Um… yikes!!! In just 28 days I’ll be standing in my booth at the One of a Kind welcoming you to my world. And in just 12 days I’ll be in my booth at Circle Craft in Vancouver. 12 DAYS!!!! Right now that world is piled all over a couple of tables and the floor. There’s boxes of packaging arriving that I have no room for. There are boxes of boxes, shiny bright teal boxes that soon will contain lovely jewelry. And there are lists upon lists upon lists of stuff still to do.
So let’s have a quick recap on what happened over the past 2 weeks. Here’s what I was supposed to do and what I actually did.
Booth display
For Vancouver. I found last years checklist, good thing I am excellent at keeping notes. I’m going with the same display so it’s fairly easy. I am constrained by the fact that I have to build the booth out there and bring everything else, like curtains, packaging and product on the plane with me. Shipping is prohibitively expensive and I am so fortunate that my product is small. I have a list of pieces that I get cut at Home Depot. I am bringing my trusty cordless screwdriver. Add in a can of lime pop paint, some blue curtains and Bam! Booth. It’s a good thing I’m handy with power tools. I do want new photos, these will also be used in Toronto. On the list for this week is to decide on which photos for the booth.
Display for Toronto. I’m going with hard walls like I had last year. I really liked the look of these. The debate is whether to rent them again (yikes it’s expensive!) or build them. Building them is a bit of a pain because I have to rent a van to move them as they won’t fit in my car. And after the show I have to store them somewhere. And next year I think I want a different size booth. So I’m going with renting them. Again, I have last years notes so nothing too hard with the actual structure.
I have worked out a display for my long necklaces, that’s the good part. Here’s the bad part. My usual source for acrylic displays tells me they no longer do what I want done. Crap. So I’m trying to source out having these displays made. Within the next week before I leave for Vancouver.
New booth sign. Not done. Designed yes, sourced out and ordered, no.
New silver charm. Working on it. My original idea turned out to be less than functional. Great in my mind, not so much in the prototype. I still have high hopes this will be ready by the show. It’s going to be awesome just you wait.
New booth photos. Well this gets interesting. The photos I use are a mix of jewelry and inspirational, where the jewelry comes from. Those are easy in that I know the photos I want to use. Except that I have a ridiculous amount of photos and they aren’t really well organized. I’m searching for a specific boat at sunset photos. I have over 5,000 photos. Talk about a needle in a haystack. Argh.
The jewelry photos have become a bit more of a problem. The photos are of the work on display. This means that I actually wrote down what I’m exhibiting and guess what, I have too much work. The variety of work is bigger than my booth space. Now I know that I don’t have to put all my work out but it’s really hard not to because I love it all. So I’m trying to curate a really good selection that shows the best of the best. Vancouver is even harder because my booth is smaller. Cramming in too much just leads to overwhelm. Once I have laid out exactly what I’m showing then I can take some photos. So on my list for this week is that task, layout all the work, take some photos and have them printed in large format.
Social media. OK, I’ve been not bad with this. I’m managing to do a daily photo which I really like doing. Ideally I would have a bank of photos so that I can schedule them instead of doing this daily. Put that on the to do list.
Production. Torch torch and more torching. Then bead cleaning and assembling. Lots done. What I’m working on now is mass producing best selling items. Like my XL Ocean pendant. I know it sells well, the question is how many do I need to make? This year I’m introducing this size on a new heavy silver chain and also making it in 5 new colours, (why make my life simple?).
One small glitch is with my competition piece for the One of a Kind show. The theme is silver and gold and I know exactly what I want to make. Except that it is technically near impossible. Still working on that. The real glitch is that I am out of gold leaf. Leaf comes in small sheets in tiny books. I have a book of gold leaf that has been sitting here for years. Unfortunately I didn’t check to see how much was in it, only 1 sheet out of 25 left. So… I can’t find a supplier in Toronto that has any. I have ordered some but it is in the mail. This may not arrive in time for me to make this before Vancouver. Good thing I have a week in between the shows.
It’s been a busy 2 weeks. Next week will be the stupid busy week. Here’s what I need to get done:
Vancouver show packed by Nov 6. All jewelry cleaned tagged and bagged and in my carry on. Yes, I bring my entire inventory in my carry on luggage on the plane. All the display items packed in my suitcase.
Long display busts designed in a CAD program and sent to somewhere unknown to be produced.
Booth sign ordered.
New photos shot and printed.
Production. Make more more more more and then some more.
26 days Toronto people. 12 days Vancouver people.