Christmas Ornaments

They started off last year as Christmas ornaments, and then I turned them into Wine Bottle Pendants.  Wine Bottle pendants are a new fun way to give the gift of a bottle of wine and making it a little more special.  And they could be used and given year round.  C requested a pendant and keeps it in his car on his rear view mirror.  Which allowed me to see that many of these pendants make great sun catchers too.  Especially ones made with transparent beads, the sun shines nicely through them.  And at my shows I had several customers buy a pendant to actually use and wear as a pendant.

I guess we can say that these pendants/ornaments are versatile!

 I really love making them.  They are fast projects that allow me to play with both color and wire shapes.  I can make several in a sitting.  They give me that satisfied I accomplished something feeling.

 I've taken some very quick in not so great lighting pics of most of the ornaments/pendants I have in stock for Dec 7's Christmas craft show.  So this is a nice sneak peak of what will be available that Saturday from 9am-3pm at Richwoods High School.  I'll also have my flowers and wine charms available.

 If you see one you'd like to see closer or with more detail Contact me.  I'm more than happy to take some better pictures in better lighting.  I just don't think I'll have the time in the next two weeks to photograph everything individually and get it all up on Etsy.  Some how November flew by in a wink and I feel like I've been left in it's breeze. 

 These lilies are wired to alligator clips and clip nicely onto small branches of the Christmas trees.  I try and use cut and silverlined beads in these so that the lights from the tree reflect in the flowers. 

If you can't make the show but are interested in an ornament/pendant Contact me.  I'll send you some individual pictures and I can easily set up a Custom listing on Etsy.  They really make great hostess gifts!

Holiday Show

I've been quiet.  But I've been busy.  Fall is a super busy time for us.  It's our favorite time of the year and we try and pack in as many family activities as possible.  We also found out that we're expecting a little brother for R this spring.  Between feeling crappy and prepping both physically and mentally for a number 2 fall is flying by.

Number 2 is great, wonderful, and exciting news for us, but it's inevitably going to put a bit of a damper on Crymson Flower.  I'm stubborn though and have my heart set to not let this adventure slide out of my fingers.  Next year will be a play it by ear kind of year.  But I'm not letting this fun year slide by with out one more event....

Local Peeps...

I will be at the Richwood's High School Craft show Saturday December 7 from 9-3. 

I've never been to this show but I've heard good things from a couple different sources.  It's supposed to be pretty high traffic.  When I signed up for the show last month I did it with intentions to just sell the inventory I have.  My Etsy shop doesn't even have a quarter of what I have in it.  But the last couple weeks have found me in the Christmas mood so I've been making Christmas ornaments.  I have lots of Christmas ornaments now.  I've made a few more lilies.  And we'll see what comes next.  So be sure to stop by because I will have new inventory to show.


I hope everyone has been well.  I'll post pics as soon as I can.

Peridot beaded flower

This peridot beaded flower has always been one of my favorites.  I made it back in 2009, pre-R days, and I loved it immediately.  Photos no matter how many I take can really show how much this flower glows and sparkles. 

 

Initially at the beginning of the year I had no intentions of selling my pre-R flowers.  Especially this one.  I was going to keep it b/c I love it.  Then after selling as well as I did at my June show I was digging out my flowers and brought this one to my July and August shows.  It's a person stopper.  The beads are a combination of transparent lime green, matte light yellow, and a three cut lime bead w/ pink lining.  A strange combination that works together to make a Peridot flower.  The 3 cut beads add the depth and sparkle. 

Then I started thinking about how I really love this flower but it's just sitting in a box in my guest room.  Nobody is admiring it or enjoying it.  So I decided to list it.  There will always be another flower that I love.  This was one my firsts but if it goes that will inspire me to make more.  So I hope someone falls in love with it as much as I did. 

click here for purchase information

a world of pictures

I've been quiet.  I've secluded myself into a world of photo taking, photo editing, and listing editing the last two weeks.  And I've found myself sinking into it and moving slower with it.  Yes, I bought fun new photographic equipment.  Does it really streamline my process?  Not by much.  I think it will with time, but not as much as I'd like.  I'll always need to put the photos into photo editing software which is where my slow spot is.  Not that I can't do it fast, just that I don't enjoy doing it.  So I move slow.
That's ok.  That's where I am.  I made the commitment to rephotograph my shop to make my shop the best I can.  And I'm sticking with it.  I also came to the conclusion that when my pace turns into a complete stop I need to give in and pick up some beads.  That conclusion hit me on Sunday.  I was in a blah mood, needing to photo edit but not actually doing it.  Thinking of all the things I could be doing.  I actually said to C that if I just put some beads in my hand's I'd be a happy camper.  Took another 45 min before I actually got up and put some beads in my hands.  I then cranked out a two beaded pendants and the beginnings of a new flower.  Same thing happened on Monday.  A few beads and some hammering of wire and things were looking up. 
So you might have noticed that the stock in Crymson Flower is slowing going up.  There are lots of new flowers mixed in with some renewed listings.  Can you tell the difference in my photographs?  What do you think?

