Working Hard at the Junk Hippy Roadshow

The Junk Hippy Roadshow is a vintage/antique/handcrafted traveling market that is owned and operated by Kristen Grandi and her family from Oklahoma. They have only been in business a year, but have been wonderfully successful at it. Their motto is "Be nice or leave." This year, they have shows in Rosenberg (2), Tulsa, OKC (2), Amarillo, Colorado Springs, and Waco. I was honored to be part of the Rosenberg show on March 9, and will be back on July 13. Put it on your calendar and join us!

Here is a photo that was kindly taken by Mr. Avery Russell whose wife Janis makes wonderful quilts.

What's in a Price?

For many artists, pricing is one of those areas with which they struggle the most.  There are reams of advice written for those of us wondering how to price our art.  The piece of advice that has most often popped up in my research, is to not cheapen your work and the work of others by underpricing it.  This really makes sense to me because I'm the one who has time and energy invested in each piece. However, I oftentimes get the feeling that some people are shocked when they see the price of my jewelry...especially the one of a kind pieces. This post is meant to provide insight into what exactly goes into pricing a piece of work. 

When embarking upon the journey of pricing, the first consideration is the price of the components I used to create the piece. Obviously, this varies with almost each piece, so I cannot put the same price on each piece.

Next, I must consider time (labor). This does not only encompass the time it takes to craft the piece, but also the time it took to design it, the time it took to acquire the components, and a percentage of the time one spends doing other business activities, such as pricing and various paperwork.

The next part of pricing, is overhead.  My overhead includes electricity and other utilities used to conduct business, tools of the trade, fuel for torches, packaging, displays, car fuel when necessary, website costs, Etsy fees, show fees, etcetera.  

After considering these items, and to a certain extent, what the market will bear, I set a wholesale price.  This is the price for which I would sell a piece to a middleman (typically a store owner); it also comes into play when consigning items.  This must be high enough so that I can get a bit of profit on the piece, but also low enough to be raised to create a retail price.  If the wholesale pricing step is skipped, I lose out when I sell to a middleman. No good business person would do that.

Lastly, I set the retail price.  The retail price is the price by which I sell directly to the consumer.  It is the price one sees on the price tag at a show or in a store. 

Many times, when perusing Etsy, or even attending shows, a consumer will see comparable work created mostly by hobbyists that is priced much too low.  This creates a disservice to those who are seriously trying to make a living with their craft and cheapens the market as a whole. I try not to be one who does that and price my jewelry accordingly...many times at the cost of not selling a piece quickly. However, my wonderfully supportive husband always tells me that there is an owner out there for each piece that I make; I just have to be patient and wait for them to find it! 

Hopefully, this entry sheds some light on not only why my prices are what they are, but also the prices of other artists that you may see along the way.

Until next time...

Cheers,
LaLa
www.jewelrybylala.com
lala@jewelrybylala.com
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Schooled by Yoda...

No, I wasn't transported into a Star Wars movie...I wasn't even watching a Star Wars movie.  In fact, I've only seen one movie all the way through--one of the new-fangled ones, not even an original!  All that said, schooled by Yoda, I was.

As you know, if you've read my previous post, I've been on a class-taking binge the past week or so. I had two classes in Arlington at Bead Fest; one with Linda Larsen  of Objects and Elements, and one with Viki Lareau, of The Bead Factory, on Marketing and Selling Jewelry.  Nothing against, Viki, as she is extremely knowledgeable...but I took her class out of necessity, not because I really wanted to.  I enjoy the creative process 1 BILLION times more than the business process:-( Linda, though, inspired me to push my creative boundaries.  Her class was all about tab setting and riveting, two things I already did, but skills I needed to refine.  This class did the trick!  For the project, I set a spark plug gapper in tabs, instead of the agate slices and other natural stones like everyone else [(call me a rebel).  There is a story behind the spark plug rapper, but that's for another post.] 

Linda and I were talking after class and she asked me if I had other gappers.  I told her I did; she said she would like to see me make another pendant with one and really get creative this time and send her pictures of it (some may have taken that as a less than a compliment, but I didn't--she had already said she liked the one I made in class.)  I took it as a challenge and am going to create something truly fabulous of which to send her pictures.

Excuse the photo, it was taken after class in poor lighting and with no prop...The back plate is nickel silver and riveted to the top is a brass plate with tabs holding the spark plug gapper. You can't tell in the photo, but the top plate is raised from the bottom one.  The top is rolled down to created a bail for a neck wire.

I know, I know.  You're wondering where Yoda fits in all of this, and I'm getting there, I promise.  No one ever accused me of NOT being verbose! 

My next go-round was in Spring, Texas at Spring Beads (in Old Town Spring) with Richard Salley and Jessica Papke, of Rosy Revolver.  (It was supposed to be Martina Stein, but her plans changed, and JJ came in her place--ends up as a positive for me.)  

