Indie Craft Parade 2015

The 6th annual Indie Craft Parade was this past weekend, and as always, it didn't disappoint. Far from it! This highly competitive, well-organized regional craft fair showcases 80 artists and brings out 6-7,000 attendees in Greenville every September. I was pleased to participate once again this year, and just as in years past, it was one of my best shows ever. How does that keep happening? This particular craft show is just THAT good!

I saw so many familiar faces, people who have been coming to my booth year after year. I always enjoy seeing "vintage" Once Again Sam jewelry in the crowd, pieces I made several years ago, still being enjoyed. That's probably the coolest part of the weekend - having happy customers come back again and again.

This is a big weekend for my business, so I spend a good chunk of the summer preparing for it. I'm proud to say, this was the first Indie Craft Parade when I didn't run out of bags or dollar bills. In previous years, I vastly underestimated how many shoppers would come through, so I'd double up on supplies the following year, and of course the number of customer would double up too, so I still had the same problem. Not this year! I took $150 in singles, and over 500  paper bags (which I hand stamped one by one) and it seems I finally have a feel for just how to prepare for this show. It only took me 5 years to get it right! 

Here's the rundown of my weekend in numbers, just as I shared last year, plus a peek inside my shopping bag at my fabulous finds. I always enjoy supporting other artists, and at a show like this one, you truly have to restrain yourself! There is so much talent, so many gift ideas, so many splurges to consider. In the end, I brought home items from 12 other artists. 

My 2015 Indie Craft Parade purchases will full artist list below:

1. Origami flowers by Paperform

2. Mixed media block art by Heather Murphy

3. Ceramic bowl by Daniel Bare

4. Paper wall art by Paperform

5. Lip balm by Hello Soap

6. Weaving on woodblock by Twenty Two West

7. Mixed media assemblage by Jon Andrews

8. Wood block paintings by Sunny Mullarkey Studio

9. Brass stud earrings & ring by Melting Sun Apparel

10. Print by Elizabeth Foster

11. Painted wood sign by Olive + Grey

12. Handbag by Hawks & Doves

Best French Fries in Greenville

Attention health nuts: read no further!

A French fry is a glorious thing. These salty wonders made from something as unassuming as a potato are amazing enough to be their own food group. No matter how you slice, season, or dip them, there is no greater sidekick to your entree.

I’m a lifelong fan of pommes frites, and I can still remember my parents bugging me to eat the rest of my meal, because all I really wanted was the fries. Although I do make an effort in moderation these days, I enjoy those little sticks of Heaven whenever I can. Since I’m very serious about my fries, I recently embarked on a research mission here in Greenville, SC, to determine which restaurant was responsible for producing the valedictorian of local French fries. Let me just say that I’m not a licensed fry expert, I have no food critic creds here, just an intense love of fries, and I simply wanted an excuse to try them all (in the name of science, of course!!).

Let’s start with the runner’s up, a group of extremely tasty and respectable fries that almost took first place in my book.

Truffle Fries: The Lazy Goat

Sweet Potato Fries: Nose Dive

Shoe String Fries: Tupelo Honey Cafe

Crinkle Fries: Culver’s

Tater Tots: Southern Culture

Waffle Fries: Firebirds

Curly Fries: Como's Pete’s #4

Fast Food Fries: Freddy’s

There was a clear first place winner for me, and that was The Green Room. This Main Street favorite has won the triple crown of best French fries in Greenville, in my humble opinion. Try their truffle fries, sweet potato fries, and classic shoe string fries (notice I said “and” and not “or”). The texture is perfection, the flavor exquisite, the size, shape and texture are exactly what a French fry should be. You won’t find a better fry in all of the upstate.

