Intown Holiday Market Saturday December 15

Diane Zevos December 17, 2018

This stunning view from the top of the Brady Sullivan Plaza parking garage looking out on the downtown Manchester nightscape makes me feel lucky to have had to park on the top level on the busy weekday Thursday Holiday Markets. I show this view that I snapped at the end of the day last Thursday because when I parked at the top for the first time one Thursday morning I thought there was a hurricane or something………..but a helicopter was landing!!!!

I was so surprised and of course, sorry I couldn’t take a picture so I walked into the elevator lobby and then I heard it going to take off! Well, I fumbled kind-of frantically through my bag, found my camera, threw down the bag and snapped these pictures as it was taking off.

The Holiday Market for 2018 has also taken off and is gone until the holiday season 2019. For DiZigns it was a fun and successful market in which I participated in all 5 of the market days this year. With all the vendors set up so festively in their booths and the Plaza lobby corridor being so welcoming, it is a wonderful atmosphere.

I hear many heartfelt stories because of my choice of using the heart shape to inlay. Jane had to go out to her car to get cash (I don’t have credit card capabilities) to purchase my Mahogany heart with a heart-shaped opening and a jewel attached to hang in the opening. She told me that when her daughter was very young she taught her about different shapes by relating special meanings, and the heart shape was taught because, she said, she would always have love for her. So she buys her daughter a heart for Christmas every year and I feel privileged to have made the heart for this year (I don’t have a picture of that heart).

A customer who preferred not to be photographed bought this 5” Cherry heart with an Ebony and a Purpleheart heart inlay. I told her my mission with my art and her own heartfelt story about why she was buying this heart made me fight back the tears. … — A customer who preferred not to be photographed bought this 5” Cherry heart with an Ebony and a Purpleheart heart inlay. I told her my mission with my art and her own heartfelt story about why she was buying this heart made me fight back the tears. This big heart with the imperfection in it made it more beautiful, and that was what she felt about the receiver of this gift.

I want to thank the many customers who went out of their way to get cash for their purchases from me. It probably sounds ridiculous to all the cellphone users, but I was a receptionist for many years and I hate the phone. So somewhere down the line I will maybe get an iPad and purchase a plan to do credit transactions. But until then…..many thanks to my Cherry heart customer; the out-of-breath woman who purchased my Redheart 3-heart hanging piece; and the incredible gentleman who purchased the ever-popular boxwood tree in glass container; all of whom had to travel to the opposite end of the lobby corridor for cash. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

**Redheart 3-heart hanging piece with Golden Mother-of-Pearl heart inlay and beads**

The gentleman who purchased this boxwood in glass saw me making one and he liked it, but was still shopping. By the time he came back I was making another one that was already sold. So, he said he’d be back….when he came back he realized I didn’t take cards. When he came back the final time, he did purchase it and he said it would be the first Christmas tree he’s had in 12 years I think he said. I think it will do the trick for him.

**The popular boxwood tree arrangement in glass with one of my favorite customers, the beautiful Lisa, modeling it for me**

I love doing my blogs, but I have to be satisfied with that love because I sometimes wonder who takes advantage of my thoughts and photos on all the different shows and vendors, and actually reads my posts and blogs. But I was so happy to find out that I brought a few shoppers to the Holiday Market from my last posts and that was one of my favorite people from my life, Dee, and her sisters Donna and Doreen. They are a fun-loving group and Dee purchased a log basket which was on sale for my last show.

I try to vary the vendors that I highlight each blog post, and there are always new ones, but there are always some vendors that sell at the Market every year and here are their beautiful, smiling faces from my past posts and their contacts for more information if I have them.

**Gertrude of Austrian Christmas Tree ornaments**

Paintings by Gisele D. Thompson https://www.facebook.com/Paintings-by-G-D-Thompson-1483743938559149/ — **Paintings by Gisele D. Thompson** https://www.facebook.com/Paintings-by-G-D-Thompson-1483743938559149/

Gunther’s Goodies https://www.facebook.com/gunthersgoodies/ — **Gunther’s Goodies** https://www.facebook.com/gunthersgoodies/

Kevin of KRM Chocolates https://www.facebook.com/KRMChocolates/ — **Kevin of KRM Chocolates** https://www.facebook.com/KRMChocolates/

Theresa from Riff Raff Glass https://www.facebook.com/riffraffglass/ — **Theresa from Riff Raff Glass** https://www.facebook.com/riffraffglass/

Wishing everyone love and a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Intown Holiday Market Saturday, December 8, 2018

Diane Zevos December 12, 2018

The Holiday Market on Saturday was full of surprises! There was so much to see and in the case of Monica Leap, programs director and founder from Studio 550, hands-on pottery making! How great is that! The customer can make their own pottery, choose the glaze and Studio 550 will finish the process for the them.