And because I lack amazing pics of me taking pics.  I'll show you some of the listings I've been posting. 

Fuchsia lime Calla lily

 

 Lavender Calla Lily

Black Rainbow Calla Lily

end of my art show season

Friday marked the last day of the artists on the boardwalk art shows.  That means I'm officially done with art shows for the summer season.  I'm actually done for the year unless I find a gem of a holiday show that's still accepting artists.  That doesn't seem very likely.

I learned so much this year.  Even at my least successful shows I learned very helpful lessons.  I did Friday's show by myself.  I was super nervous but am so very glad that I did.  I brought along some beads to work on which worked out great.  I was placed next to a knitter and her felter mom, they knitted and felted while I beaded and we chatted.  The show was pretty slow but the weather was beautiful and the people that did stop by were all very nice and all chatty.  I found that I opened up and talked to people more when I was by myself.  People enjoyed watching me work.  I think actually watching me string beads made people realize what I put into each flower.

So what will I do differently next year?  Well I know which shows' I'll reapply to and which shows I won't.  I have a small idea of what new shows I'd like to try next year.  I figured out that people like to build their own bouquets.  So I want to have a diverse selection in lots of colors for people to pick and choose from.  Maybe a better way to hang groups of flowers.  Starting sooner than next year I want to start collection emails to make newsletters to send out to customers.  I'm coming around to the idea that this actually works and I can announce the shows I'll be at or a new product in my inventory line.  It feels like I have lots of time to make these decisions but really applications can be turned in as early as Jan.  It's really just a small break.

Art shows always show me what I need or want more of.  After this show I feel very low on lilies and wine bottle pendants.  I also want to really start making some more edgy stuff.  I was making a pendant with a skull in it and I had lots of compliments on it.  People really like skulls! I even sold it as soon as I finished it.  Most of all I learned I really enjoy doing shows.  I'm proud of my work and myself for this successful summer.  And as relieved as I am for a break, I'm super excited for more shows in the future.

in the mean time

Before we left on vacation I placed an order on ebay for some fancier photo equipment.  My last art show is tomorrow and after that I knew that I'd have to spend some serious time on my Etsy shop.  I sort of failed at renewing my listings this summer so my shop is looking pretty spare.  What better time to redo photos and revamp tags and listing descriptions? 

So I invested a little bit in a photo tent and some lighting.  Before I was taking my photos in diffused natural sunlight in my living room.  That worked out great on sunny days.  But in the winter it can be weeks of clouds which proved for really dark pictures.  This photo tent and the lights will let me be less dependent on weather and location. 

I have it set up on my floor here, but it could easily be on a table too.  The tent is collapsible and is 30inches square.  30 inches is way bigger than I first imagined but I'm glad I went big b/c I don't have to worry about squeezing bigger projects in there.  I bought a kit with some stronger lights too.  Many came with smaller lights which would have done nothing for a 30" box.  These could even use a little extra light but they will do.
Yesterday I set this all up and got out all my flowers.  I spent 3 hours taking photos and got maybe half way through my current stock.  I still need to go through them and see how they turned out but I'm very optimistic. 

Where I've been

Or maybe where I'm at.  I'm having a hard time getting my brain back into normal mode after last weeks amazing vacation.  This was our view from our cabin door.  Literally two feet from the water's edge.  It was a gorgeous lake full of wild life.  We got to see Blue Heron's flying over head, Bald Eagle's fishing and eating on the shore, Loon's calling and diving, and lots of ducks and fish.

 

Here's my little fisher man.  He was so into catching the fish.  He even caught a larger norther pike but it jumped and fell off the hook.  We helped him the entire time of course.  He's not quite ready to handle hooks on his own.  But he was not at all weary of touching the worms or the fish. 

