My First Show Part II

Well, the best I can say is that my first show is behind me and I learned a lot.  As you can probably tell from the tenor of the first sentence, I didn't make a lot of sales.  In fact, I didn't even have very many "lookers."  The crowd was steady all day but they weren't looking for jewelry and they certainly weren't looking for high end jewelry.  Even my $40.00 necklaces seemed to be too expensive for them.  Some of the vendors did fairly well but no one had a great day.  I did get a lot of compliments about my work which is always nice.

I did have enough sales to check out my new credit card reader and the square website.  Wow!  It is very cool and so very easy to use.  Customers sign the receipt with their finger on my iPad and then I can email them a receipt.  Within 24 hours, the $$ actually show up in my bank account.  Now I'm wondering if I can link my pay pal account to it?  That would be sweet since I try to keep my business funds separate from my personal accounts.  I'll check that out for sure.

I really liked my table set up although I was wishing I had more room to put out more necklaces.  I was only able to show 15 necklaces at a time.  I guess I'll have to be creative about how to get more space out of that small 8 ft square.  Maybe some sort of rack that I can sit on the table and use more space above the table.

Here is my table:

My banner looks so small up on the wall behind the table.  I think I need to order a larger one.

Here's hoping that my next show results in more sales!

Christmas Craft Show

I'm doing my first craft show this Saturday, December 10 from 11:00 to 5:00 at:

MD State Boychoir Center for the Arts

3400 Norman Ave

Baltimore, MD 21213

You can find a vendor list posted at www.charmcitycraftivists.com

If you live in or around Baltimore, please stop by and check out some fabulous hand crafted items just in time of Christmas gift giving.

Stop by my booth while you are there.  I'd love to meet you!

Thanksgiving

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.  ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

More New Listings

This is the first piece I have ever made using blue lace agate.  I found this pendant at Bead Fest Philadelphia and knew right away that I had to buy it.    The necklace itself if made from smaller blue lace agate beads and seed beads all highlighted with sterling silver.  The clasp is also sterling silver.  This will list for $88.00 on Etsy.

These coordinating earrings are fun!  I strung blue lace agate, seed beads and sterling silver on sterling silver beading wire and used jump rings to attach them to an earring post.  These earrings list on Etsy for $18.00.

This classic look will impress even the most conservative person you know.  I haven't posted this one yet because I'm having a hard time remembering what this stone is.  Whatever it is, it is spectacular.  The wonderful green stones in decreasing sizes are separated by 22 kt gold plated sterling silver bead caps.  I'll have to force myself to sell this one.  I'll list it for $175 on Etsy as soon as I remember what the stone is.

The coordinating earrings are great too.  The wonderful green stones (whatever they are) are separated by 22 kt gold plated sterling silver bead caps.  The earrings dangle from a circular ear post that is also 22 kt plated sterling silver.  Lovely!

These are simple but beautiful earrings.  Perfect amethyst briolettes wire wrapped and suspended from sterling silver "C" shaped and pounded ear wires.  These will be listed for $35.00 on Etsy.

I'm into creative mode now since I need to have a sufficient collection to display at my first craft show.

Preview of my Newest Listings

I should be able to get these listed this week.  There are a couple of small issues that I need to fix before I list them for sale.  However, here is your sneak peak:

This necklace is made with green jasper, serpentine and prehenite.  The metal is copper.  This piece will list for $115.00.

These earring were made to coordinate with the necklace above.  Again made from green jasper and prehenite.  The earwires and bead caps are copper.  These will list for $15.00.

I really love these earrings but they are one of the issues I need to fix before I list them.  You can't really tell with this picture but the mother of pearl on the right side is much yellower than the one on the left.  I'm going to replace it with one that is colored more like the one on the left and remake the earrings.  The other stone is coprolite.  In case you don't know, coprolite is fossilized dinosaur dung!  It is absolutely amazing how something so gross, left alone for thousands of years, can morph into something so beautiful.  The metal here is sterling silver.  These earrings will list for $25.00.  Of course, there is a necklace that coordinates with these earrings.