Studio 550 Art Center & Gallery has so much to offer with their open access community art studio; classes, workshops, studio rental, artist residency, and many different social events.

for more information: https://www.550arts.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Studio550ArtCenter/

Liz Johnson from Earth Cut Pottery (below) is associated with Studio 550 and is in the booth right next to Monica’s. She has a large selection of her incredible pottery.

for more information: https://earthcutpottery.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Lizearthcutpottery/

Studio 550 and Earth Cut Pottery are right in front of the Post Office which is worth mentioning if anyone has packages/mail to take care of you can take care of that here also.

The Soul Sisters Studio and DiZigns booth’s are at the opposite end of the lobby corridor, as well as the raffle table to win prize donations from the vendors, so be sure to check out the entire Holiday Market. Also check out the huge posters of the city along the big windows of our area as well as the many vintage framed photos on the walls.

**Dizigns booth, Soul Sisters Studio booth, the huge city posters and the raffle table**

There are many visitors to the Market that peruse the entire length and are rewarded with some special gifts from our booths.

**Elizabeth, Ellen and Marie were so great to group together and let me take their fabulous picture………..Thanks you guys!**

**Joe and Sheryl bought one of my most favorite bags with a plush black velvet lining, Thank you so much you two….I love couple pictures!**

**Thanks Lisa and Michelle! The bag that was purchased was a kind-of paisley design with a red satin lining and red drawstrings.**

Without the weekday workers, I was pleasantly surprised at the volume of customers for the Saturday (first time on Saturday for me). It was pretty steadily busy, which made it a little difficult to take many pictures (which is great!) and many thanks to my good-sport customers that allowed me to.

**Jeanne Manney and Kim Moltisanti from Young Living Essential Oils**

Also at our end of the Market are Jeanne and Kim from Young Living Essential Oils and they will start you on your journey to enjoying and enhancing your life with pure, authentic essential oils.

for more information: https://myyl.com/everythingessential https://www.facebook.com/everythingessentialwithjeanne/

3D Woodblock is another example of the unique items that can be found here and I had to put my favorite animal in the forefront. 3D Woodblock makes lenticular print collages which are stunning.

(Lenticular printing is a technology in which lenticular lenses are used to produce printed images with an illusion of depth, or the ability to change or move as the image is viewed from different angles )

For more information:

Mike Barron 503-327-1837 or 3dwoodblock@gmail.com

and Instagram: 3dwoodblock

By the main entrance is Peter Raymond Images. He makes photographic art limited edition images using gallery quality paper and inks, with the catchy twist of a phrase that says it all!

for more information: 207-409-8112 https://www.peterraymondimages.com/

There is one more Thursday, December 13th, and one more Saturday, December 15th, to check off some more loved ones gifts before Christmas. Besides the artisans/vendors I have the time to focus on………..there are many, many more to see!!

As Bob Barker would say who turned 95 today………………COME ON DOWN!!!!!!

https://www.intownmanchester.com/

Intown Holiday Market November 29, 2018

Diane Zevos December 3, 2018

The 2018 Intown Holiday Market began Thursday, November 29th, in the beautiful Brady Sullivan lobby and though attendance was a little low, all the artisans are anticipating a festive holiday season with many more attending. There is no charge to walk up and down the long corridor and take in all the artisans and their crafts. Shoppers should take the time to stop at the booths, ask the artisans about their artwork or handmade products, and purchase some very special and unique gifts.

**Stunning paper from Angelique Devitte**

**Beautiful prints as notecards from her watercolor paintings**

As you walk in the front entrance, the incredible artwork of Angelique Devitte draws you in. She is a perfect example of an artist the shopper should ask about her art. Her insects are where she began and they are so accurate but beautiful looking. She grew up on a farm and in college she took courses including science which makes obvious her accuracy.

**Angelique Devitte’s hand-painted ornaments**

Do yourself a favor and check out her website: https://angeliquedevitte.com/

Another great example a little further down is Philip Dudziak of Three Daughters Jewelry & Gifts. His collection of fossils, minerals and crystals has grown and grown over the years. He makes the jewelry (where I think he said he began), but he said the jewelry part has gotten smaller while his other collections have gotten bigger. And you certainly can see that in these many, many pieces of his collection in these images.

**Three Daughters Jewelry & Gifts - Harry Potter line**

To contact Philip: cell 603-305-1225 or philipdudziak@comcast.net

Judy, Lisa and Patrick were my customers for the day, but many, many more stopped by to ask if I was there for all the dates and to ask for their special requests.