 

Family boat ride.  R's actual first boat right.  He loved it.  He pointed out all the bird's we'd see and the boats we'd pass by.  I think he had a really nice vacation too. 

We were pretty much out of communication with the world.  No Internet or cell phone coverage up there.  And only 6 iffy channels of TV.  That was a fun little challenge for someone that has her email open all day long to not check it for a full week.  I had the jitters there for a little bit, but then I was glad I made the whole week. 
Instead I grabbed some wire and made some bracelets.  Two of which are ready to be photographed and put into the shop.  I can't wait to make more and to find my bead groove again.

Some Calla's before Vacation

Back in July while I was prepping for the winery show I made a bunch of calla lilies.  Before I assembled the individual flowers I discovered that together they could make some interesting flowers.  Both 2D and 3D flowers. 
Some time in the future I do want to experiment with some 2D flower ideas that I have.  I think I could come up with some fun and very different wall decor.

But for now I'm in the world of 3D.  These 3 callas put together like this and then turned up side down like a bell was really romantic.  Delicate and sophisticated and BIG.  The 3 together like this probably measures 5-6 inches across. 
I'm not sure where these ideas will take me or how they will develop, but I wanted to post them here in hopes that I don't forget or loose the inspiration for them.

Crymson Flower on Etsy closes tonight for vacation.  I will reopen early in the week of 19th.  I am bringing wire and beads with me to Wisconsin but they will not be my primary focus.  I want to relax and really enjoy the quietness and beauty of the woods up there.  My goals are to eat great vacation food, take R on his first boat ride, maybe relearn how to fish, go on some hikes, and get some sleep.  All of that seems like reasonable accomplishments.

Vintage Love

 I don't know the entire story behind these amazing beaded poppies.  I know they were made by a friend of my Grandma's named Posie.  Back when I was first learning to make beaded flowers I would live with my Grandma in the summers to work at an internship.  So she watched me go through the early learning phases of flower making. 
Back then she and another friend would road trip to visit Posie once a year or so.  One trip she brought back 2 books, The Art of Making Bead Flowers and Bouquets by Virginia Nathanson and Bead Design by Ruth Wasley and Edith Harris.  Both are out of print and hard to find.  There wasn't much out there in the world of beaded flower books.  These two books were and still are the most inspiring books I have.  I'm past the stage of looking at books to learn how to make flowers, I do all my patterns on my own.  But if you are new and can get your hands on these vintage books I highly recommend them.  Something about learning a vintage art from vintage books just feels right to me.

 At the same time she brought back the books, Grandma also brought back these yellow poppies beaded by Posie.  She combined them with some peach beaded flowers that no one remembers where she got, and placed them into a heavy stone vase.  They've sat in her living room for 12 years.

Earlier this summer I was up visiting Gram and she asked if I wanted Posie's poppies.  Of course I did.  They are lovely.  We guess that she made them back in the 60ies.  Posie has since passed away.  But I love how great a condition her flowers are in.  They aren't even laced and each petal still has it's original shape.  There was a pretty good layer of dust on them but I gently cleaned them and the glass beads still have all their color.  The steel wires still feel strong.  The stems are holding together perfectly.  This is an excellent example of how well beaded flowers can hold up to time.  If they are treated well and they can look almost like new 50 years later.

This little vase of flowers now sits on my bedroom dresser.  Every morning it makes me happy.  And I can't help but hope that someday 50 years from now my flowers will be on some one's dresser making them happy too.  haha, cheesy but true.

birthday wishes and random thoughts

 

~ I finished my day of the dead project this weekend.  I took pictures and applied to the exhibit at the art guild.  Now I'm attempting to be patient while I wait to find out if I got in.

~ I'm in no way shape or form sick of these skull beads.  Keep your eye out for some more skull flowers.

~ I'm a year older now. I think I'm becoming more girly in my old age.

~ I paint my toes, color my hair, and even occasionally wear the color pink now.

~ I made a new bracelet this weekend and I love it.

~ We leave on vacation on Saturday.  1 week w/ my folks and my boys in northern WI.  Super excited.

~ The last few days I've come up with some wishes/dreams I want to accomplish.  Things like learning to solder and setting up a full blown work studio complete w/ lots of tools.  I would like to learn to cook pastries well.  I would like to travel more.

~ Maybe I should start doing lists like I used to.

~ I bought a table top photography "studio."  When I get back from vaca I'm going to retake all my photos and relist my flowers in Etsy.  I'm excited.

