Meet the roommates!

Art shows are funny, because as an artist, you're clearly there to share your work and (honestly) to make money. So it's not uncommon for a show to come and go, and for artists to not meet their colleagues or neighbors, even if they stood within feet of each other for two days in a row. That did not happen at Craft Out Loud! We were plenty busy, but we also had time to chat and it is my pleasure to introduce you to my neighbors from the show. I was very disappointed in my photographs from the weekend, so please do visit the website links - these three women are uber-talented:

Taylor Saleem

Taylor's business is called The Rare Bird and her jewelry is soul-ful. I'm not kidding (remember, my photos are mediocre). Birds are so trendy right now, right? Yes, but Taylor's are extra special. She has items ranging from $25 to $500+ and it is all a joy to behold. Her work is the kind where you see it and immediately someone you love comes to mind - I witnessed people connecting with her work for the whole show. (If you go to her etsy shop, check out the ring in her mast head....breathtaking!)

 

Laura Miquelon
Laura hand sews wool into beautiful figures, ornaments and dolls. She uses upcycled materials whenever possible and her holiday table is a feast for the eyes. I know that St. Louis already has a Queen of Cute, but Laura, seriously, could give her a run for her money. Keep an eye on her etsy shop as she hasn't added her winter holiday items yet. People would stop by her booth and start talking about what they wanted their winters or holidays to look like - her work makes you think of home, and cozy, and family and time. Beautiful.

Julie Donaldson

Finally, our last roommate was Jenny Donaldson and I don't have a decent picture to share. Please go check out her website. Jenny makes these oh-so-whimsical animals with clay, fires them and then collages them with various papers. They are so fun! The best part about being across from Jenny at the show was watching people interact with her figurines. People would walk into our room, look at her stuff and squint oh-so-slightly, not fully understanding what her artwork was. Then, they would walk closer (I think the color pulled them right in), pick one up and their eyes would light up. LIGHT UP I tell you (!) when they realized that there, underneath the art paper and the color, was their favorite animal, or a creature whose mouth could hold paperclips on a desk, or whose eyeballs were staring right at you. She only had a few turkeys (tis the season) and they sold immediately with people coming in for the rest of the day, "Are you the turkey woman?" So fun!

Thank you Taylor, Laura and Julie for a wonderful weekend! (And yes, I do plan to check out their studios in the future and share them with you here!) xo