**This was a new piece that I made because I had some large Rosewood pieces and I wanted to make it celestial with the pearl. Thanks so much Judy!**

**Thank you so much Patrick for all your interest!**

**As usual, thank you so much Lisa for all your support!**

Quite a few customers came to see me specifically. Lisa is one of my very favorite customers. She has bought a lot of hearts from me to share with relatives from Florida and her coworkers. And as you can see from her photo Thursday, she likes my boxwood arrangements to boot! She “talks me up” with her friends and brings them over to see my creations. Patrick also came to see me to pick up 2 special order hearts. He took my card at the Bow Craft Fair this year and sent me a message from my website. I made them in a little over a week and he picked them up at Intown. There is plenty of time for me to make special orders of hearts for Christmas.

I love the new posters in the big store windows at my end of the lobby by the parking garage entrance that make you feel as if you are looking out on the city. This means the shopper needs to walk all the way down the corridor and come visit my booth and my vendor neighbors, Soul Sisters Studio, to not miss any things to see …… also the raffle table is by our booths.

Below is Jess and Katie from the Soul Sisters Studio at their colorful display tables, and my booth set-up for the first Thursday.

**Jess and Katie from Soul Sisters Studio**

The Soul Sisters make their jewelry and art as a team, both working on everything. They create bold, striking works of art with their paint process, which does what it does and they mix, guide and influence to achieve the finished piece.

for more information check out their facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/SoulSistersStudioNH/

Just before our booths on the left side of the corridor is the booth of the Slippery Soap Company, that emphasizes their pain salve product, but has many other scrubs and salves for the skin and skin conditions, as well as camping sprays and itch relief balms.

**Slippery Soap Company camping must haves**

to contact for more info: 603-894-6362 or Plinc@comcast.net

Next to Slippery Soap Company is Diane from Berkshire Gold with her delectable looking display of golden maple syrup products.

**Berkshire Gold product prices and Maple Sugar!**

I will have a large supply of the types of arrangements from other years shown below. I will have finished arrangements, but can do special orders………….just ask!

**mixed evergreen arrangement in tall container**

**$10 mixed arrangement in ceramic holiday mug**

**$15 boxwood arrangement in glass, simply decorated with silver ribbon and balls**

**mixed arrangement in holiday ceramic**

Boxwood arrangements when watered faithfully last for months indoors!

**small boxwood arrangement in glass with red/gold velvet ribbon and red and green balls**

**small boxwood arrangement in holiday mug with gold garland and balls**

**large boxwood arrangement in silver plastic container**

**large boxwood arrangement in keepsake container with gold/red ribbon and gold balls**

The keepsake container shown above can be refilled with a fresh arrangement for just the cost of the greens and decorations. Also, I can make my log baskets lower for a centerpiece closer to the holiday dinner (fresh flowers may be added).

**more natural log basket with upgraded flannel bow (no glitz)**

**very simple decorations with large bow and cones**

**log basket with wired red velvet bow, mixed evergreens (Silver Fir, White Pine, Cedar, Juniper) with gold balls, white-tipped cones and gold balls**

**DiZigns log basket in it’s raw form with plastic tray for watering and “oasis” that holds water (the oasis shown here is actually styrofoam just to show for demonstration).**

Log basket arrangements are made in water-holding “oasis” with a plastic tray so they can be watered indoors and last for 2 weeks or more…..or they can go outside with no extra care and last for months!

**These sturdy, heavy log baskets can sit and stay on a front stoop or at the cemetery and should not blow over.**

**log basket in front of fireplace indoors**

**log basket on display indoors on fireplace mantle**

for more information or the dates of the Intown Holiday Market click on this link: https://www.intownmanchester.com/holiday-market

Also, the past blog posts from the Holiday Market show other vendors not in this blog that might be at this years and most, if you click on the links, will still get you to their information.

Sunday at the 39th Annual Bow Craft Fair

Diane Zevos November 20, 2018

The 2nd year for the Bow Craft Fair adding Sunday is not the huge crowds of the Saturday that has grown for 39 years, but still had many shoppers browsing for great gifts. My hearts sell the best here, last year and this year again, and I began the holiday with my largest and most varied group ever!

My Saturday post was focused on getting it out in a timely fashion to maybe get a few extra shoppers in for Sunday. So, I didn’t take the time to post my customers for Saturday and this post will include both days.

Donna and Jennifer were my first customers and such a delight and good sports to take some photos. As usual, the Dot Hearts are a popular hit and make really great stocking stuffers.

**Osage Orange heart with Abalam mosaic heart inlay**

Now, everyone does not want their picture taken which is perfectly fine, but they say I can still tell their story. The Osage Orange heart with Abalam mosaic heart inlay shown above was purchased by a mother whose daughter bought her a heart from me last year. So she is reciprocating.

