours truly – at St. Francis Xavier Catholic High School for the second year in a row. This school is in a newer area in the south of Ottawa near Spratt and Limebank (see map below).

We are all looking forward to this event – a spacious, well-lit area full of great artworks, the anticipation of holiday gifts… what’s not to love?

This is my last show of 2011. Come on out, see what I have to offer, and let me know what you’d like to see next time! I love doing custom work, and trying new things.

I’ll be building my schedule for 2012 soon, so stay tuned!


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Gearing up for the holidays

On November 12 and 13, 2011, the Ottawa Artisans Guild will be having it’s annual Fall Craft Sale at Lester B. Pearson Catholic High School (2027 Jasmine Cres., Ottawa, map below). For the third year running, I will be participating in this juried show of local Ottawa artisans. I am working frantically on new pieces for sale!

This event features approximately 70 artisans, working in diverse media – our Guild members include jewellers; knitters; fabric artists; doll makers; painters; photographers; a blacksmith; sculptors; wood turners, burners, workers and carvers – the list goes on. Artists participating in the Guild shows can come from any of these disciplines, and the variety is always stunning.

Naturally, so is the workmanship – to be in one of the Guild’s 4 juried shows held throughout the year, artists must be members of the Guild. To join the Guild requires that artworks pass a careful jurying process. Works are reviewed at shows, as well, to ensure that items for sale at our events meet our high standards for quality.

At Lester B. Pearson school, we take over both gyms for this Fall sale – two large spaces full of wonderful, creative artworks means there is something for every shopper and every person on your list. Our artists are on hand in their booths throughout the sale and are very happy to answer any questions you may have about their art. Most will produce custom works for you upon request, which means (depending, of course, on the time involved in production) you can have that custom artwork delivered in time for the holidays!

If you miss this one, there are two more coming! Both in their second year, the Ottawa Artisans Guild will be holding a sale at the River Rock Inn (Rockland) on November 26 and 27, and at St. Francis Xavier Catholic High School (Spratt at Limebank, in the south of Ottawa) on December 3 and 4. There will be a different selection of artists attending each sale, so if you are looking for a greater variety why not attend all three?


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New for Fall 2011

I have just had my first sale of the Fall season for 2011 – the Ottawa Dancers’ Bazaar hosted by ECO-TAV and Bellywood For Fun. It was a great day, despite the weather being a bit chilly and damp. There were lots of great returning vendors and a few new ones, and it’s always a fun time at the Bazaar.

I am also getting ready (despite this annoying cough) for the Women in Business Trade Show, which is taking place this Saturday, October 22 at the Nepean Sportsplex, Halls A&B (map below). It should be a great day! I’ll be sharing a table with Drakestail Jewellery. Other vedors include Norwex, My Stow-N-Tow, Scentsy and many more. Information on the event can be found on their website at www.wibotradeshow.webs.com. While these are all businesses run by women, they are not exclusively for women. There are some great ideas here for Christmas gifts (I know, you don’t want to think about Christmas yet, but if you’ve ever wanted that special custom item for a loved one, now’s the time to order it!)

If you are interested in seeing what this event is all about, come and check it out!


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