creations of a jewelry designer
Just found out I was accepted into the Kansas City Holiday Mart. This is a large and prestigious show and I’m honored to have been accepted.
Kansas City Holiday Mart
October 22-25, 2009
Overland Park Convention Center
a fundraiser for the Junior League of Kansas City
and Kansas City Community Charities
More info to come
Countryside Village Art Fair
June 6 – 10am – 6 pm
June 7 – 10am – 5 pm
Countryside Village is located at 87th and Pacific Streets in Omaha, Nebraska.
My next show will be the Countryside Village Art Fair, June 6 & 7, 2009. More info to come!
When times are tough, art often suffers. I am sad to report that two wonderful Omaha galleries have closed due to the recent economic downturn. As a result, my jewelry now has two fewer retail locations. Marelli’s in Rockbrook Village and Adam Whitney Gallery in Countryside Village are no more. I thank the owners and employees of both galleries for their support of my work.
Next on my to-do list is a trunk show at Creative Hair Design’s Holiday Shopping Event. This is the salon’s third year putting on the Holiday Shopping Event, and it’s getting bigger and better every year. There will be lots of product specials, and the girls at the salon will be putting together gift baskets and making up gift certificates for the holidays. In the midst of all this other commerce will be little ol’ me, with a couple of tables and my best jewelry for sale. For the next month, I’ll be getting ready for the trunk show, making all sorts of new pieces, and designing entirely new collections for the holidays. Come on by and see all the special new gifts and goodies.
A new collection of Kathryn Velasco Custom Jewelry pieces is now on display at Marelli’s Glass Artistry and Gifts in Rockbrook Village in Omaha. The collection features some beautiful natural stones in a range of earth tones—reds, browns, greens and golds—plus some black onyx and quartz crystal pieces, some natural turquoise, and a few other surprises. I’ve been working more sterling silver into my natural stone pieces for what I think is a very nice effect, and as usual, I’m still leaning toward the bigger and bolder look. Lots of fun.
This weekend is the Autumn Festival, November 6th through the 9th at the Qwest Center Omaha. It’s a big indoor show with many vendors of handmade goods and there should be plenty of good holiday shopping. I’ve got lots of new designs and many new pieces that aren’t posted in my web store yet, so come on out and check it out in person.
AUTUMN FESTIVAL: AN ARTS & CRAFTS AFFAIR
OMAHA — NOV. 6, 7, 8, 9, 2008
Qwest Center Omaha – Omaha, NE
Thurs. & Fri. 11 AM – 9 PM
Sat. 9 AM – 7 PM / Sun. 10 AM – 5 PM
It’s coming this weekend, and there’s an open-door policy: it’s the Kathryn Velasco Custom Jewelry Holiday Open House! Saturday (10/25) from 10am to 5pm and Sunday (10/26) from 1pm to 5pm, my dear mother, Karen Verdirame, is hosting an open house featuring my work. This will be the third or fourth open house we’ve had at her home, and they’ve all been so much fun. It’s a great way to get started on your holiday shopping. Most of my pieces are one-of-a-kind or limited editions, and I do custom orders too. Either way, handmade jewelry makes a wonderful, unique gift. If you’re in the Omaha area this weekend, we’d love to see you. Stop on by! 17505 Island Circle, Bennington, NE. Drop me a line if you have any questions: kmvelasco@gmail.com.
Tomorrow afternoon, I am participating in a multi-vendor event for Heartland Family Service. I’ll be one of four vendors gathering for a shopping party, so the invitees can get a jump on their holiday shopping and we can all give something back, too. Each vendor will be donating 10% of the day’s sales back to the Heartland Family Service Friends Guild in cash or product for the 2009 “Carnival of Love” gala. So I’ll be meeting a new group of potential customers, hopefully gettings some sales, and doing a little bit of good all at the same time. Pretty good deal. Of course, scheduling genius that I am, I’ve given myself not even 48 hours between this event and my next show…<sigh>…Oh well. Sleep is overrated. If you’re in the Omaha area and would like to check out this event, it’s going to be on Thursday afternoon from 1-6pm, and it’s being hosted by Kim Lubeck. She lives at 13627 Nicholas Street.