She also said her father went to the auction of the old NH Highway Hotel items and she has a windowframe from there that she made into a photodisplay and the heart is hanging on the old hook. How sweet and I just love stories like this!

**raw, elongated Redheart and Bocote hearts**

Another sweet story came from Linda as she purchased this crazy, elongated Redheart heart. She spends time and travels with her aunt whose husband, I think, was a woodworker and she said how her aunt would appreciate the knot that makes the grain have wild designs (I always try to include knots and other imperfections).

**“Key to my Heart” with less than 2” Yellowheart heart and Abalone dot inlay**

**3” Purpleheart heart with Cocobolo heart inlay and Rosewood dot; and 3” Ebony heart with Golden Mother-of-Pearl tree mosaic inlay**

Being camera-shy does not mean a dislike for the items as the 3 hearts above bought by my customer who preferred not to be photographed shows. She was so supportive and excited for my craft, I appreciated that.

Then there is the opposite of that. Bill was ok with me taking his picture, but not to show the item……….shhhhh…………it’s a secret!

**less than 2” Black and White Ebony hearts with Mother-of-Pearl dot inlays**

Jaylee bought one of the smallest dot inlay hearts in Black and White Ebony and Pearl dot inlay. That Black and White Ebony is stunning!

Sarah purchased this lush and plush Cheetah drawstring bag with the softest gold satin lining. The thick outside fabric holds firmly while the lining is so smooth and delicate.

**Thanks Sarah and extra thanks to Tracy for being ok with being dragged into the picture by Sarah and I!**

**Cheetah drawstring bag with gold satin lining**

Aviva (what a beautiful name) purchased this smaller Rosewood heart and in the picture below it shows the beautiful grain and the small hint of a rosy color inbetween the darker.

**a little bigger than 2” Rosewood heart with Golden Mother-of-Pearl solid heart inlay**

I try to have a display photo of some different designs at shows because some designs go so fast, but I can always make another and get it to the buyer in just over a week (or it can be picked up at one of my shows). These 2 hearts below I will be making for just that reason. On my website are many different types and just send a message to start the process.

**Purpleheart heart with Golden Mother-of-Pearl split shamrock inlay**

On Sunday my first customer was Kim, she purchased a dot inlay heart and she let me take her beautiful picture. The Redheart she chose has the rich colored grain that is shown below on a similar heart.

Sarah and Marybeth also purchased a Redheart dot inlay heart. Even the same type of wood can be a little different from piece to piece, but the 2 Redhearts they chose were a very deep and rich red.

The Vendors, especially working alone, are so appreciative of any help or attention they can get. Luca and Eli, students at the school and friends of my nephew Finnian, walked around all throughout the show with a cart of coffee and donuts for vendors to purchase early and then drinks and food later on. My picture was blurry that I took of them so I didn’t post it, but wanted to send them thanks regardless…………THANKS LUCA AND ELI!!!

**Frank performing his craft (yesterday he had a kilt on and I wasn’t fast enough to snap the picture and wasn’t sure where he went)**

**Sullivan Handweaving (in my haste neglected to get your name, I apologize)**

I saw a few vendors on Sunday that I wanted to include and Sullivan’s Handweaving is DEFINITELY one of them. Such beautiful items! The art is wonderful in itself, but the beauty of the colors, combinations and feel is over the top. For more information:

https://sullivanhandweaving.wordpress.com/

603-352-7806 or sullivanhandweaving@gmail.com

Lisa from The Ornament Smith, has what I think is always a great addition to a holiday fair…..personalized ornaments! I’ve received some in my life and they are so cute and so specific with your name, it’s a great gift to get. A facebook page will be coming shortly if you would like more information in the future.

Last, but certainly not least, are these lifelike bird carvings. There is such great detail and beautiful colors they are hard to resist…..and don’t! For more information on Henry and Sue Boudreau’s craft visit https://www.woodcarvedbirds.com/

Lastly, I would just like to reiterate my credo of……….take some time to look at the beauty and interest of the small things. Things don’t have to be big and in your face to be enjoyed and appreciated. So many people walk by my booth and don’t see my purpose. But look at the detail in nature………it’s incredible.

**Mahogany with Abalone dot, Rosewood with Pearl dot, Purpleheart with Pearl dot, and Tiger Caspi with Abalone**

**Mahogany, Osage Orange, Myrtle, Bocote, Rosewood**

And also…………………D E C O R A T E !!

