Back from weekend show!

 Tired, talked out and ready to sleep for a week!

Sales weren't bad...publicity was good!   I may have two new teaching venues and a gallery.  Also invited to a cancer fundraiser show next month...which I think I will do, five weeks before Christmas....might be decent and the booth fee is a donation to the cancer society...gotta love that.  At the very least I'll donate something for their silent auction.

Lessons learned....

If it's an outdoor show it's much better on grass...easy to anchor the canopy so it doesn't blow away when the winds hit. 

Set up jewelry on stands before getting to the event....BIG timesaver.

People love those little organza bags....no other bags needed.

Be ready to do alterations on length and sizing if possible.

Keep it simple.....don't pack the kitchen sink..and you'll be much more relaxed.

 It sounds like you had a good time.  And I'm really glad that you made some contacts there for future business!

Cathi

 Very good lessons learned! Thank you for sharing those. I'm glad that you had a good show & even better contacts out of it.

Congrats & be sure to let us know how the fundraiser show goes!

Glad you had a good time! And made some business contacts. And thanks for sharing your lessons learned. That's always helpful!

First, congratulations on a successful show!  I'm glad you made some business contacts - I hope they all pan out.

Mikki335:

Set up jewelry on stands before getting to the event....BIG timesaver.

I learned this the hard way last December also.  This time I will try to set up the jewelry pieces on the displays before packing.  Hopefully nothing will get damaged in shipment!

Mikki335:

People love those little organza bags....no other bags needed.

What are organza bags?  Will you describe them please?  I bought small paper bags with handles last year, but they were a bit expensive and seemed to be a bit small and didn't work the best.  I'd love to find out what organza bags are.

Did you provide cotton-lined gift boxes as well?  I always provide those with each sale.

 Hey Sherri,

The organza bags are the ones you can get from FMG or your local craft store....just small organza bags with a drawstring.  They replace the cotton filled boxes which are bulky to transport. They are pretty enough to give as a gift.                                  Though we had some regular plastic bags with handles no one wanted one, they just put the little organza bag into their purse....much easier than a box to carry.  I think it's good to have some boxes in case someone wants one though.   ( I'm still tying to find good boxes for my expensive pieces....I can't seem to find any large enough.)

Personally I like to keep my jewelry in the little bags...it keeps them from getting tangled and keeps them dust free, plus you can see thru the organza to what's inside.

 Sherri this is an organza bag

The bag that is sitting under the scroll. They come in many different sizes, colors and even some with patterns. You could buy them to fit the boxes if you like, the ones shown here have a 6.5 inch scroll in them so you can definitely get them to hold boxes.

I paid 8 cents each for mine when I bought them.

 Ok Mikki beat me to it but there's a pic for ya anyway. :)

Glad the show went pretty well Mikki and you made good contacts. Hopefully something more will come from the contacts!

 Hey...I didn't have a pic...lol!

My friend had some with stars on them.  I really like them, actually prefer them to the boxes.

  I like the ones with stars too! They have some other ones, I think with hearts, can't remember them all though.

They are cheaper than the boxes too depending on where you get them! I do like both boxes and bags though.

Glad to know the show went well for you Mikki!  I should probably order some of the organza bags.  I have 3 boxes of various-sized gift boxes (necklace, bracelet & earring), but sometimes the bags work just as well.  I'd also like to get some to store my pearls in instead of plastic bags.  You're right-they are bulky to carry.  I usually bring a selection of them with me so it's not too much to carry.

I was lucky to find some bulk packages of gift bags at the BX of all places.  I bought 2 packs for the spring bazaar for $2.50 ea for I think 20 bags, then found them on clearance later for 50 cents so I bought all they had.  I usually put the items in the bag with my card and jewelry care info and a couple pieces of candy.

Cat or anyone else, where do you buy your organza bags from?

JSmaz:

Cat or anyone else, where do you buy your organza bags from?

 I got my organza bags from here

http://www.yourorganzabag.com/organzabag.htm

I think I paid 8 cents each when I ordered them the first time ( I got the wrong size ) but this was the cheapest place I found. I used them for my wedding invitations last year so you can imagine I did plenty of shopping around for them. If my memory serves me this place is out of California. I was happy with them as well.

For the 3X4 size it's $2.40 for 30 bags, the price drops down to 7 cents for 200+.

The price goes up as the size does but I still think this place was dirt cheap considering they are about $1 each in the craft stores.

Thanks, I'll check them out!  I have a bazaar to do next month so perhaps I can get some ordered.

 Thanks Cat...that's a great source.  Shipping is a bit high but we'll probably do a joint order and split it.

I have class this afternoon and Bead Society tonight....busy day.

Cat :

 Ok Mikki beat me to it but there's a pic for ya anyway. :)

Thanks for the picture, Cat!  We learn something new every day.....!