This Saturday is the Trinidad Christmas Market being held at the Trinidad Town Hall from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.  I understand there will also be a raffle as well as a wine tasting. Of course I’ll be too busy to even think about wine tasting (at least until the end of the show!)

Then on Saturday, December 12 and Sunday, December 13, I will be at the Arcata Holiday Craft Market, which is held in the Arcata Community Center across from Healthsport. The Arcata Market hours are Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Because the economy is in the tank, I am again offering everything except my fine silver at 20-30% off.

At these low rates I will have to charge sales tax instead of including it as I usually do, but since you are on my list, just tell me that at the time of your purchase and I will waive the tax!

New Designs

This summer I came across a broken blue bottle by the side of the road while on my morning walk.  So I took it home, cleaned it up and stuck it into the kiln.  Since then I have been experimenting by recycling glass into fused jewelry. I have also incorporated painted glass and some of my watercolor and silk paintings into the glass pendants.

Come see what the experimentation has led to!

Sharing the Wealth

Even though the economy is in the tank, I realize that we still live in the richest country in the world.  So I have decided to donate 20% from the sale of any of my recycled glass items to help fund microenterprises through http://kiva.org. You can find out more about this fascinating organization by clicking on the link.

It’s amazing what even $25 can do to help someone fund their business idea!  This will be my way of giving back to the creativity of the rest of the world through the sales of "upcycled" items.

My Online Shops

If you are not able to attend either of the Christmas Holiday Markets in person, you can see what I’m offering online by going to my Etsy shops.

A few years ago I started with my Magical Design shop (http://magicaldesign.etsy.com).  I never did much with it until this year.  As I’ve added things it’s become quite a mixture of different crafts and you will find a combination of items there – including fabric items, cards and jewelry.

Recently I decided to put all my kiln fired jewelry into its own shop, so I am moving those over to http://fireblessedart.etsy.com, a few items at a time.

Please note that the items in Etsy are only available at Etsy, not at my shows, and vice versa. It’s too difficult to keep track of which items are listed where and which have been sold, so the items that are listed are exclusive to Etsy.

I am currently running a special through the end of the year in both of the shops, offering free shipping on all jewelry items over $20.

Etsy is a very interesting and creative place and I am making many new friends among the talented artists there. You are bound to find something interesting there – regardless of what you are looking for.

P.S.  Briceland Winery is also  having their annual Thanksgiving Open House, serving their outstanding wines and some delicious appetizers this coming weekend. It’s always a treat to go sample their latest wines. I met Maggie over 15 years ago and have loved her wines ever since I was introduced to them.  We will be going on Friday afternoon and coming back in the early evening so I have time to set up for the Saturday Trinidad Market.  Briceland will also be open on Saturday.