What I'm working on now

I have been working on a plan for what I will be doing with my jewelry making and jewelry business over the next 6 months.

1.  Jewelry for holiday sales

Uh, seriously?  Like it's 8 million degrees outside.  What's the rush?

I have two shows scheduled locally here this fall, the Thornebrook Art Festival, and the Downtown Gainesville Fall Festival and Art Show.  I want to make sure I've got enough inventory so that I don't feel rushed, something I hate as I get older. 

Having enough inventory is also important since I expect my wholesale customers will start placing orders to stock their store for holidays as early as September.

2.  New jewelry designs

Don't you already have new work?  Do you ever stop??

Whether it's the resin and sterling silver jewelry or the pewter and resin jewelry, I have to plan ahead to have multiples available.  Since both lines involve lost wax casting, I have to add 2 to 3 months time for production, as I rely on outside companies to make them for me.  If I want to have new designs for the ACRE Orlando, I need to, at a minimum, get designs in the sketch book now.

3.  Booth Design


You obsess about this don't you?


Why yes, I do.  I know I only have a few seconds to grab someone's attention enough to get them to stop.  I've been playing with a few booth designs and still haven't quite settled on anything, but I think I'm closer.  But maybe not. 

4.  Website upgrade


Haven't we heard about this before?  I've been waiting you know.


Yes, you have.  The overall look and feel of the KMS Designs website will be the same, but I desperately want a more user friendly shopping cart system (both for me and shoppers).  I swear to you I had hoped to have it up by now, but, well...life happens.

5.  Package sale jewelry

Ooh sale?!  I love a good sale!

I have my one an only sale in conjunction with the Thornebrook Art Festival.  I have items nicely packaged, priced and placed in a nice basket.  Peel off the sticker and no one will ever know you got a deal.  *smile*

So what are you working on?

Jewelry making on the 4th of July

Even though today is a holiday, I've been making more resin jewelry.  Why?  Because I took a few days off last week, full well knowing that I was going to have to make up for it when I got back.  I have two new accounts in Texas that have placed orders for my scrabble tile jewelry pendants.  Here's a preview of the "bohemian hearts" pattern assortment that they chose:

This pattern is a little different from what I've done previously in that they will have a horizontal orientation.

What I really like about the pattern is that it's not the "cutesy" pink and purple hearts.  It's more artistic and easily wearable throughout the year.

Las Vegas show wrap up

The show is almost over, but I wanted to share with everyone that you will now be able to find more of my resin jewelry west of the Mississippi!  KMS Designs jewelry will now be in stores in Texas, California, Nevada and Utah just to name a few.  I am anxious to share the new locations with you and will do so when I'm back in the studio later this week!!

New resin jewelry in pewter

I want to share a preview of my new resin earrings and pendants with blog readers.  WOO HOO!  They will be listed for sale on my "new and improved" website coming soon!

Brief description:  earrings are 1/2 inch round or square and hang on sterling silver filled ear wires, earring "doubles" are 1/2 inch wide by 1 inch long and hang on sterling silver filled ear wires, pendants are 7/8 inches round/square and hang on a sterling silver plated snake chain.

Mixing the perfect resin color

Now that I'm in overdrive getting resin and pewter jewelry pieces finished to take to the ACRE Las Vegas show this week (yes, this week!), I experimented a little with getting some unique colors.  I broke out my handy, dandy color wheel and started mixing.  Here's what I got:

I got a "baby blue" (far left), lavender (middle left), and "mud" (left).  I was trying to get a warm, red undertone, fuschia.

The baby blue isn't bad.  I'm not a pastel person, but I think if you're are, you will like the color.

I liked the lavender color.  It wasn't next on my list to create, but I went ahead and used it anyway.

This is actually what happened first.  MUD.  Ugly, mud.  I poured it in a couple of pieces before I decided I absolutely hated it.

For some strange reason, I couldn't bear to pour it in the garbage, so I put it in one of my silicone resin molds.  Still hate it.









So after three tries of getting the fuschia I wanted, I decided to hit the internet to find something that would help me get the color I wanted. 

I love wikipedia.

I found an article on Wiki How on How to Mix Colors.  I was skeptical, but decided I couldn't do any worse than I already had done.

Eureka!  I have my fuschia!  (and while I was on a roll, I went for a nice teal too.)

