Howdy! Just a quick blog entry about what has been going on over these past few weeks.....
Lets see.... lets start with why today's entry is having this title, shall we? Great.
I received a call from big brother about an opportunity to sell some of my stress-reducing crafts in beads, or better categorized... bead woven jewelry. You see, I have these go-to hobbies to keep a level head, and I have had a couple over these past 18 years or so. It all started with DH's annual "fishing trips". Really, these fishing trips were just a weekend with the guys to get hammered and not deal with their nagging spouses/girlfriends... not one fish was ever brought home, but they certainly did come home with a sunburn and a raging hangover. Not all that sure if their livers were thanking them, but they do manage to relax and have some fun.
My first hobby was painting glass. I went to the local hobby store and got a starter kit with brushes and a few instructional books to learn this craft. With a fair amount of patience and a lot of swearing, I was able to make some really nice stuff. I painted on glassware, vases, and even some glass ornaments. Well, one year, while DD was in preschool, I donated some painted glass for a fundraiser for the school and it snowballed into becoming a participant as a local artist in their fundraiser/craft fair. Well, let me tell you this.... I was one glass painting maniac for a solid month to get ready for this thing, but I only had a limited number of things to sell and offered to take orders if a person wanted to purchase something I already sold. BIG MISTAKE on my part because I went home after 3 hours with nothing to take home and at least a dozen orders to fill. Took me another solid 4 weeks to fill the orders because the glassware I needed was in limited supply. Once I finished filling those orders... I thought that was it, but NO... I was asked to do this venue for another 2 years and one open house show for the event planner. Needless to say.... I was all painted out and decided to take on a different hobby.
That was when I took an interest in beaded jewelry. It started off simple... just stringing beads on wire. Expensive, but fun. After about a year or so of simple stringing, I learned hand-knotting pearls, and then a little wire wrapping. It was the day I saw some of the most beautiful, detailed works in bead weaving and bead embroidery, that I took my simple, yet expensive hobby to a new level. I took classes, invested in materials, and found peace in making some really pretty stuff I could wear, and it did not take up as much space as painted glass did. Of course, with all this knowledge, I became the go-to girl for fixing broken jewelry of friends and co-workers. I made a little money selling a few things I have made and was told I should join the masses that sell on Etsy or join the craft fair circuit. I just never thought I had enough for either since everything I have made either became a gift or was bought from me before I could amass enough to do a showing. Heck, most of what I made I kept for myself. My mom kept me knee deep in requests for things and she at least supplied me with the materials to make it. The few things I did make for sale were for a co-worker that loved what I made and wanted it in a certain color, a certain style variation, and did pay me for the work, that is, once I made it to her specifications. I still have an almost finished pair of earrings made with the smallest seed beads I have worked with (size 15/0, and believe me... these are really small beads... like stringing dust) and had to scrap that pair to start over because the color of the crystal was not deep enough. I kept those unfinished earrings unfinished as a reminder that I just cannot do special orders for picky people.... I would definitely lose my mind ;)
Well, with that history put out there, I am now faced with the challenge of selling stuff I make.... AGAIN. Big brother mentioned to a person hosting an upcoming event that I make beaded jewelry and I also paint glass. Needless to say.... they were interested in having me join this event. Gotta just love my big brother. He was looking out for me to find a way to make some money with what I made. I really do appreciate it, but when I agreed to do this venue... I quickly realized that I did not have enough stuff to actually sell and decided that the next 3 weeks were going to be dedicated to making beaded items (earrings, necklaces, bracelets). Yep, for 2 solid weeks, I spent all my free time hovered over beads, making stuff to sell, totally forgetting that big brother also mentioned that I will be selling painted glass at this venue, too. I remembered last night checking out the venue information on Facebook and turned pale at the mention that I will be also selling painted glass. Yep, not all that confident that I made enough beaded works and found out that I have absolutely NOTHING in painted glass (I sold it or gave it all away years ago).
Racing frantically against the constant ticking of the clock and with less than a week to be prepared.... I went shopping for some glassware and found a few things I never got to painting and started painting it all. Well, that is, after getting more paint and supplies since DD has misplaced all of my painting supplies. Once I at least finish what I have planned to make... I have to go through the daunting task of pricing all this stuff to sell and that is where I will second guess myself and probably either sell my soul or sell nothing. I know what I value what I have made, I know how much I have invested in making these things, but it is the potential buyer that will decide if I am worth the prices I am charging. Sadly, people are afraid of what I charge for the bead work I do. I will try to be reasonable about it, but I have heard too many oohs and aahs with the mention of, "that is a little out of my price range for something like this". The nice person that I am will try to explain the investment and the time to make these things, but how can I compete with discount stores selling plastic knock-offs of what I make? Oh, and it has been YEARS since I have been selling hand-painted glass and I am not even sure of the price market for that kind of thing. Yep... feeling a stress headache coming on and worrying about supply, demand, and if it will all sell (or not).
I will say this..... what I will be selling is all that I have and I will not be available for special orders because I am feeling like a factory of one and I am taking a much needed break after this event is over.
Well, time is still ticking and I have less than a week to be ready and I am nowhere near ready. Thanks for reading and have a great day!!!
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