Barn Swallow & Sunflowers

Instead of joining the crazy black Friday rush, I'm at home in my peaceful cabin painting. I just finished this painting this morning. 

Enjoy!

Prints and greeting cards will be available soon in my Etsy shop. 

Please contact me directly if you're interested in purchasing the original mixed media painting on canvas. renee@poppywomen.com

New Poppy Apparel... Coming Soon!

Winter is coming and I've been really busy getting ready for my first craft fair!

It's been very busy keeping up with three children a new business and Christmas time quickly coming. However, I have a few new designs ready to post on my Etsy shop!

It's been a little over a year since I've started selling clothing on Etsy and I've learned a lot. Unfortunately after finally getting time to make size runs of all my designs, analyzing how much all my supplies cost per garment and getting a feel for how long it takes to design, pattern, cut, sew and dye everything I've realized I have to raise my prices to continue making & selling clothing at a sustainable rate. Yikes!

I want to thank everyone who has supported my business and extend a month long grace period for my previous customers. Anyone who has purchased Poppy apparel in the past can continue to buy clothing at the previous price until January 1, 2012. Just send me a message on my Etsy shop letting me know what you want and I'll make a special listing for you.

Thanks again!

Here are a few sneak peaks at new designs and colors coming within the next week.

 

With gratitude,
Renee

Tanager Birds & Dogwood, new painting!

Happy Holidays. I've been selling greeting cards in my community for awhile now and there have been several requests for a holiday card. Well, I wasn't really intending this new painting to be that, but after I finished it last night, I looked at it and thought, this is my holiday card!

Anyways, hope you enjoy it!

Prints & Greeting cards are for sale at my Etsy web site. Please contact me at contact@reneethompsondesigns.com to inquire about purchasing the original.

Rain, rain, rain...

Happy Rainy Sunday!

It's been awhile since my last post and a lot has happened since then. Halloween, preparing for a Christmas Craft fair, book reading, paintings painted, mushrooms gathered and a wild animal sighting. Busy, busy, busy. I haven't had a lot of time to post. So, this post will be a catch up and a collage of ideas melded together.

Today is a very wet and rainy Sunday and it seem like a good day to write. 

HALLOWEEN

This year was on odd Halloween as our kids were with other friends, we didn't get many photos of their costumes and we were traveling during the weekend. However we didn't forget to carve pumpkins and I got a great photo of them. There is something magical about pumpkin carvings and candle light.

HUMBOLDT ARTISANS FESTIVAL, DECEMBER 2, 3 & 4

These last couple of months I've been really busy trying to get ready for a local Christmas fair the first weekend in December. Not only have I been busy producing product to sell at the fair, but it is my first fair, so I am building a booth for the first time. This has been a very time consuming and expensive task. I sell clothing and art, so I have different mediums to think about and how best to display them. Figuring out how to fit everything in a 10' by 10' space is not an easy job. Lighting, walls, a floor, how to hang art and clothing, a dressing room and more! Yikes. Here is a photo of the first time I set up the tent and what it might look like. I've added a lot since this photo and will definitely add more photos once the fair has happened.  

 I've added colorful curtains in the open areas where my art will hang by chain with hooks. I'll have baskets of prints on the wooden table. There will be nice carpets on the floor and I've added a small dressing room in the upper left corner. Also, I'm working on a full length tapestry to hang on the outside of the dressing room with my business name and Etsy sight along with other creative designs on it. Any feedback or tips on selling clothing and or art in craft fairs welcome. I'm still thinking about the possibility of offering credit card sales, but not sure I want to deal with this for one three day festival. hmmm...