My First After Sunset Showcase

Well, as many of you know, on Thursday I had my first-ever showcase! I was invited with my jewelry line, After Sunset, to be a featured artist in the RAW Artists event here in San Diego. Since I was invited back in the beginning of March, the show was constantly in the back of my mind. I had a lot of work to do to prepare. And, as always, I put a lot of pressure on myself.

My display and logo were the two biggest priorities of mine. I was back and forth to all the antique shops, thrift stores, and swap meets because my vision was to use antique pieces to display my accessories. Being unique was also very important to me while designing my display. I wanted something that was cohesive with the look and feel of my line while also being fun, practical, and different. For my logo, I worked with a wonderful designer who works with my dad and he seamlessly created my concept. Then, I worked with a local print company here in Ocean Beach to have my business cards printed and to get my logo blown up to poster size.

After that, all I had to do was make a ton of jewelry, head bands [that's right - head bands!], and my tissue paper tassel garland, pack everything up, and cross my fingers that it would all work. Here's the end result:

The bottles were all found in thrift shops or the swap meet and were either painted on the inside or spray painted to create the gold plated look.

I fell in love with the rare rose gold 1950's breadbox the second I saw it in an antique shop. I strung some twine around it and it ended up working out perfectly. 

Each of the frames as well as the tri-fold 1960s mirror were found in antique stores. I had always wanted a vintage mirror like that and finally had an excuse to get one ;)

I found this Mid-Century folding serving tray on Etsy and had to have it. It was actually the very first item of my display that I purchased and decided to continue on with the antique theme.

And there I am at the end of the night!

It was a long day. I was there from 3:00pm to nearly 11:30 at night but it was worth every second.

I met so many wonderful San Diego artists and we have made plans to collaborate with them soon.

It was such a great reminder to me of why I've chosen to be an entrepreneur. Because even after all the heartache, all the worrying, all the doubting, all the sleepless nights... when people tell you how much they love your work and your creativity, when you get to share your passion with so many people, that's when you're reminded. That it's worth it. That it does matter. That your hard work pays off.

I will be working on listing the new designs in the shop!

For now, buy your 4th of July Bracelet Trio before it's too late!

Lastly, I just want to thank you all for your support. All of your encouragement helped tremendously! I hope After Sunset continues to grow and that I can continue to work with so many wonderful people around the world. Much love to you guys!