Oh, St. Sophia, higher than the moon.

My apologies to Joan BUT! We will be rocking out hard at the St. Sophia craft fair.

But what’s better than a two-day craft fair?

A two day craft fair, featuring yours truly, that is also a Greek food festival. I’m pretty sure we’ll sell lots of jewelry and leave there with absolutely no money. And record-high cholesterol. And HAPPY.

The fair is scheduled to run on Friday the 7th of November from 11am to 8pm and Saturday the 8th from 10am to 4pm, though the Saturday show could easily run as late as 7 or 8pm. It’ll be a long couple of days. Come say hi! Click here to go to the Google map from which directions can be made.

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DIY Custom Earring Cards and Hang Tags

I’ve gotten a few questions at shows about our earring cards and hang tags - where I get them, if they’re expensive, how I do it, etc. It’s a small project that adds a lot of impact to the display table, so I wanted to share this project with the craft community.

Our tags are made from standard business cards with a vertical orientation. The basic layout took a lot of trial and error (and scrap printer paper) before I was happy with the location of the text and logo in relation to the center line where the fold will be. The blank space on the front of the card is for the name or description of the piece, and I added a spot for the price. When these are used as earring cards, I punch holes in this area (more about that later.) The back, which is upside down to allow for folding, has our website address and more blank space. This is where I usually write the “ingredient list” for the piece (types of stones and metals, etc.); for earrings, the hanger adheres here.

If you’re designing your own, now is the time to make sure that your final electronic file is high-resolution and adheres to your printer’s specs. If not, you could end up with blurry/grainy prints, off colors, or misaligned text. If you’re printing them yourself, make sure to do a test run on scrap paper at draft quality before you print to card stock to test alignment and clarity.

The first thing we do when the cards arrive from the printer is score them all down the center. I am fortunate enough to have a paper cutter with a scoring blade — we set up a small jig on that so we don’t have to check alignment on every card and run them through while watching a movie or listening to NPR. :) Scoring is not a requirement, but it makes the folding process much easier. We store the scored cards in the box they were shipped in and only fold them as needed.

We use these as hang tags in two different ways. For necklaces and most bracelets, we fold the tag around the section of the piece with the clasp and staple it at the top. This allows us to slide the tag sideways a bit and undo the clasp for removal without damaging the tag if someone wants to try it on. We sometimes punch a hole in the top center for hanging on our re-purposed fireplace screen rack. For smaller bracelets, our sun catcher ornaments, and other miscellaneous pieces, we use another scrapbooking tool — a glue dot roller — to stick the two halves together. We punch a hole in one of the top corners and thread it with a piece of ribbon, string, or (for the ornaments) beading wire that is tied or crimped to the product.

For the earring cards, the same folding-and-glueing procedure applies. We then use another jig (a piece of card stock with pre-measured holes punched) to punch parallel holes for the earring wires to go through. Our first few tries (as you can see here) weren’t always straight, but that’s okay. We’re handcrafters. :) After the holes are punched, we adhere clear plastic…thingies (?) made specifically for this purpose to the back of the cards. I order them from Land of Odds, but I’m sure you can find them elsewhere. These plastic doodads allow the cards to hang from any standard earring rack.

Since I know I left out specific tools above, here is a close approximation of what we’re using to make the cards (these are not affiliate links):

Overall, this project takes a fair amount of time and effort, but it’s worth it for the consistent branding it brings to your merchandise.

Of course, if you need some help with the graphic design, or if you’d like to outsource the whole project, we can help with that, too. :)

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Event Recap: Crafts in the Grove

It’s a bit after-the-fact, but one of our first shows this summer was Crafts in the Grove, an event held by the Upper Lehigh Lions Club in Neffs, PA. It was a wonderful event in a fabulous location.

Check-In
When we arrived on site, we joined a queue of vehicles waiting to be checked in and directed to their individual sites. We were given our site number and directed by a series of lovely men with walkie-talkies. It was clear from the smoothness of the process that they’ve been doing this for some time - in fact, this was the 13th annual show.

Location, Location, Location
As evidenced by its name, the entire event is held in a beautiful grove outside Neffs United Church of Christ. There was plenty of shade and just enough sunshine filtering through the trees to make for a gorgeous atmosphere. Our neighbors to the right, whose names I have unfortunately forgotten, were lovely women who had been selling painted wooden holiday items for as long as the show had been running. There were a great variety of crafts and other items for sale, including local honey and produce, felted wool dolls, and of course plenty of jewelry. The jewelers were well-spaced, which was nice to see.

