Kamloops Craft-a-Fair 2011

We are gearing up and getting ready for our Christmas shows again.  The first one to kick off the season is the Craft-a-Fair at the Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops which is a fundraiser for the Royal Inland Hospital.  We will be in the same spot as last year which is upstairs on the concourse -- (turn left when you go in the main entrance and you will find us). 

We especially look forward to this event because of all the good that comes from money raised for our local hospital.

Our last show for the year

We finally finished our last Christmas show for the year which was right here in our home town of Chase.  We had a great time seeing old friends and neighbors as well as making new acquaintances.  There was an excellent turn-out this year over flowing with both vendors and shoppers.

We were too busy to take any photos of our display this time but managed to sneak in a picture of Dave with two special guests that attended.

Here is a photo of some of our set-up at the last show when we were at the Kamloops Courthouse.  We were in the centre of the room so we managed to use the outside as well which worked very well for us.

Christmas at the Courthouse

We are doing last minute preparations for our next show coming up this weekend which is in the old courthouse right in downtown Kamloops.  If you click on the banner below it will take you to the website for more information.

Here are two of the pieces I showed you last week that were on my bead table that are now finished.   They are both longer designs that can be worn as a single strand or as a shorter double strand.

A Christmas Craft Fair in the Country

We had a real fun time today at a real country Christmas craft fair.  The drive up the mountain was a little challenging with the fresh snow that had fallen over night.

I managed to take a few photos of our set-up this time although it was not our usual one since we were in a cozy little community hall called the little school house.  I was going to say "warm" and cozy except the furnace happened to break down making it a little chilly inside since the temperature outside was -10 C.  The hosts were very gracious and we warmed up real quick with the hot tea, coffee and fresh cinnamon buns they offered us.

In between sales, we managed to visit with some of our fellow vendors there, some who were new.  I was really inspired the most by Dawn who wasn't selling anything really, except herself.   She's determined to make a go of her housecleaning business and I really admire that kind of grit and determination.

All in all, it turned out to be a very rewarding show.

Featuring our new home decor pieces

Our show went very well Sunday and our home decor display drew a lot of attention.  We've added a lot of new designs to our line which you will find on our "Jewelry for the Home" site.  Here are a few samples that we have added.

Sante Fe Chili Pepper

Sunflowers

Daisies

Flower Power

Our Double-sided Display

We have been working overtime getting our displays ready for our coming shows so that everything fits just in the right place and everything looks just so.  We find the first one takes a lot more effort but after all the signs are printed and everything is sorted, the remaining shows go a whole lot easier.

We've been expanding our home decor line and so we decided it deserved its own display.  We wanted something that was free-standing so we don't have to rely on needing extra table space.  We searched around and decided to use something we already had -- 2 plastic shelf units that snap together very easily and when you put them together they make a perfect square table with some space underneath for storage.

We placed a board over top to make it a little larger and so the black skirting we had would fit nicely overtop.  We purchased the grid from a local company that sells store displays and created a backdrop by draping some black fabric and added some clip-on lamps at the top.  A sample board of our special switch plate covers and drawer pulls hangs perfectly on the grid with space for other items to display on the table top.

The beauty of this display is that it is double-sided!  Yes we have a jewelry display on the opposite side with plenty of room for our cable necklace display I showed you earlier and lots of earrings.

We created a simple display for our post earrings by arranging them onto some plastic canvas.  Now we feel we are ready for any event whether they provide good lighting or not.

How to Make an Eye Catching Jewelry Display for Shows

This is a simple and easy way to show off your jewelry pieces at any show or craft fair.   The body mannequins that are for sale are not only expensive but too bulky to transport.  This one is very compact and won't break the bank.

Start with a formed or padded clothes hanger.  You will want one where the hook at the top will turn different directions so it can be hung in various ways.

You will also need a turtleneck shirt -- black is good but any color that will show off your jewelry pieces the will do.  Hang your turtleneck shirt onto the hanger and stretch an elastic hair tie around the waist area.

