Craft Fair Tips and Advice!

Here at the beadshop, we have had more and more customers ask us for advice on craft fairs, so we have put our heads together to think of our top tips and advice for those just starting out or thinking about taking part in a fair. Craft fairs are an awesome way to get feedback about your work, meet fellow crafters and become part of an ever growing community. It is also a good way to help fund your hobby!

Before booking a craft fair, do some research! The best way to do this is visit local craft fairs, especially if they are run by the same organization that you hope to work with. Not only will you get a feel for the range of work shown, but you can also see the people it attracts which will help you when it comes to deciding what stock to bring. It is always helpful to ask questions! Most stall holders will be more than happy to chat to you about their experiences within craft fairs!

Once you have decided on the right fair for you, there are several things to look into to make the most of your space;

one - Check how much space you will be allocated and what is included in the price you are paying for a stall. Sometimes tables and chairs are an added extra so a couple of camping chairs are a good investment as standing up all day can be quite tiring! Once you know the dimensions of your space you can start to plan. Have a practice run beforehand and photograph your layout as a reference on the day.

two - Some venues will provide covers for tables but some will not, so it’s worth taking your own. Neutral will always be best to show off your designs. Avoid anything with too much of a pattern as this can detract from your work. There is a reason you see a lot of velvet and crushed velvet on tables at craft fairs, it doesn’t crease and has a great non-slip property!

three - Professional display stands can be quite expensive so think creatively. Vases, tiles, mug trees and even branches can all work well to show off your pieces. Just placing your pieces on a flat table top doesn’t make the most of your space and isn’t very inspiring so ‘build’ height into your layout try putting upturned boxed under the cloth to add different layers.

four - Take a mirror along as people will appreciate being able to see what suits them.

five - Price everything clearly. Not everyone likes to ask, and if you are busy talking to another customer, at least people can already see prices and carry on browsing. Make sure signs are easy to read and that spelling and grammar are correct!

six - Carry a range of prices. A customer may love your products but may be on a limited budget. Jess always has badges featuring artwork starting at £1.

seven - Always take business cards and/or flyers. Often people will think ‘that would be perfect for…’ and want to buy items nearer birthdays, Christmas or other occasions.

eight - Try and take pieces to make/finish/package. Not only is it better to look busy (rather than reading a magazine etc) but it also provides a talking point to customers. We have often found that if people can see you involved with your work, they feel more inclined to start a conversation about it.

nine - Don't forget bags! Think about how customers will take away their purchases. A necklace would look more impressive in a jewellery box rather than just placed into a bag. However if you sell items already packaged then a bag would work fine.

ten - Stay positive! Although it can be disappointing if a fair is quiet, or mostly window shoppers, don't be disheartened! Keep smiling and promote a good attitude as it will attract people and give them a much nicer lasting impression!

We hope you find these tips helpful and inspiring! If you have any suggestions on other topics you would like to see us cover, then please let us know!

Lincoln Bead Fair

Last Sunday, Jess, Dave and Richard packed up the van and travelled to Lincoln to take part in the Lincoln Bead Fair. Although not as busy as expected, there were a fair amount of visitors which included brand new beaders and familiar faces! Due to the lovely weather, I think most people were tempted by picnics and days out, plus the Waddington Air Show was also on that weekend.

Our next bead fair is 11th September at Best Western Stoke-on-Trent Moat House Hotel, and you can see all the bead fairs that we are attending here.

Most excitingly this November sees the return of The Nottingham Bead & Craft Show! The show will include many traders selling beading supplies, yarn and felting materials. Local artists/crafters/jewellery makers will be supplying gifts and handmade crafts just in time for those unique stocking fillers for Christmas.

Royal Wedding Fever!

As the royal wedding takes over almost everything and everywhere, we are no different. It’s been a great excuse to have a patriotic, English garden themed window display in the shop & have a go at creating some Union Jack inspired beading.



