Vermont Open Studio Weekend – Montpelier/Calais Artists

Vermont’s 20th Open Studio Weekend is just around the corner (May 26 & 27)! If you’re planning on visiting my studio (and you totally should), you can visit other great artists within a 20-ish minute drive of here.

There are 7 studios participating in the Montpelier/Calais area. Artists are offering exhibits and demonstrations of pottery, jewelry, photography, mixed media, painting, and more.

I’ll be referring to studios by both name and number – the number refers to a listing in the 2012 Vermont Studio Tour Guide. There are several ways to get your hands on a map:

• Pick up a copy at Artisans Hand Craft Gallery at the intersection of State and Main Streets in Montpelier (they’re an official Regional Information Center)
• Print out a full copy (warning – this is a big file)
• View a detailed map of Washington County on the Vermont Crafts Council website

Here’s the rundown of who’s who (click on the links to learn more about specific artists):

• #209 - Annie Tiberio Cameron Photography/Annie Tiberio Cameron: Photography, botanicals, abstracts, nature, wilderness. 
• #210 – Artisans Hand: Vermont State Craft Center. Contemporary Vermont crafts, jewelry, photography.
• #211 - Blue Roof Designs/Elissa Campbell: Handmade books (that’s me!)
• #213 – Thistle Hill Pottery/Jennifer Boyer: Functional stoneware pottery.
• #215 – Ray Brown: Memory-based landscapes painted in oils.
• #216 – Missy Storrow: Expressionist water media paintings, photography, oils.
• #217 – The Happiness Paradigm/Ginny Sassaman: Banners, mobiles, pins, cards, happiness.

Please note that (unfortunately) studios #212 and #214 have had to opt out of the tour.

I created the map below to help you plan your travels. Because the studios are so close to each other, you can visit quite a few of them within a short period of time.

Have fun!

Make that map bigger!

Countdown to Open Studio Weekend…

Two weeks until Vermont Open Studio Weekend!

Yesterday I took a stroll down to Postcard Town. Ugh.

Ugh aside, I love love love my postcard this year and it is big – 8.5″ x 6″. Check it out:

Once again, I received help from my hubby on the design. Did I mention that I love them? Here’s the back for you curious folk:

Once again, I used a QR code in the bottom right-hand corner of the postcard. If you’re on my mailing list, you’ll just have to scan that dealie with your smart phone to find out what it says.

Here’s a closeup of the QR code:

It’s got my logo in it! I used Unitag’s Custom QR Code Generator. Not only can you add your logo to a code, but you can also change the color.

The mailing will be going out tomorrow. It includes a coupon that you can use when visiting me during Open Studio Weekend.

If you’d like to join my snail mail list, just contact me and I’ll hook you up. I have three postcards with me at PBI, so you’ll get one postmarked from Michigan!

Worktable Wednesday

Simply put, I simply cut.

Worktable Wednesday

I started the day by working on a photo album. This style includes one of my favorite bookcloths – it’s made in France and has a beautiful rose/blue iridescence.

I bought it from Kate’s Paperie a few years ago and have figured out that TexLibris is the manufacturer. Since I don’t live in NYC and can’t make special trips there just for bookcloth, I’ve tried to get a sample book of the full bookcloth line. Sadly, I’ve been unsuccessful. Poo.

After I finished gluing the album covers, I got to work on creating samples for tomorrow’s Mixed Media Cards workshop at Studio Place Arts.

My worktable quickly started to get out of control. The picture below was the beginning of the chaos that ensued. Everything was everywhere.

Thankfully, my hubby pulled me out of my downward craft spiral by making me a cup of hot chocolate. That helped.

It’s not often that I get to break out my collection of rubber stamps. I have one whole shoebox devoted to frog rubber stamps. Seriously.

I love making workshop kits. This is just the beginning – each kit includes enough paper and envelopes to create 12 cards.

I can’t wait to see what people create tomorrow!

The Bed Pan of Triangles

I have a bed pan of triangles in my studio.

Wait – you don’t have one too?

I guess I should start with the origin of the bed pan. Earlier this year, I had all of my wisdom teeth removed. My sister came with me to the appointment as I wouldn’t be able to drive myself home.

So I’m in recovery and I start to feel nauseous. I really don’t like throwing up and I’m doing my best to hold it together.

It is at this time that my sister decides to reminisce about the previous night’s episode of Glee, which included a group vomit scene.

And then I throw up. Thanks Sis.

The doctor gave me a bed pan to take with me in the car, just in case. Thankfully, I didn’t need to use it.

But I just don’t throw things away. Never look a gift bed pan in the mouth.

So I also had a bunch of paper triangles.

When you make books and are covering boards, you trim off the excess material to eliminate unnecessary bulk.

Did I mention that I just don’t throw things away? Never look a gift paper triangle in the mouth.

It seemed like a natural fit.

Worktable Wednesday

This morning was spent much like last Wednesday – I glued coptic journal covers using two more sheets of the paper I got from Chena River Marblers.

I was bummed to find that the purple marbled paper was grain short, so I could only get one journal out of it. Poo.

Things got more exciting once I went on a field trip.

