Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Working the shows Wednesday - Jewelry Displays

This post is a "reprint" by request from at least two of my Followers:

Jewelry Displays

This display by Avocado Creations, demonstrates the effect of upright jewelry
table displays, a hanging earring display and the overall impact
of a neat, uncluttered table display.
(See http://www.avocadocreations.etsy.com/.)


Up first this week, is some display information that pertains specifically to jewelry vendors. Because of its size, jewelry is often hard to display in an eye catching manner. Your display needs to catch the attention of those passing by and draw them closer to get a look at your terrific merchandise. In most cases, jewelry displays best on a solid colored background. The contrast of dark colored velvet or velour gives many pieces a visual pop. (Velour tends to be a more "easy care" fabric than velvet but has the same visual effect. It is also usually cheaper.) Many sellers believe something with sparkle will make the jewelry look brighter but my personal thought is it takes away from the product.

This display shows how a busy table cloth pattern can really take away
from the jewelry displayed on it. the bracelets laying on the table simply seem
to disappear amid the print. Even the hanging necklaces that are not against
the fabric seem to be less impressive just by proximity to the busy
pattern - kind of "guilty by association."


Very few pieces show well simply laying flat on the table. We have addressed varying the height of the display in earlier posts but in the case of jewelry, angling a display is also important. Jewelry boards can be leaned up against an easel or a higher shelf. This allows necklaces and earrings to hang giving the same effect they will give when worn by the buyer. I have seen folks create their own necklace displays by forming low cones from tag board or card stock, draping them with lightweight fabric and then hanging the necklaces over them creating an upright display. (Again, this varies your display levels.) One attractive display had some interesting pieces of driftwood and a few very large conch shells sitting on the table with necklaces draped over them. They really caught my eye!

Many upright earring display racks can be purchased very inexpensively in stores such as Walmart, Dollar General, and others. I have seen a number of vendors make their own jewelry boards using a picture frame and backing the frame with window screening or plastic canvas mesh. They then prop these frames upright and the earrings hang easily on the mesh.

Rings are somewhat difficult to display without a commercial ring display case with the foam inserts. You can make such displays using a piece of 1" - 1 1/2" foam rubber cut to fit a box lid. Using a box cutter, you can then form slits in which to display the rings. This looks best when the whole display is then propped at a slight angle toward the front of the table. I have also seen rings shown very effectively in a terra cotta flowerpot saucer filled with colored fish tank gravel, sand or even dried beans. The rings are simply set upright in the gravel. Another creative display involved hand silhouettes cut from heavy cardboard and spray painted in solid color with the rings displayed on the spread fingers. The hands were attached to small blocks of wood to hold them upright.

One of the most creative bracelet displays I've seen lately involved stuffed, long formal gloves (the kind that go almost up to the elbow). They had a few simply laying on the table with the bracelets on the "arms" and had one or two supported by dowels standing in an upright position with the bracelets pinned in place. The jeweler told me she bought them at a consignment store shortly after prom season for only $1.00 a pair. She had dyed them dark colors - black, navy and emerald green to best show off the bracelets. They were getting a tremendous amount of attention.

It is important to keep jewelry displays clean and uncluttered looking. Too much, jammed too close together will cause all of the items to simply blend and make it difficult for customers to appreciate the beauty of each individual piece.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Teaser Tuesday - "Poisoned Tarts"


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Here are my teasers for today:

"She wouldn't be the first wife to put an end to a cheating husband's philandering in a violent way. Although a stake through the heart was a pretty strong statement, even for a scorned woman, Savannah couldn't imagine a big hunky guy like Dante just sitting calmly by and allowing a woman half his size to drive a wooden spike into his chest."
pg. 184, Poisoned Tarts, G.A. McKevett.

This is a new author for me. It's also noted as "A Savannah Reid mystery", one of a series involving former policed detective turned P.I., Savannah Reid. I haven't figured out the connection of the title to the story yet, the "tarts" haven't put in an appearance at this point and I'm better than halfway through. This is not one of my normal culinary mysteries although it appears all of Ms. Mckevett's titles have food involved in some way.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your 2 ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Bend - Sway - Go with the flow ... Maintain F*L*E*X*I*B*I*L*I*T*Y*!!!

"FLEXIBILITY"- "FLEXIBILITY"- "FLEXIBILITY"

Just keep repeating it until you feel it.

Yep, I'm back to the old mantra. I'm finding, once again, that the best laid plans can go awry quickly and one must learn to bend with the changes, sway from the pre-planned course and go with the flow.

I can't believe it has been an entire week since I last posted ! Once again, we were traveling but I thought I would have computer access so I prepared a few items with the idea that I could simply jump on and publish them on the appropriate day. I even thought I would write one or two posts from my destination. Well, the days didn't quite pan out that way. I would have had access to the computer but it would have meant missing out on some of the activities we went to take part in.

