Holiday Shopping

I have a few friends who have a kiosk in a local shopping mall. They were kind enough to stock some of my glass wares. There are currently earrings, pendants and bracelets there. The most interesting thing to me is the largest sellers are earrings and bracelets.

I am curious regarding the following: "If most women (or at least the women I interact with) wear necklaces more than any other piece of jewelry, why then are the other items selling better?"

The instant answer would be, "Well, the designs aren't as attractive." The interesting thing is that the designs are in fact the same because I created matched sets of work so people could have coordinated items.

Just something to think about.

Glass Shows :(

This year was the first holiday season where I provided glass art for seasonal fairs. It was a bit disappointing because a lot of work went into these events and the return was miserable. I have more inventory than ever (but that is a good thing) and less investment money. The better question I wonder about is which shows are best for my type of work. This year I have work at a Company craft fair, a kiosk in a local popular mall and a private home show. So far, the craft fair was best.

Time to make more inventory and work on the website.

Company Holiday Craft Fair

This past Wednesday, I had a Company holiday craft fair. It amazes sometimes what people do.

I had a table full of glass beads embellished with silver findings. Other vendors included an English toffee vendor, custom scented hand lotions, herby olive oils, custom wreaths, custom flower arrangements and many others.

What I found amusing when people visited my table wass the following:

1. People don't believe the beads are glass.
2. People don't believe they were made by me.
3. People who have no clue regarding glass are trying to toss "glass-like" words at me to create a connection.
4. They can't believe my prices (this is in a bad way). For Pete's sake people, it's a handcrafted item!

I have posed the following question to many of my friends: "How are the Arts perceived in the United States? And, has today's education dumbed down the general public enough where art is not appreciated?"

The sale was better than expected. (I sold stuff!) Now I'm preparing for a private homeshow this Sunday.

Glass up in the Hills

I currently live in the Santa Cruz mountains in Northern California. My studio is a nice little metal shed that used to be the property Workshop. (There's a great little sign labeled "Workshop" over the door.) When I torchwork, the sliding door is left open and the back window opened. This has provided enough air circulation.

Last night I started working with matched sets. Friends who sell my work have asked for matching necklaces and earrings.

Egads! I currently make earrings and usually make around 30 beads in the same style. Usually, this will result in 10 pair of earrings with around 10 beads remaining for bracelets. I challenged myself by trying to build two beads on the same mandrel. If you currently are a lampworker (torchworker), try this. It wasn't impossible, but did take some serious concentration. The end result was six attempts with five successful sets. In addition, I made a pendant to go along with each set.

It's raining cats and dogs right now, so it looks like a jewelry night tonight.