SALLY WADE

What a Year!

2011-11-14T07:51:00.000-08:00

Out of the twenty shows we participated in this last season I was honored with five awards! It is so nice to know my work is not only appreciated by my stylish customers, but also competent jurors.

There are two events coming up for me. I will be demonstrating for an art association near Dallas this month which I am looking forward to, and then for the first time I will be showing at the Dallas Market Center at a one-of-a-kind wholesale show. There's a lot of work to do in getting my "samples" ready and redesigning a booth. I'll let you know how the wholesale show goes.

We're done with our out of town shows until March! It is nice to go to the grocery store and buy flour, sugar, and enough food to last a while! Cooking at home is such a treat. When we are home only for a few days at a time I don't get into the swing of homemaking. So, now it's time to gear up for guests and Thanksgiving, a trip to see our kids in California and then wonderful Christmas.

New Pieces

2011-07-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

This was a custom bracelet for a client's mother who has traveled to Italy every year for decades - right up my alley! It was bent into a cuff of course.

I had a great time choosing pearls last February at the Tucson Gem Show. This natural beauty is one I found.

A cuff for a woman named Rebecca. The design is my interpretation of Rebekah of the Old Testament who was drawing water from a well when she was approached by the servant of Isaac. Isaac became her husband and the rest is history! This is pictured before bending into a cuff.

One of my new favorites, this is sold and had a bracelet to match. This client has ordered a ring to complete the set.

Some new things, some sold already, some not...

2011-07-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

The copper and silver pendant is reversible. I have made a several reversibles and they sell almost immediately. Copper sheet is stamped on one side with a design that is related to the stamped motif on the "front" silver layer and creates a mat to set off the design. A frame of silver is cut out to enhance the copper side then I make silver rivets to connect all three layers. The bail is soldered in place on this pendant.

Of the three bracelets the one I still have is in the bottom photo. It has a panoramic landscape of trees and distant mountains all around. The stone is magnesite and reminds me of a tree.

Our next show is in Lexington, KY at Woodland Park on August 20-21. This our third year to participate and we are happy to return.

August 27 Lakewood Summer Art Faire at Lakewood Methodist Church in Dallas, TX
August 10-11 Art and Apples Rochester, MI
August 17-18 Mosaic Art Festival St. Charles, MO
August 24-25 Lincoln Art Festival Lincoln, NE
October 1-4 Red River Revel Shreveport, LA
October 15-16 ARToberFEST Galveston, TX
October 29-30 Destin Art Festival Destin, FL
November 5-6 Dunedin Art Festival or Harvest Art Festival of Clermont ~ pending acceptance

I'll be back in my studio catching up on custom orders by August 10th, and adding to my inventory for the fall rush of shows.

A Tiny Update!

2011-07-04T04:35:00.000-07:00

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY

We have traveled a lot this spring and early summer. Just having finished eleven shows, the latest a wonderful show in Rockport, TX, we are taking a break to rest, visit our grandchildren (and children!), and gear up for many fall shows.

Our upcoming shows begin in the middle of August with a show in beautiful Lexington, KY - the AFB Woodlands Art Festival. We'll have six shows in a row on this run and will be camping some between them for me to make the custom orders I take at shows. I'll post a listing of all the upcoming shows tomorrow since the hard copy of our schedule is in my studio at home (we're in a motel getting ready to head for home in a hour or so).

Thank You to all the lovely people who have purchased first second and third pieces from me at our shows Fairhope, Baton Rouge, Corpus Christi, Tyler Rug Camp!, Duluth, GA, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Toledo, Annapolis, Virginia Beach, and Rockport.

Current samples of work

2011-01-06T07:29:00.000-08:00

Rings

~sized at no charge~

A lot of these rings have sold, many more are in my show cases!

Pendants

~chains included~

Jungle Flower

18 K gold accent

All are sold.

All sold.

Some are sold

Earrings

Prices range from $38 to $90

Bracelets

2011-01-06T07:26:00.000-08:00

Above:

Linked Panel Bracelets

~all panel bracelets are custom fit~

Cuff Bracelets

"Early Bird" tree tops go all around

"Branch and Bud" design is all around

"Topsy Turvy Neighborhood" houses all around

Below:

"Sun, Moon, Seasons" from Psalm 74

2011-01-05T10:23:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It is the beginning of another show season soon. We will going to the world famous Tucson Gem Show the second week in February looking for new stones to set and hopefully some new exciting tools and equipment for my studio. My inventory is low which is a great problem, so I look forward to designing and making lots of new pieces.

I had such a very busy time in late November and December making custom jewelry for many of our customers we've met from coast to coast at fine art shows. It was literally a long string of 12 hour days in my studio. I was so engrossed that the dishes, dust bunnies and laundry were my darling Leigh's responsibility.

