Finding Like Minded Artists In Las Vegas Nevada

Making our way to one of the many casinos in Las Vegas Nevada for a different sort of entertainment was our agenda. Sepi and I are researching local art and craft shows for future reference. The first stop on our list was The Crafters N Gift Gallery Show in The Fiesta Casino. We were very excited to possibly meet a team member from our Etsy Does Vegas Team. Sepi did some research and found that a member was also showing their work. We were both excited to possibly meet like minded artists.

The show was located on a corner spot that allowed passers by to see the displays from the open hall on the 2nd level. The first booth upon entry was occupied by the Crafters N Gift Gallery Shows promotor, Judi. A quaint setting occupied by 8 or 10 vendors made shopping feel casual. We were easily able to find our targeted team member in this setting.




First stop was the lovely, professional display for Artesia Products. Her collection was impressively packaged and her charming smile and uplifting personality was warm and personal. Marie K. Jones expressed that this was her first craft show. We were so encouraged by her presence and pleased to know she was an Etsy Does Vegas Team member. Thumbs up to Marie. Her positive energy and bright spirit shine through in her work.



Cold Nose Closet,Ltd was also showing their work at this show. Sepi found that these two ladies are working together in a business relationship much like our own. They are family members in business.
I am an avid dog lover and I will be sure to be shopping for special gifts for my two boys at Cold Nose Closet, Ltd. The materials used to make the pet products are high quality and very colorful. It is nice to see creative yet functional work.
Sepi encouraged these ladies to join Etsy and our Etsy Does Vegas Team. I especially hope they will.

Research is a very important way to grow any business. Getting out amongst other artists and sharing energy with them is a learning experience that can be priceless. The future of any business venture can be made stronger if the ground work is placed on a planned foundation. The energy we put forth now will pay off for Adrift Art Studio in the long haul, I am sure of it. Looking forward to many more excursions in search of like minded artists in the Las Vegas area.

The Las Vegas Art District

Once a month some of the regional artists gather in a part of the old, downtown district of Las Vegas to show their skills and hawk their productions to curious shoppers. A blend of musicians, craftsmen, painters, potters, and partiers, amongst others, take it to the streets. They call it First Friday. This is where I got my first taste of the many flavors, of a creative feast, open to all, in The Las Vegas Art District.





Like most street festivals, First Friday offers a variety of food and libation to enhance the experience. Cold beer stands and an array of cocktail vendors keep the party going. This scene seems a hot spot for some UNLV students, and as the sun goes down the volume goes up. We took advantage of the evening and took in the sights and sounds, enjoying mild evening weather.











Tent vendors display an assortment of creative styles with paintings, photography, ceramics, jewelry, unusual lamp work, textile crafts, and so much more. The variety of creativity offers something for every one's delight. My sister Sepi, my niece, Mother and myself especially enjoyed the antics of a street band called Steam Powered Giraffe. Their costumes were fun, their makeup was marvelous, the music was upbeat and their stage presence was captivating. Mother, at 83 years old enjoyed their performance more than anything on the venue. Their "steampunk" image goes hand in hand with a particular style of jewelry I have become fascinated with. Seeing Steam Powered Giraffe boosted my curiosity to say the least.











The Las Vegas Art District hosts First Friday each month, 12 months per year, rain or shine. The entertainment begins in early evening and goes into the night. When the sun goes down the musical entertainment overshadows the visual arts so keep that in mind if you ever plan to attend this exciting bit of The Las Vegas Art District.

Getting A Feel For Change

There is so much in life we tend to take for granted. Our surroundings, homes, friends, families and familiar settings are just some of the things that come to mind at the moment. We go through our daily routines and often forget to count our blessings and those things we except as our own. It is not until we feel loss or remove ourselves from the familiar that we realize all of what we have or had. I recently moved half way across the country to live and work in my Adrift Art Studio.

Just last week, to be exact, I was traveling from the Chicago area to my new location in Henderson Nevada. The driving took us about 28 hours on the road and as the familiar scenes and sounds gave way to the horizon, taking life for granted was knocking on my door.





My closest friends who could attend, came to honor our friendship and celebrate my new journey on this path of life. It was sweet and emotional as we spent time eating, laughing and enjoying each others company one last time, until we meet again. Some friends I had not seen in quite awhile and their gift of giving time to send me on my journey with enthusiasm was a reminder that we should remember to count our blessings and live in the moment.




The move has not been completed because we had to have the supplies and equipment, furnishings and personal property shipped via long haul trucking. That has me in a state of limbo until the truck arrives and everything is unpacked and put in to place. The time between now and then is being spent getting a feel for change. There is much to explore, get use to, investigate and grow accustom to here in the South West.





