Sooz, do you still feel SoftFlex/SoftTouch is the best or is there something you like more for general stringing?
I've not made it into beadweaving yet in any significant way so I don't have to enter the great beadweaving material problem but I suppose when I do it will be time to start looking into ordering internationally again as prices here are still so stiff for whatever I want.
I agree wholeheartedly, use the best materials including your findings. When we're at a craft/art fair and we explain that ALL our findings are sterling, all our accents are sterling or Bali silver and we do NOT use silver-plate (but for the teeny exception of the cell/mobile phone lanyards as they're only available in plate) the expressions on the faces of the customers tells the story. It means a lot to them.
If you buy your findings online in bulk, even if you buy 100 or 500 crimps in sterling, they're not horribly expensive and it makes a huge difference.
I wouldn't buy something now that is plated metal and I wouldn't sell it either.
I agree that US made lampwork is better to buy, because it supports a good way of life, artists being able to do work they enjoy. But that being said- I carry some lampwork from China and so far have had no breakage at all. I did have some with pressed chevrons I bought, about
1 in 200 but none of the others so far. Maybe I am just lucky but I didn't think it was right to say that they will break for sure or at even a really high rate. My experaince so far is no worse than venetian glass which is also not annealed.
Christine, Why are you paying yourself Minimum Wage? You are now a designer with her own business, you don't work at a fast food place. Give yourself a living wage. When I first started out if I couldn't decide on a price, I asked my friends this question: If you had all the money you needed and you fell in love with this bracelet, what would you pay for it?" You should take your materials price and mark it up at least 3 times, then add your design fee, cost to replace your beads, etc. If you do a higher end show, you should raise your prices accordingly to cover the cost of your space. As my uncle the portrait artist always tells me, "if you don't value your own work, you can't expect others to value it either." Also, I've found that if you have a piece of jewelry which you've tried to sell at several shows and it just isn't selling, price it UP, not down and you will sell it. People often think a deal is "too good" and there's something wrong with it. Good luck and welcome to the wonderful, crazy world of beads...it's all those little round things driving all of us nuts.
Do not use Tigertail. It breaks...painfully. Upgrade to Beadalon or SoftFlex/SoftTouch 49 strand. You and your customer's won't regret it. Tiger tail is good for temporarily stringing beads for sale, and that's about it, IMO.
There are perfectly wonderful and talented beadmakers in Canada, UK and Europe. Don't spurn them out of fear. You just need to know what to look for regarding quality and price.
Barbara Beader and Polymer Clay Crusader
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I agree that US made lampwork is better to buy, because it supports a
No worries, I wasn't expect my little topic to take off, I still have a lot of messages to read :-)
Thanks for the suggestion...I have bookmarked a few local peeps that I found and I'll get in touch with them. People really do like locally made things too. Sometimes I get the "Did you draw this?" response, which is always nice to hear (even if it seems obvious). Sometimes importers show up at these sales, so people are a little wary as well.
Thanks Su :-) I'm trying to be a little more adventurous with my designs. I had a small collection of Mill Hill beads from when I did needlework (it seems I have a completion problem when it comes to x-stitch, heehee) and I was really inspired by a couple of copies of BeadStyle (one on colour, one on basic stitches). There's some really complicated designs in those, and I would really like to try them!
I'm so glad it did! I've learned a lot too. Thanks to all who have responded so helpfully to Christine. You've probably helped a lot more than just her.
Eeek...OK...I'll look for Beadalon next time. I'm not sure what the lady at Beazu sold me, but I'll phone and check.
At least I'm not using fishing line :-D
I am beginning to understand this now. It's like having pet birds. Pet stores sell many "bird products" but that doesn't mean that because you can buy them they are good.
Whoops, I probably should have phrased that better (shouldn't write so late at night). I'm not adverse to buying beads online, but what had happened was that someone plunked the beads down on a scanner and took the picture that way. The colour was very distorted. What I thought was a nice light green turned out to be blindingly bright instead :-)
See, to me a craft sale is a juried show attended by people who know the crafts are a serious endeavor. It's probably geographical in nature -- it's where I live as opposed to where you live. I didn't mean to ram it down your throat.