Here are the contacts for more information for the vendors I posted on Saturday: https://fineartamerica.com/artists/gisele+thompson email giseledthompson@gmail.com - https://www.facebook.com/wildpoppysoapco/ email wildpoppysoap@yahoo.com - rjm woodworks phone 603-455-3715 email rjmwdwk@gmail.com - https://willowvalewoodturning.weebly.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html phone 603-362-6468 emailstickball13@comcast.net - wickedaccentsnh@gmail.com - mothernaturedesigns Laurie LTA3333@hotmail.ocm - maggies phone 603-542-2840 - gourdeaouscreations Lynn phone 603-672-8551 - wildmountaintiedyes and whitemountainsbotanicals Sarah phone603-254-4188 email wmbotanicals@gmail.com

39th Annual Bow Craft Fair Saturday Show

Diane Zevos November 18, 2018

The long-standing, incredibly popular 39th Annual Bow Craft Fair began Saturday with huge crowds looking to purchase some wonderful handmade/handcrafted items. I am doing my blog differently this 1st day of the event. Usually I include all my customers, stories about the purchases and other vendors at the show with contact information and/or links. It takes me 5 hours or more to complete, but because I want to show possible attendees what diverse and great items are available, I am doing this quickly (sort-of quickly, about 3 hours of time) to post this before Sunday’s hours. There is MUCH more than the vendors that I am showing here and the Sunday hours of 9:00-1:00pm will allow more attendees to find that out. I will list on my Sunday blog ALL my customers and the vendors contact information and/or links.

There are booths everywhere in the hallways, the gyms and the cafeteria.

Students have booths for raffles and support for their causes.

There are raffle tables with items donated by the many vendors and I think I saw 50/50 raffles also.

The smaller gym was full of vendors and I saw a familiar booth of Paintings by Gisele and these are her beautiful paintings, many of which are of local spots. She has all kinds of sizes.

Paintings by Gisele

The large gym that I am located in was full of vendors and attendees as you can see by the photos.

I have my beautiful 3 heart hanging pieces high over the crowd. The striped wood is Zebrawood and the other is my new rich, intense Redheart.

Below are just a small section of the vendors, but the photos give a nice look at some beautiful, handmade items and as I stated above, I will include their contact information on Sunday’s blog, so for today everyone better get to the show!

Mother Nature Designs by Laurie Anderson (beautiful gourds)

Maggie’s handmade items

Wild Poppy Soap Co./Julie Bursey

Wicked Accents/Tammy Perry

Wild Mountain Tie-Dyes and White Mountains Botanical/Sarah Wall

Gourd-eous Creations/Lynn Desmarais

RJM Woodworks

Custom Creations/Ane

Willow Vale Woodturning/Al Lanseigue

TRHS Craft and Vendor Fair

Diane Zevos November 5, 2018

The 2nd Annual TRHS Craft and Vendor Fair began with pouring rain…..then clearing…..then BLUSTERY! (as the leaves are dancing in the school photo above) and we were all blown around as we loaded up, but it was a fun success none-the-less.

The gym was sparkling with the activity from all the great vendors preparing their spaces for the anticipated attendees looking to find something special. Even with the unsettling weather the attendance was good.

There was a raffle table that ran the entire length of the gym with all sorts of donated items from the vendors.

**view from the entrance as you walk in**

**My latest finished hearts, the best variety ever**

My first customer of the day was Sue and she purchased this darling little rosewood heart with a solid Golden Mother-of-Pearl heart inlay. It’s actually harder to make a small heart with inlay being careful of your scroll saw and the Dremel tool routing. It’s tricky.

**Pam, sorry I called you the wrong name after you first came to my booth. That’s why I write things down. Thanks Pam!**

Pam chose one of the ever popular dot inlay hearts. I had the most varied wood types ever for this show. The dot inlay hearts show all the quality and beauty of the larger more intricate ones. Pam chose the Bocote with Pearl dot inlay. Pam was a vendor with a large space of her own with Don. They call their business Coastal Creations. There are a few pictures of their creations below and to get in contact with them for further information the phone number is 860-949-3658 and email is pamfuller59@yahoo.com.

And then there was Gail! She was so wonderful and supportive, brought back friends a couple of times, and all purchased some of my favorite hearts.

**Gail holding the new paw design, simple but very popular. Thanks for everything Gail!**

**Shirley and Gail with the Spalted Tamarind heart with Abalam mosaic inlay.**

**Kathy purchased the split shamrock heart, thanks Kathy! (sorry for the closed eyes, split second difference)**

**Spalted Tamarind with Abalam mosaic inlay**

These incredibly charming paintings were a must see! Joshua was painting behind the table, but didn’t want to be in the photos. So, his chair is empty, but you can see the painting in progress on his easel. And as talented artists sometimes go….he had no contact information. He did tell me “Pepere’s” was of course his grandfather. I always encourage people to take time in life to look at the small things and their detail and beauty, and these are proof of that.

