New Wire Wrap line and semi-precious stones

We have a fast growing line of new wire wrap jewelry.  We are proud to expand our line to semi-precious stones.  We have a fantastic diverse set of stones in our jewelry, sure to wow and surprise you. We have

Amethyst, Onyx, Tree Agate, Striped Gray Agate,
Tiger Eye, several jaspers like Crazy Horse, Ocean Jasper and Kambaba Jasper.  There is Carnelian,
Unakite, and Chrysoprase, just to give you a taste.  We have many more in our store already and many more coming.  We have bigger and better things coming.  Please watch and check in with us as we will have great pieces added daily.  Come see us at Blue Raven Creations, we would love to have you.

Amethyst Wire Wrap Jewelry Set

Beautiful new Amethyst bracelet and earring set!  Each is wire wrapped in a non tarnish silver wire.  The Amethyst stones are about 8mm in size.  The bracelet can be sized up if needed.  This set is great for that special evening out or to just run around town in.  This is another great piece in our new wire wrap collection.  Blue Raven Creations offers a wide variety of jewelry.  Come check out our new semi-precious stone category with fabulous pieces of jewelry that you will surely want to buy! And don't foget that Mother's Day is just around the corner!

New Wire Wrap Bracelet with FIber Optic Beads

We just listed this new Wire Wrap Fiber Optic Cat's Eye Herringbone Bracelet!  It is wire wrapped in thie fabulous non tarnish silver wire. It looks like sterling silver. The wrapping style is herringbone. The bead are glass and named for the way that the light refracts off each bead.  It gives an oblong shine like the center of a cat's eye.  It is a great gift for someone special or just that special treat for yourself!  We offer a matching set of earrings and a pendant in separate listing at our store, Blue Raven Creations.  Come by and check out all the unique jewelry we have for you.

Herringbone Wire Wrap Bracelet

We have a new line of wire wrap jewelry at our store, Blue Raven Creations.  Here you will find one of our fantastic bracelets in a herringbone wire wrapping techinique. It is definitely a unique piece of jewelry.  We offer matching earrings for our bracelets.  You can wear this out to the grocery store and running errands or to dress up for an evening event.  It is versatile and eye catching. We offere these bracelets at very affordable prices.  We have them with glass beads and also in semi precious stones. We can also size the bracelets larger if desired.  We also do custom work.  Give us a hollar and come check out the new wire wrapping jewelry line we have.  We are posting more items daily.  We can't wait to see you there.

Blue Jasper Bracelet

This Fantastic bracelet is made of fabulous blue jasper beads that are wire wrapped into a gorgeous bracelet.  This picture hardly does it justice.  It is wrapped in non tarnish wire but looks like sterling silver wire. We also have matching earrings and pendant in separate listings in our store, Blue Raven Creations.
This would be a great gift for your family, friend, or just yourself!

Money Saving Tips for a Trade Show

When participating in a Trade show or Market Day show, there are lots of creative ways that you can limit some of the money that you have to spend to set up.  These are just a few ideas that might help you get started.  If you need a tent or tables and do not have them, borrow from a friend.  It is expensive to purchase a 10X10 tent for a one or two day show.  Unless you intend to enter many shows it is hardly worth the purchase price.  Borrow some card tables from friends and family.  You might want to cover those tables with some sort of tabel cloth, especially if the tables don't match.  Instead of going out to purchase new table cloths borrow some from mom or your neightbor.  They don't all have to match.  Pick a color scheme and work around that.  You can also go to your local party store, hobby store or even local grocery store and pick up a cheap plastic table cloth.  You can often find those for a dollar or two.  If you tear them or get something on them, then you haven't lost much money.  If you need some type of display, don't be afraid to be crafty and make one yourself.  If you sell purses, get an old piece of wood, preferrably a couple feet wide, paint it a color of your choice and screw knobs into the side of it.  It will be perfect and unique to hang your purses on for display.  If you have jewelry, you an make displays out of cardboard.  Paint them black, or your desired color, cover them in fabric, hang your necklaces, earrings, bracelets on them.  Get pegboard and put it into an old frame to display your earrings.  If you have an old wire bird cage around.  Spray paint it and us it to hang your jewelry on.  You can grab some baking pans out of your kitchen, fill the bottom with beans and place your items on the beans to have a unique background to show off your pieces.
You have to be creative to save money these days and actually, the more creative you are, the more interest you will have in your tent or booth.  Grab an old tree branch from your yard and hang the hats you make on it from the side of your tent.  If you need a sign, buy a small piece of wood from your local lumber store.  They often have some scraps that you can pick up cheap.  Get some acrylic paint at the grocery store and paint away.  If it will be outside a lot you might want to put some type of clear coat finish on it to preserve your hard work.  It doesn't have to be perfect.  The great thing about being crafty is that it does not have to look perfect.  If you sell a type of object that needs to be displayed at different heights on a table, use a clay plant pot to sit something on.  A sturdy shoe box under a table cloth provides some height and interest to your display area.  If you have items that hang, some people often will hang them from the sides of the tent.
Don't be afraid to be creative and think outside of the box.  Find old things around the house, something in your parents shed, from the barn or from a neighbor.  Spray paint and elbow grease are cheap.  The more creative your displays, the more interest you will have in your show.  This way, all the money your are going to make at the show will be profit, not going to offset your expenses. Blue Raven Creations will be attending three shows this May.  Please see our website for details and where you can find us.  It would be great to see you there.  And remember Be Creative!

Setting up for Trade Shows

Ok, so you have registered and paid the fee for the show you want to participate in.  You have decided on your inventory.  Now you need to make sure that you have the supplies or items to work the show.  You can go to a show and have a booth with no tent. Always check with the particular show as some require tents and sometimes tents of a certain color.  The problem with not having a tent is that it often gets hot or windy or could rain and you are out in the elements with your inventory.  This is a personal choice, whether or not to have a tent.  I like the tent because it provides shade and protections for the long day ahead.
Don't forget to get your check in times.
Now you need to decide how to display your items.  Do you need tables, do your items hang and need something to hang on?  If you do not already have tables, you have to add in the extra cost of purchasing tables.  You may want something to cover the tables as well. You will need things like receipt books, bags to place your purchased items in for the buyer, tags to price the items, a money box, and of course plenty of change.  The cost can be quite expensive in the beginning.  But if you plan to be a vendor in several shows a year, this is a good investment.
You might want to think about a sign for your business, something to hang on your tent, or sit on your table.  Do you want to display business cards that direct people to your website?  This is a great way to advertise for free.
It really is a lot to think about and prepare for. 
Don't foget that you are responsible to your state to obtain the correct permit or license as well.  They do expect to collect taxes from your sales.
In all, it can be a very overwhelming process and quite costly.  But, it can be great fun as well.  You meet great people, not only customers but other vendors.  You can get really great ideas about displays and other shows from the other vendors.  You gain experience each time that you participate in a show. It is great advertising for your sebsite. Pretty soon, before you know it, you will be a pro.
Check out our "about us" page to see the shows that we are attending through May at Blue Raven Creations.
Next time we will give some tips on how to save money on setting up for a show.