~ This week is another busy week, one day down and 5 more until we leave.  =)

a bridge into bangles

Do you remember when I took a small break from flowers and make this bracelet?  Just a few short days after making that bracelet I made this one.  I love this bracelet.  It's definitely a prototype and I have a few kinks to work out.  But I love incorporating the french beaded flower technique into a piece of jewelry and yet it's still not a flower on your wrist.  It doesn't look or feel like a gaudy corsage which is a big fear of bringing my beaded flowers into jewelry.

I also feel like if I'm going to start making jewelry of any kind it should be jewelry I would wear and love.  This is it.  Now the other bracelet is too but this one just screams me.  My style, my colors.  It has a glorious weight to it with all the copper, steel, and glass.  The clasp is actually on the side of the wrist which I hadn't seen before but am enjoying.

I wore it at all my shows this summer and it didn't catch on anything.  Not my clothes or even my hair.  The petals didn't bend back or become loose which was a big test for me.  I need to have my jewelry sturdy.  It has to pass the Amy brutality test!  And I had a lot of feed back on this piece.  Lots of people were excited about it and wanted to know when I'd have them available for sale.  Which sort of blows my mind b/c this piece is so my style. I really never thought anyone would like my style.

This pic shows my favorite part of the bracelet.  I love the top, but it's this curve here that really truly makes me happy.  And inspires new ideas for future bracelets. 
This week I've had a lot of thoughts on bracelets and have figured out my game plan.  I plan to finish my Day of the Dead project this week.  Then I have a donation for a charity I need to get together and complete, but that won't take long at all.  Then I'm going to sit down and really work on bracelets.  I want to fix the kinks, make a few ready to sell, and maybe even design a new one or two.  I'm excited.  And really can't wait to see what comes next.

sneak peak skulls

It's funny how this summer has flown by.  It feels like yesterday I was super inspired by the Day of the Dead exhibition at our local art guild.  And then the art shows started and things got a little hectic.  I'm officially recovered from shows and have chosen a what's next path...

It's a mad dash to attempt to finish this fun project for the exhibition.  The deadline for entries is MONDAY!  The pictures so my progress so far as of Saturday afternoon.  I worked on it Saturday evening and Sunday too so I have a lot more done.  And I'm not even going to try and be modest about this project.  I LOVE IT.  It's creepy and fun, bright and dark, sparkly and dull. 

I will have teal and blue flowers trailing up the arms of the handmade from found grape vine cross.  Teal flowers are made, blue ones are still in the works.  I also need to make leaves.  Lace everything.  Complete centers.  Assemble everything and photography it by Monday.  It's my challenge and I'm going to try my hardest to get it in.

What do you think?  Would you hang this on your door around Halloween?  Or only after Halloween for the official Day of the Dead?  I kinda even love the skull flowers at the top individually.  I'm contacting the seller of the skulls to see if they have more in stock for some potential Halloween themed flowers.

Let me Sum up

Well I've now completed almost all of the art show's I've committed to this summer.  I have one more Artists on the Boardwalk show in August.  I've learned a lot this summer.  I learned that I can be successful selling at shows.  I learned that I'll never feel like I have a large enough inventory.  I've learned that despite my natural inclination to be shy about my work I can indeed talk about it with people and sound professional and sell.  That was quite an experience for me and gave me lots of confidence.  It was almost an out of body experience to hear myself talking about what inspires me and when and why I started creating flowers and where I'd like to go with them in the future. 

Sunday's art show at the Mackinaw Valley Vineyard was a fun laid backwatch her talking about her work.  I came away from the show profitable and happy.  I sold a mixture of lilies and wine charms, and pendants.   Lots more people were there this year than back when I did it in 2009.  And the people were looking at the art a lot more too.  The weather was pretty perfect, cooler than I thought it would be and the rain held off until we were packed up and driving away.  It was fun to do a show w/ Mom and watch her talk about her work.

Now I find myself in a major crossroads.  Not just deciding to go between two directions but more like a 5 way intersection and each road needs to be explored.  I'm more or less having problems deciding where to start.  I have some major reorganization projects that need to be tackled.  Some fall and winter projects that should be started.  Web development decisions that need to be made.  New ideas in jewelry and flowers to develop.

We have a vacation coming up that I can't wait to go on.  We're headed to Hayward Wisconsin for some camping and relaxation.  It'll be cool and pretty and relaxing.  Just what a busy summer requires.  But that's still two weeks away.  Today I'm taking care of a barfy toddler and while he naps exploring my next move in the beadverse.