Most everything is quite different from the landscape to the plant material, the time zone to the weather conditions. Not only does one need to adapt to the new they have to except the loss of the familiar. It is one of life's challenges, getting a feel for change. It takes time and a willingness to overcome what was the norm. This is an exciting time but it can also be a stressful time. Waiting to dig in and nest is the hardest part for me. I look forward to the truck arriving so I can push forward in pursuit of my artwork and creative aspirations. Until then I am busy checking out the local art scene and all there is to offer here in Henderson NV that will inspire my work.





From the mountains to the valley.....



I am getting a feel for change.

Custom Jewelry Ordered From Our Etsy Store

It takes time to create a presence on the Internet. Lots of work goes in to designing the jewelry. It almost seems like more work goes in to all of the things that it takes to develop the business end of it. That is why it gets so exciting when custom orders start coming in. This is how we measure where we stand and what we need to do next.



All of the jewelry from Handcrafted Jewelry USA is based on a one of a kind piece. What that really means is we do not mass produce our work so that we can sell it on TV in mass quantities. Handcrafted Jewelry USA takes pride in making unique pieces that are far beyond the mass produced items found in most stores, most jewelry parties and in most jewelry catalogs from most companies. The norm is for a designer to create a piece and then send the design to a factory.

The factory then puts the design on the assembly line and pushes the start button. Not exactly but close. C.S. Alexis spent several years learning in one of the largest mass produced jewelry companies on an assembly line. The company bills itself as the oldest and largest jewelry manufacturing company in the world. C.S. learned a lot during her time there. It was a magnificent experience when it came time to learn from some of the best, most skilled jewelry makers in the world.



The thing is most of the jewelry was mass produced and then personalized with engraving, certain adorning applications such as initials and names and maybe some specifically chosen stones. C.S. actually loved the work and the people but most of all she loved the learning. When the time came to design, create and sell her own line of handcrafted jewelry, C.S. was able to turn much of what she learned into practical knowledge that would help.

That being stated, might help others see how important it is for everyone at Adrift Art Studio, and Handcrafted Jewelry USA to offer something more. We want to make each experience with our customers to be "made to order". We value each and every customer and we take pride in providing unusual, handcrafted jewelry that is NOT mass produced but made for the people who want to wear pieces of jewelry that they are not going to see on somebody else.

Pictured here is an example of a piece that was ordered from our Etsy store, Handcrafted Jewelry USA. We offer 100% satisfaction guaranteed. This order was taken from a similar bracelet but the buyer wanted the piece fashioned from a shiny silver colored chain. We offered her this custom made piece that is 7 1/2" in length made from a silver plated figure 8 chain. It rocks!

The First Home Show Was A Success!

I have to admit that I was very nervous about having my first home jewelry show. I have had this type of show before, and they have always proved to be a success but I was nervous anyway. I do not know if it is my age or just the artist within that made my nerves tingle more than usual. One of my friends told me that she believed it was the artist who always seems to harbor fears of sharing their work. This is probably so as the work is held dear to my heart.





Great things happened for Adrift Art Studio and our line of Handcrafted Jewelry USA. We made enough money to allow the art studio to become a member of some of the local art groups. That is good because the memberships will help carry Adrift Art Studio closer to reaching more goals set for the studio. That creates excitement for the future of this studio!




We also made enough money to provide some donations toward a couple of charities that do such great work for their cause. St Jude's Research Hospital and The Avon Walk For Cancer will both be receiving checks from Adrift Art Studio. Some of the jewelry offered for sale was pinpointed to sell in hopes of raising money for these two very worthy organizations. This has been a long time dream for C.S. Alexis to be able to use her artwork to help. This was a great start and all of us at Adrift Art Studio are looking forward and working hard to continue doing positive things to benefit others.




Pictured here are just a few of the pieces of jewelry and artwork that we sold for this first home show for Handcrafted Jewelry USA.

Missy Nature Got A Face Lift At Adrift Art Studio

All winter it has been cold and dark and the weather has been dreary for someone who loves the outdoors as much as I do. Getting ready for a new showing of my jewelry and I was working on my display. It turned out that I went with an Earthy feel that suggests water and sand. That being the theme I decided to give my Missy Nature a little face lift so I could add her in to the display. She is looking fresh for the spring weather that is just around the next bend!

Pyrographic Signs From Adrift Art Studio

I have a bunch of jewelry made and hope to turn some of it tomorrow. That is what brought me to try doing something a little different for a change of pace. I did not want to make anything else in the jewelry line until after my next show.



That got me to drag out my favorite wood burning tool and go to work on a piece of wood I have been keeping my eye on for the past couple of weeks. Sometimes I like to just fire up the hot pen and go after it without a plan. That makes being creative and casting my emotions into a form so much fun. It does not always turn out the way I like but on this particular day I was very pleased with my finished piece of artwork.



It turned out to be a sign. I suppose it would look nice in a yard. That is where I like to put things that reflect my inner self. This one sure is showing some reflection and it was a lot of fun to make. Pyrographics is a good medium to mix with acrylic paint and for this sign I threw in a little bead work to augment the idea of "little things" in our life.