a peek behind Lark Studio...

Big things poppin...

Well, hello! I'm still here. There are big things afoot for my crafty business. I'm changing my business name/branding completely to better reflect what I'm making now. Lark Studio is now...

 

With this change comes LOTS of work. Its the equivalent to starting completely over which is freaking me out a bit but I'm moving ahead anyway. Many more details to follow soon!

Something new (finally)

I have to admit I've been a bit of a creative slump since the holidays. I'm going to chalk it up to sheer burn-out after a banner holiday season for Lark Studio. But the siren song of the studio called this week and I decided to start the attack on the growing stack of unusable vinyl hiding in the corner. Since Record Album Notebooks have become a staple for the shop I wanted to see if I could use the vinyl for a new style or two.

Introducing our new Vinyl Cover notebooks! These notebooks have a 3-ring closure to make them easily refillable so you can reuse the covers over and over again. Style 1 has the vinyl as the cover, has one section of plain recycled paper and a back pocket.

   

Style 2 uses the record album cover as the front cover and section divider, has a front pocket, both a lined paper and plain paper section, and uses the vinyl as the back cover.

     

     

Both styles measure 6 inches x 8.5 inches. The size was dictated by the pockets. A new, unopened pack of 12 pockets was a recent dumpster diving score! As I come across more reclaimed paper I'll offer refills for this style on the website.

Any other ideas of what I can do with all this vinyl?

Working for free for those in Haiti

The images of sheer devastation and need are still coming into the world. I hope each of you finds it in your hearts and budgets to donate to help those suffering from this terrible natural disaster.

All profits earned this week from both my stores, Lark Studio and The Bins, will be donated to the American Red Cross and to Yele.org. Shop early and often before Sunday at midnight!

A few other crafty friends are donating as well:

Fabulous handbag maker Cinnamon Cooper over at Poise.cc is donating $20 from every bag sold before 2/28 to CARE.

Jen is hosting a silent auction over at Indie Fixx with 100% of the proceeds going to Red Cross International Response Fund.

If you are donating your artistic talents to this cause, leave a comment and add to this list!

Divine Design & Craft Boutique Benefit

Yes, yes, I know I'm no longer a member of the Richmond Craft Mafia. However, I do like a good show and I do like to support great organizations!

The Richmond Craft Mafia is pleased to announce it is collaborating with GayRVA.com to bring you a fabulous holiday event. The Divine Design and Craft Boutique, is a holiday gallery to benefit the Gay Community Center of Richmond (GCCR). You’ve probably seen or even visited the GCCR and not even realized it: Diversity Thrift, Thursday night Diversity Bingo, and the GCCR Gallery all share space in the rainbow-bedecked building on Sherwood Avenue, right by The Diamond. Please visit us during the opening reception Friday, November 13, 7-9pm for some great shopping for a great cause.

Opening reception: Friday, November 13th , 7:00-9:00pm

Gallery open daily: November 14-December 6

Location: Gay Community Center of Richmond

1407 Sherwood Avenue, Richmond, VA 23220

804-622-4646

November 10th: The Day

Today is the day for many positive things so I won’t even make excuses for falling off the NaBloWriMo wagon. I got to wake up to the sight of my husband who normally is long gone to work before I wake up so that was good.  Its my last day at a part-time gig that turned out to be not a good fit so that’s good. I also received a bunch of job leads that I’m following up on today, so that’s also good. But today I will experience something great. Today is the day that the December issue of Country Living Magazine hits newsstands and my craft work will be featured in that issue!

 

A few months back I received a convo on Etsy.com from someone claiming to be an editor for Country Living Magazine and asking for samples of my NOEL Scrabble tile ornament. I say claiming because I was skeptical. The craft community is full of stories of shady folks claiming to be with this or that publication and asking for samples just to get free stuff. So I put my years of research experience to work and got on the case to see if it was legit. Turns our the person really was an editor for the magazine and they were looking for ornaments for a “Country Living’s Favorite Ornaments” feature for their December issue.  

 

After consulting with my friend Maryellen of Twist Style (a winner in the 2008 Country Living  Pitch Your Product contest) I sent off 5 ornaments, 2 of the NOEL which they asked for and 3 others for variety, to their New York offices along with their required paperwork. My conversation with the editor and their paperwork had made it very clear that there were no guarantees that my items would make the issue and that I was merely submitting them for consideration. So I waited. And waited. And waited. I received the 3 others I sent back with no note so needless to say the worry started. Maybe they weren’t what they were expecting. Maybe they didn’t like them. Maybe they didn’t photograph well. Jeesh – could they just tell me something?! About 2 weeks after that I received the NOEL ornaments back again with no note. The tags had been removed so at least that was a positive sign that they had been handled/photographed. The worry quickly turned to into me preparing myself that I didn’t make the cut. Since I hadn’t heard anything that makes sense right? My husband is a career journalist and was steadily trying to convince me that no news is good news in publishing. “If they didn’t use it, they would let you know.”