Everywhere you look you can’t help but see Union Jacks and bunting, there have been some brilliant displays and photos that have caught my eye including this image I saw on my lunch in the Metro newspaper – Regent Street lined with Union Jacks in preparation for the big day; not only is it patriotic but it also has a touch of grey mist which just adds to the Britishness of the whole anticipated occasion.

We have fully got into the spirit of the event and created our own British Royal Wedding display, we love all things tea & cake related at The Bead Shop so had to add a cake stand too.

I have taken inspiration from the abundance of Union Jacks around and created a miniature beaded flag, it really is quite dinky and could be used in a number of creative ways.

I have used a basic square stitch to weave this small Union Jack with size 11 Miyuki delicas to give it a neat finish.
Here’s a list of ingredients;
size 11 Miyuki delicas DB200 opaque white
size 11 Miyuki delicas DB723 opaque dark cranberry
size 11 Miyuki delicas DB726 opaque dark blue
I used 0.15mm Wildfire in frost, but any beading thread you are happy using is fine with a size 10 beading needle.
Follow the steps, carefully watching for colour changes on the chart.

Step 1.Cut a manageable length of thread, add the first row of bead using a needle following the chart. Add the first bead of the next row and anchor through the last bead of first row, in a loop.

Step2. Thread back though the first bead on the second row and pull your thread tight, and thread on the second bead of the second row.

Step 3. Secure this bead by looping through the second to last bead of the first row and back through the new bead again. Keep your tension tight all the time.

Step 4. Carry on adding beads to the second row in the same way, anchoring the beads to the corresponding bead in the first row. Start the third row and continue in the same way. If you need to add any more thread, weave the end of your thread back and forth through a few rows & cut off the excess then add a new piece, securing in the same way, weaving through a few rows.

Step 5. Once you have completed the Union Jack, weave the ends of the thread back through 2 or 3 rows before trimming off any excess.

Step 6. Your Union Jack is complete and ready to use however you choose.

You could turn your Union Jack into many items including a small decorative flag with the addition of some wire, or why not create a loop with extra beads to hang on a keyring, or go all extravagant and create your very own fascinator to wear on the day.Happy beading!
Steph x

Springtime treats!

Awww, the weather is slowly getting nicer, which means The Bead Shop is full of excitement for spring and easter (yey for chocolate!)!

First of all we have this delightful WHiTe BiRd CaGe NeCkLaCE by Josephines, the colour scheme is dreamy and has a lovely vintage feel!

Josephines have both a folksy shop and blog!

Jil makes adorable items by printing on fabric! This rabbit brooch would look awesome all the year round...a rabbit is for life, not just for easter! ;)

You can find more of her work in her folksy shop, or catch up on her blog!

Heroine Industries have created this bright and cheerful Super Kitsch and Cute Bunny Cameo Necklace, perfect for adding colour and cuteness to your outfit!

You can find lots of kitsch treats in their shop and blog!

Lupin Handmade have this gorgeous Lilac Flower, felt headband for sale! The turquoise detail really pops against the lilac felt! This would be perfect garden party/picnic wear!

Find this and other treats in their shop and her blog is a lovely read, including book reviews and tutorials!
xx

The World of Tattered Rose...

As I'm sure many of our regular customers will now know, Rachel Bland has worked at The Bead Shop for quite a while now. As well as being a regular and popular workshop tutor, she also creates beautiful jewellery. Over the years many of her designs have been featured in popular jewellery magazines for The Bead Shop, and plenty of her creations have been sold in the shop.

Here at The Bead Shop, we have always done our bit to promote local artists who produce quality handmade items, and so after she had branched out in to designing with Stampbord, we decided to stock the range that Rachel produced under her business name of Tattered Rose. Have a look at the gorgeous one-of-a-kind pendants we currently have available to buy right here! As you will see, Rachel also produces lovely handmade felt beads too.

Now it seems that Rachel's designs are catching more than just our local customers eyes. Recently we were very proud to learn that Tattered Rose had bagged a two page spread in her local Derbyshire magazine!