Next to Pepere’s was the display of Children’s Books by Karly Rose. She is the author and her books support the NHSPCA. For more information: SEE amazon.com : Furry Tail Matters and snowballhappy@comcast.net .

**Caroline and Ellie at the Timberlane Woodworking Class Cutting Boards table**

The Timberlane Woodworking Class had a table of cutting boards made by the students. It looks like it must be a great class. Their use of Purpleheart and other beautiful woods and also the inclusion of imperfections which make crazy grain happenings, are what I love!

Jane Lydick Staid is a portrait artist. She creates these beautiful finished pictures from the photographs she takes in her studio sessions. Her newest line is the limited edition series “Fine Art Fairies.” For more information: janelydickstaidphotography.com or 603-382-6775.

**Jane Lydick Staid, portrait artist, from Black Friday and Fine Art Fairies**

With winter impending, there were a few tables with winter accessories. My vendor neighbor, Penney, had these gems which are so soft to the touch they would feel warm and comforting on a cold day. For more information: home 978-373-4258 or cell 978-372-2566; and Penney29@verizon.net

Meaghan (and I’m sure her team) completed once again the great feat of putting on an event like this. I’m also sure that it will grow and grow every year because it’s a fun-filled time!

**Ebony wood heart with Golden Mother-of-Pearl poinsettia inlay (the poly finish reflects different images and colors)**

**Thanks Meaghan and sorry for the closed eyes, but I appreciate you letting me take your picture of your purchase!**

Tricia was my last, but certainly NOT least customer of the day and she purchased 4 dot inlay hearts! She was also a vendor at the show (Independent Sales Director for Mary Kay) and she bubbles over with enthusiasm. For more information: https://www.marykay.com/triciaedris ; phone 781-248-0431 or email triciamk4u@gmail.com

I gave away quite a few of my Giveaway Hearts. I’ve made different designs and this one is my latest. I love having them to give to special people or for a special reason or really as just a nice gesture (and good advertising).

Lastly, packing up is not the best part of this experience, but it’s made a little better when Mad Batter Confections comes by giving away cupcakes that were left over for the day. Thanks so much to them and thanks to Meaghan and TRHS for inviting me to this great show. Please check out the vendors and their sites to support their businesses and like the pages.

Mad Batter Confections facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/maddbatterconfections

Art Jam Riverside 2018

Diane Zevos September 11, 2018

Art Jam Riverside 2018 came off with bright colors, balloons, artists, vendors, and activities of all kinds. The Art Jam Bridgefest of last year was the best selling day I have ever had, so this years event had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately it did not come anywhere near that for me, but I enjoy all events regardless of sales. My booth was at the very end of the event and a bit sparse of other artists or vendors, but the second stage was there which brought visitors down.

My sister, Kathy, helped me today, usually I’m alone in the booth. Thanks for all the help and extra hands Kath!This is the first time putting up the canopy for the year and I didn’t extend all the top corners, so it’s not tight at the top…..next ti… — **My sister, Kathy, helped me today, usually I’m alone in the booth. Thanks for all the help and extra hands Kath!**
**This is the first time putting up the canopy for the year and I didn’t extend all the top corners, so it’s not tight at the top…..next time it’ll be correct.**

The focus at the Art Jam is on my hearts and that process. I bring finished hearts, but also planks of woods, traced-on heart shapes, raw cut hearts, pearl pieces with my hand saw and my Dremel router to enhance the explaining.

Check out my previous blog (Gearing up/Art Jam 2018) to see the complete process of making my hearts.

I do still bring my bags to sell and always sell a few (or more than a few) at all the shows.

MB Padfield was the very first act. She is from Manchester, but works and lives in Los Angeles making music. She was terrific. Here are links for her:

https://www.mbpadfield.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MBpadfield1

My first customer was Mariah and she purchased one of my favorite bags. It was an item that stayed around for a while and I wondered why because it's so cute, but someone always see the beauty in it and will scoff it up eventually.

Mariah, Nathaniel, and John were so nice to let me take this picture.....love group shots!

This bag has a black, glossy, beadwork embellishment with 2 different fabrics on the outside and one on the inside.

Madelyn bought a wristlet that I made as a glasscase line for the Made In NH Expo 2017. It wasn’t a wristlet at first, but I had changed it to one, which I could do for any small bag. The designer fabric is so elegant and smooth, it’s just lovely.

**The drawstring pulls and ties from one side only, with the jewelry-type bracelet on the other side. Thanks Madelyn!**

The photo above is one side of the bags and the photo below, the other.