This was a series of three classes, in which we created three rings.  I learned so many new tips and tricks and gained much-needed confidence.  A HUGE thank you to Richard and Jessica! 

Here is where Yoda comes to play.  I've never really been one to gracefully accept compliments in person.  Typically, real-time compliments embarrass me, and I tend to discount whatever it is people compliment or mumble a self-deprecating answer or some other noncommittal response.  This is what happened on the day of my last class in Spring.  Richard was walking around looking at everyone's work and stopped to watch me work.  He said, "You do nice work." He then turned to walk away, at which time I replied, "I try." Well, if you are a Star Wars fan, you know what happens next...he stopped, turned around and responded, "You know what Yoda says...Do. Or do not.  There is NO try...and you DO."  That was a defining moment for me.  I vowed to try to be more graceful and accepting when complimented in person. It can only serve to help me grow as a person.

Needless to say, it was a boost in confidence to have Richard Salley tell me I do nice work.  It came at a time when I was particularly doubting my talents and my creative process.  Those words from Richard, and the wonderfully kind and motivational words from Jessica (who also told me I have a good eye for design and am talented) were the impetuses I needed to nudge me to greater define my aesthetic and to push through the doubts, fears, and paralysis, that plague me.

Here are two of the rings I made in the classes with Richard and Jessica...again, not the best of photos, but you'll get the picture.

Signing off...

Until Next Time.

Cheers,

LaLa

www.jewelrybylala.com

lala@jewelrybylala.com

Off to Hone my Skills...

Hello, All!  I'm taking a break for a few days from building my jewelry inventory and taking some classes at Beadfest Texas in Arlington Friday and Saturday.  Then I'm off in the other direction to Spring Beads in Spring, Texas for a 3 day workshop with Richard Salley and Martina Stein (sorry, couldn't find a website for her) on making rings.  I am excited to have these opportunities to practice and hone my metalsmith skills.

See you in a few days!

Until Next Time...

Cheers,
LaLa
www.jewelrybylala.com
lala@jewelrybylala.com

New Show...

Howdy, All!  I am adding a new show to my schedule this fall.  In addition to Texas Reds Festival in downtown Bryan on October 13 and Art Step in downtown Bryan on November 2, I will also be at the Pecan Harvest Festival at Royalty Pecan Farm between BCS and Caldwell.  Admission to the Festival is free and their will be vendors, games, demos, etc.  I will not only be a vendor, but will also be doing a demo on foldforming metal.  If you are in the Bryan/College Station area that weekend, stop by and say Hi!

I've also posted new pieces of jewelry in my Etsy shop... 

Currently, I am also trying to get to 100 likes on my FB page...I'm at 91.  When the 100th person likes it, I will post a coupon code on my FB page that can be used in my Etsy shop.

Until Next Time...

Cheers,
LaLa
www.jewelrybylala.com
lala@jewelrybylala.com

More...

More items went up in my store tonight.  Had a hitch in my get-a-long yesterday, so I was unable to work on it.  Much better today, so I managed to get a few things up.  Here is a sample...

                                                                      www.jewelrybylala.com
                                                                                click on SHOP

Remember...if you happen to be in Bryan, Texas at Texas Reds Steak and Grape Festival this Saturday, stop by the Brazos Valley Jewelry Artists Guild booth and see my jewelry in person (along with some other wonderful stuff).

Until Next Time...

Cheers,
LaLa
www.jewelrybylala.com
lala@jewelrybylala.com

Antiques, Food, and, Best of All, JUNK!

Had a great time the past two days (and last Saturday) in Warrenton, Texas at Antique Weekend (well, it's really more than a weekend as it started last week Wednesday)! LOTS of walking and raking through containers of things (rusty and otherwise) to find objects with which to make jewelry.  I found MANY pieces and can't wait to make something from them!  

One of the last items I bought today is probably my favorite--my husband is actually the one who found it in the booth of a couple who own a shop called JUNKOLOGY in New Braunfels--can you say JET engine part?! Kat was very personable and accommodating--I can see a road trip to New Braunfels in my future!  My sister-in-law bought a really fabulous metal folding chair from them in great turquoise and orange colors, and had I been in the market for some patio furniture, I could have snatched up an awesome RED glider, Can't wait to see what's in their shop!

I snapped a photo of some of the items I bought this time in Warrenton (it happens TWICE a year--the first weekend in April and October); these are my finds from last Saturday. Too tired to take pics of yesterday's or today's scores...maybe tomorrow!:-0

Oh...and I posted more jewelry on my ETSY site! www.jewelrybylala.com and click on SHOP or www.jewelrybylala.etsy.com.


Until next time...

Cheers,
LaLa
www.jewelrybylala.com
lala@jewelrybylala.com