The R.E.A.L Town Marketplace Part 2

As I move forward with my newest venture, The R.E.A.L. Town Marketplace,

I want to thank everyone for the encouraging words!

 Let me introduce you to my newest local vendor,

Megan Carty of Me and Wee.

This woman has so much positivity and fun oozing from her, that it totally comes out in her artwork. She's balancing being a wife, a mother of two young children and an artist.
 I've started carrying a selection of her cards at The Spaulding Cooperage,

 but check out her Etsy sight here to see her total line of prints and cards. Megan also has a blog, follow her here. Here are a few samples of the cards that I'm carrying...

This is the perfect Spring/Easter card, wouldn't you agree? Megan's technique was to paint a gorgeous abstract painting and then impose a bunny silhouette over it. The painting/print is gorgeous by itself, but adding the silhouette (which she also did with a deer and and elephant, see them here) was just mind-blowing perfection! Do you think I like this card a 'wee' bit?? Oh, yeah!

This owl and vintage phone is just one in a collection of 3. See the others on her Etsy site.

    

(all pictures via Megan's Etsy site)

I decided to show them off at the shop using a vintage apple cider press and I attached vintage artists clips to display the cards.

 And I put the remainder into an old vintage dish strainer.

Stop by the shop and see them for yourself!

~Kris

The R.E.A.L. Town Marketplace

If you follow me, you know that I sell my wares at The Spaulding Cooperage in Townsend, MA. I've recently made a change in what I carry. Not only will I continue to make and sell my own items, but I really want to showcase artists in a local venue that I like to call 

The R.E.A.L. Town Marketplace. 

R=recycled E=eco-friendly A=artist-made L=locally-sourced.

I have big plans for this Marketplace! Stay tuned...

Here's my first spotlighted artist-Dana Huff of New England Handmade Artisan Soaps. She's a wife, a mom, a teacher and a soap maker. Dana makes so many different kinds of soap, but I only carry a few varieties in the shop, so check out her Etsy site for more selections.

They are 100% natural and handmade.  Love that! 

         

Literally, the soaps have been flying out the door. I can't keep them in stock. That got me to thinking that 1. I have to continue to offer these great soaps and 2. I need to display them better. I originally had them in a basket all mixed together-not good for trying to sniff all the different 'flavors'.

So I came up with a great solution, if I do say so myself.

 I've had this antique seed packet display box for a long time.

 I bought it, knowing that eventually I'd find something to do with it. And as luck would have, I've had a bit of a hoarding collection issue with vintage soap dishes. I just love them, and I just can't part with them. Here's my solution to a better display...

I added a piece of plywood painted in chalkboard paint to the back and attached various wall mounted soap holders-cute, right?!

 I added narrow antique brackets to keep the cover permanently open.

Now it's ready for the soap...

 The other items in my box of goodies, besides vintage soap dishes,(yes, I realized I needed to sell some), are vintage/antique tea cup saucers. They make a great soap dish if you have a wide enough counter. So pretty and a great use of these saucers that have lost their mate.

I just have to wait for the rest of my order to come in, and I'll fill it up again.

Thanks for supporting 'local' and 'artisian-made' people!!

Makes my heart happy!

~Kris