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!

Resin jewelry booth at ACRE Las Vegas

I'm blogging this to you today while I'm at the ACRE Las Vegas show.  The last 36 hours have had some good and not so good moments.  But I'm here now and things are going.

It started yesterday at 4 AM ET with an alarm clock telling me it was time to get the day started.  I REALLY needed about 6 more hours of sleep.  I had been burning the midnight oil getting the new resin and pewter jewelry line going, including being up late the night before.  A pot of coffee and kisses from my peeps to wish me well, and I left for the Orlando airport.  No, the sun was not up yet.

Other than the normal inconveniences of flying (body scans, removing half your clothing, having to give up that bottle of lotion I forgot was in my purse), that part went well.  Unfortunately, the lack of sleep and too much caffeine caught up with me.  By the time I landed in Vegas, nausea had taken up most of my thought processes and a migraine wasn't too far behind it.  Luckily, my friend Maggie was with me and helped tote the luggage from the airport to the hotel and then on to the convention center.

It was only 3 PM local time when we got started setting up the booth, but I was still on east coast time and seriously needed a nap. 

This is what the booth looked like when we started.  Another 10 foot by 5 foot space with a table and chair.

I had packed everything into three suitcases and one carry on bag.  I flew Southwest, so two bags are free.  My friend checked one of the others as hers.  After the "pain in the keister" factor of lugging around big, heavy bags, I would at least look into having my materials freighted out here ahead of time, especially if I'm doing the show by myself.  (You can have items sent here ahead of time and they are at your booth waiting for you.  No hernias - no headaches - but there's the cost of the freight - bags are free on Southwest)



I designed by new resin jewelry booth display back in February.  Here's my first opportunity to put it to work!

First thing I did was to put up the ivory colored sidewalls over the silvery ones.  (The cover of the table in the picture is the silver).  I also hung 4 pictures (one you can't see), and I hung the lights.

Next was the pink table cover and the green floor.

This was as far as I got on Friday afternoon.  I couldn't decide which was going to happen first:  my head exploding or regurgitating my breakfast.  I am absolutely embarrassed to say that I was in bed by 5 PM local time.  (probably against the law in a party town like Vegas).






The jewelry finally got put out on the table Saturday morning.  (Notice Maggie kneeling next to the table.)  For this show, I only brought scrabble tile and resin jewelry and my new line of resin and pewter jewelry.

I have 20 different themes of scrabble tile jewelry for display.

A closeup view of the new line of pewter and resin jewelry.  I'm happy with how this line has turned out.

My last thing to share with you is the cute little flower jewelry displays I got at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  I was in there to get table risers, and found this as a little bonus. 

I'll have more updates to share soon!

Wholesale jewelry booth - ACRE Las Vegas

Wow!  It's coming together! 

I'm on the downhill slide of my new resin jewelry booth that will be at the ACRE Las Vegas show.  Here's the list and here's how it's going:


Floor tiles - here, packed and ready to go
Portable track lighting - also here packed and ready to go

Here's what I ordered today:

Table cover, clips to hang photographs on the walls, ivory colored panels to hang for walls.
Brackets to allow me to make portable risers (pack flat, assemble when I get there)

Here's what's left to do/get:

I need to get table risers to put under the table.  This will bring the table up to about 36 inches tall (a bit less than counter height)
I need 4 photographs of more work printed BIG.  I hope to get pictures taken tomorrow.

So you may remember that when I first talked about doing the booth, one of the designs had purple pedestals along with the pink table.  I still like that design better, but don't want to deal with some of the issues of getting all of the display items across country on a plane.  I found some "portable" pedestals that were pretty expensive, so I decided to save my cash and go without.  Maybe next year.

Finishing up my last big resin jewelry order

In terms of my resin jewelry orders from the wholesale show last week, I saved the biggest until last.  It was an order for 160 of the scrabble tile pendants.  I decided to save this order until the end because there were so many patterns involved; I needed to make sure to keep everything straight!  Things were going well until I started to pour the epoxy resin.  Let's just say, I learned only to pour about 75 to 100 pendants in one day.  Between smelling the slightly noxious odor and seeing bubbles in my sleep (in the resin, not the kind in the picture, although that would have been nice), I had enough resin pouring in one day to last an entire week.  The good news is that they're done and curing and should get shipped out by the end of the week.  Maybe I will open a bottle of bubbles to celebrate.....

Orlando ACRE show wrap up

I'm getting ready to pack up, but wanted to share news that KMS Designs resin jewelry will now be coast to coast!  (And also many thanks to Theo who brought me a glass of wine to enjoy with my trail mix this afternoon.)  

Day one at the ACRE Orlando show

Phew! Day one is done!  The lesson for today:  what I didn't make in sales, I gained in incredible knowledge and experience. 

My finished booth setup is at left.  I set my table with an assortment of the resin jewelry.  I like not having to keep it under glass, and I know the gallery and store owners appreciate that as well.  Can't blame them one bit for touching before buying.  (I have talked to many other artists who have said they have never had anything stolen.  Too bad all art shows couldn't be like that!)  The crowd is about a tenth of what I see at art festivals, so it never got crowded (or least the crowded that I'm used to).  It was nice having the time to talk with other galleries and shop owners to understand which of my jewelry pieces is the best fit for them. 



I also had a separate pedestal with my mailing list signup cards and a laptop computer with examples of my work.










I will admit, I didn't like how everything looked.  It was a bit of a hodge podge.  I knew that this was most likely going to be the case as I was preparing for the show, but did the best I could.  The other artists here have been INCREDIBLY helpful in helping me come up with new booth design ideas for next year. 







