Resin jewelry - what's popular this week

I learned two things several years ago when I started doing street festivals.

I can never predict what jewelry is going to be popular.
The same jewelry may not be popular for the next art show.

Apparently the wholesale art market isn't any different.

One of my best selling patterns last week was my resin cowgirl jewelry.  I don't sell this jewelry on my KMS Designs jewelry website, but on my other endeavor, Cow Art and More.  I was replenishing my inventory yesterday and I had hubby grab a few random picture of the pouring process.

Horseshoes and longhorns are in this batch.












There's also a few of the geometric and dottie patterns.  These will be ready to ship late Friday afternoon.

Resin jewelry making

Resin is rather a strange beast.  For any of you who have worked with it for any amount of time, you know what I mean.  You can seemingly do everything right and somehow it doesn't work.  (Enjoy my resin jewelry making mistakes here.)  I've posted some resin jewelry making tips before, but I've recently found a few quirky items to add to the list. 

The resin I've been using for my scrabble pendants mixes in a 1:1 ratio.  It doesn't matter how big a batch I make, but it has to be equal parts.  Most of the time lately, when I've mixed a total amount of 15 milliliters, by the time I get to the end of putting it on pendants, it's starting to get thick and I have a fair share of bubbles to get out of the pendants.  By happy accident one day, I found that if I pour a "smidge" (yes, that's a technical term) less hardener, compared to the resin, it will stay fluid longer, but still cure completely.  That has made it easier for the bubbles to rise on their own, or for me to get them out.

I use a toothpick to dop my resin onto the scrabble tiles.  This may sound incredibly stupid (or intuitive depending who you are), but I have figured out that the toothpick must go straight into the resin, then straight out.  Any slight "scooping" introduces microbubbles into the resin.  Perhaps that's why I had so many to get out to begin with.

Lastly, when I use a straw to get out the bubbles of the poured resin, I have to change it up after two batches.  (I won't talk about the actual technique of doing that because it can be dangerous to your health if you don't do it right.  I know I've got resin jewelry makers that read this blog and I don't want to endanger you.  However, if you watch enough resin jewelry making videos, you will find the technique.)  When I use a straw for more than two batches, there gets to be too much moisture placed on the pendants and they cure slightly tacky on top.

Just when I thought I knew what I was doing, resin once again claims itself as the boss. 

Random resin jewelry photos

A few random photos from the week.

A large wholesale order.  These will be sold online.  They are individually packaged and each has an organza ribbon necklace.

An assortment of pendants for a wholesale order.  These are going to Wild Ruby in Framingham, Massachusetts.












Detail view of the same group of resin pendants.












A group of delicious designer art deco jewelry.  (Had to insert some literary skills here)  Actually they are mostly flower and snowflake pendants.











These jewelry trays have more contemporary necklace styles: asian flowers and "kaleidoscope" patterns.

A close up of some of the flower pendants in green and pink.  Some need the silver tone bails attached.










By the way, in case you missed it, I put some new resin scrabble tile pendants on the KMS Designs website his week.

Resin jewelry making and the dreaded bubbles

Bubbles.  That is a very bad word to someone working with resin.  I do everything I can when mixing to avoid them and look over my pendants closer than a mama hen watching her chicks to get them out when I pour.  That said, sometimes the little dirty fiends show up anyway -- completely uninvited.

When I poured resin yesterday, I made a big mess.  The resin was mixed in the cup, but I managed to spill some that had to get wiped up pronto.  Being the frugal artist that I am, I didn't want to throw the rest of the resin away, even though it had cured to the point of thick Karo syrup by the time I went to use it.  (Normally it's the runny maple syrup kind when I pour). 

There were some bubbles.  "Not to fear, I've done this before!" I assured myself.  I got my handy dandy heat gun and blasted them.  Normally this works, but today it didn't.  Those bubbles weren't going anywhere.

In a completely unrelated experiment, I learned a few months ago, that while this particular resin is only about 6 to 8 hours into curing, it's in one piece but flexible. 






If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. 

I pushed them off the edge and waited a few hours for them to cure.  (At this point, even if my experiment failed, the pendant was a bust anyway.  I had nothing to lose.)







An exacto knife later, I had trimmed the bubbly resin off and had a usable pendant again.  That will teach those bubbles to mock me. 

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.....

New retail locations for KMS Designs resin jewelry

Announcing several new places across the country to purchase my resin and scrabble tile pendants.

Florida:

Lyonia Environmental Center, Deltona

Vickie Lynn's Salon, Lakeland


Massachusetts:

Prelude Gifts, Needham

Missouri:

Trova, St. Louis

New Mexico:

Lilly Barrack, three locations in Albuquerque

Pennsylvania:

The Malone Flower Shop, Canonsburg

Tennessee:

Dandridge General Store, Dandridge

Stop in and say hi.  (Even if you don't buy anything, please tell them you think they're pretty cool.  *wink*)

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.

