Long Time No Blog

Hello blog readers! It's been awhile since I've had time to write a new post, but there has been lots going on in the world of Smu :) Since I last blogged I've had two shows--one at the Raleigh fairgrounds (an indoor show, which is quite a luxury for me--see photo of my set-up above) and my mainstay show, the Designers Downtown Market. The DDM was especially fun (and profitable!) this go-round as it was my first show with my new vehicle (a Scion xB) which made packing, transporting, and loading/unloading my goods and displays SO much easier! If you live in the Raleigh area and want to visit me in person, the next DDM is scheduled for Saturday, November 20th. Hope to see you there!

Smu's Busy Weekend

This weekend has been packed with crafty fun for me! I had a very sucessful day at the Designers Downtown Market in Raleigh--for those of you in the area who missed the show there are four more DDM shows this year with the next one scheduled for May 8th.

After packing up following the show, driving home and unloading my displays I still had the creative motivation to make a TAD (thing a day) creation for Saturday, the copper hoop pendant necklace pictured above. I've had the large blue and white howlite bead used as the design's focal point for some time, and suddenly realized that the rick brown pattern on the stone matched the lightly antiqued copper findings perfectly :)


Today's TAD (thing a day) creation is a new "Flowers for your Finger" bouquet ring featuring olive green czech glass flowers flecked with gold on a brass adjustable band. All things considered, it has been a busy but productive weekend for Smu :)

Crunch Time in Smu-Land!

With the Saturday 9/12 Designers’ Downtown Market in Raleigh, NC rapidly approaching it is definitely crunch time in Smu-Land! Thankfully the process of craft-show prep gets a little easier each time through lessons learned at previous shows. For example, I now have a tackle box full of craft show essentials that is always packed up and ready when show time rolls around, which serves the dual purpose of 1. Saving time, and 2. Making sure I don’t forget something important (like scissors, or tape—both essential!). I’ve also dedicated the awesome wallet I purchased from Madbird on Etsy as my show cash wallet and I still have enough $1s to make change at the show, which means I don’t need to go to the bank first! Hooray!

My displays are currently up in my craft room for the “dry-run” set up I do before every show. Tonight’s prep task will be pricing/tagging any new work that isn’t already tagged. After that I can pack up my inventory and maybe, just maybe, find a little time to relax before the show. ;)

It's That Time Already?!?!

Once again time has slipped by alarmingly fast, and I find myself with only a few weeks left before SmuTopia's next show! On Saturday September 12th SmuTopia will be setting up a booth at the Designer's Downtown Market in Raleigh, NC. As always, it is my goal to have as much new inventory as possible for the DDM to keep my returning customers coming back for more! :) Stay tuned for more sneak-peeks at my new work for this show!

I've Joined the Virtual Craft Show at Cafe Handmade!

Today is the first day of SmuTopia's month-long exhibit on Cafe Handmade's Virtual Craft Show!

Be sure to stop by and cast your vote for best-in-show! I'll be keeping an eye on Google Analytics to see how much traffic is generated for my Etsy shop from this $10 investment. Wish me luck :)

Rockin' the DDM--Smu's Successful Day!

This past Saturday was the third Designers' Downtown Market for 2009 and without a doubt it was my most successful show to date! I was given a prime location in the Ornamentea parking lot just inside the entry across from the Popsicle Vendor Locopops (which was great for traffic as the day grew warmer!)

Despite a few incidents early in the day (in my clumsiness I knocked over and broke a ceramic hand and one of my star-shaped mirrors while setting things up) my displays held up well and there were no wind-related catastrophes :) The wooden hands generated lots of comments as they always do, and I got quite a few compliments on the suitcase. In fact, several returning customers remembered my set-up for previous shows and commented on the overall progress I have made in improving my booth, which made me very happy! In addition to my returning customers, I also had a special visit from my Twitter friend TheSickChick! Keep an eye on her blog as she will be posting about the DDM and may just include a photo of the two of us in my booth!