And Oh! the Facilities!
It never would have occurred to me to comment on the bathrooms at an event. In hindsight, however, in comparison to some other events we’ve done, the Upper Lehigh Lions Club wins the Best Potty of the Season award from me. There were more than enough port-o-johns for the crowds; their location was central to traffic but at the same time hidden away in their own mini-grove; and they had a line of pump-and-rinse portable sinks set up outside. Clean and adequate facilities (with real soap and water to boot) - it’s a shame that this is worth mentioning, but it really, really is.

Recommendations
I recommend this event to all crafters, both seasoned and just starting out. It’s an affordable, nicely-trafficked event (1,200 people this year) that is impeccably organized and smoothly run. The only caution I have for new crafters is that this event will spoil you! Not all events are this well-run. We signed up for next year’s show before we left this year’s - I hope to see you there.

More Info
Next year’s show will be held on July 25, 2009. The cost is $35 for a 12×12 space. It is a juried show, so you will need to submit 3 photos of your craft. (Handmade only!) For more information, contact Larry Snyder at 610.767.2410, or email craftsinthegrove at entermail dot net.

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A Custom Necklace and a Gorilla

Modeled by one of our household gorillas, this is a custom necklace I made as a gift for a friend a few months ago. She’s allergic to metal, so the entire necklace is metal-free. the center stone is an oval of crazy horse stone, and the remainder of the piece is a varied pattern of black agate rondelles, dumortierite barrels, tumbled pietersite nuggets, picture jasper spacers, small red crystals, and silver leaf jasper rounds strung on black silk. The clasp is a wonderful black agate toggle clasp that I bought from FMG specifically for this piece. Here are some more shots (sans gorilla); click to enlarge:

Oh, and the gorilla? There’s a standing rule in our house that a gorilla must always occupy a place of prominence. This guy is one of two that share the top of our TV with our Wii sensor bar.

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New Item: Sparkles for the Cure

Lots of sparkles and just a hint of pink! 50% of the proceeds from the sale of this bracelet will be donated to the BCRF. Plus, a bonus! Buy Sparkles for the Cure + any other items from our Etsy shop, and we will donate 50% of the proceeds from your entire purchase!

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A Busy Month - the Late September Newsletter

This is the online edition of the Sweet Tarragon September Newsletter - drop us a line if you’re interested in subscribing, and enter to win a $10 gift certificate to our Etsy store.

Updates and New Items
It’s been a busy September in the Sweet Tarragon world. We had a few shows and sent our package off to Artistry, where it arrived safe and (mostly) undamaged.We’ve added a number of new things to our Etsy store, including a new line of crystal suncatchers/ornaments. Check out my own personal favorite new necklace, Aqua and True, and get a glimpse at our crappy hardwood floors! We’ve also been all over the web: Kate at Om Shanti nominated us for the Brilliante Blog Award, and I was interviewed by Sheila Satin on her blog I Dig Crystals. Thank you Sheila and Kate! Mer and I succumbed to a new addiction this month and you can now find both of us on Twitter: @daniellenelson and @braindouche. Follow us if you’re a fellow Tweeter!

Home Shows
Now is the time to shop for those pesky wintertime celebration-related gifts! If you’d like to handle our inventory, get exclusive first looks at our newest pieces, and earn free jewelry, contact us about booking a home show. Invite your friends and family over for a night of fun and jewelry, and get an early jump on your holiday shopping.  You’ll earn a percentage in jewelry of all sales made and custom orders taken during your party! Contact us for details and to schedule your show.

Item of the Month
Our item of the month for September is the Night Sky Encounter series. Purchase the necklace and bracelet together for $40 - that’s a savings of more than 30% on the set! Just mention the newsletter at checkout to receive the discounted rate.

And the winner is…
Trish R.! You’ve been randomly selected to receive a $10 gift certificate good toward any item in our inventory. Congratulations, Trish - check your email for details. Want to be in the running for next month’s drawing? Each month’s winner is drawn from the current subscriber list - drop us a line and subscribe today!