Want to know what’s making me so busy these days? One of the biggest and best reasons I’m running myself ragged is a recent partnership with Omaha’s Dundee Gallery, located at 50th & Underwood Avenue. This beautiful gallery, which features lots of great local and regional artists, has recently added Kathryn Velasco Custom Jewelry to their roster. There are now quite a few KVCJ pieces available at the Dundee Gallery, the result of which is an alarming depletion of my on-hand stock! 
But all is well, because I’m busily making lots of new, pretty things for my upcoming shows, and Jean Imray, the Dundee’s owner, is doing a smashing job of introducing her customers to my work and selling my pieces right out her door. So our relationship is off to a roaring start, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have met Jean. My work and her gallery seem to be a great fit, and I’m so excited for the future. Many thanks to Jean for her enthusiastic welcome. If you’re in the Dundee neighborhood, pop on in and take a look!
Oh, there has just been so much going on lately at Kathryn Velasco Custom Jewelry. I’ve been meeting with stores and galleries, making new and interesting pieces, preparing for a hectic holiday show schedule, and trying to squeeze in a tiny personal life on the side! There are some exciting things coming up, like a partnership with another gallery set to kick off with a couple of events there in November, and then a trunk show of my work at my favorite local salon & spa in December. I couldn’t be happier with the way my work is being received around town. Now I just have to make sure there’s enough of my work to go around! So I’ve been busy in my studio, trying to create all sorts of brand new and original things (since I’m not too big on repeating myself). Unfortunately, being creative on command doesn’t always work so well, so I’m also trying to locate a more cooperative muse. But all things considered, busy is good, and I’m proud and a little bit awed that so many people seem to be recognizing my work all at once. Thanks to everyone who’s been so supportive. Future posts will include info on the individual shows and galleries that are figuring prominently in my life at the moment, so that you can check out my work in person if you’d like to!
Ok, so I had planned to be at the Taste of West O a couple of weekends ago, but my plans were foiled by an unpleasant illness that dogged me the entire week leading up to the show and did not allow me to participate in the end. I won’t trouble you with the details, nor would I wish to relive them, but suffice it to say that the timing was most unfortunate and I spent quite a few days without leaving my house. In any event, I later learned that a few people went out there and looked for me, and I was so sorry that I wasn’t there to greet them—in the first place, it was really flattering to hear that people went to that show looking for me in particular, and in the second place, I hated that I had scheduled the show and then was unable to attend. It just hasn’t been a good summer for shows for me. I suppose the tide is due to turn, and this fall all the planets will align for a trouble-free show.
Which brings me to topic #2: my next scheduled show is the Huffman Productions Autumn Festival, to be held November 6th through the 9th at the Qwest Center Omaha. It’s a big indoor show with many vendors of handmade goods and should be a popular holiday shopping event. I’m planning a few new lines and some limited edition items for this show and should be all stocked up with goodies. Also, if you’re thinking of attending, please e-mail me: I have coupons for a discount off the entry fee and I will be happy to send you some.
AUTUMN FESTIVAL: AN ARTS & CRAFTS AFFAIR
OMAHA — NOV. 6, 7, 8, 9, 2008
Qwest Center Omaha – Omaha, NE
Thurs. & Fri. 11 AM – 9 PM
Sat. 9 AM – 7 PM / Sun. 10 AM – 5 PM
So at the last show I did, my tent was destroyed by a tornado and my tables and displays were all flipped over and soaked by the torrential downpour. Altogether the weekend represented a pretty big loss for me. Nice, eh? That was Taste of Omaha in early June. And after that I kind of felt like I wouldn’t be doing any more outdoor shows for a while. But I had already committed to this other outdoor show, and the organizer is being really nice and he’s going to give me a tent and tables for the weekend. So I thought about it for a while and decided to go ahead and do it. So, I forge ahead with Taste of West “O,” and I hope that the tornado season is over and the mid-July heat won’t roast me where I sit, and I pray for browsers who are shoppers, too. If you’re in the area, the Taste of West O will be July 12 and 13 at the Shops of Legacy in Omaha, Nebraska. I’ll be there, along with some other artisans and a bunch of food and drink vendors and a lot of bands. Come on out. Buy something. Contribute to the tornado recovery fund, and get a pretty bauble to boot. =)
Feel like shopping? Need a gift? I’ve just listed some new items in my store, so click on over and check it out.