This is exactly the color I wanted.  I was mixing purple, blue and red, when in reality, I had to mix a bright pink with turquoise.  Go figure.

The teal came from mixing the turquoise with just an eensy, teensy bit of yellow.  Love how this one turned out too.


These colors will be ready to sand tomorrow night and will be heading out West with me!

Checklist for wholesale jewelry show

I'm heading out to the ACRE Las Vegas wholesale show next week.  This is my checklist I'll be going over for the show.  (Actually, this is the same checklist from the ACRE Orlando show, with a few changes and improvements.  My "lessons learned" are in italics.)

Jewelry.  I'll be taking a large sampling of the scrabble tile jewelry and the new pewter and resin jewelry line.  After attending my first wholesale show in January of this year, I've got a better idea of how much of each style to bring to give shop and gallery owners and idea of what the work is like.

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.  I brought too many for the Orlando show.  I won't bring near as many to Las Vegas (which is especially important since I'm packing to go on a plane.)

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.  I also overdid this for the Orlando show.  I take about a third of what I did before and make more copies later in case I need to.

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.  I had forms for vendors to fill out, but actually found that getting their business card was sufficient.

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.)  I'm glad I had my computer with me more than I thought I would have.  Definitely will be taking this item with me to Las Vegas.

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

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.  I'm taking it one step further this time and am going to have pictures of my jewelry hanging from the walls of the booth.  I need something that people can see from across the aisle to draw them in.

Jewelry display materials.  This includes my velvet displays, tablecloths, and risers.  I'm also taking some DIY wooden shelves to set up as well.  That means I'll need to bring a screwdriver set.

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.  I'm bringing a portable light system this time along with the ties and extension cords.

Cart and associated bungee cords.  It's not going to be a short trip between my booth and my vehicle.  No cart and cords this time.  All but one of the suitcases has wheels.  I'm hoping I don't hate myself in the end for toting all these suitcases around. 

A few new items to go on this trip:  

Table risers.  This will add an extra 6 inches of height to the table.  It will be taller than a kitchen table, but not quite counter height.

Bird netting.  No, I'm not going bird hunting while I'm out there, but I need something to put across the booth to make it "secure".  In Orlando, I draped everything with a sheet, which shuffled everything around daily.  

Fishing line.  I need it to hang the pictures.

Art show table covers and fabric walls

My fireproof fabrics for my jewelry booth at ACRE Las Vegas arrived this week.  I'm still happy with my color choices.

This will be the table cover.  It can fit a six foot long table, but can adjust to a 4 foot table as well.  It was slightly less pink than I was expecting, but still a good fit.  I think it's going to go great with the green floor.







 

The ivory panel walls are nice too.  I ordered them with clips and a velcro strip at the top the panels.  That way, I can put clips (which also have a velcro side on them) over a bar and velcro the panels to it.






Down to the wire!!  I'll be traveling to Las Vegas two weeks from today!!

Photographing resin jewelry

This past Saturday, I ventured out midday to photograph some of my resin jewelry to be used as a photo enlargement to display on a wall in my art show booth.  The idea is that customers and art gallery and boutique owners can see the photographs from a distance and will be at least intrigued to come into my booth.

I made my own light box by cutting out the sides and top of a cardboard box and replacing the cutouts with white computer paper, which serves to diffuse the light.  The background is a white to gray to black photogradient paper.  This is an industry standard when photographing anything for show entries or magazine advertisements.  (Kind of like that brown/gold background when you get elementary school pictures.)  I used a piece of aluminum foil to reflect light back onto the piece of resin jewelry.


So here are the finished pictures:

Per some other artist recommendations, I am getting these printed at Costco (in a 12 inch by 18 inch size), and will hang them with poster clips.  The Costco price for printing was very affordable, so I'm hoping the pictures will turn out well too.

Hey baby, let's go to Vegas!

Excited to announce that my next show will be at ACRE Las Vegas!  You read about my time at the ACRE Orlando show in January, so get ready to hear about Las Vegas!  (Yes, I swear to you I am going for business purposes.)  The show runs from June 5 to June 7.  If you are a wholesale customer and interested in hearing more about the ACRE show, or to get on my wholesale customer mailing list, drop me an email to kmsdesigns@hotmail.com. 

Look for more posts between now and June about getting ready for the show!

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.

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 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!

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.

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.)