30.6.09

ComFest Killed!

This weekend was our biggest show to date! We packed up and traveled to Columbus, OH Community Festival (hereafter known as ComFest.) We were a bundle of nerves trying to make sure we were ready...vertical display ('cause we were sharing space), inventory inventory inventory, cooler full of food so we didn't have to blow hard-earned cash, clothes so we looked cool, display cases, business cards in droves, business card holder, receipt book, apron, tools and supplies to work on in down time. WHEW! That list is seriously not even the tip of the iceberg that got stuffed into our rented Toyota Corolla.

The crowd at ComFest was amazing! We were quite well received by the Festival Goers, as well as by the people with whom we shared our booth.

We made enough money to expand our selling like hotcakes ring collection to include sterling silver. Up to now we've been using solely brass, copper, and steel. The price point on silver is higher, this is an allergic world, man! It's just so darn expensive to get going with rings (earwires take a lot less silver. We also used profits to invest in gemstones, new fabric, a shade umbrella, bead/stone cases, and more festivals! Our little design business is growing so quickly!

AK-47 and I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone who stopped by our space. Your compliments meant the world to us and help us keep working even when we're exhausted. There will be new things coming quickly to our etsy site.

Also, due to popular demand, devochka will be expanding to include men's/unisex items including rings, cufflinks, and money clips. They were so popular we sold out!

I'm being beckoned, so more later. Thank you all again!

21.6.09

It is time

Hello, welcome to devochka's blog. This blog will be dedicated to all things artful, forward thinking, low brow, subversive and/or down right vulgar. We will be linking to people, places, trends, and ideas that we find inspiring, touching, thought provoking, humorous, and/or motivating. Also, we will be providing tutorials of some of the processes we use, and sharing photos of our new works. We hope that you take inspiration from this and use them to your best advantage.

I suppose we may as well begin by introducing ourselves, devochka is a. kender (AK47) and c. kibler (Vulvaline). We are a shameless dyke couple living, working, arting and growing together in Asheville, NC. Recently we started doing the festival scene locally, and it has been working well for us. Our company is growing, and we are pushing to keep the momentum up. As of now, we still work full time, so it is a struggle sometimes to meet the requirements of running and promoting a home-based business. However the more we do, the stronger we grow.

As you can see, our etsy site consists of mainly jewelry at the moment, but our ADD fingers touch everything at different times. We are painters, sculptors, fabric artists (wearable and otherwise), metal workers, fashion designers, graphic designers, and on...

That's enough about us, you will learn more about us than we ever imagined sharing through the life of this blog, we're sure, but now it's time to move on to a couple of artists who inspire us...

First: Rachel McKay

Rachel McKay has some naughty needles, for sure. Her needles attack a canvas with humor, grace, and vulgarity. 3 of our favorite things!!! I, Vulvaline first met Rachel on Craftster when I fawned all over a video game based cross stitch Rachel had posted. The fawning continues to this day. I am not much of a follower, no doubt, but I have checked back into Confessions of a Crafter and Rachel's Etsy Shop regularly for a hearty laugh, a huge smile, and inspiration by the buckets full.

Her blog is an invitation to her personal life, and she writes with no holds barred. Her blog reminds me to stop and take notice of the things in my life that are sacred, reminds me sometimes to not take things for granted. (I'm pretty good at that, generally, but still it's nice to be reminded once in a while.) Rachel's etsy shop is getting noticed! She can barely post a new piece before it gets gobbled up by a fan lying in wait. It's true! Keyboard cat went in under 30 minutes if I'm not mistaken. Her prices are beyond reasonable, and her needlework is fantastic. She obviously loves what she does!

And now onto our Second artist of the day.

Alli Good! AK47 and I crashed Alli's art opening at the The Sattelite Gallery in Asheville, NC. We had seen a small flyer for the show, but it slipped our mind in a haze of summer sweat, but AK47 got off work the night of the opening and called me and ordered me to get my ass downtown. So I did. We met outside the gallery and as we entered the gallery, my eyes widened quickly. Alli's images are colorful and crisp. Her canvases vary substantially in size, the images on them are beautiful in the traditional sense of the word. On the surface, her work is humorous, but if you let the paintings speak to you, they speak of flaws on display, self-consciousness, femininity/feminism, and acceptance. We were both moved. Unfortunately as broke-ass artists ourselves, we were unable to purchase anything at the time of the show and I was heartbroken about it. I wanted a Drunk Girl and a Random Thought UNTIL NOW!!! I was out and about in downtown Asheville promoting our wares, when I walked into the Lexington Ave. Bizarre Bazaar and lo and behold! Alli was there! I beelined to her table, perused a hot moment and POUNCED! During smart conversation with Alli, I purchased neither a drunk girl nor a random thought. I purchased "I Am So Lonely" a set of 9 small paintings of a girl saying I am so lonely. They're simple, they're heartbreaking, they were perfect! AK47 squealed with excitement and tore around the house looking for the perfect spot for them. We can't wait to see Alli at the next Bazaar Saturday, July 4. We'll have a booth, and hopefully it will be near hers so we can spend all hard earned money on the LPs she's now painting!

Time to art, thanks for putting up with my wordiness.

Vulvaline