Winter

 Been spending the holidays with my family in PA. It's been snowing quite a bit; a white Christmas and then some. It's nice for staying indoors with tea, a blanket and a book, but not so good for travel plans. Hoping it clears off by the end of the week so I can head back down south.

Looking Forward

 As 2012 comes to a close, I'm excited to say that I already have work in three exhibitions in 2013! I was invited to be a part of two shows in conjunction with ECU's annual symposium Material Topics. The first is an ECU Alumni Enameling Exhibition organized by Kathryn Osgood and Ken Bova. The second is Off the Wall= Structural Adornment, organized by Tara Locklear and Bob Ebendorf. I'll be showing semi newish work, (non thesis work). I'm a little nervous about how it will be received.

 I also got two of the thesis pieces accepted in to the Maria V. Howard Art Center's annual Handcrafted Exhibition. This is my third year in a row to be a part of this show and I couldn't be more excited! It's such a great space and the caliber of the work is always incredible. I feel privileged to be in such company.

The new year looks like it's off to a bright start! Thanks for reading!

Winner!!!

Wow, what a crazy past couple weeks!!! You think at this point I'd be used to the end of the semester craziness, plus moving craziness, plus holiday sales craziness. It occurred to me on my way to work the other day, that I really sort of hate December. At least the first couple weeks of it anyways, and the radio station that started playing 24/7 Christmas music Thanksgiving Day certainly doesn't help.

But the end is almost in sight: the sale was successful, I have all my finals to be graded and once I get all my paperwork turned in, and make the stupid long drive home, I can spend some time relaxing with my family. And by relaxing I mean prepping syllabi and materials lists for two classes I've never taught before and a pile of job applications. The fun never ends.

One more piece of business for today: the random winner of the Novica Giveaway is lucky commenter #1!!! Shoot me an email with your info, and I'll send you your promotion code! Thanks to everyone who entered and congrats to the winner!!!

Happy weekend!

NOVICA Giveaway!!!!

 Last spring I did a site review and giveaway for Novica, a site where you can support artisans from all over the world by purchasing their wares. For the holiday season, Novica has generously offered me a $40 gift code to test drive their new Gift Finder option and one to giveaway to one lucky reader!

 Novica is a HUGE site with tons of wonderful things to look at. One of my complaints last spring was that it does take a bit of time to sift through it all. But the new Gift Finder option makes it so much easier. It lists so many ways to narrow your search, starting with the typical men's gifts, women's gifts, mom gifts, home decor gifts and gifts by price range. But you can narrow your search even further with options like animal lover gifts, corporate gifts, and eco friendly gifts. You can break it down even more and shop by personality with gifts for yoga lovers, adventurers, wine lovers, and gardeners.

 Some of the sections/search options do seem a tad redundant, but I suppose that can make things easier to find. I also thought that their wedding section should have been more clearly defined. I was interested in what sorts of things they offered for wedding gifts, and found their wedding section to be all about the bridal party and the actual event. I had better luck with the Housewarming section. Once I started exploring specific sections, I noticed these "Curated" selections. Similar to the Etsy Treasury idea, these are items selected by Novica users so fit a certain theme, and interspersed with stunning travel photos.  I recommend checking it out if you'd like to see Novica's items in a glossier, catalogue type layout.

I looked at lots of things and thought of lots of possible people I needed a gift for. I liked the idea of purchasing a set of ornaments, like those above, or as set of books and splitting them up in order to give to more people. In the end, I wound up ordering a pair of earrings for my mom to give to a friend. Who would you shop for and what would you purchase from Novica? Leave a comment and I'll select a random winner Monday, December 10th to receive a $40 gift code!

Happy shopping!

Shop and Mingle Sale!!!

 A few shots of my set up for the Shop and Mingle Sale at Emerge Gallery, in Greenville, NC. The sale starts tomorrow night with a ticketed preview event (tickets still available) and is open to the public starting Friday, and running until the 21st. I'll be manning my booth from 5-9pm on Friday and 9am-4pm on Saturday. The sale features 12 Eastern NC artists working in everything from glass to wood to ceramics to photography. Stop by and say "Hi!"

PS. This Friday is also First Friday, with bunches of openings, and tons of great art to see!