I worry about people looking at my work and thinking, "Holy hell! Why is she charging so much when the other person I bought from charged about 10% of this?!?" I find that if something isn't selling, and I mark it up, it sells immediately. Worth is perceived here in a different way from what your customers see. Plus I think my area has better-informed customers, probably.
Do charge what you want -- what you said. If it works for you, go for it.
True, I do give stuff away. I'm a bit too sick to do marketing and stuff. And I don't give jewelry away to just anyone.
But when I do sell, I know what my materials are, I know where to buy them, and I charge for the worth of my time. I do get $300+ for my bracelets. I do get over $100 for earrings (and sometimes less). But I also live in California, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in a city full of craftspeople who understand the worth of a handcrafted item. Becki is right about it all except that I don't give all that much away (because I don't MAKE all that much stuff). We do agree. (We spoke via email)
Kudos to *her*. She is more successful than I am, anyway, so listen to her! :-D Def> Blue Moon Beads are just Czech glass beads, repackaged. At least that
I feel validated! And it's good for newer people to see the recommendations once in a while.
I use SoftFlex or SoftTouch depending on the beads and the project.
I suppose I'll be plunging into the murky waters or beading materials eventually, but at the moment I'm trying to feed my addiction to kumihimo. Fortunately I have cones of silk.
LOL! I wish I could hear you say that in RL, Dr. Sooz. It's not that haggling is a bad thing, but you probably know those people that want everything for $1. Or less. Then huff at you and say that they could make it themselves :-) I don't mind budging on a price, or giving a deal, but some people drive me crazy :-D
My DH and GS presented me with a beautiful hand made Kumihimo loom about
6 years ago. It was made especially tall so I could sit in a chair to use it. Alas, they did not make me any bobbins for it. So there it stands in a corner with an ashtray on it. We do not smoke but it is there in case anyone who calls does. I do not like them too but in some cases we need to stretch a point.
I wonder if ever I shall get the bobbins. LOL Shirley
Ah! I see. Heheh, that's OK, it didn't bother me. Whereabouts do you live? There are juried shows here, but they are also expensive to get into. The really big Christmas shows are about $1000 to get into, and then the venue also wants a cut of the profits. Usually it includes like a 10x10' booth. At the ones we go to, we get a 6 or 8' table. The only requirement usually is that your wares must be handmade.
That is a good strategy - maybe I'll try a range of prices too and see what happens. I can see your point too, customers might think that way, especially if they couldn't see the difference in quality. I tend as a customer to give full price and don't haggle (hee hee!) because I know that the crafter has the cost of the table and the cost of their time at the show as well.
Yes, it probably is that way. I would say, and I don't mean to speak ill of customers at all btw, it's just what I have noticed, that many people go to the shows with a few bucks in their pocket. You probably do have better-informed customers who appreciate things more :-) That's a very lucky thing to have. Sometimes it's very hard to be in a craft market or art gallery and hear really rude things!
*nods* I'll probably be going to 4 shows in total - I should know by then what prices will work and what won't :-)
BTW, I should hope, that if something breaks, the customer will tell me. I would be quite happy to repair, replace or refund if that was the case. I label everything with contact info as one never knows. I would never want an unhappy customer.
I don't know if the findings I have are sterling silver or plated metal btw, but I'll err on the side of caution and bet that they are base metal. I re-checked The Beading Room's website and I noticed that they carry sterling silver parts, so I'll put those on my wish list.
10 years ago I worked at Canada's only Quilted Bear store (which went bankrupt...it was a craft market). There was a pin I bought from a vendor made out of different watch faces. It was very nice. However, whatever she used to glue the metal together did not hold up over time. I found it recently while going through an old drawer and discovered that the glue had turned brown and it had fallen apart. I'm not sure what she used for glue, but I really don't want someone to be disappointed 10 years down the road. So I thank you and everyone else for pointing me in the right direction.
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