Hand-etched glass Vegan Festival pendants

In February, my friend Christopher hosted another Long Island Vegan Extravaganza (LIVE) in Huntington, NY. It was another super successful event for him and for me.

About 600 people came to the first one in February, but this time, the event got a mention in Newsday, Long Island's largest daily newspaper. 1500 folks showed up at this thing, making it so crowded that you literally couldn't walk down the aisles. I got up to get some food during my shift and had to shove my way through throngs of participants. It was annoying, but I'm so proud of Christopher!

He's always been great at organizing (his Great Gatsby-themed wedding was a work of art), but it turns out, he has a true talent for event planning. LIVE is not only hosting these vegan festivals, but is also doing other activities, like trips to Broome Animal Sanctuary. I've known Christopher for about eight years now, so I love seeing him find his calling -- both as a vegan and organizer.

As for me, "nepotism" once again got me a vendor's table, but I did well! I didn't make quite as much as I had in the first festival, but I made my second-highest payout. Not bad! I donated 50 percent of my proceeds back to LIVE; Chris then gave the money to Broome Animal Sanctuary, Lewis Oliver Farm Sanctuary and Long Island Orchestrating for Nature (LION).

My friend Nancy helped me at my table and of course, we met some interesting folks -- including one woman who has 24 cats. 24! Basically, she created her own cat sanctuary and has most live in a separate home that's on her property. Still, as a cat lover, I can't imagine having two dozen. Imagine the fuss when they all want food!

There was also the lady who very bluntly asked me, "So, what the hell does jewelry have to do with veganism, anyway?" I explained that it doesn't, really, but that I do try to work small-scale and use every part of the glass so I'm not wasting materials. I then joked about nepotism since I'm friends with the host. She ended up buying a pendant from me.

I do always like to have theme-appropriate jewelry for these events, so I hand-etched these vegan-themed pendants:

The idea of my pendants was to capture the important aspects of veganism, aside from diet: love for animals, nature and the Earth. My favorite is the one I did of the tree that also looks like the veins of a heart.

I used a different sort of etching technique to create these glass pieces. Instead of painting on the design with the etching cream, I first drew a design with a permanent marker. I then covered the entire piece with cream, let it sit for a few minutes, and then washed it off. The marker acted as a temporary resist, so the cream didn't cut through the coating -- and the design was left behind, sort of like the negative of a photo.

What's nice about this technique is that I can create finer lines and more intricate designs. The cream is gloppy, so even if I use a thin brush, it's still difficult to draw smaller details. A fine-point marker allows me to do things like fill in vein-like lines in a tree.

Given the success of this event, Christopher and his crew are definitely planning future extravaganzas... but he's definitely going to need a bigger venue. He really does have the gift.

As for me, I'm looking forward to the next LIVE and am constantly updating my inventory. Check out the rest of my handmade glass and wire wrapped jewelry at Naomi's Designs.

Tales from the craft fair: Ridgewood Market Night Bazaar

Last night, I sold my jewelry at a unique and fun location: Ridgewood Market, located in Ridgewood Queens. This was the first evening market I've worked at and I had a great time!

This market is four years old, but I didn't hear about it until last year when my friend, Susan, suggested I sell at it. She lives in the area and I always enjoy visiting the neighborhood, which is about four miles from mine and borders Brooklyn. Ridgewood has many funky shops and an artsy vibe -- and this eclectic fair, which is held once a month at Gottscheer Beer Hall, fits right in.

Our evening kicked off with a bit of adventure when our friends, Rachel and Henry, offered to drive us over. We ended up at another beer hall in the neighborhood -- that also doubles as a spot for craft fairs. Who knew? Thankfully, we were close to Gottscheer Hall, so we had a good laugh and arrived with plenty of time. Meanwhile, we took the scenic route around Ridgewood, which is known for its historic row houses.

Ridgewood Market is juried so there were some interesting vendors present. One woman sold honey, all of which is produced in Queens, NY. You can order the honey by zip code. Apparently, NYC has a bee keeping scene, with people keeping hives in their yards, roofs or public gardens. Very cool! Another woman sold zombie-inspired accessories... and one man sold animal parts in jars. Definitely NOT my thing, but his booth stood out!

Many of the vendors also sported memorable looks. About half of the participants had blue or green or pink hair, and multiple piercings. One man donned about 50 chains and a top hat. I felt a little underdressed with my plain, black outfit and brown hair, but I don't think I could pull off a pink 'do.

Here are a few shots of my booth. No animal parts present...

I was seated across from sisters who baked the most delicious and beautiful pastries. This was dangerous for me because I wanted to eat 'em all! I settled on purchasing ONE chocolate chip cookie and enjoyed every bite. Next time, I'll request to be placed across from the zombie lady...

Our friends, Scott and Christopher, were there, representing Lewis Oliver Farm Sanctuary. They're trying to raise $600 so Annabelle the cow can get her hooves fixed. They sold a variety of items, including stuffed chicken toys and Christopher's yummy vegan cookies. All of the proceeds went toward Annabelle's manicure. Scott explained that as great as it was to get donations, they were simply happy to tell people about the sanctuary. Still, I was pleased to see that their items were selling well and that people were being generous. One person purchased two chicken dolls and then took them into the bar, where he made them dance. The guys had a good laugh when the person's friend showed them the film he'd made of the dancing chickens.

Our other friends, Nancy and John, planned to surprise me with their appearance, but Scott blabbed and told me they'd be showing up. Oops. We still had fun hanging out. My Jon enjoyed sampling beers from the bar, while Scott splurged and had a giant pretzel. Seriously, these pretzels were the size of a person's head!

Though I didn't sell as many items as I had at the Kew Gardens Art Fair, I still did pretty well. Customers really liked my glass rings and were intrigued when I explained that I fire my glass in a microwave kiln. "You should tell them you make it in your STUDIO," Nancy advised. I argued that people are more surprised to hear that I create my work in a microwave. Sure enough, I got a lot of questions about my method. It was a good conversation starter and kept people at my booth where they'd take a longer look at my jewelry.

At one point, a little girl -- about 5 or 6 -- arrived at my booth with her mom and asked if she could try on a necklace. I helped her put it on and she admired her reflection in my mirror. She then tried on a bunch of rings as she made faces and struck poses, all while staring at herself. Her mom finally dragged her away and she walked off with my mirror. Jon had to chase after her to get it back.

The guys befriended a 10-year-old boy, who lives in the neighborhood and comes to the market every month with his dad. He was already a fan of the giant pretzels and wore a "Got Pretzels?" T-shirt. He kept returning to the guys' booth and serenaded us with his rendition of "New York, New York."

One thing that surprised me was that people are still interested in my wire wrapped pieces. I've gotten a lot of attention for my glass work and have made that the focus of my business, but many do like the wire jewelry. I actually sold two pairs of wire chandelier earrings, both of which I've had in stock for YEARS. I almost didn't put out one pair because the earrings are huge and I figured no one would want them. I was wrong because they sold early on in the evening. Next time, I will make more wire pieces and have a much more even distribution of wire and glass jewelry.

The night wrapped up around 11. I was exhausted, but happy because I'd had such a nice evening. I hope I'm invited back to Ridgewood next month. Meantime, check out my jewelry at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.