SPRING BEAD & JEWELLERY FAIR

Crafts Fair,Bazaars  or jewelry exhibitions....

 Call it whatever you want, 

but it's one intimidating event. 

Especially for the vendors. So much 

forethought, work, and time 

to put forth for a few days, 

or maybe even hours.

Toronto bead society spring fair(May 26-27th) is going to be my Third Fair since i started my to sell my jewelry online.

Although many jewelry artist have told me in the past that they do not find these fairs useful i have the most fun in them

Not Only do I get to do what i love the most (make jewelry ) but i get to meet the most wonderful people at these places:Buyers,Art and craft lovers and Other wonderful artists. 

Meeting so many other people trying to follow their dreams inspires me and boosts my confidence.

My First Fair

For others out there i would definitely recommend trying  it out at least once.On that note i would like to share with all of you a basic check list for any jewelry show.a checklist should include everything that you're going to need for your show.Dont leave anything to memory because your going to have your hands full with lots of things.

Basic Check List:

Lights Needed                   Food

Price Tags                         Extra wire or jewelry supplies    

Bulbs                                 Gas in car

Stamps & Stapler              Jewelry displays

Small Tables                      50 Ft Electrical Cord

Business Cards                 Extra note book  

Order Forms                     Calculators                         

Receipt Pads                    Charge card slips                    

Jewelry boxes                   Checkbooks                            

Plastic Bags                      $100 in bills (bank)                 

Windex & Towels              Cell Phone                              

Table Cloths                      Banner                                   

Phone Pad                        Jewelry Cleaner                     

Invoices                             Mirrors                                 

Pen & Scissors                 Ring Mandrel                           

Catalog                              Ring Sizer                              

Roller Tape                       Gram Scale

and more important of all :YOUR JEWELRY

If any one wants more information on craft shows or displays feel free to leave a message for me in the comments and i shall write another post

Wish me luck for my upcoming Jewelry show and if anyone is in Toronto please come to the  Fair :)

Made You Look!

As you all know i haven't Blogged for a while.. I have been very busy these past couple of months getting married moving to Canada so I am afraid I didn't have much time to post on my blog .But i have come With some very exciting news.
My Jewelry now featured in One of Toronto's biggest Hand made Jewelry Boutique's Called "Made You
Look"!

Made you look is Toronto's Hub For contemporary, innovative,unique,creative,one-of a kind,local Handcraft Jewelry store.Located on Queen West street which is also known as Art and Design District and is the Center For Canadian Music , Fashion and Visual Arts. It Is really exciting Next step for me that i want to share with everyone:)

If anyone is in the area or comes to Canada please pay a visit :
http://www.madeyoulook.ca 

Gold plated Vs Gold Filled?

As a Jewelry designer one of the most difficult things in deciding what to make is what materials to use.I know many of my friends and myself have struggled with this issue a lot so i want to talk about it a little today on my blog.

In deciding what material to use it is important to first take into consideration the kind of customers you want to target and what you want your shop to portray.For most Jewelry artist starting of with Gold filled Wires and chains means a Huge Start-up Cost with no guarantees about the future Success Of their shop.More over i feel that with designs that require a lot of  wire like Wire Wrapped and Wire crochet necklaces it adds TOO much to the cost making it a High-end Product.For me that has always been a struggle because i want to make One of a Kind and Unique jewelry affordable for everyone but with the amount of time and effort that goes into each design it is difficult to keep the price too low.

First snow earrings 

For example with intricate designs like my First snow earrings i use fresh water pearls in Pink and Swarovski crystals.At this Point for me not to Use Sterling silver Ear wires would be moot.
Another thing to take into consideration would be the competition which is a struggle for many Jewelry artists i know.To keep their prices low and yet deliver high quality to beat the prices of others is a constant struggle for many.

It is my personal opinion based on many surveys that people want good quality at low price.I remember the first piece i ever made for my friend with Gold plated Wire similar to my Gold Paisley pendant.She told me she absolutely adored it but if she were to buy it she would want it to be Gold filled not plated.
IF anyone has more insight on the subject please leave a comment below:)

Cousin's wedding and Custom earrings..

One thing Etsy has given me is a fan following among my family which of course means lots of family members asking for free Jewelry.For some reason that escapes me right now i started making custom jewelry for them for free and now here i am Hard at work 3 in the night making Custom Bridal earrings and necklace for my cousins up coming wedding.

.

I know this was probably not my smartest idea but its Her Wedding and its Her mothers pearls so HOW am i suppose to say no?Now im exhausted and i still have to Finish the necklace which is inspired by my Tatted Bridal necklace 

Wish me Good luck :)

Random Ramblings...

Well, I decided to jump right in and start a blog, I'm pretty nervous which is weird considering blogging is something said to be from my generation but then again i may have been born in the wrong era :P
People generally tell me i'm witty but right now i feel like its the first day of school or im standing on stage about to give a speech i hadn't prepared!lol
I think i'll just dive right in with my latest creations and hopefully begin my blog journey.