Turquoise Rondelles Necklace
I am delighted to announce that select pieces of Kathryn Velasco Custom Jewelry will now be available at the Adam Whitney Gallery in my hometown. The Adam Whitney is a cutting-edge art gallery in the heart of the city. From their website: “…Located in Omaha, Nebraska, the Adam Whitney Gallery is home to an outstanding collection of fine art, sculpture, ceramics, glass and designer jewelry from regionally, nationally and internationally acclaimed artists.” You can visit their website at adamwhitney.com, which they promise will be fully updated by the end of the summer; in the meantime, please visit them in person at Countryside Village, 87th &Pacific Streets, for your shopping pleasure. I am thrilled and honored to be included among the talented artists represented at the Adam Whitney. Many thanks to Stacia and Deb!
Sardonyx Links Bracelet
Are you in a shopping mood? Do you need a gift for a birthday or a graduate? Give something unique and handmade. I’ve been posting new items in my online store. Click on over and check it out.
Red-Orange Motion Bracelet
Coming soon to an art fair or outdoor festival near you, it’s Kathryn Velasco Custom Jewelry. That’s right, folks, we’re fresh from Rockbrook Village’s Spring Craft Show, which was an adventure in sub-arctic temperature and gale-force winds. Our mission was to keep the tent and the merchandise from flying off into the beautiful blue sky or being flung onto the damp, puddled parking lot. A good time was had by all. Hoping for more mercy from the weather gods on May 31 and June 1, when we’ll be at Countryside Village in Omaha for their annual Art Fair, a highly-touted affair that draws all the best people and artists from all over. Fancy fancy. But seriously, I’m very excited to have been included among some true talent, and I hope it will be a good show for me. The very next weekend, June 6-8, I’ll be down by the riverside at the Taste of Omaha festival at Heartland of America Park/Lewis & Clark Landing, where they’ve got arts & crafts, music, games, and, of course, food. Again, let us pray to the weather gods for mercy and blessings. But we’ll be there, rain or shine. Come on out and see us sometime. =)
My Web site has been “under construction” forever—until now. Today it got a whole new look–and I think it’s great. Click on over and check it out. It’ll keep getting updated with news and information, and the gallery will get lots more pictures, so keep checking back. Thanks to Nikole for all her hard work.
Coming right up this weekend and next weekend, I’m having an open house here in Omaha for all your jewelry shopping pleasure. It’s a great time to order a custom Mother’s Day gift for your mom. Saturday and Sunday, March 29 and 30, and then again April 5 and 6, I’ll be showing my jewelry and taking orders at my mom’s house–she’s been very gracious and agreed to host another open house for me. For more details, please visit my newly-revamped Web site.
When it rains, it pours.
Just got home tonight from almost a week out of town and I was thrilled to find that I have been accepted to exhibit at another great show. This one is the Countryside Village Art Fair. The show will be Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1. From the web site: “Countryside is a juried “Fine Arts” show with an emphasis on quality and variety. It is the “oldest and finest” outdoor art show in Nebraska,” dedicated to fine art only. The Countryside Village Art Fair is in its 38th year. Want to know more about Countryside Village or the Countryside Art Fair? Here you go. Hope to see you there.
Postscript: This was a great show for me. Thanks to the jury for selecting me to participate, and thanks to everyone who stopped by to visit and shop.