Craft Show Displays--Always a Work in Progress

I made some great progress last night prepping for this weekend's Designers' Downtown Market, and am SO happy to be finished with pricing (my least favorite prep activity)!  I've set up my displays for a dry-run in my craft room so I can see how everything comes together and I'm feeling pretty good at this point.  The open suitcase at the front of my main table is a new addition that I purchased from Home Goods a few weeks back--I love the way the dark velvety inside provides a backdrop for the hanging necklaces :)  I've always had issues displaying my longer necklaces and this solves that problem nicely.

As much as I love the new setup, the one thing I have made no changes to is my bracelet display of wooden hands made by my Grandpa :)  I always get great comments from customers on this display!

Now that pricing is done and I've done a dry-run of the set up, it's packing time!  When I get home tonight I'll start packing up my inventory and displays.  Once everything is ready to go, I may actually have time to make a few new pieces for the show!

Running Out of Time.......Again! :)

One of my monthly chores at home is to update our whiteboard calendar to the new month and to add all of our family appointments and events (you'd think that things would be pretty calm since it is just me and my hubby, but that never seems to be the case.) As I changed the calendar from June to July this weekend (only a few days late!) I realized that the next Designers' Downtown Market is NEXT WEEKEND! Too much to do--not enough time left.  I'm going to bed early tonight to rest up, then I'll be devoting the rest of my after-work-time this week to prep for the show!

Post-Show Notes

Saturday 5/9 was the second Designers Downtown Market of 2009 and SmuTopia Jewelry was in attendance :) Overall, it was a moderate success--My sales total was double the booth fee, so it was a good day (if not quite a good as I hoped it would be.) I was happy with my set-up and my designs, there just wasn't a huge crowd, probably due to the hot, humid weather.

Now it's time to shift gears and re-focus on Etsy shop improvements and online advertising. I plan to create some project wonderful ads within the next few days and venture into the world of online advertising :) Stay tuned for more on this!

Last Chance for Craft Show Prep!

Tomorrow, Saturday May 9th, I will be setting up SmuTopia Jewelry at the Designers' Downtown Market in Raleigh, NC. I'm almost ready to go, but I always have more ideas than time when it comes to improving my displays and making more jewelry to take to the show :)

I've saved myself some time in the prep process by collecting all of my essentials into a craft-show toolkit, which I leave packed between shows. Must haves for my toolkit include scissors, scotch tape, duct tape, hemp cord or string, pens/markers, safety pins, extra tags, a calculator, thumbtacks, and shower curtain rings. Most of those are pretty self-explanatory.......the shower curtain rings were a gift from my Mom last Christmas, and are perfect for hanging items from the edges and crossbeams of my pavillion tent :)

Do you sell at craft shows? What is in your craft-show "toolkit"? Leave a comment sharing the knowledge you have gained through your experience!

New Designs for May 9th Designers' Downtown Market

Only one weekend left to prepare for the May 9th Designers Downtown Market, and I've been hard at work on new designs to premier at the show :) Here is a sneak preview of some items I completed last night. The wire-wrapped seaglass and pearl pendant is my favorite.

Where Did the Time Go?

Looking at the calendar this morning I realized I only have two more weekends to prepare for my next craft show. Yikes! I'll need to spend a good deal of the time I have left refreshing my inventory--I always like to go to the Designers' Downtown Market with a lot of new work to keep my repeat customers interested :)

Luckily, I have TONS of new beads from my recent bead binge to use in new designs. My most recent work I'm calling the "Blossoms" collection--Here's the first piece:

Peaches and Cream

Chaotic Aftermath of a Successful Show

As I mentioned in my last post, my show on Saturday was a success--unfortunately, the aftermath of a successful SmuTopia show includes a good deal of chaotic messiness! Most of my inventory and displays are still packed up from the show, with a few boxes rifled through to find specific items I needed right away. Hopefully this weekend I will have time to stuff all of the bulky displays into the craft room closet, which will give me space to put the room back to rights :)

Successful Show! Designer's Downtown Market

Saturday was my first show of the year, the Designers' Downtown Market in Raleigh! I did quite well, bringing in about $200. Not my best show of all time, but certainly worth the trip :) After looking at this photo I think I'm going to go for a different set-up next time so the big table is across the back of the booth facing front. That way people will be able to see more as they pass by. My most exciting sale of the day was the purchase of the first SmuTopia "Shape-Shifter", a new design I have devised for an item that can be worn as either a necklace or a bracelet (I'll be posting Shape-Shifter photos and additional info soon!)

