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!

Bad Girls of the North -- Anchorage Show Re-Cap

All that preparation.  All that stress.  All those questions and doubts.  And now it's over.  In summary, it was a huge success.  Turnout was phenomenal -- my friend Nancy couldn't find a parking spot on Friday evening and gave up and went home.  I don't like hearing that, but parking is a bit out of our control.  People were creative and parked along the shores of Lake Spenard.  I think they're lucky that they didn't get towed away.

I managed to walk around before we opened to the public and took some photos of artists as they were putting the finishing touches on their booths.

Here's Vicki Prewitt hanging her fabulous paintings.

Kathy Peters, one of my favorite potters, always has a wonderful selection of bowls, plates and mugs.

Here's Rick, mugging for the camera.  His booth, along with mine and Carol's (and a few others) were in the pre-function area (hotel-speak for lobby-ish), so we had to be ready for business about 30 minutes earlier than the main rooms, to accommodate the early arrival of anxious customers.

Chelline's booth full of hand painted silk art is always visually stunning.

Deb Ives of Posh House makes fabulous outerwear that makes you glad you need a winter coat!

Have a look at Cindy Shake's blog for photos of some additional booths.  Stephanie Uttech-Tonino also has a blog with some great photos of her booth.

Preparing for the big show ...

This coming weekend is the annual Bad Girls of the North craft show at the Millennium Hotel in Anchorage.  As I prepare for that event, I will be scarce in these parts. 

Not only is it my biggest show for selling jewelry, it's actually a double whammy because I, with my partner Carol, organize this monstrosity!  This will mark our 13th year of producing a craft show in Anchorage and I must confess, we are both tiring of it.  That does not mean we will stop, but we are feeling our ages, for sure.

Now that I'm down to only 3 shows a year, this is my last show for the season.  Yay!  I can spend the remainder of November and December working on my etsy shop, trying to exceed last year's sales on that venue.

If you're local, please stop by the Millennium on Friday evening (can you say cash bar and free hors d'oevres?) or Saturday.  If I have time, I will take some photos to share with you next week.

Alaska Bead Society

This past weekend was the 14th annual Alaska Bead Society "Bead Arts Gala", held at the Anchorage Museum.  This show is always fun, even though sales are usually pretty mediocre.  This year was no exception.  Imagine trying to sell bead jewelry in a venue with about 50 other artists selling bead jewelry.  It's a delight (or a nightmare!) for the shoppers.

Here's a photo of my booth.  This show is so limiting for me because we are each only allowed one table.

My neighbor was the ever-friendly and cheerful Jeanne Wooderson.  Here's her booth/table.

The good news is that I probably don't have to make very much jewelry to be ready for my next show,  Bad Girls of the North in Anchorage!

Me -- on TV in Fairbanks!

I managed to find the video of me on tv last Friday night in Fairbanks.  At least I didn't say anything too stupid.  Again, I feel really, really short.

Bad Girls Rock Fairbanks!

Our craft show this past weekend was awesome and amazing.  As usual, the customer turn-out on Friday evening was tremendous and the crowd was incredibly enthusiastic. The most exciting part for me was that channel 11 (the local NBC affiliate) did a live-shot at the show on Friday evening.  I was interviewed by a 6' tall, thin, blond 25 year old, which was extremely nerve wracking.  You have to understand that I'm only 5' tall and a bit frumpy at 53.  Needless to say, I felt, well, short.  Let's just say it was an interesting contrast!

Here's a look at my booth.  I can never get the camera settings right for these banquet room shots.  The lighting is so difficult to work with, but this photo will give you an idea of how I set up my booth.

I've always preferred a booth that allows customers to enter rather than simply walk up to.  I find it more inviting.  Carol & I share a small table for check out purposes (seen on the lower right side of the photo).

Early Saturday morning -- like 4 am -- Rick & I were wakened by a little earthquake.  It was centered very close to Anchorage, but we certainly felt it on the 7th floor of the Westmark Hotel!  It was like a wave flowing across the room.  A bit unnerving to say the least.

Bad Girls of the North :: why do we sell all that logo merchandise anyway??

Those of you that read my blog regularly know that my other business, Bad Girls of the North, is an enterprise that produces arts & crafts shows.  When Carol & I started the business in 1998, our primary goal was to create good venues for us to sell our own crafts (Carol is a soap maker and I make jewelry).  At that time, Anchorage had a plethora of craft shows, mostly taking place in school cafeterias and gyms, churches and aircraft hangars.  Not exactly conducive to high-end craft marketing.

Carol is on the left.  That's me on the right.  My hair is grayer now and I hardly ever wear my contacts any more.

Our first show in November, 1998 had 22 vendor spaces and took place in a now condemned hotel in mid-town Anchorage.  The reception from the community was amazing!  When we opened the doors at 5 pm on that Friday evening (our shows always take place on Friday evenings and all day Saturday) there was an onslaught of customers.  We had a buffet of free nibbles for the shoppers and a cash bar so they could grab a glass of wine or a beer while they shopped.

We really had no idea what we were doing, but our advertising must have worked.  We lost our shirts on that first show.  It was embarrassing in a financial way.

But we learned.  And 13 years later, we are still learning.

We have relocated our Anchorage show several times over the years to accommodate growth.  We also added a show in the Mat-Su Valley in 1999 (now canceled) and another in Fairbanks in 2000 (still going strong).

