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....