Looking to what's ahead of you in 2011, we hope you will have a year filled with opportunities to be a helpful to others which will give you even more benefit personally.

2010-11-11T08:46:00.001-08:00

New Cuff Bracelets

2010-11-11T08:43:00.001-08:00

2010-11-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

Winding up for the Year

2010-11-11T06:05:00.000-08:00

Next weekend we are off to Covington, LA for their wonderful Covington Three Rivers Art Festival. It is such a lovely town, just north of New Orleans, and they know how to put on an art show. Our last show is in Mesa, Arizona in the middle of December. Immediately after the Mesa show we're off to Simi Valley, CA to meet our newest grandchild!

I'm posting more new pieces for you. I hope my air card is fast this am. Living in the country is wonderful except for no fast cyber service.

October Update

2010-10-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

We are at home in Texas for most of the month! It feels great to sleep in our comfortable bed, to cook on our stove, and to work in my studio at my cluttered bench! I just finished a new piece this am that I want to share. That's it with the copper and brass accents and the beautiful jasper.

Our shows this month are in within 100 miles of home. The first is our local show in Edom, TX just south east of Tyler called The Edom Art Festival October 16 and 17, the second one is Huffhines Art Trails in Richardson, TX October 23 and 24. Both shows are very comfortable to attend - lots of parking, both is lovely park settings. Edom is a small captivating arts community which makes it a nice weekend destination, along with newly enlivened Ben Wheeler just a few miles up the road with The Flying Fish Gallery, a music venue, friendly folks and dogs. My work is in The Flying Fish with lots of other artists pieces.

November will find us in Pensacola, Florida for the Great Gulf Coast Art Show taking place Nov. 5, 6 and 7. The next weekend we'll be in Covington, LA for the Three Rivers Art Festival. Both shows are wonderful with amazing attendance, and very high quality art.

2010-07-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

We have just come home off the road and it is nice to see the family and horses! Six weeks seems like a long time with a grandson who has just turned one. So many changes in just six weeks.

Our shows have been wonderful. Each show has surprised us with the number of return and new customers, so if you are one, thank you very much. Rockport, TX was our last show for a while. We will resume traveling to shows in August beginning with the Morning Glory Fine Craft Show in Milwaukee, WI, then Woodlands Fine Art in Lexington, KY (where the world's horse exhibition is taking place!!), then to my old home state of Penna. for the Kipona Festival in Harrisburg over Labor Day weekend. We have three shows in September, three in October and one in November - The Great Gulf Shore Show in Pensacola, FL. which we loved being a part of last year.

We had an incredible thing happen. On our way to the Fredrick, MD show at the beginning of June we were traveling east on I-40 through Nashville, TN at 12:30 am. I was asleep, Leigh was going about 65 mph. We came around a curve and had no time to come to a complete stop before running into cars that were blocking the entire three lanes and the left shoulder because of a wreck that happens moments before we came up on it. Our truck (new to us with only 25,000 mi. on it) and our 4X6 trailer were totaled. By the grace of God not one person was hurt. The folks we hit were not hurt, bystanders were not hurt, we were not hurt, and our darling Rip, 90 lb. German Shepherd, was not hurt! Airbags have powder in them that is not good to breath, but they sure were welcome. ......And, not a thing was destroyed in our trailer that was off the ball and on its side! No broken show case glass, etc. Leigh is a good packer!

Everything has been settled, no tickets were issued, insurance companies were merciful, and we now own "The Minnow", a silver Honda Odyssey that is so roomy. The new trailer will come along after we get the minnow's towing package installed. Did you know Odysseys have a towing capacity of 3500 lbs.? We won't need all that, but it's good to know how stout they are.

Spring Maiden Pendant and Other New Pieces

2010-04-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

At work, playing. I love to make shiny art.

2010-04-02T18:50:00.000-07:00

2010-04-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

Time to post my show schedule for this spring and early summer has rolled around. We leave for our first show April 20 and then our zig zag across the U.S. will begin for the forth year.

April 24-25 Alpharetta Street Arts Alpharetta, GA

May 1-2 Fest For All Baton Rouge, LA

May 13-16 Tulsa Mayfest Tulsa, Oklahoma

May 22-23 Renaissance Art Festival Jackson, MS

May 29 Demonstration at Flying Fish Gallery in Ben Wheeler, TX

June 4-6 Fredrick Festival of Art Fredrick, MD

June 17-20 Boardwalk Art Show Virginia Beach, VA

June 26-27 Crosby Art Festival Toledo, Ohio

July 3-4 Rockport Art Festival Rockport, TX

Shows pending

August 14-15 Morning Glory Art Festival Milwaukee, WS

Shows pending

September 10-11 Art and Apples Rochester, MI

Shows pending

Applying for more to fill in our year!

