ACRE Orlando jewelry booth

A couple of weeks ago, I spent a few days in Orlando, Florida, meeting other gallery and boutique owners interested in my jewelry.  Here are a few pictures from the event with my booth and jewelry:

My plan of pink, purple and green came out just like I wanted it to.  My jewelry and style is all about color, fun and whimsy!

I displayed the scrabble tile pendants on what else, but scrabble tile racks!  Who knew they would be a great fit for the pendants??

This is my new line of recycled plastic jewelry.

On closeup, you might be able to recognize where they came from:

These are recycled from plastic gift cards, credit cards and hotel room keys.  Both the pendants and earrings are cut into perfect circles and finished with a splash of extra color where the jump ring or ear wire enters the piece.  As you can guess, these are very light and easy to wear.  (and no two pieces are alike!)

I also had the resin and pewter pendant and earring sets at ACRE Orlando.  I think store buyers and owners enjoyed getting a chance to see in person just how colorful these pieces are!


I won't be going to ACRE Las Vegas this year, but am looking forward to next year's ACRE Orlando!

Making fabric covered pedestals

Boy this post has been a long time in the making....

Once upon a time, there was a jewelry artist.  A jewelry artist who needed to create something splash for a booth at a wholesale art show.  She played around with some ideas and eventually came up with a booth involving pink, purple and green.  (Yes, those colors, but not necessarily in that order).  With the pink and green done, the last thing to accomplish was the purple.


I chose a rich purple fabric in bengaline.  I ended up spending more on the fabric than I wanted to, but I wanted to make sure I had something heavy enough to cover the pedestals and wrinkle resistant as well.













The cardboard pedestals I had already made out of cardboard boxes.  The white stripe around the top is a velcro strip.
















Don't tell my home ec teacher mother, but I just eyeballed the edge and pressed down the seam with the iron.

I sewed down the edge.














Then I sewed down the edge with the other half of the velcro tape.














The velcro along the top sticks to the velcro on the box and presto! -- instant cover for the pedestal.  (And by the way, the boxes collapse and travel flat as well.)


Part two of this post will show you what they looked like at the ACRE Orlando show!

Setting up at the ACRE Orlando show

I thought it wouldn't have a blog post before Monday, but enough happened today that I had to write a new post before then.  The ACRE show I've been blogging about recently is finally going on this weekend at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida.  (seen right)  A friend reminded me last week just how big the center is.  I had completely forgotten until I found myself circling the complex and having to stop and ask for directions.  (That's what I get for not making a point to make sure I knew exactly where I was going.)  I didn't get an early as start as I had hoped (up late the night before getting all my printed materials ready), so I made it there late morning.  I was a little concerned that I wouldn't have enough time to cart my pieces in from the parking lot before my classes, but was thrilled to learn that I could pull into the loading dock underneath the complex.

The convention center has a staff that keeps everything about it running on a tight schedule.  As I went to unload, they were checking people in and out of the loading dock and directing them where to park.  Being able to park under the center was a huge help in speeding up the unloading process. 

As I was unloading, I remembered that I forgotten the scrabble tile display pieces (I use the ones from the games).  I began brainstorming about what I could do, but found out in a couple of minutes that it didn't matter.


This is my home for the weekend.  It is 10 feet wide by 5 feet deep.  It was actually smaller than I was anticipating.  (Somehow the visual picture in my mind was much bigger.)  As you can see, I've got a skirted table and a "bar stool" height chair.  This table is pretty low, so I realized right away there's no way I can use the scrabble tile holders since it would hold them upright and make them hard to see.  I reviewed my pre show materials a few weeks ago and thought I read that it was going to be a counter height table.  (Either I was mistaken, or someone's else definition of counter height is much different than mine.)  I also wish that I had brought my banner to hang in the back of the booth.  Other artists are doing it and it looks good.  (I actually asked a show staffer about this a couple of months ago, and she said it was unnecessary.  Drat!)