Valentine's Day and snowflake jewelry

Yes, we did just get over Christmas.  Yes, I already have Valentine's Day jewelry.  (For those of you not ready to get your "love" on, I also have colorful winter snowflakes on scrabble tiles too.)  Pink is not necessarily one of my favorite colors, but I have to say that the color grew on me while I was making these pendants.







There are also snowflakes in a variety of other colors (there are navy blue and turquoise blue snowflakes in the picture at left). 










I don't have these on the KMS Designs website yet.  (Remember one of my three words for the year is delegate?  Photographing jewelry is the job I am dying to delegate to someone else.)  I have left some this morning at McIntyre Studio and Gifts of Avalon, but if you see something you like here, drop me an email or give me a call.

What jewelry questions do you have?

Have a burning question you're dying to ask?  Looking for answers to your jewelry making questions or just have a curious question about art jewelry?  Leave your response here or if you want to remain anonymous, send an email to kmsdesigns@hotmail.com.  I'll post the answers to the questions next week!

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.)

Jewelry projects - What I'm working on now

As far as my jewelry making business goes, holiday gifts are over by December 15. Most everyone has either purchased from me at a retail show, or have bought their jewelry and had it shipped. I sometimes will get a last minute order, but for the most part, the holiday is done. So what am I working on now?

These are a couple of new scrabble tile patterns I have almost finished.  I hope to have them photographed and on the KMS Designs website by the end of the year. 

Are those Valentine's Day heart jewelry patterns?  Yes!  While Christmas and Hanukkah may be over, the next holiday is just beginning.  In order for me to have enough Valentine's Day jewelry inventory, I have to start now.

This is a another tray of the resin and sterling silver jewelry.  This line of jewelry is at a crossroads for me.  I love to make it and customers are drawn to it.  The complication is that the price of silver continues to climb at an astronomical rate.  (As I write this, the price of silver is up 60 percent in the last four months alone.)  I am faced with the choice to continue making the pieces as I have been and raise prices, or find a way to make the pieces differently, at the same price, while still appealing to customers.  Stay tuned on this one.





The last (but certainly not least!) thing that I'm working on is getting ready for my first wholesale show in Orlando, Florida, next month.  I'm represented by wholesalecrafts.com and will be exhibiting there.  More to come on this big project!

#Cybermonday and December holiday special

For any of my resin or silver jewelry you purchase between now and December 24, I will gladly gift wrap or gift box at no additional charge.  I can even send it directly to the recipient!  Just let me know in the "special instructions to seller" box when you checkout on Paypal, or let me know when you call to place an order.

Items under $25 are packaged on a card and included in a cellophane bag.  It is then wrapped with tissue paper and finished with a holiday ribbon.  A gift card with your personal message is included as well.












Silver jewelry or Resin jewelry pieces priced at $25 or more will be included in a purple, cardboard gift box.  It is finished with a raffia bow.  A gift card is included with these as well.














I ship all jewelry in a padded envelope (for those placed on cards) or a recycled cardboard box.  All my jewelry pieces ship via U.S. postal service with a package tracking number.  I am happy to ship UPS or FedEx for an additional charge.

Need your package shipped internationally?  No problem!  Please contact me with the destination address and will let you know of the additional postal charges.

Getting resin jewelry ready for sale

I'm happy to say that as I've been getting ready for the Thornebrook Art Festival this week, I've also had the opportunity to ship out some sale jewelry. Customers have come to know that this is the only time of year I put my jewelry on sale and pounce on it with some zeal!  I did a post earlier in the summer on how I package jewelry to ship to customers.  In case you're wondering what happens once you place an order, you can see I carefully inspect and package the resin jewelry before I box it up to ship.

I put the finishing touches on some resin scrabble tile pendants and wanted to share some pictures.

These are finished pendants on a tray.  The resin has completely cured.  (Almost looks like a tray of cookies -- to me anyway)

A close up of the pendants.  A little hodge podge of all the retro, and art deco designs I have ready right now.

I'm applying the silver tone bails with a high quality acrylic adhesive.  I "eyeball" where the bail goes and place it on the pendant. 

I leave them for several hours to completely dry before moving them.

Once they're completely dry, I stack them in "recycled" storage boxes.  I place them in one layer at a time with wax paper in between.










I will have some pictures next week of me getting my booth ready for art festivals.  I hope to see you this weekend, but if not, mark your calendars for the first weekend in November for the Downtown Festival and Art show!