Baltimore - I Survived!

So last week was consumed by the American Craft Council Show in Baltimore. 700 artists, all of them the top in their craft. And somehow, Queens Metal was allowed to rub elbows with these awesome, talented individuals. We were part of the "Emerging Artists" section, where we got to take in the swirl of the show and get some experience selling and participating in a show of this scale.

Four looooong days of selling. Four nights at the Rodeway Inn, where I frantically soldered jewelry on the bathroom floor every night, trying to keep my inventory stocked up. Four mornings of free wafflese at the Rodeway, (where we seemed to be the only guests) then walking a mile to the Baltimore Convention Center, trying to keep the budget in check. My parents came in on Saturday, which was wonderful. A few other highlights:

We arrived on Wednesday via Amtrak. My last minute decision to cancel the rental car proved to be a good one -- we saved hundreds of dollars. The train station had gorgeous stained glass ceilings:

 

My display was looking pretty good.

Love these little stud earrings:

And my nest rings were selling, as Ang would say, "like crack."

Angela was a saint. By the end of the show we were both totally exhausted:

We managed to leave B'more in even less style than how we arrived: The $17 9pm Bolt bus back to NYC. Actually, it was a great, quick ride. Plus I got this cool pic while waiting to board: