And so! Another Indie Emporium has come and gone! I’m so happy to have been a part of it for the past several years. This was my very first craft show— and one of the first venues in which I shared my art publicly. In 2007, when Audrey was just a few months old, I entered some paintings in their gallery, and in 2008 had my first (small) booth. Now, six years later, I am so  happy to have this show evolve into a great network of friends, meeting new people and returning customers and enjoying the great creative atmosphere.

   Each year I learn a little more and try a little more and I think this year’s booth was the best looking one yet. I draped my wire racks with cloths and old curtains that have sort of a vintage wallpaper vibe, and used some old satin-lined suitcases for display. I also debuted two new calendar designs and some new dolls!

   Audrey also helped me make a star garland out of glittery paper and I brought my copy of Somerset Life to show to visitors. My neighboring booths were also two great friends– I had Samantha Extance of Bohemian Romance (we dubbed ourselves “the old-timey corner”) on one side and Beth Gentry of Art by Bethany on the other. It was lots of fun!

   During the week leading up to the show I got this crazy idea to design a few new dolls, this time using wool for hair. Some wonderful friends came through in getting me hooked up with some wonderful fibers (thanks to Woolf’s Clothing, Angora Jane and Shepherd’s Cross Sheep Farm!) and they came out so well. I love love love the look of wool hair! It’s so real! With some tips from my fibery friends, I felted the wool right onto the doll’s heads with a felting needle. It’s such a neat process. And I love how different fibers make different looks. The wool I used on these dolls included Lincoln long hair, Teeswater and Cotswold wool. 

      And since I hadn’t done a show in a good long while, I decided to go all out dressing up for it. I love dressing up. It’s one of the reasons I love Halloween so much. I love creating a vibe and a look with clothes and hair and make up. I wanted to really ‘match’ the girls in my art.

    My good friend and amazing fashion talent Tony Li came over the morning of the show and worked some hair magic on me! He curled and coiffed my hair into a fabulous swirling bob that reminded me of the ladies in Downton Abbey (I’m probably more of an ‘Edith’, ha!) I got a lot of compliments on the hair and the dress, which my Mom bought for me at a craft show this summer. I felt super glam!

    After all the preparation, art and doll and clothes-wise, it was time for the show! The first 50 customers in line get a goody bag and so there was a line down the sidewalk in front of the building of people waiting to get in. There were actually people waiting outside when we were just there setting up in the afternoon! Its such an awesome thing to see and so exciting! 

   I sold well and got to chat with a lot of nice people— and I always meet new Jane Austen or Anne of Green Gables fans because of my paintings. I also bought or traded for some great items, which is another favorite part of the show!

    On Saturday night there is the annual fashion show which is always a fun event. My friend Tony Li designed a beautiful collection of dresses– they looked amazing! (pictured above) my friend and booth neighbor Samantha Extance and her mother also participated in the fashion show, creating an awesome steam punk line. Several of my friends modeled for her, including adorable Holly of Hollyrocks (shown below)

    In an odd turn of events, we also had a movie star show up on Saturday! Juliette Lewis was in Tulsa that day hanging out in Tulsa and came by the show. She and several other big-name stars (oh, like Julia Roberts, George Clooney and Meryl Streep!) are filming a movie up in Bartlesville adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning play August: Osage County by Oklahoma native Tracy Letts. 
   The film is being filmed on location in Osage County, which is about an hour north of Tulsa and evidently Ms. Lewis decided to come down and shop! Unfortunately she left before she got to my booth (I’m sure she’s into folk art, right?) but it was a quirky experience to say the least!

        Aside from running into movie stars and chatting folk art, I worked on a little elf hat I’m knitting for Audrey (this is me in my ‘1940s look’ lol when the curls loosened a bit, but it was still pretty curly!) and we enjoyed some amazing food from Lola’s Food Caravan which parked outside for the day.

    And now….the weekend is over! Another show has come and gone. I’ve unloaded my truck and am trying to get a hold on the disaster that is my house 🙂 After a rest yesterday I’m feeling good and ready to paint for Christmas. My etsy shop is open again after a break through the weekend and I’m ready for what comes next! Thanks to those of you who came by this weekend! And for those who couldn’t, I hope you enjoy the photos! And if you ever hear about a locally made craft show in your area, I encourage you to check it out! It’s a terrific way to support your local handmade movement and support your local economy as well.

   Have a great Monday, friends!~
H