 

Well, about 2 weeks ago I couldn’t take it any longer. I had to know. I emailed the editor with whom I had been in touch. I thanked them for the opportunity and used their own verbiage about wanting to ensure I was prepared with stock to inquire if I had made the cut. Literally, he emailed me right back and said yes. Yes that I was going to be featured in a national magazine. Yes that I was participating in one of their most read issues and that it would be on the newsstands today. Yes that thousands of people will potentially know who and what little ol’ Lark Studio is about. Whoa.

I still haven’t wrapped my mind around the possibilities that this could bring. I am humbled, nervous and excited all at the same time! So please, check out the December issue of the magazine. If you are in Richmond, might I suggest purchasing a copy. From what I can tell, I’m the 2^nd  local artist that the magazine has featured recently and I know they are considering a 3^rd  for their February issue. You know I’m all about putting Richmond on the national crafty map so lets hit ‘em where they will notice and increase sales for our area! Maybe that will have them looking more closely at the art/craft scene in RVA… And of course, if you are in the market for a great holiday gift, shop my website at larkstudioart.com or come see me at one of the many local events I’m doing this season.

 

I’ll be camped out in Books-a-million this evening waiting for them to put out their new issues. I’ll post a copy of the feature once I have it!

Handbags + wine = good times

It's in the Bag 2009 Charity Handbag Auction

 

It's in the Bag 2009 Charity Handbag Auction

For the past several years, LINC (Legal Information Network for Cancer) has hosted a handbag auction here in Richmond to raise money for their organization. This year's event is this Thursday November 5th from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the new Westin Richmond Hotel. General admission tickets are only $25 and gets you plenty of tasty treats, cash bar, and an official auction number so you can bid on one of around 100 stylish, creative handbags.

LINC is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping cancer patients and their families deal with the financial and legal side effects that arise from the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Through its network of volunteer attorneys and other professionals, LINC helps cancer patients understand the intricacies of health insurance, protect their jobs, secure disability benefits, arrange for care and custody of children, forestall debt collection efforts, and plan for the future by drafting wills, powers of attorney and advance medical directives. Even if cancer hasn't directly affected you, I'm sure we all know someone who has been hit with this terrible disease. The work that LINC does is so essential to those who are navigating our current health care and legal systems while trying to focus on beating the disease. So please, grab your best girlfriends and make an evening of it by supporting the auction! Even if you don't bid, the event is very exciting and lots of fun.

And if that wasn't enough to get you to come out - Lark Studio has donated a bag to the event!  Our Urban Tote Bag is made from a recycled vinyl banner from The Science Museum of Virginia. The bag is fully lined in durable black denim and bidding starts at only $45. I will have some additional goodies for whomever wins the bid on the bag!

You can purchase General Admission or Premium Party Passes online at http://www.cancerlinc.org.  See you there!

Pillows!

Day 1 of the craft challenge went well. Not a ton of production, but lots of preparation. I did finish the 2nd tea towel pillow and got the tops done on my Monopoly pillows. 

The game board fabric pieces came from the last fabric swap I attended at Fleur Fabrics. I did get the fabric for the pillow backs washed and dried so those will be finished today. Yesterday also included a leisurely and productive trip to the craft store. More on that tomorrow! 

What things did you get accomplished yesterday?

Craft crack

The fall/holiday craft show season is gearing up and I am suffering the effects of taking too much craft crack. What is craft crack? It's the stuff...the creative high that one feels when things are going good in crafting - a successful show, a great new product, being surrounded by creative friends... I try to keep away from it, but hey, I'm only human. I clearly was on some a few weeks ago when I decided to apply to every fall/winter craft show that I could afford. I just put them all down on a calendar and eek! While I do hope I get into all of the shows seeing them all together, and seeing how back-to-back they are, is a bit intimidating.

One of the great things about having crafty friends is that they understand craft crack. They understand that this is a good problem to have - but can still be a bit of a problem. They understand and they help me get through the panic. My friend Nicole (NicoleLeeDesigns.com) knows what gets me motivated. I'm a sucker for a challenge and she has gotten me into one. We are both doing the Handmade Market in Raleigh, NC on November 7th. The challenge? To make or do one crafty thing a day between now and then. This will be good because it will insure that we both will have a pretty substantial inventory for November and December shows as well as online holiday sales.  So I've put it out to the world and hopefully that will keep me accountable! If you don't see updates from me - feel free to call me out :)

Today I'm finishing up the mate to this pillow. This pillow set is made from a Lois Long illustrated vintage linen tea towel, duck canvas backing and cotton/poly ball fringe. I'm doing this blog post and laying out work for the next few days. It's all about the pillows folks!

If you want to join in on our little challenge leave a comment here with a link to where we can check up on your progress (blog, FB, Twitter, flickr). I dare ya!

Hey, look at me!

I'm the Fabulous Friday Featured Seller over at EcoKaren.com. Click here to read all about me. 

And after you've finished, if you are at all interested in green, eco-friendly crafting make sure you bookmark Karen's wonderful blog!