May 15 was the second annual Rural Studio Tour here in Fort Wayne area. Kristy Jo Beber of Leo does an incredible job of promoting the event and I was pleased to be part of the tour again. There were eight studios on the tour including a photographer, wearable-art designer, assemblage, ceramicist, fiber artists, painters, and more!

The studio locations were identified with lawn signs and I added jumbo pinwheels, which turns cheerily in the breeze. It was a bit overcast, but we avoided rainfall until about 2:30 in the afternoon.

Two Sipsters Studio pinwheels were purple and orange, of course!

This is a shot of the length of the studio, looking uncharacteristically straight and organized.

Rosie Strothman had needle-felted lapel pins.

Dixie Bradley's new assemblage art was a hit, as well as her beautiful dichroic glass jewelry.

Here Dixie is wearing one of her dichroic glass pendants.

Arlette Graeflin, a well-known party planner from Bluffton, Indiana was on hand with her signature champagne cupcakes and new mango punch. My schoodle, Elsie was tuckered out from greeting all the guests and being disarmingly cute.

My new product included cell phone cases with digital collage.

And small Threadography® pieces with custom-edge finishes. This is a tuberous begonia,

a nasturtium with remarkable depth (and I don't remember where I took this photo),

Peppermint roses, taken at one of the local rose gardens (LOVE the texture in this),
an orange poppy (doesn't this just scream for beads?),
and trillium (an early spring woodland flower),
And tulip (also taken at a local park).

The padfolio line has been expanded to include padfolios for artists, with watercolor paper or canvas sheets inside.

Studio intern, Lee Powers created this shrink-art charm bracelet as a sample of possible heart designs guests could make as a make-it/take-it activity.

It was a lot of work to prepare for the event, but I considered it a way to do spring cleaning in the studio. Everyone seemed to have a good time—and we're looking forward to the Third Annual Rural Studio Tour next year!

Do you have an event similar to this in your area?