Event Schedule and Shop Vacation
We’ll be at Fairmount Park in Philly this Saturday, October 4, for the Pennypack Environmental Center Art & Craft Show, and the Flavors of Fall festival in our very own town of Pottstown at the Sunnybrook Ballroom on October 18. Hope to see you there!

Just in time for the holidays - shop The Marketplace!
The Marketplace at Sweet Tarragon is an online store hosted and run directly by us (well, by our alter egos at hot glue media). We’re designing it with our customers in mind to create a user-friendly shopping experience that is easy to navigate and use, with links to our favorite artists and great resources. Stay tuned for the grand opening, currently slated for mid-autumn 2008! Until then, please continue to visit our Etsy Shop for new items and great buys.

That’s all until next month!
~Mer and Dani~

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More good news!

Completely off-topic, and not at all jewelry-related, but nifty nonetheless:

When she’s not playing with jewelry, Mer is the creative and technical genius behind Braindouche!, a podcast of experimental audio. Last night, Some Audio Guy posted a rave review of one of her episodes on his blog - go check it out!

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Exciting News Times Three and a Half!

News the first: our jewelry will be for sale at Artistry 2008 at Guilford Art Center! From their site:

ARTISTRY is the Center’s annual holiday sale of fine art and crafts and includes over 350 artists from throughout the nation. Running from November through year-end, Artistry presents the perfect opportunity for purchasing distinctive and unusual holiday gifts.

Each year, over 300 artists from across the country present their handmade, one-of a kind crafts at Artistry, the Guilford Art Center’s annual holiday sale. This year will be the 30th annual Artistry show featuring a wide-ranging assembly of crafts in many price ranges, including ceramics, candles, glass, fine art, metal, jewelry, fiber, wood, ornaments, cards, condiments, soap, leather, toys, and more. All proceeds benefit the Guilford Art Center, its school and gallery programs.

The sale runs from October 20th through December 31.

News the second: I will soon have more time to dedicate to Sweet Tarragon and the wonderful world of indie crafting! I’m reducing my hours at my day job, mostly to gain some much-needed time in my life. The spare time I have now is filled with designing, crafting, networking, and shipping, (and other non-tarragon projects) and I’m looking forward to gaining some of that time back. I miss reading and quilting and cooking, and plan to do fun things like canning, seeing more of my friends and family, and ramping up my workouts.

Of course, I know how I am — I’ll be blogging while the laundry is spinning, designing in my head while I’m peeling apples, and settling a bit into the groove of being a more involved crafter.

News the third: Kate at Om Shanti listed us as one of her favorite places to shop in her Reader of the Week post at Wickedly Chic - check it out!

News the half: not really news (hence the half), but notice: we are about to embark on a well-needed vacation. We are venturing to another state to stay with an old friend of mine, and we’re really looking forward to the trip. (Boo will be overseeing the domicile while we’re away, and has agreed to let our neighbor bow down to her in our absence.)

Why is this news? Well, I won’t be hauling all of our jewelry with us on the trip, so any orders placed aftger noon on Thursday, August 21 will not be shipped until Wednesday, August 27. I’m not sure what our internet access will be like, but I’m sure we’ll check email once or twice while we’re away. If you’re looking to feature us in a national publication and cover us in diamonds, my cell number’s in our press kit. ;)

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Let’s be Bad Guys!

Our Mistress of Half an Island necklace was featured in an etsy treasury by fellow Big Damn Crafter KVDruidess - go check it out before it’s gone!

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Channeling Cinderella Winners and Losers

A few months ago, I designed a Cinderella-inspired necklace for the Channeling Cinderella challenge at Stringing Magazine.  While we didn’t win, I’m very glad that I entered - designing for Cinderella took me into an area of beading where I don’t normally venture.  The resulting piece, Eyes Up Here, is a three-strand Swarovski pearl and crystal necklace with a sterling heart toggle clasp.  I love the necklace and am working on its sequel, Autumn at the Castle.

There were a lot of amazing entries - and even a tie for first place!  They don’t have the winners posted yet on their site, but if you view the challenge entries here, keep an eye out for the winning pieces: #25, Jennifer Judd, and #60, Serena Polheber, tied for first place; #14, Cynthia Powers, in second place; and editors’ choice winner Tiffany Dodgen, #68.  I do like Tiffany’s entry, and would love to see the focal piece up close.

Congratulations to the winners!  Now…what to make for the Black and White Challenge?  Hmm…

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