Won't You be My Neighbor!

Garden Expo weekend was quite an experience. I give the Expo Committee a huge congratulations for  job well done. Being a local yocal, I saw many Fairfield people that I had not connected with for many years...and that was an extra bonus for me! I did not run through the halls of my high school, 

but I could have :) sorry, I couldn't help saying that.

Sitting all weekend at the expo could have been long and lonely had it not been for my fellow vendors! So I want to thank my neighbors at the Expo. First, Bruce David Photography.  He is an extraordinary photographer and it was great sharing the space with him!

 What did Mr. Rogers say....won't you be my neighbor? Well, Bruce would "bee" an awesome neighbor. He is a beekeeper, raises egg laying chickens, works full time and then still follows his real passion, photography! He can be found at Bruce David Photography.

My other neighbor was the lovely Ellen Hoverkamp.

 I have been a fan of hers since I visited the Expo a few years ago and came upon her unique scanner photography. I bought a tomato print and love it to death! It lives in my hallway looking out towards my back yard. 

Ellen's botanical photographs appear in a new book, The Natural Companion, written by acclaimed garden writer Ken Druse. I bought a signed copy and can't wait to sit down and read it! Ellen's website is entitled My Neighbor's Garden, quite coincidentally! You can find it here.

Ellen also had a fantastic display. She is a true professional at these things and gave me some great pointers going forward. I know I will invite her to my neighborhood Seaglass Jewelry Party! (TBD).

This was my display on the first morning...sun streaming through the gymnasium windows really made the seaglass and sterling sparkle. I was very happy with the entire look but learned that location, location, location makes a huge difference.

The second day of the Expo we were fortunate to be able to move our table to a better location (thanks Alex!) and business picked up a bit.

Next up, possibly a neighborhood Open Studio or in my case, open kitchen table? Who knows, but there are plenty of beautiful necklaces still available and they are safe and sound until I decide how to progress from here!

Gearing up for the Garden Expo

I have been meaning to create a link here for the upcoming Garden Expo at which I will be finally selling my seaglass creations! 

So here it is. The Garden Expo 2012

I am "undercover" though. My decision to embark on this adventure was quite serendipitous. I LOVE that word! I did not plan on making my gems into jewelry...but had it in the back of my mind for forever. Sometimes life changes in the blink of an eye though. Thus, Carol Roche, Seaglass Designs was created and I have been working hard on creating a look, using my graphic design background, my love of seaglass, obviously and much more! To explain though, "undercover" just means my entry for the expo was late and I was asked to share a table with a friend. You will not see my name on the list of vendors but my "tablemate" is Bruce David Photography. Look for us there!

The studio, if you can call it that, has been all about earrings this week. How do you pair one of a kind pieces of seaglass up with each other to create earrings for two ears? I can't call in a dating service! So I have to let my sense of color, and shape relax a bit. Taking a few deep breaths this week anyways!

The earring display was created from a garden piece of driftwood. Had to do a little bug eradication first though! Quite the "Matterhorn" of earring displays...funny, that word serendipitous comes into play again but only a few will make that connection.

Staging, pricing and all sorts of projects seem to emerge from my basement studio to end up in the kitchen. The natural light lets me see what I need to see! I promise I will clean it all up soon!

 

My marketing and design background kicks into gear when given the right opportunity. This time I couldn't pass up the chance. The Garden Expo starts on Saint Patrick's Day! So, how many people put their noses up at the most common green seaglass pieces? Not I.

I drilled a little too fast and a few too many today. One piece just exploded! The drill was quite bent out of shape, literally. I put a quick order into Gesswein, conveniently for me, located in Bridgeport! I hope to be back up and running tomorrow. Then, on Saturday, selling my seaglass to people who will wear it and cherish it!