2009-11-27T13:10:00.000-08:00

I was honored to be interviewed by a local television station for a feature called Proud of East Texas. You can view the 2 minute, 30 second piece by clicking the link below. It aired on November 21 while we were in Scottsdale, Arizona at our last show of the season. I saw it for the first time just a few minutes ago!

http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11566654

2009-11-12T08:09:00.000-08:00

After many months of shows and new grandchild (!) here is an update. We have been all over the U.S. again this year. Being home has become our vacation time which is a wonderful reality. We are in the middle of major home projects as I write. A new horse barn for my two pasture ornaments is completed, a guest house for growing family coming to visit is under way, and big changes in the house including central air and heat!!! Yes, we have been spartans for years with a wood stove for heat and window units in these hot Texas summers. All the while raising our children we didn't have the window units. Good grief, we're getting establishment.

Even with the economy limping along our shows continue to be strong for us. I am so thankful to our customers for making this a great year for sales and an encouragement that what I make with my hands is meaningful and enjoyable. Personal adornment in many cases gives the wearer a message to communicate about who she/he is. When I create a piece of jewelry I don't know who it is for, only that someone might find in it a connection that makes it their own. It's a very satisfying aspect of engaging in this art form.
The Tulsa International Mayfest in mid May was especially exciting for us as I received the Best of Show award. It was a good kind of gratefulness and humility! It certainly made my day when the director brought the beautiful plaque and the generous check. I also was honored in Rockport, TX with the jewelry award, and I was prejuried into the Boardwalk Art Show in Virginia Beach for 2010 by their standards committee, making this a banner year for recognition.
The shows we participated in since May include:
Artfest 2009 in Dallas
Frederick Festival of Art in Frederick, MD
Virginia Beach Boardwald Art Show in VA
Fountain Square Art show in Evanston, IL
Rockport Art Show in TX
The Morning Glory Art Show in Milwalkee, WI
Woodlands Art Fair and Lexington, KY
Kipona Art Festival in Harrisburg, PA
Art and Apples in Rochester, MI
Red River Revel in Shreveport, LA
Southern Artisan's Market in Dallas, TX
Huffines Art Trails in Richardson, TX
Edom Festival of the Arts in Edom, TX
The Great Gulf Coast Art Show in Pensacola, FL
and coming up, the Scottsdale Art Festival in Scottsdale, AZ

I have a lot of new pieces that I will include asap. Thanks for visiting!!

May 2009

2009-05-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

It was so nice to see former customers at Springfield, MO Artsfest last weekend. Thank you for coming to see me and finding new pieces for your jewelry collections! Too bad it rained so hard on and off all day Sunday. We participated in a very small show yesterday and met some lovely people, had our tent break in high winds, and came home with ten big bushes to plant in the yard! Leigh was able to fix the tent and make the broken part stronger than all the rest of the show tent, no surprise to me. He makes all the shows happen with his great attention to detail and organization. I'd be lost without him. He is, however, not too jazzed about planting all the shrubs. I told him in front of witnesses that I would plant them.....I will probably ask for help on the second hole I must dig if not the first.
Next weekend we are traveling to Tulsa, OK for the International Mayfest in downtown Tulsa and hoping the weather will hold steady with sun and mild winds. I have a lot of new pieces to make for that show and the following three more that are dropping onto the calendar at warp speed.
We will be in Dallas for Artfest 2009 at Fair Park May 22-24, have a weekend off, and then travel to Fredrick, MD for their Festival of Art June 6-7 where we will stay with my sister and have some family time which I am looking forward to.
Leigh will be doing another show in Dallas alone as I will remain up north to go to my nephew's wedding. I am confident Leigh will do a great job at Dallas City Arts 2009 on the weekend of June 12-14. He and our dog Rip will have to drive back to the northeast to meet me on June 18-21 at the huge Boardwalk show in Virginia Beach, VA. We are looking forward to participating in this show having heard wonderful reviews from artist friends concerning the crowds and the setting right on the beach.
We are wait listed for the next weekend and may decide to take it off to catch our breath. The last show before an extended break for the birth of first grandson in mid July :) will be in Rockport, TX over the July 4th weekend.
All in all a very busy spring and summer! I must say, my favorite part will be the birth of a little red head around July 14. Yes, both mother and father have red hair. I think red heads look like they are filled with rainbows, and can't wait to hold him and catch his glow.
More later.....

