Get Your Handmade Jewelry this Weekend...

This is where I will be this weekend:

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Eastern Market

308 E. King Street

Lancaster, PA

9 am - 2 pm

and

Sunday Market

at Building Character

342 N. Queen Street

Lancaster, PA

11 am - 3 pm

See you there!!

P.S. I have been working on a whole new line. I hope to show you some progress by Monday. (I'll off from the day job on Monday! YAY!) and perhaps a real blog post!

The Wind Can't Keep a Good Stand Down!

I have been having this battle with Mother Nature. I have these cool shutters that I use for earring displays and they worked so nicely indoors.

Then, I went outside. The first week was fine. The next week..... well, let's just say I had a little mini-meltdown after the millionth time they were knocked over by the wind. We finally decided that if we just put them on the ground next to the table they wouldn't blow over and I wouldn't have to either run and hold the display every time the wind blew or cry every time I had to pick up a bunch of earrings.

I really hated them on the ground. (See the first photo above.) People had to crouch over and only a couple people could even get into the stand at one time when someone was looking at earrings. I am sure some people missed them altogether.

Then, an idea. Frankly, I have a horrible memory and don't know where this idea came from. It could have been someone at market, it could have been my boyfriend or it could have even been me! Thank you to whomever it was!

We hung the shutters from the tent. Simple and effective. They didn't blow around and it was awesome!

Cute, right?

There are a lot of empty spots on those shutters right now, too. LOL (I must get working on some new earrings!)

I must say that I have come a very long way from where I started doing craft shows. My displays were horrible and I was so nervous and stressed at craft shows. I barely even wanted to talk to people. I was also so afraid that everyone would hate my stuff.

Starting in the Spring I have basically done at least one craft show or market every weekend, only having a few weekends off. I feel like an old pro, even though I know that I really am not. I actually have fun now and don't stress at all. (Except for the wind thing...) I am much more confident. I actually really enjoy going to craft shows and market. Well, I don't necessarily "enjoy" setting up and tearing down, but it beats an office job any day. I know, I have one of those, too.

It has taken some trial and error, creativity, and some dumb luck, but I am really happy with my stand.

If you care to see my stand live and in action this weekend, be sure to come check out:

Sunday Market at Building Character (I am there every Sunday!)

342 North Queen Street, Lancaster, PA 11 am - 3 pm

You will find fresh produce, art, prepared food, coffee, pastries and of course JEWELRY a la B.B. Bellezza!

Eastern Market 6-14-08

Eastern Market

June 14, 2008

Here's my stand. I am always astonished how crooked my tableclothes are when I look at the photos. Honestly, I didn't do the tableclothes for this show, my trusty assistants did. By the time I realized it, everything was already on them, and I wasn't starting over again!

New display for this show. It got a lot of attention.

It's sort of difficult to see in this photo, but I have a ton of new HardWire Jewelry. Jewelry made from repurposed hardware and wire. The wire was saved from a big power cord I took apart. It is in all different colors and really cool! I have necklaces and bracelets.

I got a bunch of old decanters at a yard sale recently. At a steal. Honestly. That yard sale was the best yard sale ever. Anyway, I picked up the sherry bottle below specifically for the Edgar Allan Poe Charm Bracelet. (Actually, boyfriend suggested that! He's getting good!)

My pitiful sign is below. I had cooler signs, but they had my bath & body stuff on it, too, which I don't do anymore. I haven't had a chance to make a cooler sign with color photos because my printer has been out of color ink. It's sad, I know. I did make some really cool banners for my tent for this weekend, though, so maybe I can just lose the sign. I really don't know if people pay attention to it or not, but I want to make it clear that everything is handmade, so maybe the sign will stay. I really should come up with a more creative sign, though.

My "new" candy dish that holds my "candy" now. I love it. Plus, you can see a couple other decanters that I got. That is not a lava lamp.....it's a liquor bottle. Awesome, right?

I like to keep super positive and happy, but I wasn't really super happy with how I did Saturday. And, relatively, I did fine. However, it was hot, it was slightly boring and we were tired. But, I had extra time to meet my neighbors and I learned that I need to remember to bring a project to work on, just in case.

This Saturday is the Lancaster Pride Fest in Buchanan Park. It is from 12-6 on Saturday, June 21, 2008. I am very excited to be a part of this first annual festival. I am a little freaked out by all of the rules (well just 2 are freaking me out a little - I have to put a "no smoking" sign on my tent and have a fire extinguisher. Really neither are a big, deal, but I haven't heard of such a thing before.) However, I am really excited because it looks to be a lot of fun.