This necklace is one of my favorites!  The beads are coprolite and mother of pearl.  All metal in the necklace is sterling silver including the back and sides of the pendant.  The pendant is a wonderful drusy that matches the coprolite perfectly.  This is one that I would like to keep for myself.  It will list for $227.00.

I have a few more new listings to show you but they'll have to wait for another day.

My First Show

I turned in my vendor application for my first handmade show today.  I'm excited to try this but also pretty scared.  Having never done it before, I'm unsure what I need to bring and how to set up my booth to attract the most buyers.  Also, having never done anything like this, I don't have display props either.  I'm reluctant to spend a bunch of money on props when I don't even know if I'll ever be doing this again.  In fact, I don't even know if I'm going to get into this show yet.

I've been looking online at the booths of others but it is so hard to tell what really works.  I'm going to sign up for propay so that I can take credit cards at the show.  I'll have to get a table cover and some lights and a mirror, of course.  I don't think I want to buy just ready made props so if you have any ideas for clever ways to display necklaces or earrings, I'd love to hear it.

I think if I get in, I'll set up my booth first at home so that I know exactly how it will look and where everything goes.  I'm also planning to make a bunch of new stuff, particularly earrings, to debut at the show.  I have a pretty good mix on prices on my stuff so I think I'm ok there.  I suppose I should also make a few more bracelets.  Oh, I'll need a banner or sign of some kind too.  Someway to hold and display my business cards...Obviously, I need to make a list.  A very, very long list.

So many decisions and I only have about 3 weeks to make them all and gather everything together.  Above all else, I think it will be fun and I'm looking forward to it.  Maybe, if you live in or near Baltimore, I'll see you there?

Show will take place Saturday, Dec. 10th from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Maryland
    State Boychoir Center for the Arts, 3400 Norman Ave, Baltimore, MD 21213

Product Photographer

Everyone I speak to says that the most important thing in an online store are your product photos.  My wonderful husband does my pictures for me and I think he does a pretty good job.  However, we have an unpleasant dance we do each time I ask him to photograph my new pieces.  I tell him that I have some new items that need to be photographed.  He says "OK."  Then the next day, I tell him again that I need some photos taken.  He says "OK."  In a few days, I ask him when he is going to take my photos.  He says "I'll take them this afternoon."  Somewhere around dinner time, I'll ask if he is going to take the photos today.  He says "I can take them now or I can cook dinner, which do you prefer."  I say "we can take them after dinner."  He says "OK."  After dinner around 8:00 or so, I say "are you ready to take the photos?" He says "OK" and does take them, usually getting started around 10:30 or 11:00.  When I get up the next morning, I find my flash drive with my photos on it sitting next to my computer.

I admit that this system works but it seems a bit inefficient to me.  So, I've started thinking about hiring a professional photographer to take my product pictures.  The problem is, I don't know any professional photographers and even if I did, I doubt they would be product specialists.  There are 2 other problems as well.  First, I live in Reisterstown, MD, a lovely small town with a limited population.  It is close to Baltimore, MD but I doubt Baltimore is a hotbed of professional product photographers either.  The second problem is money.  I don't have an endless supply and my business isn't currently generating enough to cover this expense.  In reality, I don't even know how much of an expense it would be.

In order to find out and replace my guesses with actual numbers, I contacted a few product professionals by email asking them for information, including pricing.  It has been a week and a half and I haven't heard a peep out of any of them.  Maybe taking pictures of jewelry for a small producer isn't a money making deal for photographers but you'd think they could at least tell me that they don't do it or that they have some huge minimum.

The last round of photos we took (last Sunday night around midnight) need to be retaken because the colors didn't come out right.  We are in the middle of the dance.  I'll probably ask him soon, "when are you going to take the pictures" and he'll tell me that he'll take them this afternoon.  Then, tonight while you're getting ready for bed, you can think of Marty in our dining room photo studio, taking pictures of my newest jewelry pieces for me.

I am very grateful that he is willing to take these pictures for me but he'll tell you this himself...I am a terrible dancer.