Wine, Flowers, and Art

 If you follow me on Facebook you've already seen these pics.  I had a little countdown to tomorrow's big show.  If you haven't heard I'll be at the Mackinaw Valley Vineyard's Art and Wine Festival.  It goes from 12-6.  It's a family friendly event with kid's activities, live music, art, and lots of wine.

 I finished all the flowers and wine charms that I started a couple weeks ago.  Not as many as I would have liked but such is life.  I'm excited for this show.  It also marks the end of all my new shows so far for the year.  I still have the Junction City shows, but they are small and I have a routine down for those now.

 I'm excited that after this show I can sit for a minute and think about what's next.  I have lots of thoughts and ideas but they are scrambled in my brain.  As you can tell I haven't been very great at balancing my Internet presence with doing shows.  I'd like to find a Christmas show to do.  There is one in February I'd like to apply to.  And I'm getting a real website.  So I need to figure out the details that go with that.

On top of those thoughts are what's going on next creatively.  I have some great fall and winter wreath ideas.  I want to experiment with some flower ideas.  And explore more wire work and bracelets.  The rest of this year will be busy and filled with exciting things that I can't wait to share with everyone. 

Until then if you're local I hope to see you at the vineyard!

sun studio weekend

I have a traveling studio. It goes where I go. It has it's perks, in that I can use my deck as a studio. Sit in the sun or under the umbrella and see my beads in true day light. I have a quiet back yard when R isn't running around in it. It's peaceful and I get lots of work done there.

This weekend we camped out in the backyard. R caught his first lighting bugs, had his first smore, and camped under the stars (in a tent w/ the fly off). It was a fun filled night. The rest of the weekend we spent going on massive hikes. Cooking great healthy foods. And we played in the pool a lot.

 In between all that I've been working. I'm staying up late each night and lacing and wire wrapping for his entire naps. I have 10 wine charm sets nearly completed. 3 wine vines that need wrapping. 3 laced lilies and one that needs lacing. 8 laced calla lilies that need centers. I want to make 3 more wine charm sets, and 3-4 more wine vines before next Sunday. IF I were really lucky I'd also find time to make another purple rose.

my Muse is knocking

I get excited to pick up my beads in two ways.  One is color inspiration and the second is shape.  Color is by far the easiest for me to kick into gear.  I can create a million lilies and still have fun changing colors.  I love seeing how the different shades can play with each other.  And whats even better about working with beads is that each color is available in at least 5 different finishes.  Changing the finish of a bead and combining the finishes can create depth and texture.  It will never get old for me.

While it is easier for me to be inspired by color than by shape, inspiration can still be elusive at times.  Like any other creative out there when I'm in a groove I've learned not to mess with it and just ride the wave.  My unpredictable muse came to me this past weekend and has stuck around for a surprisingly long time.  She's throwing both color and shape ideas into my head to meld and form amazing ideas.  But they are all flower ideas.  Flowers are my love, but they are not the priority for my business right now.

So tonight I tempt fate and do the unthinkable.  I will attempt to slightly nudge my muse into wine charm color inspirations.  Perhaps if I am gentle enough and thankful enough for her presence she will hang around for a while yet.  Wish me luck.

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holiday recharge

I hadn't planned to take the week off.  Ok, maybe I did plan to but then I decided I couldn't afford to take a week off.  I had/have too much to do.  So I took one day off.  Which was great, but I was still tired.  So I took another day off, and then the holiday weekend was here.  So I took the week off. 

This long holiday weekend was more of vacation than Door County was in May.  I feel so relaxed and re-energized.  We hung out as a family.  We watched fireworks, saw great friends, played in the kiddie pool, went on hikes and to the park.  We were a family together an it was great.  And then Friday night the beads started to flow.  Colors came together faster than I could string the beads.  Ideas for future flowers and colors popped into my head and I clung to them as I worked to finish what I had started before starting the next.  And that flow kept flowing through Saturday and into today.  Today I finished up the color combos I'd put together.  Now as I'm writing this about 5 more ideas for flowers have come to me. 

Sunday night the final tally of petals of flowers completed equals, 4 lilies and 8 calla lilies.  I went all out on the colors for new calla lilies.  They were a bit of a hit at the show and I love how they look in clusters together.  8 seems like a lot but I'm a little addicted to making them so I can seem adding some teal and aqua callas to the pile.  As well as some more white and neutral color callas.  I'm also wanting to make a couple of the bigger flowers.  Some more complex ones. 