Thread a medium-size safety pin horizontally to the inside of the shirt on one side near the top.

(inside of shirt)

(outside of shirt)

This pin is to hang your earrings:

Stuff the top part of your shirt with bunched up tissue paper or bubble wrap.  You don't need that much but just enough to give it "body" (pun intended) and the shirt isn't totally "flat"  ---

Take another safety pin and tack the back of the neck part of the shirt so it closes tighter and this will cause it to stand up straighter.  If your hanger is padded, you can pin the collar to it.

Take one of the sleeves and tuck it into the elastic at the waist.  This sleeve can be used for hanging a bracelet or two.

Your mannequin display is now finished and ready to hang anywhere you wish.

You can even make a similar one for men's jewelry such as this shirt for showing off a tie tac.

Hang these in such a way so people can walk directly to them -- they will want to get a closer look.  If you have anything to hang them on, try using a coat rack as a free standing display.

Kamloops Craft-a-Fair

Our first Christmas show this year is this Sunday at the Kamloops Craft-a-Fair.  It is operated as a fundraiser for the  Kamloops Hospital and run by the hospital auxiliary.  Our space will be on the concourse and to the left of the main entrance.  If you happen to make it there be sure to stop by and say hello.

**  Note:  Click here to see our post for the 2011 Craft-a-Fair show....

Picture Perfect Display

I really lucked out this summer when I was walking by a house one day that was having a yard sale.  There was a shelf unit standing there that caught my eye and I had an idea what to do with it instantly.  It happened to be a great price and I was so excited with my find I didn't even mind carrying it all the way home.  The holes are spaces for photos and the shelves slide in between some slots which help to keep the unit together and standing straight.  I love how it comes apart so easily and can be packed down flat for storing or transporting in the car.

    

We spray painted the unit in a nice matt black and cut peg board to fit into the spaces.

We covered the shelves with some pieces of black ultrasuede fabric and attached a clip desk lamp to the center part of the top shelf.

We raised the unit up by standing it on a box which is also used for transporting and storing display pieces.  Turn the unit around and we have a wonderful free-standing display unit with attached lighting and all.

We made special tags to hang our pendant-style necklaces on the pegs with our studio info written on the back.

Solving a Cable Problem

I love the nylon coated steel cables for hanging pendants as they are very practical and show off the clay pieces instead of drawing attention to the cord.  They are available with a barrel screw type or magnetic clasp.  The magnetic are easier to use but there is a great risk in losing your piece and so that is why we prefer to use the screw type one.  We cover the clasp with clay in a matching color and of course add a slice of our signature cane.

Our first Christmas show is just around the corner (this Sunday) and the problem with these cable type necklaces is they are difficult to display.  After trying various ways we finally found a solution to our problem.

We bought this revolving rack sometime ago to hang our carded earrings and brooches.

We weren't really happy with that set up and in the meantime I was using it in our studio to organize some of stock.  We then came up with a plan to hide the ugly chrome bar in the middle and dress it up a bit more and voila!  A new revolving jewelry display that shows off the cable necklaces beautifully.

We created the center backdrop by covering a large tube (several stacked and duct-taped juice cans) with quilt batting and then some beautiful black faux suede fabric.  It easily slipped over the chrome bar and fits perfectly in between the surrounding four bars with clips.

I will show you more of our new displays we created throughout the week as we get ready for our show this Sunday.

Our blog followers

We had an exhausting yet great time selling at the Christmas show yesterday.  We made some new friends and contacts in our area and our jaws ached from so much talking and sharing.

Speaking of contacts -- I see we now have more than 100 followers on our blog and I'm so grateful for each and every one of you.  I have to say that even though you are 1 in 100 -- in my heart you are one in a million!

It is so cool how we can be connected from all around the globe and feel so close.  I've been keeping track of where our followers are from and this is a list of the countries that I could find:

Austria, Canada, Dominican Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom  and of course many from all over the United States.

Of course there may be more of you from other countries, but these are the ones that I know of so far.

Thanks again for following and I will try my best to continue blogging with more things that will hopefully keep your interest.