Live from the 6th Floor

Aimee and I have arrived in Seattle - we're all set up for Urban Craft Uprising, and we went to the Art Museum as well - its been a great day!
Currently we're checked into our most wonderful hotel - the Moore Hotel - its really inexpensive, right by Pikes Place Market and absolutely darling. But then I tried to use the internet.

I called the front desk, my room is on the 7th floor, the nice man told me I had to go to the 6th floor to use the internet. And he informed me that theres a chair outside the elevator on the 6th floor and that is where I could log on. Indeed, theres a chair. Theres even a plug right behind the chair, conveniently located at head level so I didn't even have to bend over to plug my computer in. Despite the fact that I am in pajama pants and sitting in the staircase of an old hotel, I find this internet experience to be extremely entertaining.

Aimee took pictures for your viewing pleasure.
This is the router that hung from the ceiling on the 6th floor. There is no router on the 7th floor. Evidently that makes a difference. I am tempted to sit on the stairs half-way between the floors and see what I get.
Oh and there was a folded towel on one of the beds in our room - a towel doggy! How cute is that!?

All the Little Glass Pieces

I have made a lot of mobiles in the last few days. Today Aimee I got to hang out and create things and discuss our plans for this weekend. "Squeeatle" awaits us. We are both very excited. This pretty picture above is from production of little kits to make your own mobile. Oh yeah. I will have 30 of these kits with me at Urban Craft Uprising - for $15 each (regular online price is $20!)

At times I am so overwhelmed with getting ready, so many mobiles to make, so many earrings, so many creations to package and box up... One whole tub is all packed with tools and bits - crafty goodness ya know... a.k.a. projects that I didn't get a chance to finish! :)

Currently I feel very peaceful, with 7 tubs and 5 bags all packed and ready to be squished into the car (yes my car is small, but it is high capacity! I think I'll be able to fit this all no problem) all I have left to do is make some signs so I can print and laminate them before I leave tomorrow. I won't be back till Sunday. I already wonder what I will have forgotten to bring!

Jewelry is Art, Art Can Be Jewelry

Jewelry is art, art can be jewelry

Alexander Calder was well known for his mobiles - but he also was a prolific jeweler. The Seattle Art Museum has an exhibit going on right now of Calder's work and there is a workshop this month exploring his line of jewelry.

This year I started making little mobile earrings, motivated by friends of mine that would hold my mini mobiles up to their ears and ask me to make them earrings. I have lots of little bits of scrap glass left over from large installations, so this is a great project! Tiny little mini glass mobiles that be worn as jewelry. I love wearing them, they are completely unusual and strange, but somehow really cute a the same time. And they dance - which makes me smile. - related post: New: Mobile Earrings

Awesome Handmade Goodness: a Holiday Wreath

This wreath is made of candy, wire, ribbon, hotglue and fake flowers, oh and and plushy santa! Isn't it simply awesome! The piece de resistance is the plastic scissors hanging off the bottom by a bit of x-mas ribbon... these scissors are for cutting off the candy for consumption!!!

backstory: if you're interested - cuz I did not make this - Tim came home with it tonight! One of his regulars made this for him - and I just think it is absolutely awesome. Complete with scissors! I couldn't resist giving it a full on photo-shoot and sharing its crafty goodness!!!

...and of course I am eating a few Werthers Originals... yum... damn those scissors are handy :)

Urban Craft Uprising 2009 Here I come!

This will be my first experience with Urban Craft Uprising - and I am very excited about it! I am driving up on Friday with my dear friend Aimee and we are going to go the Art Museum to check out the Calder exhibit (I have been looking forward to this for weeks!) and then to the exhibition hall set up my little booth in the afternoon... Saturday and Sunday will be two days of vending. I do hope people in Seattle want to buy some mobiles for holiday gifts... that would be awesome. Otherwise its going to be an expensive holiday vacation! ha! I have high hopes and I'll be bringing as much of my glass art with me as humanly possible!

If you live in the Seattle area - come on out this weekend! The first hundred people in the door each day get free bags of gifts from the artists - and they are no chumpy gifts of business cards and whatnot... these bags will be filled with real goodies (there were strict rules we had to follow in our contributions, everyone had to put in real creations and coupons, not just business cards!)

Some Background info on the show (from their website):
Since its early beginnings at its first holiday show back in 2004 with just 50 crafter booths and overflow crowds, Urban Craft Uprising now holds the largest indie craft event in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest with its Winter Show. In 2008, Urban Craft Uprising's annual Winter Show saw over 8,000 attendees and over 130 crafters, artists and designers from around the world.

Busy Bees in the Garden

Production continues here in the Garden of Leah... I am right in the middle of my big holiday retail shows... last weekend at the Portland Saturday Market was pretty hectic... now this coming weekend is going to get even crazier... and then the weekend after that I'll be in two different places! Oh my.
Last night I made some 50 little mini mobiles. I even suckered the boys into helping me, sticking labels to packages and whatnot... good help is key! This morning I am back at it with more wire bending, making all these little bits of glass and wire into cool gifty things... the two red triangles in this picture above made me smile - the wire from one is trapped in the corner of the other piece. They are best friends forever :) woops.

This weekend I will be up in Seattle at Urban Craft Uprising - I'll blog about it when I can find the image for this show (for some reason they don't have it on their website, but the poster/postcard this year is awesome, so I'm gonna scan it)

Saturday Market 11-29-09

Saturday Market 11-29-09
Originally uploaded by LeahPellegrini

this little video shows a 360degree view from my booth at the market... ahh the memories... next year I have a different spot...this year has been sweet!