I’ve mentioned that my new bookboard is too large to fit in my Kutrimmer (argh). In order to get my board cut, I had to travel to a friend’s studio to use her Kutrimmer. She has a 1080.

Me? Jealous? Yes. Very.

The thing is beauteous. In addition to having a larger cutting length (31.25″), it has a rocking foot-operated clamp. My foot never gets to help when I cut board at home.

17 boards later…

I didn’t cut the boards all the way down to finished sizes – I didn’t want to kill the blade and I can finish the rest at home on my inferior 1071.

I think I’ve become a bad Kutrimmer mommy.

There was a fun and gross discovery while cutting the bookboard – a smushed, bloody bug.

I performed several Google searches to determine whether smushed bugs are either archival or acid-free, but had no luck.

If you have any knowledge on the subject, please share!

Worktable Wednesday

Back in the studio!

Today I glued coptic journal covers using two sheets of the paper I got from Chena River Marblers.

I simply cannot resist this marbled paper. I want to eat it.

Working with it has a super-positive effect on my mood. And I’d like to express my gratitude for the fact that it’s grain long – I can get two journals from each sheet.

Now to sort out the linen thread colors…

Foliage Vermont Open Studio Weekend

As I’ve mentioned in other posts, Vermont was hit hard by Tropical Storm Irene. Thankfully, communities are recovering quickly with help from neighbors, friends, and local government.

Vermont is open for business!

Now is a great time to come to Vermont for a weekend getaway. Vermont’s Department of Tourism predicts a spectacular foliage display this year.

For your amusement, I present the Foliage Forecaster. Oohhh…ahhhh…

If you check out the forecast for October 1 – 2, you’ll see that central Vermont will be in mid-peak to peak foliage. That’s good news because…

…the Vermont Crafts Council is trying something new this year – the first (and hopefully annual) Foliage Vermont Open Studio Weekend!

There are 174 artists participating in 147 locations across Vermont.

And that peak foliage in early October? My studio is in the middle of it! This is the perfect time to come visit my studio. I have a great view of Camel’s Hump and you can feel free to enjoy a picnic on my lawn.

On October 1 -2, come for a tour of my studio, demonstrations, and savings up to 50% off seconds and discontinued styles. There will also be selection of bookbinding supplies available for purchase.

I’m studio number #139 in the orange Studio Tour Guide.

There are several ways to get your hands on a map:

• Request a copy from the Vermont Crafts Council
• Print out a full copy
• View detailed maps by county on the Vermont Crafts Council website

Directions to the studio are available on my website.

Depending on your route, you should double-check for any road closures that are still in effect due to Irene. The State of Vermont created this awesome map that has the most up-to-date information on road closures. It also includes other information, such as the location of local wineries and orchards.

In my next post, I’ll talk about the specific studios open in central Vermont.

Worktable Wednesday

Something I’ve learned over the years is that it never hurts to ask. Ask about what? Well, pretty much anything. As long as you’re prepared to hear “no” a lot of the time, the benefits are worthwhile.

Case in point – Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery. From this point on, I’ll refer to them as VBCC.

When I attended the Vermont Cheesemakers’ Festival last year, I noticed that VBCC had a bunch of wooden crates stacked up behind their booth. The crates are part of the packaging for their cheese.

Not only do they look cool, but they also have a job to do – from their website:

The wood crate acts as a wick to absorb moisture away from the rind and to maintain moisture in the cheese.

Fast forward to this year’s Cheese Festival. I’m looking at the crates behind their booth and thinking that they must be trash. They can’t reuse them for food – it’s probably against some kind of health regulation.  I decide to ask if I can have them

Score! I think I got 3 crates that day and I was in heaven.

Fast forward to this year. I go by the VBCC booth. Once again, there are stacks of crates.

I ask. I score.

They give me a box full of crates which includes 10 large and 12 small ones.

Sadly, some of them have to be discarded because there’s cheese stuck to them (gross). A couple of the large one were broken and aren’t repairable. No worries – there’s still plenty to play with.

I decided to use the large crates to organize my paper and bookcloth sample book collection. They are the perfect size.

I keep the sample books on the top shelf of my bookcase and whenever I need them, it’s easy enough to pull down the full crate.

Many thanks to Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery!

By the way, you have to try their Cultured Butter with Sea Salt Crystals and Fresh Goat Cheese with Herbs.

Yuuummmmm…

Worktable Wednesday

Today I decided that it would be fun to give you a little peek at what’s under my worktable.

I am the Queen of Cram:

I firmly believe in the power of plastic shoe boxes. They make everything look super-organized. Most of what’s here is business stuff – sales slips, office supplies, credit card supplies, etc. I also have an assortment of rubber stamp supplies, envelopes, and a paper recycling container.

The best thing under the table is my waste basket. I have the best footless frog waste basket ever (don’t you have one?):

I’ve had this thing forever and I really don’t remember ever not having it. As a kid, I had a dog who chewed the feet off – it didn’t keep me from loving my frog any less – now he just has a disability. It doesn’t seem to affect his ability to eat trash and look damn creepy doing it.

All hail the frog!