I got the booth mostly setup and went to my afternoon classes.  I got a crash course on selling wholesale and how to interact with buyers.  It was a lot of good information and gave me reassurance that I was doing a few things right.  I also took a class on how to improve my jewelry photography.  While the guy who taught the class has forgotten more than I will ever know about taking pictures, I found the class mostly gave me a headache!  I learned a few important points, but for the most part, he was hard to follow.  There weren't any notes either.  (That would have been helpful.)  I did, however, get a recommendation on a new camera.  My Fuji is giving me a hard time and I know it's living on borrowed time.

So at the end of the day, I covered up the booth and will be ready for tomorrow.  I've already learned a few things and am looking forward to what else is going to happen!

Getting ready for the ACRE Orlando wholesale art show

I have spoken with a couple of people in charge of organizing the ACRE Orlando show.  I think I have a pretty good idea of what to expect.  In preparation for the show, I decided I needed a couple more things that I didn't already have.

I need some larger, duplicate purchase order forms.  I have something similar for art festivals, but they are smaller and meant only to be a purchase receipt.  I wanted something larger that I can take a lot of notes on.

Another art friend of mine told me that he had better luck getting people to sign up for his mailing list when he had people put their information into a ballot box.  Hmm.  Is it because their information is more private (no one else has to know that you want to be on my list), or is it because the box is more obvious and easier for people to see to include their information?  I don't know, but I will put it out to gather contact names from this show.

Even though I'm being provided with a table, I wanted to do something to "jazz it up" a bit.  I went by my local Target store and got a table runner to include over the top.  You may not be able to tell well from the picture, but it's four stripes that gradually go from a silver gray to a dark, taupe gray.  The runner looks good with black, taupe, and silver, so I should be set.  The black tablecloth is for a counter height stand I'm taking to put the box on for mailing list contact information.


I'll be getting everything packed this weekend.  The countdown is on!

American Craft Retailers Expo ACRE - Orlando, Florida

I'm only a little over two weeks away from attending the wholesale ACRE show in Orlando, Florida.  While I'm still getting some new resin jewelry inventory ready, I started getting my booth planned and mapped out.

Since this is my first time doing the show, I qualified for an "emerging artist" booth.  Even though I have been creating and selling art jewelry since 2001, I only jumped into wholesale a little more than a year ago.  The show is indoors at the Orange County Convention center.  I only have a 10' by 5' booth space (when I do outdoor festivals I have a 10' x 10' space), but the booth comes with almost everything I need.  It will have a counter height table with skirt, chair, cross bar high in the front of the booth (I'll get why that's important) and a trashcan.  Only the first timers get these amenities.  The repeat vendor artists get a larger space, but have to rent these items or bring their own.  (Note to self:  pay attention to what the seasoned attendees do)  I'm grateful the show management took it upon themselves to go ahead and outfit the newbies with these items.  It's a lot less that I have to worry about, and it lets me concentrate on getting the jewelry and supporting materials together.

So as for the booth itself, I will be taking jewelry display materials and signage.  It will look very similar to my art show booth, except I won't need the glass cases.  There aren't near as many people that attend these events, so watching people is usually a lot easier (at least that's what I've been told).  I have also attended wholesale shows as a buyer, not a seller, and I must admit that there is a large mutual trust to leave valuable merchandise within easy viewing and reach.  I have been told by several people that theft is unusual as there is a mutual respect amongst business owners.  Too bad I can't say the same about the art festivals.  (That's another blog post....but let's just say that unfortunately, too much jewelry "sprouts legs" when it's not under glass)

Since it's an indoor show, I need extra lighting.  A few years ago, I bought the art equipment of a jewelry artist I knew who was getting out of the business.  As luck would have it, she sold me her track lighting setup just for cases like this.  It's a long piece with three lights.  I will be attaching this to the extra cross bar across the front of my booth.  I held by breath as I plugged it in, but found out that two of the three lights work.  I'll be getting a replacement for the third one this week (hoping of course that it is only a burned out light bulb).

Friday's project is to get my office supplies and signage ready for potential buyers.