Tales from the craft fair: Readers Studio tarot convention experience -- and some BIG news!

I'll share the details of my time at the Readers Studio in a moment, but first some exciting news! My glass tarot and mythical pendants are going to be available at three stores: Chakra Shop & Tarot I and II (in Texas and Pennsylvania, respectively), and Sparkledragon's Magical Emporium (in Pittsburgh, PA). I put my items in the mail this afternoon and really hope my stuff sells well! Meantime, I'm negotiating with some other stores and am thrilled to finally be getting my work out there. I'll keep you posted as things come up.

And now, let's discuss RS17! The event was different from anything I've attended and was mainly a positive experience. I didn't sell as many pieces as I'd hoped, but I did make a profit -- and I picked up some valuable tidbits about selling to an audience that's into metaphysical items. Overall, I had a fun weekend and met some lovely people.

The convention was held at the LaGuardia Marriott, which is right by LGA airport. I'm local so it was a short trip for me, but attendees flew in from China, India, Australia and the UK. There were also people from Canada and every area of the USA. Altogether, there were about 200 attendees, but the world was well represented.

Most of the lectures were held in the ballroom, while the vendors' tables were placed around the border of the room. I had a half table, which was three feet of space. It was smaller than the table space I usually get, but I managed to fit everything. The good thing about jewelry is it's pretty compact.

Thursday's sales didn't get off to a great start. My table partner hadn't yet arrived, nor had the man who had the next table over. So my stuff was crammed into a small space, while I was sitting next to a large bank of empty tables. The area looked lonely and not too many people stopped by my booth. Meanwhile, a tarot celebrity was sitting to my left and was selling dozens of his absolutely gorgeous hand-illustrated decks and books. Attendees were asking him to pose for photos and a crowd of people surrounded his booth. His work is amazing and he was really nice, but I was admittedly envious as I sat at my quiet table.

Fortunately, things picked up when the lectures began and I could soak up the atmosphere. I'm not going to go into too much detail on the workshops because I'm still a tarot newbie and wouldn't do the lectures justice with my simplistic descriptions. I will say that I have a new appreciation for the artistry and history surrounding the cards -- who knew that so many different types of decks exist?! -- and have a better understanding of how the cards can play into psychology. Participating in the lectures, even from the sidelines as a vendor, gave me the chance to meet people and get a better sense of the tarot culture. In some ways, it reminded me of my years at Soap Opera Digest. Covering soaps was about so much more than simply documenting the storylines. There was a whole history and culture associated with the shows and the fans. Being in this crowd gave me a similar feeling.

At most craft fairs, vendors sell for a steady block of time. At the convention, people shopped between lectures. Fortunately, sales picked up for me in the afternoon and people purchased several of my tarot-related items. I was particularly pleased when Judith's friend, Janet, (who's now my friend, too) bought one of my fancy tarot necklaces. I'd joked about not putting a Death pendant on a fancy chain, but Janet had me swap out the image for the Death card. She had me hold the piece for her and came back to pay for it, so I told her, "Don't worry, Death is waiting for you." Here she is, modeling my Death Necklace:

The next day perked up a lot. My table partner finally arrived and we hit it off. Judith also decorated my table with colorful, flashing lights and sparkly scarves. I brought a faux candle and a pair of maneki nekos (Japanese cat statues meant to bring luck to merchants). Judith also set up a dish full of candy on my table. So my booth was now covered with lights, sparkles, toys and "bribery chocolates."

The decorations seemed to work and many more people approached my table. I sold some more big-ticket items and got to know my fellow conference-goers. Not all purchased my jewelry, but most struck up a conversation. One lady wore a "Kitchen Witch" shirt and explained that she was a Wiccan/former line cook. I noted that I'm also a "Kitchen Witch" since I perform alchemy with my glass in my microwave.

Another woman, who hailed from New Mexico, wore chili pepper earrings and we had a discussion about my trip to her state. And a third lady and I joked about her name being the same as a pop star's wife. Really, everyone who stopped by was friendly. Also, no one gave me a hard time about being new to tarot -- and no one pressured me to join in anything. I was afraid I wouldn't fit in, but the environment was very warm and accepting.

The banquet was held on Saturday night. I wore a semi-casual dress, but several attendees donned tarot costumes. Jon joined me that evening and had his introduction to the tarot world. He knows even less about the practice than I do, but enjoyed meeting my new friends.

Judith and I were invited to perform in the banquet talent show. We played "Fool On The Hill" and "Every Little Thing (He) Does Is Magic," in honor of The Fool and The Magician, which are the first two cards in the Major Arcana. Judith and I have played together many times, but it's always been for seniors. It was great entertaining a more "mainstream" audience. Judith pulled out some rock star moves with her guitar and the attendees were all on their feet as they danced and sang along. I became emotional because I wasn't expecting such a lively reception.

The last day was pretty quiet and by the time I got home, I was exhausted. Like I said, I wish I'd sold more, but I came away with great ideas for the future. One attendee suggested I make pieces with runes (ancient letters) etched into them. My table partner advised me to make wire wrapped crystal pendulums. Judith thinks I should design etched pieces with simple Zodiac symbols.

My biggest take-away from this event is that when people attend a specialized conference, they want specialized items. Though the attendees admired my regular glass pieces, most purchased tarot and spiritual-themed stuff from me. If I do another metaphysical-type event, I'll fill my table with items that relate to the theme. In this case, I had a few tarot and Zodiac pendants that were mixed in with a bunch of other pieces. Next time, I'll put the mystical jewelry front and center and have only a few "regular" things.

