by mgilvey | Jan 16, 2012 | Craft Shows, New Jewelry
Did you know that in order to participate in a craft show, many times the show organizer will request vendors to send photos, not only of what they make but also of them actually making it. Marie and I are getting ready to send out our application for the Gar-Field Spring Craft Show so I’ve put together our usual vendor product sample sheet (PDF 365K). This multi-paged sample sheet has four large photos on each page showing a piece of jewelry being made and the final finished piece. It also includes our corporate identity, URL to the main website and contact information.
I have fun making the photography for these because it gives me a chance to show her in action. Ok, maybe stringing beads is a little like watching grass grow but isn’t everything when you get down to it? I decided to use one large soft light for the foreground and a straight flash that was covered with an orange filter (a full CTO in photography speak) as a second/hair light. This lighting is ideal for this kind of photography because it shows everything clearly and just by adding the orange gell over the second light source, it adds a “homey, warm” feeling to it.
We will be going to several craft shows in the Spring. Watch our home page on the right side for details. We will also publish them via our Twitter feed and on our Facebook fan page. Follow us or Like us to keep up with the latest.
by mgilvey | Dec 26, 2011 | Random Thoughts
Calling all crafters.
Do you accept credit cards?
We have been using 1st National Processing but it costs $40 + per month and a per-item fee. We are re-evaluating if we should continue to use their service or not. Because of the high cost of processing and the low volume we do, selling my wife’s lovely handmade bead jewelry has become more of a labor of love than anything remotely close to being profitable (the word unsustainable comes to mind for some reason).
That said, I’m sure that many of you have had days at craft shows where you could not make a sale simply because you did not accept credit cards—we had several of those in the past which is why we are accepting credit cards, but how much does one have to pay to be able to get your name out there? My understanding is, if I purchased the card reader, my monthly charge would go down and I would own the reader instead of renting it. I have considered getting a “square” for iPhone because there is only a small percentage charge per item but I have yet to jump into the smart phone arena because I don’t want to pay so much for phone service + international calling + data.
UPDATE: July 2012
I was able to get the price down to $11 a month plus transaction fees by becoming PCI compliant. Then I received a call from a company called Securus which offered even more bells and whistles for about the same pricing, I moved to them but my price has gone up. Not sure what happened, it’s looking like a he-said she-said issue. I’m thinking of changing back to 1st National Processing.
by mgilvey | Dec 17, 2011 | Jewelry Sale, New Jewelry
Greetings everyone, I bet you are all out shopping for Christmas gifts. My wife and I are going to photograph some of her latest bead jewelry today. It will be a bit of a slow process as we will photograph one item, cleanup the image, post it on our Etsy shop and then tweet and post to Facebook.
Below are a couple of photos of “Le Studio” showing our setup for making all of this happen. As I don’t have any jewelry to photograph at this moment, I set up my lighting using a couple of race cars as subjects. Please friend use on Facebook to see the stream of photos as the will be mostly be getting posted there.
Happy Shopping
by mgilvey | Dec 4, 2011 | Craft Shows, Jewelry Sale, New Jewelry
Hi everyone, Mark here. As I sit here typing away at my keyboard listening to holiday music on Pandora, I just wanted to let you know that the Gar-Field Orchestra Boosters annual Holiday Craft Show will be this coming weekend: Saturday, December 10th at Gar-Field Senior High School.
Saturday, December 10th
14000 Smoketown Rd,
Woodbridge, VA
703-730-7000
Directions
If you have never been to this event, in my opinion, it is the largest craft show in all of Prince William County during December. Don’t spend your time fighting the crowds at Potomac Mills for a present that was made in some factory. Come to the craft show where you can purchase real “artisan creations” at very affordable prices.
Marie Antoinette and I will be there along with some of her new bead jewelry I will be photographing this week. You can watch her as she makes a new bead jewelry creation live, during the show.
Please friend us on our Facebook page for the latest information, sales and events.
I hope to see you there, mention this blog post and get a little something extra with your purchase at the show.
by mgilvey | Dec 4, 2011 | Craft Shows, Jewelry Sale, New Jewelry
Marie Antoinette stands behind her display table after completing another necklace during the craft show at Fox Mill Elementary.
There was a great turnout at Fox Mill Elementary School in Herndon, Virginia for their 2011 Holiday Craft Show. Unlike last year when there was a sudden snow storm, this year was nice and sunny. Many people came out to the show but not so many that it made it difficult for them to look at all the vendors had to offer and there were some very unique offerings including one vendor that had hand painted shoes and other things.
CorseCrafts was very fortunate to have attended this year as the event becomes more and more crowded every year. Customers enjoyed a special $5 discount on bead jewelry purchases of $25 or more. One customer purchased 3 items!
Next weekend, Saturday, December 10th, will mark our last craft show for the 2012 year that we will participate in. Please join us along with about one hundred other vendors as we help make someone’s Christmas wish come true at Gar-Field Senior High School in Woodbridge, Virginia.
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