2009-03-25T16:46:00.000-07:00

March is coming to close and we're gearing up for spring and summer shows in a busy kind of way. Upcoming shows include:
*Alpharetta, GA The 5th Alpharetta Streetfest on 4/18-19
*South Lake, TX Art in the Square on 4/24-26
*Springfield, MO Artfest on Walnut Street on 5/2-3
*Mineola,TX Festival at the Civic Center on 5/8-9
*Tulsa, OK Tulsa International Arts Festival on 5/14-17
*Dallas, TX Artfest 2009 in Fairpark on 5/22-24

2009-03-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

2009-03-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

2009-02-27T19:26:00.000-08:00

It's a New Year!

2009-02-27T19:00:00.000-08:00

We have been in two shows so far this 2009. We were in Naples, Florida then Tubac, Arizona this February. Immediately after the Tubac show we drove north to Tucson for the Gem Show where I was able to find some great new stones to set, exciting new kinds of beads to add to my earrings, and several tools that will make my work at the bench more streamlined.
We camped as usual while we were there and had lovely weather. My husband spent a lot time hiking with our dog, Rip, in the desert near Tubac during the five day show there and read a great book after show hours. The Tubac area is surrounded by huge mountain ranges that change color as the day goes by - a perfect artist community!
Our next shows are in April. We have applied for many shows that have not notified us yet. All of our shows are juried and require that we apply many months ahead. We look forward to being able to map our shows on the calendar and search out state parks to find places to set up our little nomad dwelling.
I am posting some new pieces of jewelry for you to see. There is one tension clasp bracelet with a pair of earrings to match that is representative of one of the new design avenues I'm enjoying which I am calling "Villages".
As always please contact me at my email address if you are interested in a particular piece. swadeworks@gmail.com

Remaining Shows This Year

2008-10-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

We have only four more shows this year, and are currently busy applying to shows for 2009.
November 15-16 Covington, LA
November 22-23 Scottsdale, AZ
November 28-30 Albuquerque, NM
December 5-7 Springfield, MO
Please email me for information about these shows if you can visit us at any of them!

At shows we have the opportunity to meet you many lovely and interesting people. Thank you for your appreciation of my designs, and a special thanks to all of you that have purchased a piece or two to enjoy.

The contentment I experience in working at something I enjoy, and making a living at it, is wonderful.

Our lives are blessed -- you are part of it -- thank you!!

Have a great time this fall getting ready for Thanksgiving and the Holy Days (holidays!). If I can help you by sending you a piece of jewelry to give as a gift please let me know your price range and I'll email you some photos to choose from. My earrings are $38-$125, pendants $75-$600, rings $150-$450, cuff bracelets $85-$350, and linked bracelets $250-$900.

2008-09-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

2008-09-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

Time to Catch Up with New Pieces

2008-09-15T07:37:00.000-07:00

Husband Leigh and I have been so very tied up going to art shows this year since the end of February that I have neglected to add any images of new pieces. The time has come, I am sitting in a lovely lodge at Red Top Mountain State Park just north of Atlanta, GA with Internet access.

I haven't posted information about how we live on the road between shows and thought it may be of interest. We are Spartans to a degree and actually enjoy making do with as little "stuff" and expense as possible. We provide ourselves with privacy and room to spread out for work (jewelry making) and relaxation at state parks that are within reasonable driving distance to the cities where we participate in fine art shows. Just last week I spent 11 hours one day and 8 the next working to the sound of loons, and other bird songs while comfortably working under the shelter of my show tent. Leigh puts up our white canopy over the picnic table of our site to provide shade and privacy, if I want it, while I use my torch to solder, and do all the hammering required to stamp my designs into the silver. Because there are usually no campers but us in the middle of the week I am not disturbing their silence as I whack away with my favorite hammer.

I am happily creating new pieces and going in new directions that intrigue me and keep my bench time challenging and entertaining. Please contact me for any information regarding any of the pieces at my email address swadeworks@gmail.com and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

art show booth

2008-02-16T20:40:00.000-08:00

Earrings

2008-02-16T20:37:00.000-08:00

Cosmos Pendant

2008-02-16T20:36:00.001-08:00

Olive Tree Bracelet

2008-02-16T20:34:00.001-08:00

Western Fern Pendant

2008-02-16T20:27:00.001-08:00

Italian Lanscape Bracelet

2008-02-16T19:00:00.001-08:00

Winding Line Bracelet

2008-02-16T18:56:00.001-08:00

Earrings and One Pendant

2008-02-16T18:52:00.001-08:00

Queen of Persia Pendant

2008-02-16T18:44:00.001-08:00

Clockwork Bracelet

2008-02-16T18:09:00.001-08:00

Night Bird - the bird hangs freely on the landscape

2008-01-26T10:59:00.000-08:00

Samples of My Work