Claudia bought a $5 Cocobolo heart with Abalone dot inlay . These small hearts are my best sellers. An inexpensive and miniature way to enjoy the beauty of the woods. Everything I love and try to showcase in my larger hearts, I do with these mini ones. The only thing that is different is that I don’t do quite as many coats of poly for the dot inlay hearts as I do for the more intricately inlaid pearl designs. These dot inlay hearts can range from 1.25” to 2” (approximately).

**Cocobolo plank bought from a scrap wood bin at a supplier**

Check out the beauty of the poly-ed wood and the striking difference from the sapwood and the heartwood, and how you can see the severe angle of the two on the side of the heart. I sometimes have the hearts be pretty thick to showcase what the grain does on the sides, these Cocobolo’s were thin planks purchased from a scrap box of wood pieces.

The 3rd act on this stage was the energetic Charlie Farren. Charlie was a memeber of the bands The Joe Perry Project and Farrenheit. Perhaps that’s why he had the largest crowd. Click on his facebook link here:

https://www.facebook.com/charliefarren

The 2nd performing act was the duo called Mystical Magic Music. I somehow missed taking their picture, but they have this great card with their pictures on it. They played many very familiar tunes in their mix as well as originals. Click on their link:

https://www.facebook.com/mysticalmagicmusic/

There were many other activities as well as artists and vendors. I don’t always have multiple times an event to check out everything, but above are the drum players and I think they played many different combinations of performers throughout the day (I couldn’t find their name). The above table area had many things to involve visitors in including the basket weaving seen here. Below was a huge chalkboard sort-of cube that anyone could write their message on in the subject matter written at the top….love, before I die….and once again bright and colorful.

Here are some shots of the artists and vendors and the stage by the front entrance.

My heart giveaway for this show didn’t get finished in time, so I brought my holiday decorated gourds to giveaway. Nate, Rhys and Alex bought a “Noel” heart made from Zebrawood. The word was done freehand with the Dremel tool and I gave them a gourd to go with it.

real, miniature gourds decorated for the holidays

Chrissy also bought a Cocobolo Abalone dot inlay heart. She was also a vendor at this event and her card was so beautiful I wanted to show it. You can see all her contact information on it to reach out to her.

**Thank you Chrissy and I love your card!**

Here are some of the artists that I got a chance to visit to take photos of their art and give them some attention:

This incredible art is by “Bill”, no sites or card to give me to promote him which really personifies the creative and sometimes non-commercial mindset of the artist.

Theresa from Riff Raff Glass is also associated with the 550Arts Studio. They obviously have many programs to offer so please click on the links for more information:

https://www.550arts.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Studio550ArtCenter/ https://www.facebook.com/riffraffglass/

When I walked up to Emily Thorpe’s booth I recognized her as being an artist at the Bridgefest last year with her friend artist Sami. Emily’s card says “Scientific & Creative Illustrator” and it is easily seen here in her technically correct and striking depictions.

**Sami and Emily from Art Jam Bridgefest**

https://emilythorpeart.com/

Kara LaMarche, below, was one of the few artists in my area. I hope enough visitors got to see her wonderful paintings. Here is a link to her website:

https://www.karalamarcheart.com/

Artist Kathy Sullivan, below, does amazingly accurate portraits. Obviously those below are of famous individuals, which seems to me to be difficult whereas everyone knows their faces. I had to include the back of her business cards because it is so beautiful (her own drawing I would say?) and it is my favorite animal. Here are her links:

http://www.kathysullivandrawings.com/

https://www.facebook.com/kathy.sullivan.169?fref=hovercard&hc_location=none

Check out the moving use of color in Michelle Motuzas’s art (MM Studio). She wants you to “let art move you” and it truly does. Here are her links:

https://www.michelleamotuzas.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Mimsfolly

**3” Purpleheart wood heart with Golden Mother-of-Pearl split heart inlay**

Funloving Riley bought my beautiful, signature design Purpleheart heart with Golden Mother-of-Pearl split heart inlay. Riley and her “friend”, Bob, made us laugh and were a lot of fun.

Moira and Brian chose one of the dot inlay hearts made out of Rosewood. The piece of Rosewood shown below is what their heart was cut from, such beautiful wood grain.