This is an assortment of the resin and sterling silver jewelry.  Since I've only got a 6 foot table to work with, I couldn't put everything out.

This yellow, red and purple resin pendant that was the biggest hit of the show.  Everyone gave me different reasons why they liked it.  Funny how it was everyone's favorite, but for different reasons.

I displayed some some of the resin pendants on black busts.  (And yes, in case you noticed, the organza ribbon necklaces are new.)










All said, I have had a great experience.  This show may not be a money maker right away, but what I have learned in the first day will help me to have better shows in the future.

Another side note to today: remember how I talked about the photography class I took yesterday?  I got a chance to speak with the guy who taught the class.  I was up front about how I was overwhelmed with all the information and he gave me a link to see it all in print.  Woo Hoo!  That will also be on the to-do list when I get home.

Getting ready to sell wholesale jewelry

  The truck is packed I'm just about ready to head out the door to ACRE Orlando!  This is going to be a lot different than the art shows I've done because this will be a show for people to place orders for inventory, not buy and take home the jewelry, as is done at the art festivals.  I need to be well organized so that I can be sure to get everyone's order fully completed accurately and on time.

To borrow a few words from Santa Claus, I'm makin' a list and checkin' it twice....  What follows is an exhaustive list of what I will be taking with me (any many thanks to other artists and the ACRE Orlando staff for helping me to come up with this list):

Jewelry.  I'll be taking a large sampling of everything I can possibly carry.  While I may not display it all at once, I can pull it out to show customers should a conversation go a particular direction..

Large duplicate invoice pads.  I need to make sure I have plenty of room to get all the contact information and the specifics of the order.  Plus I need to be sure I keep a copy for myself.

Fact sheets about me, KMS Designs, and my jewelry.  Knowing that many of the attendees are coming to gather information and (hopefully) place orders, I need to give them pertinent facts that they can review later and place and order.

Mailing list signup.  I need a list and method to collect email addresses for vendors to receive contact from me about what's going on within my jewelry business.

Laptop computer.  This will allow me to coordinate the orders with my account on the ACRE wholesale crafts website.  It will also give me the chance to show gallery and boutique owners my Flickr jewelry page, which has pictures of me doing works in progress.  (There is wi-fi at the show.)

Business cards.  I need people to have a way to contact me, whether by phone, email or my twitter and facebook pages.

Signage about the jewelry prices and a bit of information about how they are made.  This might be overkill, but I like people to get information without having to feel "embarassed" to ask.

Jewelry display materials.  This includes my velvet displays, tablecloths, and risers.

Track lighting, zip ties, and extension cord.  Since the show will be indoors, I need to bring extra lighting so people can fully appreciate the jewelry.

Cart and associated bungee cords.  It's not going to be a short trip between my booth and the parking lot.  Carrying things in is going to have to be as stress free as possible.

I'm sure there will be something that I wish I would have had, but I will have to work on that for next time.  I will be sure to get some pictures while I'm at the show to have on the blog next week!

Pictures of new resin jewelry

So I'm a bit nutty this week getting ready for ACRE Orlando.  I always have this last minute push to get new jewelry done, for whatever reason.  (I can be a bit hard on myself.)  Anyway, I don't have time to write much, but instead will show some pictures of work I just poured.  Look for them on KMS Designs next week.

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.

Wholesale Art Jewelry - Jewelry for sale wholesale

In a post I wrote last week discussing the jewelry projects I'm working on now, I briefly mentioned that I was working towards selling more jewelry wholesale.  As promised, here is a little more information about what I'm planning.

In a nutshell, selling wholesale involves a retail customer buying a large quantity of product at a discounted price.  That retail establishment then sells it for their retail price.  Since I am not doing art shows and festivals much anymore, I began trying to sell my jewelry wholesale in the fall of 2009.

Why would I want to do this?

While I do sell some jewelry on the internet, I do not sell as much as I used to when doing art shows.  Many people who buy from me online have met me at a show or have experience with my jewelry (received as a gift, taken one of my classes, etc.).  While the internet is great for making new connections, it doesn't take away the concerns some people have about buying something without having the chance to "taste it" first.  Selling my jewelry wholesale would allow me to have a better nationwide exposure for customers, especially those who want to "experience" the jewelry before buying it.

Wholesale also allows me to work with the same number of people, but sell more jewelry.  I love interacting with retail customers.  I really do.  But with three small children in my house, my opportunities to have uninterrupted business time can be a bit slim.  Believe it or not, it takes almost the same amount of time to interact with a customer over the phone wanting one pendant (and subsequent packing and shipping) as it does to speak with a boutique owner about a large order and its packaging and shipping.  Dealing wholesale allows me to maximize the amount of jewelry sold for the least amount of time.

If this wholesale thing is so great, why don't all artists do it?

There is a HUGE commitment to producing a certain amount of inventory.  There is no way I could have done this a few years ago.  I have learned to work smarter on the business side of jewelry making and have found a way to have a few of the tasks completed by my very qualified assistant (who also doubles as a great babysitter.) 

I also have to accept that my profit margin per piece drops substantially.  With my one of a kind sterling silver semi precious stone jewelry pieces, I would have needed a high wholesale price to cover my time investment in the piece.  The retail shops, in turn, would have had to charge a very high price for the finished piece.  The price would have been much higher than what I would have sold the jewelry for at an art show.

I am getting ready for my first wholesale show event at the ACRE Orlando show in January 2011.  I will be blogging about it a bit over the next couple of weeks as I get ready and will have some pictures of the show as well. (If you own a retail establishment and would like to speak with me about carrying my jewelry, please contact me about my wholesale terms.)