Rainbow Road

So I haven't had as much time to work on SmuTopia as I would like since getting my extra week of prep time, but such is life :) My hubby came down with Shingles and has needed some TLC. Now I realize it is already Wednesday and we're back down to less than 3 days until my craft show! Woo Hoo! My displays are done and I finished putting all of my new earrings on cards over my lunchbreak today. If I can get everything priced tonight I will consider it a major accomplishment (especially since I often find myself finishing up pricing as I set up on the day of a show.

Just before leaving the house this morning, I snapped this photo with my phone--these are a few of my favorite bracelets laid out chromatically on top of one of the wooden display hands my grandfather made for my booth. I am especially proud of the watch (yellow) as it is only my second watch design (the first was the watch I made for my own wedding!)

New Sign Waiting for 3/21

Well, I'm a bit disappointed that my craft show has been pushed back to 3/21, but considering the nasty weather we are supposed to have this weekend I'm sure it is for the best. No one wants to look around at an outdoor market in the rain. Also, I have an extra week to prepare :) My new sign (pictured above) looks much better than the old one--now I have some time to freshen up my display set-up. First, I'll be touching up my existing display pieces. Much of my set up is covered with green fuzzy fabric and after my last show I need to go over everything with a lint brush :) It's a little work, but it makes things look like new! After that I'll be setting out my inventory for a "dry-run", which will help me decide whether I need to make any additions to the set-up before the show. With this extra time, I'm sure I will be able to make a few extra improvements!

The Final Countdown

No, not the 80's song...........:) It's the final countdown to the Designers Downtown Market this Saturday 3/14 from 9-3 in downtown Raleigh! As I mentioned in my last post, I had set a goal to finish my new sign last night, and it actually didn't take as long as I thought it might. The finished product is far better than my old sign, and can be read clearly from further away. My only concern is that it is not water resistant--luckily it cost me less than $5 to make so it won't be a big loss if it does get wet :)

Someday soon I am going to commission a graphic artist to design a Smu*Topia Jewelry logo and have it printed onto a vinyl sign along with business cards and other promo materials........but I"m getting ahead of myself :) Next up on the preparation list will be evaluating my displays and making upgrades and repairs as needed. I also may try to get a head-start on pricing/tagging my new items so I'm not up too late tomorrow.

Wish me luck!

Sprint to the Finish!

Only a few days left until my first show of the season, and it is going to be right down to the wire on preparations (as usual!) If you have ever sold your handiwork at a craft show, you know that 1. there is no such thing as starting early enough on preparations, and 2. Displays are always a work in progress. It is definately a learning process and I have had ideas to improve my set-up after every show I have done.
Right now I have most of my inventory set up on display in my craft room and I only have a few alterations to the display scheme planned, but the new sign I've been meaning to make is barely even started. That will be a project for tonight :) Tomorrow night will be reserved for final display prep and, if I'm lucky, a little last-minute jewelry making. Friday night is my last chance for prep before the show on Saturday, so that evening will be reserved for pricing/tagging and packing.
If you happen to live in the Raleigh area, come visit me at the Designers' Downtown Market this Saturday 3/14 between 9am-3pm!

So It Begins....

I realized last night that there is less than a month left before my first show of the spring--The Designers' Downtown Market on Saturday March 14th. I always like to have lots of new items for this show, which means I need to get to work. My tackle-box of findings and basic supplies is beside the couch and I have claimed a tray table to work on. This is how it begins....the mess only gets bigger from here :)

Observations from a Rainy Saturday Show

I had a great day at the Designers' Downtown Market on Saturday 11/29, despite the rain and cold. My incredibly thoughtful husband bought me a tent for my birthday and this was the first time I had taken it to a show, so it was almost appropriate that we had rain.

The rain and cold did depress the turnout a bit, but in spite of that, it turned out to be a very profitable show for me. I like to think that my improved displays and new tent combined to create a more professional look, drawing in more shoppers for a closer look. Thank you to all of my customers--I hope to see you again at the next DDM in March!