**Rosewood resawn piece with hearts drawn**

Scott Plante was the 4th act on the rear stage. I saw him perform at MacGregor Park in Derry in August this year (pictured below). I played keyboards in the other band that night with an incredible choral group that was put together for Hope for Recovery. He plays for donations to certain causes including the opiod epidemic, but here is his link for more info:

https://www.facebook.com/ScottPlanteMusic/

**Scott Plante at MacGregor Park in Derry, NH, for Hope for Recovery**

Andy Kiniry appeared as the final act and was so good-natured considering the long feedback that appeared out of nowhere and the absence of an audience. The booths around him were the audience giving him the applause he deserves as he does a superb job. I first saw Andy perform when I was a vendor at the 2017 Veteran’s Park free Thursday night concert series. Here’s his link:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/awkiniry/about/?ref=page_internal

**Andy Kiniry performing at Veteran’s Park free Thursday night concert series in 2017**

What better way to end this blog with my last customer, Steve. We were almost all packed up and Steve rode up on his beautiful bike looking to buy something from the show. My sister, Kathy, went into the heart box and he chose an Osage Orange dot heart. He was just a delightful guy. Thank you Steve!

**Osage Orange wood heart with Abalone dot inlay**

Please send a comment if you want to reach out to me, but also click on the sites of the artists to find out more about them and like and share with friends. See you next time and thanks for reading!

Gearing up! Art Jam 2018!

Diane Zevos September 4, 2018

Gearing up for the Art Jam 2018 this Saturday 10:00-3:00 at Riverfront Park. Since my knee surgery on January 29th, I have been recovering well and right on schedule, but my work was put on hold which makes me so anxious for this event! At the end of my holiday season 2017, someone asked me if I paint my heart decorations on and I realized that I need to explain my process in a little detail for customers to get the whole effect I am trying to accomplish. I LOVE WOOD! and I choose beautiful, hardwoods (some exotic) to highlight the different grains and natural colors. I put an inlay of (I'm discovering) almost anything to embellish the wood on one side and the other side I usually leave plain to highlight the wood.

I also may keep imperfections in the woods to add interest. I love the way the grains swirl around a knot. The 2 long, funky hearts on the left are the only 2 I will have like that this show. The 2 hearts on the right emulate the beauty and the differences in grains.

I begin by drawing the hearts on the different wood pieces. The thickness of each heart depends on what I have for pieces/strips and from the resawn blocks, but I do keep many fairly thick because the side can show the grain well and how it's directed from front to back.

Next, I cut out the hearts on my scroll saw.

the varied woods with hearts drawn on them

After cutting the hearts out, I sand them to almost a final sanding stage, but not the "fine" sanding stage before polying. I never stain or paint the woods, I just apply many coats of polyurethane to bring out the natural color and beauty of each type of wood.

Cocobolo strip (I sometimes look through bins with wood pieces to get interesting woods)

I then figure out what to inlay and draw the idea out on the Mother-of-Pearl (or sometimes I use another interesting wood) and hand-cut the pearl with a pearl cutting saw.

After cutting the pearl or wood pieces, I scribe them onto the heart and then rout out the cavity to accept the pearl.

The final "fine" sanding and many coats of polyurethane finish the process, with a hole for the leather string. All in all there is a huge amount of handwork that goes into these hearts to produce a smooth, cool, shimmering end result that makes these keepsakes.

the smaller hearts are my $5 dot inlay hearts

The smaller raw hearts in this picture will be inlayed with an Abalone dot. I have a mix of wood types: Redheart, Cocobolo, Yellowwood, Mahogany, Bocote, Osage Orange, Spalted Tamarind, Myrtle. They are only $5 and I use this as a lure into my world of wood hearts. Of course, it's first come, first serve and I only have a few of each type. I'll also have some thin giveaway hearts, also in a limited supply.

click on this link to my heart page to view some designs

Etsy Shop Listings January 2018

Diane Zevos January 19, 2018

Holiday season 2017 is in the books and as successful for DiZigns as it was for evergreen arrangements and hearts, the bag sales were minimal. They are now listed in my Etsy Shop as well as a few hearts (there was not many left) and some artwork.

The bags are not necessarily Christmas themed so they were not the common purchase. There's a mixture of types left from the lines I produced through the year.

I made some summery types of bags; I always try to have tapestry bags; there are small collection bags; and even glass case bags.

These 2 small collection bags are variations of similar interior design embroidered fabrics. Both sides of the bags are shown here and the effect is striking when they are combined in one bag.

I also had a few left with the wild animal theme: leopard, tiger/zebra, cheetah.

The few hearts that are left are these dot inlay hearts and this Osage Orange heart beside a few Christmas themed ones.

If you like to check out my items to find out more about them, please click on the link:

http://etsy.me/1XN4Fk1

If you would like to support me, please like and share my pages with your friends. Thanks.

The sidebar on the right lists all my blogs by event and date. Please click on an event and be quickly linked to a show to get a feel for it....the customers, the vendors, the performers, as much info as I can include being a vendor myself and limited at times to venture out.