Fairbanks Bad Girls of the North Show

Well, I survived the first craft show of the season. My new set-up took longer, but I think it was worth it. The raised tables, while not something immediately noticeable, made it easier for customers to see my work without bending over.

The backdrop was certainly a great improvement. In addition to lessening the distractions, the white fabric allowed the true colors of the jewelry to show themselves.

Here's the only really good photo I took of the new booth:

Remember, this is a ballroom usually used for dinners, banquets, weddings, etc. The chandeliers look like they are directly above my booth, but they are actually in the next row over. I had to turn off my own lights in order to get a decent photo. The smaller table in the foreground is the checkout area that Carol & I share. I keep a selection of boxes and bags there in addition to my iPad for credit card purchases.

A nice shot of the table on the right:

A blurry shot of the table on the left:

The new display items I purchased worked out well too. They are too small in these photos for you to appreciate them, but they are nicely finished wrought iron from Rio Grande.

All in all, the show was a good one. We always get such a great turn out in Fairbanks. They appreciate the care with which we select our artists. Thank you Fairbanks for encouraging us to continue traveling north to see you each September. This was our 13th year for this Fairbanks show. Where does the time go??

First Craft Show of the Season

We are driving to Fairbanks tomorrow for our first craft show of the season. The show is Friday evening and all day Saturday. This is a Bad Girls of the North show, one that my business partner & I produce. So not only do we need to be concerned with our own booths, but the Bad Girls booth is our responsibility as well. That's where we sell our awesome t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, tot bags, travel cups, etc.

With the help my Rick, we have done some work on my booth. I've resisted this for a couple of years, but finally gave in and did it. I'm raising the tables -- that was the easy part. I hated seeing people hunch over my tables just to see my jewelry. I purchased 2 sets of these simple risers:

I bought them locally at Fred Meyer, but they are available at Target too. Higher tables requires longer skirting. Off to JoAnn Fabrics I went. I always go for a fabric that packs well without wrinkling. Crushed panne does the trick -- skirting in black, table toppings in rich chocolate brown (not shown).

Adding a backdrop was the most challenging change, but will have the greatest impact. I think. I usually do a "come-into" booth, so adding a backdrop will lessen the distractions of whatever is behind my displays. Rick rigged some 2"x2" gizmos that will be clamped to the tables. I'll drape white crushed panne over the wooden framework, thus creating a background for my work.

Basically what I've done is increased my set-up time from 2 1/2 hours to, well, a lot more time.

I will post some photos after I'm all set up on Friday evening. This better pay off!

Video Share

An online friend of mine tweeted about the video.  It is a must see video for anyone who has ever done a craft show.

(If anyone can tell me how to resize a youtube video so that it actually fits my blog, I would be ever so grateful)