A Week at The Folk School

Learning a new craft is irresistible to me. I suppose that’s how I wound up with such a long list of interests, and an even longer list of things I want to learn in the future (which ranges from loom weaving to learning to ride a unicycle). Earlier this month, I did something way out of my comfort zone, and took time off to learn something I knew nothing about. It wasn’t really a vacation, more like an intense work week that left my hands stained and sore, but I’m so glad I didn’t talk myself out of it. I had a pile of reasons to cancel my art camp plans, but the part about “it might be really cool” was what got my butt to Brasstown, NC.

I chose to take a jewelry metalworking course at the John C. Campbell Folk School, a place full of history, simplicity, music from another era, misty mornings, and practically no cell reception. This is the kind of place where you can learn blacksmithing one week, and traditional basket making the next. During the week of my attendance, there were about a dozen other classes occurring simultaneously. My time was spent in an area called “Studio Row” in a building dedicated to jewelry & metals. I’m still blown away by everything I learned in such a short time, but now I feel pressure (the good kind) to continue to take classes whenever I can, because I have an awful lot of things to learn, and an uncertain number of years left to learn them.

I’m already comfortable designing and making jewelry, it’s part of how I earn a living, but working with metal was 100% new to me, so it was a humbling experience to start from scratch, not knowing what would work and what wouldn’t. The instructor, Cindy Moore of www.cooltoolchick.com was extremely knowledgeable and patient, and I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the medium.

In just a few day’s time, my class of 8 got to try out embossing metals on the rolling mill, torch enameling, forging, soldering, the hydraulic press, cold connections (like rivets), plus cleaning & finishing techniques. We were permitted to focus on our own projects after general instruction, so I was able to skip things like wire working and making beads out of old coins in exchange for more time with the torch annealing and shaping copper, or experimenting with texturing enamel (my personal favorites, out of everything we learned). The curriculum was fairly open, which was perfect since everyone had different interests. I was thrilled to have the option for additional studio time in the evenings after dinner, which always went by way too quickly. That’s how you know you’re having fun - when having to eat or sleep becomes a major bummer because you don’t want to stop working!!

All in all, I made 32 pieces of jewelry. Some aren’t very good. Some I’m extremely attached to, and would love to add to my jewelry line in the future. I’m already making plans to invest in some of the equipment so I can continue material explorations in my own studio with my new found love of metals. I will always work in leather, wood, and wool, but I think metal is the missing element in my work, and I’m thankful to have had the chance to dabble in it just long enough to know I need to dabble more soon.

Turning 10

On June 18th, 2005, Etsy began. So did my marriage. 

I like sharing this happy day in history. Getting married changed my life, and so did Etsy. That probably sounds weird, it's just a website, right? To me, and billions of others, it's a lot more than just a website.

If it wasn't for Etsy, I never would have started my handmade business Once Again Sam. They made it easy for people like me with creativity and ideas, but no business background, to get started and eventually succeed. I literally learned something new every day thanks to their mission to educate and help you help yourself and connect with others. After a few years selling handmade jewelry and fiber art, I now consider being a Maker to be my full time job. Being a wife is my other full time job. They both take work, they're both incredibly rewarding, and they both define who I am. 

Ten years as a wife has shown me a pretty good glimpse of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows life has to offer. We've been through some really awful stuff together, but we've also laughed so hard we've cried, we've both grown in so many ways, but still have SO much to learn. Thankful for these 10 years, and all that's to come. 

OAS FAQ

I’m taking time today to run through my most frequently asked questions and answer them all in one shot. If you have inquiries of your own, send em’ over!

1. What’s with the name?   

    Once Again Sam has been my shop name from the beginning, and it has nothing to do with Casablanca (the line from the movie is actually “Play it, Sam”, but it’s often misquoted). My name isn’t Sam, and neither is my husbands. We both get that a lot!

Here’s the real story: when I got married, my initials became S.A.M., and I thought having a name within a name was pretty novel, so I decided to use that for my business. When I first started my shop, I never dreamed I’d ever meet my customers in person, I assumed my business would only exist on the web, so I liked using an alias to maintain some anonymity. Well, that blew up in my face - nowadays I meet thousands of customers every year in person and they don’t know what to call me (you can call me Sarah, by the way)!  The “Once Again” part of the name refers to my love of upcycling. I repurpose materials like leather & wood and give them new life “once again” in a whole new way.