I'm really happy I participated in this conference, mainly because I met so many wonderful folks. Hosts Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone did a fantastic job organizing this event and made sure the newcomers felt like family. Also, preparing for RS17 is what led to me making metaphysical jewelry ... which in turn, led to me getting my work into stores. So I owe Judith a huge thank you for setting me on this path! I don't think I'll become a professional tarot reader, but I do appreciate the beauty and passion behind the craft. I enjoy learning about new things and like to stay open-minded. RS17 helped me see the world in new ways.

Stay tuned for more news on my jewelry -- and check out my pieces at Naomi's Designs or MayaGirl Creations.

Silver wire wrapped glass tarot card necklaces with spirals and crystals

It's only a few weeks until the Readers Studio tarot convention and I've been busy! I'm very excited because I actually managed to find tarot card decals. They're designed by a wonderful shop called Stained Glass Elements. The artist makes all sorts of unique glass decals, including a set of the 22 tarot cards from the Major Arcana -- a suit in the 78-card deck.

The decals came with 27 pieces, representing the 22 cards: 21 larger pendant decals and then six tiny "World" card images. Each of the bigger decals is about 1 1/2 by 1 inch; the perfect size for a pendant. I made several wire wrapped statement necklaces, featuring a spiral and crystal design. The rest will be simple pendants attached to a cord. I then used the "Worlds" to make tarot rings and charm bracelets. Because the decals are on a clear backing, I used a simple white glass base.

I'm still learning the basics of tarot, so it felt a little weird to be making "Death" and "Devil" pendants. For the fancier necklaces, I went with more pleasant images, like "The Star" and "The Magician." However, my friend Judith explained that all of the cards will hold meaning for people and that some might want a "Death" pendant if it's associated with their birth sign. She likes my plan of selling fancy and simple necklaces, noting that men and women can wear the cord-based pendants.

Making these pieces has helped me get to know the cards in the deck, or at least the ones from the Major Arcana. My favorite is The Star. I love the strong woman who's confident in her nudity and the contrast between the blue of the water and the sky. What's interesting is that this card is apparently Aquarian and I'm an Aquarius. Again, I really don't know much about tarot or astrology, but it does make sense that I'd be drawn to this particular image.

A funny thing happened when I was firing my last batch of pendants: I placed a couple too close together, put the heat on a little too high ... and "Death" and "Justice" fused. It was freaky! When I showed my husband, who is an attorney, he joked, "Sounds like a day in the office." I cut them apart so they wouldn't crack, but it was an odd coincidence that those two cards happened to connect.

I really hope that the convention attendees like my work. I think I'm portraying the cards in a way that's beautiful and respectful, but still reflects my jewelry style. For more of my handmade jewelry, check out Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Selling handmade jewelry: More weird tales from the craft fair, some interesting opportunities and working with precut glass shapes!

Last week was one of the busiest weeks I've had in a while. I had the art fair on Sunday, rehearsal on Monday and Wednesday, and then a combo vendor sale/concert at the Atria on Thursday. Whew! Happily, all went well and it's on to the next projects.

I didn't really make anything new for the Atria sale, figuring I'd just sell my leftover pieces from the art fair. I'm constantly making new items, so I always have a full inventory on hand. Unfortunately, I quickly learned that the seniors wanted less expensive jewelry. Most of my stuff is priced between $15-35, but many people asked if I had $5 items. Fortunately, I always bring wire with me so I can work on projects, so I churned out a bunch of cute wire pendants, selling 2 for $10. Those were popular and I made some sales! I also sold a few glass pieces, as well, but I know to have very inexpensive options for the next event.

I've mentioned my friend Judith on this blog before. She's my music partner, one of the biggest supporters of my jewelry venture and has also decided that she's my "agent." I'm very lucky to have met her and am so glad I called the Atria to see if they needed a flutist. Anyway, Judith hooked me up with two interesting jewelry gigs: I'm going to be doing another vendor sale at the senior home where she used to work and in April, I'm going to be selling my pieces at a four-day tarot card readers' convention.

Full disclosure: I know NOTHING about tarot. I've never seen a psychic or had a reading, or anything like that. I'm open-minded to learning, though, and the Readers Studio is a very popular event that has an artists' market and attracts hundreds of tarot practitioners from around the world. I can't guarantee that my jewelry will sell -- I never can be sure -- but I am certain I'll meet some interesting people!

To prepare for these craft fairs and now this tarot show, I've been trying to make some more commercial designs. When working with enamel, I sometimes use "blanks," which are pre-cut copper shapes. I like to draw and cut my own pieces when I can, but this saves time.

You can also get pre-cut glass shapes. Glass is a lot harder to cut into exact shapes like thin sheet metal, so I've ordered pre-cut hearts, butterflies, Stars Of David, Christmas Trees, etc. I'm still learning how to design my own glass cut-outs, but in the meantime, I can play with some ready-made objects. I've been using them as a base for these cool mosaic designs:

I have over six months to prepare for the tarot event, but I do want to make jewelry that fits the theme. I'm planning to get some more stars and other celestial shapes. I'm also playing around with decals, which you can fire right onto the glass. Eventually, I'd like to learn how to etch my own designs using etching cream. I haven't even been making glass for a year, so I have a lot to learn!

Another opportunity coming up is I'm going to be teaching a workshop at a historical cemetery near me called Maple Grove. They have a cultural center, where they have performances and offer workshops such as Victorian hat making. The woman in charge came to the Atria for a lecture and noticed Judith's glass necklace, which was one of my creations. She and I got in touch and I'm going to be giving a glass workshop sometime early next year. I want to make it fit into Victorian times, so I'm going to explain how decorative glass became popular during that era.

My jewelry is taking me on some unusual, but exciting paths. I'm eager to see where I go next! You can check out my collections at Naomi's Designs, MayaGirl Creations and Glass By Naomi.