After receiving such a good response to her beautiful designs, the company that actually makes Stampbord in Austin, Texas, asked Rachel to create a step-by-step guide to using it! It is now featured on their blog, and can be viewed here. This is the necklace she created -

Below you will see the stunning necklace that won Rachel the accolade of Beads & Beyond Jewellery Maker of The Year 2010- as voted for by the public! We were all massively proud of Rachel - the competition was fierce but Rachel's Meadow Dreams necklace topped them all.

Other magazine appearances include a more recent Beads & Beyond article in the March issue, available here. Rachel was interviewed for the Meet & Greet section, and it is definitely worth a read!

With the growing popularity of Tattered Rose, we are sure that Rachel will be appearing in many more magazines and at plenty of craft fairs. Her blog shows how she is now delving in to the beautiful world of bridal adornments, as well as keeping up with her Stampbord and cardmaking. Keep an eye on her work - and also our handmade pages for any further one-of-a-kind creations too!

We wish Rachel and Tattered Rose every success with designing beautiful creations for the future - we will proudly keep you updated!

Rae x

Love is in the shops!

As Valentines day approaches we've been inspired by all manner of love themed treats!

First of all is this delightful wonderland inspired necklace by Magic Alice;

Then we found these unique earrings by TataniaRosa! These are perfect for those who like their accessories to stand out from the crowd,

If you would like to find out more, then you can keep upto date with her blog!

Poppy Sparkles is a name we often see on our twitter, and we were amazed by her selection of lovely jewellery! This necklace is our favourite though!

Check out her blog for more valentine related ideas!

Of course, no Valentines day would be complete without a card! This hand cut beauty is amazing! Not too soppy and pretty to look at! Although the mind boggles at Storeyshop's steady hand!

Her sweet blog is full of inspiration and nice photos!

Well, hopefully these have got you in the mood (for shopping!) Hope you all have a lovely Valentines day!

Much Love!

Punch Fun..!

It’s always exciting when new products arrive at The Bead Shop. There are lots of ooo’s and ah’s before the fight for who gets to try out said product commences! I was lucky enough to be the chosen one for testing out the new Letter and Number Punch Set and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in!

I have some knowledge of metal work from my time at college but this was a while ago (ahem!). I had a look through a great book Stamped Metal Jewelry by Lisa Niven Kelly for any hints or tips. This is a fabulous book and has step by step picture to guide you through the process so it’s great for beginners but also has more advanced projects that you can progress onto.

When I’m making my own jewellery, I love to use text in my creations so I already had a million ideas buzzing through my head.

I set up my stall; stamps, steel block, chasing hammer and any flat metal objects that I could get my hands on! I started by just getting a feel for the stamps and the pressure needed (as the book suggests). It requires a steady hand and an even strike with the hammer. Too little pressure and the impression is faint, too much and you get the edge of the stamp on your work as well. I would highly recommend practicing before you go on to use any special shapes or charms.

To make sure that your chosen word or phrase will fit onto the space you have available, it’s a good idea to draw around your chosen base on to some thick paper and press the stamps into the paper; this will give you a rough idea of how much room you have. If you want to stamp a sentence, write it out on some scrap paper, work out which is the middle letter and stamp each letter out from there.

There are some great ideas for enhancing the letters once you have stamped them. Using Liver of Sulphur, the boiled egg method, permanent pen or my personal favourite; acrylic paint. By applying the paint directly to the piece and wiping off the excess, the paint will stay inside the stamped impression. Appli Glue is great for this (dark colours work best on metal) and we currently have some amazing colours in the sale!

If hammering isn’t your thing there are other uses for the stamps. By pressing the stamps into polymer clay you can get a great effect. It also means there are many colours to choose from, once baked the acrylic paint method will add depth to the stamped letters.

Seal with Sculpey Glaze to finish. A little messy but a great effect!

Below are the finished pieces I put together. They are themed necklaces. I chose words and charms that work together to create a wearable 'story'. I had great fun testing this set and I still have lots of ideas I want to try! It’s great for making personalised jewellery and charms which seem to be very popular at the moment.

Rachel

x