2. Do you make everything?

    Yep! I have many hobbies, my skill sets are always growing, and I make everything you see on my table at craft shows and in my Etsy shop. My husband helps with the general operations of my business, and he definitely has a hand in the designs and will often assist with some of the woodworking items as well. Everything is made in our home studio in Greenville, SC.

3. I’m local, can I pick up my order?

    It seems like an easy way to save a few bucks on shipping, so I don’t blame you for asking, but I’m afraid I cannot do meetups or deliveries. I do go to the post office almost every day, so I promise you wont be waiting long! I get asked this question a LOT, especially around holidays (the record still stands at 22 meetup requests in one week last year right before Christmas). If I had taken the time to meet up with 22 different people to deliver their orders, 22 other people wouldn't have gotten theirs on time, so it's really not fair to the rest of my customers (or myself). 

If you really don’t want to pay shipping, here’s a few things you can do:

• Checkout some of the local stores that carry my work: Urban Digs, The Shoppes on Trade, Liz Daly, The Art Lounge.

• Find me at a local craft show: I always post schedules on social media, and often have 10 times the inventory of my Etsy shop. You can order online and pickup at a show, then I’ll refund the shipping.

4. Do you ever have coupon codes?

    Yes, but it’s rare. I only do discount coupon codes about 4-5 times a year (usually for 20% off or less). Here’s why: I decided I would rather have my “real price” as my “all the time price” rather than marking things up just to put them on sale. I wanted my customers to be able to buy whenever they wanted, and not have to wait for the next sale to be able to afford the purchase. 

5. Do you take custom orders?

    YES!!! I’d say about 50% of my business is actually custom work. People see something they like in my shop or on social media, but they want something slightly different (or completely different) and I’m cool with that. Interested in a custom order? Just send me a note (via Etsy Conversation, a direct message on social media, or through the contact form on this website).

6. Did you go to school for this?

    Nope. Although I did go to art school (Maryland Institute College of Art), I studied Environmental Design (Interior Design / Architecture / Furniture Design), nothing to do with fiber art or jewelry. When it comes to the items I make & sell through Once Again Sam, I’m primarily self taught.

7. Do you do this for a living?

    Pretty much! In 2013 or thereabout, I was able to flip flop my hobby with my career. My business was doing well, and I was making more selling my work than I was in my full time interior design job, so I made the switch. The problem was, I actually liked my day job too (as an interior designer in the field of commercial architecture), so I’ve been lucky to find a firm that’s flexible enough to let me work part time. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to do both! I typically work 20-25 hours a week as a designer, and 40+ as a maker. Income-wise, I'm about 80% self employed. 

8. Will you ever open a brick & mortar store?

    Boy, that’s tempting, but as of right now I have no plans to. I love working out of my home, and having the flexibility to set up temporary shops at regional craft shows, while not being chained to retail hours. I know I’d enjoy the retail design & display side of things, but for now, I’m sticking to what has worked well so far: online shops & craft shows. Things can always change in the future though!

9. Do you teach classes?

    I have in the past, but it’s not something I do regularly.

10. About the needle felted fiber art: Are these toys? Why are they so expensive?

    They are definitely NOT TOYS! They’re actually quite fragile, and I’m afraid if you give one of these needle felted creations to a small child or household pet, it will probably not survive. Although a lot of my felted pieces are cute little animals and monsters, they’re intended to be decorative art pieces.

As for the cost, they may seem pricey, but it’s because they take an awful long time to make. I’m talking hours and hours. A small four-legged felted animal figurine may require 4-6 hours of my time to create, so in the end, I’m making minimum wage of some of these things, which isn't much for something that requires a specialized skill, but I do it because I enjoy the process.