In addition to "flexibility", I kept getting hung up on "priorities" and "obligations". One must keep their own priorities straight and accomplish what is most important to you. My priority on this trip was to spend time with folks we love and miss so much. That's why we spent an entire day traveling each way to be able to spend two short days together. Those were wonderful, full days and, yes, we'll do it again, soon. Hopefully, we'll be able to at least squeeze in one more day there.

Our time was short due to that other term, "obligations." This one kind of went hand-in-hand with the "priority" thing. We had to be home on Saturday morning for a family obligation that I considered to be a very important priority on my part because it was an important occasion for another family member.

The Big Guy has previously referred to my struggling to post daily, no matter what else is happening, as an obsession. I was driven to get a post in when possible but, "family" is my biggest priority and there has been a lot happening there - mostly good things. There's been a lot of time going into those activities the last few weeks and something had to give.

I've found I really do need to sleep a bit each night. Then there are those other "obligations" like cooking, laundry and housecleaning. Really, 24 hours a day just doesn't cut it. As I am generally a late-night poster, the blogs were the item that usually gave a bit. I just don't type well with my eyes closed!

At the moment, things are quieting down, so I'm hoping to get caught up here and get back into the daily routine. I've missed it. I've missed putting my thoughts down in words and I've missed spending time each night reading what all my favorite bloggers have had to say. I'm hoping to find time to go back and read all my faves and catch up.

I need the comfort of my routine. It really does keep me sane. (Or at least, it makes me "appear" sane to many people.)

Sunday, June 20, 2010

The Lost, Found & Dearly Departed

Another busy day!! We attended the 8th Annual Lost, Found and Dearly Departed Reunion Picnic in Harrisburg, PA. This event began 8 years ago when Rick returned to his hometown from Pittsburgh and attempted to reconnect with old friends and family. Some were already gone, some were simply lost and some, he was able to locate. In an effort to keep the friendships going and to honor those no longer with us, he called his friends and family together at a picnic. They began to bring their friends and so on and so on.
A couple years ago, the Blues Society of Central Pennsylvania got involved and started hauling in some fantastic musical entertainment. Rick and the BSCP opened the event to the public. An admission fee is charged and covers not just the great music (7 or 8 bands from noon til 10 p.m.) but also all-you-can-eat fried chicken, fried catfish, hand-cut fries, salads and much more. As with all family picnics, everybody brings something for the buffet table - often a dessert. Salads and sides are also welcome. There's almost always a birthday cake or two floating around. This is a BYOB event.

Mikey, Jr. (from Philadelphia)carried his mike and harmonica out
into the crowd, even serenading one of the youngest attendees!

They don't run out of food and everybody gets along. You're greeted with hugs. They take pictures of everybody that attends and post them on large picture boards. You can take a gander and see how you change from year to year. There are separate boards for the lost and departed. You're welcome to bring pictures of your own lost folks. This year the bands ranged form local groups to those from Philly, Norfolk, Pittsburgh and even Chicago. The mountain rocked!!

The Altar Boys from Steelton, PA got the day started with music
for everybody and all ages, playing some polkas, a little zydeco,
sliding into some country, a little blues and some driving rock.
They even threw in some golden oldies and even a little folk.

A good time was had by all!!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Bits'n'Pieces

Bits and pieces of unconnected thoughts, quirky facts, questions, etc.

** Last week I saw something for the first time I can ever remember. A middle-aged woman at a concert dropped her cigarette on the ground, went to step on it to put it out, hesitated since she was barefoot and, after careful consideration, went ahead and ground it out with her heel. She didn't seem any the worse for wear. (She didn't seem drunk at the time either.)

**Speaking of cigarettes, I come from a state with some of the strictest smoking in public laws so I found it a bit ironic that at Prairie Meadows Race Track and Casino in Des Moines, you can't smoke outside in the grandstands BUT you can step inside and light up!

**Also on the subject of tobacco, it is illegal to smoke anywhere on the property owned by union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore including "in your personal vehicle" parked in the hospital's hi-rise garage. Neighbors of the hospital are complaining about nurses and doctors congregating in front of their homes on the public sidewalks to stand and smoke while on break. This occurs at all hours. They chat loudly and litter the yards and walkways with cigarette butts and coffee cups. When asked to smoke somewhere else, they often become outspoken and obnoxious. Some neighbors claim the smoke is so thick they are prevented from enjoying their own yards and porches. There are some other neighborhoods in the city where, when patrons step outside a bar to smoke, they are cited for loitering. (Apparently doctors can't be charged with that.)

**Another observation made at that concert mentioned above, if your pockets hang below the bottom of your cutoffs and you are over the age of 18, your shorts are too short and you shouldn't be wearing them with 4" heels, either. They do not make you look like Daisy Duke or Ellie May Clampett!

