ACC Baltimore and Fort McHenry

 (Above:  Lancet Window XCV. Inventory # 3974. Framed: 31" x 11". $395.  Click on any image in this blog post to enlarge.)

Steve and I have returned from the American Craft Council's Baltimore Show.  There were 670 nationally juried fine craft artists showing their work.  That's a lot of booths!  There were over forty aisles.  It is no wonder that many people buy the three-day pass.  They walk the show on their first day; they contemplate or make purchases the next day. I met lots of people who bought my work last year.  Using their cell phone, they showed photos of my work hanging in their homes.  It was so wonderful. 

  (Above:  Lancet Window XCIV. Inventory # 3973. Framed: 31" x 11". $395)

The week before leaving, however, I sold three Lancet Windows ... and made two to replace them in Baltimore.  These are the two new ones.  Neither actually sold in Maryland but that's okay.  They'll be going to the ACC Atlanta Show.  It's coming up quickly ... March 17 - 19th.  

(Above:  Me sitting in my booth.)

This is the new design for my booth.  It worked well but will not be how my space in Atlanta will be arranged.  Why?  Well, in Atlanta I have a booth against the outer wall.  It just so happens that there is "extra space" behind the carefully measured ten-foot back wall.  One of the tricky things about doing high end craft shows is figuring out storage space.  In Baltimore, I created a space behind the Large Stained Glass Window shown above on the left.  That's my storage space for extra artwork, invoices, bubble wrap, bags, glass cleaner, my purse, coats, etc.  In Atlanta I won't have to encroach into my 10' x 10' space in order to have a storage area.  Plus, the storage area will be much larger.  Steve will actually have a place to sit.  In Baltimore, he had a seat in an aisle a couple booths away.
 

(Above:  Fort McHenry, the Baltimore harbor fort over which "The Star Spangled Banner" once waved for Francis Scott Key's poem.)

Even though Steve was several booths away for most of the weekend, we did get plenty of time together ... especially after setting up our booth on Thursday morning.  The weather was WONDERFUL, hardly like winter.  We took the free Banner Shuttle bus to Fort McHenry and toured the fortifications and buildings.  Below are just a few of the photos I took.

 (Above:  Fort McHenry, door into the interior of the fort.)

 (Above:  Fort McHenry, officers' quarters.)

 (Above:  Fort McHenry, coffee pots.)

(Above:  Fort McHenry, a small cannon with the most beautiful patina.)

I'm linking this post to Nina-Marie's "Off the Wall Fridays", a site for sharing fiber arts.