Our advertising always consists of a print ad in the local newspaper, public radio underwriting and a huge direct mail campaign. 

In an attempt to maintain a reasonable cost to the artists who participate in our juried shows, we started selling our logo merchandise: shirts, hats, bags, mugs, water bottles, sweatshirts.  The proceeds from these sales ensures that we can keep our shows affordable for the artists and still make some money for ourselves.  These sales subsidize the craft show production.

Over the years, we have shipped our t-shirts all over the country.  Someone's daughter has just left for college in Oregon and needs a Bad Girls shirt.  A sister in Virginia loves Alaska and wants a hat.  We have 13 years worth of stories.  It's incredibly satisfying to have so many loyal customers who look forward to visiting our State Fair booth, craft shows our website year after year.

Don't you need a hat, or something????

just kidding ...

Bad Girls Take Anchorage!

You've heard me ramble on about my Bad Girls business and the craft shows we produce. Well, we just celebrated out 12th show in Anchorage. We were at a new venue this year, the Millennium Hotel. Carol & I took an informal poll of the vendors and the consensus is that this venue WORKED! What a relief. Moving in and out was a bit of a hassle, but not any worse than our last venue.

I know I promised photos, but to be quite honest, I was too busy to take many and the ones I did take, turned out pretty bad. Here's one of my booth that will give you a general idea of how I did my set up. I prefer this type of walk-up-to booth, as I don't like the barrier of a table between me and my customer. I like to hold a mirror for them and help them try on necklaces and bracelets. That is not easily accomplished from behind a table.




Luckily, my friend Cindy has some photos on her blog, so check them out here.

On a personal note, this show was my most successful show in my 12 years of doing craft shows :)

New Stichtite Necklace

What is stichtite, you ask? Well, it's a stone of dark pink or purple color and is sometimes found in serpentine, which can be all shades of green.

The stone featured in this necklace is the type of stichtite found in serpentine. The contrast of the greens and purple is one that is very striking to me.

I added a little dangle of faceted amethyst to help highlight the purple of the stichtite inclusions.

The chain and all the wire is sterling and has been oxidized for a bit of a vintage look.

This brand new necklace is for sale in my etsy shop.

I will not be updating my blog for a few days while I'm at the Bad Girls of the North craft show in Anchorage. We will be at a new location this year, the Millennium Hotel. If you're a local, please stop by! Hopefully, I will have time to take some pictures and share some of our new vendors with you here.

Alaska Bead Society Show

This past weekend was the annual show organized by the Alaska Bead Society. After many years of doing this show at the Anchorage Museum, we relocated to a new location. The ConocoPhillips building in downtown Anchorage has a beautiful atrium and they were kind enough to allow us to use this space.

It was bright and spacious. The general consensus was that the space was superior in all ways to the space we used to use at the museum.

Here is a photo (bad photo alert) of my table:


This year, I was fortunate enough to be located next to Jessica Stephens, a completely delightful young woman with extraordinary beading talent. While she did not want her photo taken, I did convince her to allow a photo of her spectacular beaded neck piece "We Are All Connected".

Bad Girls of the North in Fairbanks :: Kahiltna Birch Works

One of our favorite vendors at our Bad Girls of the North craft fairs is Kahiltna Birch Works. Dulce and Michael East are the owners of this family operation. Their product line is extensive and I know it is all quite delicious, as I've tried just about everything they offer. Their birch syrup is intensely flavorful and their blueberry syrup is wonderfully unique. I also have a weakness for the Cranberry Sauce they create. Thanksgiving wouldn't be the same without it! I encourage you to visit their website and read their amazing story.

This is Dulce putting the finishing touches on her very inviting display.

Bad Girls of the North in Fairbanks!

We arrived home last night after our Bad Girls of the North craft show in Fairbanks. The show was off to a slow start Friday evening, which is usually extremely busy. Don't get me wrong, the crowd was huge, but the spending was not. Business picked up as the evening progressed, but most of us felt that it was a little "off". We chalked it up to the state of the economy.

Then came Saturday. Saturday was fabulous! After 12 years of doing craft shows, I must admit that I really can't predict the market. Here are a few photos of the event.

Our trusty and loyal Fairbanks girls, Elizabeth and Cynthia, who work for us every year selling our Bad Girls logo merchandise. We simply could not do this event without them.


A close up of our travel mugs (totally sold out), etched glass mugs and custom label chocolate bars.


Our t-shirt racks, which the girls attempt to keep nice and neat throughout the show. We know this is an impossible task! Picture dozens of desperate women trying to find their size.


Stay tuned for some more photos of some of the vendor booths!

Packed and Ready to Head to Fairbanks!

Well, almost. The trailer, which is about 10' long, is packed to the gills, mostly with Bad Girls of the North merchandise. I added some of my display items to the mix too, just because they fit nicely. You see, it's like a giant puzzle, and I love puzzles!

The beastly Suburban is also packed, but not yet full. Rick & I will leave here at the crack of dawn tomorrow and pick up Carol. After that stop, the Suburban will be packed to the gills too.

It will be about a 6 - 7 hour drive to Fairbanks. The Bad Girls of the North craft show will take place at the Westmark Hotel on Friday evening and all day Saturday.