Soon I need to focus on wine charms again.  I'm very excited about starting up wine charms.  I need to get all the flower inspiration out of me.  Maybe lace some petals up.  That's the plan right now at least.  It's going to be a busy two weeks.

2 shows 3 days equals insanity and greatness

This weekend was a whirlwind of everything and even after taking a day off I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. I want to officially thank everyone who sent me an email with booth tips and suggestions.  I really appreciated the time you took to look and share your thoughts.  I incorporated what I could in the time I had before the show and it made a HUGE difference in my booth.  I had a very successful weekend and owe a good deal of that to you guys.  THANKS!! 

I started my last blog post wondering if I was insane for committing to two shows in three days.  And the answer is yeah maybe but it was worth it for the experience.  C said insanity in moderation is the key, he's right.  The trick is sticking with the moderation.  
Friday night was the Artists on the Boardwalk at Junction City.  The pictures above and below are of my "booth" on the boardwalk.  You can see me "in the zone" of setting up and arranging the flowers.  You can see I added some purple table clothes/runners.  I added some green fabric to the screen wall, and I painted the bottom slants in the wooden boxes.  And you can't really see it but I had an artists bio sign hung on the screen wall as well. 

The Junction City show was a bit of a bust.  Our spaces were moved down a bit and me and the artist next to me instead of being in a main spot we were more off the beaten path.  Most people that were there were more there for the kid entertainment.  Not so much there for the art.

The Rhapsody in Bloom at the Luthy Botanic Gardens was a better show.  I was very intimidated since it was my first two day show.  First time I'd use my canopy and leave it there over night.  And I had no idea what kind of turn out the show would have.  I learned so much at this show.  I learned that the hour or two before I leave to go set up a show is really the worst.  Nerves take over and I'm restless and tend to pace.  Once I'm there setting up and things are going then I'm fine. 

 

I learned that my canopy can hold out against both sprinkles and a pretty decent downpour.  Saturday threatened rain most of the afternoon.  So for the morning hours we had a steady stream of people come through.  I was near one of the entrances which was a nice location.  I had lots of compliments and even sold a couple flowers during the morning.  Once 12 hit it started spitting rain now and then.  The steady stream of people slowed down, and then right when it was starting to pick up again it really started to rain.  Mom was with me both Friday and Saturday and we were able to get the wall down fast so that not much got wet.  There wasn't any pooling of water on the canopy so that was a relief.  After a half hour of rain it did start to soak through a little bit and drip down but it was minimal.  I might need to spray some scotch guard the canopy and maybe get some seam sealer to help prevent leaks and drips in the future. 

I learned that I need to really zip tie down my screen wall.  We had some decent breezes so the screen wall took a tumble.  After that I both string tied and zip tied it to the frame of the canopy.  So if it were to fall again it would take the canopy with it.  We held up really well with the wind.  But I was nervous about it all weekend.

I learned that customers are not predictable.  I was perfectly content with the couple sales I made Saturday morning.  I expected very low crowds on Sunday and had made my peace with it.  Sunday was booming.  Busy from the doors opening until about a half hour before close.  I had all but given up on my wine charms.  They get lots of looks but no one really seemed interested in them...until Sunday.  They were popular.  Most people buying them as gifts, which worked out nice since I'd brought boxes to package them in.  People seemed to really appreciate that.
I learned that to my shock my newest bracelet, (haven't shared w/ you yet but will soon), is very popular.  And the people who enjoyed my flowers very much enjoyed my bracelet.  One even asked if I would have them at my next show!  Guess I need to start hammering out the kinks on that.
Finally, I've come to the conclusion that nothing is predictable in the realm of art shows.  From the weather to the customers, to where your booth is in the park.  Everything will affect and doesn't affect how the day will go and there is nothing you can really do about it except take the gamble.  This weekend it was fun.  A wonderful challenge, filled with lots learned, and positive feedback. 
My big plans for July have completely changed.  I had planned to focus on my etsy shop, rephotographing and tagging and relisting flowers.  Making more inventory and promoting my shop.  Now I need to more focus on inventory for my July shows.  More wine charms, more flowers in purples, and in every shape.  And I'm inspired about my bracelets.  So I'd like to play around with some new ideas I have there.