Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Back From Sin City

I got back last night from my trip to Las Vegas for the ACRE 2008 wholesale craft show. Once again, I find the preparation, and the show itself has left me worn out. But, with past experience in mind, I planned a bit of down time. It is unlikely that I will do no work. I just can't completely tear myself away, but a slower, gentler schedule, and a few diversions are just what I need right now.

The show was a good one. I was happy with my display, and with the sales I had, and connections I made. A show presents many opportunities beyond the sales of product, and I was able to take advantage of a few of those. I had a few new things to think about, and will share some of those in future posts.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll share a few pictures, and even a video.....


Lindly Haunani, me, Sandra McCaw, and Meisha Barbee in the National Polymer Clay booth. These woman did a fantastic job, coordinating their displays, and preparing themselves for the show. Each one did a terrific job of representing the possibilities of the medium. And it appears they are willing to "pay it forward"....helping the next group of polymer clay artists to take this step.

This is my booth. I was happy with how it worked out. It was easy to ship, and set up, and worked well. My sister-in-law, Linda Ruel Flynn, was there for a few days, and she was a tremendous help to me in the set-up and display. She has been the interim director of the Fiber Art Center in Amherst, MA, as well as the past retail gallery manager. With this experience as a buyer, and in setting up retail displays, she helped me edit down, and tweak the display so that it worked well, and looked good. She ended up helping a few other artists with their displays. The woman has a real talent for seeing the possibilities in the work, and helping people put their best foot forward.

Here you can see a little better view of one of the "tables". I used two EZ pedestals as the base for the tables, and a sheet of masonite, with a "brushed steel" contact paper adhered to the surface, for the top. The earring rack in this display was made from two rails which are used to hang posters, the clips which go inside the rails, ball chain, duct tape, two small slats of wood with some more contact paper, and polymer clay for the bases. I liked how the display worked to show off the earrings, and how the ball chains help the earrings stay in place. I will have to play with this idea a bit more.

Finally, a bit of the fountain show at the Bellagio on the strip....

7 comments:

Libby said...

Welcome back Judy! Your new booth looks beautiful. (So does the NPCG booth) It's good to hear the show went well.

Unknown said...

And a fantastic time was (quite obviously) had by all! I think I speak for everyone when I extend my gratitude for your efforts with the NPCG ACREs of Opportunity program and just your overall work to forward the medium of polymer clay.

Judy said...

Thanks Libby! It is good to be home. And you are right Barbara, we did have a wonderful time. I truly enjoyed working with Meisha, Sandra and Lindly. They stepped up and did us proud. They set the bar high for the next batch of artists. I am sure they will do a terrific job helping the next group be as successful.

Janice said...

Great to have you back! Your booth looks fabulous - love the huge pictures. Thanks for sharing your setup - I never knew about the brushed steel contact paper trick. And I love the idea of the ball chain to keep the earrings in place - very ingenious!

Judy said...

Hi Janice, it is terrific to be back! The contact paper idea was a fluke. I was going to paint them with white enamel paint, and then at the last minute I noticed I had two rolls of the contact paper sitting there from a few years back. They worked beautifully. And the ball chain was another one of those working with what I had around sort of solutions. But it did keep those earrings from scooting around. The images were printed by a company up in Maine called C4 Designs. They are vinyl, with hems and pockets.

Loretta Lam said...

congrats to all involved. It looks like a blast.
And Judy, that blue necklace you're wearing is Spectacular!!!wow.

Judy said...

Thanks Loretta! It was a blast. I put that necklace together the day before I left. I had made one like it earlier and it was snagged up by a local gallery when I went to visit. I had so many artists stop me in the aisle with this one. Everyone had to touch!