**I just discovered peach-flavored Fresca! I find it tastes very similar to peach flavored white wine (one of my faves) and it's perfectly acceptable to drink it at any time of day and in just about any situation. You can even drive after gulping a litre or more!

**Omarosa ?!? Matchmaking ?!? In the same sentence!! Oh, come on, Donald! Get real!! Does anybody really want to watch that?

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Sorry !!!

Ocean City, NJ boardwalk

Okay, I'll admit it and, hopefully, accept it as fact. Scheduled pre-posting simply DOES NOT WORK !!!!

I keep living in hope. I plan ahead and create posts that are, through the magic of computer technology, supposed to post themselves at a pre-appointed time. Each time, I return to find they simply sat there in their unpublished draft form, waiting for my return or for some other human intervention.

I'm a baseball fan so I believe in the three strikes you're out maxim. I guess in the future, I'll have to drag Dawn back in to physically publish the pre-planned posts here.
Yes, I was off breathing in some sea breezes and enjoying the sunshine and a few other vices. (Ocean smells and sunshine do give me such pleasure, they MUST be vices!!) We skipped off to Ocean City, NJ on Tuesday where we walked the boardwalk, enjoyed a frozen custard and simply sat and people watched. Since we were only there for the day, it just wasn't practical to purchase a beach pass to allow us access to the sand. I understand the water temp was still only in the 60s so I wouldn't have even dipped a toe!

This is normally just a day trip for us but we splurged this week and spent the night in Atlantic City. (Once beach season starts, the best mid-week hotel deals along the coast tend to be at the casinos themselves.) We stayed at the Tropicana this time.
The sunset over the bay as seen from our window.

This was the first time we'd ever stayed there and found the room to be very large, bright and sophisticated in its decor. The bathroom was HUGE. We could have rented it out to additional guests! If you go there, beware. It's a very, very LONG walk to the West Tower from the casino. At the end of the day, a shuttle to take you down the hall to your room would be a fantastic option. (Don't laugh. Circus Circus in Vegas does have a shuttle from the registration desk to some of the rooms! I speak from experience.) We got plenty of exercise in a our short stay!
Inside The Quarter at the Trop.
Designed to look like Havana.

Since I don't spend near as much time in the casino as The Big Guy, I found the great selection of stores in The Quarter (Tropicana's upscale shopping mall) an attraction. It just so happened, strolling the mall was a much more relaxing walk from our room to the casino floor than that boring old hallway.

I needed to be home for an appointment Wednesday afternoon, so we checked out by 9 a.m. and began the wait for the valet to bring our car. And we waited...and waited...and waited. Finally, they came and told us they couldn't get the car started. The Big Guy went with them to check it out himself and was eventually towed from the valet lot. The tow truck driver stopped so we could load the luggage into the vehicle and then The Big Guy went with him to a service station. I occupied myself by returning to a penny slot machine for the duration!

Kudos to the Tropicana's valet crew. They did get us quick service and referred us to a station that did good, fast service for, get this, a very reasonable price!!! ( We expected to be gouged as we appeared desperate and it IS a resort town! I've lied in a resort town. Believe me, it happens.) Although, it didn't take long, it did prevent me from keeping my appointment which, ultimately, gave us more time to play around on our way home.

Yeah, that IS a Delaware horse track!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Working the Shows Wednesday - Christmas plans ?

So, what are your show plans for the Christmas season?
Did you say you don't have any yet? What are you waiting for? At this point, many of the "better" holiday shopping shows are filling up, if not already filled. Many have application deadlines in July. (You may have already missed applying for some of the more established shows.)

There is a reason why folks sign up this early for these shows. They have winning track records for bringing out the shoppers and generating lots of sales. It's also a good idea to know what shows you will be doing when and to start gearing up your production to be ready for those busy shows.

Which brings us to my next question -
"Have you started working on your holiday merchandise?"


Christmas is only 193 days away. That's only 26 1/2 weeks! I don't know about you, but I usually don't do any shows after December 7th as I find folks are beginning to panic at that stage and are more likely to head for the mall than to stroll a craft show. So, that brings it down to about 24 weeks.

Now, for most of us, summer gets fairly busy both in the sense of craft shows and in family commitments. Our family has several vacation times built into that time period thus causing a dip in production time. It seems each year, I suddenly arrive at September 1st, the beginning of the holiday selling season and realize I haven't produced as much holiday merchandise as I wanted (and needed). Each year, I say I plan to do better next year. (It's a lot like New Year's Resolutions, the same thing repeats each year!)

Better figure out what you're doing when and how much merchandise you need to get together. then, set up a production schedule and STICK TO IT !!!!

So, I'll ask again, what are you doing about Christmas? (Notice I said "doing" not "planning".)